What the papers are saying across the Continent.
Follow @POLITICOEurope
Theresa May steps out of 10 Downing Street on 24 October. | Jack Taylor/Getty Images
'Judgment day' for May
By	Eddy Wax
11/14/18, 9:12 AM CET
Brexit made the front page of every national newspaper (except the Daily Star, which led on police receiving more money to search for Madeleine McCann). And the papers did not hold back in their insistence on how important Wednesday would be in the Brexit negotiations.
— The BBC's website reported that this afternoon's Cabinet meeting would be a "showdown" between Prime Minister Theresa May and her ministers.
— The Daily Mail said it is "Judgment Day," the Daily Telegraph called it a "moment of truth" and the Financial Times a "moment of danger."
— The i newspaper said, with tongue in cheek, that "now all the prime minister has to do is get it past her Cabinet, the Commons, the Lords, the DUP, and 27 EU nations …"
— The Express focused on International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt's call for Cabinet to get a free vote on the proposed deal.
— The Times said May has been "accused of betrayal" by Brexiteers, but would nonetheless "claim to have won a crucial battle" over the Irish backstop.
— Backbench Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg wrote in the Telegraph that the proposed deal is "not in the national interest."
— Former PM Tony Blair had an op-ed in the Times urging Labour to back a second vote.
German papers took most of their top stories from news in Italy and the U.K. — although camels also featured.
— Tagesschau described the mood in Rome as "serene" after the Italian government overnight decided not to change its budgetary targets despite the possibility of the EU's sanctions against it. Bild said Italy was being stubborn and is "provoking" Europe.
— Zeit Online focused on Brexit, writing: "For Theresa May the political struggle is only beginning." Frankfurter Allgemeine's headline was "White smokes rises."
— Spiegel Online said Health Minister Jens Spahn, who wants to succeed Angela Merkel as the chairman of the CDU, has launched an attack on his rivals Friedrich Merz and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
— The website also said Die Linke would seek to gain ground from the Greens in next year's European election but that "not all comrades" will like the strategy.
— Deutsche Welle said seven camels had been spotted loitering in a supermarket carpark in the northern city of Celle. A circus employee escorted them home but it is unclear why the animals had made their way to the area. Police said they may have been "waiting for the best bargains."
French news focused on mounting outrage over a proposed hike in diesel and petrol tax, ahead of a planned citizen-led protest by the "high-vis jackets" movement, which is set to blockade roads this weekend.
— Le Figaro said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is set to announce measures to help struggling people, but according to FranceInfo's website, the PM said he would not nix the tax hike.
— Libération said the Modem party, which supports La République en Marche, is firmly behind the tax hike.
— Le Parisien noted François Hollande is returning to politics. It featured a clip from TV show Quotidien in which the ex-president told a fan: "I am going to come back."
— Le Monde said "the essential" elements of the draft Brexit deal are done in Brussels, but "everything remains to be accomplished in London."
Italian papers focused on the government's refusal to back down in its dispute with the EU over the national budget.
— La Stampa warned the "clash with the EU will cost us €60 billion a year."
— La Repubblica described the affair as the Italian government's "search for the perfect enemy."
Eddy Wax
Friedrich Merz
Theresa May at the Lord Mayor's Banquet at the Guildhall on Monday evening. | Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
'Judgment day' looms in Brexit talks
Updated 11/13/18, 3:49 PM CET
Many papers covered the publishing of Michelle Obama's memoir, "Becoming," as the Brexit deadline draws ever closer.
— The Guardian said the book "reveals [her] dread of Trump and how [the news] cycle turns her stomach." The Independent said Michelle Obama didn't think her husband could become president because he was "a black man in America." The Telegraph focused on her meeting with the queen.
— The BBC news website said ministers were told "judgment day" is looming to finalize a Brexit deal.
— The Guardian warned "time is running out" and said Theresa May told the Lord Mayor's banquet in London that talks are in the "endgame."
German papers focused on the struggling SPD and the new government in Bavaria.
— Berliner Morgenpost said SPD leader Andrea Nahles is performing a "U-turn" by dropping her party's support for the welfare reforms known as Hartz IV. But the paper said the exact changes the SPD wants to make, other than creating a "friendly" welfare state, in Nahles' words, are still "unclear."
