The eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt will elect a new state parliament on Sunday. Polls show that the the nationalist-populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) could secure an absolute majority. Among other things the party is promising a tougher stance on migration, a U-turn in energy policy and a patriotic cultural policy. Commentators ask what an AfD government would mean for Europe.
The Icelanders have voted by a narrow majority against joining the EU. On Saturday, 52.8 percent rejected the resumption of accession negotiations in a referendum. The Social Democratic government initiated the vote in the hope that EU membership would offer the country better protection against territorial claims such as those made by Trump regarding Greenland. For opponents, national sovereignty and control over fishing waters took precedent.
Lucian Pahonțu has been head of the SPP, the secret service responsible for protecting high-ranking state officials, for over 20 years. Now the investigative news portal Recorder has revealed that he was a member of a unit of the notorious Securitate secret police that was involved in the bloody suppression of protests during the 1989 revolution. President Nicușor Dan has defended Pahonțu, saying "I don’t see what all the scandal is about."
Last week the European Court of Human Rights again ruled against Turkey and demanded the immediate release of Turkish businessman and cultural patron Osman Kavala, who has been held detention since 2017. Ankara has failed to comply with all previous rulings on the issue. Sources close to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan suggest that the country is considering withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights.
Ratko Mladić, the Bosnian Serb former general nicknamed the "Butcher of Bosnia", died on Thursday in the United Nations Detention Unit in The Hague. He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in 2017 for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. Serbia's Minister of Justice, Nenad Vujić, has announced that he will be given a state funeral - sparking a major controversy.
Hungary has created a new top anti-corruption body, the National Asset Recovery and Protection Office (NVVH). Its investigators are tasked with recovering state assets that were misappropriated during the Orbán era and are also empowered to bring legal charges against suspects. Political scientist Anna Róza Unger was selected by the Hungarian parliament from a shortlist of three candidates to lead the new authority.
A 16.68 billion-dollar fine and fundamental changes to youth protection: this is the settlement reached by Meta and the US states that brought the lawsuit. The plaintiffs had accused the company of deliberately designing its Facebook and Instagram platforms to be addictive to young users. The settlement, reached in Oakland, California, is also making waves in Europe.
At least 472 people have died in a flash flood in the mountainous region between China and Nepal. The flood, which was apparently triggered by the collapse of a glacier, swept almost 170 kilometres along two rivers through Tibet and Nepal on Wednesday, destroying entire villages along the way. More than 1,400 people are still missing. Commentators see the disaster as a result of climate change.
Slovenia has vetoed a joint statement by the EU and its 27 Member States condemning Israel's decision to build new settlements in the West Bank. As a result the document could only be issued as a communiqué from the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas. The Foreign Ministry of the new centre-right government in Ljubljana explained the veto saying that the statement "would not bring added value at this moment".
This Saturday, the people of Iceland will vote on whether the country should begin accession talks with the EU. Iceland had already entered negotiations with the EU in 2010 but the government in Reykjavík suspended them in 2013, mainly due to differences over fisheries policy. Commentators look to the north - and to the future.
The head of the US Central Intelligence Agency John Ratcliffe was in Moscow on Tuesday for talks. The visit was unofficial and unannounced, but a large US military cargo aircraft flying from Washington to Moscow did not escape public attention. The Kremlin later confirmed the visit, saying there had been "talks between the intelligence services". Most media outlets see a connection with the war in Ukraine.
In the US and around the world fans are mourning the loss of country singer and entertainer Dolly Parton, who died on Tuesday at the age of 80. Parton epitomised the American dream: born into extreme poverty, she rose to superstardom in the 1970s. Beyond her musical career, the star was active as an entrepreneur and supporter of research and social projects.