Eurotopics.net

Finland has had two pandas on loan from China since 2018. The costs for Ähtäri Zoo, where the animals are kept, amount to 1.5 million euros per year for rent and maintenance and have now become a bone of contention. A government proposal to provide 5 million euros in funding for the zoo has met with criticism, partly because two of its ministers come from the Ähtäri constituency. The zoo wants to return the animals to China. The press points to the international dimensions of the affair.

In the wake of Berlin's decision to allow the delivery of Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, a large alliance is emerging to equip the country with these and similar vehicles. Germany and Poland each plan to deliver 14 Leopard 2s, the Netherlands 18. Britain is sending 14 Challengers and the US 31 M1 Abrams. Taken together these deliveries will cover roughly a third of what experts estimate is needed - but the impact is already being felt, Europe's press stresses.

Turkey's President Erdoğan has announced that the country's presidential and parliamentary elections, originally planned for June, will be brought forward to 14 May. Erdoğan ruled the country as prime minister from 2003 to 2014 and afterwards became the most powerful man in the state as its president. Whether his running for office again is in conformity with the constitution is a matter of debate. According to polls, a six-party opposition alliance also has a chance of winning the elections.

Cutting back on working hours, retiring as early as possible, not getting more involved in the job than necessary: a new work ethic under the catchword "quiet quitting" is under debate. While some commentators defend it from an individual viewpoint, others see problems from the perspective of society as a whole.