Eurotopics.net

US President Donald Trump has used the 4th of July celebrations to display the US's military might, putting on a huge parade of tanks, helicopters and fighter jets. With the big show he has deepened the divide in US society, diverted attention from the real problems and politicised the celebrations in Washington, commentators criticise.

Greece looks set for a change of government in Sunday's snap election. While polls put the approval rate of Kyriakos Mitsotakis's conservative Nea Dimokratia at 38 percent, Tsipras's Syriza has slipped to just 24 percent. Although Nea Dimokratia is widely blamed for the Greek crisis, voters and commentators are pinning their hopes on the party once more.

The Netherlands' most notorious criminal, Wille Holleeder, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his involvement in five gangland killings and one manslaughter. Testimony given by his two sisters, an ex-girlfriend and two former accomplices played a key role in his conviction. Dutch commentators voice relief that this dangerous criminal is now behind bars.

Joy Mogensen, Minister of Culture in Denmark's new Social Democratic government, will soon be a mother. She became pregnant with the help of a sperm donor and will raise her child as a single mother. While members of the Danish public object to her appoinment as minister the media welcome the decision.

The past month in Europe and around the world was the hottest June on record, according to the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Weather Attribution Project. Extreme heatwaves are increasingly likely and are the result of climate change caused by human activity, scientists say.