Author: DW

During a visit to Saudi Arabia, US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans to lift crippling sanctions on Syria, marking a major policy shift by Washington after 14 years of civil war. The country has been isolated by United States and European Union sanctions over the conflict, a 1979 designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and close ties between Damascus and Iran. These curbs blocked exports, froze assets and restricted access to global payment systems, which further decimated an economy wracked by war. The sanctions also exacerbated humanitarian crises that the UN estimates pushed 90% of Syrians below the poverty line. Trump agreed to lift the sanctions despite reported…

The Eurovision Song Contest is heading into the home stretch, with the second semi-final taking place on May 15, ahead of the final on Saturday, May 17. Before the week of competition, the artists from the 37 participating countries all gathered at the official opening ceremony last Sunday on the stage of the St. Jakobshalle in Basel, Switzerland. The event was designed to reflect the festive and inclusive nature of the competition. But it did not remain unclouded. Disrupted start to Eurovision For this year’s edition, the organizers came up with something special. Instead of having the artists walk across a turquoise Eurovision carpet in the…

In Kenya last week, four young men were found guilty of attempting to smuggle ants. In two separate incidents, the men — two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan — were given the choice of a fine of $7,700 (€6,911) or a year in prison for their misdeeds. The Belgian suspects admitted that they had the ants in their possession but said they were collecting them as a hobby. One of the men is a long-time ant fan and belongs to a Facebook group called “the Ant Gang.” However the Kenyan judge didn’t believe them.  The Belgian men, both 19…

Although no major policy decisions are pending at the FIFA Congress to be held in Asuncion on Thursday, the meeting still stands to cast a shadow over the future of the beautiful game. This is mainly due to FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s keenness to curry favor with the powers-that-be in the countries set to host the next two World Cups – particularly with President Donald Trump of the United States, primary host of the 2026 tournament. Also to be discussed is a possible further expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams. What decisions are to be made at the FIFA…

After 41 years of armed insurgency against the Turkish state, the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) has announced that it will disband. Representatives of the Turkish government and politicians in opposition parties have all greeted the decision and the likely end of a long and bloody conflict, one where an estimated 40,000 people lost their lives. The PKK’s announcement set off celebrations but also brought up many questions. Political experts say that the dissolution of the group, which is classified as a terrorist organization by Germany and other countries, could fundamentally alter the balance of political power in Turkey. How would Turkish…

Since Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, there have been many attempts to implement a lasting end to the violence of its ongoing war in Ukraine . Over more than a decade, Ukraine, its European supporters and the United States have tried to resolve the crisis. All have been unsuccessful. What is the latest ceasefire proposal? Russian President Vladimir Putin has proposed a new round of ceasefire negotiations in Istanbul on May 15. His announcement came as Russia commenced a fresh drone attack on Kyiv  following the end of a unilateral three-day “truce” declared by Russia. European leaders rebuffed the proposal of direct talks, however, without…

Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner beamed as he met the newly elected Pope Leo in the Vatican.The world number one presented the US pontiff, himself a keen tennis player, with a racket after being invited to the Vatican along with his parents and a delegation from the Italian Tennis Federation. The two were pictured laughing as they held a racket each and Sinner, 23, also held a tennis ball. Image: Pic: Vatican Media/Reuters But Leo, who became the 267th pontiff in a historic election earlier this month, declined a suggestion to go for a hit with the three-time grand slam…

“I’m very nervous,” the 41-year-old director and screenwriter Mascha Schilinski tells Berlin public broadcaster RBB. “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 €20.” This year, the…

Vaccines completely revolutionized public health when they were first created by Edward Jenner in 1796. They have protected billions of people worldwide against harmful and fatal viral diseases, even successfully eradicating diseases like smallpox and rinderpest. Over the last 50 years alone, vaccines have saved 101 million children’s lives around the world, according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). Vaccines are available to protect against more than 30 life-threatening diseases and infections. The WHO recommends that every child should get vaccinated against 12 of those diseases: tuberculosis, hepatitis B, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenza type B, pneumococcal disease, rotavirus,…

On April 28, Vaibhav Suryavanshi made headlines around the world. Just 14, the cricketer became the youngest player to score 100 runs, in the Indian Premier League (IPL), a major landmark in the sport. Amazingly, he is also the second fastest ever to reach a century, taking just 35 balls. While his age is unusual, Indian cricket produces many young talents and the IPL, founded in 2008, attracts the cream of the sport.  For soccer fans in the country of 1.4 billion, the situation is a little different. Just weeks prior to the teenager’s achievement in Jaipur, which has pundits…