Eurotopics.net

The General Debate of the UN General Assembly begins today, Tuesday, against the backdrop of the conflict between the US and Iran. Other states have joined the US in blaming Iran for the attacks on the oil refineries in Saudi Arabia. Commentators see the potential for conflict on other issues apart from the Iran crisis.

Britain's Labour Party has backed its leader Jeremy Corbyn and rejected a plan to commit to campaigning all-out for the UK to remain in the EU. The party, which as a result still lacks a clear stance on Brexit, wants to wait for a second referendum before committing to a position. Is this the right strategy?

Up to now only married heterosexual couples have been legally able to undergo artificial insemination under French law. A new bioethics bill to be debated in parliament today, Tuesday, is set to change that. It foresees that in future all women, regardless of their marital status and sexual orientation, will have access to medically assisted reproduction. Commentators say the debate is off track.

The interior ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Malta and representatives of the Finnish EU presidency and EU Commission are convening for a mini-summit on Malta today to discuss a new mechanism for distributing migrants rescued in the Mediterranean. Commentators voice scepticism about the approach and examine the obstacles to a breakthrough in Europe's migration policy.

According to the Fridays for Future movement more than four million people in over 160 countries took part in the global climate strike on Friday. They called on politicians to meet the targets set out in the Paris Climate Agreement. Greta Thunberg demonstrated in New York, where the UN Climate Change Summit kicks off today, Monday. Can the protesters bring change?