Morning coverage focused on Ukrainian drone attacks disrupting Russian airports, while analysis of French wealth inequality described the country as becoming a "society of inheritors." By midday, a dramatic political standoff unfolded as conservative Friedrich Merz failed in his first attempt to be elected German chancellor—an unprecedented occurrence in post-war Germany—before securing the position in a second-round vote. President Macron immediately invited him to Paris for talks.
Meanwhile, media personality Stéphane Plaza's arrest in a drug trafficking investigation gained attention, with reports detailing his "descent into hell" involving domestic violence and substance abuse. Evening news was dominated by a dangerous escalation in the Kashmir conflict, as India launched missile strikes against "terrorist sites" in Pakistan, which responded with artillery fire and denounced the strikes as an "act of war," threatening retaliation.