Eurotopics.net

Food prices have been rising across the globe since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. This is causing increasing hardship for poorer countries, but also for the poorer sections of society in wealthier countries, because - as in Russia and Ukraine, for example - even low-cost staple foods are affected by massive price hikes. Commentators examine the causes.

The fourth wave is in full swing in Latvia. On 23 October 2,440 new infections were recorded - the highest figure since the beginning of the pandemic. Restrictions on public life are now once again in place. The pace of vaccination increased markedly in October, but so far only just under 60 percent of the population have received one jab and the vaccination rate is considerably lower in the Russian-speaking parts of the country.

The price of natural gas has quadrupled within a year. But a meeting of EU energy ministers on Tuesday also failed to produce a joint action plan against soaring gas and electricity prices. Once again, Europe seems divided between North and South: Spain, Greece and others are demanding intervention in the markets while Germany, the Netherlands and the Baltic States want to wait and see what happens first, and each state is making decisions independently.

The expulsion of ten Western ambassadors from Turkey has been narrowly avoided. After the diplomats made a formal declaration to abide by Article 41 of the Vienna Convention on non-interference in internal affairs, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan chose not to insist on their expulsion. But what is the fallout of this diplomatic confrontation?

Whistleblower Frances Haugen has leaked internal documents from Facebook that testify to persistent problems including algorithms that favour polarising posts and huge deficiencies in the moderation of hate comments, especially outside the US. Above all, according to the documents, Facebook has been aware of all this for a long time. At the beginning of October Haugen testified before the US Senate. This Monday she appeared before British MPs.