EUROPE ONLINE

Russia confident of Olympic participation;

Berlin (dpa) - The president of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) says he is confident that the country‘s athletes will not be banned from competing at the Rio Olympic Games on the day doping allegations were made against the swimming

Italian sports court clears 8 Olympic athletes of

Rome (dpa) - Eight out of 26 Italian Olympic athletes who risked skipping the summer games in Rio de Jaineiro for breaking doping test regulations were cleared on Monday of all charges by a sports tribunal.Former world silver medallist long-jumper

NEWS FEATURE Early rises on agenda as Bolt targets

The quickest man in the world is an early-riser with training sessions scheduled before the sun comes up to aid the bid for more Olympic gold in Rio.Kingston (dpa) - A noisy tin roof bangs in the wind of a sports hall where a man is holding court.

REFILE NEWS FEATURE Syrian refugee swimmer dreams

Going to the Olympic Games is a goal for many athletes but teenage Syrian swimmer Yusra Mardini, currently a refugee in Berlin, is dreaming of an extra special participation.Berlin (dpa) - Teenage prodigies are far from unique in sport but young

NEWS FEATURE Syrian refugee swimmer dreams of Rio

IOC: «Work to do» but Pyeongchang making good

Berlin (dpa) - The 2018 Winter Olympics host Pyeongchang still has "a lot of work to do" but Olympic officials are satisfied with preparations some two years ahead of the Games.The International Olympic Committee (IOC) coordination commission ended a

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NEWS

1ST LEAD German, Italian ministers envision

Vienna/Rome (dpa) - The interior ministers of Italy and Germany suggested on Tuesday that the European Union could reach migration swap deals with North African countries similar to the bloc‘s agreement with Turkey.While Syrian refugees had not

Business

EXTRA Merkel joins global groups in call for

Berlin (dpa) - The leaders of the world‘s top five multi-lateral economic organizations call for "decisive measures and a new approach mix" to address rising global unemployment and weaker economic growth at a meeting in Berlin hosted by German

BACKGROUND Armenia, Azerbaijan fight for decades

Moscow (dpa) - Armenia and neighbouring Azerbaijan have been locked in a decades-long dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.The mountainous region, which has a mostly Christian Armenian population, comprises about 4,500 square kilometers within

EXTRA German minister envisions migrant deals with

Vienna (dpa) - The European Union could reach migration swap deals with North African countries that would be modelled on the bloc‘s agreement with Turkey, German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere says.Syrian refugees have not yet shifted

US adds Paris attack suspect Abdeslam to terrorist

Washington (dpa) - The US formally added a suspect in November‘s terrorist attacks in Paris to its list of designated terrorists on Tuesday.Salah Abdeslam was placed on the US State Department‘s list of specially designated global

EU Commission wants to shake up bloc's asylum

Brussels/Dresden (dpa) - The European Union‘s executive is due this week to lay out options aimed at ensuring a better distribution of refugees across the bloc, after its asylum system broke down last year amid a migration surge into