For several days now, the Starlink satellite Internet system has only been accessible for officially authorised devices in Ukraine. In practice this means that the Russian attackers on Ukrainian territory can no longer use the vital communications technology offered by Elon Musk's company SpaceX. Europe's press looks at the causes and consequences.
In the run-up to an informal summit of EU heads of state and government on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron has called for the introduction of joint European debt. Europe must invest more, protect its economy and be more assertive, Macron said in an interview with several European media outlets. Germany was quick to reject the proposal.
The intense pressure on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down has increased after the resignations of two of his top aides. Several cabinet members have rallied around him, however. The crisis was triggered by former US ambassador Peter Mandelson, who is suspected of passing on confidential information to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Cuba is experiencing an acute energy crisis after Donald Trump cut off all oil deliveries from Venezuela to the Caribbean island and threatened to impose tariffs on other countries such as Mexico if they continue to supply the island with fuel. Washington wants to force the socialist government in Havana to make concessions. Europe's media take stock.
Moderate socialist António José Seguro will be Portugal's next president after defeating his right-wing populist rival André Ventura (Chega party) in the runoff election and securing around 67 percent of the vote. Conservative Prime Minister Luís Montenegro congratulated him on his victory and said he hoped they would be able to collaborate effectively. The constitution gives the president the right to veto laws, dissolve parliament and call new elections.
Hong Kong democracy activist and media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The guilty verdict for "collusion with foreign forces" and "sedition" was already handed down in December. Now the court in the Chinese special administrative region has issued the sentence. Lai has already served two years, and will have to serve 18 more, the judges ruled.
Japan's national conservative ruling party has secured a resounding election victory: under the leadership of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who has only been in office since October, the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has won more than two-thirds of the seats in the parliamentary election - the first time a single party has achieved such a majority in Japan. Takaichi has promised to upgrade Japan's military to create a counterweight to China in the region.
Top skier Lindsey Vonn has crashed and suffered a serious injury in the women's downhill event at the Winter Olympics. The 41-year-old American decided to compete in Cortina d'Ampezzo despite a torn cruciate ligament and a partial prosthesis in her knee. Commentators discuss whether the criticism this decision triggered was justified.
Negotiators from the US and Iran held indirect talks in Oman on Friday. Both sides lauded the start of negotiations, but at the same time upped the pressure: US President Donald Trump threatened to impose additional punitive tariffs on countries that do trade with Iran, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that attacks on his country would be met with attacks on US bases in the region.
The publication of further files in the case of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continues to raise new questions. Dozens more prominent names appear in the more than three million pages of documents, thousands of videos and well over 100,000 photos most recently released by the US Department of Justice. Commentators discuss the connections between these individuals and Epstein and what consequences they will have.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is coming under increasing pressure within his own party over the Peter Mandelson affair. Media have quoted Labour MPs as saying that the prime minister's days were numbered. Mandelson is alleged to have passed on confidential government information to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the early 2000s. In 2024, Starmer appointed Mandelson as ambassador to the United States despite knowing about his relationship with Epstein.