Eurotopics.net

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made a three-day trip to Greece and apologised for Nazi crimes. "I ask you, the survivors and descendants, for forgiveness for the heinous crimes perpetrated here by Germans," he said during a visit to the village of Kandanos on Crete, which was completely wiped out by the Wehrmacht in 1941. However, he maintained that Germany considered the issue of reparations to be closed under international law.

Mobile phones have already been banished, to varying degrees, from schools in Italy, France, Hungary, the Netherlands and the UK. Now other countries including Finland and Estonia are weighing up whether to follow suit - and there is debate on the subject in the media too.

Flash floods have caused devastation and chaos in parts of the Valencia region in eastern Spain. In some places a year of rain fell within just a few hours. The death toll currently stands at 95. The disaster was triggered by a weather phenomenon known as a "cold drop" or "cut-off low". Commentators see failures on the part of the government - both in terms of disaster prevention and climate policy.

In the final phase of the US presidential election campaign the tone has become increasingly acrimonious. Kamala Harris said she considers Donald Trump to be a fascist. And during a Republican campaign event, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe compared Puerto Rico to a 'floating island of garbage', a comment Trump's campaign team later distanced itself from. Europe's press looks on with consternation.