German police detain man suspected of painting swastikas on cars and walls with his own blood – as it happened

4.33pm GMT Closing summary … and on that note, it’s a wrap! Police in Germany said they detained a 31-year-old man suspected of painting swastikas with his own blood on dozens of cars, some mailboxes and building facades in the central town of Hanau (16:08). The Belgian government has pledged to strengthen its new air security centre and take decisive steps to respond to drone sightings which disrupted Brussels airport earlier this week, after an emergency national security council meeting this morning (12:39). The Czech prime minister, Petr Fiala, has formally tendered his resignation from the government as part of the administration change following last month’s parliamentary elections, with the populist billionaire Andrej Babiš expected to take over in the coming weeks (12:51, 16:50, 17:19). The spectacular theft of an estimated €88m (£77m) of crown jewels from the Louvre last month was “a deafening wake-up call” for the “wholly inadequate pace” of security upgrades at the Paris museum, the head of France’s state auditor has said (10:55, story). Poland will roll out a new military training programme this month as part of a broader plan to train around 400,000 people in 2026, the country’s defence ministry said (11:21). France has urged the EU to take action over Chinese online retailer Shein after it was found to be selling childlike sex dolls and banned weapons on its market place, after a national decision to suspend its operations in the country (10:42, 12:22). A Dutch court threw out a case brought by pro-Palestinian activists seeking to force the Netherlands to halt trade and weapons exports to Israel over the war in Gaza (11:51). And that’s all from me, Jakub Krupa, for today. If you have any tips, comments or suggestions, email me at jakub.krupa@theguardian.com. I am also on Bluesky at @jakubkrupa.bsky.social and on X at @jakubkrupa. 4.19pm GMT New Czech parliament speaker takes Ukrainian flag off lower chamber's building … and to give you a taster on what’s to come under the new Czech administration … In one of the first acts in his role, the newly elected far-right speaker of the lower house of the Czech parliament, Tomio Okamura, has ordered to take down the Ukrainian flag flying over the building since the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion. The SPD party leader, a signatory to a coalition agreement underpinning Babiš’s incoming government, told reporters from iDnes.cz that the change had a symbolic meaning, making good on his longstanding call to take Ukrainian flags off all public buildings. In an accompanying video, he said: “Czech Republic first!” Okamura’s SPD is a political ally of the German far-right Alternative für Deutschland party, with the two sitting together in the European parliament. Updated at 4.21pm GMT 3.50pm GMT Czech Republic's Fiala resigns, stays in as interim prime minister pending formation of Babiš's government As expected (12:51), Czech prime minister Petr Fiala has just submitted his formal resignation from the post to the country’s president, Petr Pavel, paving the way for the new government, led by populist billionnaire Andrej Babiš, to be formed in the next few weeks. Related: Populist billionaire Andrej Babiš wins Czech parliamentary election Thanking him for his service, Pavel paid tribute to the work Fiala’s government, stressing it faced major challenges domestically and internationally, with the Russian invasion on Ukraine triggering a migration and energy crises, iDnes.cz and Lidové noviny reported. “I am convinced that the government has dealt with these risks very well,” he said. Fiala will continue in post until the new government is appointed. 3.08pm GMT Romanian citizen arrested after blood-painted swastikas reported on cars, mailboxes in German town Police in Germany said they detained a 31-year-old man suspected of painting swastikas with his own blood on dozens of cars, some mailboxes and building facades in the central town of Hanau, AP reported. Police spokesman Thomas Leipold said officers were alerted Wednesday night when a man reported that he noticed the shape of a swastika applied in a reddish liquid on the hood of a parked car. Police said that almost 50 cars had been defaced in a similar way. A special test quickly revealed that the substance was human blood. The display of Nazi emblems, including the swastika, is illegal in Germany, AP noted. On Thursday afternoon, police said, the man, a Romanian citizen whose name was not given in line with German privacy rules, was arrested at his home in Hanau, after they were tipped off by a witness. “He was still under the strong influence of alcohol and his motive appears to be highly personal and job-related – he just snapped,” Leipold said. He added that the man had injuries that appeared to be self-inflicted. On Thursday morning, before the suspect was apprehended, the city’s mayor Claus Kaminsky expressed shock, AP reported. The agency reminded that Hanau was in the headlines five years ago when a German attacker shot and killed nine people with immigrant roots in a rampage at a hookah bar in the town, in one of the worst cases of domestic terrorism since World War II. “Especially in our city, which was deeply affected by the racist attack on 19 February 2020, such an act causes deep consternation,” he said, adding that the city had filed a criminal complaint, German news agency dpa reported. 