Eurotopics.net

Fish have been dying en masse in the Oder River on the German-Polish border for several days. Now high levels of mercury - which is toxic for animals and humans - has been detected in water samples. The cause has not yet been identified. Commentators are dismayed and call for action.

The inflation rate in the Eurozone reached another record high in July, climbing to 8.9 percent. Commentators point to very different causes for this trend, from the war against Ukraine to the ECB's monetary policy and stock market speculation.

Finland and Estonia have called on the other EU member states to suspend the issuing of visas to Russian tourists. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has also called for this measure. The EU foreign ministers are due to discuss the proposal before the end of August. Europe's press is divided on the issue.

Vladimir Putin still seems to be firmly in the saddle in Russia. According to the independent opinion research institute Levada Center, his approval ratings among the Russian population rose further in July compared to the previous month. Even so, the Russian opposition and exiled press reflect on what would happen to the country if the current balance of power there were to collapse.