Author: DW

On Monday, Romania played against Ukraine in Munich at the EURO 2024 football championship, winning its first match of the tournament 3-0.  After the game, a video went viral on social media, in which Romanian fans in the stadium chant “Putin, Putin” – apparently in support of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.  One of the posts on X has been viewed almost two million times. The video spread widely and was shared in different languages, such as Russian, German,  Czech, Chinese, Arabic, and on other platforms like Youtube, Telegram and TikTok.  The fans in the stadium were filmed from behind, which made it impossible to identify…

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi will not run as a candidate in the Southern African nation’s election scheduled for October 9. The Mozambican constitution limits the president to two consecutive five-year terms and Nyusi has been in power since 2015.  Frelimo — the ruling party that has held power since Mozambique’s war for independence from Portugal in 1975 — selected Daniel Chapo as its presidential nominee. At 47 years old, the former radio announcer is the first Frelimo candidate born post-independence.  Although a relatively unknown figure in national politics, Chapo is the governor of the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane. He holds a law…

Israel’s allies and Middle East players have echoed warnings regarding the spread of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, after Israel said its plans for an offensive on Lebanon, where it is expected to face the Islamist Hezbollah militia, have been “approved and validated.” The US, Germany and Turkey have all responded with concern. While Berlin and Washington have cautioned against the consequences of the expansion of war, Ankara has pledged solidarity with Lebanon and called on other regional players to join in. Separately, the UN’s most senior official in charge of humanitarian affairs also warned such an escalation could be “apocalyptic.” “I…

Kenyan president William Ruto has withdrawn a bill which sparked deadly protests in Nairobi, saying he was respecting Kenyans’ “loud” opposition to it. After 22 people were reportedly killed in violent protests on Tuesday which also saw part of Kenya’s parliament building burnt, Mr Ruto said he would no longer be introducing unpopular new financial laws which would have hiked taxes for Kenyans. Protesters said the bill would have put yet more pressure on ordinary citizens and businesses trying to grapple with the high cost of living.The government claimed it wanted to raise funds to pay off debt.Read more: Kenya…

Scientists injected two radioactive chips into a live rhino’s horns at a South African rhino orphanage June 25, 2024. The rhino was the first of 20 slated to receive the injection in an effort to stop poaching, which a conservationist at the rhino orphanage called “the best idea I’ve ever heard.” How the anti-poaching chips work The chips will do two things: Scientists leading the project told the AFP news agency the chips will set off radiation detectors at border control points, alerting authorities of potentially poached material; they will also render the injected horns poisonous for human consumption, depleting their…

Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak were renowned Czech composers who borrowed from the folk music of their homeland in their classical-romantic works. “Ma Vlast” (My Fatherland) by Smetana, for example, is a homage to what is now the Czech Republic; while the famous “The Vltava” (also known as “The Moldau”) references the river that builds up from a trickle from its source over rapids to a large river that then flows into the Elbe in Germany. The full orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk symphony orchestra that opens the Rheingau Music Festival every year are performing the Czech classics. When the Armenian-French chief conductor…

An evening of Doner kebabs and a fully dressed Joshua Kimmich jumping into swimming pools – it’s safe to say spirits are high in the Germany camp. Top of the group and contributing to a party atmosphere at Euro 2024 , it’s easy to see why Germany are all smiles. One man who deserves perhaps more credit than he is getting is head coach Julian Nagelsmann. The 36-year-old was the face of Germany’s young coaching generation. Now he has seamlessly transitioned into leading the country at a home tournament. Ironic then, that the man who has long insisted football is a players’ game now looks like Germany’s…

Skip next section EU agrees to fresh Belarus sanctions to step up pressure on Russia06/26/2024June 26, 2024EU agrees to fresh Belarus sanctions to step up pressure on RussiaThe European Union agreed on new sanctions on Belarus over the Ukraine war, as it tries to tighten sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Belgium, which holds the bloc’s rotating presidency, said EU ambassadors have agreed to the new package in principle.  “With this package, we just closed the biggest loophole of our sanctions regime,” the EU presidency said in a statement. European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen welcomed…

The beach, the sun and even the festive street atmosphere are likely among the first things travelers want to see when they visit Barcelona. However, their reception has been a bit different for the past few weeks. As tourists land in the city, a different kind of message greets them at the airport: “Drought alert. Save water during your stay.” Catalonia has been in a critical situation for three years and has seen its worst drought in 200 years. Although the rains of the last few weeks have helped ease the situation, the region remains alert to what the future may bring. In the context…

North Korea launched early on Wednesday a weapon that intelligence agencies believe was an advanced hypersonic missile, although the test ended in failurewhen the missile blew up off the east coast of the Korean Peninsula. The launch came a day after the74th anniversary of the start of the Korean War.It is widely considered to have been a defiant show of force by the North after the US Navy aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt had docked at the South Korean port of Busan this week ahead of trilateral naval exercises with South Korea and Japan. The latest failed missile launch could lead North…