2.50pm GMT Missing 1.5C climate target is a moral failure, Guterres tells Cop30 summit Jonathan Watts and Fiona Harvey in Belém The failure to limit global heating to 1.5C is a “moral failure and deadly negligence”, the UN secretary general has said at the opening session of the Cop30 climate summit in the Brazilian city of Belém. António Guterres said even a temporary overshoot could “unleash far greater destruction and costs for every nation. It could push ecosystems past catastrophic and irreversible tipping points, expose billions to unliveable conditions, and amplify threats to peace and security”. He said efforts to stabilise the climate were being held back by fossil fuel companies who were “deceiving the public and obstructing progress”. Speaking to heads of state from more than 30 nations, Guterres called the target of limiting global heating to 1.5C above preindustrial levels a “red line” for a habitable planet and urged his audience to bring about a “fundamental paradigm shift” so that the effects of the overshoot could be minimised. “Every fraction of a degree higher means more hunger, more displacement, more economic hardship and more lives and ecosystems lost. Each year above 1.5C will hammer economies, deepen inequalities and inflict irreversible damage – with developing countries that did least to cause it hit hardest. That is not solidarity. It is moral failure – and deadly negligence,” he said. On Thursday the World Meteorological Organization confirmed that greenhouse gas emissions, which are heating the planet, had risen to a record high. It said 2025 was on track to be the second or third warmest year ever recorded. All of the 10 hottest years in measured history have been in the past decade. Guterres said there had been some progress but it was not fast enough. Many nations had put forward more ambitious plans to cut emissions. If they were fully implemented, he said, the world would be on a pathway to about 2.3C of global warming. This forecast leaves the planet in dangerous territory but is considerably better than seemed possible 20 years ago. This is largely thanks to international support for the 2015 Paris agreement and a clean energy revolution that is gathering pace. But several powerful nations are stepping away from climate action as far-right nationalism takes hold, particularly the United States. Related: Missing 1.5C climate target is a moral failure, Guterres tells Cop30 summit 2.25pm GMT Ukraine faces ‘forever war’ unless Europe steps up pressure on Russia, says ex-Nato chief Diplomatic editor Ukraine is facing a “forever war” and a slow erosion of territory unless Europe dramatically increases pressure on Russia, including by deploying troops and establishing a missile and drone shield on Nato territory to protect Ukraine from Russian attacks on its infrastructure, a former Nato secretary general has said. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who held the Nato post from 2009 to 2014 and was the prime minister of Denmark from 2001 to 2009, said in an interview with the Guardian that if countries such as Poland agreed to host such air defences, Russia would understand that an attack on then would be an attack on the whole of the Nato alliance. He said: “We have to help the Ukrainian [people] protect themselves against Russian missiles and drones by building an air shield helping the Ukrainians shoot down Russian missiles and drones. Nato countries neighbouring Ukraine can be the location for a Nato-based air defence and missile system.” Rasmussen also called for the deployment of a European protection force for Ukraine in advance of a ceasefire agreement. He said the “coalition of the willing” hoping to assemble such a force for when fighting ends had been reduced to a coalition of the waiting. “If we do not carry out major changes in strategy we will look into a forever war,” he said. “Putin has no incentive to engage in peace negotiations so long as he thinks he can win on the battlefield. Changes in speed and mindset are needed.” Related: Ukraine faces ‘forever war’ unless Europe steps up pressure on Russia, says ex-Nato chief 1.43pm GMT Belgium's de Wever confirms 50 day extension for budget talks de Wever confirms to lawmakers that he has asked for 50 days to complete the budget negotiations – that’s 26 December – and says this deadline will not be extended. “No more procrastination. We cannot allow ourselves to be paralyzed. We must persevere. We must show this country its resilience,” he stressed. 1.36pm GMT Belgian budget deadline extended until Christmas - reports The Belgian government has agreed on a new deadline for passing the budget before Christmas, De Standaard reported. The country’s prime minister, Bart de Wever, relayed the plan to King Philippe during an audience at the Royal Palace, telling him about “continuing disagreements” within the government, according to the readout. Back from the Palace, De Wever is now briefing the parliament on the latest in the talks, so we should get the official confirmation shortly. 