On Wednesday, the day after his election as German chancellor, Friedrich Merz flew to Paris. In a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron the two leaders reaffirmed the close ties between their countries, which had recently cooled, as well as their shared interests. Merz then flew directly to Warsaw to meet Prime Minister Donald Tusk and reassert the desire for close ties with Poland. Commentators take stock.
The German Bundestag elected Friedrich Merz as the country's new chancellor on Tuesday - but only in the second round of voting after the CDU leader failed to secure enough support from the ranks of the conservative-social democratic coalition in the first round and fell six votes short of the required majority. After the vote the cabinet members were also sworn in. Europe's media discuss the causes of the false start and its consequences.
India has attacked targets in neighbouring Pakistan and the Pakistan-controlled part of the disputed Kashmir region. Official sources in New Delhi stress that only "terrorist infrastructure" was targeted, but Islamabad says 31 civilians were killed and has vowed to retaliate. This latest escalation in the long-standing conflict was prompted by a terrorist attack on tourists in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir.
The conclave, in which 133 cardinals are convening in the Vatican to elect Pope Francis's successor, kicks off today. They will hold four ballots a day, after which the ballot papers are burnt and black smoke rises into the sky until white smoke proclaims: "Habemus Papam". Commentators take a closer look at the procedure.
Following the announcement of Israel's plan to conquer and permanently occupy the Gaza Strip, spokespersons for the terrorist militia group Hamas have declared that they are no longer interested in negotiating a ceasefire. Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir has announced that tens of thousands of reservists will be called up for the upcoming operations.
Friedrich Merz (CDU) was expected to be elected as the new German chancellor in the Bundestag today with a majority of votes from the CDU/CSU and SPD. The three parties have a total of 328 seats. However in the first round of voting he received only 310 votes, six fewer than necessary. Ahead of the vote, European media assess the political potential of a black-red coalition.
The right-wing populist Reform UK party made significant gains and secured key county councils in local elections in the UK on 1 May. National polls show Nigel Farage's party riding high in the polls. If general elections - currently scheduled for 2029 - were held now, Reform UK would be the strongest force in the country, ahead of the two main parties Labour and the Conservatives.
The far-right candidate of the AUR party, George Simion, has won the first round of the rerun of the presidential election in Romania. In the run-off on 18 May he will now go up against the non-affiliated mayor of Bucharest Nicușor Dan. The country's Social Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu resigned after his governing coalition's candidate, Crin Antonescu, came in third.
This week the whole of Europe commemorates the end of the Second World War and liberation from National Socialism. Russia will celebrate the victory over Hitler's Germany with its usual massive military parade on 9 May. The Kremlin's efforts to place its current war of aggression in Ukraine in this historical context meet with opposition in the European press.
Germany's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) as "confirmed right-wing extremist" due to the party's disregard for human dignity and mounting indications of efforts to subvert the free democratic order. Europe's press debates what actions the ruling could and should prompt.
The social democratic Labor Party has won a landslide victory in Australia. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese can now continue to govern with an absolute majority after securing more than 80 seats in the country's 150-seat House of Representatives. The conservative National-Liberal Coalition won just under 40 seats. Commentators discuss the causes and the Trump effect.