Eurotopics.net

According to official sources Viktor Lukashenko won 80.2 percent of the vote in Belarus's presidential election on the weekend. However, opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya (who officially received only 9.9 percent) rejected the results. Security forces have resorted to brutal measures to break up the ensuing mass protests. Europe's press analyses the situation and discusses how the international community should react.

After almost a week of fierce protests, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and his government ceded to public pressure and resigned on Monday. Diab made a televised speech in which he said the political system was partially responsible for the devastating explosion in the port of Beirut. The corruption is larger than Lebanon itself, he said. But the Lebanese people won't be satisfied with the executive's resignation, observers say.

The new school year starts this week in some European countries. In some places a fierce debate is raging about whether and to what extent schools can go back to normal despite the pandemic. Europe's commentators reflect on the unprecedented challenges posed by the end of the summer holidays.

Despite Covid-19, the green light has been given for the political and cultural festival Festa do Avante! to take place in Seixal this year. The event is organised by the Portuguese Communist Party (PCP) and usually attracts around 100,000 visitors. The decision has triggered a heated debate in the country: is it unfair or a meticulously organised step in the right direction?