Author: DW

China’s military has started live-fire exercises in the Gulf of Tonkin – after Vietnam published a map defining what it considers its territory in the body of water between the two countries.Vietnam’s foreign ministry announced the baseline – used to determine limits to territorial waters and exclusive economic zones – on Friday, saying it was to help protect and enforce its sovereign rights. China’s Maritime Safety Administration said the live-fire exercises would be focused on the Beibu Gulf area, closer to the Chinese side of the Gulf of Tonkin, and would run through to Thursday evening.Vietnam has not publicly responded…

Italiiska Vulitsya, or Italian Street, runs through the center of Odesa, a Ukrainian city on the Black Sea, from the train station to city hall. It is home to the Italian consulate, the Philharmonic Theater, a department store and the Bristol Hotel, which was recently damaged by a Russian missile attack. It is always busy. In 1880, when much of Ukraine was part of the Russian tsarist empire, the street, which was named after Italy in 1824, was renamed Pushkinskaya in honor of the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. Last July, it reverted to its original name as part of an ongoing…

“With this, believe it or not, we are done,” judge Jose Manuel Fernandez-Prieto told the National Court in San Fernando de Henares near Madrid on Friday, February 14, 2025, marking the end of the trial of Former Spanish football federation (RFEF) President Luis Rubiales. Neither Rubiales nor the other three others accused in the case exercised their right to make a final statement to the court. The former Spanish FA boss had testified on Tuesday, telling the court that he was “totally sure” that national team forward Jenni Hermoso had consented to the kiss seen by millions after Spain had just won the…

Heads of government from around the world sent messages of congratulations to likely future Chancellor Friedrich Merz following the election results. Despite Merz distancing himself from the US in a speech on Sunday night, President Donald Trump wrote “congratulations to all” who voted for conservatives on his Truth Social website. “Much like the USA, the people of Germany got tired of the no common sense agenda, especially on energy and immigration,” he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social media site X: “We look forward to continuing our joint work with Germany to protect lives, bring real peace closer…

In late February 2022, Russian troops crossed the border into Ukraine, starting a war that, three years later, has become one of deadliest and most destructive in the 21st century. Ukrainians and neighboring states and allies have watched in horror as the war unfolded. But there are surprisingly few universally agreed upon figures for the full extent of destruction. The number of civilians killed has most likely been underreported in the broad range of death toll estimates, and what official information the governments of Ukraine and Russia have released has been difficult to independently verify in the chaotic conditions of the war. DW has surveyed data…

Police in Spain have arrested 48 people in connection with a suspected human trafficking ring – believed to have lured more than 1,000 women to the country for sex work.Armed officers from the Policia Nacional carried out raids across Alicante and Murcia in southeastern Spain, the force said in a statement on Sunday. They found evidence the women, who were mainly from Venezuela and Colombia, were made to believe they had beauty or cleaning jobs.However, on arrival in Spain they were forced into the sex trade – only allowed out for two hours a day and kept under video surveillance.”They…

Italiiska Vulitsya, or Italian Street, runs through the center of Odesa, a Ukrainian city on the Black Sea, from the train station to city hall. It is home to the Italian consulate, the Philharmonic Theater, a department store and the Bristol Hotel, which was recently damaged by a Russian missile attack. It is always busy. In 1880, when much of Ukraine was part of the Russian tsarist empire, the street, which was named after Italy in 1824, was renamed Pushkinskaya in honor of the Russian writer Alexander Pushkin. Last July, it reverted to its original name as part of an ongoing…

157 killer whales are stranded on a remote beach in the Australian state of Tasmania. Although most of them are still alive, rescuing the surviving animals is very difficult due to their remote location and heavy weight. Very often, whales do not survive a stranding.  This species of dolphin can grow up to 8 meters long, weigh up to 4000 kg and live to be 50 to 90 years old. They resemble orcas, which is why they are also known as “false killer whales”. When a whale stranding is discovered, there is usually not much time left. They can dry…

As Germany’s federal election draws near, the country’s football association (DFB) has submitted a list of 10 demands to the incoming government. With nearly 24,000 clubs and nearly 8 million members, the association’s size and importance cannot be underestimated, but how much of a role does federal policy really play in the promotion of the world’s most popular sport? The list of 10 demands (see graphic below) is wide-ranging, from financial support for improved facilities to enhancing the role of sport in German schools and carrying forward the momentum of the sporting summer of 2024. Federal concerns This is one of the main…

The United Kingdom is set to announce new sanctions against Russia on Monday, marking three years since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Sunday. “This is also the time to turn the screws on [Vladimir] Putin’s Russia,” Lammy said in a statement.  “Tomorrow, I plan to announce the largest package of sanctions against Russia since the early days of the war — eroding their military machine and reducing revenues fuelling the fires of destruction in Ukraine,” he added. The UK has already imposed sanctions on 1,900 people and organisations with connections to Putin’s government since Moscow invaded…