The situation in Iran is coming to a head. The regime has responded to ongoing protests, which began at the end of December, with increasingly lethal force and mass arrests. The internet has been blocked for days, making it difficult to get a clear picture of the news situation. Europe's capitals are taking a tougher stance towards Tehran, while US President Trump has openly threatened military intervention.
On Monday, Russia's war in Ukraine reached day 1,418. Putin's 'special military operation' against its neighbour, which began on 24 February 2022, has now lasted longer than the ‘Great Patriotic War’ - this is how the German-Soviet War during WWII between June 1941 to May 1945 is referred to in Russia.
The appeal trial against Marine Le Pen for embezzlement of EU funds begins in France today. In the first instance, the judges ruled that the presidential candidate of the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) is barred from standing for election for five years - including the 2027 presidential election. Commentators discuss what is at stake.
After more than 25 years of negotiations, the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur is close to being finalised after a qualified majority of EU ambassadors approved it on Friday, overruling countries like France and Poland. Now, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen can put her signature to it with the partners in South America, and then the EU Parliament must also vote on it.
Protests against the violent actions of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) and Donald Trump's harsh immigration policy spread across the US over the weekend. They began after an officer shot and killed a woman who was acting as an observer in her car during an ICE raid in Minneapolis on Wednesday. According to US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, the government will deploy an additional 2,000 federal police to the city.
Relations between major powers and smaller neighbouring states seem to be guided less by legal norms and more by naked power politics these days. After the US captured Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, seized two shadow fleet tankers and repeated threats to take over Greenland, all within the space of a week, Europe's media voice grave concern about the decline of international law and rules.
Maria Karystianou, a paediatrician and mother of one of the victims of the Tempi train crash, has announced in a TV interview that she is founding a new political party which will channel the discontent many citizens feel towards the political system. According to a recent poll, Karystianou's popularity stands at 33 percent - ahead of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (26 percent) and all other top politicians in Greece.
France, the UK and Ukraine signed a declaration of intent in Paris on Tuesday to send a European multinational force to Ukraine. At the 'coalition of the willing' meeting, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also pledged to support Ukraine's security. Reactions in the press range from hope to scepticism.
After initial steps last year, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer now plans concrete measures to bring the UK closer to the EU: new laws harmonising British regulations with those of the EU in many areas are to be introduced in 2026. The British press debates whether watering down Brexit is a good idea for the UK.
Filip Turek of the Motorists' Party, who was a candidate for the post of Czech Minister of Environmental Affairs, will not be joining the government after all. Turek has been accused of racism, homophobia and sexism due to various statements he has made in the past. On Wednesday, during a New Year's dinner in Prague with Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, President Petr Pavel refused to appoint Turek to a ministerial post.