The final stage of the La Vuelta cycling race was cut short in Spain on Sunday due to protests against the war in Gaza. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also called for Israel to be excluded from international sporting events and some countries are protesting Israel's participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, which they threaten to boycott. Europe's press discusses how to deal with Israeli athletes and artists.
The right-wing conservative US podcaster and activist Charlie Kirk was shot dead during an appearance at Utah Valley University last week. Kirk had close ties to US President Donald Trump and founded the organisation Turning Point USA, which is active at schools and universities. A 22-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the killing. Commentators discuss the dangers of deepening polarisation.
In local elections in Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia the CDU has maintained its leading position, securing 33.3 percent of the vote. The SPD and Greens suffered losses with 22.1 and 13.5 percent respectively, while with 14.5 percent the AfD almost tripled its share compared to the last local elections. Commentators assess the results of this first test of public opinion since February's federal election.
US President Donald Trump has called on Nato countries to step up the economic pressure on Russia, and made new US sanctions contingent on their doing so. All allies must stop buying oil from Russia, Trump demanded on his online platform Truth Social. He also urged Nato countries to impose high tariffs on China as a bloc. Are his demands justified?
Brazil's Supreme Court has sentenced Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison. The court found the 70-year-old former president guilty of leading a conspiracy to remain in office after his election defeat in 2022, making him become the first former president in the country's history to be convicted of an attack on democracy.
The Israeli military launched airstrikes against buildings in the Qatari capital of Doha on Tuesday, killing several people. According to its own statements it was targeting the leadership of radical Islamist group Hamas, which bears direct responsibility for the massacre on 7 October 2023. The Qatari Foreign Ministry has condemned the attack as a 'flagrant violation' of international law. Europe's press takes stock.
The EU Commission has initiated the ratification process for its free trade agreement with the South American Mercosur states. The deal has been under negotiation since 1999. New safeguard clauses for agricultural products have been introduced to overcome any remaining opposition before the deal is put to vote at the national and European level. If it comes into force, the agreement will create one of the largest free-trade zones in the world.