European Union

The Council added six entities to the EU's sanctions list over actions undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity.

The Council has extended the mandate of the EU training mission until 19 September 2020 and expanded its scope.

The Council extended the mandate of EUNAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta until 31 December 2020. It relocated the OHQ to Rota (Spain) and the MSCHOA to Brest France, and appointed Vice Admiral Antonio Martorell Lacave as new Operation Commander as of 29 March 2019.

In the row over the American pastor Andrew Brunson, who has been in custody in Turkey since 2016 and is currently under house arrest, the US has imposed sanctions against two Turkish ministers. Ankara accuses the pastor of supporting the Gülen movement which it claims was responsible to the attempted coup. The US insists that Brunson is innocent. Will the dispute escalate?

Pope Francis has toughened the Catholic Church's stance on the death penalty. From now on the Church would campaign "resolutely" for its abolishment across the globe, he said. Up to now the catechism did not on principle rule out the death penalty as a final resort. Most commentators are delighted by this move.

A ban on wearing full-face and body veils in public came into effect in Denmark on August 1, which means that the burqa and the nikab are no longer allowed. What some see as a violation of human rights others praise as an appropriate measure to protect Denmark's national identity.

Forest fires, crop failures, melting glaciers and water shortages even in the Netherlands: for months Europe has been suffering under extreme heat and drought conditions. Scientists see the weather as a visible consequence of global warming. Commentaries from individual countries testify to growing anxiety and often read like urgent appeals.

In Armenia a court has had ex-president Robert Kocharyan arrested on charges of election fraud and violent suppression of protests after the presidential election of 2008. Ten people were killed and hundreds injured during the protests. Kocharyan now faces up to 15 years in prison. Eastern European media examine what the arrest means for Armenia and the entire post-Soviet region.