Eurotopics.net

Turkey's top administrative court ruled on July 10 that the decision to convert the Hagia Sophia into a museum in 1934 was unlawful. President Erdoğan wants the Byzantine building, which dates back to the year 537, to be reverted into a mosque, and has handed over its management to the country's Religious Affairs Directorate. Commentators are divided and lament that the Unesco world heritage site has become a political pawn.

In the East Siberian city of Khabarovsk tens of thousands of people protested on the weekend against the arrest of regional governor Sergei Furgal on charges of ordering two contract killings in 2005. Spontaneous protests in support of Furgal and against the Kremlin also took place in other cities. What is behind this strong reaction to the arrest of the politician from the far-right LDPR?

After weeks of discussion, wearing a mask became compulsory in Belgian shops, cinemas and other enclosed spaces on Saturday. The decision was taken on Thursday evening by the Council of Ministers, supplemented by regional representatives. In other countries such as France and Switzerland masks must only be worn on public transport - as was previously the case in Belgium. What changes will the new rule bring?

The protests in Belgrade triggered by President Vučić's new lockdown announcement continue apace. After two nights of riots, thousands of people gathered for a peaceful protest outside the parliament building on Thursday. Commentators discuss the protesters' motivation and criticise the lack of a common cause.

Pashal Donohoe is to be the new president of the Eurogroup. The 45-year-old from the conservative Fine Gael party has been Ireland's finance minister since 2017. The finance ministers of the euro countries elected Donohue on Thursday in a surprise victory against Spanish Minister of Economy Nadia Calviño, who was backed by Germany, France and Italy. What kind of financial policy does the new minister stand for?

Polls predict a neck-and-neck race in the presidential election runoff vote on Sunday. Andrzej Duda, the conservative incumbent, garnered 43.5 percent of the vote in the first ballot, while his challenger, the liberal mayor of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski, obtained 30.5 percent. Commentators are on tenterhooks in Poland and abroad.