Author: DW

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…

Around 30 people are missing after a landslide in China buried 10 houses. China’s Ministry of Emergency Management has deployed hundreds of rescuers, including firefighters after the landslide in a village in Junlian county. Two people have been pulled out alive, while some 200 have been evacuated from the area, according to state media.One villager told Beijing News that rocks had been frequently seen rolling down the mountain over the last six months. Geologists had inspected the area late last year, the state-run newspaper said.President Xi Jinping expressed concern and asked authorities to make every effort to find the missing…

Barely two weeks after Donald Trump returned to the White House, four allies of the United States have caved into the US president’s coercive trade strategy after being threatened with tariffs and other punitive measures. Mexico and Canada this week promised to shore up security at their US borders to tackle illegal migration and drug trafficking. They won a 30-day reprieve on Trump’s wide-ranging 25% tariffs, announced last weekend. Colombia, which was also threatened with tariffs and sanctions, quickly U-turned after initially refusing to accept deported migrants from the US. Panama, meanwhile, appears to have made concessions to Trump over the Panama Canal, a critical shipping waterway that connects the Atlantic with…

What you need to know: A second strain of H5N1 bird flu has been detected in US cattle Some experts believe that the risk to humans is low Infections have also been detected outside the US, in the United Kingdom European authorities are monitoring the North American outbreak  US authorities have said the detection of a different strain of avian influenza, the D1.1 genotype, in dairy cows in January is proof that bird flu has now spread from wild birds into cattle twice, in an outbreak that started in late 2023. The genotype refers to the genetic makeup of a virus, within a group of virus…

Most people who watch sport had barely given Rwanda a second thought until recently. The sponsorship deals the country’s tourist board has with Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain were fairly low- key and, for many, quickly became just another logo. Mohamed Keita sees real danger in that. “People have become so used so seeing ‘Visit Rwanda’ that they don’t even see it anymore – it’s like McDonald’s. Nobody thinks about what ‘Visit Rwanda’ is, what’s behind it.” For Keita, the Africa director at the non-profit Human Rights Foundation, the discourse over the clubs’ Rwanda deals, sparked by a letter…