12.58pm GMT Norwegian police close probe into suspected drone sightings over Oslo airport Norwegian police said they had closed an investigation into suspected drone sightings that caused a shutdown of Oslo’s airport in September, citing insufficient evidence that drones had been present, Reuters reported. Both Oslo and Copenhagen airports shut for several hours on 22-23 September after the airspace over the two hubs was closed due to reported drone sightings. Drones have caused major disruption across Europe in recent months, forcing temporary closures of airports in several countries. Some officials have blamed the incidents on “hybrid warfare” by Russia. Moscow has denied any connection with the incidents, Reuters noted. Norwegian police said they had interviewed airport personnel and reviewed surveillance video as part of a probe, but that the investigation “has been unable to confirm or deny whether drones were actually observed on the night of 23 September.” The Danish investigation into the drone sightings at Copenhagen airport is also still ongoing, Danish police told Reuters. Updated at 1.10pm GMT 12.14pm GMT Italian journalist sacked after question drawing comparison between Russia and Israel in Rome An Italian journalist was sacked from his job for asking a question about Israel during a press conference in Brussels. Addressing the European Commission spokesperson Paula Pinho during the event on 13 October, Gabriele Nunziati, a journalist with the Rome-based news agency, Nova, said: “You have been repeating several times that Russia should repay for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Do you believe Israel should repay for the reconstruction of Gaza, since they destroyed almost all the Strip and civilian infrastructure?” Pinho replied: “It’s definitely an interesting question on which I would not have any comment at this stage.” Two weeks later, Nunziati was fired after a couple of “tense calls” with his bosses, he told the Italian news outlet, Fanpage. In a response to Fanpage, Nova didn’t deny sending the journalist a termination letter, arguing that his question was “completely out of place and technically incorrect” because Russia invaded a country while Israel “suffered armed aggression”. Amid an outcry in Italy, the European Commission’s deputy chief spokesperson, Olof Gill, “categorically confirmed” on Thursday that it did not ask Nova to take action against the journalist. “The European Commission attaches the utmost importance to freedom of the press,” he said during a media briefing when asked about the case. “We demonstrate that commitment on a daily basis here in this press room, here at our midday press briefing. In relation to the case in question, the commission has not been in contact with the media concerned. Questions on this specific decision should be addressed to that media.”The Italian journalists’ guild expressed its “dismay” over the case, saying “you cannot be fired for asking a question”. Sandro Ruotolo, an MEP for the centre-left Democratic party, said: “Firing a journalist for asking a question, no matter how uncomfortable or controversial, is a very serious matter that should alarm anyone who cares about press freedom.” Nicola Fratoianni, who leads the Green-Left Alliance, said Nunziati’s dismissal was a “disconcerting and serious matter for which we will hold parliament accountable”. Fratoianni urged Nova to reconsider its decision. Updated at 12.24pm GMT 11.51am GMT Outgoing Czech government set to formally resign today We are also getting an important process update from the Czech Republic, as the outgoing prime minister Petr Fiala and his ministers are moving to formally resign from the government later today. After this morning’s government meeting, Fiala said he would personally hand in his resignation to the country’s president, Petr Pavel, this afternoon. The outgoing cabinet will remain in office until the next coalition government, led by controversial populist billionaire Andrej Babiš, gets appointed in the coming weeks. Babiš is hoping to form the new administration by the end of November, as outstanding issues – including on his personal conflict of interests – are getting resolved. He is expected to visit president Pavel at the Hrad next week – on 12 January – to discuss the next steps in the government formation process. 11.39am GMT Belgium to strengthen air security centre, consider anti-drone measures in response to airspace disruptions Back to Belgium, the country’s defence minister Theo Francken said the National Air Security Centre in Beauvechain will be strengthened and made operational in the coming months in response to the latest drone incident that affected Brussels airport. In comments after the national security council meeting, he also said there was a discussion on counter-drone measures, with more details to be worked out in the coming days. He also said that the guidance to authorities is clear that if possible: any drones disrupting Belgian airspace should be shot down, VRT reported. 