Eurotopics.net

The seating arrangement is what will probably be remembered most about the visit of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Council President Charles Michel to Ankara, in an incident that has now been dubbed "sofagate". While Michel and Turkey's President Erdoğan sat next to each other on chairs, von der Leyen was relegated to a sofa some distance away.

The left-wing socialist Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) party has emerged as the strongest party in Greenland's parliamentary elections. It will now replace the social democratic Siumut party, which has been in power in all legislative periods but one since the parliament in Nuuk was first established. IA's opposition to a huge mining project supported by Siumut was a key factor in securing voter support. Commentators see this as a positive sign.

The French National Assembly is today examining a bill that would give terminally ill people the right to have their lives ended by a doctor. The prerequisite: the patient's physical or mental suffering must be assessed as unbearable. Until now, only palliative care with painkillers and sedatives - which in high doses have an almost narcotic effect - has been legal.

Russia has concentrated troops near the Ukrainian border and positioned heavy artillery in annexed Crimea - prompting worried statements from Nato and words of support from Joe Biden to Kyiv. Commentators discuss whether the war in eastern Ukraine is about to flare up once more.

Ten retired admirals have been arrested in Turkey for criticising the government's Istanbul Canal project. A total of 104 retired admirals had spoken out against the project, which foresees the construction of a new 45-kilometre waterway to relieve the strain on the Bosphorus strait. Critics fear it will lead to environmental damage and Turkey's withdrawal from the Montreux Treaty, which regulates free shipping traffic across the Bosporus.