Eurotopics.net

Pope Francis has once again called for an end to the war and commemorated its victims. In his speech he also lamented the death of Russian ultra-nationalist activist Darya Dugina, who was killed by a car bomb on 20 August. Without mentioning her by name, Francis spoke of the "innocent" who are paying for the war.

British mobile phone giant Vodafone wants to sell its business operations in Hungary. It has agreed to sell its Hungarian unit to Hungarian holding company 4iG and the Hungarian state holding company Corvinus Zrt for just under 1.8 billion euros. This will give the state a 49 percent stake in the company. Commentators discuss the consequences for the country.

German publisher Ravensburger Verlag has announced it is withdrawing two books it had published to accompany the new children's film The Young Chief Winnetou from the market after facing accusations of racial stereotyping. The publisher said it wanted to acknowledge the oppression of Native Americans and avoid cultural appropriation with the move. Is it right to banish the popular children's fiction characters Winnetou and Old Shatterhand from the shelves?

This year Ukraine's Independence Day on 24 August also marked six months since the beginning of Putin's war against Ukraine. In an address to the United Nations, Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky stressed the importance of Ukrainian independence for the world: if Russia is not stopped, "Russian murderers will probably end up in other countries", he warned. Commentators discuss the prospects for Europe.