11.22am GMT European Commission takes concerns about Shein 'extremely seriously,' spokesperson says EU’s digital spokesperson Thomas Regnier said the European Commission “takes note of the decision taken in France” regarding the Chinese online retailer Shein (10:42), noting that the EU had already expressed similar concerns before. “We are in touch with Shein, but we will also be in touch today with the French authorities. I can confirm now, as we speak, that in the next two hours, [executive vice-president] Virkkunen will meet with the digital minister of France Anne le Henanff. So discussions are taking place. We take this very seriously.” He separately said: “A platform that is allowing on its service for graphic content or, the selling of weapons does not meet EU standards, EU values and EU legislation.” Regnier also added that no other member states raised concerns about Shein so far, and said the bloc generally has “not intention to suspend any platform EU-wide.” “This is the very last resort,” he said. Updated at 11.26am GMT 11.10am GMT European Commission pays tribute to ex Guardian journalist David Gow In a lovely touch, the European Commission’s midday briefing has just started with the EU’s tribute to David Gow, our former Germany correspondent and European business editor, who died earlier this week at the age of 80. Related: David Gow, former Guardian Germany correspondent, dies aged 80 Opening the briefing, EU deputy chief spokesperson Olof Gill said: “I will start by saying a few words about the passing of the journalist David Gow. Over his long career as a journalist, David notably served as the Scotsman’s first European correspondent and as the Guardian’s European business editor from 2004 to 2012. We would like to extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones, as well as his former colleagues and of course, his current colleagues Jennifer [Rankin] and Lisa [O’Carroll], who continue to serve the Guardian here in our press room with such distinction.” Related: David Gow obituary 10.51am GMT Dutch court throws out bid to ban arms to Israel over Gaza A Dutch court threw out a case brought by pro-Palestinian activists seeking to force the Netherlands to halt trade and weapons exports to Israel over the war in Gaza, AFP reported. A group of 10 NGOs had accused the Dutch state of doing too little to prevent what they described as “genocide” in Gaza with a “clearly unlawful” foreign policy towards Israel. They urged judges to impose a blanket ban on weapons exports to Israel, a ban on exporting military dogs, and a ban on trading in occupied territories, AFP said. The Appeals Court in The Hague dismissed all the grounds for appeal made by the organisations and ordered them to pay legal costs. “While it is plausible that there is a risk of genocide and serious human rights violations, it is not, in principle, up to the court to prescribe to the State what measures must be taken to prevent this,” said the court in a statement. Updated at 10.51am GMT 10.48am GMT Oleron attacker suspected of 'self-radicalisation,' but still not clear if attack was religiously motivated, French minister says We are getting a bit more detail on n the main suspect in yesterday’s attack on Oleron island off France’s coast, which left five injured, including two critically. The country’s interior minister, Laurent Nuñez, said the attacker is suspected of “self-radicalisation” and had “explicit religious references” at home, Reuters reported. “Based on a number of factors that exist with this individual, and the fact that he actually shouted ’Allahu Akbar’ [’God is greatest’ in Arabic], there are religious references in his case that are quite clear and quite explicit”, Nuñez said. However, Nuñez added that it wasn’t clear at this stage if Wednesday’s attack was religiously motivated. The 35-year-old suspect is a French resident of Oleron, and was previously known to police for petty crimes including drink driving and drug-related offences, officials have said. Related: Five injured after man ‘deliberately’ drives car into people on French island Contacted by Reuters, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office said it remained in an observation role at this stage. For now, the inquiry is being handled by the local prosecutor’s office in La Rochelle. 10.21am GMT Poland starts 'largest defence training in history' with plans to train 400,000 volunteers in 2026 Poland will roll out a new military training programme this month as part of a broader plan to train around 400,000 people in 2026, the defence ministry said on Thursday. Reuters said that, dubbed by defence minister Władyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz as “the largest defence training in Polish history”, the programme “At Readiness” will be voluntary and open to all citizens – from schoolchildren to working adults, companies, and seniors. The programme will offer a basic security course, survival training, medical instruction, and cyber-hygiene classes. “In November and December alone … we will train about 20,000 people in individual training, but the total number..., in terms of all forms of training, is about 100,000 people,” deputy defence minister Cezary Tomczyk told a conference. First sessions are scheduled for 22 November, and citizens can sign up through Poland’s digital ID app, mObywatel. 9.55am GMT Louvre heist a 'deafening wake-up call' on security, auditor says Last month’s spectacular Louvre heist, in which robbers made off with some of France’s crown jewels, was a “deafening wake-up call” for museum security, the head of France’s highest audit institution. Upgrades to security at the world-renowned museum have been moving at a “woefully inadequate pace,” added Pierre Moscovici at a press conference as he presented his body’s report on the Paris museum, as reported by AFP. Reuters added that the report found that only 39% of the museum’s rooms had cameras as of 2024, and a security audit begun in 2015, which found the museum was not sufficiently monitored or prepared for a crisis, only led to a tender for security works at the end of last year. “It will take several years to complete the project, which, according to the museum, is not expected to be finished until 2032,” the report said. Reuters noted it also highlighted excessive spending to buy artwork and post-pandemic relaunch projects, as well as missed revenues from inefficiencies and ticketing fraud, as contributing to the museum’s inability to fix its outdated infrastructure. We will bring you more on this later. 