Author: DW

Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner of war exchange on Saturday, the fourth such exchange in a week. Earlier in June, both countries reached an agreement in Istanbul that included a series of swaps. “We continue bringing our people home from Russian captivity,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post. “Many of the guys who returned to Ukraine today had been held captive since 2022,” he added, without mentioning the number of prisoners. Russia’s Defense Ministry also did not say how many prisoners of war were involved in the swap with Ukraine. Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials responsible for exchanging prisoners…

Gunmen killed at least 100 people in the Yelewata village in Nigeria’s Benue state late Friday, Amnesty International Nigeria said. “Many people are still missing…dozens injured and left without adequate medical care. Many families were locked up and burnt inside their bedrooms,” the human rights organization said in a social media post. Police spokesperson Udeme Edet from Benue confirmed the attack but did not specify the death toll. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack.  Governor of Benue state Hyacinth Alia sent a delegation to Yelewata to provide support to the relatives of the victims. Visuals circulated…

Child labor remains a global scourge. Although there has been significant progress in reducing it since 2000, the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic and international conflicts have pushed millions of families into poverty and threatened to halt advancements. However, the latest UNICEF and International Labour Organization ILO) report on the topic notes a decline compared with the last report four years ago, with 138 million involved in child labor in 2025, down from 160 million. “The findings of our report offer hope and show that progress is possible,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo, in a press release. “But we must not be blindsided by the fact that…

Coffee’s pop icon status is firmly established — from Starbucks’ iconic Frappuccino turning 30 this year to the latest Tiktok trends leading us to try Dalgona or cloud coffee. But beyond fads, coffee has been brewed in ceremonies and sipped in salons across time and geography. Its history is steeped in colonialism; establishments serving it have also fueled revolutionary thinkers. Today, rising global temperatures and erratic rainfall are hitting farmers hard, leading coffee prices to soar to record highs. But the beverage remains — at least for now — an intrinsic part of world culture. Here’s a (non-exhaustive) look at how and why it came to be that around 2 billion cups of coffee are reportedly drunk…

Blood reserves are in short supply around the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), blood donation services in many countries are simply unable to meet demands for collecting and storing healthy blood. Germany’s Red Cross (DRK) estimates that some 112 million annual donations are required to cover the need. The DRK adds that one blood donation can be enough to help up to three injured or extremely ill patients. Blood donations, however, vary greatly according to national wealth, with 40% of 118.5 million annual donations coming from high-income countries that make up only 16% of the world’s population.…

Entering his first major tournament since taking over as Germany coach last summer, Christian Wück has gone with a good deal of experience in his 23-player squad for the July 2-27 European Championship in Switzerland. Captain Giulia Gwinn and Bayern Munich teammate Lea Schüller, as well as Sara Däbritz and Kathrin Hendrich, are among 11 players who were part of the Germany team that made the final in England in 2022 — where they finished second after being defeated 2-1 by the hosts. Also included in the squad is Freiburg’s 20-year-old attacking talent Cora Zicai. ‘Joy, enthusiasm and conviction’ In a statement…

The reactions came quickly. Only a few hours after Israel’s early morning attack on Iran, the Saudi Foreign Ministry voiced its opinion. “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Israeli aggressions against the brotherly Islamic Republic of Iran,” it said in a statement.  Saudi Arabia is in a tricky position. For years, there have been efforts to bring Israel closer to Arab nations in its neighborhood, especially the wealthy Gulf states. This was the primary aim of the US-sponsored, so-called Abraham Accords. These did eventually improve relationships between Israel and several nations, including Bahrain and…

The latest flareup intensified Friday when Israel launched a targeted strike on Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility, killing several senior military commanders and nuclear scientists. Tehran then retaliated to Israel’s large-scale attacks with waves of missile strikes on Friday evening and early on Saturday.  The attacks in an already unstable region have caused widespread concern across Europe.  NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasized the urgency of avoiding further escalation, calling “for many allies — including the United States — to work … to de-escalate.” Adding, “this was a unilateral action by Israel.” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed the sentiment…

What was the market reaction to the Israeli attack? The economic fallout of Israel’s attack on Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile facilities in the early hours of Friday was swift. Oil prices spiked and investors shifted out of stocks and into safe-haven assets, including government bonds and gold. Crude oil futures jumped by as much as 13% as traders bet that Israel’s attack would not be a one-off. The Brent global benchmark for oil prices surged more than 10% to $75.15 per barrel, hitting its highest price in almost five months. A war of words between the two foes fueled fears of…

Why are children becoming right-wing extremists? In Germany, there has been a 40% increase in politically motivated crimes compared with 2024. Why are very young men becoming radicalized? One of them shared his story.