Eurotopics.net

The forced rerouting of a Ryanair commercial flight has sparked outrage across Europe. The plane on route from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land in Minsk on Sunday, ostensibly because of a bomb threat. During the stopover, however, the authorities arrested Belarusian dissident and journalist Roman Pratasevich, who was on board. The EU has closed its airspace to Belarusian airlines in response, but commentators say further action is needed.

Macron allowed the popular French Youtubers and influencers Mcfly and Carlito to shoot a video with him at the Elysée Palace on the weekend. In the video, an "anecdote contest" which has been viewed over 10 million times, the president can be heard using slang. Is the president trying to boost his popularity, especially among younger voters, or is there more to it than that?

A new investigative report shows that BBC reporter Martin Bashir falsified bank statements in 1995 to secure a personal interview with Princess Diana. The statements suggested that she was being spied on by staff. In the interview, Diana spoke very candidly about her marriage and her environment. The BBC appears to have covered up Bashir's misconduct. Diana's sons William and Harry have now voiced sharp criticism of the broadcaster.

Spain's government is faced with the difficult decision of whether to pardon the separatists imprisoned over the Catalan referendum held in October 2017. The separatist parties have won several recent elections in the region, prolonging their government there. This could facilitate dialogue or lead to new crimes, depending on how one sees the situation.

Videos of the Turkish exiled mafia boss Sedat Peker continue to cause controversy in Turkey. In now seven Youtube videos which have been viewed over 70 million times, Peker has accused high-ranking AKP politicians of more and more involvement in organised crime, from drug deals to rape and contract killings. Peker has been considered a key supporter of the president since his release from prison in 2014. What is going on here?