Global Pulse

标签： Europe

欧洲

  • King Charles III’s documentary sets out his philosophy for saving the planet

    King Charles III’s documentary sets out his philosophy for saving the planet

    WINDSOR, England — In a strategic move to shape his historical legacy, King Charles III has launched a groundbreaking documentary titled “Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision” through Amazon Prime. The film, premiered at Windsor Castle with celebrity attendees including narrator Kate Winslet, articulates the monarch’s lifelong environmental philosophy that humanity must recalibrate its relationship with nature to address climate change and sustainable development.

    The documentary presents Charles’ core belief that humans are intrinsically part of the natural world rather than separate from it—a concept he initially explored in his 2010 book “Harmony: A New Way of Looking at Our World.” The production systematically connects the king’s diverse advocacy areas including sustainable agriculture, urban planning, interfaith dialogue, and traditional crafts as interrelated components of holistic environmental stewardship.

    Notably, the film addresses historical criticisms of the monarch’s environmental activism, particularly the 1986 media mockery of his revelation about speaking to plants. Through interviews with collaborators like Ian Skelly (co-author of Harmony) and environmentalist Tony Juniper, the documentary defends Charles as a pioneering voice who championed ecological causes decades before they gained mainstream traction.

    Analyst Ed Owens, author of “After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself?,” suggests the timing represents a deliberate effort by the 77-year-old monarch to refocus public attention on his defining mission after recent distractions including his cancer treatment, tensions with Prince Harry, and the scandal involving Prince Andrew’s associations. The documentary premieres globally on Amazon Prime starting February 6, potentially reaching unprecedented audiences through streaming platforms.

  • Valentino opens post-Garavani couture with somber note, then high drama

    Valentino opens post-Garavani couture with somber note, then high drama

    PARIS — Alessandro Michele’s highly anticipated debut as Creative Director at Valentino Couture unfolded as a masterclass in theatrical tension, staged against the poignant backdrop of founder Valentino Garavani’s recent passing. The presentation, attended by luminaries including Sir Elton John, Dakota Johnson, and Kirsten Dunst, transformed fashion spectacle into intimate revelation.

    Guests navigated through near-total darkness to discover minimalist stools positioned before circular pods, each featuring a small viewing window. As the show commenced, blinds retracted to reveal models framed like curated artifacts behind glass, while a classical soundtrack abruptly gave way to aggressive animal sounds. This sterile, futuristic environment created an unsettling yet captivating atmosphere that redefined the couture viewing experience.

    Michele, renowned for maximalist instincts at Gucci, demonstrated remarkable restraint in his Valentino debut. The collection presented disco-inspired elements—sparkling gems, bedazzled headwear, and layered gold collars with subtle circus references—yet overall conveyed a cautious approach. Notable highlights included dramatically proportioned leg-of-mutton sleeves, light-catching sequined surfaces, and billowing skirts that deliberately overwhelmed the human form.

    The presentation’s emotional weight was amplified by its timing, following immediately after Garavani’s funeral in Rome. Fashion critic Suzy Menkes, who attended both events, emphasized the significance: “People feel emotional because it is an end of an era.” She noted Garavani’s unique position as “a designer that everybody could understand,” whose influence extended far beyond industry insiders to global clients and celebrities.

    While acknowledging Michele’s exceptional showcraft capabilities, Menkes reflected on the irreplaceable nature of iconic designers: “It’s not the same character… it doesn’t seem to be the same person who was there before.” The collection thus represented both a respectful homage to Valentino’s legacy and a careful calibration of how far Michele can reinterpret house codes while honoring their essence.

  • Deutsche Bank offices raided in money laundering probe

    Deutsche Bank offices raided in money laundering probe

    German law enforcement authorities conducted simultaneous raids on Deutsche Bank’s Frankfurt and Berlin offices Wednesday as part of an expanding money laundering investigation targeting Germany’s largest financial institution.

    The Office of the Federal Prosecutor confirmed the operation, stating the investigation involves “unknown individuals and employees” at Deutsche Bank who allegedly maintained business relationships with foreign companies suspected of money laundering activities. The coordinated operation included personnel from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

    While Deutsche Bank officials acknowledged the searches had occurred, both the bank and prosecutors remained tight-lipped about specific details regarding the individuals or foreign entities under scrutiny. The prosecutor’s office explicitly stated it could not disclose “background of the business relationships, the transactions processed through Deutsche Bank AG, their scope, or the companies themselves.”

    German media outlets have reported potential connections to sanctioned Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, whose legal representatives vehemently denied any awareness of German investigations. “Mr. Abramovich has always acted in accordance with applicable domestic and international laws and regulations,” stated his legal team, adding that “any suggestion to the contrary is false and defamatory.”

