Eurotopics.net

Keir Starmer has announced that he is stepping down as British Prime Minister and leader of the Labour party. He will remain in office until his successor has been chosen. Starmer has been under growing pressure for months, which intensified when his Labour rival Andy Burnham was elected to a parliamentary seat in a by-election last week – thus fulfilling a key prerequisite for taking up government posts. Can Burnham bring stability for his party and the country?

Poland's President Karol Nawrocki has stripped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of the country's highest state honour, the Order of the White Eagle. The move was prompted by Zelensky's decision to name a military unit after the nationalist Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), which in Poland is primarily associated with atrocities committed against the Polish civilian population during WWII. The order was awarded to Zelensky in 2023 by Nawrocki's predecessor, Andrzej Duda.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was long regarded as a bridge-builder between the US and the EU, but this changed after Italy refused to allow the US to use its military bases in the war against Iran and US President Donald Trump criticised the Pope, creating a rift between the two leaders. Trump has now claimed that Meloni "begged" him for a joint photo at the G7 summit last week, and that he agreed out of "pity". Meloni has accused the US President of lying.

Another heatwave is hovering over parts of Europe. The meteorological service in France has issued a red alert in 49 regions, and many schools have closed. In Spain, temperatures are set to rise to over 40 degrees in some places over the coming days, and the nights will not be much cooler. Germany and Switzerland are also sweltering in the heat. Commentators discuss how to adapt to the new norm in terms of weather.

Ukrainian drones struck an oil refinery in Moscow on Thursday. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky has confirmed the attack, writing on Telegram that it was "a just response to the constant Russian strikes against Ukrainian cities and towns". The oil refinery is one of the largest facilities in Russia and covers a significant proportion of the capital's fuel demands.