9.42am GMT France urges EU to take action against Chinese online retailer Shein Meanwhile, France has urged the EU to take action over Chinese online retailer Shein after it was found to be selling childlike sex dolls and banned weapons on its market place. It comes after the French prime minister moved to suspend Shein’s operations in France for 48 hours while an investigation takes place amid huge protests over the opening of its first ever bricks and mortar shop in a department store in Paris on Wednesday. Related: France moves to suspend Shein over sex dolls as debut store opens in Paris In a letter to the EU’s tech commissioner Henna Virkkunen, French economy minister Roland Lescure and digital minister Anne le Henanff said they believed “serious breaches” of trading rules had been committed by Shein, which is already under the spotlight in Brussels over the sale of goods found to be sold on the platform that are non compliant with EU regulations. Related: EU commissioner shocked by dangers of some goods sold by Shein and Temu “France alerts the European Commission and all member states to these serious breaches within its borders, and expects there are similar risks associated with this platform’s activities in other European Union countries,” the French ministers said. On Wednesday foreign Mminister Jean-Noël Barrot told French radio station, RFI, that he thought Shein was “clearly” in breach of European rules. “I believe that the European Commission must take action. It cannot wait any longer,” he said. 9.22am GMT Belgian interior minister expects proposals on drones after security council meeting Speaking before the security council meeting, the Belgian interior minister Bernard Quintin told reporters that he wanted to hear what the country’s security services made of the drone incidents. “I know that the defence [ministry] will come up with some proposals to guarantee our security. We will see what concrete measures will emerge from that,” he told VRT. Updated at 9.26am GMT 9.02am GMT China willing to explore trade, investment deals with EU, minister says Separately, China said on Thursday it is willing to explore the possibility of various trade and investment agreements with the EU. Ministry spokesperson He Yadong told a press conference that the two sides share “extensive common interests and huge space for cooperation.” The comment followed remarks by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi on Tuesday, who told his Estonian counterpart in Beijing that China was ready to negotiate and sign a free trade agreement with the bloc. It comes amid urgent efforts by the EU to persuade China to ease up on restrictions on the supply of chips and rare earths, vital for car and other industries, something already achieved by Donald Trump. Speaking in Kuwait yesterday, trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič said the EU had established a “special channel” of communication with Chinese authorities to secure the flow of rare earth materials vital for EU industries, He said he had discussed the issue directly with commerce minister Wang Wentao several times, stressing that poorly managed export procedures could have a “very negative impact on production and manufacturing in the EU”. 8.49am GMT Belgium to discuss response to drones The Belgian government will hold an emergency meeting of the national security council this morning to discuss the recent drone sightings that disrupted the operations at Brussels airport and caused concern after flying over military bases in the country. As our Brussels correspondent Jennifer Rankin says in our top story, the Belgian government has not said who it thinks is responsible for the drones, but a source told the Belga news agency that the security services had “little doubt” that a state actor was behind recent sightings, “very probably Russia”. The point was reported to have been made at a meeting to prepare Thursday’s national security council, reported Le Soir. Related: Belgium to hold security meeting after drone sightings at airports and military bases In a sign of just how seriously this is being treated, Belgian defence minister Theo Francken spoke with Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte last night, updating him on what the authorities know about the incident. “Allies are providing welcome support to address the challenge,” Nato spokesperson said in a statement after their conversation. The Belgian prime minister, Bart de Wever, faces a really busy day ahead: after attending the security council meeting, he is also expected to meet King Philippe for a chat amid a prolonged crisis about the country’s budget. One to watch. Separately, we will keep an eye on the European statements at the COP30 summit in Brazil, Rutte’s time in Romania, and the French public audit office’s report on Louvre museum, which – going by the first reports in the French media – will be scatching. Lots for us to cover. It’s Thursday, 6 November 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live. Good morning. Updated at 9.11am GMT