Eurotopics.net

In a televised speech, Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the partial mobilisation of the country's armed forces as of today. Around 300,000 reservists are to be called up in stages. The aim is to defend Russian territory, he said. In addition he endorsed plans to hold referendums on the accession of the four occupied Ukrainian territories of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia to the Russian Federation. Commentators are alarmed.

The death of Mahsa Amini has sparked international outrage and nationwide protests in Iran. The 22-year-old was detained by Iran's morality police for not wearing her hijab correctly and died shortly afterwards. Iranian women are now protesting against the oppression on the streets and on social networks without their hijabs. The regime has reacted with a crackdown and several people have been killed.

The Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias wants to take advantage of the current tourism boom in the country and extend the holiday season from March to November. This has lead to enormous price increases on the already heated housing market. Teachers who move to work on islands popular with tourists, for example, can no longer find accommodation and are forced to sleep in tents or their cars. Commentators are outraged.

With just a few days to go before Italy's parliamentary elections, the post-fascist Fratelli d'Italia (FdI) led by Giorgia Meloni continues to lead the polls while the social democratic Partito Democratico is trailing behind by a wide margin. This opens up the possibility of the right-wing bloc comprising the FdI, Lega and Forza Italia achieving a comfortable majority. What would this mean for the future of Europe?