European Union

After German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron has also voiced optimism that it should be possible to find a solution for preventing a no-deal Brexit within 30 days. However, he was less open to compromise regarding the backstop. Were British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's visits to Berlin and Paris a success?

On the evening of August 23, 1989, roughly two million Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians formed a human chain more than 600 kilometres long that stretched from Tallinn across Riga to Vilnius. Fifty years after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact people in the three states stood side by side in pursuit of freedom and independence in one of the biggest non-violent protests the world has ever seen: the Baltic Way.

The worst fires in many years are now raging in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. President Bolsonaro has accused environmental groups of starting the blazes. Researchers counter that cattle breeders have dramatically increased slash and burn agriculture since Bolsonaro took office in January. Must the world look on helplessly as the rainforest goes up in flames?

The fighting has intensified in the Syrian province of Idlib, which had been declared a de-escalation zone. Supported by Russia, Assad's army is advancing through the rebel-held territory towards the city of Khan Shaykhu, prompting tens of thousands to flee the area. Meanwhile the tensions between Ankara and Moscow have escalated after a Turkish military convoy was hit by an airstrike. Europe's press looks at the reasons for the escalation.

The seaside resort of Biarritz in the South of France is preparing for this weekend's G7 summit with stringent security measures. According to French Minister of the Interior Christoph Castaner, 13,200 police officers will be deployed, with the backing of military anti-terrorism units. A security zone is being set up in the sea. But what problems will the politicians deal with behind the barricades?