Eurotopics.net

Opponents of LGBT rights and the implementation of the Istanbul Convention have called for a "March for the Family" in Vilnius on Saturday. Commentators examine the changing concept of family in Lithuania and the right to think differently.

The new outbreak in the Israeli-Palestine conflict is occupying international leaders and the press. The Israeli army says more than 1,000 rockets have been fired at Israel so far, and that its air force has responded with the most extensive air strikes against the Gaza Strip since the Gaza war of 2014. The United Nations has condemned the violence. Commentators are unsurprised by the escalation in tensions.

A 19-year-old went on a shooting spree at his former school in the Russian city of Kazan, killing nine people and injuring 20. The suspect, who has since been detained, called himself God on a Telegram post and announced his plans before the attack, albeit in a cryptic manner. Russia's press asks if and how such incidents can be prevented.

As the weather grows milder, the number of people fleeing across the Mediterranean to southern Europe to escape political instability and poverty in North Africa is increasing. On Tuesday, more than 2,000 people reached the Italian island of Lampedusa, but many others drowned during the crossing. Although this dynamic has been repeated for years, the EU still hasn't found a solution, European media complain.

The EU foreign ministers met on Monday to discuss developments in the Western Balkan states. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called for the resumption of talks on the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Visa-free travel to the EU for Kosovars and the lifting of Bulgaria's veto on accession talks with North Macedonia were also top priorities, he said.