DE🇩🇪Germany
- AfD congress in Erfurt: up to 50,000 counter-demonstrators, blockades of the A71 motorway, the court in Weimar and the Thuringian court overturned a ban on gatherings along some routes. The power struggle between Alice Weidel and Tino Chrupalla is intensifying Spiegel ↗Spiegel ↗Die Zeit ↗
- Pension reform: more and more pensioners depend on social assistance, craftspeople demand lower contributions Spiegel ↗
- Government wants to reverse the Freedom of Information Act — “it is getting dark again in Germany” Tagesspiegel ↗
- Doctors and economists oppose mandatory sick-leave certificates from the first day and doubt the announced savings — SPD backs down n-tv ↗
- Ukraine struck Russian oil facilities near St. Petersburg Tagesspiegel ↗
- Iran: shipping in Hormuz is recovering, Paris and London want to secure it with Oman Handelsblatt ↗Tagesspiegel ↗
- Germany summoned the Chinese ambassador over alleged training of Russian soldiers n-tv ↗
- AI companies are buying up antiquarian bookshops — booksellers sound the alarm Tagesschau ↗
- Economists warn the government about Chinese aggression and technological lag Welt ↗
- Largest warehouse fire in Stuttgart in years Die Zeit ↗
PL🇵🇱Poland
- President Nawrocki speaks of a “moment of horror” and speculates about compromise or poisoning; former president Kwaśniewski mocks his version TVN24 ↗Onet ↗
- Kaczyński writes a letter to PiS members — position on Ukraine’s accession to the EU Do Rzeczy ↗
- Poll: almost one in four Poles thinks Poland is partly responsible for the escalation of the conflict with Ukraine Rzeczpospolita ↗
- Lithuanian president warns that NATO could split Onet ↗
- Estonia without illusions: “Putin fears NATO and fears us” Wirtualna Polska ↗
- Russia claims it captured a strategic village in Donbas (Kostiantynivka) Do Rzeczy ↗
- Russia lacks soldiers, recruits students Wirtualna Polska ↗
- Slovaks go to the polls — in a referendum they want to reverse Fico’s decisions Wirtualna Polska ↗
- Russians bombed Sumy Onet ↗
- Szułdrzyński’s commentary: Europe hears “enough” from the US; cunning Poles do not believe it Rzeczpospolita ↗
HU🇭🇺Hungary
- Hankó case: the minister distributed 400 million from the National Cultural Fund four days before the election and decided on it himself — Telex, HVG and 444 obtained the list HVG ↗444 ↗
- Police are investigating public procurement by a bus company linked to István Tiborcz (Orbán’s son-in-law) Telex ↗
- Pressure is growing for Mihály Varga’s personal responsibility for hundreds of billions lost in the Matolcsy era of the national bank HVG ↗
- Head of a government office department detained for aggravated bribery — he received more than 10 million forints from an entrepreneur 444 ↗
- Opposition politician Kunhalmi: Tisza’s government should be given time, but people should speak up when it makes mistakes Index ↗
- Government office bought a pickup for 24 million forints Index ↗
- A ban on posters is coming not only to Budapest but also to major provincial cities Portfolio ↗
- Slovak referendum on abolishing lifelong benefits for constitutional officials resonates in Hungary too Népszava ↗
- June was the second warmest in the history of measurements 444 ↗
- How China went from a “kitschy copycat” to a serious supplier to the world HVG ↗
AT🇦🇹Austria
- Estonian prime minister Michal: “Russia is losing the war” — on EU sanctions and Putin’s image Der Standard ↗
- Europe and Oman plan a naval mission to protect the Persian Gulf Kurier ↗
- Moscow reports the capture of Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine Die Presse ↗
- Demonstrations and protests accompany the AfD congress in Erfurt ORF ↗
- Public mourning ceremonies for Khamenei began in Tehran ORF ↗
- Fight over Austrian lotteries: France’s FDJ is also bidding for the licence Der Standard ↗Die Presse ↗
