Eurotopics.net

At the New York auction house Christie's a painting by Leonardo da Vinci has been sold for the record sum of 450 million dollars. The name of the purchaser of the portrait of Jesus entitled Salvator Mundi is unknown. The former record price at a public auction was previously held by a painting by Pablo Picasso, sold for 180 million dollars in 2015. What determines the value of a work of art?

Spain's conservative ruling party led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy remains at the centre of the investigations into the country's biggest ever corruption case. The case involves manipulated financial records, illegal donations from construction companies and bribery. The party has now been accused of obstructing justice by destroying evidence. Spain's press is shocked by the party's reaction to the investigations.

Twenty-seven years after the collapse of the Soviet Union the archives of the Soviet secret service the KGB, dubbed the "Cheka sacks", still haven't been opened to the public in Latvia. Now the commission that was tasked with evaluating the documents has called for this to change, triggering a lively debate in the country about whether this is wise.

The military in Zimbabwe took control of the country on Tuesday night and placed its 93-year-old president Robert Mugabe under house arrest. The background to the move is the dispute over who will replace the elderly leader. The military leadership has promised that its move is only a temporary measure. Europe's commentators focus on what will happen now that Magabe's rule has apparently ended.

Catalonia's suspended president Carles Puigdemont, who is facing charges of rebellion, said on Tuesday in Brussels that he will only return to Spain if he is guaranteed a fair trial. If he fails to appear in court on Thursday an arrest warrant could be issued against him. Commentators take stock of Puigdemont's appearance in Belgium.

In the affair over possible Russian interference in the US elections, members of Trump's inner circle have for the first time been indicted by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Trump advisor Papadopoulos has now admitted he was aware of the campaign team's ties to the Kremlin and said he would cooperate with the authorities. How dangerous is the affair for Trump?