Eurotopics.net

One and a half months after the left-wing alliance Nouveau Front populaire (NFP) won the most seats in the French parliamentary elections, the government building process is still in limbo. On Friday President Macron – whose camp is seeking a centrist "republican front" to prevent the left-wing populist LFI from joining the government – will receive the NFP's prime ministerial candidate Lucie Castets. Commentators have varying degrees of patience.

A young boy was stabbed to death apparently at random on Sunday morning on a football pitch in the small Spanish town of Mocejón. The suspect, reportedly a mentally unstable 20-year-old local man, was immediately taken into custody. Spanish commentators are shocked both by the killing and by the violent racist reactions on social media.

Ukraine says it has captured 92 Russian towns and villages in the Kursk region. According to Zelensky, the goal of the offensive is to increase the pressure on Russia regarding peace negotiations and also create a buffer zone. The Kremlin has stated that it is not willing to negotiate at the moment. Europe's media see Putin under pressure.

In view of their proximity to Russia, the Baltic states are seeking to boost their defence capabilities. Estonia is investing in the modernisation of its armed forces, Latvia is expanding its military infrastructure and debating compulsory military service for women. while Lithuania wants to increase defence spending to more than three percent of its gross domestic product. Mixed reactions in the press.