Eurotopics.net

Teachers in Croatia have expanded the protests they have been holding since mid-October and are staging a general strike this week which they say won't end until the government starts negotiating with them. The latter has so far rejected the teachers' demand for a pay rise of about six percent. For some of the country's media the teachers have lost all sense of proportion.

The protests in Hong Kong have further escalated after activists who had barricaded themselves inside a university used incendiary devices to fend off police surrounding the building. Early on Tuesday morning several hundred left the building, many of whom were arrested. Commentators debate what strategy Beijing will adopt in the long term.

A petition was launched in Austria on Monday aimed at introducing an unconditional basic income. If the initiators manage to gather 100,000 signatures within eight days the proposal must be discussed in parliament. Every Austrian citizen would receive 1,200 euros per month, and the costs would be financed by a financial transaction tax. Is this a step towards a fairer society or a completely unrealistic concept?

Turkey has begun deporting people of European origin who are suspected of having fought for the IS. This has triggered protest, as has the fact that some states are refusing to grant citizenship to the children of IS supporters or allow them entry. Europe is shirking its responsibilities and Erdoğan is taking advantage of the situation, commentators conclude.

The two remaining opposition members in Belarus's parliament were voted out in Sunday's general election, leaving the lower house entirely to members of parties close to President Lukashenko. The opposition complains that its candidates have been excluded, and OSCE observers have criticised the use of intimidation tactics and a lack of respect for democratic obligations. European media are sobered by the outcome.