Eurotopics.net

In an interview for the British podcast The Rest is Politics, Maia Sandu, President of the Republic of Moldova, said that she would vote in favour of unification with Romania if a referendum were held on the issue. She noted that for a small country like Moldova, it was becoming "increasingly difficult to survive as a democracy, as a sovereign country." Reactions in both countries are divided.

In France, Marine Le Pen's appeal trial against her conviction for misusing EU funds has begun. 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 - which would include the 2027 presidential election. Commentators discuss whether Jordan Bardella, the current leader of the RN party and only 30 years old, could replace her as its presidential candidate.

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.

Grok AI on Elon Musk's X platform has recently enabled users to digitally undress people in photos. After thousands of posts with sexualised images of women and minors were published, authorities in several countries took action. X responded by limiting access to this feature to paying subscribers.