— Frankfurter Allgemeine said the SPD's last few months have been characterized by "troubles, heavy defeats and mourning." Now, the paper said, the party knows there must be "no more moping."
— Süddeutsche Zeitung presented the new Bavarian Cabinet — a coalition of CSU and Free Voters led by Markus Söder. The paper described the regional government as "younger, female and Catholic."
French media followed the deadly fire in California as well as developments closer to home.
— FranceInfo said the forest fire in California, which has killed 42 people, is "by far the worst in the state's history."
— Le Figaro said the government's spokesperson Benjamin Griveaux and Equalities Secretary Marlène Schiappa defended themselves from accusations of overspending in their departments. Both Griveaux and Schiappa went on TV to denounce the figures as false.
— Le Parisien covered Monday's national education strike, but said the threat of jobs being cut only "weakly" mobilized people.
— The website of radio station France Bleu said the police are dealing with the emotional shock of losing Maggy Biskupski, who took her own life with her service weapon Monday night. She came to prominence after the 2016 Viry-Châtillon attack, when a gang of youths threw 13 Molotov cocktails at two police cars in a Paris suburb.
Italian papers were watching the deputy prime ministers closely.
— La Repubblica said bishops are warning the government over its handling of the EU budget dispute.
— Il Fatto Quotidiano said Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini promised he would "not oblige anyone" to pay penalties under his pension reforms.
— Il Giornale investigated where the other Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio might have got a press card.
Italian politics
Boris Johnson speaks at a fringe event at the Conservative party conference in October. | Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
Boris Johnson says Britain is 'the punk of Brussels'
— The Telegraph led with former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's column in which he accuses Prime Minister Theresa May of "the biggest statecraft failure since [the] Suez [crisis]" and said the U.K. has "agreed to become the punk of Brussels, signing up not just to their existing rulebook but to huge chunks of future regulation."
— The BBC reported that some Cabinet ministers had "voiced doubts" about May's Chequers plan when she revealed it to them in July.
— The Times said May is hoping for a deal with the EU "in the next 48 hours" but noted "Cabinet unhappiness with the eventual package is growing."
— Tagesschau said Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is preparing to "retreat in instalments" — by stepping down as CSU party leader in January and possibly also leaving his post in government. However, "it's not official yet."
— Süddeutsche Zeitung said far-right party AfD has received a €130,000 campaign donation from Switzerland, even though "donations [from] abroad are generally not allowed."
— Bild said it has got its hands on "a secret strategy paper" that shows how the AfD will try to thwart Friedrich Merz's bid to succeed Angela Merkel as CDU chairman.
— Die Welt said in the race to succeed Merkel within the CDU, "the crew wants Merz, the officers want [Annegret] Kramp-Karrenbauer."
— Le Figaro said U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's leader Vladimir Putin discussed international issues, such as North Korea, at length when they met on the sidelines of the World War I centenary commemorations in Paris this weekend.
— Le Parisien reported teachers would strike on Monday to protest the axing of thousands of jobs in secondary schools.
— BFMTV carried comments by the mayor of Marseille, Jean-Claude Gaudin, in which he admitted his administration has not done enough to sort out dangerous housing, after last week's collapse of two apartment blocks that killed eight people.
Swedish papers previewed a week in which parliament will vote on making center-right Moderate Party leader Ulf Kristersson the new prime minister, after seven frustrating weeks of coalition negotiations.
— Expressen said Wednesday's vote would be "historic" and noted that "a new candidate for prime minister had never been voted down in the Riksdag in modern times."
— Svenska Dagbladet said Kristersson has prepared a list of potential ministers, but that "he will probably be the first prime ministerial candidate in modern times to be voted down."
— Sydsvenskan reported that Brexit is threatening a key source of Sweden's fuel: British trash. The website said "no one knows" how the country will manage to import over half a million tons of garbage, which it needs to burn for fuel, once the U.K. has left the EU.
Ulf Kristersson
Manfred Weber at a CSU party meeting in September 2018. | Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images
'Call me Manfred'
11/9/18, 9:16 AM CET
Updated 11/9/18, 1:36 PM CET
The German press focused on new diesel rules.
