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Ukraine helmet row, skating upsets and Team GB drought as Madrid tractor protests, EU existential warnings, Trump coal push and Aussie Liberal knife-fight collide with Van Der Beek death and Buffalo crash remembrance
Ukraine skeleton racer barred over “helmet of memory”
Ukrainian skeleton racer Vladyslav Heraskevych was removed from the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics after refusing to stop wearing a “helmet of memory” showing images of Ukrainians killed since Russia’s 2022 invasion. The IOC said it violated rules banning political demonstrations at competition venues, revoked his accreditation shortly before the men’s skeleton event, and offered alternatives like a black armband. Heraskevych condemned the decision and said the rule was being applied inconsistently.
Danny Murphy’s “keep Dyche” take ages like warm milk
BBC pundit Danny Murphy was criticised after saying on Match of the Day that Nottingham Forest should keep Sean Dyche, shortly before Dyche was sacked. Owner Evangelos Marinakis made the call after a 0–0 home draw with Wolves, leaving Forest 17th and marking their third managerial change of the season. Dyche leaves after 114 days, with six wins from 18 league matches and two victories in his final 10 games.
Spanish farmers flood Madrid with tractors over EU–Mercosur deal
Hundreds of tractors and thousands of farmers drove into Madrid to protest the EU–Mercosur free trade agreement with Latin American countries.
Trump orders Pentagon to buy coal power
President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to purchase electricity produced by coal-fired power plants, part of a broader push to support domestic coal production.
James Van Der Beek dies at 48
Actor James Van Der Beek, known for Dawson’s Creek, Varsity Blues, and The Rules of Attraction, died at 48 after bowel cancer. Celebrities posted tributes on social media following the news.
Speed skating chaos, Wennemars derailed, Stolz wins gold
Dutch champion Joep Wennemars had his men’s 1,000 metres medal hopes disrupted at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics after contact with China’s Lian Ziwen during a lane change. Wennemars finished fifth in 1:07.58, then reacted angrily and pushed Lian when he approached. Officials disqualified Lian for impeding and granted a re-run, but Wennemars skated slower (1:08.46), leaving his original time as his final result. American Jordan Stolz won gold in an Olympic record 1:06.28, with the Netherlands’ Jenning De Boo silver and China’s Ning Zhongyan bronze.
Varoufakis warns EU faces federation or euro unravelling
Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis said the EU is stuck between moving toward a federation and the euro unraveling, arguing that weak fiscal policy and limited investment capacity are fueling Europe’s gradual disintegration.
Australia’s Liberals brace for another leadership knife fight
Sussan Ley, widely viewed as a stopgap Liberal leader, is now under pressure and could lose the leadership ballot, with Angus Taylor seen as the likely successor. Ley has struggled to project authority amid ideological divisions, worsening polls, and internal undermining from conservative factions, while tensions with the Nationals have added strain. Taylor would inherit the same unstable landscape, with powerbrokers and rivals, including Andrew Hastie, positioned to challenge if support slips.
Team GB figure skating medal drought continues
Britain’s Lilah Fear and Lewis Gibson fell from fourth to seventh in the Olympic ice dance final in Milan after Fear stumbled during the twizzle sequence in their Scottish-themed free dance. France’s Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron won gold, ahead of Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, with Canadians Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier taking bronze.
Remembering the 2009 Buffalo plane crash
On Feb. 12, 2009, a Continental Airlines turboprop commuter plane crashed into a house near Buffalo, New York, killing 50 people, including one person inside the home.
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This podcast is a fully automated experiment in AI-generated content. Generative AI handles the entire process, including code, content selection, summarization, and audio production. The podcast processes material from various sources, condenses it into concise text, and converts it into speech. No human intervention is involved in the production process.
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