Entertainment
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French actor Gérard Depardieu convicted of sexual assault
French cinema icon Gérard Depardieu was found guilty by a Paris court on Tuesday of sexually assaulting two women on a film set in 2021. The 76-year-old actor received an 18-month13 May 2025Read More... -
Strong public support in Switzerland for social media ban for under-16s
A large majority of Swiss residents support banning social media use for children under the age of 16, according to a new survey. Conducted by the Sotomo research institute, the study found11 May 2025Read More... -
World’s largest Zara store to open in Antwerp
Spanish fashion giant Inditex, owner of the Zara brand, has announced plans to open the world’s largest Zara store in Antwerp. The new flagship location will be housed in the Meir Corner06 May 2025Read More... -
Swiss wine consumption drops sharply in 2024
Wine consumption in Switzerland saw a notable decline in 2024, falling by nearly 8% compared to the previous year, according to the Federal Office for Agriculture (FOAG). Swiss-produced30 April 2025Read More... -
French publishers and authors sue Meta over AI training with their books
French organizations representing publishers and authors have announced legal action against Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, for allegedly using their13 March 2025Read More... -
Eurovision Basel: nearly 42,000 tickets sell out in minutes
The excitement for the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2025 in Basel is at an all-time high, as nearly 42,000 tickets were snapped up within minutes on Wednesday. Fans eager to attend the live30 January 2025Read More...
Economics
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Russian cucumber imports to Poland hit four-year high, raising concerns in Latvia
Imports of cucumbers from Russia to Poland reached their highest level in four years this March, according to data reported by Russia’s RIA news agency and based on Eurostat figures.Read More... -
German Economic Council predicts stagnation for 2024 amid weakness and uncertainty
Germany’s economy is expected to stagnate in 2024, according to a revised forecast released Wednesday by the German Council of Economic Experts. The advisory body, which counsels theRead More... -
Tesla sales continue to slide in France and Denmark amid protests and competitive pressures
Tesla's sales slump in Europe deepened in April, with significant drops reported in both France and Denmark, reflecting growing challenges for the electric vehicle (EV) maker.Read More... -
One in three German companies plan job cuts in 2025, IW survey Shows
More than a third of German companies are planning job cuts in 2025, according to a new survey by the German Economic Institute (IW) obtained by Reuters.Read More... -
German wholesale prices up 1.3% year-on-year in March
Germany's wholesale prices increased by 1.3% in March compared to the same month in 2024, according to data released on Tuesday by the federal statistics office.Read More...
News
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High-speed trains to link Munich and Rome by 2026
By the end of 2026, travelers will be able to ride direct high-speed trains between Germany and Italy, thanks to a new route announced by German rail operator Deutsche Bahn.Read More... -
Over 8,000 social homes sit empty despite record-high waiting list in Flanders
Flanders is facing a paradox in its social housing system. While the number of people waiting for a social home has reached an all-time high, more than 8,000 social housing units stood emptyRead More... -
Wild fox kills two penguins at Wildlands Zoo in Emmen
A wild fox managed to slip into the Wildlands Adventure Zoo in Emmen last month and killed two penguins, zoo officials confirmed. The incident occurred overnight and was later verifiedRead More... -
EU allocates €120 million in humanitarian aid for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025
The European Commission will provide €120 million in humanitarian aid to support vulnerable populations in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2025. This funding will address the impacts ofRead More... -
Brussels metro station shooting sparks security debate
Brussels, May 15, 2025 – A shooting incident at Clemenceau metro station this morning has reignited concerns over rising gang violence in Brussels. At approximately 6:00 AM, two armedRead More... -
France vows swift response as Algeria plans further diplomatic expulsions
France has pledged to take immediate and forceful action after Algeria announced its intention to expel additional French officials, escalating an already tense diplomatic standoff between theRead More... -
Macron warns of war's return to Europe on V-E Day anniversary
On the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a solemn warning that war has once again cast its shadow over Europe. Speaking during aRead More... -
Friedrich Merz elected German chancellor in second round of voting
Friedrich Merz has been elected as Germany’s new chancellor following a second round of voting in the Bundestag on Tuesday afternoon. Earlier in the day, Merz failed to secure a majority inRead More...
Most Read
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Sport
The doctor who gave athletics great Mo Farah a controversial supplement is to appear before British lawmakers on Wednesday as part of an ongoing inquiry into doping in sport.
