Author: staff
By Sonja Issel Published on 12/02/2026 – 11:30 GMT+1 A film festival without a touch of Hollywood? For the Berlinale organisers that is out of the question. So, once again they’re expecting to deliver a generous dose of glamour from across the Atlantic this year and the who’s who list is certainly very impressive. Among those likely in Berlin is Channing Tatum. Having made his name in action, comedy and dance roles, this time he is showing a much more serious side in Josephine, a drama about violence and the brutality of the world. Also confirmed are Neil Patrick Harris, best…
The move against WhatsApp follows reports of renewed difficulties with Telegram, the most popular messaging platform in Russia, after media watchdog Roskomnadzor announced new restrictions against the company earlier this week. Roskomnadzor last year accused Telegram and WhatsApp of violating Russian law by facilitating terrorists and scammers. Following its all-out invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia banned as “extremist” Facebook and Instagram, which also are owned by Meta. In a post earlier this week, Telegram founder Pavel Durov accused the Russian authorities of trying to “force its citizens to switch to a state-controlled app built for surveillance and political…
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been disqualified before his first run at the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced. The IOC banned Heraskevych from using his custom-made helmet, which features portraits of Ukrainian athletes killed in Russia’s full-scale invasion since early 2022. The helmet does not display any slogans or political symbols. The IOC made a statement regarding Heraskevych’s disqualification, saying “despite multiple exchanges and in-person meetings between the IOC and Mr Heraskevych,” it was the Ukrainian athlete who “did not consider any form of compromise”. “The IOC was very keen for Mr Heraskevych to…
Published on 12/02/2026 – 11:19 GMT+1 There’s a chaotic energy emanating from this year’s Winter Olympics in Milan. In less than a week since the start of the Milan Cortina Games, several scandals have eclipsed the sport – like environment protests; ski jumpers allegedly resorting to penis injections of hyaluronic acid so they can achieve long jumps (dodgy dick doping, if you will); Czech ice dancers Kateřina Mrázková and Daniel Mrázek skating to an AI-generated track; French biathlete Julia Simon winning a medal three months after being convicted of stealing her teammate’s credit card; and reports that this year’s gold…
The legal opinion by Advocate-General Tamara Ćapeta — to annul the Commission’s decision to unfreeze the funds — will guide the judges on their final ruling, which will be delivered in a few months. Advocates-general are not judges but legal advisers who help the court in complicated or unprecedented cases. René Repasi, a German MEP and EU law professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam and the University of Geneva, said an annulment would mean the Commission should “request the money back.” “If Hungary does not pay back, the Commission can lower other disbursements, which Hungary is entitled to receive, by the…
A humanoid robot named Roby walked through Sarajevo’s Old Town Bascarsija on Wednesday, marking the first public presentation of humanoid robotics in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Developed by Vandri Robotics, the machine moved among shopfronts and market stalls, drawing curious residents. The event aimed to show how robots could operate in public and commercial spaces while respecting the city’s historic setting. Vandri Robotics says Roby is built for tourism, education and public services. The focus, developers said, is on natural communication and cooperation with people, not replacement. The Sarajevo launch begins a national tour that will next head to Banja Luka,…
“The IOC was very keen for Mr. Heraskevych to compete. This is why the IOC sat down with him to look for the most respectful way to address his desire to remember his fellow athletes who have lost their lives following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” the IOC said. “The essence of this case is not about the message; it is about where he wanted to express it,” the committee added. Heraskevych was able to display his helmet in all training runs. The IOC also offered him the option of displaying it immediately after the race when going through the mixed…
Good morning, I’m Mared Gwyn. It’s Thursday, and EU leaders are about to descend on a remote castle in the Belgian countryside for talks on how to restore European competitiveness and revive a stagnant economy. Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi – the Italian duo who diagnosed the EU’s outdated economic doctrine in two separate reports in 2024 – will also join the talks, two years after Draghi warned the continent could face “slow agony” if it didn’t act fast. The informal “retreat” is not expected to result in any concrete decisions. But the momentum suggests that the talks could be…
Thousands of workers mobilized by trade unions converged outside Argentina’s Congress on Wednesday, blocking traffic and clashing with police as senators debated a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s rigid labor laws. Security forces struggled to control the crowds in a central square of downtown Buenos Aires, firing water cannons and rubber bullets at protesters who lobbed petrol bombs, stones and water bottles. Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva said two people were arrested for attacking police officers.
Yes, wars are raging across continents, alliances are being tested, and tensions are escalating across borders and oceans. However, I would wager that if von Kleist-Schmenzin were alive today, he would agree that the most consequential struggle of our time may not be unfolding on traditional battlefields at all. Instead, it’s unfolding in the digital realm, where control over personal data — over our digital personhood — is the central source of power and influence in the modern world. When the World Wide Web was born, we were promised an era of democratic participation — a digital town square for…