On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. This paves the way for Russian athletes to once again participate as full members in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and in future editions. The decision is controversial, especially as Russia continues its war in Ukraine, but it does mark a clear change of course for the IOC.
Hungary is joining the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the European institution that investigates and prosecutes fraud involving EU funds. The European Commission gave the green light for the accession on Friday, allowing European prosecutors to investigate potential irregularities in Hungary starting in 2021.
On Thursday, hundreds of people protested in Utrecht against the acquittal of two men in a rape case involving a 17-year-old girl. According to local media, about 700 demonstrators gathered at the courthouse, including activists from Dolle Mina, who called the verdict “incomprehensible.”
Terrifying scenes unfolded on Friday morning aboard a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, Germany. Shortly after takeoff, a passenger window came loose, causing a 61-year-old man to be partially sucked out. Fellow passengers managed to pull him back inside at the last minute.
The crypto companies associated with the Trump family are taking another hard hit. American Bitcoin Corp., the publicly traded mining company co-founded by Eric Trump, has fallen into a deep slump as the bitcoin market cools and investors increasingly focus on AI infrastructure. According to calculations by Bloomberg, the value of Eric Trump’s stake has fallen by more than $600 million in ten months.
Artist Justin Gignac is working on a unique art project titled “New York City Garbage”: for years, he has been collecting whatever trash he can find around venues where major events take place. He did the same around Madison Square Garden, where Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding took place last week.
According to reports in the Flemish media, the vignette for using Belgian roads has moved one step closer to becoming a reality: the road vignette is set to take effect in May 2027.
In northern France, a 17-year-old girl died while celebrating France’s victory over Morocco in the World Cup in the U.S., according to French media reports.
Severe wildfires are ravaging southern Europe. In Andalusia, in southern Spain, at least eleven people have lost their lives in what a Spanish regional minister has called “the worst wildfires ever” in the region.
In Arizona, a shocking medical error is causing quite a stir. A toddler who was pronounced dead at Mercy Gilbert Medical Center was found to still be alive in the morgue five hours later. The boy was rushed to the hospital after an incident at a swimming pool, where a doctor officially pronounced him dead shortly thereafter.