Today's front pages

According to a report in the August 18 edition of Der Spiegel, the Greek government will have to cut spending by €14bn, and not €11.5bn as previously forecast, if it is to fulfill the commitments that it has made to the troika.

New billion-euro hole in Athens budget – Die Presse

With only a few days left before his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on August 20, Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is to present a further cost-cutting plan that will reduce Greek public spending by €11.5bn between now and 2014. In a separate story, a riot broke out on the island of Hydra when police attempted to arrest a restaurant owner who failed to deliver receipts.

Merkel outside, Hydra inside – Ta Nea

The WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange gave a ten-minute speech to supporters from the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London where he has been holed up for two months while dodging an extradition warrant to Sweden. He called on the US to end its “war on whistleblowers” and “witch-hunts against WikiLeaks”, but failed to address the Swedish sex assault claims that have led to the extradition warrant being lodged.

Assange’s pulpit – The Independent

As the Spanish coast is watched more closely by authorities, Moroccan hashish is finding a new gateway into Europe through the Algarve, in southern Portugal.

Surveillance boost on Spanish coasts pushes drug traffickers to Portugal – Diário de Notícias

Belgian Justice Minister Annemie Turtelboom has pledged to firm up the country’s parole law after 5,000 people took to the streets of Brussels on August 19 to protest against the release from prison of Michelle Martin, the former spouse and accomplice of Marc Dutroux, who raped and murdered several young girls in the 1990s.

Repeat offenders to be locked up for longer – La Libre Belgique

On the eve of a constitutional court ruling on the validity of the July 29 referendum to depose President Traian Băsescu, a man from Onești, in the east of the country, stands accused of voting eight times. The man denies the allegations, but his is just one in the many cases of fraud that have been reported.

Proof of fraud in referendum – Adevărul

The concession for the convicted ETA member is said to be justified as he is currently suffering from cancer, and follows a hunger strike by ETA prisoners, which called for him to be given access to the parole process. There has been political and social controversy over a judicial decision on prison conditions and regulations governing treatment of ETA prisoners.

Government backs down and allows Bolinaga access to parole – El Mundo