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.
France's budget for the current year has been finalised. On Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu survived two votes of no confidence brought by the opposition. His predecessors François Bayrou and Michel Barnier were forced to step down shortly after taking office amid disputes over the budget. Is France entering calmer political waters?
Russia attacked energy facilities across Ukraine on Tuesday night, just as the country is experiencing extreme winter weather. Donald Trump had agreed a week-long ceasefire with Vladimir Putin last week, but the exact timing remained unclear. Commentators discuss Putin's current strategy ahead of the peace negotiations set to begin today in Abu Dhabi.
The European Union has decided to end imports of natural gas from Russia by the end of 2027 at the latest. The decisions comes after 24 EU countries voted in favour of the move while Hungary and Slovakia voted against it and Bulgaria abstained. The governments in Budapest and Bratislava now plan to challenge the decision before the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Europe's commentators discuss the options for gas supplies to the bloc.
On 8 March, Switzerland will vote on the "200 francs is enough!" initiative, or "halving initiative" aimed at a substantial reduction in radio and television license fees for citizens and an exemption for businesses. If successful, the budget for the country's public broadcasting service SRG would be almost halved. The initiative is supported by the right-wing SVP, the Young Liberals and the Swiss Trade Association.
Several winners at the Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday used their acceptance speeches to criticise the actions of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE and to make other political statements. Afterwards, US President Donald Trump described the event as "garbage" and announced that he would be taking legal action against its presenter.
In the Czech Republic, President Petr Pavel and Andrej Babiš's right-wing coalition government are locked in a fierce dispute after Foreign Minister Petr Macinka tried to force the head of state to appoint Filip Turek, the Motorist Party's honorary president, as minister of the environment. At least 80,000 people took to the streets in Prague on Sunday to support Pavel.
For the first time since 2019, the freezing temperatures mean that motor vehicles could travel across the ice from Estonia's mainland to its islands. However, the authorities are refusing to set up ice roads on the grounds that they are too expensive, too risky, and that no money has been allocated to such roads in the budget. Locals are now driving across the ice at their own risk in some places.
After the US deployed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other warships to the Middle East last week, it remains unclear whether there will be an attack on Iran. According to the Iranian state news agency Irna the country's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Media reports suggest that talks on a new nuclear deal are taking place behind the scenes. European commentators warn of the dangers of a military strike.
Storm Kristin has caused fatalities and severe damage to buildings and infrastructure in Portugal, and more storms are forecast. Disaster management has become the dominant issue in the presidential election campaign, with the run-off election between the socialist candidate Antonio José Seguro and the right-wing populist André Ventura due to take place on Sunday.
Three months after the general election, three parties in the Netherlands have agreed to form a minority government. The left-liberal D66, the Christian Democrats (CDA) and the right-liberal VDD have presented their coalition agreement. Since a future government under D66 leader Rob Jetten would only have 66 of the 150 seats in the lower house, the national media examine how open it will be open to compromise in parliament.