Eurotopics.net

The social media ban for under-16s in Australia has prompted debates about introducing similar measures in several European countries, including the Czech Republic. Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček has now stated that the country could introduce such a ban before the end of this year.

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.

Around a third of the journalists at the Washington Post, one of the US's most prestigious newspapers, have been laid off. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos acquired the financially struggling paper from the family that owned it in 2013 and invested heavily in its digital transformation. During Trump's first term in office from 2017 to 2021 it was one of the most critical voices, but since his second term began Bezos has increasingly sought to cultivate a close relationship with the US president.

The 25th Winter Olympics kick off in Italy today. For the first time in Olympic history, two cities, Milan and the winter resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo, will jointly host the games. Before all the attention turns to games and medals, the media discuss the event from an economic - and environmental - perspective.

The New Start nuclear weapons treaty, which was signed between the US and Russia in 2010 to limit the number of strategic nuclear weapons, expired on Thursday. The agreement foresaw a maximum limit of 1,550 warheads and 800 delivery vehicles for both sides. Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a one-year extension of the treaty last September, but US President Donald Trump didn't take up the offer.