— Bild said the federal government had found a way out of the "diesel crisis" after carmakers negotiating with Berlin agreed to pay out €3,000 per vehicle for hardware fixes in the 14 cities most affected by air pollution.
— Frankfurter Allgemeine said the compromise deal struck Thursday was under attack, with critics dubbing it a "trickery" because hardware retrofits would only be subsidized from 2020.
— Spiegel Online ran the headline "Call me Manfred," reporting on the election of Manfred Weber to be the EPP's lead candidate for next year's European election. It was "a respectable but not surprising result," the website said.
— Die Welt said Germans believed Friedrich Merz and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer were equally likely to be successful chancellors — but the third candidate for the CDU leadership, Health Minister Jens Spahn, trailed behind them in a survey by Kantar Emnid.
Prime Minister Edouard Philippe's plan to respond to rising anti-Semitism was a top story in France.
— FranceInfo carried the PM's announcement of a 69-percent rise in anti-Semitic acts in France in the first nine months of 2018. A permanent national team will be posted in the education ministry to tackle the situation, Philippe said.
— 20 Minutes said a march would be held in Marseille on Saturday to honor the victims of collapsed apartment blocks.
— Le Monde carried news of Manfred Weber's nomination as the EPP's lead candidate but said he was still not the "best placed" to unite pro-European parties. Europe's competition chief Margrethe Vestager and the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier "are holding onto their chances."
— The website of broadcaster LCI said 10,000 police and military personnel would participate in World War I centenary commemorations this weekend, with 72 heads of state or government expected to attend a ceremony in the north of France.
The British press was all Brexit, Brexit, Brexit.
— The Times published revelations from a leaked letter written by Theresa May, sent to the Democratic Unionist Party, which indicated the British PM would accept the EU's plan to put a customs border in the Irish Sea if the U.K. crashes out of the EU without a divorce deal.
— The Telegraph said the EU was demanding fishing rights in British waters in return for an all-U.K. customs backstop.
— The Metro ran the headline: "I didn't think it Dover," in response to Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab's admission that he had not fully understood the importance of the Dover-Calais border crossing.
The run-up to next year's European election also made the Belgian press.
— Le Soir noted Manfred Weber was one "important step" closer to the 13th floor of the Berlaymont.
— DH said hundreds of administrative workers from Brussels' communes took to the streets on Thursday to protest "too much work for not enough pay."
Dominic Raab
President Trump holds a press conference in the White House after the midterm elections. | Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Trump turns up war on 'enemy of the people'
By	Maxime Schlee
Updated 11/8/18, 9:59 AM CET
British papers focused on the aftermath of U.S. midterm elections and Donald Trump's latest attack on the press.
— The U.S. "is split by economics, as always, but perhaps more intensely by culture," the Telegraph's Tim Stanley wrote from Pennsylvania.
— The Guardian said that after the "midterm distraction" Trump "gets back to business" and "turned his war on the enemy of the people up another whole notch."
— BBC also covered Wednesday's dramatic press event, reporting that the White House took away CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta's press access just hours after he and Trump clashed over immigration. Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said his credentials were revoked because he put "his hands on a young woman" who was trying to wrest the microphone away from him.
German papers mulled the implications of Trump's firing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and covered the latest in the campaign to succeed Angela Merkel as CDU party leader.
— Die Welt said U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions' resignation shouldn't "come as a big surprise" in Washington, given Trump never shied away from expressing his dissatisfaction with Sessions. Trump is stuck in a "vicious circle," it said: The more he, and his new attorney general, try to cripple the investigation, the more suspicion he'll draw.
— Süddeutsche Zeitung looked at the competition between Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Friedrich Merz to replace Angela Merkel as head of the Christian Democrats. A "confident" Kramp-Karrenbauer proved she's up to the task and shouldn't be written off, commentator Stefan Braun wrote.
French papers covered the fallout from Emmanuel Macron's defense of Nazi collaborator Philippe Pétain's World War I credentials.
— Le Figaro said the controversy surrounding Macron's decision to pay homage to Pétain had thrown a wrench into the weekend commemoration plans, sending the Elysée making a "volte face" and scrambling to fix the situation.
