Europe at a glance

The Hague, Netherlands

Euthanasia trial: A Dutch doctor has gone on trial for performing euthanasia on a patient with advanced dementia – the first such prosecution since the practice became legal in 2002. The unnamed retired doctor administered a lethal injection to the 74-year-old woman, in the presence of her family, in 2016. The patient had previously indicated that she wanted to die if her condition became severe, but prosecutors say that on the day of the procedure, she had given “mixed” signals. They argue that the doctor should have done more to verify consent. There is growing anxiety in the Netherlands about the morality of carrying out euthanasia on patients with advanced dementia, who can no longer convey that they are “suffering unbearably” (as stipulated by the law). Prosecutors brought the case to seek clarification of the law, and said that they wouldn’t be seeking a jail term for the doctor, who they say acted in good faith.

Bayonne, France

Climate protests: Hundreds of climate protesters took to the streets of Bayonne last Sunday, holding upside-down portraits of Emmanuel Macron “removed” from town halls across France. The march in the southwestern city, which coincided with the G7 summit in nearby Biarritz, was organised by the “Take Down Macron” movement, which has seized more than 100 official photos of the president since February. Members of the movement claim that although Macron acts like a “climate champion” on the world stage at events such as the G7 summit, he is not doing enough at home to tackle the crisis. A spokeswoman for the movement said that by turning the portraits upside down, marchers hoped to highlight how nonsensical his policies are. Before the summit, Macron told a TV interviewer that climate change protests had “profoundly changed” his views.

Barcelona

“Robbery kits”: Barcelona police are handing out “robbery kits” to beach-goers who return from a swim to find their belongings have been stolen. In recent years, crime has soared along the Spanish city’s nearly three miles of beaches: 853 thefts have already been reported this summer, including at its most popular bathing spot, the Barceloneta. To help victims get home safely, the police started handing out the kits, consisting of a T-shirt, shorts, flip-flops and a metro ticket, in 2016. Demand has risen every year since – this year, they’ve handed out 174 of the kits.

Copenhagen

“Nasty” PM: Denmark’s prime minister has described herself as “annoyed and surprised” by Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a planned official visit to the country. The US president abruptly cancelled the trip last week, after Mette Frederiksen dismissed as “absurd” his idea the US could buy the autonomous Danish territory of Greenland. He said the PM had been “nasty”, and should have just politely declined his suggestion. Frederiksen has since reiterated that the strategically important, resource-rich island is not for sale, but said the issue needn’t stop Denmark and the US having a “good relationship”.

Rome

League-free coalition: Populist and centre-left politicians were this week scrambling to finalise an agreement to form a new coalition government in Italy, and so avert the need for a snap election that could hand power to the far-right League. Under the deal being hammered out on Wednesday, the populist Five Star Movement would rule in coalition with the centre-left Democratic Party. The Five Star Movement had been in government with Matteo Salvini’s League, but earlier this month, Salvini pulled the plug on the coalition by tabling a motion of no confidence in the PM, Giuseppe Conte, who resigned. With the League riding high in the polls, Salvini seems to have hoped to force an election that would strengthen his party’s hold on power. However, the emergence of the new coalition deal, which would see Conte reappointed as PM, suggests his gambit has backfired.

Moscow

Symmetrical missile tests: Russia’s military is preparing a “symmetrical response” to a recent US cruise missile test, intensifying fears of a new arms race. Last week, just 16 days after pulling out of a Soviet-era treaty that banned all intermediate-range missiles (those with ranges between 310 and 3,400 miles), the US military tested a medium-range Tomahawk missile off the coast of California. Mark Esper, the US defence secretary, has said he is in favour of placing ground-launched missiles in Asia “sooner rather than later”. Warning that such moves threaten “core” Russian interests, President Putin has ordered Russia’s military to “analyse the level of threat” posed by America’s actions, and prepare a like-for-like response.

Naples, Italy

First-ever jail breakout: A Polish man awaiting trial for murder has become the first inmate to break out of the notorious Poggioreale prison in Naples – albeit only briefly. Built in 1914, the Italian prison has a reputation for cruelty and overcrowding: prisoners can be packed six to a cell, and its isolation cell – “Room Zero” – has been described as a torture chamber. Thanks to its seven-metre-high perimeter wall, it was considered escape-proof; but Robert Lisowski, 32, accomplished the feat last Sunday, when he took advantage of inmates returning from Mass to scale the wall using a homemade rope. Lisowski, who is accused of murdering a Ukrainian in a bar brawl, badly injured his leg during the escape, which seems to have proved his downfall: police picked him up a few kilometres away the following evening. “He was injured and had no support network,” they said.