Eurotopics.net

An attack on the LGBTI movement in Bratislava in which two homosexual men were shot dead last week has triggered a debate in Slovakia about improved legal protection for sexual minorities. Commentators are only cautiously optimistic that progress will finally be made in in this area.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has opened the National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing, which takes place every five years. In preparation for his re-election as general secretary, Xi said that he wants to make China a "modern socialist country". He also stressed that Reunification with Taiwan must and will be achieved, if necessary by force, and that he plans to stick to the strict zero-Covid policy despite the economic slump. Europe's press comments.

Just six weeks after being sworn in as British prime minister, Liz Truss is facing a revolt within her own party: according to media reports more than a hundred Conservative Party MPs want to push through her resignation with a vote of no confidence. The government's heavily criticised budget plans have prompted the move. Is this the end for Truss?

Finland and Sweden submitted their Nato membership applications in May and in the meantime 28 of the 30 Nato member states have ratified them. Turkey has so far refused to give its approval, citing concerns about Sweden in particular on the grounds that the country allegedly supports terrorist organisations. Hungary, too, has yet to ratify the applications. How can the issue be resolved?

At the Cica conference in Astana, Vladimir Putin suggested to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that Turkey become a "gas hub" where Russian gas can be sold on to third countries "above all in Europe". Just one day later, the Turkish president announced plans to build a transshipment point for Russian gas in cooperation with Moscow.