— Franceinfo interviewed a historian about Pétain's World War I legacy and said it would have been "difficult to forget him in order to commemorate 1918." Macron called Pétain a "great soldier" who made "disastrous choices" during World War II.
— Le Monde looked at the heavy pressure that led to Sessions' resignation, saying: "The president never forgave him for recusing himself in the inquiry into Russian interference in the U.S. presidential election."
Spanish papers picked up a report on a foiled attack on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
— Público had the exclusive, reporting that authorities had arrested a 63-year-old sniper who was planning to kill the Spanish leader over the government's move to exhume the remains of dictator Francisco Franco.
In Italy, all eyes were on the impact of the U.S. midterms and what Sessions' resignation will mean for the Russia investigation.
— Il Fatto Quotidiano said Trump's reputation as an "invincible" politician may have taken a hit, but that the midterms showed he had successfully conquered rural America.
— Il Giornale reported the "first government reshuffle" after the midterms had arrived.
— Repubblica said the resignation raises doubts about the future of Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller and his probe into possible links between Trump's campaign and Russia.
Maxime Schlee
mschlee@politico.eu
Francisco Franco
The U.S. President speaks to the media outside the White House on 4 November. | Chris Kleopnis/AFP via Getty Images
'A little lesson for Trump' across the pond
Updated 11/7/18, 10:13 AM CET
German papers were awash with news from across the pond, where the Democrats are poised to retake the House of Representatives and the Republicans held their Senate majority.
— Frankfurter Allgemeine said the U.S. midterms were "a little lesson for Trump," adding that the second half of his term in office will now be "more complicated."
— Welt called the election a "vote without a winner," but said "democracy" had prevailed and predicted the coming years would be "uncomfortable" for Trump.
— Bild claimed the U.S. president was getting away with "comparatively moderate losses." It also ran an interview with Economy Minister Peter Altmaier, who warned the challengers vying to replace Angela Merkel as head of the Christian Democrats against pursuing a "fundamental change of course," claiming a majority of Germans would be against it.
— Spiegel reported that the far-right Alternative for Germany has expelled a member of its group in the Berlin state parliament, Jessica Bießmann, after photos emerged of her posing in front of wine bottles that carried "Hitler labels."
The results of the U.S. midterms also dominated headlines in France.
— FranceInfo said Trump's victory was a "lackluster" one, despite his claims of an "immense success."
— Le Parisien reported Trump was "far from being brought down" and claimed his hold over the Senate was his "true victory."
— TV channel LCI reported that a fifth body has been found after the collapse of three apartment blocks in central Marseille on Monday.
— Paris Match published a survey by Ifop that found Prime Minister Édouard Philippe was significantly more popular than President Emmanuel Macron. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon also suffered a sharp drop in popularity, according to the poll.
Donald Trump snatched the limelight in the British press too, but nobody took their eye of Brexit.
— The Sun evoked the spirit of World War I by declaring the U.K. Cabinet was told a Brexit deal would be possible "by Christmas," after a "major shift" by the EU. "Noël deal Brexit" read the headline.
— The BBC, however, said Cabinet wanted to reach a deal with the EU by the end of the month. The BBC also reported on a leaked plan for how the government would sell a Brexit deal to MPs and the public.
— The Telegraph said the historic "blue wave" Democrats had hoped for in the U.S. midterms had "failed to materialize."
— The Guardian's U.S. columnist Richard Wolffe wrote that "Donald Trump's unchecked hold on power has come to an end." Deep down, the President will know "his own supporters are just not that into him any more."
The midterms made news in Italy but the media also focused on pressing domestic issues.
— Rai News said Trump was "disdainful" after the results.
— TgCom24 said the Senate was poised to vote on amendments to a controversial security and immigration bill Wednesday morning. The populist 5Star Movement warned the League it "expected loyalty."
Theresa May leaves 10 Downing Street. | Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images
Theresa May set for 'showdown' with Cabinet over Brexit
Most of the British papers previewed Tuesday's highly anticipated Cabinet meeting, with Brexit expected to be the main topic of debate.
