Several priceless pieces of jewellery were stolen from the Louvre in Paris on Sunday. The thieves, who have yet to be identified, broke into the museum using a truck with a vehicle-mounted ladder and stole several pieces of jewellery belonging to the Napoleon collection in a matter of minutes. For commentators, the robbery says a lot about the state of France.
Northern Cyprus is poised for a change of government: in presidential elections on Sunday, Tufan Erhürman, an opposition politician belonging to the social democratic Republican Turkish Party (CTP), won a clear victory against the current president of the unrecognised republic, Ersin Tatar, who is close to Turkish President Erdoğan. Erhürman wants a rapprochement with the EU and a resumption of negotiations over the Cyprus issue.
Volodymyr Zelensky visited Donald Trump at the White House on Friday – and did not receive confirmation of the delivery of Tomahawk cruise missiles previously signalled by the US. The US President had agreed to a US-Russia summit in Budapest in a phone conversation with Putin on Thursday. Media discuss what Trump's latest U-turn means.
Israel and Hamas are accusing each other of violating the ceasefire which began on October 10. Both sides have reported attacks and deaths. The Israeli military announced on Sunday evening that it would cease its strikes but warned that there would be a vigorous response to further violations. While some commentators are pessimistic, others see a silver lining to the weekend's fighting.
Around seven million people went out to protest against Donald Trump in more than 800 cities across the US on Saturday. They accuse the US president of having an authoritarian style of government. The demonstrations under the slogan "No Kings" were for the most part peaceful. Commentators look at the causes of the protests and their potential impact.
In view of the threat posed by Russia, the European Union is undertaking steps to improve its security situation: the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030, a detailed plan to coordinate measures such as drone and air defence and military mobility among member states, was unveiled in Brussels on Thursday. According to Foreign Affairs Representative Kaja Kallas, the plan is to be implemented in close cooperation with Nato. Opinions are divided on the issue.
After the US Navy attacked several boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean, US President Trump has now announced plans to combat drug smugglers on land as well, and has authorised CIA covert operations in Venezuela. As the US strengthens its military presence in the region, Venezuela has appealed to the UN Security Council for support. European media see the Maduro regime as the real target of the operations.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has postponed the controversial reform raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 until January 2028. The idea is to create the confidence needed to develop new solutions, he explained on Tuesday. For the opposition Socialists, who had vigorously pushed for this move, the decision marks a victory. The planned reform led to months of mass protests across the country in 2023.
Despite the ceremonial signing of a Gaza peace declaration on Monday, Hamas has announced that it will continue its fight against Israel. According to media reports the terrorist organisation has taken action against armed gangs on the streets of Gaza and released a video showing several people described as "collaborators" being executed. Commentators examine the organisation's role.
Filip Turek, who is under discussion as a candidate for foreign minister in the new Czech government, is facing accusations of racism, homophobia and sexism. Deník N newspaper has published several posts with such content taken from Turek's Facebook page, which were later deleted. Election winner Andrej Babiš has described the problem as"serious" but needs Turek's party Motorists for Themselves to secure a governing majority.