Author: DW

What has happened between India and Pakistan? India and Pakistan are engaged in conflict in Kashmir, a disputed territory between the two countries. Parts of Kashmir are controlled by India, Pakistan and China. India has carried out airstrikes, which it says targeted militant groups in the region in recent days, with Pakistan describing them as an “act of war” and vowing to retaliate. Both sides have since been launching attacks on each other. The current flashpoint started in April when 26 tourists in India-administered Kashmir were killed. But the region has been disputed for centuries, eventually leading to the current uneasy three-way administration.How India-Pakistan tit-for-tat military…

US President Donald Trump can feel vindicated: Germany’s new foreign minister, Johann Wadephul, said this week that the government had accepted the president’s demand to invest 5% of GDP in defense. Speaking at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Antalya, Turkey, on Thursday, Wadephul also said Germany would support NATO’s proposal to provide 3.5% for classic military purposes and an additional 1.5% for defense-related infrastructure. However, it will likely only become clear exactly how much all the members of the security alliance plan to invest at a NATO summit scheduled for the end of June in The Hague, Netherlands. Wadephul’s comments…

A Mexican Navy training sailing ship Cuauhtemoc collided with the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City on Saturday. The top of the ship’s three masts slammed into the iconic span, partially collapsing as the boat floated in the East River. At least 22 people were injured, three critically, in the accident, according to a statement from the Mexican Navy. “No personnel fell into the water, so it was not necessary to activate rescue operations,” the statement added. Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said that 19 people were injured in the crash, four of them seriously, but…

Israel and Hamas said ceasefire talks have resumed in Qatar – even as Israeli forces ramped up a bombing campaign and mobilised for a massive new ground assault.Earlier, the Israeli military said it had been “conducting extensive strikes and mobilising troops” as part of preparations to expand operations in Gaza.Israel’s defence minister Israel Katz said Hamas had “refused to discuss negotiations without a cessation of the war”, but after the airstrikes and the mobilisation of forces the militant group’s representatives “have agreed to sit in a room and seriously discuss the deal”.”Israel emphasises that if the talks do not progress,…

Donald Trump has kept the world on edge in his second term as the US president. Tariffs are just one part of his agenda, but that alone has already triggered market upheavals and threatens the very foundations of global trade. Export-dependent countries like Germany — and especially its automotive industry — are feeling the pressure. Around 3.4 million passenger vehicles were exported from Germany in 2024, with the United States being the largest single market, according to data compiled by the German statistics office, Destatis. The president of Germany’s ifo economic think tank, Clemens Fuest, told Reuters this was why higher…

“I’m very nervous,” the 41-year-old director and screenwriter Mascha Schilinski told Berlin public broadcaster RBB earlier this week. “I’m insanely happy, but the nervousness outweighs that.” She had hoped that “Sound of Falling” would be screened at a major festival, and felt it deserved that distinction. “But I didn’t really expect it. It’s a filmmaker’s dream!” Now Schilinski is fulfilling that dream at the 78th Cannes International Film Festival, which runs from May 13 to 25. German directors at Cannes have been, as the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung noted sardonically, “at times harder to find than a decent lunch for less than…

The first people to colonize the Americas migrated from modern-day Russia about 20,000 to 30,000 years ago, a new study has found. Published on May 15 in the journal Science, the study suggests the languages ​​and traditions of Indigenous groups living in the Americas today can be traced back to these early settlers. Traces of their cultures exist in the genes of modern Indigenous groups. The study also found that the early settlers split into groups that became isolated in different environmental settings. The findings provide a new genetic and cultural understanding of present-day South American communities, said the researchers. “[It fills] key gaps in our understanding of how the diverse…

Through its financial strength, political connections and media, India has long had a considerable influence over how cricket is played, broadcast, and governed across the globe. Concerns over what that means for other competing nations have increased following the unopposed election of the politically-connected Jay Shah as the chair of the International Cricket Council (ICC) last December. Shah still serves as secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Billion-dollar stake in the ICC The BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world and runs the Indian Premier League (IPL), one of sport’s richest and most successful…

Voters in Poland go to the polls on May 18 for the first round of the presidential election. But the ballot is not just about whether the left-wing liberal Rafal Trzaskowski or the national-conservative Karol Nawrocki, the two front-runners, will become the country’s next president. There is much more at stake in this election. The outcome of the presidential election will determine whether the pro-European, center-left government led by Donald Tusk can take forward its plans, which have been stymied by President Andrzej Duda since the government was elected about 18 months ago. Although the Polish head of state does…

Former FBI Director James Comey was interviewed on Friday by the US Secret Service following an Instagram post that supporters of President Donald Trump claimed was a veiled threat on the president’s life. The now-deleted post showed seashells arranged to form the shapes “86 47.” Comey posted it with a comment: “Cool shell formation on my beach walk.” Trump supporters interpreted it as a call to harm the 47th president. Merriam-Webster dictionary says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” The dictionary publisher also said one of the recent adoptions also means…