Author: DW

Russian special forces crept through a disused gas pipeline for several miles to launch a surprise attack on Ukrainian soldiers in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s military and pro-Moscow war bloggers have said.Footage circulating on the Telegram app claims to show the elite soldiers crouching as they make their way through the darkness of the pipe to the town of Sudzha. Some can be heard cursing in Russian and complaining about the commanders who sent them on the mission.One of the soldiers is heard saying: “F*****g hell, where the f*** are we, boys?”Another says: “Where does the pipe go? To Sudzha,…

Malaysia’s decision to invite representatives from China and Arab Gulf states to the ASEAN summit in May has made headlines beyond the Southeast Asian nation that currently holds the chairmanship of the 10-member trade bloc. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has insisted though, that the presence of non-members at the summit is not intended as a move against the United States, nor does it signal that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is “choosing sides.” Rather, he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur, it was about “ensuring ASEAN’s strategic relevance in a multipolar world.” However, Anwar’s plan for a trade alliance…

Content warning: This article describes scenes of physical abuse and sexual violence. With her legs crossed, in beige kitten heels and suit trousers, Linda Loran sits upright on a bar stool and smiles as she reads out some of the sexist hate comments under her TikTok videos: “You weigh 50 kilos and your bags weigh four times as much as your brain.” The audience bursts out in laughter.  Loran is a guest at tonight’s edition of the “Monday Talks,” a series of feminist talks held in a bar in Berlin’s neighborhood of Neukölln. The evening is organized by TikTok activist Alina Kuhl; the four other speakers…

Packed stadiums, increasing professionalization and a 50/50 athlete gender split at the Paris Olympics. The growth in women’s sport is visible. Though the pace of change in a few sports has picked up, decades of underfunding, prevention of opportunity and sexism are taking some time to unpick in a broader sense. That’s particularly true in leadership positions, such as coaching. While equality was achieved at the 2024 Olympics for athletes, it was far from the case for those tasked with improving them. Though the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not released data, most estimates put the percentage of female coaches in…

The Mozambican government announced March 5, 2025 as a “Day of Dialogue,” with President Daniel Chapo signing an agreement with all political parties represented in parliament to resolve the post-election crisis. However, that day turned out quite differently than what Chapo had hoped for: violent clashes broke out during a protest march, which were met by the usual police brutality, which has become symptomatic in recent months.  The rallies were led by former presidential candidate Venancio Mondlane and thousands of his supporters. Since Mondlane had not been invited to partake in the “Day of Dialogue,” he called for a “peaceful…

Pope Francis is responding well to treatment at a Rome hospital for pneumonia, the Vatican said Saturday, adding that the 88-year-old’s condition had seen “a gradual, slight improvement.” “The Holy Father’s clinical condition in recent days has remained stable and, consequently, testifies to a good response to treatment. There is therefore a gradual, slight improvement,” the Holy See said in an update. But as a precaution, his doctors have decided to keep his prognosis as guarded, it added, meaning the head of the Catholic Church isn’t out of danger. The Vatican also said Francis had worked and rested during the day Saturday. The 88-year-old…

A warning by Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin to stop “pounding” Ukraine or else, appears to have fallen on deaf ears after another night of devastating Russian strikes.The persistent pummelling of Ukrainian towns and cities also follows a decision by the US president to stop sharing American intelligence and weapons with Kyiv – a move that is directly hampering the Ukrainian military’s ability to defend their skies from the Russian onslaught. In the deadliest attack overnight, at least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded, including five children, in the town of Dobropillia, about 15 miles from the frontline in…

At the beginning of March, Petra Scharner-Wolff took over as CEO of Otto Group, a German conglomerate. In Germany, Otto is an iconic company best known for its huge catalogs, a copy of which sat in many homes across the country for decades. In its heyday, the Otto catalog came out twice a year, had over 1,000 pages and included everything from clothing and toys to entire bedroom sets. Today, Otto no longer prints its catalog but has transformed into one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms. Last year, the privately owned company had around 38,500 employees and brought in…

Hollywood actor Gene Hackman died of heart disease a week after his wife, Betsy Arakawa, died from a rare infection, authorities announced on Friday. The couple were found dead in their Santa Fe home on February 26, but the cause of death had not been clear at the time. Hackman was 95 at the time of his death while Arakawa was 65. The Santa Fe sheriff’s office had already said that the actor likely died on February 17 as that was the last signal from his pacemaker was registered. What did the authorities say about Hackman and Arakawa’s deaths? “Mr. Hackman showed…

In May 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 global health emergency over.  Yet millions of people still experience fatigue, breathlessness and pain, years after having a COVID-19 infection. By some estimates, 400 million people had or still have post-COVID-19 syndrome, a condition better known as ‘long COVID’. Scientists have struggled to find the causes of long COVID since the first cases of chronic symptoms emerged in late 2020. Clinicians still lack the tools to treat the disease. Now, a new study published in the journal Science has discovered lung inflammation is a major cause. Data in mice and…