Eurotopics.net

A 19-year-old went on a shooting spree at his former school in the Russian city of Kazan, killing nine people and injuring 20. The suspect, who has since been detained, called himself God on a Telegram post and announced his plans before the attack, albeit in a cryptic manner. Russia's press asks if and how such incidents can be prevented.

As the weather grows milder, the number of people fleeing across the Mediterranean to southern Europe to escape political instability and poverty in North Africa is increasing. On Tuesday, more than 2,000 people reached the Italian island of Lampedusa, but many others drowned during the crossing. Although this dynamic has been repeated for years, the EU still hasn't found a solution, European media complain.

The EU foreign ministers met on Monday to discuss developments in the Western Balkan states. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell called for the resumption of talks on the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. Visa-free travel to the EU for Kosovars and the lifting of Bulgaria's veto on accession talks with North Macedonia were also top priorities, he said.

Sedat Peker, a mafia boss and Turkish ultra-nationalist who was released from prison in 2014, has left Turkey and posted a series of video messages revealing the state's involvement in organised crime. Although Peker has been a key supporter of President Erdoğan since his release from prison, a dispute with the president's son-in-law and former finance minister Berat Albayrak is suspected to have led to his fall from grace.

Violent clashes between Palestinians and Israelis have rocked Jerusalem in recent days. The violence was triggered by the pending eviction of some Arab families in East Jerusalem in favour of Israeli settlers. Most recently, Hamas fired missiles at Israel, which retaliated with an air strike on Gaza. Commentators take stock of the turmoil.