    The timing proves particularly sensitive for Deutsche Bank, which is scheduled to release its full-year financial results Thursday. Market reaction was immediately negative, with shares closing nearly 2% lower following news of the investigations.

    This represents not the first but the second major money laundering probe targeting Deutsche Bank in recent years. In 2018, approximately 170 police officers and officials raided the bank’s Frankfurt headquarters and five additional city locations investigating whether staff facilitated offshore accounts for transferring illicit funds between 2013-2018.

    The current investigation emerges against the backdrop of increased Western scrutiny on Russian oligarchs following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Abramovich, who accumulated wealth through oil and gas ventures, faced sanctions from both the UK government and European Union in March 2022 over alleged ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin—connections he consistently denies.

  • Panic on crowded train – passenger tells BBC of moment of Russian drone strike

    Panic on crowded train – passenger tells BBC of moment of Russian drone strike

    A Ukrainian military officer from the 93rd Brigade, identified by his call-sign Omar, has provided a harrowing firsthand account of the immediate rescue efforts following a Russian drone strike on a civilian passenger train in northeastern Ukraine. The attack, which President Zelensky condemned as an act of terrorism, resulted in five fatalities but could have claimed significantly more lives without Omar’s decisive intervention.

    Omar, a drone unit commander who happened to be traveling on the Chop-to-Barvinkove route, described the sequence of events that began when the first of three Russian drones struck near the train, forcing an emergency halt. Moments later, another explosion rocked the carriage as a second drone found its mark. Recognizing the tactical pattern of a drone operator observing and adjusting strikes, Omar immediately instructed panicked passengers to evacuate before the targeted carriage erupted in flames.

    The military officer’s trained response proved critical as 291 passengers faced the rapidly developing crisis. After ensuring the initial evacuation, Omar returned to the smoldering wreckage with other volunteers to search for survivors, discovering five casualties in the process. His most poignant encounter was with a terrified young mother clutching her infant, who revealed she was traveling to the front lines so her soldier husband could meet their child for the first time.

    This attack represents an escalation in targeting Ukraine’s extensive railway network, a critical infrastructure system that has become a symbol of national resilience since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Despite previous attacks on rail infrastructure, Ukraine’s rail company Ukrzaliznytsia has maintained remarkable operational continuity across its 21,000-kilometer network, though increasing attacks and severe weather have caused growing delays.

    In response to the attack, railway stations across Ukraine flew flags at half-mast, and the nation’s daily moment of silence was dedicated to the victims. Demonstrating the system’s resilience, service on the Barvinkove-Chop line resumed within hours of the attack, even as the incident highlighted the increasing vulnerability of civilian transportation networks in the conflict.

  • German investigators search Deutsche Bank offices in money laundering probe

    German investigators search Deutsche Bank offices in money laundering probe

    FRANKFURT, Germany — German authorities executed coordinated searches at Deutsche Bank offices on Wednesday as part of an extensive money laundering investigation targeting Germany’s largest financial institution. The operation, conducted by Frankfurt prosecutors, focused on unidentified bank employees and previous business relationships with foreign entities suspected of facilitating illicit financial activities.

    The law enforcement action spanned multiple locations, including the bank’s Frankfurt headquarters and additional premises in Berlin. Prosecutors indicated the investigation centers on transactions potentially designed to conceal the origin of funds through the banking system, though specific details regarding the scale and nature of these transactions remain undisclosed.

    Deutsche Bank confirmed the presence of investigators in an official statement, emphasizing their full cooperation with authorities while declining further commentary on the ongoing probe. The timing of the raid proves particularly significant, occurring just one day before the bank’s scheduled release of its 2025 earnings report.

    This investigation continues a pattern of regulatory challenges for Deutsche Bank, which has faced substantial penalties in recent years. In 2018, New York regulators imposed a $205 million fine for foreign exchange market manipulation. The previous year saw dual penalties: $41 million from the Federal Reserve for anti-money laundering control failures, and a massive $629 million settlement with New York and British regulators for control lapses that enabled wealthy Russian clients to launder approximately $10 billion through the institution.

  • France’s finance minister demands tech firm Capgemini explain ICE contract

    France’s finance minister demands tech firm Capgemini explain ICE contract

    PARIS — French Finance Minister Roland Lescure has issued a strong appeal to technology giant Capgemini, demanding complete transparency regarding its subsidiary’s contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This development occurs amid escalating concerns about the agency’s enforcement of the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies.

