Eurotopics.net

The British government is planning another amnesty for those accused of crimes related to the Northern Ireland conflict. A statute of limitations would mean that former soldiers and ex-IRA members could no longer be prosecuted. A number of those convicted of crimes were already released in Northern Ireland in 1998. The new regulation would also to apply to the British mainland. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson explained that the goal was to "draw a line" under the conflict.

The system-critical ITN party led by TV host Slavi Trifonov has emerged victorious from the Bulgarian parliamentary elections, narrowly beating former PM Boyko Borisov's conservative Gerb. However, the ITN and other parties opposing Borisov have failed to achieve a parliamentary majority. Yet that didn't stop Trifonov from going ahead and naming ministers for a minority government - only to withdraw the proposal in the wake of protests. What comes next?

After months of wrangling, the EU Commission has presented its "Fit for 55" package - the most comprehensive climate legislation project worldwide to date. The aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Commentators welcome the plans but stress that even a concerted fight against global warming is no guarantee of success.

Entrepreneur Richard Branson flew into space on July 11 in a self-financed rocket-powered spaceplane, beating Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who had announced his space flight for July 20. Both plan to offer commercial trips into space in the future, while Elon Musk also runs a space company. Most commentators find this race strange and out of touch with the times.