- Canadian company suddenly buys up Austrian bookshops — is artificial intelligence behind it? Die Presse ↗
- What happens to illegal party donations? They help seriously ill children Die Presse ↗
- How the NSDAP became so powerful in Austria (historical analysis) Der Standard ↗
- Despite the Iranian war, people are travelling, just booking later Die Presse ↗
UA🇺🇦Ukraine
- Official programme of the NATO summit in Ankara published — according to Bloomberg, Italy is asking to omit a mention of aid to Ukraine for 2027 Interfax ↗Censor.NET ↗
- Dutch proposal for a special tribunal brings accountability of Russia’s leadership closer, Minister Sybiha says Interfax ↗
- Ukraine struck an oil terminal in the Leningrad region near St. Petersburg; a ferry terminal and airport burned in occupied Crimea Ukrajinska Pravda ↗Kyiv Independent ↗
- Putin ordered the continuation of massive strikes and threatened to expand the “security zone” Censor.NET ↗
- Russian guided bombs hit Ukraine’s largest poultry farm in the Kherson region — damage in the hundreds of millions of dollars Ukrajinska Pravda ↗
- Russia attacked with two missiles and 86 drones, air defence shot down 69, hits reported at more than 20 locations Ukrajinska Pravda ↗Interfax ↗
- France is withdrawing an aircraft carrier from the Middle East Ukrajinska Pravda ↗
- Erdogan and Meloni discussed defence cooperation Interfax ↗
FR🇫🇷France
- De-escalation in the Middle East: aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle returns, France and allies secure Hormuz La Tribune ↗
- Le Pen and Bardella side by side in Liévin ahead of the appeals court decision that will determine their fate — “after this weekend, nothing will be the same as before” BFM TV ↗
- 2027 presidential election: the right risks falling apart, Retailleau criticises the “Macronism” of Édouard Philippe and Wauquiez BFM TV ↗La Tribune ↗
- Ukraine: St. Petersburg targeted by massive drone attack, governor urges residents to stay home Le Monde ↗
- Lyhanna case: justice system under pressure conducts a major test with artificial intelligence, organisations call for a “major citizens’ march” against sexual violence Marianne ↗Le Figaro ↗
- Iran: Ayatollah Khamenei’s funeral as a “show of strength” by the regime 20 Minutes ↗
- June was the warmest in the history of measurements in France La Tribune ↗
- A year after the devastating fire in Marseille: “the prefect sacrificed us,” command failures revealed Le Figaro ↗
- With European MiCA regulation, a major sorting-out of crypto platforms begins Ouest-France ↗
- France’s largest seed company prepares for “new GMOs” Ouest-France ↗
IT🇮🇹Italy
- Russian spies flew over 144 strategic targets in Europe Corriere della Sera ↗
- NATO as a stress test with Trump: Meloni has support in Erdogan, 70 billion for Kyiv over two years, the Italian line (states’ consent for aid in 2027) partly passed Il Sole 24 Ore ↗Open ↗
- End of the fuel discount: the excise duty on diesel returns to the highest level in Europe Il Sole 24 Ore ↗
- Vannacci: Mussolini’s great-grandson praises him, but Il Fatto writes that the general is only the consequence — the cause is the system, of which the Democratic Party is also part Corriere della Sera ↗Il Fatto Quotidiano ↗
- Pope Leo XIV on Lampedusa — for the second time in history a pope is on the island, 10,000 people are expected Il Giornale ↗
- Fentanyl theft in Rome: a double break-in, cloned hospital keys and no cameras Corriere della Sera ↗
- Drought in the north: the Po River below zero level, the Adige has water for 10 days Il Sole 24 Ore ↗
- China’s tailless J-36 fighter jet has appeared Il Giornale ↗
- The EU bans the destruction of unsold goods — the aim is for brands to produce less and better Il Fatto Quotidiano ↗
