Eurotopics.net

At its summit in Brussels the EU has harshly condemned the offensive led by the Syrian government forces and their supporters in the embattled Syrian province of Idlib. Shortly before the summit, Russia voted against a UN Security Council resolution for a ceasefire in northwest Syria. Commentators voice dismay that nine years after the war began, still no one is stepping in to stop the suffering.

On Tuesday the verdict was delivered in the trial on the collapse of a supermarket roof in Riga in 2013 which killed more than 50 people. A civil engineer was sentenced to six years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and violation of building regulations. The other eight defendants were acquitted. Survivors and relatives of the victims left the courtroom while the sentence was still being read. Rightly so?

The EU member states are trying to hammer out an agreement on the EU budget for 2021-2027 at their special summit in Brussels. Prior to the summit and after tough discussions EU Council President Charles Michel had proposed a compromise: member States should pay 1.074 percent of their GNP into the EU's coffers. Is that too much?

The British government has announced plans to introduce a points-based system for immigration in 2021: only skilled workers with at least university entrance-level qualifications and adequate English skills will be allowed into the country. In addition they must earn a salary of at least 25,600 pounds per year as employees. EU citizens will no longer enjoy special treatment. Johnson's supporters are delighted - Europe's press is divided.

Billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg has taken part in the Democrats' ninth televised US primary debate. Critical comments about feminism and other controversial statements disqualify him as a candidate, some commentators say. Others see the successful businessman as a suitable challenger for President Trump.

The sense of relief was not long-lived: on Tuesday Osman Kavala and eight others were acquitted in the Gezi Park trial, but only a few hours later Kavala was re-arrested, this time in connection with the attempted coup in 2016 according to the state news agency. Europe's commentators are dismayed.