Eurotopics.net

Rising rents and housing shortages were already a major issue in Europe before the pandemic - especially in the cities. Now war, inflation and high energy and construction costs are exacerbating the problem. Despite regional differences, there is a general consensus in the commentary sections that tougher regulations and more investment in public housing are needed.

Not only Russian soldiers but also mercenaries from the Wagner Group founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin are fighting in the war against Ukraine. Partly recruited from prisons, these soldiers have a reputation for being particularly brutal. Commentators voice concern about the increasing use of private armies.

The gay Dutch author Pim Lammers has withdrawn as the writer of the Children's Book Week Poem 2023 after receiving numerous death threats. Citing a story Lammers wrote in 2015 about a relationship between a teenage boy and his trainer, the Christian group Gezin in Gevaar [Family in Danger] branded him a "paedophile author" in a petition. Prime Minister Mark Rutte has condemned the threats on Twitter.

The US Air Force shot down a suspected Chinese spy balloon over the waters off the coast of South Carolina on Saturday. Beijing insisted that the balloon was merely a civilian climate research tool that had been blown off course, and criticised the US's response as excessive. Europe's press would like to see more efforts to avoid an escalation on both sides.