Forty years ago, Chernobyl, which was still part of the USSR at the time, was the site of the worst accident in the history of nuclear energy. A series of technical errors caused the reactor in Block 4 to explode on 26 April 1986. The leaked radioactivity spread across the whole of Europe and can still be detected today – in mushrooms, the bodies of wild animals and the forest floor. Commentators discuss the use of nuclear energy, then and now.
US President Donald Trump, his wife Melania Trump and several members of his administration had to be escorted to safety after shots were fired at the annual Correspondents' Dinner in Washington at the weekend. A 31-year-old man who was reportedly carrying a shotgun, a handgun and several knives has been arrested. Commentators examine the ramifications of the attack.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) has presented a military strategy that aims to make the Bundeswehr "Europe's strongest conventional army", and explicitly named Russia as a threat. The number of active-duty soldiers is to rise from the current 185,000 to 260,000 by 2035, with the number of reservists increasing to 200,000.
At the Delphi Economic Forum Europe's Chief Prosecutor Laura Kövesi spoke about tensions between the Greek government and European prosecutors investigating alleged misuse of European funds. A number of Greek officials have accused her of political interference. At the same time Kövesi rejected statements by government officials saying that Greeks accept corruption as a way of life.
EU leaders have given the green light for a 90-billion-euro loan for Kyiv at their summit in Cyprus after Ukraine repaired the Druzhba pipeline and Hungary dropped its veto. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky praised the decision and called for his country to receive EU membership as quickly as possible.
Spain is facing a severe housing shortage and the government has now approved a housing plan that aims to triple the number of affordable homes and protect them from property speculation. Meanwhile, Ireland is taking a different approach: under a proposed bill, garden sheds could soon be built and rented out without planning permission. The media in both countries take a closer look at the initiatives.
Romania's four-party governing coalition has collapsed after six ministers and the deputy prime minister from the Social Democratic Party (PSD) resigned over austerity measures planned by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and his PNL party. Bolojan has rejected the PSD's demands for his resignation and said that he will lead a minority government. Bucharest is under pressure to reduce its budget deficit and debt, and it faces the prospect of cuts to EU funding if it fails.
This year, for the first time, the French government is allowing bakeries and florists to let their staff work on 1 May, provided they do so voluntarily and are paid double their usual rate. While employers, particularly butchers and fishmongers, are pushing for labour legislation to be further relaxed, trade unions are up in arms.
Just hours before his ultimatum expired, US President Donald Trump extended the ceasefire with Iran for an indefinite period. At Pakistan's request, Trump said that there would be no more attacks until the "seriously fractured" government in Tehran had put forward a "unified proposal" and talks had been concluded. Iran did not attend a round of talks announced by Washington.
The Estonian government is resisting the EU Pay Transparency Directive adopted in 2023, saying it does not want the bureaucratic burden. The directive aims to reduce the gender pay gap. Member states were given until June this year to implement it, with businesses required to ensure transparency and introduce measures to pay men and women equally.
Several members of the management team at the Russian publishing group Eksmo were arrested in Moscow on Tuesday. They are accused of 'extremist behaviour' and of 'disseminating LGBT literature among minors'. Since May 2025, a court case has been underway against three of the publisher's employees who are charged with disseminating youth literature featuring homosexual content.
Since 2021 Hungary has had a law – typical of the Orbán era – prohibiting access to information on homosexuality, trans identity and gender reassignment for the under-18s. The European Court of Justice has now ruled that the law is discriminatory, and that it violates European fundamental rights as well as contradicting the EU's core values.