Author: DW

With Donald Trump as president-elect of the United States, it is not clear what exactly his Ukraine policy will look like in the future. NATO partners feel left in the dark about Trump’s willingness to support Kyiv and its European allies in fighting back Russian troops from Ukrainian territory. Social media users are also speculating about the possible impact of the US election on the NATO alliance. And it is not the first time Russian disinformation websites have stirred up rumors and misinformation about the block. NATO has often been the target of disinformation in the past, as in this case.  Claim: NATO Secretary…

The party of Sri Lanka’s new Marxist-leaning President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took a seemingly unassailable lead, results from the Indian Ocean island’s poll body showed on Friday. Dissanayake’s coalition, the National People’s Power (NPP), is set to win a majority in a snap election. After winning the presidential election in September, Dissanayake is seeking a mandate for his policies aimed at alleviating distress among the poor in a country that has been poverty-ravaged in recent years. Dissanayake’s coalition had just three of parliament’s 225 seats before Thursday’s election, prompting him to dissolve it and seek a fresh mandate. NPP won 52 seats, receiving…

A body has been recovered from a South African mine after police cut off basic supplies in an effort to force around 4,000 illegal miners to resurface.The body has emerged from the closed gold mine in the northwest town of Stilfontein a day after South Africa’s government said it would not help the illegal miners. Around 20 people have surfaced from the mineshaft this week as police wait nearby to arrest all those appearing from underground.It comes a day after a cabinet minister said the government was trying to “smoke them [the miners] out”.The move is part of the police’s…

Embattled German car manufacturer Volkswagen has launched a joint venture with US electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian. The venture is valued $5.8 billion (€5.46 billion) of total investment. The partnership is expected to build on Rivian’s advanced software and electric vehicle technology, with the first models expected started in 2027, VW Group CEO Oliver Blume said at the launch of the joint venture on Tuesday in Palo Alto, California. Blume said the 2027 rollout would begin with Volkswagen and would be followed by Audi, Scout, Porsche, and other brands. In June, the companies announced the intention to embark on a joint venture with a…

“Gladiator,” a blockbuster from the year 2000, was a monumental epic that received numerous awards and nominations. Now, 24 years later, the sequel finally hits cinemas worldwide. Certainly a big draw for fans is the fact that “Gladiator II” was also directed by Ridley Scott. The now 86-year-old British filmmaker was responsible for cult films including “Alien” (1979), “Blade Runner” (1982) and most recently “Napoleon” (2023). But beyond that,  gladiators’ battles remain a topic of endless fascination. And if you take a closer look, you might find some parallels to the success of today’s TV reality shows.  People need ‘bread and circuses’ This quote, attributed to the Roman poet Juvenal, refers to how the population can usually be kept…

It’s up to an old man to try to put things right: In an effort to put a floundering sport back on the map, 58-year-old Mike Tyson is set to make a return to boxing ring. His opponent: Jake Paul. Jake who? While to many boxing fans the 27-year-old may remain an unknown quantity, he certainly isn’t when it comes to social media. Paul has more than 27 million followers on Instagram and over 18 million on TikTok. After initially trying his hand at acting and singing, Paul stepped into the ring for the first time in 2018 and has been fighting professionally…

Up until election day on November 5, Donald Trump, the former — and soon-to-be next — president of the United States faced the possibility of spending years in prison. But his return to the White House in 2025 means several court cases, in addition to a guilty verdict handed down in a New York court for falsifying business records, will most likely be set aside. Changes in the status of the cases against Trump are largely due to a decision by the Supreme Court ruling that presidents have broad immunity from prosecution for official acts taken while in office. That judgment sent prosecutors in at…

Voting began in Sri Lanka’s snap parliamentary election on Thursday, where voters will decide whether newly elected President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will win  enough seats to push his anti-poverty and economic recovery policies. More than 17 million eligible voters will elect lawmakers to parliament for a five-year term. There are 8,821 candidates vying for the 196 seats. “All arrangements are in place, and we appeal to the public to work with us to ensure a free and fair election,” Election Commission Chairman RML Rathnayake said on Tuesday. Election results are expected on Friday. Economy woes and change of government The leftist…

An Israeli hostage said “I miss my freedom” in a video released by the terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad.Alexander Troufanov was among the dozens of people taken prisoner by militants during the 7 October attacks last year. And while many hostages have since been released or liberated – or found dead – Mr Troufanov’s family are still hoping for his safe return.”I miss my family, I miss my friends, I miss my life, I miss my freedom,” he says in the video, released by the militant group on Wednesday. His family have authorised its use by media organisations.”I miss so many…

The missionary position is a strange name for a face-to-face, horizontal, often heterosexual bedroom maneuver with the man on top. But the story behind the naming of this routine sexual position has more plot twists than one might expect. Did missionaries spread the idea of the missionary position? Since medieval times, Catholic popes, bishops and priests were meant to refrain from having sex, an indulgence that would distract from their devotion to God. But that does not mean they think other people should not be doing it. “The church of course needs people to go to the church, to keep the church alive. So, the more you have children, the more you are a…