- Reckoning in a Ukrainian telephone fraud “clan” from Monaco to Bali, of which Yermolaev was part Corriere della Sera ↗
CH🇨🇭Switzerland
- Peru: Keiko Fujimori won the presidential election by a whisker Tages-Anzeiger ↗
- “The separation of powers in Turkey has largely been hollowed out,” says a sociologist (ahead of the summit in Ankara) Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗
- Shut-down power plants, running air conditioners, high prices: how heat is straining Europe’s electricity grid Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗
- Swiss labour market: 300,000 new jobs, but the post-Covid “jobs miracle” is slowly fading SRF ↗
- “From world champion to restructuring case”: a chronicle of Volkswagen’s crisis Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗
- NZZ commentary: the ruler in the Kremlin is the architect, but also a puppet, of Russia’s internally hollow system Neue Zürcher Zeitung ↗
ES🇪🇸Spain
- Out-of-control fire near Girona burned 2,300 hectares and hit homes in Calonge on the Costa Brava El País ↗eldiario.es ↗
- Heat: as many as eleven communities on alert, temperatures above 40 degrees and tropical nights El Confidencial ↗
- Camille Grand, head of European defence patronage: “The NATO of the future will be much more European” El País ↗
- Trump marked the 250th anniversary of the USA at Mount Rushmore, where he wants to see his face El País ↗
- The government is negotiating a housing decree as the close of the electoral term El País ↗
- Denmark is building the world’s largest offshore wind farm and has found three artifacts England lost 300 years ago El Confidencial ↗
BE🇧🇪Belgium
- Belgian firefighters went to help in Portugal, while the situation in France remains “worrying” De Morgen ↗Het Laatste Nieuws ↗
- Ahead of the 250th anniversary, Trump described an American identity under attack: “the revival of the communist threat on our soil” La Libre ↗
- Former president Bolsonaro remains under house arrest indefinitely La Libre ↗
- “We are in a rapidly escalating phase of climate change” — France and Spain are burning Het Laatste Nieuws ↗
- Contaminated petrol 95 at a DATS24 filling station in Halle caused engine problems VRT NWS ↗
- Operation SunRail: police are increasing their presence on trains heading to the coast VRT NWS ↗
PT🇵🇹Portugal
- Polls give Carneiro a path to elections, but he lacks a consensus strategy Público ↗
- Two financial influencers lost 667,000 euros by order of the CMVM regulator Público ↗
- A stain on the education minister’s CV Público ↗
- A thousand firefighters are battling a fire in Vouzela, the blaze in Setúbal is under control RTP ↗
- France, Britain and Oman pledged to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz RTP ↗
- Burnham rules out an early parliamentary election in the United Kingdom RTP ↗
IE🇮🇪Ireland
- Jeffrey Donaldson: a not-so-secret double life throws the DUP into chaos The Irish Times ↗
- Irish armoured vehicles are “an insult to Ukraine”; support for Ukraine increasingly looks merely performative The Irish Times ↗The Irish Times ↗
- Irish authorities are planning Trump’s visit in September The Irish Times ↗
- Raising the 40-percent tax threshold is in Harris’s sights; he also talks about concerns over inheritance tax The Journal ↗
- Sun, sea and a 7-percent tax: how Italy is luring foreign retirees The Irish Times ↗
- Hungary and Serbia can hardly be called neutral venues for Ireland-Israel matches The Irish Times ↗
NL🇳🇱Netherlands
- Report: drones over Dutch air bases probably took off from Russian ships in the North Sea AD ↗NOS ↗
- Tension in Erfurt: up to 50,000 counter-demonstrators are expected at the AfD conference De Telegraaf ↗
- New alderman in Berkelland works for a Reichsbürger movement sympathiser AD ↗
- Corendon and TUI both offer to fly the current government aircraft instead of KLM — saving taxpayers more than 100 million De Telegraaf ↗
