Eurotopics.net

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Iturup (Japanese: Etorofu), one of the four Kuril Islands in the North Pacific, has sparked fierce protests in Japan. Both Tokyo and Moscow lay claim to the islands, which were occupied by the Soviet Union in the closing stages of the Second World War and have been under Russian administration ever since. According to the Russian state news agency Tass, this was Putin's first trip to the Kuril Islands. Commentators take a closer look.

Dry soil, withered plants, meagre harvests and not enough feed for livestock: the heat and droughts of this record-breaking summer are taking a heavy toll on agriculture in Europe. Many farmers are already reducing their livestock numbers as a result. The media ask whether government aid can be a lifeline and how the agricultural sector can adapt to climate change.

On Monday, the Turkish Parliament passed a law aimed at ending the decades-long conflict with the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK). However, the legislation will not come into force until the PKK has been fully disbanded and disarmed. Imprisoned PKK members may then be pardoned and released. Commentators remain sceptical.

Seven people in Romania are under investigation for allegedly attacking an ambulance crew with clubs, axes and stones. The incident was prompted by fake reports on TikTok according to which gangs disguised as ambulance crews were abducting children. The reactions in Romanian media range from anger to calls for effective action.

For the first time in 20 years, Europe witnessed a solar eclipse which was total in some parts of the continent yesterday. Equipped with special glasses, cameras, and picnic baskets, millions of people gathered to experience this celestial spectacle. Commentators in Europe's media take an unusually philosophical view of the event.