Dr Robin Chakraverty, formerly of UK Athletics, is to give evidence to the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee that has previously unearthed damaging details about the approach to drug rules of senior figures in British Cycling.
Chakraverty, now working with the England football team, gave Farah an intravenous infusion of L-carnitine before the distance runner's 2014 London Marathon debut.
L-carnitine is a naturally occurring compound which turns body fat into energy and can be found in animal products such as meat, fish and milk.
Athletes are allowed to take it provided it is not infused in a quantity greater than 50 millilitres every six hours.
Arsene Wenger has insisted his Arsenal players have the character to halt a run of four successive away defeats when they visit Middlesbrough as they look to revive their bid to finish in the Premier League’s top four.
Wenger’s team could be at 10 points off a place among the leading quartet by the time they kick-off at strugglers Middlesbrough on Monday if Liverpool win away to West Bromwich Albion on Sunday.
But whatever the outcome of that match, Arsenal know they need a dramatic improvement if they are to qualify for the Champions League for a 21st successive season.
The dismal 3-0 defeat at Crystal Palace last time out highlighted how far the team has fallen since the period before Christmas when they were viewed as genuine challengers for the Premier League title.
Theo Walcott’s admission after that loss at Selhurst Park that Palace “wanted it more” reflected badly on a group of players who have lost their way and strengthened the belief of all those who believe veteran French manager Wenger should leave Arsenal when his contract expires art the end of the season.
Mesut Ozil wants Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger's future to be cleared up before he commits himself to the club, the Germany playmaker indicated in a newspaper interview published on Sunday.
Wenger, Arsenal's manager for over 20 years, is out of contract at the end of the season and has pledged to make an announcement about his future "very soon".
Ozil is currently stalling over a new contract, with his existing deal due to expire in a year, and suggested he will not make a decision on his future until he knows what Wenger is doing.
"It's not just important for me, but for the whole club," Ozil told the Mail on Sunday. "It's important to know if he stays or if he goes. We need to think towards next season.
Beleaguered Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has decided to stay at the club, according to British media reports on Monday.
The Daily Telegraph and Daily Mirror said Wenger will inform Arsenal's board he wants to extend his contract, which expires at the end of the season.
West Bromwich Albion manager Tony Pulis also said Wenger told him he intended to stay on after Arsenal's 3-1 defeat at The Hawthorns on Saturday.
"I'll be surprised if he goes," Pulis told reporters after Saturday's game, as revealed in Monday's newspapers.
Asked why he thought Wenger would stay, Pulis replied: "Because he told me."
Liverpool punished Arsene Wenger’s selection gamble with a crucial 3-1 win over spluttering Arsenal, while Manchester United star Zlatan Ibrahimovic could face disciplinary action after appearing to elbow Bournemouth’s Tyrone Mings in a fiery 1-1 draw on Saturday.
Wenger sprang a major surprise by leaving Alexis Sanchez on the bench and the Chile forward was badly missed as Arsenal were blown away in the first half at Anfield.
With Mesut Ozil also absent, due to illness, Arsenal were ill-equipped to match Jurgen Klopp’s fired-up side, who took the lead in the ninth minute when Roberto Firmino met Sadio Mane’s cross with a cool finish at the far post after sloppy Arsenal defending.
Jose Mourinho has challenged his Manchester United stars to use their dramatic League Cup final win against Southampton as a springboard to bigger prizes.
Mourinho lifted the first major trophy of his United reign on Sunday after Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s late header clinched a 3-2 victory at Wembley.
The 54-year-old is the first United manager to win a major competition in his maiden season at Old Trafford and the 19th trophy of his glittering career made him only the third boss, after Alex Ferguson and Brian Clough, to enjoy four League Cup triumphs.
Now Mourinho wants his players to learn from the winning feeling as they chase FA Cup and Europa League titles this term, and ideally Premier League and Champions League glory next season.
“The reality is that we want more: my contract is long, I have two more years with this one, so hopefully I can win more,” Mourinho said.
“This season I know it’s difficult, but the reality is we have to try to fight for more.”
Despite harbouring some reservations about his hairstyle, Lawrie McMenemy knows Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the man his old club Southampton must stop in Sunday’s League Cup final against Manchester United.
As Southampton manager, McMenemy led the south-coast club to their greatest success when they produced a huge upset to beat United 1-0 in the 1976 FA Cup final.