— The Times said Brussels is preparing to back a compromise proposal on Ireland in a "Brexit boost" for Prime Minister Theresa May. The paper said "senior EU figures" will put forward an "independent mechanism" by which the U.K. could end a temporary customs arrangement with the bloc.
— The Telegraph trailed Tuesday's Cabinet meeting as "a showdown" after Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab "privately accused Downing Street of undermining his attempts to solve the Irish border problem."
— The Express said May's Cabinet is demanding the PM fight back against Brussels or risk Brexit being destroyed.
— The BBC news website said May has condemned a group of people who burned a model of Grenfell Tower on a bonfire. The Evening Standard said five people were arrested over the incident.
German papers reacted to news that former spy chief Hans-Georg Maaßen has been relieved from his post at the head of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
— Deutsche Welle wrote that Interior Minister Horst Seehofer is "disappointed on a human level" to have to put Maaßen into forced temporary retirement.
— T-Online agreed, saying Seehofer was visibly disappointed at having to fire his ally.
— Frankfurter Allgemeine reported on a speech by the EU's chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier in which he suggested talks are still at an impasse over the "sensitive issue" of the border on the island of Ireland.
— Der Spiegel noted that European Commission First Vice President Frans Timmermans is now the Socialists' lead candidate for next year's European election after his only rival for the role withdrew. He speaks seven languages and has the support of SPD leader Andrea Nahles, the magazine noted.
The collapse of three apartment blocks in central Marseille on Monday made the headlines.
— The website of TV channel LCI said at least 10 people are missing and two injured. The causes of the buildings' collapse is unknown.
— Regional paper La Provence said Interior Minister Christophe Castaner is "not optimistic" about finding survivors. President Emmanuel Macron expressed his "solidarity with the nation," Monday night.
– Le Parisien said Macron has annoyed business owners by suggesting they subsidize their employees' petrol costs.
— Libération reported that former French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb was reelected mayor of Lyon on Monday but "has not won the war" and will need to work hard to stay in power after 2020.
Spanish papers led with the government's anti-Franco legislation.
— El País said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is putting forward laws to close public spaces that venerate dictator Francisco Franco. The government also decided it will not allow Franco's remains to be exhumed and reburied in the Almudena cathedral in Madrid, the paper said.
— 20 Minutos said at least 17 migrants were found dead off the coasts of Melilla and Cádiz in the past 24 hours.
— State broadcaster RTVE said judges and prosecutors would strike on November 19 over a salary dispute.
Hans-Georg Maassen arrives for a parliamentary control panel hearing on September 12 2018. | Bernd von Jutrczenka/AFP via Getty Images
Former spy chief faces boot from Merkel's government
— Süddeutsche Zeitung reported that former spy chief Hans-Georg Maaßen, who was at the center of a scandal over the summer that almost brought down the ruling coalition government, looks set to be fired from the interior ministry after making "explosive comments" in his farewell speech.
— T-Online said the affair has "fired up a debate" about the future of Maaßen's ally and protector, Interior Minister Horst Seehofer.
— Bild said the CSU has lost "important ministerial posts" in the Bavarian government, as part of a coalition deal struck with the Free Voters.
— FranceInfo focused on Sunday's independence vote in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, where 56.4 percent of voters opted to remain a part of France.
— Le Monde's correspondent said the margin of victory is not as large as anti-independence voters had hoped.
— 20 Minutes said President Emmanuel Macron launched his World War I centenary "commemorative journey" in Strasbourg Sunday night alongside German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
— The Telegraph had an exclusive, reporting that Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab demanded the right to pull the U.K. out of the so-called Irish backstop after three months.
— The Guardian quoted diplomats who rate the chances of the U.K. reaching a deal with the EU at "50-50."
— Sky's website said citizens of Commonwealth countries who have never lived in the U.K. will be eligible to join the British army, with the defense ministry looking for solutions to plug a staffing shortfall.
— Il Fatto Quotidiano carried Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini's comments on Europe, which will feature in an upcoming book by journalist Bruno Vespa. The League leader says he "will force Europe to reform itself." Also in the book, former PM Silvio Berlusconi writes it is "probable" that Salvini is envisaging an alliance of the League with the EPP in the European election, but that this is "frankly difficult to achieve."
