Eurotopics.net

Bashar al-Assad's troops and Russian forces have been bombing Idlib for two months. The province in the north-west of the country is the last bastion of the rebels and jihadists. According to the US, more than 200 air strikes have been carried out there in the last few days, with many of them targeting the civilian population. The UN estimates that around 400,000 people are fleeing the area. Commentators discuss how - and whether - the madness can be stopped.

In recent days, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has visited US ally Ukraine, but also Belarus, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, all known as faithful allies of Moscow, offering US support all round. Commentators ask how much diplomatic headway the US can make against Russia with this initiative.

Hundreds of asylum seekers living in the Moria refugee camp on the Greek island of Lesbos, which was designed to hold 2840 people but has a current population of over 19,500, marched in the island's capital Mytilene on Monday and Tuesday, demanding transferral to the mainland. The local prefect called for a state of emergency to be declared, but the Greek government refused. It's high time Athens changed its approach, commentators urge.

The world is following with bated breath the progress of the coronavirus outbreak, the first cases of which were discovered in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019. More than 24,000 cases have been registered worldwide, and the death toll has climbed to 490 in China. European media warn that the global economy will be hard hit by measures aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.

After Britain's exit from the EU, both sides are positioning themselves for talks on a trade agreement. Boris Johnson has said that London does not want to commit in writing to certain standards. For her part, Ursula von der Leyen has stressed that there is no such thing as a "free ride to the single market". Commentators discuss what stance the EU should adopt.