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.
Following tough negotiations, Ukraine and the US have signed a natural resources deal. Hailed by both sides as a "historic" agreement, it provides for the creation of a joint investment fund which will initially generate funds for the country's reconstruction. The media assess the deal primarily in terms of its potential to boost Ukraine's security and sovereignty.
Following the cancellation of the first round of elections in November due to suspected fraud, Romanians will head to the polls again on Sunday to elect a new president. The list of candidates includes Crin Antonescu from the current governing coalition between the Social Democrats, Liberals and the Hungarian Party, George Simion from the right-wing nationalist AUR party, and Elena Lasconi from the liberal USR.
Following a deadly attack on tourists in the India-controlled part of Kashmir, tensions are escalating between hostile nuclear powers India and Pakistan. New Delhi has terminated the Indus Waters Treaty, expelled Pakistanis and closed its airspace to flights from its neighbour. Europe's press looks at why this hotspot is particularly explosive right now.
Canada's governing Liberal Party is the clear winner of Monday's federal election. Prime Minister Mark Carney's party overtook the Conservatives, securing an estimated 169 seats in parliament and falling just short of an absolute majority. Carney stressed his intention of strengthening his country's ties with "reliable allies" such as Europe. Commentators focus on the voters' motives.
Large-scale power outages plunged more than 60 million people in Spain, Portugal and parts of France into chaos on Monday. The internet and mobile phones went dead, traffic systems came to a halt, and homes and business were left without electricity. Although the power supply has been restored, the cause of the blackout remains unclear, but the grid operator has ruled out a cyberattack. Commentators draw their own conclusions.
Under a new law, Hungarian MEPs will have to submit declarations of their assets in Hungary - as is already the case for members of the national parliament. However, while the latter are allowed to correct false or incomplete information retroactively, MEPs face the prospect of losing their seats in such cases. Opposition leader Péter Magyar claims that the law is aimed at him directly.
