Author: DW

Immigrants in the United States, both legal and illegal, are on edge. The new Trump administration’s hardline immigration policy has sent shockwaves through communities. Kabir, whose name we have changed on his request, is an engineer from India working at a Silicon Valley startup. He says losing his job would be a nightmare for him because he is currently in the US on a so-called H-1B visa for which he needs an employer sponsor who must file a petition with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He cannot stay without employment, he told DW, which is why he’s concerned about what new policies might be put in place.Indian…

The United States appears to be significantly increasing its military presence in the Middle East with the deployment of highly sophisticated aircraft and a second aircraft carrier to the region.In recent days, at least five B-2 stealth bombers have deployed to Diego Garcia, a British military base used by the US in the Indian Ocean. More are reportedly en route. Image: Map: OpenStreetMap Seven C17 aircraft have also been tracked landing on the remote atoll, suggesting transportation of equipment, personnel and supplies, and refuelling aircraft have been repositioned to strategic locations.The Pentagon recently ordered the USS Harry S Truman carrier…

Amid the US administration’s rapid dismantling of federal government agencies, President Donald Trump has also set his sights on cultural institutions. This month, Trump fired the board of directors of the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.’s premiere cultural venue that hosts over 2,000 performances a year. He then appointed himself chair of the board of the iconic arts institution and filled the board with allies — including conservative Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo. “No more drag shows or other anti-American propaganda – only the best,” Donald Trump wrote on social media in reference to his revamped Kennedy Center, which…

More twins are being born across the world, but many mothers are not receiving the treatment required to ensure a safe pregnancy. Susie Lee from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany told DW “an important task remains to ensure that these twins can survive their early life” just as singletons do. This goes especially for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where many expectant mothers already have limited access to health care.  Lee co-authored a recent study that found more twins are being born in low-income countries. In general, this is simply due to population growth — even if…

“When you are in your mother’s womb, you can’t decide how you are born.” Annet Negesa, a former Ugandan middle-distance runner, was once a rising star on the global athletics stage.  As a teenager she broke national records in the 800 meters and the 1,500 meters and at the age of just 19, Negesa won gold medals in both disciplines at the 2011 All-Africa Games. Having qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games, and with her sights set on the ultimate success, she was dealt a blow she would never recover from. Medical intervention that proved costly As her preparations…

Turkish protesters took to the streets for a sixth straight day on Tuesday, as 7 journalists were detained, swept up in a large crackdown against dissent. The civil unrest in Turkey erupted after Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a main political rival of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was arrested on corruption charges last week. Imamoglu’s detention sparked protests, which were followed by a crackdown that has seen more than 1,400 people arrested.Turkey arrests more than 1,000 protestersTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What else do we know about the journalists’ arrest?…

 Wildfires in South Korea have caused the death of at least 18 people, with blazes causing “unprecedented damage”, acting president Han Duck-soo said on Wednesday. A helicopter engaged in fighting the flames crashed, officials said. The pilot of the helicopter was killed, the official Yonhap news agency reported. Han told an emergency safety and disaster meeting that the blazes were “developing in a way that is exceeding both existing prediction models and earlier expectations.” “This is a full-scale national response,” the acting president said, adding that the government has raised the crisis alert to its highest level. What do we know about…

What is a ‘war economy?’ There is no official definition of a “war economy” but there are many attributes that add up to one. A war economy means that a country has mobilized its resources, manufacturing capabilities and workforce to support military preparation and production leading up to or during wartime. The most obvious economic change is a shift in industrial production away from consumer goods to things like weapons, ammunition or other military equipment. Besides traditional military hardware, modern weapons require investments in technology and digital services like software, data analytics, satellite systems and reliable internet, says Penny Naas, a public…

World Athletics will introduce mandatory testing for anyone entering female competitions to verify their biological sex, insisting it is necessary to protect women’s sport.It is the latest move overseen by Sebastian Coe – as president of the governing body – to address the gender eligibility issue, two years after banning anyone assigned male at birth from female events. Lord Coe said after a World Athletics Council meeting today that they could adopt non-invasive cheek swab tests or dry blood tests that only have to be carried out once on an athlete.”This we feel is a really important way of providing…

For decades, Greek authorities have been arguing for the permanent return of the so-called Parthenon Sculptures, also known as the Elgin Marbles. These include about half of the surviving fragments of a 160-meter-long (520-foot) frieze from the Parthenon Temple, which dates back around 2,500 years. They currently sit in the collection of the British Museum in London. Greece wants them returned to Athens after they were taken from the Acropolis around 200 years ago. Former UK prime ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak rejected any such move.  “The UK has cared for the Elgin marbles for generations,” Sunak said in 2023. “Our galleries and museums are funded by taxpayers because they are a huge asset to this…