Eurotopics.net

A Russian military transport plane has apparently been shot down in the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border. According to Russia, in addition to the crew and three guards, 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war were also on board, en route to a prisoner exchange. The Ukrainian military intelligence, however, says it has no reliable information about the identity of the passengers.

Donald Trump remains the favourite to become the Republican candidate in the US presidential election in November, having defeated his rival Nikki Haley by eleven percentage points in the New Hampshire primary. Haley is now pinning her hopes on the primary in her home state of South Carolina. Commentators ask how long the duel will last.

Greece's conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis wants to fulfil an election promise to introduce same-sex marriage in the country. The issue has triggered fierce debate in Greek society. The toughest opposition comes from the influential Orthodox Church, with some bishops even threatening MPs with excommunication.

China celebrated the tenth anniversary of its Belt and Road Initiative trade project in Beijing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Among the guests from around 140 countries were Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Europe's press discusses the significance of the project - and the motives of those who attended the event.