Eurotopics.net

For the second Saturday in a row, tens of thousands of Serbs demonstrated with road blockades across the country against new legislation planned by President Vučić - despite brutal violence used against them. The legislation will facilitate the expropriation of private land for large infrastructure projects and would give the Rio Tinto corporation access to the huge lithium deposits near the town of Loznica.

The positions on Ukraine remain almost unchanged after the video summit between Biden and Putin. Washington interprets the presence of Russian troops near the border as an aggression and is threatening with sanctions, military reinforcements for Ukraine and the boosting of troops in eastern Nato states. Putin sees this as threats against his country. The press focuses on what the summit has achieved despite an apparent lack of progress.

The deliberations have produced a decision: the US will not send a diplomatic delegation to the Beijing Olympics. The White House cited China's "ongoing genocide" of the Muslim Uyghurs and human rights violations as reasons for its decision. Beijing reacted indignantly, threatening that the US will "pay a price for its practices". Europe's press discusses the meaningfulness and consequences of a boycott.

With temperatures already at minus 15 degrees centigrade in Helsinki, anxiety about high energy prices is growing in the Nordic Countries. Many people there heat their homes with electricity because it has been cheap in the past. In Finland, households can also tie their energy contracts to international market prices. And the fact that water reservoirs are empty after a hot summer is increasing dependence on energy imports. The press discusses countermeasures.

For the second Saturday in a row, tens of thousands of Serbs demonstrated with blockades around the country against new legislation introduced by President Aleksandar Vučić to facilitate the expropriation of private land for infrastructure projects of national relevance. The laws would allow the Rio Tinto corporation to access the huge lithium deposits near the town of Loznica - possibly at the expense of the people and the environment.