Forty-one years on, they are back at Wembley this weekend and McMenemy says the pony-tailed Ibrahimovic, 24 goals and counting in his maiden United season, could prove the difference.
“I’m not sure about his haircut. If you were a centre-half, you’d want to sneak a pair of scissors on. Maybe that could weaken him!” he told AFP in a telephone interview from his home in Hampshire, southern England on Wednesday.
“But he’s proved to be a fantastic player and he looks like he’s a character. He will lap it up, the big stage. You’ve got to watch him.
Russia will miss August's World Athletics Championships in London after their doping ban was extended on Monday, world governing body president Sebastian Coe said.
Coe said Russia, whose 15-month ban from athletics was prolonged at the IAAF's Council meeting in Cap d'Ail near Monaco, could not be reintegrated into the sport before November.
Double Olympic 1500-metre champion Coe was speaking after the IAAF Council approved the Taskforce's recommendation that Russia was "not ready for reinstatement".
Russia has been barred from international competition since November 2015 following a damaging report alleging that state-sponsored doping was rife in the country.
Around 350 people have come forward to tell British police they were victims of child sexual abuse by football coaches, deepening a scandal that has rocked the sport.
The scale of the abuse began to emerge last week after a string of ex-footballers, including England internationals, told of the crimes inflicted upon them, including years of being repeatedly raped.
The National Police Chiefs' Council said a "significant" number of calls had been made to them after the players spoke out about what they suffered as children.
Announcing the figures, the NPCC said they were based on existing investigations dating back to 2014 as well as a new helpline set up by British charity the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
The NSPCC said the helpline received 860 calls in its first week, enabling it to refer 60 cases to police or social services within three days of the hotline launching.
That was more than triple the number of referrals made in the first three days of the helpline set up for victims of Jimmy Savile, a serial paedophile and late BBC television presenter.
"We are working closely with the Football Association to ensure that the response to this significant and growing number of victims, at all levels of football, is co-ordinated effectively," said Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the NPCC's lead officer for child protection.
He encouraged anyone with information about child abuse in football to come forward, "regardless of how long ago the abuse may have taken place".
A quarter of the police forces across Britain are investigating cases that have made daily headlines over the past two weeks.
Greater Manchester Police said they had identified 10 suspects and its inquiry was widening on a daily basis.
"We are investigating reports from 35 victims and we have identified 10 suspects," said GMP Assistant Chief Constable Debbie Ford.
FA chief executive Martin Glenn said on Thursday he does not believe child abuse within British football has been covered up.
"It will help uncover some issues that can't happen again, but do I think there has been a cover-up? I doubt it," said Glenn, whose organisation has established an internal review of the allegations.
- Chelsea investigation -
The scale of the abuse began to emerge after ex-footballers Andy Woodward, Steve Walters and Paul Stewart revealed last week the abuse they suffered at the hands of youth coaches.
Convicted child molester Barry Bennell has been accused by several footballers of abusing them when he worked for Crewe Alexandra, Manchester City and Stoke City across three decades beginning in the 1970s.
He is the target of five separate police investigations and on Tuesday was charged with eight counts of child abuse, prosecutors said.
Former Newcastle United player David Eatock is the latest player to speak out about his suffering.
Police investigations into the sexual abuse of youngsters within English football widened Friday as England captain Wayne Rooney praised victims for speaking out.
Jason Dunford, once a youth player with Premier League giants Manchester City, added to the growing tide of abuse accusations that have rocked the English game by alleging that a football paedophile ring was covered up.
The allegations mainly centre on Barry Bennell, a youth coach with Manchester City, Stoke City, Crewe Alexandra and several junior teams in northwest England.
Andy Woodward last week became the first player to reveal publicly the abuse Bennell inflicted upon him, triggering a stream of similar claims.
Bennell was given a four-year sentence for raping a British boy on a football tour of Florida in 1994 and a nine-year sentence for 23 offences against six boys in England in 1998.
He was jailed for a third time in 2015 when he pleaded guilty to abusing a boy at a football camp in Macclesfield, northwest England, in 1980.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) announced Thursday it had launched a telephone helpline for victims of football abuse.
Rooney urged any player who had been affected to call the hotline and no longer "suffer in silence".
"It's awful that some of my colleagues have suffered this way whilst playing the sport that I and they love," the Manchester United forward said.
"Andy (Woodward) has been really brave to come forward and I would encourage anyone who has or is suffering from abuse to call the NSPCC's new football helpline.