Author: DW

“The transfer of foreigners to Poland by the German police was carried out in violation of the principles of cooperation between the two services and against the transfer law. The German authorities must not make such a decision arbitrarily,” Poland’s border service wrote on social media on Monday. The statement came after German authorities reportedly deposited a family of five Afghan asylum seekers on the Polish side of their border near Osinow Dolny last Friday after apprehending them for having illegally entered Germany without the necessary paperwork. Under existing law, their lack of documents dictated they be returned to Poland, where…

German investigators have confiscated 35.5 tonnes of cocaine in what authorities say is the biggest bust of the class A drug Europe has ever seen. Prosecutors in the western city of Duesseldorf said they confiscated the cocaine, which they valued at €2.6bn (£2.19bn), last year after receiving a tip from Colombian authorities. A total of 25 tonnes of cocaine was found in the port of the northern city of Hamburg as part of Operation Plexus, another eight in the Dutch port of Rotterdam and almost three in Colombia. The drugs were hidden among vegetables and fruit, prosecutors said.Seven people aged between…

The tiny kingdom of Lesotho lies in the Maluti Mountains, whose highest peak rises over 3,000 meters (9,842 ft) above sea level. There, Lesotho possesses a sought-after treasure: water. Lesotho channels this vital resource into huge dams and trade in water is flourishing. For more than two decades, Lesotho has been exporting water to neighboring South Africa , which surrounds Lesotho. South Africa’s economic hub, Johannesburg, heavily relies on this water supply from Lesotho.  Water resources in southern Africa are unevenly distributed. Despite its smaller size, Lesotho is rich in water, while larger South Africa lacks enough water to meet the growing demand. The Lesotho Highlands Water Project…

Fouzieh is a single mother of a 5-year-old son. Her husband left the family after the Taliban took power in Afghanistan in 2021. He was afraid of retaliation for being with her. “I was a police officer and have worked for the national security forces,” Fouzieh told DW. “We lived in Kabul as the Taliban came. My husband abandoned us. I had to go into hiding with my son. We have been on the run for over a year, moving every couple of months and staying with our relatives.” Since the Taliban takeover, many former police officers and soldiers have…

The gunfire rang long and loud.We watched as angry and tearful men fired into the air chanting death threats against Israel and America in Deir Qanoun En Nahr in southern Lebanon.Ambulance sirens wailed and crowds of young Lebanese female medics stood holding pictures of their colleague, their faces creased in pain and sorrow.We’ve been to many funerals recently. This was the ceremony for two civilians, both women – one a mother, the other an emergency medic in her twenties.They are the latest civilian victims to be killed in Israeli border attacks.There’s terror on the other side of the border too,…

Germany’s Interior Ministry said it was satisfied with the security situation over the first weekend of the Euro 2024 championship. “The security measures are working,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Maximilian Kall said on Monday. He said that “so far, there have been no surprising events.” However, incidents did occur away from the pitch. In Saxony-Anhalt, police shot a man who fatally stabbed a guest at a viewing party. In Hamburg, police also shot a man wielding a hammer near where Dutch soccer fans were gathering, although authorities dismissed any connection to the Euros. Police respond to Serbia-England clash Kall nevertheless pointed to an…

The governor of the US state of Maryland pardoned more than 175,000 marijuana convictions on Monday. “I’ll pardon all convictions related to the possession of cannabis and cannabis paraphernalia,” Governor Wes Moore said at a press conference in Annapolis. This move forgives low-level convictions for around 100,000 people. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown said the mass pardon was “a racial equity issue.” “This unequivocally, without any doubt or reservation, disproportionately impacts — in a good way — Black and Brown Marylanders,” Brown told The Washington Post. Marijuana legal in Maryland Maryland legalized recreational cannabis in 2023 after a referendum in…

The Serbian football association has been charged by UEFA after objects were allegedly thrown at England’s Euro 2024 group stage match against Serbia.Eight people were temporarily detained following a brawl between Serbia and England fans in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, ahead of Sunday’s game, police said. The charges include “transmitting a provocative message unfit for a sports event”.European football’s governing body says its control, ethics and disciplinary body (CEDB) will decide on the matter in due course.In addition, a UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector will conduct an investigation regarding alleged discriminatory behaviour. England won the match 1-0.Before it got underway, riot police…

It was one of those moments that prove that Ilkay Gündogan is one of Germany’s best midfielders. In the 19th minute of Germany”s match against Scotland, Gündogan took the ball in midfield and played a perfect pass to Kai Havertz in the penalty area, allowing him in turn to set up Jamal Musiala for Germany’s second goal. A short time later, Gündogan drew a penalty, which Havertz converted to erase any doubt about the eventual outcome in what would be a dream start to Germany’s home Euros. “A world-class performance. Especially with the external pressure that he’s always under,” said…

“Humans. For sale” is the title of a play by Romanian playwright and theater director Carmen Lidia Vidu about the little-known chapter in German–Romanian relations that saw the government of West Germany buy the freedom of about 220,000 ethnic German Romanians from Romania’s communist regime between 1969 and 1989. The German State Theater in Timisoara (DSTT) brought the play to Germany, staging it in Berlin and Timisoara’s twin city, Karlsruhe.Romanian author and director Carmen Lidia Vidu has made a name for herself in Romania with documentary plays about her country’s present and recent pastImage: Marian Adochiței “This deal is unique in…