Eurotopics.net

Thanks to mail ballots, Joe Biden is leading the race for the US presidency with 253 votes to 214. But Donald Trump still has chances of winning and, as was the case in 2016, is doing far better than polls and the European press had predicted. What is it that makes the Trump phenomenon so unfathomable?

Four dead and more than twenty injured at six crime scenes: Vienna is in shock after an attack on Monday that was apparently motivated by Islamic extremism. A 20-year-old suspect with a criminal record was shot dead by the police. Commentators outline the challenges in dealing with radical Islam and discuss what Europe could do better.

The death toll from last weekend's devastating earthquake in the East Aegean has risen to 116. The Turkish city of Izmir with four million inhabitants was hit particularly hard, with several apartment buildings collapsing. A debate is raging in the national press about whether politicians could have lessened the impact of the disaster with targeted protective measures.

The British journalist Robert Fisk has died at the age of 74. He was a Middle East correspondent for The Independent for 31 years, and before that worked for The Times for many years. Fisk reported from countless war-torn and crisis-ridden areas, and was one of the most important foreign correspondents of his time. The European media honour his life's work.

The race for the US presidency has not yet been decided. What is clear, however, is that as in 2016 the result will be extremely close and that Donald Trump has again been able to win several key swing states, including Florida with 29 electoral votes. While some observers see good reasons for Trump's strong result, others are completely baffled.