Eurotopics.net

The government in Slovakia is in danger of collapsing after Prime Minister Igor Matovič purchased Russia's Sputnik vaccine without consulting his coalition partners. Two of the partners are now demanding that he quit - and commentators seem to agree. President Zuzana Čaputová summoned Matovič and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Sulík on Tuesday to resolve the crisis.

Germany, France, Italy and Spain have now followed Denmark, Bulgaria and the Netherlands in suspending use of the Astrazeneca vaccine. Germany has justified the decision with reference to seven reports of a rare form of cerebral blood clot occurring in the 1.6 million people vaccinated with the jab. While the WHO has said it sees no cause for concern, Europe's press is divided on the issue.

What began as demonstrations for reforms in 2011 in the wake of the Arab Spring has ended in disaster: according to opposition figures at least 388,000 Syrians have died, tens of thousands have been imprisoned or disappeared and millions have fled the country as a result of the civil war. Is there an alternative to looking on helplessly?

Voting for a new parliament began on Monday in the Netherlands. Despite declining approval ratings, Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative-liberal VVD has a clear lead in the polls. If it wins, Rutte could be set for a fourth term as head of government. While this earns him recognition from some observers, others are less convinced that his staying in office is a good thing.