The Alternative for Germany (AfD) secured just under 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anhalt but fell short of an absolute majority in the state parliament. This was the first time that a party officially classified as far-right has won a state election in Germany. The media debate the reasons behind the party's success, the repercussions for German politics, and what lessons Europe can learn.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky in Kyiv to discuss ways to bring the war to an end. After the meetings Witkoff called on both sides to make compromises. Zelensky said that security and economic guarantees for Ukraine had been discussed. Moscow described the talks as "extremely frank" and "constructive".
Clémence Guetté, member of the French National Assemblé for the party La France Insoumise, has published a book in which she makes the case for legal recognition of friendships alongside marriage, civil partnerships and family ties. In her newly published Pour une politique de l'amitié, she proposes that people should be able to enter into a partnership agreement in which they undertake to care for one another. The French media are highly critical of the book.
In 2015, a majority of countries worldwide agreed to aim to limit global warming to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The UN has now announced that this target can no longer be met and that the average rise in temperatures will be higher. The media examine what can – and must – be done now.
In response to the finding that Russia was behind the Leipzig drone incident, Germany is closing the Russian Consulate-General in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin, which is suspected of serving as a front for Russian agents. Entry restrictions for Russians and a crackdown on the country's shadow fleet have also been announced. Meanwhile, the EU is preparing another sanctions package.
Romania missed a key EU funding deadline at the end of August by which it would have had to pass or amend a number of laws - including legislation on a gradual phase-out of coal. The country with the highest budget deficit in the EU will now lose up to 870 million euros in funding from the EU recovery fund. The Romanian media are incensed.
Nine years after the bomb attack that killed Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, tycoon Yorgen Fenech has been acquitted of orchestrating the crime. It therefore remains unclear who ordered the murder. Suspicions that members of the government may have been involved led to the resignation of the Maltese prime minister in 2020. In its Rule of Law Report, Brussels notes that Malta has made limited progress on the protection of journalists.
At the end of August, Russia switched its tactics in its air strikes against Kyiv from short, massive attacks to continuous bombardment by small groups of drones. This resulted in an air raid alert that lasted 15 hours in the Ukrainian capital. The new strategy is apparently aimed at exhausting Ukraine's air defence capabilities and causing long-term disruption to everyday civilian life.
The situation in Ceuta remains tense: around 5,000 migrants are currently living in camps in inhumane conditions, leading to clashes with local residents and the police. Nationwide protests in Spain led by the conservative People's Party (PP) and the far-right Vox accuse the central government of failing to act. Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is blaming Russia and Israel for spreading disinformation that lured the migrants into the enclave.
Around 30 masked men, some of whom were heavily armed, marched through the Dutch village of Overasselt early on Tuesday morning before attacking a property. One man was killed and two police officers were seriously injured amid gunfire. The incident has sparked a debate about escalating drug-related violence. The Dutch press calls for action - and also holds drug users to account.
Children across Europe are back at school after the summer holidays, and with their return the national debates about how schools and teachers should handle the use of digital devices have reignited. Strategies under consideration range from controlled use to outright bans in schools. Commentators ask if and how smart phone use can be meaningfully integrated into school life.
