Eurotopics.net

Europe's media are still discussing whether a war has been avoided in the US-Iran crisis. After General Soleimani's assasination Tehran attacked several US military bases in Iraq last week. Some observers see President Trump's statement that he would not retaliate as a positive sign. For others, this is just the calm before the storm.

The bushfires in Australia have claimed at least 27 human lives and according to estimates killed more than a billion animals since October. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who until now had fiercely defended the coal industry, has announced the introduction of new measures to reduce CO2 levels. Commentators discuss what can be done to prevent such disasters and what role Europe can play.

For the first time in five years German Chancellor Angela Merkel has travelled to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders discussed the situation in the Middle East after the most recent escalation and possibilities for a political solution in Libya. Commentators say the meeting was unusually harmonious, but not all see this as a positive development.

Hundreds of thousands of people once again gathered across France on Thursday to protest the planned pension reform - the fourth mass protest in five weeks of permanent strikes. Local and long-distance transport was disrupted and lawyers, teachers and postal employees also stopped their work. Europe's press discusses how much longer Macron can resist the pressure from the streets.

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan announced on Instagram on Wednesday that they intend to step back from life as senior royals. They want to work in future to become financially independent, commute between North America and Britain and continue to support charitable causes, they said. The news has made a big splash in the press.