Eurotopics.net

Rising energy prices and the reduction in gas supplies from Russia continue to plague Europe. Norway's oil and gas industry is benefiting from these developments and has increased exports, although calls for protectionism are also growing louder in the country. Commentators see cross-border solidarity as crucial - and not just in the north.

A victory for Giorgia Meloni's Fratelli d'Italia party - widely regarded as post-fascist - in Italy's parliamentary elections on 25 September seems increasingly likely. The party has a lead of around 25 percent in all the polls. The second-placed social democratic Partito Democratico under top candidate Enrico Letta follows with 20 to 22 percent. But unlike Meloni's party it doesn't have a strong electoral alliance behind it.

The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which is the largest in Europe, is on the front line in the Ukraine war and is currently occupied by Russian troops. Last week the plant was completely disconnected from the Ukrainian grid for one day and operated only on an emergency power supply. An IAEA inspection team is now on its way to the site. What is going on, and how great is the risk of an accident?

Another huge natural gas field has been discovered off the southern coast of Cyprus. Cypriot Energy Minister Natasa Pileidou has announced that an estimated 70 billion cubic metres of good quality gas had been located, but significant technical hurdles must be overcome before it can be exploited. In 2011, large fields were discovered further east in Cyprus's Exclusive Economic Zone, but the country is locked in a dispute with Turkey over their exploitation.