Author: DW

The man who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan has disavowed violence in the wake of the attempt on Donald Trump’s life. John Hinckley Jr, who wounded the former US president during an attack in 1981, wrote on X: “Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance.” The post on Wednesday came days after Mr Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Image: Donald Trump after a bullet grazed his ear in a shooting at a Pennsylvania rally. Pic: AP Although Hinckley did not directly mention the Republican presidential nominee, people were quick to draw the connection, responding with bemusement…

Police in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen took a suspected Taylor Swift stalker into custody on Wednesday evening ahead of the first Germany date on the US singer’s “Eras Tour.” Authorities said on Thursday morning that event organizers had alerted police to threats made against the 34-year-old star, but gave no further details. Around 60,000 fans – known as “Swifties” – attended the first of three concerts at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, which police said went peacefully. After the concert, police responded to a call-out from a 70-year-old man in the Gelsenkirchen suburb of Erle, which neighbors the…

The jointly written history textbook “Europe – Our History” is a flagship project of German-Polish cooperation. Dozens of academics from Poland and Germany have been working on the project since 2008. It is also only the second bilateral history textbook in the world to be produced by two neighboring countries. The final volume in the series — volume 4 in Germany and volumes 7 and 8 in Poland — was finished in 2020. However, unlike in Germany, teachers in Poland have so far been unable to use the book in class because of objections from Poland’s former national-conservative government.Academic Marcin…

When Donald Trump stepped onto the stage at the Republican National Convention this week, the audience welcomed him with raucous applause. Some shed tears, others hailed him as a survivor. The failed assasination attempt against the former president not only galvanized the support of his own base, but drew sympathy from across political lines and continents. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Comission President Ursula von der Leyen, sharply condemned the attempt on his life and wished him a speedy recovery. “Political violence has no place in a democracy,” von der Leyen said in a post on social…

South Korea’s top court on Thursday upheld an earlier decision by an appeals court which ruled that the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) had to grant a same-sex couple spousal coverage. The appeals court decision last year was the first time a South Korean court recognized the rights of a gay couple. What is the case? So Seong-wook and Kim Yong-min had sued the NHIS in 2021 after it canceled their spousal benefits when it discovered they were both men. Chief Justice Jo Hee-de said that denying them such benefits, even though there is no language in the National Health Insurance Act that relates…

Joe Biden has been forced to pull out of a campaign speech after contracting COVID.The US president was due to deliver an address to UnidosUS – the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organisation – in Las Vegas. Mr Biden is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said, including “general malaise” from the infection.He has returned to his home in Delaware to self-isolate and from where he will “continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time”, Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.A post on the president’s X feed said simply: “I’m sick.” X This content is…

US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced Wednesday. Biden, who has been campaigning in Nevada, had to call off a keynote address at Unidos, a Latino civil rights organization’s annual conference. “He is vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. She added that he would continue his presidential duties from his home in Delaware.  As he boarded Air Force One on his way home, he flashed a thumbs-up to reporters and said, “I feel good.” He was not wearing a mask when he boarded but had one on during the…

JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, made his national political debut on Wednesday with a primetime speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC). The freshman senator from Ohio officially accepted Donald Trump’s offer and the Republican Party’s nomination to run for vice president and urged voters to “choose a new path.” “The people who govern this country have failed and failed again,” he said. Trump and Vance will face the Democratic ticket of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election. Vance contrasts Biden and Trump Vance’s autobiographical speech was the first time many Americans heard from him.  “I grew up in Middletown, Ohio,…

At least 16 people died in a fire at a shopping mall in southern China, state media reported on Wednesday. The incident occurred at a shopping complex in Zigong, a city in western Sichuan province. Another 75 people were rescued from the blaze, according to official news agency Xinhua. “By 8:20 pm (1220 GMT), the fire had been extinguished,” state broadcaster CCTV said. It was not immediately known what caused the fire or how many people were in the building when the fire broke out. What do we know about the fire? The blaze broke out at the bottom of a 14-story building and…

Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, will make his national political debut on Wednesday with a primetime speech at the Republican National Convention. It will be the first time many Americans hear from the freshman senator from Ohio. The 39-year-old was formally selected as the party’s nominee for vice president after Trump announced on his social media platform that he had chosen him as a running mate. Speaking to donors in Milwaukee before his convention speech, he quipped that he’s told Trump he’s “very excited about this evening” and doesn’t plan to screw it up but that it’s too late…