Global Pulse

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  • IOC criticised for selling Nazi-era Olympics T-shirt

    IOC criticised for selling Nazi-era Olympics T-shirt

    The International Olympic Committee faces mounting criticism from German officials for marketing T-shirts featuring designs from the controversial 1936 Berlin Olympics, widely recognized as a propaganda vehicle for Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime. The apparel, currently listed as out-of-stock in the official Olympic online shop, displayed the original poster artwork by Franz Würbel depicting a laurel-wreathed male figure above the Brandenburg Gate with the inscription “Germany Berlin 1936 Olympic Games.”

    Klara Schedlich, sports policy spokesperson for the Green Party in Berlin’s House of Representatives, condemned the commercialization as historically insensitive, stating to German press agency DPA that “the 1936 Olympic Games were a central propaganda tool of the Nazi regime.” She accused the IOC of insufficient historical reflection and criticized the imagery selection as fundamentally problematic without proper contextualization.

    The IOC defended the items as part of its Heritage Collection, which commemorates 130 years of Olympic art and design spanning all editions of the Games. A spokesperson acknowledged the historical issues of Nazi propaganda while emphasizing the athletic achievements of the 1936 event, particularly highlighting Jesse Owens’ four gold medals that challenged Nazi ideologies of Aryan supremacy. The Committee noted that contextual information is provided at the Olympic Museum in Lausanne and that production of the 1936 designs was strictly limited.

  • Police in France detain 9 people in suspected massive Louvre ticket fraud scheme

    Police in France detain 9 people in suspected massive Louvre ticket fraud scheme

    French authorities have uncovered an elaborate ticket fraud operation at the Louvre Museum in Paris, resulting in the detention of nine individuals including two museum employees. The sophisticated scheme, estimated to have cost the world’s most visited museum over €10 million ($11.8 million) during the past decade, involved the systematic reuse of tickets for Chinese tourist groups.

    The investigation began after Louvre officials filed a formal complaint in December 2024, leading to Tuesday’s arrests. Those detained include several tour guides and the alleged mastermind behind the operation. The fraud came to light when museum security noticed two Chinese tour guides frequently bringing groups into the museum while suspiciously avoiding proper ticket procedures.

    According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, surveillance operations and wiretaps revealed that guides would split tour groups to evade mandatory speaking fees and repeatedly use the same tickets for different visitors. The investigation further uncovered internal corruption, with Louvre employees allegedly accepting cash payments to bypass ticket verification checks.

    The judicial investigation, launched in June 2023, involves charges of organized fraud, money laundering, corruption, aiding illegal entry, and use of forged documents. Authorities estimate the network may have processed up to 20 tour groups daily over the past ten years.

    Law enforcement has seized substantial assets connected to the case, including €957,000 ($1.13 million) in cash—€67,000 of which was in foreign currency—and an additional €486,000 ($576,374) from frozen bank accounts. Investigators believe suspects invested illicit proceeds in real estate holdings in France and Dubai.

    The prosecutor’s office also indicated similar ticket fraud may have occurred at the Palace of Versailles, though no specific details were provided. This scandal follows another major security incident at the Louvre in October, when thieves stole €88 million worth of crown jewels during visiting hours, a case that remains unsolved.

  • Canada enters women’s Olympic hockey quarterfinals beating Finland, rebounding from loss to US

    Canada enters women’s Olympic hockey quarterfinals beating Finland, rebounding from loss to US

    MILAN — The atmosphere at Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena shifted palpably as Canada’s women’s hockey team delivered a powerful statement just days before the Olympic quarterfinals. Their emphatic 5-0 victory over Finland on Thursday served as both a psychological reset and competitive declaration following their historic 5-0 defeat to Team USA earlier in the week.

    The defending Olympic champions showcased remarkable resilience, with Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet” becoming the day’s anthem as Canada secured the second seed in Group A. The victory sets up a quarterfinal encounter with Germany on Saturday, while simultaneously erasing doubts about the team’s championship mentality.

    Forward Laura Stacey articulated the team’s mindset: “We needed a good message to be sent, honestly to everybody, but more importantly ourselves. We know what we can do. Obviously, it wasn’t our best game the other night. But this is the Olympics here, and we regrouped.”

    The preliminary round concluded with tournament-favored Team USA dominating all four matches by a combined 20-1 scoreline, earning them a quarterfinal meeting with host Italy. The Italian squad, making only its second Olympic appearance, features numerous North American players with Italian heritage, including Canadian-born leading scorer Kristin Della Rovere.

