When I left New York for Madrid, starting a new life with my then boyfriend, I was definitely looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses. Despite being the daughter of migrants from the Caribbean, it seemed like a relatively easy choice to settle into undocumented status once my tourist visa expired, all in the name of love and adventure. I understood that my US passport conferred many privileges that would buoy me.
The procession consists of 120 floats, including 'persiflage floats' satirical, mocking floats that are the centerpiece of the event. As usual, some of the world's major politicians will be symbolically roasted. Float builders use the occasion to make movable works of art that are humorous yet scathing critiques that are often social or political in nature. Parade director Marc Michelske presented some of the Cologne Festival Committee's float themes in the lead-up to this year's Carnival.
Russia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that it had summoned the German Ambassador's representative to inform them that it had declared a staff member at the German Embassy persona non grata. The ministry linked the move to a decision by the German government to expel an employee of the Russian Embassy in Berlin last month on espionage allegations which Russia rejects. It called Thursday's move a 'symmetrical response' and said that Germany bore 'full responsibility for the new escalation in bilateral relations.'
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is on a three-day visit to the Gulf region as Germany seeks closer partnerships on business, energy and security. DW has the latest. Merz met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on Thursday Image: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance Skip next section What you need to know Chancellor Friedrich Merz is in Doha on his second stop of a three-day visit to the Gulf region On Wednesday, Merz met with the Saudi Crown Prince seeking 'new level' in ties
Chinese state-owned carmaker Chery is pressing ahead with its rapid UK expansion by launching a fourth brand in the British market, underlining its ambition to become a long-term player in one of Europe's most competitive automotive landscapes. The group confirmed it will introduce vehicles under the Lepas brand, a new line focused on battery-electric and hybrid SUVs aimed at younger families. While Lepas is being developed primarily with Europe in mind, the UK will be one of its early launch markets.
Ukraine, Russia, and the United States are set to begin the second day of talks in Abu Dhabi, aiming to end Moscow's full-scale invasion, which has lasted nearly four years. The first day of trilateral talks in the Emirati capital concluded on Wednesday with Kyiv describing the negotiations as "substantive and productive," though there was no apparent breakthrough. The main stumbling block in the negotiations is the fate of the territory in eastern Ukraine.
The national rail bridge that spans Balham High Road, next to Balham station, has been given a deep clean and a new lighting scheme to improve its appearance. The bridge is the latest to benefit from Wandsworth Council's £2m schedule of improvements to rail bridges and underpasses, which is being funded by its contributions from local property developers.
A busy day for European markets, with the Bank of England and European Central Bank rate decisions set to provide further catalysts into an already volatile and unpredictable market that has seen sharp tech and precious metal declines over the past week. In Europe, the selling pressure seen for many of the US tech names has highlighted the benefits of the European indices which are often less tech-focused and more aligned with the real economy.
The European Union is considering imposing an outright maritime ban on services needed to ship Russian oil, such as insurance and transportation, as part of a new sanctions package marking four years of Russia's war.
Gold recorded its second consecutive recovery session and is currently trading around USD 4,970 per ounce, indicating that dip-buying demand remains present after the sharp sell-off that previously pushed prices down toward USD 4,400 per ounce. The current price action suggests that market sentiment has gradually stabilized, as investors begin to reassess the recent decline as being relatively rapid and driven more by technical factors rather than a fundamental deterioration in underlying conditions.
The swish of feet on clay and sand has a soothing, rhythmic feel, as wrestlers at a sumo stable in Tokyo propel themselves across the ring, their bodies low, eyes fixed on an imaginary foe. But by the time their morning training ends an hour later, all but one of the rikishi are bathed in sweat, gulping lungfuls of air, their strength waning with every shove.
According to the jury chaired by Smiljan Radić, the finalist projects are exemplary contributions to the future of European architecture, demonstrating how the discipline can respond simultaneously to specific local conditions and broader social, cultural, and environmental challenges. The selected works range from interventions in former industrial sites, small villages, and peripheral urban areas to carefully calibrated projects within larger cities.
The European Central Bank (ECB) held its key interest rates unchanged following the February meeting of the Governing Council, in line with Cebr projections. This marks the fifth consecutive hold, despite a below-target inflation reading of 1.7% in January, the lowest level since 2021. The decision to hold rates also comes despite a recent Euro rally against the dollar, which is expected to add disinflationary pressure through cheaper imports and weigh on growth by making the bloc's exports more expensive.
The government is preparing a series of measures including a social media ban for under-16s, the prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said, promising to protect children from the digital wild west and hold tech companies responsible for hateful and harmful content. Sanchez said on Tuesday that urgent action was needed because social media was a failed state where laws are ignored and crimes are tolerated.
A Hungarian court has jailed a German anti-fascist activist for eight years for attacking participants at a far-right rally in Budapest. Maja T, 25, was sentenced on Wednesday after being convicted of involvement in violence ahead of the annual Day of Honour commemoration in Budapest. The event is one of the biggest neo-Nazi rallies in Europe. The defendant was accused of attempted aggravated bodily harm causing life-threatening injuries and assault committed as part of a criminal organisation.
On Wednesday (February 4, 2026), Maja T.*, an anti-fascist activist from the eastern German city of Jena (Thuringia), was found guilty by a court in Hungary of having attacked and seriously injured several suspected right-wing extremists in Budapest in February 2023. The attacks had apparently been directed at individuals thought to have participated in the annual "Day of Honor" rally of neo-Nazis from all over Europe, held in the Hungarian capital.
