Eurotopics.net

Hot on the heels of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin has paid a two-day visit to Beijing. The Russian president and his host Xi Jinping publicly emphasised the strong ties between their countries. However, the two leaders failed to reach a deal on the construction of a new pipeline to export Russian natural gas. Europe's press analyses the international power relations.

At the University Hospital Zurich’s Clinic for Cardiac Surgery, there were around 70 more deaths between 2016 and 2020 than would be expected based on statistical estimates, according to a recently published investigative report. The document criticises poor hospital management, conflicts of interest and the inappropriate use of cardiac implants which the clinic's director at the time, Francesco Maisano, had helped to develop. The press examines causes and accountability.

A reading list for students at a religious school in Istanbul which reportedly recommended authors such as Victor Hugo and Martin Heidegger is causing a stir. Conservative social media groups expressed outrage about the list, calling it a scandal. The Istanbul Governor's Office launched an official investigation and suspended the headteacher, who claims his signature was forged.

The singer Dara from Bulgaria has won the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna by an unprecedented margin. Her country, which had refrained from participating for the past three years for cost reasons, will now host the event in 2027. Israel, over whose participation five countries boycotted the contest, came in second again. Europe's media examine the cultural and political importance of the musical extravaganza.