European Union

Hundreds of thousands of people once again gathered across France on Thursday to protest the planned pension reform - the fourth mass protest in five weeks of permanent strikes. Local and long-distance transport was disrupted and lawyers, teachers and postal employees also stopped their work. Europe's press discusses how much longer Macron can resist the pressure from the streets.

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan announced on Instagram on Wednesday that they intend to step back from life as senior royals. They want to work in future to become financially independent, commute between North America and Britain and continue to support charitable causes, they said. The news has made a big splash in the press.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu has announced that Presidents Putin and Erdoğan agreed during a meeting in Istanbul on a ceasefire in the Libya conflict which is to apply from 12 January. Commentators hope that with Europe's support a political solution really can be found.

Poland's President Andrzej Duda will not travel to the Holocaust commemoration ceremony at Yad Vashem in Israel on January 23. Duda announced he is boycotting the event because the organisers did not comply with his request to give a speech there. Polish commentators reflect on the split in the country over how to deal with history.

Iran launched missile attacks on Wednesday on several US military bases in Iraq in reaction to the execution of General Soleimani. According to US sources no soldiers were injured thanks to early warnings, and President Trump has said he will not order retaliatory strikes. A war has been averted for the time being, but European media doubt that the détente will last long.

An old idea of Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin is now making international headlines. When Marin was minister of transport she publicly discussed the idea of introducing a four-day work week. Finland's government has now felt compelled to deny rumours that she wants to go through with the plan. The concept is nonetheless worth considering, commentators say.