Eurotopics.net

The negotiations on the reunification of Cyprus have been postponed until next week. The guarantor powers Greece, Turkey and the UK joined the talks for the first time on Thursday. Europe needs a reunified Cyprus, commentators stress and call for more transparency in the negotiations.

In his farewell address Barack Obama warned Americans to resist divisive trends and defend democracy. He himself failed to effectively combat inequality and racism while in office, some commentators criticise. Others praise the departing president for his integrity.

The European Court of Human Rights ruled on Tuesday that Muslim girls must take part in mixed school swimming lessons before they reach puberty. With this ruling the court rejected a complaint brought by Muslim parents living in Switzerland. Commentators welcome the decision but warn that its significance shouldn't be overstated.

After the attack on a Berlin Christmas market a debate is raging in Germany over how to deal with rejected asylum-seekers and "dangerous individuals". The government wants to speed up deportations of criminal foreigners. The media in other countries are closely following how Germany reacts to the Anis Amri case.

According to the findings of a report compiled by the US intelligence agencies Putin personally ordered hacker attacks to manipulate the US election campaign. Some commentators say this sets a dangerous precedent through which Russia has undermined trust in US democracy. Others argue that the cyberattack allegations lack substance.

As of 2026 the number of teams participating in the World Cup will rise from 32 to 48, the international football association Fifa decided at a meeting on Tuesday. The expansion of the competition to mammoth proportions is the result of the unbridled greed of Fifa officials, some commentators rail. Others see certain advantages to the move.