Eurotopics.net

Three sisters have perished in a presumed arson attack on a Roma family in Rome. They lived together with their parents and eight other siblings in a caravan parked outside a shopping centre. Italy's press is shocked and calls for urgent action in view of the moral decay in the capital and the failed integration of minorities.

Emmanuel Macron is entering Sunday's second round of voting in the French presidential elections as the favourite. Recent polls give the candidate of the movement En Marche! a 20-point lead over his rival Marine Le Pen, leader of the Front National. The significance of the election extends far beyond France and the next five years, commentators believe.

The citizens' fight against corruption in Romania continues. Hundreds of people once again took to the streets on Wednesday - and achieved a stage victory: the Senate's legal committee withdrew its support for a draft law for an amnesty that would have seen people convicted of corruption released from prison. But Romanian journalists explain that the people haven't won the battle yet.

The political crisis sparked by the financial problems of the ailing Agrokor group is coming to a head in Croatia. The ruling coalition comprising the right-wing conservative HDZ and the reform party Most has collapsed due to criticism of Finance Minister Zdravko Marić's ties to the group. Prime Minister Plenković now wants to continue governing without Most, and Marić has only narrowly survived a vote of no confidence. Commentators accuse politicians of plunging the country into chaos.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elizabeth II, is stepping down from public life. As of this autumn he will retire from public duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday. While some commentators lament the loss for the British royal family, others say they would like to see the monarchy go too.

Russia, Turkey and Iran have agreed on the establishment of four safe zones in Syria. The Assad regime reportedly supports the initiative while the opposition has protested against the involvement of Iran, which it considers a warring party. What impact the zones will have remains unclear, commentators write, and doubt that the plan can be implemented.