Author: DW

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake recently shook Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city and a major crossroads between Europe and Asia. Home to nearly 16 million people, Istanbul lies precariously close to the North Anatolian Fault — one of the world’s most active seismic lines. For years, experts have warned that the city faces a high probability of experiencing a major earthquake, and every tremor reignites urgent conversations about preparedness. Today, much of Istanbul is heavily built-up, with many older buildings still vulnerable despite years of warnings from experts. While the threat of a major earthquake looms, fears of a large-scale disaster are growing. This…

US sprinter Michael Johnson spent his career breaking records, but even at his peak he realized track and field was broken. Now, with his new venture Grand Slam Track, the 57-year-old is determined to fix it. Despite producing global superstars and spectacular performances, athletics struggles to maintain visibility and financial security outside of the Olympics.  While Johnson’s Olympic triumphs made him a household name every four years, he knew the sport’s visibility outside the Games was vanishing. “I spent a better part of my career dominating my events, being the fastest in the world, and having to explain to people that I was…

Ukraine will retain full ownership of all its mineral resources under the agreement with the United States, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko has said. Svyrydenko, who signed the deal in Washington, said the key provisions of the agreement include that all resources on Ukrainian territory and in territorial waters belong to Ukraine. “It is the Ukrainian state that determines what and where to extract,” she wrote on X. With the fund to be jointly managed by both countries, she added: “Neither side will hold a dominant vote – a reflection of equal partnership between our two nations.” The fund would…

Charles Ong’ondo Were, a Kenyanmember of parliament, was shot dead on the streets of Nairobi, the speaker of the National Assembly said. Speaker Moses Wetang’ula confirmed the news on his X account, calling the news “devastating.” “It is with profound shock and unspeakable sorrow that I have this evening received the devastating news of the fatal shooting of Hon. Ong’ondo Were.” The shooting took place around 19:30 local time (16:30 UTC/GMT). Eyewitnesses said the parliament member was attacked by two people riding a motorbike, local media reported. Were was a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and represented the…

A mother accused of murdering her estranged husband’s parents and aunt by feeding them poisonous mushrooms lured them to the meal by faking a cancer diagnosis, prosecutors claim.Erin Patterson is on trial over the deaths of her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, in July 2023. The 50-year-old, from the state of Victoria in southern Australia, has also been charged with the attempted murder of Mrs Wilkinson’s husband Reverend Ian Wilkinson.All four fell ill after eating a lunch of beef Wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans at Patterson’s home in the town…

A second Donald Trump presidency promised turbulence and division, but few could have foreseen the magnitude of disruption he unleashed in just 100 days. Trump has issued a torrent of executive orders to help implement his radical agenda, upending global trade, sparking mass deportations, and creating a new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash federal spending and dismantle bureaucracy. Trump’s rhetoric at odds with reality Despite promising the American public a “golden age” of prosperity, Trump’s policies have quickly created great uncertainty among US businesses and consumers, struggling to calculate the impact of unprecedented tariffs on imported goods. The worst impacted are buyers of China-made products,…

Much is still unknown about the death of 58-year-old German author Alexandra Fröhlich. Fröhlich was found dead on April 22, on a houseboat moored along the Holzhafenufer in Hamburg’s Moorfleet district, where she was living. Police have since confirmed that “blunt force trauma” led to her death; they are treating the case as a homicide. No suspects have been publicly named yet. Marriage to a Russian inspired first novels In her first novels, Fröhlich drew on her failed marriage to a Russian. Her breakout debut, “Meine russische Schwiegermutter und andere Katastrophen” (My Russian Mother-in-Law and Other Catastrophes), was published in 2012…

What you need to know  Study links chemicals found in many household plastic products with mortality from heart disease.  The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, and the Pacific are the most affected regions.  Changing how household plastics are used may reduce risk. A chemical found in household plastic items could be associated with cardiovascular disease, according to a new study. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, responsible for an estimated 17.9 million deaths each year according to the World Health Organization.   The new study from researchers at NYU Langone Health in the US suggests certain common plastic chemicals…

Indian batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player to hit a senior T20 century at just14 years and 32 days on Monday. The teenager had already made history in November 2024 when, at the age of 13, he became the youngest ever player to be sold at the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) annual auction, where teams compete to sign players.Vaibhav Suryavanshi needed just 35 balls to score his centuryImage: Surjeet Yadav/AP Photo/picture alliance Records tumble  On April 19, Suryavanshi made his IPL debut for the Rajasthan Royals — making him the youngest player to feature in the tournament — and announced himself in…

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unilateral announcement of a three-day pause to its war in Ukraine around the 80th anniversary of World War II ending was met with no applause in Brussels. “Russia could stop the killing and the bombing at any time. So there’s absolutely no need to wait until the 8th of May,” EU foreign affairs spokesperson Anitta Hipper told reporters on Tuesday. Critics say the Kremlin — which cites “humanitarian reasons” for its latest truce pledge — is simply trying to curry favor with Washington after US President Donald Trump expressed frustration with Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine.…