Author: DW

South Korea’s military said on Tuesday that it had fired warning shots at the weekend after some North Korean soldiers briefly crossed the border. “Some North Korean soldiers working within the DMZ on the central front briefly crossed the Military Demarcation Line,” the South Korean joint chiefs of staff (JCS) said in a statement. It was referring to the line of control in the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas. “After our military issued warning broadcasts and warning shots, they retreated northward,” it said, adding the incident happened June 9. “Apart from the immediate retreat of the North Korean soldiers…

The outcome of the 2024 European Parliament elections will play out in the coming weeks, with perhaps the biggest question being whether Ursula von der Leyen, the incumbent European Commission president, can secure a second term at the helm of the EU executive arm. This will have implications for Southeast Asia, which has increasingly aligned with the EU and now considers the European bloc a “strategic partner” of its own regional alliance. According to analysts, the substantial losses resulting from Europe’s green and liberal policies may undermine European involvement in Southeast Asia’s environmental initiatives and impede free trade. More than 180 million…

A controversial Ukrainian battalion has received weapons from the US for the first time in a decade as Kyiv continues to strike targets inside Russia.The US State Department announced on Tuesday the Azov Brigade is now allowed to use American weapons against Russia, marking another expansion of American support for Kyiv. Meanwhile, Kharkiv’s mayor has touted the decision to let Ukraine strike inside of Russian territory with Western weapons as bringing relative “calm” to the beleaguered city.However, Russia has said it has managed to claim two villages in Ukraine on Tuesday – one in Kharkiv Oblast and one in the…

The 4,000 fans watching Germany’s open training session in Herzogenaurach basked in the sunshine and the chance to experience their heroes close up before the European Championship. Goals were cheered, autographs were signed, and the next step towards building a sense of euphoria in Germany was taken. In focus, as always, were Champions League winner Toni Kroos, Bayern Munich talent Jamal Musiala and legendary goalkeeper Manuel Neuer — the two midfielders for the hope they bring, the latter, though, with a little concern. In the space of five days, Neuer made two errors while on Germany duty, with the second one gifting…

This article includes accounts of rape and physical assault A YouTuber called Pan-seug has reawakened public outrage over one of most horrific rape cases in recent South Korean history by naming and shaming some of the alleged perpetrators. The Miryang gang rape case involves 44 men, believed to have repeatedly physically and sexually assaulted three girls between the ages of 13 and 16 over the course of 11 months in 2004. Now, Pan-seug has been uploading a series of videos that identify some of the suspected assailants. The videos have triggered a fierce debate, with some decrying them as vigilante justice…

The vice-president of Malawi and nine others have died in a plane crash, the country’s president has said.The flight – carrying vice-president Saulos Chilima, six other passengers and three military crew members – “went off radar” after leaving the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning. Hundreds of soldiers, police officers and forest rangers were searching for the plane after it disappeared while making the 45-minute flight from Lilongwe to the city of Mzuzu.It was found destroyed in a mountainous part of the Chikangawa Forest, Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera said on Tuesday.He added: “I’m deeply saddened, I’m sorry to inform you all…

Germany, as host of the 2024 European Football Championship, has set its sights high for the organization of a sustainable tournament.  Together with UEFA, the host cities, and the federal and state governments, the German Football Association (DFB) published a brochure last year titled: ‘Common understanding of a sustainable UEFA Euro 2024’. According to this, different measures are being taken to reduce or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. For example, “attractive” local public transport systems will be set up for traveling to the venues. In addition, all ten stadiums will be supplied with 100 percent renewable energy. The organizers also plan to reduce the…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was sworn in for a third consecutive term in office on Sunday, despite his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) losing its outright majority in India’s elections. Having failed to repeat its previous two landslide victories, the Hindu nationalist party will now need to rely on its partners in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition to govern. Key members of the NDA have endorsed Modi as their leader, but also demanded significant concessions in exchange for their support. Modi’s tough juggling act “They have been kept in good humor for now but the demands and arm-twisting by coalition partners will…

European policymakers warned a few months ago that the continent was being flooded with cheap Chinese electric vehicles . They accused Beijing of backing major production overcapacity to allow China’s automakers to grow their share of the global EV market. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, launched an anti-subsidy probe into the oversupply issue late last year and warned China’s EV makers that they could face a new import tariff to offset what Brussels said was unfair competition for European carmakers.  The United States is due to levy a 100% import tax on Chinese-made electric cars, up from the current 25%, which will…

A plane’s windscreen and nose were badly damaged by hail on a flight from Majorca to Vienna.It happened on Sunday afternoon as Flight 0S434 flew through a thunderstorm cell that Austrian Airlines said was not visible on radar. It said the jet made a mayday call on its way back from the Spanish island but landed safely in Vienna with no injuries.Images on social media showed the nose of the Airbus A320 partially disintegrated and dozens of impact marks on the windscreen.Austrian Airlines said it was assessing the damage and stressed that passenger and crew safety was its “top priority”.…