    Meanwhile, third-seeded Czechia faces Group B winner Sweden in what promises to be a compelling matchup. Czechia’s program has flourished under coach Carla MacLeod, earning consecutive bronze medals at recent world championships. Sweden, seeking to reestablish its women’s hockey prominence twenty years after their silver medal performance, enters the knockout stage with a perfect 4-0 record and an 18-2 goal differential.

    Finland and Switzerland complete the quarterfinal pairings in a matchup of Group A’s fourth and fifth-place finishers. Finland captain Michelle Karvinen emphasized the fresh start mentality: “It’s a quarterfinal, everything is on the line and it’s going to be a totally different game.”

  • ‘My son is dead’: Swiss bar owners confronted by fire victim families

    ‘My son is dead’: Swiss bar owners confronted by fire victim families

    Swiss bar proprietors Jessica and Jacques Moretti now confront severe legal repercussions and profound personal confrontations with grieving families following a devastating fire incident. The couple faces formal criminal investigation on multiple charges including involuntary manslaughter, bodily harm, and arson through negligence.

    The case emerged from a tragic fire that resulted in fatalities, including the son of one family who directly confronted the Morettis with the heartbreaking declaration ‘My son is dead.’ This emotional encounter highlights the profound human tragedy underlying the legal proceedings.

    Swiss authorities are conducting a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the fire, examining whether proper safety protocols were maintained at the establishment. The negligence charges suggest investigators believe preventable failures may have contributed to the tragedy’s severity.

    The case has sparked broader discussions about business owner responsibilities and public safety enforcement in Switzerland’s hospitality sector. Local community members have expressed both sympathy for the victims’ families and concerns about how such tragedies can occur in supposedly regulated environments.

    Legal experts indicate that if convicted, the Morettis could face significant penalties under Swiss law, where negligence-based offenses carrying particularly severe consequences when resulting in loss of life. The investigation continues as authorities work to determine the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the proprietors’ responsibility.

  • Another Olympic relay, another gold for Germany. The US finishes 5th in luge’s finale at 2026 Games

    Another Olympic relay, another gold for Germany. The US finishes 5th in luge’s finale at 2026 Games

    CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Germany has once again asserted its supremacy in Olympic luge, capturing the team relay gold medal at the Milan Cortina Winter Games on Thursday night. The victory extends Germany’s perfect record in the event since its Olympic introduction, maintaining an unbroken streak of four consecutive gold medals.

    The championship team featured an assembly of individual medalists: women’s singles gold medalist Julia Taubitz, men’s singles champion Max Langenhan, women’s doubles silver medalists Dajana Eitberger and Magdalena Matschina, and men’s doubles bronze medalists Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt. Their collective effort secured the top podium position with a combined time of 3 minutes, 41.672 seconds.

    This victory marks a historic seventh Olympic gold for the legendary doubles pair of Wendl and Arlt, comprising three doubles titles and four relay championships.

    Austria claimed the silver medal with a time of 3:42.214, while host nation Italy delighted the home crowd by earning bronze in 3:42.521. Latvia finished fourth, followed by the United States in fifth place.

    The competition concluded with a poignant demonstration by the Ukrainian team, whose six athletes all took a knee upon crossing the finish line. In a unified gesture, they raised their helmets skyward in tribute to compatriot skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych, who was disqualified earlier Thursday for wearing a helmet honoring those who have died in Ukraine since Russia’s 2022 invasion.

    The team relay format requires each nation to complete one run with all four sled types (women’s singles, men’s singles, women’s doubles, and men’s doubles). Competitors must slap an overhead pad upon finishing to activate the starting gate for the next teammate or stop the final clock.

    With this victory, Taubitz and Langenhan become the only double gold medalists in luge at these Games. Germany solidified its overall dominance with three golds among its five total medals. Italy collected four medals (two gold, two bronze), matching Austria’s count (three silver, one bronze).

    The World Cup circuit continues with two remaining events in St. Moritz, Switzerland (February 28-March 1) and Altenberg, Germany (March 7-8), though participation levels for many teams remain uncertain.

