Author: DW

Russian star gymnast Angelina Melnikova will no longer compete for TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz, a gymnastics club in eastern Germany, at the season-ending Bundesliga finals as previously planned, the club’s coach told DW. Melnikova, 25, signed on with Chemnitz earlier this month, but her debut in the penultimate Bundesliga competition of the season on November 15 in the southwestern town of Esslingen, attracted controversy because of her links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and her support for the war in Ukraine. That appears to violate the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) neutrality rules. In his opening remarks at the Esslingen competition, the city’s…

Looking through the gallery of US secretaries of the Army from past decades, there are few names that would be familiar to a non-American audience. This is not surprising: the job description primarily involves equipment acquisition and financial issues relating to the United States Army. This could change with the current incumbent, Dan Driscoll. He was 38 years old when he took office, making him the youngest person to hold the position. But there’s more: As of a few days ago, he seems to be the one to have been tasked with the most delicate mission. Although the lawyer and former…

Thailand airlifted patients out of Hat Yai in the southern Songkhla province on Wednesday, while flying in emergency equipment like oxygen tanks to treat the wounded, after major floods hit the city.  Several days of torrential rains have led to flooding in nine Thai provinces and eight states in neighboring Malaysia, displacing around 50,000 people in both countries. People took refuge on the rooftops and hospitals were flooded in Hat Yai, a commercial hub in southern Thailand, which saw 335 millimeters (roughly 13.2 inches) of rain in a single day, a 300-year record. People sought to rescue supplies, as the government airlifted fresh drinking water into…

“The Berlin Apartment,” a novel new video game, is initially set in 2020. The German capital was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and few people walked the streets and cafes and restaurants were closed. The game, created by the Berlin-based indie video game studio Blue Backpack, begins with second-grader Dilara as she accompanies her father, Malik, to work since schools are closed. Malik has been tasked with renovating an apartment in an old Berlin building. As they begin to remove the wallpaper and tiles, they discover traces of the former residents. Players can take on the unique perspective of these different Berlin residents as they embark on a four-hour…

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insisted this week that there are no remaining obstacles to signing the EU–Mercosur trade agreement next month after more than two decades of negotiations. Speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in South Africa, Lula said the deal would represent “possibly the largest agreement” in global trade, citing both blocs’ nearly 722 million population and $22 trillion in gross domestic product (GDP). But while EU trade representatives consider the Mercosur pact to be a done deal, France and Hungary are calling for last-minute changes, citing risks to their agricultural sectors. And while the long-sought pact remains…

Skip next section European lawmakers, media undermining US peace efforts — Russian Foreign Ministry11/26/2025November 26, 2025European lawmakers, media undermining US peace efforts — Russian Foreign MinistryRussia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that US efforts to secure a peace deal in Ukraine were being hindered by repeated “information attacks” by European politicians and media. The latter are trying “to disrupt the possibility of political and diplomatic settlement” of the conflict in Ukraine, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Radio Sputnik. European officials, along with Kyiv, have voiced vehement criticism of the initial US proposal recently put forward amid Washington’s peace efforts, saying it…

Europeans are seething over US President Donald Trump’s suggestion that billions in Russian assets frozen in European countries may be used to the benefit of the US government and firms. After a Trump proposal on how to end Russia’s war in Ukraine that called on Ukraine to give up territory and reduce the size of its armed forces, Europeans rushed to damage control and have now floated a counter offer. “Every day with input it changes,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after meeting the Europeans on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Geneva.  But it is unclear if they will…

Some 35 years since the demise of the East German regime, a groundbreaking series looking into the daily life in the GDR picked up an International Emmy at Monday night’s award ceremony in New York. Produced by the German regional public broadcaster MDR, “Auf Fritzis Spuren — Wie war das so in der DDR?” (In Fritzi’s Footsteps — What was it like in the GDR?) took home the prize in the Kids: Factual & Entertainment category, and beat competitors from Brazil, the United Kingdom and South Africa. ‘A high-quality program for children’ Across six episodes, “In Fritzi’s Footsteps” describes divided Germany in the period shortly before reunification,…

When Chinese fast-fashion online retailer Shein opened its first boutique last week, there were both protests and a crowd of shoppers. The brick-and-mortar shop inside the BHV Marais department store in central Paris hit a nerve and not just because it is in the home of haute couture. It was a love-hate response to the company seen in many other areas. Ultracheap and still duty-free Shein, which is often put in the same category as the Temu online platform that allows manufacturers to sell much more than just fashion directly to consumers, has been criticized for things like counterfeits, aggressive marketing,…

Russian star gymnast Angelina Melnikova will no longer compete for TSV Tittmoning-Chemnitz, a gymnastics club in eastern Germany, at the season-ending Bundesliga finals as previously planned, the club’s coach told DW. Melnikova, 25, signed on with Chemnitz earlier this month, but her debut in the penultimate Bundesliga competition of the season on November 15 in Esslingen, a German town near Stuttgart, attracted controversy because of her links to Russian President Vladimir Putin and her support for the war in Ukraine. That appears to violate the International Gymnastics Federation (the FIG) neutrality rules. In his opening remarks at the Esslingen competition,…