Eurotopics.net

More than 250,000 people demonstrated in Madrid for improvements to the healthcare system on the weekend. Another mass demonstration had already taken place in November. The demonstrators accuse the conservative regional government led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso of failing to address staff and equipment shortages in the capital's public healthcare system - a problem the implications of which go far beyond Madrid, as a glance at Europe's press shows.

The Czech football player Jakub Jankto, who has played 45 times for his country's national team, has come out as homosexual. This is the first time an active international men's football player has been open about being gay in a sport where the subject is still taboo. The 27-year-old has received encouragement but also countless insults, especially on social networks. The national press sees Jankto and his club Sparta Prague as role models.

24 February will mark the first anniversary of Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine. There is no end in sight: Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian positions, civilians and infrastructure, while Western backers supply Kyiv with weapons. Over 7,000 civilians have died so far in the conflict, according to UN figures. Commentators take stock and discuss long-term perspectives.

US investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has added a new angle to the ongoing investigation into the attacks on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. According to his research, the US military blew up the pipelines and Norway knew about it. On his blog, Hersh cites a single anonymous source. The US government has denied the allegations. Europe's press discusses their plausibility.