Eurotopics.net

Almost 70 percent of Italians voted in favour of reducing the size of both chambers of parliament in a vote initiated chiefly by the Cinque Stelle Movement (M5S). In regional elections taking place at the same time, the right-wing Lega fell short of the clear election victory it had been hoping for. The press is divided over the extent to which the results show support for the coalition in Rome under Giuseppe Conte.

According to more than 2000 documents leaked by the US anti-money laundering agency FinCEN and published by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), several major banks, including Deutsche Bank and the Swiss subsidiary of HSBC, have done business with shady customers who have been convicted of money laundering. How can banks be prevented from helping to cover up corruption and crime?

For the last four weeks judges have been hearing evidence in the trial dealing with the attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In January 2015 attackers with Islamist motives killed twelve members of the magazine's editorial staff, a police office and four hostages at a kosher supermarket. Commentators discuss how important it is in the trial to first find the right words for the perpetrators and their deeds.

After the death of the liberal Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg shortly before the presidential election in November, US President Donald Trump is entitled to nominate her successor. If confirmed by the Senate his decision could cement a clear conservative majority on the court. Observers explain why the appointment is so important and who could thwart Trump's plans.

Voting in a referendum on reducing the size of parliament began on the weekend in Italy. At the same time local government elections are taking place in seven Italian regions. In the run-up to voting there were fears that widespread weariness with politics and concerns about the rising coronavirus figures could result in very low turnout. But the fears of a democratic fiasco have proven unfounded, commentators note with relief.