— La Repubblica reported that 12 people died as a result of storms in Sicily.
— La Stampa noted Sicilian President Nello Musumeci has asked Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to declare a state of emergency in the region due to the wild weather.
Former Prime Minister of Britain David Cameron | Michael Reynolds/EPA
Bored David Cameron wants back in from the cold
— The Sun reported former Prime Minister David Cameron, who quit politics after the Brexit vote, has told friends he is considering a return to politics once the current PM Theresa May leaves. A friend told the paper Cameron was "bored shitless" at home and had his eye on the foreign secretary post.
— The Telegraph said Theresa May was facing a "revolt" after a minister resigned over the government's delays to curbs on betting machines.
— The Guardian led on the criminal investigation into Leave.EU founder Arron Banks.
— The Express featured an interview with former First Minister of Northern Ireland David Trimble, who told the paper that Northern Ireland risked becoming an "effective EU protectorate" if Theresa May accepts EU demands. He also accused Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar's government of "riding roughshod" over the Good Friday Agreement.
As coalition talks get into full swing in Hesse, the CDU is beginning to ask itself what direction its new chair should take the party.
— Tagesschau said the Liberal FDP party has ruled out forming a coalition with the SPD and the Greens in Hesse.
— Tagesschau also reported that Friedrich Merz, a candidate vying to succeed Angela Merkel as CDU chair, denied there was a conflict of interest between his campaign and his former business positions.
— Süddeutsche Zeitung interviewed Armin Laschet, the CDU minister-president of the North Rhine-Westphalia state, who warned his party against shifting to the right in the event Health Minister Jens Spahn gets the party's top job. Giving the impression that migration is the major political issue is "factually and politically wrong and harmful," he said, referring to the fact Spahn named migration as his top concern.
— Tagesspiegel said EU diplomats told the paper an agreement on the U.K.'s withdrawal from the EU was still "a long way off." To strike a deal on the withdrawal agreement, let alone a declaration about the future relationship, in December "would be a minor miracle," the diplomats told the paper.
— Libération said a video posted online by the French government which raises awareness about the upcoming European election has been denounced as "propaganda" by both the left and extreme right. The video poses questions about issues such as climate change and immigration, and features images of Viktor Orbán and Matteo Salvini. Critics declared it an incognito campaign video for Emmanuel Macron's party, with one deputy calling it "propaganda wearing heavy clogs."
— In an op-ed in Le Monde, Angélique Stastny argued that whatever the result of the upcoming independence referendum in the French territory of New Caledonia, true decolonization would never be achieved without honest engagement with the sovereignty of the Kanak people.
— Ouest France and many other papers reported that a man had been executed by electric chair in the United States for the first time since 2013.
— Ansa reported that Italian President Sergio Mattarella had urged Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to engage in dialogue with the European Commission over the Brussels-Rome budget dispute.
— Corriere della Sera reported that Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini had been cleared over his role in blocking 150 migrants from disembarking in Italy in late August. The League leader opened the letter from the prosecutor on camera, saying "Will I be acquitted or prosecuted? Come on, let's open it together."
— La Repubblica ran the headline "Salvini devours Di Maio," referring to a poll measuring the ruling coalition's popularity. The League is more popular than the 5Star Movement, and 58 percent of citizens have a favorable opinion of the government, according to the poll.
Armin Laschet
Arron Banks
Medicinal cannabis is available in the U.K. from today | Jack Taylor/Getty Images
Fears of addiction crisis as medicinal cannabis goes on sale in UK
By	Zoya Sheftalovich
The reputation of a seaside town in Essex is on the line in Britain.
— The Independent reported that a U.S. politician had apologized for using an "out of date" image of the English seaside village of Jaywick Sands to warn Americans of what their country could look like if voters don't support Donald Trump.
— ITV News reported on fears that medicinal cannabis, which is available in the U.K. from Thursday, could spark an addiction crisis.
— The BBC, among others, reported on the fallout from comments made by Chief Constable Sara Thornton, who told the National Police Chiefs' Council conference on Wednesday that police officers are too under-resourced to deal with "deserving" issues, such as taking reports on gender-based hate incidents.
