Eurotopics.net

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has visited Egypt, Ethiopia, Uganda and the Republic of the Congo on his tour of Africa, spreading the view that the West is to blame for the food crisis caused by the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile Emmanuel Macron is travelling to Cameroon, Benin and Guinea-Bissau to renew "relations between France and the African continent". Which of them has the competitive edge?

Pope Francis has apologised to Canada's Indigenous Peoples for the mistreatment of their children in Catholic residential schools. The Canadian government acknowledged decades of physical and sexual abuse in the country's residential schools and in 2008 promised some 14 billion euros in compensation to Indigenous communities. How significant is the pope's gesture?

After Finland lifted Covid travel restrictions for non-EU citizens, Russian holidaymakers are also among those travelling to the country. And now that the value of the rouble has risen against the euro, cross-border shopping sprees are also popular once more. A number of Finnish parties are calling for a suspension of tourist visas for Russians. The nation's press is divided.

In Romania, a bill presented to parliament by the country's new government has sparked outrage. Under the draft law the National Council for the Accreditation of Academic Degrees (CNATDCU) is to be dissolved and civil liability for plagiarism is to expire after three years. The Romanian press is convinced that the controversial reform proposals are motivated by the plagiarism accusations against Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă.

For more than a week now EU countries have been discussing the EU Commission's proposal for a gas emergency plan. This would require member states to voluntarily cut their gas use by 15 percent and help each other out in case of shortages. After Russia announced further reductions in the supplies sent via the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline as of Wednesday, an official agreement is expected today. Europe's press reflects a struggle for solidarity.