Eurotopics.net

Portugal has experienced a week of heavy rain and flooding, with Lisbon being particularly hard hit. The capital's City Council has issued a red alert, hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes, and roads and tunnels have been closed. Unsurprised, commentators list the causes.

EU member states are launching the rule of law mechanism for the first time and freezing funds for Hungary amounting to 6.3 billion euros. Budapest will receive money from the EU's Covid recovery fund, but this will be subject to stringent conditions. In return, hungary dropped its blockade against aid for Ukraine from the EU budget and minimum taxation of large corporations. Europe's press takes stock of this unusual compromise.

Scientists in the US have announced a major success in nuclear fusion research. For the first time, more energy was generated than consumed in the process of fusing atomic nuclei, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said with reference to experiments conducted at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Is this the dawn of a new energy era?

The new government in Copenhagen is composed of parties both left and right of the centre. The cross-party cabinet, a rare constellation for Denmark, will consist of the Social Democrats, the conservative-liberal Venstre party and the liberal Moderates, the current Social Democratic caretaker prime minister Mette Frederiksen announced. The press is cautiously optimistic.