Eurotopics.net

A 21-year-old Russian soldier has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the first war crimes trial in Ukraine. He confessed to shooting an unarmed 62-year-old civilian under pressure from his superior as they were trying to retreat and escape back to Russia in a stolen car in the first days of the war. His lawyer intends to lodge an appeal. Europe's press welcomes the start of legal proceedings.

The WHO has called for action in view of a growing number of monkeypox cases outside the endemic area of West and Central Africa. Intensified educational measures and tracing of infection chains are needed, it urged. Europe is particularly affected, with around 150 registered cases. The virus is transmitted through close physical contact and its symptoms are usually mild.

Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fears that China could follow in Moscow's footsteps and launch its long-threatened conquest of Taiwan have been rife. During a state visit to Japan yesterday, US President Joe Biden said that the US would support the island militarily in such a scenario. Beijing reacted indignantly. Commentators take stock of the exchange.

Both German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron have again put a damper on Ukraine's hopes for swift accession to the European Union: in fairness to other long-standing accession candidates in the Western Balkans there should be no shortcuts into the EU, Scholz stated, while Macron has stressed that the procedure could take "decades". Europe's press discusses interim solutions.

Hunger levels around the world have reached a dramatic new high. The number of people facing severe food insecurity has risen from 135 to 276 million in just two years, according to the UN. The war in Ukraine has escalated the situation because Russia has suspended its own grain exports and is blocking those from Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Must the West step in?