Eurotopics.net

The new military alliance between the US, the UK and Australia continues to fuel tensions and outrage. Under the deal Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines from the US and scrap a contract for the purchase of French submarines. While some commentators see partners recklessly snubbed, others hail the move as a long overdue joining of forces against Chinese influence.

Ukraine is suffering from a persistent brain drain. Young, well-educated workers in particular are leaving the country, leaving behind the old, the unemployed and an overburdened social system. Neighbouring Poland is a particularly popular destination: in 2020 more than one million Ukrainians were registered as living there. Commentators discuss the reasons and look for ways out of this permanent Ukrainian crisis.

In the coming winter season there will be hardly any restrictions for vaccinated and recovered tourists in Austria - apart from having to wear FFP2 masks in cable cars. With memories of the Ischgl resort fiasco in 2020 still fresh, the country's newspapers examine the rules that have now been adopted.

Half a year after the parliamentary elections, the Netherlands still has no government. King Willem-Alexander will kick off the parliamentary year today with a speech written by the caretaker government. Commentators examine the problems plaguing Dutch politics.

Russia's parliamentary elections came to an end on Sunday. According to initial results, Putin's United Russia party secured victory with just under 45 percent of the vote, while the Communists came a distant second with 20 percent, followed by three other parties considered loyal to the Kremlin. Several strong candidates of the opposition parties were imprisoned before the elections. Europe's press assesses the outcome from different perspectives.