- Police used force during an arrest at the Zeist asylum centre; details remain secret NOS ↗
- Unrest after Morocco matches: “this is a social problem, not a Moroccan one” De Telegraaf ↗
🌍 Other Countries
- 🇹🇷 Millions in Tehran bid farewell to Khamenei, world leaders arrive in the city. Trump said they “gave Khamenei a week off” Milliyet ↗Milliyet ↗
- 🇹🇷 From prison, Deniz Göktaş told Kılıçdaroğlu to “let go of the CHP” — lawyers confirmed it (internal CHP crisis) Cumhuriyet ↗
- 🇷🇸 “The White Book on Corruption in Belgrade” had more than 10,000 views in three days N1 ↗
- 🇷🇸 Vučević commented on the student whose jaw was broken by SNS attackers and over whom he resigned Danas ↗
- 🇬🇷 Dokou case: four years after the Predator scandal, security systems are still full of holes To Vima ↗
- 🇬🇷 Putin’s luxury yacht Graceful has appeared escorted by Russian warships Naftemporiki ↗
- 🇷🇴 The Trump family’s crypto business: $500 million and access to the White House for Pakistan G4Media ↗
- 🇷🇴 Greeks are returning home: for the first time since the crisis, returns outnumbered departures Digi24 ↗
- 🇸🇪 Russia may be planning a “provocation” against Poland Dagens Nyheter ↗
- 🇫🇮 Defence Forces restricted air and ship traffic in the eastern Gulf of Finland Helsingin Sanomat ↗
- 🇫🇮 Researcher criticises the government: “we have gone from orphanhood to Orbanism; where are the most important agreements?” Yle ↗
🔁 Cross-country themes
- The USA celebrates its 250th anniversary, Trump at Mount Rushmore: “we will never be a communist country,” heat canceled the parade in Washington — 🇩🇪 🇵🇱 🇭🇺 🇦🇹 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇪🇸 🇨🇭 🇧🇪 🇳🇱 🇵🇹 🇮🇪 🇸🇪 🇷🇴 🇬🇷 🇫🇮 🇹🇷 (almost everywhere)
- Iran: Khamenei’s funeral and the security of Hormuz (Charles de Gaulle returns, Europe and Oman mission) — 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇭🇺 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇹🇷 🇳🇱 🇧🇪 🇵🇹 🇷🇴 🇸🇪 🇨🇭 🇺🇦
- Ukraine: Russia claims it has captured Kostiantynivka (ISW is skeptical), Ukraine hit an oil terminal near St. Petersburg, Putin threatens to expand buffer zones — 🇩🇪 🇵🇱 🇭🇺 🇦🇹 🇫🇷 🇮🇹 🇺🇦 🇷🇴
- NATO summit in Ankara and 70 billion for Kyiv — 🇺🇦 🇮🇹
- Heat in Europe, the hottest June and Iberian wildfires (Girona, Portugal) — 🇫🇷 🇪🇸 🇮🇹 🇩🇪 🇭🇺 🇧🇪 🇵🇹 🇨🇭 🇷🇴
- AfD congress in Erfurt and 50,000 counter-demonstrators — 🇩🇪 🇦🇹 🇳🇱
- Russia’s shadow war: 144 overflown targets, drones over Dutch bases from Russian ships, possible provocation against Poland — 🇮🇹 🇳🇱 🇸🇪 🇩🇪
- Slovak referendum on lifetime benefits for officeholders — 🇵🇱 🇭🇺 🇷🇸
What Slovak and Czech media will probably miss
- Russia’s shadow war against Europe. Only when we piece together Italian, Dutch and Swedish reports does a picture of coordinated pressure emerge: Moscow’s intelligence service flew over 144 strategic targets (Corriere), drones over Dutch air bases apparently took off from Russian ships in the North Sea (AD), and Sweden warns of a possible provocation against Poland (Dagens Nyheter). Individual details will reach us; the overall pattern will not.
- Settling accounts after Orbán. Hungarian media under the new Tisza government are opening up the Fidesz era: Minister Hankó distributed 400 million from the National Cultural Fund four days before the election, police are investigating procurement by a company linked to Orbán’s son-in-law, and pressure is growing for former minister Varga to take personal responsibility for hundreds of billions lost in the national bank.
- “The NATO of the future will be much more European.” In an interview with El País, the head of Europe’s defense patronage, Camille Grand, describes the Europeanization of defense even before the summit in Ankara — a perspective that gets lost behind protocol in domestic NATO coverage.