    The multinational corporation, which maintains a workforce exceeding 340,000 across more than 50 countries, entered into an agreement with ICE in December through its U.S.-based subsidiary Capgemini Government Solutions (CGS). Minister Lescure addressed French legislators Tuesday evening, emphasizing that Capgemini must provide comprehensive clarification about its activities and reconsider the ethical implications of this engagement.

    This governmental pressure follows revelations that Capgemini’s CEO Aiman Ezzat only recently became aware of the contract. In a LinkedIn statement, Ezzat acknowledged that the nature of this work has raised significant questions compared to the company’s typical business operations. He revealed that CGS operates under a specialized governance structure that permits handling classified U.S. government work, with strict separation from Capgemini Group operations.

    According to Ezzat, CGS maintains completely independent decision-making processes, firewalled networks, and a board controlled by U.S. directors with security clearances. This structure, mandated by U.S. regulations, prevents the parent company from accessing any classified information or contracts.

    Minister Lescure remained unconvinced by these explanations, asserting that corporate ownership inherently requires knowledge of subsidiary activities. The controversy emerges against the backdrop of intensified immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis, where recent ICE actions resulted in the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens, amplifying scrutiny of the agency’s methods.

  • Gay ice hockey drama ‘Heated Rivalry’ becomes a surprise hit in Russia despite anti-LGBTQ+ laws

    Gay ice hockey drama ‘Heated Rivalry’ becomes a surprise hit in Russia despite anti-LGBTQ+ laws

    LONDON — Defying geopolitical tensions and domestic censorship laws, the LGBTQ+ television drama “Heated Rivalry” has emerged as an unexpected cultural force in Russia despite strict prohibitions on homosexual representation. The series, adapted from Rachel Reid’s 2019 novel, has transformed its previously unknown leads Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie into global icons within weeks of its December 2025 debut.

    The narrative traces the clandestine decade-long romance between Canadian athlete Shane Hollander (Williams) and Russian hockey player Ilya Rozanov (Storrie), blending explicit intimacy with prolonged emotional tension. While officially banned under Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, the show has achieved unprecedented popularity through unofficial channels, recording an 8.6 rating on Russian platform Kinopoisk—surpassing previous record-holders “Breaking Bad” and “Game of Thrones.”

    Mikhail Zygar, a Russian journalist and author who grew up closeted in the Soviet era, identifies the series as transformative cultural resistance. “It shows that people can fall in love and it’s so beautiful,” Zygar noted. “The popularity definitely may change perceptions from the broader audience.”

    This underground popularity emerges against a repressive backdrop: Russia’s Supreme Court recently designated the “international LGBT movement” as extremist, potentially imprisoning supporters for six years. Gender-affirming care and document changes are prohibited, while streaming services routinely censor LGBTQ+ content—from excising transgender characters in “Twin Peaks” to redubbing dialogues in “The Sopranos.”

    Paradoxically, while Russian authorities raid publishing houses for LGBTQ+ materials, Western markets report surging demand. Circana analyst Brenna Conner reported over 100% growth in LGBTQ+ romance unit sales during early 2026, with “Heated Rivalry” driving much of this expansion.

    Zygar interprets the show’s unauthorized popularity as moral resistance: “They’re trying to remain resistant to Putin’s regime’s attempt to brainwash them. They are not ready to agree with official anti-LGBT mantras.” Despite the show’s fictional happy ending, Zygar acknowledges现实 remains bleak for Russia’s LGBTQ+ community, with many seeing emigration as their only option amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict and intensified domestic repression.

  • Europe must act urgently and stop outsourcing defence, says EU’s Kallas

    Europe must act urgently and stop outsourcing defence, says EU’s Kallas

    In a stark assessment of transatlantic relations, EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas has declared that Europe is “no longer Washington’s primary centre of gravity,” signaling a fundamental reorientation in global power dynamics. The warning came during a Brussels defense conference where European leaders grappled with the implications of diminished American focus on European security.

    Kallas emphasized that while the United States remains a vital partner, no great power has ever “outsourced its survival and survived.” She characterized Washington’s strategic pivot away from Europe as a structural rather than temporary shift, urging European nations to transition from thinking as individual states to “acting jointly as Europeans.”

    The address follows contentious remarks from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who dismissed European defense autonomy as unrealistic dreaming. Rutte’s comments provoked immediate pushback from French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who countered that “Europeans can and must take control of their security,” emphasizing that even the United States supports strengthening the European pillar of NATO.

    The recent diplomatic crisis over Greenland exemplifies the deteriorating relations. Former President Donald Trump’s threat to acquire the semi-autonomous Danish territory—and subsequent tariff threats against European allies—highlighted what Kallas termed a “tectonic shift” in the relationship. Though Rutte reportedly helped de-escalate tensions during Davos discussions, the incident exposed fundamental fractures in the alliance.

    EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius, speaking at the same conference, reinforced Kallas’s message, noting that the US now expects Europeans to assume greater defense responsibility as America diminishes its continental presence. He described Europe as “a giant, but a sleeping giant” that must rapidly build defensive independence “without delays and without excuses.”

    The calls for European strategic autonomy come against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has paradoxically strengthened NATO through the accession of Sweden and Finland while simultaneously exposing European defense vulnerabilities. Although NATO members have committed to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 under US pressure, Rutte suggested true autonomy would require 10% of GDP and independent nuclear capabilities—a prospect he warned would sacrifice the “ultimate guarantor of our freedom” in America’s nuclear umbrella.

    The current deliberations represent the most significant reassessment of European security architecture since NATO’s 1949 founding, with leaders grappling with how to maintain alliance cohesion while developing meaningful strategic autonomy in an increasingly multipolar world.

  • Germany trims this year’s growth forecast to 1% as its economy is slow to gather pace

    Germany trims this year’s growth forecast to 1% as its economy is slow to gather pace

    BERLIN — Germany’s federal government has announced a downward revision of its economic growth projections for 2026, signaling a more gradual recovery trajectory than initially anticipated for Europe’s largest economy. Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s administration now projects gross domestic product expansion of approximately 1% this year and 1.3% in 2027, according to Economy Minister Katherina Reiche. This represents a reduction from October’s more optimistic forecasts of 1.3% and 1.4% respectively.

    The revised outlook follows Germany’s return to modest economic growth in the previous year, with preliminary official data indicating a 0.2% expansion after two consecutive years of contraction. The Merz coalition government, which assumed power in May with economic revitalization as a central priority, has implemented multiple stimulus measures including a comprehensive investment encouragement program and a landmark €500 billion ($596 billion) infrastructure modernization fund scheduled for deployment over the next twelve years.

    Additional governmental initiatives include streamlined defense spending approvals, proposed energy price subsidies for energy-intensive industries, regulatory simplification efforts, and accelerated digital transformation programs. Minister Reiche attributed the tempered growth expectations to delayed implementation and impact of these financial and economic policy measures, though she noted emerging data indicates a ‘clear recovery’ underway.

    Germany’s economic challenges stem from multiple factors including intensified competition from Chinese manufacturers in traditional strength sectors like industrial machinery and luxury automobiles, elevated energy costs following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and ongoing trade uncertainties related to tariff policies and international relations.

  • Sarah Mullally confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury, first woman to lead the Church of England

    Sarah Mullally confirmed as archbishop of Canterbury, first woman to lead the Church of England

    In a groundbreaking development for religious leadership, Sarah Mullally was formally confirmed as Archbishop of Canterbury on Wednesday, shattering centuries of tradition by becoming the first woman to lead the Church of England. The 63-year-old former cancer nurse turned cleric assumed her responsibilities during a legal ceremony presided over by judges, finalizing an appointment initially announced nearly four months prior.

    This confirmation service represents a significant evolution for the Church of England, which only began ordaining female priests in 1994 and consecrated its first female bishop in 2015. The church’s progressive stance on gender leadership stands in stark contrast to the Roman Catholic Church, which maintains prohibitions against women serving as priests, let alone global spiritual leaders.

    While the worldwide Anglican Communion lacks a formal head structure, the Archbishop of Canterbury traditionally serves as its spiritual leader across 165 countries encompassing approximately 100 million members. Mullally’s appointment has been hailed as a monumental statement regarding women’s position in religious society, though it simultaneously threatens to exacerbate existing divisions within the global communion.

    The new archbishop faces immediate challenges, including deepening rifts over gender equality and LGBTQ treatment policies. Conservative factions within Anglicanism, notably the Gafcon organization representing traditionalist members, have condemned Mullally’s appointment as divisive. Rwandan Archbishop Laurent Mbanda, chairman of Gafcon’s council of senior bishops, specifically criticized Mullally’s support for blessing same-sex marriages, asserting she “cannot provide leadership to the Anglican Communion” due to these progressive positions.

    Additionally, Mullally must address ongoing sexual abuse scandals that have plagued the church for over a decade, particularly following predecessor Justin Welby’s resignation after criticism for failing to report abuse allegations to authorities.

    The appointment process involved nomination by a 17-member commission of clerics and lay people, with final confirmation granted by King Charles III in his capacity as the church’s Supreme Governor. Mullally’s installation will culminate on March 25 at Canterbury Cathedral, where she will be formally installed as bishop of the diocese of Canterbury, marking the commencement of her public-facing ministry.