Twenty-eight Afghan nationals arrived in Germany from Pakistan on Wednesday as part of a resettlement scheme for those deemed to be particularly at risk of persecution under the Taliban. It was only the second time that Afghan nationals were allowed to enter Germany under the programme since the centre-right administration of Chancellor Friedrich Merz took office in May, putting a halt to the admissions' scheme. The group that touched down in Germany on Wednesday includes five individuals on the programme who, after spending months in Pakistan waiting for visas, were granted permission to ente...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned the United Nations of further Russian aggression and said that President Vladimir Putin will keep expanding the war in Ukraine "wider and deeper" unless he is stopped. During his speech at the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday, Zelensky cited Moldova as an example. The country is currently defending itself against Russian interference ahead of upcoming parliamentary elections on Sunday, he said. However, the international community's response to this has been insufficient, Zelensky added. "Europe cannot afford t...
Top German snowboarder Ramona Hofmeister faces the possibility of missing the entire season and the 2026 Winter Olympics. She suffered an ankle fracture during a training fall in Zermatt, Switzerland. The Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo are February 6-22. "Yes, this is a setback, but I have accepted the circumstances," the parallel racer said in a statement from Snowboard Germany on Wednesday. No specific timeline for her recovery has been communicated yet. Hofmeister was the German snowboard team’s biggest Olympic medal hope. She won the overall World Cup four times in a row from 2020 to...
The majority of our planet's vital functions are at risk, a new report released on Wednesday by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) reveals. The Planetary Health Check report by climate scientists shows that seven of nine critical stress limits have been exceeded. A new concern is ocean acidification, which happens when seawater becomes more acidic as its pH drops. The report provides an assessment of the state of the Earth. It is based on planetary boundaries – nine processes that regulate the stability, resilience and life-sustaining functions of the planet, the study not...