— The Times reported that the EU and U.K. have struck a tentative financial services deal.
A public health investigation into babies born in the department of Ain without upper limbs made most French papers.
— Ouest France featured an article with five questions about the health authorities' probe.
— FranceInfo had an explainer on the topic.
— Ouest France nabbed an interview with French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he warned that Europe currently looks strikingly similar to the way it did in the 1930s, between the two World Wars.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to quit the leadership of her CDU party continues to reverberate in Germany.
— Bild wrote about the "Duel of the Merkel opponents."
— WAZ reported that Serdar Yüksel, an SPD politician, rescued an AfD employee who collapsed in the middle of a state parliament hearing. Yüksel is a trained intensive care nurse.
— Zeit reported that a consumer group has filed a lawsuit representing tens of thousands of diesel drivers against Volkswagen over its emissions scandal.
A preliminary report into a terror attack carried out by a teenager at the office of Russia's security agency, the FSB, in the city of Arkhangelsk earlier this month was the big news in Russia.
— TASS noted the report, released on Wednesday, indicated the attack was planned for a long time. RIA reported that one of the victims of the attack remains in a critical condition.
— TASS covered talks on Wednesday between Russian and NATO envoys in Brussels. "The alliance tried to accuse Moscow of violating the INF," the paper wrote, referring to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
— Russia24 picked up on comments made by Ukrainian presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko, who said at a security forum earlier this week that if she is elected she will demand Moscow pay Kiev €100 billion in reparations for its "aggression."
Zoya Sheftalovich
French President Emmanuel Macron | Michel Euler/Pool photo via Getty Images
Emmanuel Macron's unexpected break has pundits asking 'Should we be worried?'
Presidential fatigue had French media concerned.
— Franceinfo reported that the Council of Ministers was this week moved from Wednesday to Tuesday to allow Emmanuel Macron to "catch his breath" ahead of a hectic Armistice schedule. Europe 1 reported Macron is taking a three-day break from Thursday to Saturday on the advice of his relatives ahead of a six-day trip. "Should we be worried?" the broadcaster asked.
— Le Figaro, Sud Ouest and Le Monde picked up a report by satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaîné, which revealed France Unbowed MP Alexis Corbière and his partner exploited a "loophole" (without breaking any rules) to claim more than 60 percent of the cost of their house renovations from the national housing agency under "very modest household" provisions, despite the fact he now earns €7,209.74 a month.
— Le Point had an exclusive interview with Nicolas Sarkozy in which the former French president dished on Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia's leader Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The race to succeed Angela Merkel as CDU leader dominated German news.
—Bild asked a series of questions: "Will Merkel really last until 2021?" (Rather unlikely, it declared) … "Is Schäuble now the shadow chancellor?" (According to some, yes) … "Is the GroKo [grand coalition] bursting?" (Uncertain.)
— Spiegel Online noted that most Germans want Friedrich Merz to succeed Merkel, according to a poll.
— Süddeutsche featured an interview with the SPD's former federal Finance Minister Peer Steinbrück, who said the financial crisis resulted in a grave loss of confidence in politicians — and the fallout is ongoing. He also called on the SPD to shake things up and find someone like former U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders to lead it.
— Several papers also covered an op-ed written by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz in Bild arguing for an increase of the minimum wage to €12.
The discovery of human remains at a property in Rome owned by the Vatican dominated Italian papers.
— RAI News, ANSA and La Repubblica, among others, all noted the grisly find could offer hope of a breakthrough for police investigating the 1983 disappearances of Emanuela Orlandi or Mirella Gregori.
— Huffington Post Italy had an interview with 5Stars Senator Paola Nugnes, who told the website that her party has "become like the Renzi Democratic Party."
British headlines were grim on Wednesday.
— The Guardian reported that violence against NHS staff in England had reached a five-year high.
— The BBC, among others, reported on the latest in the renewed search for the body of missing estate agent Suzy Lamplugh, who disappeared in 1986.
— Sky News reported that Irish passport applications have surged after the EU referendum.
— HuffPost picked up on an interview with former Chancellor George Osborne on BBC Newsnight, where he spoke about serious errors he and former PM David Cameron made in government — some of which, he admitted, paved the way for the Brexit vote.
