In the run-up to the scaled-down military parade in Moscow, the situation appears to be deteriorating for President Vladimir Putin. According to intelligence reports, he is said to be spending most of his time in bunkers for fear of assassination or coup attempts. And even pro-Kremlin pollsters are reporting a decline in support. Commentators point to mounting pressure and speculate on where this might lead.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon has announced his candidacy in the 2027 presidential election. The co-founder of the far-left party La France Insoumise is now entering the race for the fourth time, after bids in 2012, 2017 and 2022. The press analyses his chances and his potential for challenging the far-right Rassemblement National.

Romania's parliament is voting today on a motion of no confidence that could spell the end for the coalition government. The far-right opposition group AUR tabled the motion together with the Social Democrats (PSD), who were part of the ruling coalition until recently. They accuse Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan of the National Liberal Party of imposing excessive austerity measures. The country has one of the highest budget deficits in the EU.

Donald Trump has announced a reduction in the US's military presence in Germany. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth specified that 5,000 troops would be withdrawn, but the US President has since insisted that the number would be much higher. The announcements came after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz voiced criticism of Washington's strategy in the Iran war.

Russia will hold its annual military parade on 9 May commemorating the victory against Nazi Germany in 1945. The Ministry of Defence has announced that this year's parade will take place with no military hardware, citing the "current operational situation" and concerns about drone attacks from Ukraine.

After a knife attack on two Jewish people last Wednesday in London, the British government has allocated 25 million pounds to protect Jewish institutions. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government was treating the issue as an "absolute priority". The number of antisemitic attacks in Britain has surged since the start of the Gaza war after 7 October 2023.

Former President Rumen Radev's Progressive Bulgaria (PB) party won a clear majority in the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria on 19 April. Observers describe Radev as pro-Russian and speculate that he might take on Viktor Orbán's role as troublemaker within the EU. The Bulgarian media, however, is less certain about how Radev play his cards.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will withdraw from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) on 1 May 2026. For Opec, this means losing the world's third-largest oil producer. No longer bound by the cartel's agreements, UAE will be able to massively ramp up production. Commentators examine the implications for oil prices and the balance of power among the major oil-producing nations.

During his visit to Washington, British monarch Charles III gave a much applauded speech to the US Congress. He emphasised the responsibilities to Nato, Ukraine, global security and the environment and underlined the two country's close ties and the need for joint efforts to uphold democracy.

The German government has just agreed on a major health reform which foresees, among other things, increased patient contributions for medicines and restrictions on family insurance coverage. This comes at a time when Chancellor Friedrich Merz's popularity has dropped to 15 percent, according to a recent Forsa poll, and a survey by public broadcaster ARD found that 81 percent of the population think wealth is unfairly distributed in Germany.

The president of the Portuguese parliament, José Aguiar-Branco, caused a furore during a parliamentary ceremony marking the anniversary of the Carnation Revolution. He made a speech in which he complained that politicians were now required to disclose every detail of their private lives. Socialist MP Pedro Delgado Alves saw this as mockery of the parliament's ethical rules and demonstratively turned his back.

The West African nation of Mali is in the grips of its worst military conflict in years. Radical Islamists and Tuareg separatists have joined forces to fight against the military government that has been in power since a coup in 2020. What does the conflict mean for the Russian Africa Corps, which backs the military junta in Bamako, and for Europe?