Slovakia is blocking the adoption of the 18th EU sanctions package against Russia. It foresees a halt to Russian gas supplies from the end of 2027, to which Slovakia cannot agree without substantial compensation from Brussels, the country's Prime Minister Robert Fico insists. The move has sparked controversy even among commentators in his own country.
The Russian State Duma is due to proceed with the second reading of legislation that foresees fines for those who search for "explicitly extremist content" on the Internet. Due to their content, roughly 5,500 websites, including many international news sites, are currently blocked in Russia. Users can only access them via VPN.
The French overseas territory of New Caledonia is to be given more state sovereignty but remain French under a deal reached by negotiators from Paris and the political parties of the archipelago in the South Pacific. In May 2024, the territory was rocked by deadly riots triggered by a planned electoral reform that favoured citizens from mainland France. The compromise solution elicits both praise and scepticism in Europe's press.
US President Donald Trump has adopted a harsher tone vis-à-vis Russia. He announced on Monday that Ukraine is to be equipped with Nato-financed US weapons, including Patriot missiles, and that if an agreement to end the war wasn't reached within 50 days, Washington will impose punitive tariffs of up to 100 percent on Russia and its trading partners. Europe's press takes a look at the potential impact of this new rhetoric.
After a data leak that put 19,000 people at risk, the British government relocated thousands of Afghans to the UK from August 2023 to protect them from the Taliban - at an estimated cost of 400 million pounds so far. Both the data breach and the evacuation scheme were kept strictly secret by means of a so-called 'superinjunction', which has now been lifted by the courts.
