Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych was disqualified from the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Thursday for refusing to wear a different helmet than the one that honors athletes killed in the war with Russia. Heraskevych has since taken his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which was hearing his case on Friday morning.
The figure 1.35 should set off alarm bells for policymakers: on average, each woman in Germany now has just 1.35 children — a record low, and far below the 2.1 needed to keep the population stable. These latest calculations from the Federal Statistical Office underscore the scale of the demographic challenge.
The Swedish military said on Friday that a Russian drone had flown unauthorized off the coast of southern Sweden while a French aircraft carrier was docked in the port of Malmo. French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is in Malmo this week to take part in regular NATO exercise activities.
During talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized expanding economic ties with China in the face of erratic US trade policy, while at the same time addressing concerns over managing competition and heavy trade imbalances.
Warning: this article contains graphic descriptions of violence More reports are surfacing across the continent of Africans fighting in Russia's war in Ukraine. This week, South Africa's foreign minister, Ronald Lamola, met with the families of 11 South African men recently repatriated after being lured into the conflict.
A win over Borussia Dortmund on Saturday would send Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich 11 points clear of their opponents and all but seal back-to-back Bundesliga titles for the Belgian coach. While the football is his focus, Kompany’s powerful, forthright and eloquent monologue on racism and victim-blaming last week struck a chord beyond the game.
"Is religion class actually being taught?" "Is another subject being taught instead of religion class?" "Are there insults against the president in classes?" These questions were reportedly asked by inspectors to students at a school in Turkey’s Izmir province.
Around 3,300 people gathered in the western German city of Dortmund on Sunday to protest against a visit by a fascist politician from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party — and an even bigger protest is expected in Düsseldorf on Monday.
Worldwide, autocracies are on the rise, populists are gaining momentum, democratic societies are under pressure. Wars, inflation and fear of economic decline are causing great uncertainty.
Haxhimusa's house is located in the mountain village of Doganaj in the southeast of Kosovo. It is a two-story family home with a garden with old fruit trees in front and fields behind. The winter sun shines brightly onto the facade and windows. It is warm in the living room.
Skip next section Closing summary February 21, 2026 Closing summary After reelecting Chancellor Friedrich Merz as their party leader on Friday, CDU delegates voted on a slew of political proposals Saturday.
Müge Tuzcu Karakoc is certain that without an integration course, she would probably still not have properly settled in Germany by now. The Turkish journalist has been living in Germany for seven years.