Author: DW

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has lifted all sanctions against Russia and Belarus. Both countries had been under sanctions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which involved using Belarusian territory to march on Kyiv. At their general assembly in Seoul, the IPC first voted against a full suspension of Russia on Saturday (111-55, 11 abstentions). It was then followed by a vote against the partial suspension that had been in place (91-77, 8). The same votes were then conducted regarding Belarus, with the partial suspension also lifted. What did the IPC state? “This decision means NPC Belarus and…

Skip next section WATCH — Moldova’s Gagauzia at a crossroads between East and West09/28/2025September 28, 2025WATCH — Moldova’s Gagauzia at a crossroads between East and WestAhead of the parliamentary election on September 28, DW asked some locals in the largely pro-Russian Autonomous Territorial Unit of Gagauzia how they see their future. In the early 1990s, the region of Gagauzia made a push for independence, which ended when the Moldovan government granted it extensive autonomy in 1994. Unlike the rest of Moldova, where Romanian is the main language, many people here speak Russian and consume Russian-language media — giving them strong cultural…

Thousands of protesters gathered in Argentina’s capital, Buenos Aires, on Saturday to call for justice for three young women whose torture and murders were broadcast live on social media. Some demonstrators held placards with the names and pictures of the victims — Morena Verdi and Brenda Del Castillo, cousins aged 20, and 15-year-old Lara Gutierrez. One sign read “It was a narco-feminicide!” “Women must be protected more than ever,” said Del Castillo’s father, Leonel, at the protest.Morena Verdi was one of the three women who was murdered in a case that has rocked ArgentinaImage: Luis Robayo/AFP He had earlier shared that he had…

Georg Stefan Troller, who died on September 27 at the age of 103, lived what could simply be described as a storied life.   An Austrian Jew who escaped the Nazis, he emigrated to the US but returned to Germany to work for the Allied Forces as an interpreter during the liberation of the Dachau concentration camp. Troller would eventually spend the rest of his life in Europe, gaining prominence as a writer and reporter, and especially for his unconventional interviews of international luminaries for German television. Fleeing the Nazis Born on December 10, 1921 to a Jewish furrier family in…

What to know In most cases acetaminophen (the active ingredient in Tylenol) and paracetamol products are the only approved painkillers for use during pregnancy. No high-quality scientific study exists that shows the use of these painkillers in pregnancy causes autism. Medical practitioners have urged pregnant women to seek advice from their trusted medical practitioners when considering appropriate pain relief. “By September we will know what has caused the autism epidemic. And we’ll be able to eliminate those exposures.” So said US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a televised meeting of US President Donald Trump’s cabinet in April 2025.…

Is a suspension of Israel really on the cards? UEFA, European football’s governing body, is reportedly closing in on a suspension of Israel. According to the Associated Press and Britain’s “The Times” newspaper, a majority on the UEFA Executive Committee is prepared to support a suspension. This comes after a group of experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council accused Israel of genocide through its actions in the Gaza Strip. UEFA has not yet issued an official statement but a vote could take place as early as next week. Media reports suggest that Qatar is playing a central role…

The Netherlands announced on Friday that it will give back a collection of thousands of fossils to Indonesia. The collection is made up of over 28,000 fossils, including some of the so-called “Java Man” bones. These are the first known fossils of the Homo erectus, an ancestor to the Homo sapiens species. “At Indonesia’s request, the Netherlands is transferring more than 28,000 fossils from the Dubois collection,” the Dutch government said. The soon to be retrieved fossils are known as the Dubois Collection, named after the Dutch anthropologist Eugene Dubois. Dubois extracted the fossils from Indonesia in 1891, time during…

Slovakia amended its constitution on Friday to enshrine two legal genders. The newly approved amendment states that “the Slovak Republic recognizes only two genders, namely male and female, which are biologically determined.” The move has received harsh criticism from the opposition, who say it will harm the LGBTQ+ community in Slovakia. The leader of the biggest opposition party, the progressive Michal Simecka, called the vote “shameful”. Meanwhile, nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico defended the amendment as “the best response to the collapse of Western societies, where progressivism and liberalism have been given priority.” In Friday’s vote, ninety members of the…

When Juri de Marco lifts his hand and plays a note on his small pocket trumpet, people start singing and making music — in concert halls and on the street. There’s no sheet music necessary; following his hand gestures allow people find their way to a shared sound that’s all their own. What de Marco makes is known as community music. “In high-classical music culture, it’s all about perfection, interpretation and fidelity to the score,” de Marco tells DW. For him, community music means “making music on an equal footing,” where the social interaction between people of different ages and…

The news came in much the same way as previous tariff bombshells from the US president had — suddenly, via social media, and with much left unclear. In a post on his social media site late on Thursday, Donald Trump announced  steep new tariffs on US pharmaceutical imports. “Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product, unless a Company IS BUILDING their Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in America,” he wrote on Truth Social. So far, pharmaceutical goods have been exempt from the so-called reciprocal tariffs Trump announced back in April. That was…