Eurotopics.net

Portuguese whistleblower Rui Pinto is facing the prospect of losing his state witness protection. The founder of the website Football Leaks exposed illegal practices in professional football, but was found guilty of cybercrimes and attempted extortion in 2023 and given a four-year suspended sentence. The Portuguese press debates whether or not the state should continue to protect him.

On the third anniversary of the Hamas attack, Israel is commemorating the victims. On October 7, 2023, terrorists from the Gaza Strip invaded Israel, murdering 1,221 people and taking 251 hostage. Israel reacted with a war which has claimed at least 70,000 lives in the Palestinian territories. Commentators explore how that day changed the country and its people.

After the AfD's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, a member of the party – which is classified there as far-right extremist – has, for the first time in Germany, been elected as parliamentary speaker in the state parliament. Tobias Rausch received 48 out of 82 votes during the parliament's first constituent session. In addition to the AfD and BSW parliamentary groups, four representatives from other parties also voted for Rausch. Commentators take stock and examine the possibility of the AfD forming a government.

A laboratory worker at a plague research institute in Irkutsk, Russia, has died from a suspected case of pneumonic plague. As a result, several hospitals have been placed under quarantine for at least three weeks. According to official sources, no further cases of infection have been recorded, but the Russian authorities have disclosed very little information so far. The press discusses the risk of infection and calls for more transparency.