Angela Merkel announces she will step down as CDU leader at a press conference in Berlin Monday | Markus Heine/AFP via Getty Images
Merkel sets off 'Berlin quake'
Updated 10/30/18, 9:47 AM CET
The day after Angela Merkel announced she would stand down as CDU leader and not seek another term as chancellor once her current one expires in 2021, newspaper editors in Germany captured a turning point in the country's modern political history.
— The Deutsche Welle website said a "Berlin quake" had followed Sunday's state election in Hesse and that the "grand coalition has turned upside down."
— Bild led with a standout phrase from Merkel's speech on Monday: "I wasn't born chancellor and I have never forgotten that."
— Spiegel Online said there was "praise for Merkel" but "criticism for [Horst] Seehofer," the interior minister and leader of the CDU's sister party, the CSU.
— An opinion piece in Tagesschau praised the decision and said "Merkel has understood." Anita Fünffinger said the chancellor was making a "sovereign" decision, "free of world-weariness" and that "others should follow suit." (Translation: Move over Seehofer.) Merkel was "almost cheerful" as she announced her decision yesterday, according to Fünffinger.
— An opinion piece in Frankfurter Allgemeine exclaimed: "At ease!" Michael Hanfeld argued the SPD (the conservatives' reluctant federal coalition partner) needed to ask itself some hard questions, as it seemed like a party that had "given up" and "was offering nothing but the possible break-up of the coalition."
— The same paper said "fierce debate" and "heated discussions" had broken out over who should succeed Merkel in the CDU presidency, with Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the party's secretary-general, and Friedrich Merz, an old Merkel foe who quit politics 14 years ago, throwing their hats in the ring.
— T-Online ran a profile of Merz, whom the paper sardonically called Merkel's "old acquaintance," asking: "What can the man do?"
— Die Welt said "after 14 years, Friedrich Merz reports back again."
— Bild also reported that a group of five CDU politicians wanted to "push Merkel out of office." Now Merz, "her biggest enemy," wants to be her successor, the paper said.
The political leanings of the British papers were clear for all to see as they reacted to Chancellor Philip Hammond's budget, delivered Monday.
— The Sun's front page celebrated "no tricks … just treats" but Metro sang a different tune, noting there were "tricks and treats."
— The Guardian's editorial argued the "self-defeating" policy of austerity was not over, despite Hammond's assurances to the contrary on Monday.
— The Telegraph focused on "a post-Brexit tax cut for 32 million workers."
— The Times called the budget "a giveaway gamble," adding that with Brexit approaching, the chancellor was seeking to "buy off potential Tory and DUP rebels with a series of targeted giveaways."
— The Daily Mail reported that Hammond had "cracked a series of gags about toilets" in an "uncharacteristic display of budget humor."
— In an opinion piece, Julia Hartley-Brewer in the Telegraph responded to the announcement of a commemorative Brexit coin Monday, asking: Why 50p instead of a £1 coin?
Caretaker Prime Minister Stefan Löfven said Monday he had failed to form a new government almost two months after the country's inconclusive election.
— Dagens Nyheter reported that Speaker Andreas Norlén would bring together the various party leaders in the hope of "untying the knot" of deadlocked coalition talks. "It gives no guarantees for success, but I can at least learn more," he said.
— Expressen said Norlén had asked four different would-be coalition permutations to agree to meet him on Tuesday.
— Svenska Dagbladet said the "fruitless exploration" was over and reckoned there was hope for progress with the speaker more closely involved.
French papers focused on developments at home, as things get worse for far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
— Le Parisien said the most important Masonic authority in France had called for the temporary suspension of the France Unbowed leader, citing his "behavior towards judges, police officers and journalists" in the furor over corruption allegations and raids.
— A survey published in Paris Match showed President Emmanuel Macron's approval ratings were still "stuck in the mud," while Prime Minister Edouard Philippe was "playing his cards right."
— Libération characterized the PM's recently announced civil service reforms as "anti-social."
— Le Monde reported on a premature cold snap.
Swedish election 2018
Swedish politics
« Previous pageNext page »