Eurotopics.net

The US and Israel began attacking targets in Iran on Saturday morning, killing the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. US President Donald Trump justified the strikes by saying that Iran posed an immediate threat to the US and its allies in the region. Tehran had responded with missile and drone strikes against Israel and several Gulf states where US military bases are located. Europe's press fears the situation could escalate.

In addition to Ali Khamenei, other leading regime figures have been killed in the airstrikes on Iran. At the end of his video message, US President Donald Trump addressed the Iranian people and outlined the future of the country as follows: "Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take." The European press paints a more complex picture.

The citizens' initiative "My voice, My Choice" has collected 1.1 million signatures for safe abortions in the EU and submitted it to the European Commission. The Commission ruled that EU states can use existing funding from other programmes to pay for abortions but stopped short of setting up a new fund to cover treatment and travel costs. A victory?

On a multi-day visit to Germany's most important trading partner, China, Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared his intention to deepen both diplomatic and economic relations. After a meeting with President Xi Jinping, Merz and Prime Minister Li Qiang signed several agreements on issues such as climate change and the fight against animal diseases with a view to closer collaboration.