Eurotopics.net

According to the latest results from the US midterm elections, the Democrats have won a majority in both houses of Congress. The press discusses the reasons for the Republicans' rout and how President Trump will react to the shift in the balance of power.

Supermarkets in several European countries have been targeted by cyberattacks. Hackers apparently gained access to the control systems and turned up the temperature in fridges and freezers, with the result that large quantities of food had to be disposed of. There have been several such incidents in Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Ireland, Luxembourg, Estonia, Finland and the Netherlands over the last few days.

Following a second tragic train crash in Spain this year, Transport Minister Óscar Puente has stepped down, explaining that his resignation was a matter of political dignity, consistency and political sensitivity. Sixty-nine people were killed in a collision between two high-speed trains in the Spanish town of Urda. Another 46 died in a similar accident in Andalusia in January.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Tuesday hinted at a change of direction and signalled a willingness to issue an official apology for colonial slavery. King Charles expressed his deep regret over the historical injustice, but avoided making an outright apology. Commentators discuss the implications.

The formation of a new government looks set to be a complicated process after the Israeli election on Tuesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is slightly ahead of the opposition alliance led by Gadi Eisenkot, former chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces, but with around two-thirds of the votes counted neither camp appears to have secured the required majority of 61 seats. The provisional final result is expected on Thursday.