Author: DW

Protesters blocked roads across Serbia on Sunday, marking 100 days since the collapse of a canopy at a train station in the northern city of Novi Sad. Hundreds of students blocked a major highway and bridge in the capital, Belgrade, for seven hours. The protest was accompanied by 15 minutes of silence for the victims, with protesters throwing 15 white roses that had been painted red into the Sava river that runs through Belgrade. Also on Sunday, demonstrators blocked three major roundabouts in Novi Sad and threw roses into the Danube. The protests are part of a campaign led by…

Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s ruling party appeared set to secure the most seats in Sunday’s parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results. The result would be a drop from the more than 50% that Kurti’s party won in 2021. This means the Vetevendosje (Self-Determination Movement) party would need to form a coalition to stay in power in a country whose politics are dominated by the relationship with neighboring Serbia and Serbs within its borders. Kurti proclaimed victory for his Vetevendosje (Self-Determination Movement) party late on Sunday.  “We are the first party, the winning party that will create the next government,” Kurti told…

When Bob Marley took to the stage in front of 8,000 people in the Cologne sports hall in June 1980, he was already struggling with the cancer that would eventually take his life. But he remained as charismatic as ever, captivating the audience as he sang “Redemption Song” and other favorite tunes. Less than a year later, on May 11, 1981, Bob Marley died of complications related to melanoma. He would have turned 80 on February 6, 2025. Marley brought reggae and its messages to the world. He helped make the genre so famous that it was even added to…

Israeli forces have begun pulling back from a key corridor through Gaza as part of its ceasefire deal with Hamas.As part of the deal, Israel agreed to withdraw its military from the four-mile-long Netzarim corridor, which separates northern Gaza from the south. When the ceasefire began last month Israel began allowing Palestinians to cross the corridor and return to their homes, many of which are little more than rubble after 15 months of war.Hamas has celebrated the withdrawal as a victory and said the Hamas-run police force had deployed to the area to supervise the flow of Palestinians passing through.Little…

Google says it will display the names “Gulf of America” and “Mount McKinley” to the US users of its Google Maps service if and when US President Donald Trump’s pledge to rename the locations becomes official. Trump said in his inauguration speech on January 20 that he planned to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America and restore the name Mount McKinley to North America’s highest peak, Denali. The mountain has been the subject of a long-running naming dispute. Google said in a post on X on Monday that it had a “longstanding practice of applying name changes when they have…

A spate of sabotage attacks on underwater cables, allegedly perpetrated by a Russian “shadow fleet,” have shown global telecommunications infrastructure is poorly protected against deliberate acts of destruction. Different types of underwater cables Some submarine cables transport high-voltage direct current (HVDC), electrical energy, over long distances, such as between islands or countries. These cables can also connect offshore wind turbines with onshore sites. Then there are telecommunications cables. They transmit about 95% of global data traffic, including internet searches, online shopping and phone calls — albeit with a slight signal delay, as calling up a US website from Europe takes around 60 milliseconds. In…

Netflix has cemented its reputation as a leader in streaming entertainment. Its portfolio of scripted shows, films, and documentaries capturing large audiences worldwide.  However, 2024 marked a pivotal moment for the platform as it entered the live sports landscape, it broadcast two Christmas Day National Football League (NFL) games. Alongside a landmark partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and winning the broadcast rights in the United States for the 2027 and 2031 Women’s World Cups, the streaming giant has demonstrated its ambition to become the dominant online platform for live sports. Netflix’s live sport strategy an unexpected U-turn Stepping into the foray of…

When will Ukraine hold a presidential election? It was postponed because of the war with Russia, but it is now almost three years since the start of the Russian invasion, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being asked about it more and more often. He always gives the same response: “The hot phase of the war will end, and when martial law is lifted, elections will be announced,” the Ukrainian president said earlier this week, in an interview with the British journalist Piers Morgan. Elections in Ukraine: Part of Trump’s plan? There has been more discussion about an election since the recent…

Sam Nujoma, the activist and guerilla leader who went on to become Namibia’s first elected president, died on Saturday at the age of 95. The Namibian Presidency made the announcement via social media on Sunday. “It is with utmost sorrow and sadness that I announce this morning of the 9th of February 2025 to the Namibian people, our African brothers and sisters and the world at large, about the passing of our revered freedom fighter and revolutionary leader,” the statement read.”The foundations of the Republic of Namibia have been shaken.”  Nujoma had been admitted to a hospital in the Namibian…

A 300-year-old Stradivarius violin was sold at an auction in New York on Friday for $11.3 million (€10.9 million), according to Sotheby’s auction house. The “Joachim-Ma Stradivarius” has become the third most expensive musical instrument ever sold at auction. Sotheby’s had estimated that the violin could sell for between $12 million and $18 million. ‘The pinnacle of craftsmanship’ — Sotheby’s chair “This extraordinary violin represents the pinnacle of craftsmanship and classical music history, its unparalleled sound and storied provenance captivating collectors and musicians alike,” Sotheby’s chair Mari-Claudia Jimenez said in a statement. The violin is believed to have influenced German composer Johannes Brahms when…