Author: DW

Jean-Marie Le Pen was variously loved and loathed – but he changed the shape of modern French politics.His youth was shaped by war and he then lived a life of constant battles. Le Pen’s political career, which was a very long one, was all about belligerence, anger, regret and scapegoats. In his world, everything that had gone wrong could be blamed on someone else.French far-right politician Jean-Marie Le Pen has diedMostly, his targets were either migrants or Muslims, or ideally migrants who were also Muslims. But he also berated bureaucrats, gay people and the Arab world in general. He was…

Reports of an outbreak of human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in parts of China are drawing international attention. HMPV was identified by a research group in the Netherlands in 2001, and had likely spread among humans for many years prior to that. News of the current outbreak followed an announcement by China’s National Administration of Disease Control and Prevention that it was testing a new reporting protocol in response to pneumonia cases. At a news conference reported by the state broadcaster CCTV, health officials noted that several common infections were circulating within China during the cold months and issued warnings about relying on…

A bomb exploded at a school near Nigeria’s capital city Abuja late on Monday, killing at least two people. Police said the explosive device burst at the Tsangagyar Sani Uthman Islamiyya School near Abuja. They have identified three suspects from the northern state of Katsina. The improvised explosive device (IED) was brought to the school by the three men, who were visiting the owner of the school, police said. “Tragically, two of the men died in the explosion while tampering with the improvised explosive device (IED), on the school veranda, while the third man and a female trader sustained severe injuries…

Donald Trump Jr. is set to visit Greenland on Tuesday amid his father’s suggestions that the Danish territory should be part of the US.  President-elect Donald Trump confirmed his son’s visit on his platform Truth Social. “I am hearing that the people of Greenland are ‘MAGA.’ My son, Don Jr, and various representatives, will be traveling there to visit some of the most magnificent areas and sights,” he posted late on Monday. “Greenland is an incredible place, and the people will benefit tremendously if, and when, it becomes part of our Nation. We will protect it, and cherish it, from a…

Long before Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the US president-elect threatened Europeans with high tariffs on their products, reduced support for Ukraine, and a reassessment of NATO’s funding. Given the turbulence ahead, it would be crucial for the 27 European Union (EU) member states to demonstrate unity and speak with one voice. However, when Trump takes office, Germany and France will not have stable governments, let alone their current leaders finding common ground on how to deal with Trump’s policies. These two countries, often referred to as the “engines of EU growth,” have the largest populations and economies in the…

Around 425,000 names of people suspected of collaborating with the Nazis in the Netherlands during the Second World War have been released for the first time.A Dutch project, called War In Court, released the list after the expiry of a law which had restricted public access to the archive. It consists of 32 million pages and includes the names of mostly Dutch people investigated for collaborating with Nazi occupiers.The Nazis invaded in 1940 and remained in the Netherlands until the allied liberation in 1945.In those five years, more than 100,000 of the Dutch Jewish population were killed in the Holocaust.…

After the collapse of coalition talks between the conservative Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP) and the Social Democrats (SPÖ), Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said on Sunday he would meet far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) leader Herbert Kickl on Monday. “Voices within the People’s Party that rule out cooperation with an FPÖ under Herbert Kickl have become much quieter. This in turn means that a new path may be opening up that did not exist before,” Van der Bellen said.  The FPÖ, a party of pro-Russian Eurosceptics, emerged from parliamentary elections in September as the largest party with 29%. But it…

Large swaths of the United States, from Kansas to New Jersey, were hit by a massive winter storm that brought snow, ice, wind and Arctic-like temperatures.  More than a dozen states, covering some 60 million people, were under severe storm warnings, advisories or watches on Sunday night into Monday. Governors in several states, including Kansas, Kentucky, Arkansas, West Virginia and Virginia, declared states of emergency.Snow disrupts transport in US and EuropeTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video “Areas between central Kansas and Indiana, especially along and north of Interstate 70, are…

German public broadcaster ARD has backtracked on an earlier decision to make journalist Thilo Mischke the co-host of its weekly flagship “ttt” cultural program. ARD said on Saturday that the cultural affairs bosses involved in the production of “ttt,” short for “titel, thesen, temperamente” — title, theses, temperaments — decided not to appoint Mischke as the show’s presenter.  The decision follows an outpouring of criticism of the choice, with many accusing the 43-year-old Mischke of sexism and racism. What did ARD say? In its Saturday statement, ARD described Mischke as a “recognized journalist and multiple award-winning reporter.” Nevertheless, the public broadcaster acknowledged the…

Thousands of people have braved freezing temperatures and snow to protest both for and against South Korea’s president outside his residence in Seoul.A warrant was last week issued for the arrest of President Yoon Suk Yeol over the short-lived marital law decree he issued in early December 2023. The conservative president, seemingly frustrated that his policies were being blocked, declared martial law and ordered troops to surround South Korea’s National Assembly on 3 December.The Assembly unanimously overturned the declaration in a matter of hours and impeached Mr Yoon, accusing him of rebellion, on 14 December.At the same time, anti-corruption authorities…