Eurotopics.net

After the scandal in Thuringia and the resignation of the CDU chairman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, many commentators see Germany as leaderless and fear a power vacuum at Europe's core. A debate is emerging about whether the Chancellor should step down now to pave the way for a fresh start.

In his annual state of the nation address, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán praised the success of his own policies. He also attacked US billionaire George Soros and the "tired Brussels elites." While his message meets with criticism abroad, Hungarian pro-government media agree wholeheartedly with the prime minister.

The conflict in the Syrian province of Idlib has escalated. Turkey's President Erdoğan said on Wednesday that he would have his troops attack Assad's Russian-backed army all over Syria if more Turkish soldiers were killed. The US has also indicated that it would side with Ankara. Europe's press looks at who is pursuing which interests on this globbal battlefield.

A commercial by the airline SAS has caused an outcry, particularly online. It celebrates exchange through travel and the enrichment of Scandinavian culture through foreign influences. The Midsummer Festival and the traditional Plundergebäck pastry for example are also "imported", it claims. SAS temporarily took the video offline on Wednesday - and suspects right-wing forces behind the storm of protest. For the media, the ad hit a sore point.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reshuffled his cabinet in his own favour. The most prominent of those who lost their jobs were Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid, Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom and Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith. Javid resigned saying he could not accept Johnson's demand that he fire his team of aides. Johnson is surrounding himself with yes-sayers, Europe's press comments.

Spain is allowed to continue summarily deporting migrants from Morocco who try to cross the border into its exclaves of Melilla and Ceuta under a ruling delivered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on Thursday. Two refugees who were transferred from Melilla back to Morocco without being given a chance to explain their circumstances in 2013 in a practice known as "hot returns" had brought the case before the court.