Author: DW

Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled an overhaul of the US State Department on Tuesday. As part of the Trump administration’s “America First” mandate, the department is set to reduce its staff by 15% as it closes and consolidates more than 100 offices and bureaus worldwide. What do we know about the overhaul? According to an internal memo seen by Reuters and the Associated Press, the plan – of which Congress has been informed – would eliminate 132 of the State Department’s 734 bureaus and offices. A further 137 offices will be transitioned to another location within the department to “increase efficiency,”…

Michael Slater, a former Test cricketer for Australia, has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to domestic violence charges.However, the 55-year-old is expected to be released based on time already served. The remainder of his sentence has been suspended for five years.Slater was taken into custody last year on charges of unlawful stalking or intimidation, breaking into a dwelling with intent at night, common assault, assault occasioning bodily harm and choking or suffocation.The offences took place between December 2023 and April last year. He was also charged with contravening a domestic violence order.In 2022, charges of…

What did Trump announce? US President Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly paused import tariffs for 90 days on dozens of countries — except China — a week after announcing unprecedented penalties on most of the world over what he says are unfair trade practices. Trump, however, doubled down on China, raising tariffs on the world’s second-largest economy to 125%, citing a “lack of respect” by Beijing. On Thursday, the White House clarified that Chinese producers would pay a total of 145% in tariffs on imports to the US due to a 20% duty that was levied earlier in the year. “At some point, hopefully in the near future,…

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that his administration cannot give everyone it wants to deport a trial “because to do so would take, without exaggeration, 200 years.”  In the post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump talked about removing criminals and those illegally in the US. This comes as an increasing number of Venezuelan migrants are deported from the United States, many without a criminal record. US authorities using wrong allegations to deport migrants?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Deportations based on wartime law Earlier on Monday,…

The Mexican government on Monday said that they had written to television stations to ban an advertisement by US President Donald Trump’s administration that warns against undocumented migration. In the commercial with Spanish subtitles, US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is shown saying: “If you are considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it.” If a migrant commits a crime, “we will hunt you down” because “criminals are not welcome,” she said in the video. Reading the letter at a news conference, Sheinbaum said that the clip “contains a discriminatory message that violates human dignity” and could encourage “violence against people on the…

The Pope was the driving force behind his hectic schedule right to the end.Behind the scenes, there was a respectful battle of wills between Pope Francis and his team of doctors who urged him against returning to his papal engagements too soon after leaving Rome’s Gemelli hospital where he spent five weeks being treated for double pneumonia. Doctors prescribed two months of rest – the pope did anything but that.Pope dies latest: King Charles leads tributes Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:19 Pope’s ‘last goodbye’ captured It became clear when the pope left the hospital…

Coal has fueled industrialization — and climate change. Some countries are well into phasing it out, but US President Donald Trump wants to boost production. Here’s why this is not a good idea.

Nidhi,* a 26-year-old from India’s capital city, New Delhi, was once very close to her uncle, but after he started forwarding anti-Muslim messages containing misinformation in their family’s group chat, their relationship soured. They always got into healthy political debates during family dinners, but his posts on WhatsApp were becoming “intolerable,” she said. “He would forward what was clearly false information, twisted historical facts to fit a certain kind of propaganda,” she told DW. Nidhi said that her uncle never showed any open hate towards Muslims, but on WhatsApp, it was a different story. “Some of us would call him…

Skip next section Kremlin: No orders to extend ceasefire04/21/2025April 21, 2025Kremlin: No orders to extend ceasefireThe US State Department said on Sunday that it would welcome the extension of an Easter ceasefire beyond just one day – but the Kremlin said no such orders had been given. On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had unilaterally declared a 30-hour Easter Sunday truce. Kyiv responded by pledging to mirror Russia’s actions, but both Russian and Ukrainian officials subsequently accused each other of continuing to launch artillery and drone attacks. Asked by Russia’s state TASS news agency whether the supposed ceasefire could be extended,…

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele proposed a prisoner exchange with Venezuela on Sunday. Bukele suggested sending 252 Venezuelans deported from the United States and incarcerated in his country to Venezuela, in exchange for taking “political prisoners” held by Venezuela. Bukele asked Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to hand over 252 “of the political prisoners you are holding,” he posted on X. The Salvadoran leader did not specify whether the prisoners would be jailed again after the swap took place. Venezuela’s chief prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, criticized Bukele’s proposal and accused El Salvador of unlawfully imprisoning the Venezuelans. Bukele addresses Maduro in…