Author: DW

It’s in Zullighöven, a small village in the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, that I meet Dorothee Hochgürtel, a farm owner. When I arrive at her farm on a Friday morning in July, she is already waving at me from a distance and pointing to the wooden gate through which I should enter the farm. I immediately notice the pleasant lush green as far as my eyes can see, giving me the impression of a place seemingly cut off from the rest of the world.  The 65-year-old has been running the farm since 2001. She keeps more than a hundred  animals,…

Ursula von der Leyen faced a seemingly endless queue of well-wishers in the chamber of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday, in scenes that would likely have stunned the very same legislature five years ago when she was thrust as an unknown candidate into one of the top jobs in the European Union (EU). The German conservative sailed through a vote by EU lawmakers over whether she could stay on as European Commission President until 2029. Of the 707 votes cast, she received a comfortable majority of 401 votes in favor — well ahead of the necessary threshold of 360. In 2019, she had edged through the same…

Remarks earlier this week by US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that Taiwanshould “pay” the US for protection from China have sown doubt on the self-ruled island about Washington’s commitment to defense should Trump win the presidency. Trump’s remarks have sparked heated debates and blanket media coverage in Taiwan, with headlines warning of “Trump security fees.” The US is Taiwan’s most important security benefactor as it faces a persistent threat from China, which considers the democratic island to be a breakaway province that one day will be “reunited” with the mainland, by force if necessary. In the interview published Tuesday, Trump said…

In the villages of the Jadar Valley in western Serbia, even recent scorchingly high temperatures haven’t stopped farmers from working in the fields. About 18,000 people live in this area, mostly young families with children who rely on the valley’s fertile land. In the last five years, their lives have been turned upside down by the plans of Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto to open a lithium mine in the area. The family of vet and farmer Zlatko Kokanovic has lived here for generations. He knows the area like the back of his hand and is certain that the mine and the…

Thousands of students armed with sticks and stones clashed with armed police in Bangladesh following days of violent confrontations local media say have killed at least 16 people.The students were demonstrating in the country’s capital, Dhaka, over the way government jobs are allocated. On Wednesday, the protesters announced they would enforce a “complete shutdown” across the country on Thursday in response to attacks on campus demonstrators. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:42 Bangladesh protest has ‘become a war’ Police fired tear gas to scatter protesters near the University of Dhaka campus, and some mobile internet…

Remarks earlier this week by US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump that Taiwanshould “pay” the US for protection from China have sewn doubt on the self-ruled island about Washington’s commitment to defense should Trump win the presidency. Trump’s remarks have sparked heated debates and blanket media coverage in Taiwan, with headlines flashing statements warning of “Trump security fees.” The US is Taiwan’s most important security benefactor as it faces a persistent threat from China, which considers the democratic island to be a breakaway province that one day will be “reunited” with the mainland, by force if necessary. In the interview published…

A German court has thrown out a case of legal action by the New York Times Company attempting to prevent a local puzzle maker from using the name “Wordle.” The publisher acquired Wordle from the original inventor in early 2021 and applied for a European Union trademark. On the same day, Hamburg-based puzzle maker Stefan Heine secured the German rights to the name “Wordle.” The court ruled on Thursday that the New York Times Company did not have prior rights over the name, and that both the EU trademark and the German trademark were of “equal seniority.” Both the New…

Footage has emerged showing some of the last movements of those who died after a suspected cyanide poisoning at a Bangkok hotel.The CCTV video, focusing on an internal courtyard, captures five of the six victims at the luxury Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel in Thailand. It initially shows a man, one of the guests, jogging across the courtyard ahead of the others. Image: One of the guests pictured at the hotel where he died. Pic: Royal Thai Police He is followed by four other members of the group, who go through the same doorway.Two other men, who appear to be members…

Two climate activists have been arrested after they spray painted planes at an airport near London where Taylor Swift’s private jet had reportedly landed. The group Just Stop Oil said on social media that two women “cut the fence into the private airfield at Stansted where Taylor Swift’s jet is parked, demanding an emergency treaty to end fossil fuels by 2030.” But Essex Police later said Swift’s aircraft was not at the airport at the time of the incident. Swift, who has previously attracted criticism for her use of private jets, is currently on tour in the UK In 2022 she topped…

German football club Fortuna Düsseldorf is extending its revolutionary free tickets scheme into a second season and expanding the offer to four home games, the club announced on Thursday. Second-division outfit Düsseldorf unveiled their “Fortuna for All” project ahead of the 2023/24 campaign in which they gave away tickets for three home games free of charge. The plan was to compensate for lost ticketing revenue by convincing prominent local businesses to back the socially inclusive scheme as new club sponsors. At the same time, the club hoped to increase attendance at its MERKUR Spiel Arena, which hosted five matches at this summer’s European…