  • Artist behind banned Ukrainian Olympic helmet calls Heraskevych’s tribute ‘great heroism’

    Artist behind banned Ukrainian Olympic helmet calls Heraskevych’s tribute ‘great heroism’

    KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych has been barred from competing in the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics following his refusal to stop wearing a specially designed helmet memorializing Ukrainian athletes and coaches killed since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

    The helmet, painted by Kyiv-based artist Iryna Prots, features detailed portraits of more than 20 individuals from Ukraine’s sporting community who lost their lives during the conflict. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) deemed the helmet in violation of regulations prohibiting political statements at the Games.

    In an interview with The Associated Press, Prots praised Heraskevych’s decision to prioritize honoring the deceased over Olympic participation, calling it “a great act of heroism.”

    “He could have refused. He could have said, ‘Fine, I’ll wear another helmet and fight for a medal,’” Prots stated. “But he didn’t. To stand up for his truth—that is great heroism.”

    The project was a personal departure for Prots, who typically paints Tuscan landscapes exhibited in Italy. She expressed frustration at what she perceives as a lack of awareness among Europeans regarding the ongoing realities of the war.

    “I understand that when a war is somewhere far away, people get used to it,” she remarked. “They have their own lives. But we are fighting every day. Fighting to survive.”

    Prots described the emotional intensity of creating the helmet, working from photographs of the fallen. “This is pain—pain for our country,” she shared. “For the fact that we lost Olympic champions, essentially, and coaches who were raising this generation of Olympic champions.”

    She also questioned the continuation of international sporting events like the Olympics while conflict persists. “The Olympics are supposed to symbolize peace,” Prots noted. “But today it’s hard for me to understand how there is celebration, anthems, dancing and singing, while we live under air raid sirens and bombs.”

    Despite ongoing air attacks on Kyiv, Prots continues to paint, viewing her art as an act of resilience. “I keep painting beauty and nature,” she said. “It’s a form of resistance of my soul—believing that peace will return.”

  • As Guatemala begins high-stakes court elections, agents raid voting sites

    As Guatemala begins high-stakes court elections, agents raid voting sites

    Guatemala’s fragile democracy faced renewed strain on Thursday as prosecutors from the internationally criticized Attorney General’s office raided voting locations during crucial judicial elections. The operation, occurring simultaneously with the election of magistrates to the country’s highest court, sparked immediate condemnation from President Bernardo Arévalo and international observers.

    Prosecutor Leonor Morales, who faces U.S. sanctions for previously attempting to overturn Arévalo’s 2023 presidential victory, led the controversial raids. Morales refused to disclose details about the investigation, ordering media removal from the premises while her team temporarily blocked lawyers attempting to vote.

    President Arévalo characterized the actions as “a new attempt to undermine institutions and disrupt the normal functioning of the rule of law” in a social media address. He urged citizens not to be intimidated, declaring that “Guatemala’s democracy is not negotiable, it will not be intimidated, and it will not be taken away.”

    The Constitutional Court subsequently issued an injunction limiting the Attorney General’s office from intervening in the election process while permitting their investigation to continue. The Organization of American States observation mission condemned the raids as “an extremely high constitutional risk” that represents a “pattern of institutional instrumentalization” eroding public trust and judicial independence.

    These elections determine the composition of Guatemala’s Constitutional Court, the nation’s highest judicial body whose decisions are final. The court has served as both a democratic safeguard and a subject of corruption concerns throughout Guatemala’s prolonged anti-corruption struggle. Current magistrates are seeking reelection despite criticism from human rights advocates who describe recent court composition as comprising “dark characters” who have hindered justice system advances.

    The judicial appointments occur alongside the impending replacement of Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who faces international sanctions for undermining democracy. Porras, accused of protecting former presidents from corruption investigations, is ironically seeking election as a Constitutional Court magistrate. President Arévalo has previously emphasized that these selections represent an “important and critical” moment for Guatemalan democracy, with the nation’s democratic development hanging in the balance.

    International observers from both the Organization of American States and European Union are closely monitoring the process, recognizing its profound implications for judicial independence and the rule of law in Central America’s most populous nation.

  • One Extraordinary Photo: Golden moment as Italy celebrates luge win

    One Extraordinary Photo: Golden moment as Italy celebrates luge win

    CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Aijaz Rahi, an accomplished photojournalist and photo editor with over thirty years of experience at The Associated Press, has chronicled some of the world’s most significant events. Based in Bangalore, his extensive career spans conflict zones in Kashmir and Afghanistan, major news across South Asia, and premier global sporting events including the soccer World Cup, the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, and multiple Cricket World Cups.

