Moscow has set a Friday deadline for gas payments to be made in rubles. Germany has called this "blackmail" and insists on paying in euros or dollars.

"Atrocious" and "depraved": British and European dailies express their horror over Russian air strikes on a maternity hospital in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. EU leaders are meeting in Versailles to discuss defence strategies and find consensus on sanctions; we look at some coverage. Also, European capitals have begun renaming the streets of their Russian embassies in honour of the Ukrainian resistance. Finally, we bring you the sports pages after Paris Saint Germain's loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

The head of the International Energy Agency, Fatih Birol, has said the crisis in Ukraine could be a "historic turning point" in how European countries source their energy. Speaking to FRANCE 24 on Wednesday, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Birol noted that supplies of Russian gas to Europe had already fallen last year before the recent escalation of tensions. He said it could be an impetus for EU policymakers to turn to alternative sources, as the cost of gas and electricity have soared.

What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a border? It may be the infamous border wall in the United States, the barbed wire fencing used in several European countries, or simple border posts with armed guards - all used to keep migrants out. The vast majority of the world's borders are actually relatively nondescript, often even beautiful. That's what photographer Valerio Vincenzo reveals in his photography book borderline. He joined Erin Ogunkeye on Perspective.

Western powers are reassessing their mission to Mali amid deteriorating relations with the country's military junta. European and African Union leaders are set to meet later this week for talks.

European foreign ministers discuss the security situation in Mali ahead of this week's AU-EU summit. Also, one month after the re-opening of schools in Uganda, our correspondent takes a look at how children are faring after the world's longest Covid-related class closure. Students' access to education had been crippled for almost two years. Finally, we take a look at how climate change is devastating the land and livestock of Kenyan herders.

Chika Unigwe's polyphonic narrative tells the story of African sex workers in Europe, in their own words. In the award-winning "On Black Sisters Street", the action shifts between Nigeria and Belgium, between memory and reality and between sorrow and hope. Winner of the Nigeria Prize for Literature, Unigwe has been hailed as one of the most important African authors writing today. She tells us about finding inspiration in Antwerp's red-light district, about how the migratory flux benefits both Europe and Nigeria and why African literature is shifting to the mainstream after years at the margins.

Lionel Richie will no longer be heading to Europe and the UK this summer.

The main European institutions have been based in Brussels for decades. But despite adding dynamism, they still don't seem to have found their place in the city they call home. The European Quarter is often viewed as a separate area; cold and cut off from the world. Now a handful of residents are fighting to bring the neighbourhood back to life and make the institutions part of a vibrant Brussels that's in touch with its citizens. The rise of teleworking, adapted en masse since the pandemic, could give them a helping hand. The Commission is looking to reduce its office space in the city from the current 780,000 m² to 580,000 m². Our correspondents report.

During a visit in October, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin described the new refugee camp on the Greek island of Samos as a "European model" for the reception of asylum seekers. The EU-funded Samos camp is closed and isolated – a far cry from overwhelmed reception centres such as the Moria camp on Lesbos, which was nicknamed the "camp of shame". But the asylum procedure remains lengthy and refugees are surrounded by barbed wire and video surveillance. Meanwhile, migrants trying to make the sea crossing to Europe still face a perilous journey. On October 27, three children drowned off the coast of Chios when their dinghy sank. Our correspondents report.

Investigators from four European countries have made arrests in raids targeting groups behind ransomware attacks, Europol says. The suspects are accused of carrying out some 7,000 cyberattacks.

France, Austria, Italy, Spain and Britain have agreed to withdraw digital services taxes on US tech giants in 2023, while the US will drop retaliatory punitive tariffs.