Author: DW

Expert observers are calling it an end of an era: By all appearances, the US, at least under the administration of President Donald Trump, has turned its back on Ukraine — and possibly the rest of Europe. After having sidelined European partners last week in a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on conditions to end the war in Ukraine, and alienating partners at the recent Munich Security Conference, on Wednesday, Trump fired off a social media post slamming his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a “dictator” for postponing elections and blaming his country for Russia’s war of aggression. ‘Europe has slept through quite…

Former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales has been found guilty of sexually assaulting Jenni Hermoso by kissing her on the lips without her consent after the 2023 Women’s World Cup final and fined €10,800 euros ($11,284), Spain’s High Court revealed on Thursday. He was also ordered not to go within 200 meters (656 feet) of Hermoso or contact the player for a year. Rubiales was, however, acquitted of coercion. The charges against Rubiales included kissing Hermoso without her consent and then attempting to coerce Hermoso into declaring the kiss as consensual. Rubiales denied the charges, saying the kiss had been consensual.…

Manslaughter charges over the death of Liam Payne have been dropped for his friend Roger Nores and two hotel workers.Rogelio “Roger” Nores, hotel operator Gilda Martin, and head of reception Esteban Grassi were charged in December, two months after the One Direction star’s death at the Casa Sur Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the same time, hotel employee Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz were charged with supplying cocaine to Payne. Image: Payne (second left) rose to fame in One Direction. Pic: Ken McKay/Shutterstock Following an appeal, the manslaughter charges against Nores, Martin and Grassi have now been dropped,…

Many have proclaimed the death of the German business model in recent months with headlines of deindustrialization. Looking back, the country has relied on engineering things, high-end exports and cheap Russian gas to power its energy-intensive manufacturing. In the runup to parliamentary elections on February 23, much of the focus has been on migration, but Europe’s biggest economy has been in a recession for the past two years. The likely winner of the election, Friedrich Merz, the head of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), faces big challenges. Last week, Porsche announced it would lay off 1,900 workers when a job…

The tomb of an 18th Dynasty ancient Egyptian king has been unveiled in the tourist southern city of Luxor, Egyptian authorities said, hailing it as the first royal tomb discovery in over a century. Though Egypt celebrates royal tomb discoveries frequently, this stands out for being that of a former king rather than a member of the royal family. The tomb of King Thutmose II was considered the last missing tomb of the 18th Dynasty kings. This was the first find of its kind since British archaeologist Howard Carter unveiled King Tutankhamun’s Tomb in 1922, Egypt’s Antiquities Ministry said. Thutmose…

Giving a love interest the ‘ick’ is one of the worst things a potential partner can do, at least in modern parlance. The term has become popularized through reality TV shows and has gone viral through social media posts. It’s a phrase that encapsulates a sudden feeling of revulsion towards a romantic partner.   While the ick might be a meme expanding across social media, psychologists and researchers are trying to explain some of the triggers which to bring the ick on.  “I first heard the term “the ick” while watching Love Island UK, where a contestant suddenly lost attraction to…

02/20/2025February 20, 2025Zelenskyy voices optimism on US envoy meeting despite Trump insultsUS Special Envoy for Ukraine and Russia Keith Kellogg is expected to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday.  Kellogg arrived in Ukraine on Wednesday, as part of a wider European tour. He has already met with Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi, along with other Ukrainian officials.  “Our meeting with General Kellogg is scheduled for tomorrow, and it is crucial for us that the meeting and our overall cooperation with America be constructive,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address on Wednesday. “Together with America…

Former far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday decried the criminal charges filed against him which said he was involved in a coup plot to overturn the 2022 Brazilian presidential election.  Bolsonaro lost the 2022 election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The charges, filed by Brazilian Attorney General Paulo Gonet Branco on Tuesday, said the former president spearheaded a criminal organization that sought to hack the country’s electronic voting system. The charges alleged that Bolsonaro was involved in a plot to kill Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.   Bolsonaro says he is being politically…

Ukraine’s president appears to be fighting a war on two fronts – against Russian forces on the ground and against American assaults over the airwaves.View from Ukraine by Deborah Haynes, security and defence editor With Donald Trump openly attacking him, Ukraine’s president is dispensing with the diplomatic niceties towards a crucial partner and is instead fighting back.It is a risky move given the heavy reliance of Volodymyr Zelenskyy on American military support to fight Russia’s invasion and the US leader’s dislike of criticism.But the past week of disruptive, strongman diplomacy from the White House – upending traditional assumptions about US…

Sunbeams penetrate heavy steam and smoke in a gray factory hall on a cold February morning. The freezing temperatures are impossible to ignore even inside the Lössnitz Foundry in the eastern German state of Saxony.  But if you walk past one of the tall vats, you can feel the enormous heat. Glowing molten metal is transported over the heads of the workers to the spot where it will be cast into shape. The foundry produces parts for car companies like Audi, BMW and Porsche. These days, managing director Max Jankowsky and his team of 85 employees have a lot to worry about. “The current electricity prices are…