Eurotopics.net

All Europe is increasingly suffering from drought: crops are drying up and streams and rivers are disappearing. Meanwhile, worrying images of desolate landscapes are coming from popular tourist regions like Catalonia and Andalusia. What can and must be done?

A school in Stäfa in the Swiss canton of Zurich was forced this week to cancel its annual Gender Day, which features discussions about role models and equality and had been held for ten years. After politicians from the right-wing conservative Swiss People's Party (SVP) publicly criticised the event, a wave of threats and abuse in the media ensued. Commentators complain about the increasingly aggressive tone of public debate.

As part of an austerity package the Czech government has more than doubled the VAT on printed newspapers, bringing it up to 21 percent from the previous 10 percent. Publishers fear that this will mean the end for these newspapers. Commentators criticise the measure as a declaration of defeat in the fight against misinformation.

Because neither candidate won an absolute majority in the first round of the Turkish presidential elections, a run-off vote will be held on 28 May. In the first round incumbent Erdoğan (49.5 percent) beat opposition candidate Kılıçdaroğlu (44.9 percent). The ultra-nationalist Sinan Oğan, whose voters could now tip the balance, garnered 5.2 percent of the vote. Europe's press sees the chances of a change of government receding into the distance.