Major power outages plunged more than 60 million people in Spain, Portugal and parts of France into chaos on Monday morning. The internet and mobile phones went dead, traffic systems came to a grinding halt, and homes and business were left without electricity. We are still in the dark about the cause. Commentators draw their own conclusions.
On the sidelines of Pope Francis's funeral, US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky met in St. Peter's Basilica on Saturday to discuss the war in Ukraine. While the White House described the meeting as "very productive", Zelensky said it had the potential to become historic. Commentators debate whether their talk could be a turning point.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) has calculated that global military expenditure increased by 9.4 percent in 2024, with that figure rising to 17 percent in Europe - including Russia - as a result of the war in Ukraine. Europe's 693 billion dollars of military spending includes salaries and weapons procurement as well as investments in research and development.
Pope Francis was laid to rest in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore outside the Vatican after a funeral service in St Peter's Basilica on Saturday. The ceremony was attended by leading political figures from across the globe as well as an estimated 400,000 people. Commentators share emotions and observations - also with regard to Francis's successor.
A snap election is taking place in Canada today. The campaigning has centred around responses to attacks by US President Donald Trump. The ruling Liberals under Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has been in office since 14 March, have benefited from the political climate. Carney's Conservative opponent Pierre Poilievre is fighting for a change of power after almost a decade of Liberal government.
Istanbul was shaken by a series of earthquakes last week which caused damage to some 1,025 buildings, and there are fears that the Turkish metropolis with its population of around 16 million could be hit by a stronger earthquake any time now. The city's mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu and many of those in key positions of responsibility are currently behind bars. The national press assesses the situation.
In an interview at Easter, the President of the German Bundestag Julia Klöckner (CDU) criticised the churches for commenting too frequently on current issues. Instead of 'behaving like NGOs' they should concentrate on pastoral care, she said. In the wake of the death of Pope Francis, the international press asks whether and to what extent churches should take a political stance.
Donald Trump has announced that Washington and Moscow have agreed on terms for ending the war in Ukraine: "I think we have a deal with Russia," the US president said on Wednesday, adding that Russia was making a big concession by agreeing to end the war now rather than seizing the whole country. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also said that Russia was in principle ready to conclude an agreement. Trump had previously lambasted Zelensky for refusing to cede on his country's right to keep Crimea.
The Spanish government has announced that it is backing out of a contract with an Israeli company to purchase ammunition for the Guardia Civil (the Spanish military police). The move comes after left-wing coalition partner Sumar condemned the plan to purchase 15 million bullets worth 6.6 million euros on the grounds that the cabinet had pledged not to enter into any arms deals with Israel.
Sweden's government has announced plans to set up a commission to examine how to combat fraud in LSS services - which encompass services such as healthcare, children's homes and transport for the disabled - more effectively. Fourteen people received prison sentences in Gothenburg in 2021 for fraud involving the use of fake patients, carers and documents which amounted to roughly four million euros. Since then, 85 care services have lost their licences.
The EU has imposed massive fines on two US IT companies, with Apple being to pay 500 million euros and Facebook parent company Meta 200 million euros for violations of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This is the first time fines have been imposed under the DMA, which was introduced in 2022. Among other things, it obliges internet giants to open up their platforms to competitors. Europe's media back the ruling.