Author: DW

Skip next section Xi and Putin to hold talks05/08/2025May 8, 2025Xi and Putin to hold talksThe Chinese president arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a four-day visitImage: Alexander Vilf/Ria Novosti/REUTERSChinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold talks in Moscow on Thursday, ahead of Russia’s annual military parade commemorating the end of World War II in Europe. Xi is the most powerful world leader expected at the military parade, among a host of others. The Chinese president arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for a four-day visit. The meeting between Xi and Putin is reported to…

North Korea has fired multiple ballistic missiles toward its eastern waters, South Korea’s military said on Thursday. In a statement, the military said the weapons were presumed to be short-range ballistic missiles. The missiles were launched on Thursday from an area around the eastern port city of Monsanto, the military said, and flew up to 800 kilometers (497 miles) before splashing down in the sea. South Korea is closely communicating with the United States and Japan to share information about the launch, it added. Japan’s defense ministry said there was no impact on Japan from the North Korean missiles, according to Japanese public…

After months of delay and rising criticism over soaring LNG imports from Russia, the European Commission has announced its roadmap to eliminate Russian fossil fuels from the EU energy mix by 2027. On Tuesday, Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen presented the long-awaited plan in Strasbourg, aiming to transform the bloc’s political promises into binding measures. “We’ve managed to put together a legislative package that will make sure that we will now get completely rid of Russian gas in our energy mix,” Jorgensen told DW.Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen is the mastermind behind the EU’s plan to stop Russian gas flowing into the blocImage:…

Two Belgian teenagers who were found with 5,000 ants in Kenya have been given the choice of serving 12 months in prison or paying a fine of $7,700 (£5,767) for trying to smuggle live queen ants out of the country.Authorities said the ants were destined for European and Asian markets in an emerging trend of trafficking lesser-known wildlife species. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19, were arrested and charged last month after they were found with the ants at a guest house in Nakuru county, which is home to various national parks.The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said…

Conductor Herbert von Karajan joined Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), not once, but twice — once in Austria and once in Germany. Yet the celebrated classical musician was still feted after World War II as one of the greatest conductors of all time. Hitler’s master architect Albert Speer served 20 years in prison due to his Nazi past, but then in the 1970s he published books about his life as a Nazi, and they were wildly successful. Wieland Wagner, a family friend of Adolf Hitler, made a name for himself in the 1950s as the director of the…

The US administration under Republican President Donald Trump has proposed billions in cuts to NASA’s budget, putting at risk major partnerships, and shifting the space agency’s priorities from the moon to Mars. Reacting to these cuts, European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher emphasized “the importance of cooperation in space activities.” Ashbacher said ESA would assess the impact of the proposed NASA budget for the coming fiscal year, released on May 2, as questions remained about the “full repercussions” of the changes. The administration’s budget proposal for NASA includes cuts to the Artemis moon program As the US shifts its…

Israel’s security Cabinet has unanimously approved a plan to widen the military offensive in Gaza. Dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots,” it includes the “conquest of Gaza” and occupying the territory, an Israeli official said on Monday, without specifying how long the occupation would last. The Cabinet also approved the drafting of tens of thousands of reservists to carry out the operation.  From what details have emerged so far, the plan involves the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) invading and seizing control of Gaza territory, forcibly displacing the civilian population to the south of Gaza, “dismantling” the militant group Hamas, releasing the remaining hostages held in Gaza, and establishing…

“We rescued 68 people from two unsuitable boats on the night of May 1st,” Marie Michel, a crew member of the sea rescue organization SOS Humanity, reported at a press conference marking the group’s tenth anniversary.  “Both boats were in the Libyan search and rescue zone at the time, but the Libyan rescue coordination center did not coordinate any of these rescues, but said that they are not responsible,” she added. In Michel’s view, this sums up how the European Union has successively outsourced responsibility for rescuing people from drowning in the Mediterranean to civilian organizations for more than ten years. According…

US President Donald Trump’s scrapping of a duty-free loophole has shattered Temu and Shein’s business model, choking their flood of cheap Chinese goods into the United States. In 2024, 1.36 billion shipments entered the US under the so-called de minimis rule, exempting goods valued under $800 (€704) from import tariffs. That figure marks a nine-fold increase from 153 million in 2015. Goods bought from Temu and Shein, who handled 30% of daily US low-value packages last year between them, will now be subject to a 30% tariff or flat fees of up to $50, plus the 145% tariff on imports from China levied by Trump last month. With…

The UK and India have struck an “ambitious” trade deal that will slash tariffs on products such as whisky and gin. The agreement will also see Indian tariffs cut on cosmetics and medical devices and will deliver a £4.8bn boost to the UK economy, according to the government. It is also expected to increase bilateral trade by £25.5bn, UK GDP by £4.8bn and wages by £2.2bn each year in the long term.Politics latest: PM urged to rethink two major policiesThe news will be a welcome boost for the government following poor local election results, which saw Labour lose the Runcorn by-election…