    His recent work at the Winter Olympics produced a powerful image that encapsulates the essence of athletic triumph. The photograph in question captures the raw, unfiltered emotion of Italian luge athletes the instant they clinched a gold medal on their home turf. It is a moment of pure, unadulterated joy and national pride, representing the ultimate payoff of years of dedication.

    The technical execution of the shot was as deliberate as it was challenging. Rahi stationed himself directly at the finish area, enduring freezing temperatures to secure a head-on vantage point. This strategic positioning was crucial to immortalize the competitors’ immediate, visceral reactions as they completed their run. The composition naturally frames the medalists at the center while their elated teammates lean in from the sides, creating a layered narrative that emphasizes collective achievement and shared emotion.

    The photograph’s power lies in its masterful fusion of dynamic action and profound human sentiment. The athletes’ ecstatic expressions instantly telegraph victory and relief, while the surrounding team members provide crucial context, adding depth to the story of a shared triumph. The tightly cropped composition eliminates distractions, pulling the viewer directly into the intensity of the celebration and fostering a tangible connection to the pinnacle of Olympic success.

  • Norway’s former PM charged with gross corruption over Epstein links

    Norway’s former PM charged with gross corruption over Epstein links

    Norwegian authorities have formally charged former Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland with ‘gross corruption’ following investigations into his associations with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The charges emerged after the Council of Europe revoked Jagland’s diplomatic immunity, which he held during his tenure as secretary general from 2009 to 2019.

    According to police documents, the investigation centers on Jagland’s interactions with Epstein between 2011 and 2018. Evidence includes emails released by the US Department of Justice indicating Jagland planned multiple visits to Epstein’s properties in Paris, New York, and Palm Beach following Epstein’s conviction for child sex offenses. Records show Epstein covered travel expenses for Jagland and his family, including a planned 2014 Caribbean island trip that was ultimately canceled due to Epstein’s illness.

    Norwegian economic crime unit Økokrim conducted searches at three of Jagland’s properties in Oslo, Risør, and Rauland. The former leader, who also chaired the Norwegian Nobel Committee, maintains his innocence through legal representation. His lawyer stated Jagland denies criminal liability and remains willing to cooperate with investigators.

    The case forms part of a broader Scandinavian investigation into Epstein connections that has implicated several high-profile Norwegian figures. Crown Princess Mette-Marit publicly apologized for her three-year correspondence with Epstein, while diplomats Mona Juul and Terje Rød-Larsen face separate corruption investigations related to alleged financial arrangements. World Economic Forum CEO Borge Brende, another former Norwegian foreign minister, is undergoing independent review regarding his interactions with Epstein.

    The Epstein files release has triggered international repercussions, with the latest document tranche containing millions of emails, images, and FBI reports exposing connections between the financier and global elites before his 2019 death while awaiting trial for sex trafficking.

  • US man found not guilty of father’s murder by reason of insanity

    US man found not guilty of father’s murder by reason of insanity

    In a landmark ruling from the Republic of Ireland, a 31-year-old American man has been acquitted of murdering his father on the grounds of insanity. Henry McGowan, a resident of Clinton Street in Brooklyn, New York, was declared not criminally responsible for the fatal attack on his 66-year-old father, John McGowan, which occurred on November 12, 2024, within the premises of the luxurious Ballyfin Demesne hotel.

    The Central Criminal Court was presented with unanimous psychiatric evidence from both defense and prosecution consultants, confirming that McGowan was experiencing an acute episode of schizoaffective disorder during the incident. The court learned that the tragedy unfolded during a European trip where Henry had suffered a severe mental health relapse. His father had urgently traveled from the United States to Ireland on what was described as a ‘mission of mercy’ to repatriate his son for medical care.

    According to reports from Irish national broadcaster RTÉ, the sequence of events began on November 11 when Henry McGowan arrived in Dublin and exhibited erratic behavior, including allegedly running from Dublin Airport to the city center. The following day, he sought treatment at Mater Hospital where he received prescription medication. Despite these interventions, the situation escalated dramatically when Henry, experiencing a psychotic episode, killed his father just hours after their emotional reunion.

    The case has been adjourned until February 20, when the court will reconvene to review proposed treatment arrangements and rehabilitation programs for Henry McGowan, who remains under medical supervision.