Voting in Russia's parliamentary elections began on Friday morning. Over the course of three days, voters will elect the 450 members of the Duma, 39 regional parliaments and eleven governors. It is already taken for granted that the ruling United Russia party will emerge as the winner. Yabloko, the only party to openly criticise Russia's war in Ukraine, was barred from the election.
The European Commission plans to drastically restrict children's use of social media with the EU Kids Act. The legislation sets a minimum age of 15 for creating a social media account and bans addictive features. The initiative aims to prevent the serious health consequences, including depression and sleep deprivation, experienced by young people as a result of social media use. Europe's press takes stock.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced in the European Parliament in Strasbourg that she wants to bring the EU's relations with Canada "to the highest level possible". In the presence of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney she stated that she wanted to open the door for Canada "to be the first associate member of the EU". While commentators are clear on the motives behind the plan, some puzzle over the details.
Incidents involving drones are on the rise in Europe: a train travelling from Kyiv to Warsaw was attacked, Nato fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Lithuanian airspace, and another drone containing explosives was found and defused at Leipzig airport. Commentators examine the background to these incidents and the impact on different regions.
According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU is, in priniciple, well equipped to meet the current challenges. "A stronger, independent Europe is now emerging", she said in her State of the Union address on Wednesday. She stressed, however, that more investment in defence as well as institutional changes such as the creation of a consultation mechanism in the event of a threat will be necessary to enhance Europe's defence capabilities.
The school year has kicked off in Portugal – though things are far from running smoothly. Many schools are grappling with shortages of classrooms, and thousands of pupils are still without a teacher. Is there a link to the conservative government’s austerity and reform measures in the education sector? Already many problems had surfaced during the A-level exams in June and July.
By seizing strategic islands and port cities on Yemen's Red Sea coast, the pro-Iranian Houthi militia is asserting control over the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a vital waterway for global trade. During the Iran war the strait has become a key alternative route for Saudi Arabian oil exports. How will this impact energy markets, which are already under intense strain?
In view of soaring fuel prices, the rising cost of living and the country's huge national debt, economic and social issues are dominating the campaign for the French presidential elections in spring 2027. Numerous calls for nationwide protests are already circulating on social media. The French press examines the problems waiting to be solved.
Leading tech entrepreneurs from the US have called for the development of AI to be slowed down. In a post on his blog, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has stressed the need to pace AI development and allow the industry more time for risk prevention. Otherwise we run the risk of losing control of AI systems in six to twelve months, he wrote. Amodei's statements were echoed by Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google.
Two days after the parliamentary election in Sweden, there is still no clear winner. With most of the votes counted, the centre-left opposition, led by the Social Democrats, is three seats ahead of the centre-right governing coalition comprising the liberal conservative Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, which is supported by the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats. The official election result is expected for Wednesday.
A passenger train travelling from Kyiv to Warsaw was hit by a Russian drone in Ukraine on Sunday. It was not far from the Polish border. The 206 passengers were evacuated without any injuries. A petrol station in the Ukrainian border region with Poland was also hit. Given the proximity of the strikes, the incident is provoking growing concern in Poland.
The heads of government of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland signed a joint declaration on Monday calling for greater self-determination for their regions, which form part of the United Kingdom. Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, called for a new independence referendum for his nation within five years. Commentators assess the significance of the meeting.