Eurotopics.net

The Spanish opera star Plácido Domingo has been facing accusations of sexual harassment since August. On Tuesday he finally apologised, acknowledging the pain he had caused to the women accusing him - but then altered this statement on Thursday. Spanish commentators take different views of his admission.

Lesbos, Chios and Samos have seen fierce protests against the construction of closed camps for refugees this week. Dozens of people have reportedly been injured in clashes between demonstrators and the police. The islands' inhabitants are demanding that migrants be taken to the mainland immediately after they have been registered. Does Athens need help to tackle the problem?

Citizens in many Russian cities commemorated the opposition politician and Putin critic Boris Nemtsov yesterday. Nemtsov, who was deputy prime minister under Boris Yeltsin and touted as his possible successor was shot dead in the immediate vicinity of the Kremlin on 27 February 2015. To this day it remains unclear who commissioned his assasination.

Slovakians will elect a new parliament tomorrow. The governing party Smer has seen its popularity plunge in the aftermath of the scandal over the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak. The ones to benefit from this are the far right and right-wing populists, including the conservative protest party Oľano ("Ordinary People"), which is now in the lead according to the most recent polls. Europe's press examines the consequences of the anticipated outcome.

According to the WHO, about 40 countries are now affected by coronavirus and around 81,000 infections have been registered (as of 26 February 2020). Commentators are concerned not just about the immediate health and economic consequences but also fear the impact of scaremongering and fake news, and stress that information policy now plays a crucial role.

Germany's Constitutional Court on Wednesday repealed a law that bans assisted suicide services on the grounds that it is unconstitutional as it violates the right to self-determined death. Introduced in 2015, the law stipulated that only relatives would be exempt of punishment in cases of assisted suicide; members of assisted suicide organisations and doctors could be sent to prison. Commentators welcome the ruling.