Eurotopics.net

Protest against Boyko Borisov's government and its links to oligarchs have been taking place in Sofia for eight weeks now. One of themes of the demonstrations is how the latter benefit from EU funds. The response from Brussels and the German EU presidency has been restrained so far but this could now change, some commentators believe.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has been in court in London since Monday, trying to fend off extradition to the US, where he faces up to 175 years imprisonment for publishing military secrets. Journalist NGOs see this as a dangerous precedent for the safety of whistleblowers and press freedom in general. Commentators hope the tide will turn.

The number of young people in Stockholm who reported sexual abuse has doubled compared with 2016. Women's shelters warn that young women are being forced to take part in increasingly harsh sexual practices, and suspect that this is because young people are copying online porn. Politicians want prospective teachers to receive better training in sex education.

Contradictory reports circulated on Tuesday after the disappearance of Maria Kolesnikova, one of the leaders of the Belarusian opposition, and two of her colleagues. According to the Belarusian authorities Kolesnikova is in Ukraine. Acquaintances of the 38-year-old, however, have said that she was arrested. What consequences will this have for the opposition and for the regime in Minsk?

In the run-up to the eighth round of negotiations on future EU-UK relations this week the British Prime Minister has threatened to break off talks if an agreement is not reached by October 15, indicating that a no-deal Brexit would be a positive outcome for the British. London also seems to be planning laws that run counter to the 2019 agreement with Brussels. Where will these tactics lead?