PRESS REVIEW – Friday, February 21: We look at what the French and German press are saying ahead of German elections this weekend, which are the most consequential since World War II, according to Politico. Journalist network Forbidden Stories sheds light on the murder of a Cambodian journalist last year over his environmental reporting. James Bond's creative rights have been sold to Amazon, much to the horror of the British press. Finally, Gisèle Pelicot is among Time Magazine's women of the year.

The all-important elections in Germany come at a very tense time for Europe. For Politico, Germans head to the voting booths this weekend in possible "the most consequential postwar election". In all likelihood, the conservative leader Friedrich Merz will be the next chancellor. He will have three tasks ahead of him: toughening Germany's asylum system, kickstarting an ailing economy and transforming Germany's armed forces.

One country that will be closely watching these elections is France. As Libération, the left-wing paper notes, it will impact the Franco-German couple – the leaders of France and Germany who have historically worked closely together. Germans must make their choice this weekend, La Croix, the French Catholic paper, says on its front page. It notes that forming the next German government will be a complex exercise, particularly with the strong gains expected to be made by the far right in these elections.

Meanwhile in the German dailies, the Frankfurter Allgemeine focuses on Thursday's final debate between the candidates. The evening covered three major topics: how to secure peace in Europe, how to change Germany's health system and the concerns of younger voters. On the question of Ukraine peace talks, the left and far-right parties rejected arms exports, the NATO alliance and military spending. The Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens showed an openness to increase defence spending. The paper nonetheless hails what was a lively and interesting political debate.

This week, the personal life of the far-right leader Alice Weidel has come under the microscope, something the Frankfurter Allgemeine is looking at. The leader of the AfD is a lesbian whose partner was born in Sri Lanka and yet who is fronting an anti-immigration party. Weidel, to her detractors, is a woman of contradictions. The Frankfurter Allgemeine notes that this kind of scrutiny of her personal life does not extend to her male rivals. The paper adds that it’s not as simple as accusing her of "preaching water and drinking wine". Historically, as sociological research shows, people who belong to marginalised groups find the AfD party's issues speak to them directly, even if the party's core ideas include racism, homophobia and anti-Semitism.

The international journalist network Forbidden Stories is shedding light on the murder of a reporter last year in Cambodia. The collective lifts the veil on the shooting death of 63-year-old journalist Chhoeung Chheng. The journalist, who held a press card but was not paid for his work – a common practice in Cambodia – was shot while coming back from a filming a report in the Beng Per Wildlife Sanctuary. This is a sanctuary in name only: three quarters of its primary forest has been illegally destroyed in 20 years. As Forbidden Stories notes, covering environmental degradation is a risky business in Cambodia due to the illegal activities of timber magnates and the corruption of authorities. Chheng, who was illiterate and filmed his reports, was more like a whistleblower. He regularly denounced those who felled trees, be it corporations or individuals, and a local farmer is suspected of having killed him over those Facebook posts, which included denouncing locals who fell trees in exchange for payment.

The British dailies are up in arms over the decision to sell the creative rights of James Bond to Jeff Bezos's Amazon. The Daily Express is shaken and stirred with the news that the creative rights to Bond, an historic decades-long British icon, have been sold to the US giant. Will the Skyfall in, the Daily Mirror asks, noting that the future of Bond is now uncertain. The Daily Telegraph calls it an assault on Britishness, saying it feels like 007 is dying a second time. The paper conceded that any franchise needs refreshing, however the buck has always stopped with British company Eon Productions, responsible for Bond since 1961. The Daily Telegraph worries that Amazon might "milk the brand into the ground". It says that for all we know, Bond might start calling his dinner jacket a tuxedo or slugging bourbon from the bottle. Be afraid!

Finally, Gisèle Pelicot has been chosen as one of 13 women of the year in Time Magazine's 2025 list. She is credited with helping to create a better, equal world. The magazine pays tribute to Pelicot, who waived her anonymity to attend a months-long trial against her husband, who was found guilty of drugging her and inviting dozens of men to rape her while she was unconscious. Time says she galvanised a movement for survivors of sexual violence.