With Europe facing record temperatures, drought and wild fires, calls for concrete measures to tackle the increasingly evident effects of climate change are growing louder. In the Czech Republic, the National Coalition to Combat Drought has been reconvened, and Prime Minister Babiš has announced plans to identify sites for 20 new water reservoirs. Berlin has tabled an action plan aimed at better protecting workers and the elderly against the heat, among other measures.
The British nationalist right-wing populist Nigel Farage has won the by-election in his constituency of Clacton in Essex – which he himself called following a corruption scandal – with 63 percent of the vote. However, the major parties had refused to field any candidates in protest against the vote. As a result, comedian Jon Harvey, standing under the novelty name Count Binface, emerged as the only significant opponent. Joke or not, Europe's media analyse the results with the seriousness they deserve.
After nearly three years of industrial action, the Swedish trade union IF Metall has ended its strike at Tesla. The US car manufacturer had refused to sign a collective agreement, as is customary in Sweden. According to reports, it "bought out" around 80 remaining striking employees with severance packages.
For the past five years the Taliban have again been in power in Afghanistan. The leadership held a ceremony to mark the occasion outside the former US embassy, but the majority of the population has no reason to celebrate: millions are starving and women are being systematically excluded from public life and education. Now they are not even allowed to sing. Meanwhile, several EU countries have begun deporting refugees back to Afghanistan again.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has stalled on the ground – and the war is taking an ever bigger toll on the Russian economy. Meanwhile, Kyiv claims to have recaptured 745 square kilometres of Ukrainian territory since the start of the year. Against this backdrop, talk of a new mobilisation is growing louder in Moscow – although this is unlikely to happen before the Duma elections in mid-September. What would the impact be?
The US is apparently now relying on economic pressure rather than military action to force Iran to make concessions. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital connection for the global economy, remains blocked. US Vice-President JD Vance has said that lowering oil prices is now the main objective in the war with Iran. Commentators discuss the US's weakened position.
Dry soil, withered plants, meagre harvests and not enough feed for livestock: the heat and droughts of this record-breaking summer are taking a heavy toll on agriculture in Europe. Many farmers are already reducing their livestock numbers as a result. The media ask whether government aid can be a lifeline and how the agricultural sector can adapt to climate change.
Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup (Japanese: Etorofu), one of the four Kuril Islands in the North Pacific, has sparked fierce protests in Japan. Both Tokyo and Moscow lay claim to the islands, which were occupied by the Soviet Union in the closing stages of the Second World War and have been under Russian administration ever since. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, this was Putin's first trip to the Kuril Islands. Commentators take a closer look.
On Monday, the Turkish Parliament passed a law aimed at ending the decades-long conflict with the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK). However, the legislation will not come into force until the PKK has been fully disbanded and disarmed. Imprisoned PKK members may then be pardoned and released. Commentators remain sceptical.
Seven people in Romania are under investigation for allegedly attacking an ambulance crew with clubs, axes and stones. The incident was prompted by fake reports on TikTok according to which gangs disguised as ambulance crews were abducting children. The reactions in Romanian media range from anger to calls for effective action.
For the first time in 20 years, Europe witnessed a solar eclipse which was total in some parts of the continent yesterday. Equipped with special glasses, cameras, and picnic baskets, millions of people gathered to experience this celestial spectacle. Commentators in Europe's media take an unusually philosophical view of the event.
