Author: DW

The Slovakian parliament on Thursday approved a plan to revamp the public broadcaster RTVS and change its leadership. It will take effect in July after the president signs the bill. Some of the changes have led to public protests and concerns over political control over media freedom. The government has accused the broadcaster of being biased and ignoring opinions that vary from the mainstream. The new law would change how the oversight council for RTVS is chosen. “The draft law … has the goal of strengthening the public-law character of [the broadcaster] and ensuring respect for plurality and the principles of democracy…

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign raised substantially more money than Joe Biden’s last month, new figures show.The Republican candidate received £111m in contributions during May – with tens of millions sent after he was convicted of falsifying business records. A New York jury found Trump guilty of covering up a “hush money” payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels – with one billionaire donating £39.5m after the verdict was reached. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:30 Trump slams ‘rigged’ trial and ‘devil’ judge Trump’s campaign has refused to confirm how much cash it has in the…

Tech giant Amazon announced a plan to invest a further €10 billion ($10.7 billion) in Germany on Wednesday. The company said €8.8 billion will be used to expand the facilities of its cloud computing subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, around Frankfurt. The rest of the funds will go towards logistics, robotics and two new corporate offices. Amazon said its German workforce is set to grow to 40,000 permanent staff by the end of the year, up from around 36,000 employees in 2023. Scholz welcomes Amazon investment Amazon said it has already invested more than €77 billion in the country since 2010. The fresh…

As Taiwan headed to the presidential polls in January, there was widespread apprehension among the island’s population that Beijing would try to influence the vote. Their concern was not unfounded, given similar occurences during previous elections. China, which considers the self-governed island as its territory, employed several methods to ramp up support for pro-Beijing groups in Taiwan, dissuade Taiwanese people from casting their ballots in favor of pro-independence parties, and create an environment of fear among the public. “One of the methods was economic coercion,” said Yuchen Li, DW’s correspondent in Taipei, prior to the vote. “Since China is Taiwan’s biggest…

Louisiana has become the first state in the US to require the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every public school classroom.Republican Governor Jeff Landry signed the law into legislation on Wednesday requiring a poster-sized display of the religious directives in “large, easily, readable font” in all classrooms, from kindergarten (nursery) to state-funded universities. “If you want to respect the rule of law, you’ve got to start from the original lawgiver – which was Moses,” Governor Landry said.It comes during a new era of conservative leadership in Louisiana under Governor Landry, who replaced two-term Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards in…

Arvind Kejriwal, one of the key figures of the Indian opposition and a major critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been granted bail in his ongoing corruption case on Thursday. A court ruled that the Delhi chief minister could be released after rejecting a request from the Enforcement Directorate, India’s financial crime investigation agency, to hold the decision for 48 hours. He is expected to leave the Tihar Prison in Delhi once his bail bond is paid. Kejriwal was arrested in March ahead of India’s weekslong election. He was granted temporary bail by the Supreme Court in May to campaign in the elections,…

Turkey plans to impose tariffs on all cars imported from China. The Turkish Ministry of Trade announced that duties of 40% or at least $7,000 (€6,500) will be levied on every vehicle. The country already introduced a tariff on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) last year. Starting July 8 on, tariffs on imported Chinese cars could total up to 50%. Many automotive industry representatives are very concerned by this move. Turkey’s domestic market is already volatile, and inflation has been very high in recent years. They fear that extra tariffs will drive up prices even further.Inflation has been soaring in Turkey, driving…

At least 21 people have died from a cholera in Nigeria’s densely populated Lagos State, a health official said on Thursday. The news came as the European Union announced it would pledge €750 million (more than $800 million) for the launch of the African Vaccines Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) scheme. The program, announced in Paris, aims to boost the production of vaccines in Africa to help the continent respond more independently to outbreaks, including the recent spate of cholera outbreaks that have hit many parts of Africa. Festivities feed cholera surge More than 400 cholera cases have been reported in Lagos State since the start of the…

Photographs show the Tenerife property where British teenager Jay Slater is believed to have been last seen before he went missing on Monday.A Snapchat video shared by the 19-year-old on Sunday night appears to show the property he visited in the northwestern mountain village of Masca after attending the NRG music festival. Mr Slater, from Oswaldtwistle near Blackburn in Lancashire, was holidaying with friends on the island before he went missing. Image: The property where Jay Slater is believed to have been last seen His friend Lucy Law told Wednesday’s UK Tonight programme on Sky News that she spoke to…

Canadian actor Donald Sutherland has died, his family announced on Thursday. He was 88. “With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away,” his son Kiefer Sutherland posted on social media. Sutherland won numerous accolades during his career spanning the 1960s through to the 2020s. A storied career on screen Sutherland was once one of the biggest stars in Hollywood thanks to his roles like Hawkeye Piece, the rascally army surgeon in “M*A*S*H,” or a quirky tank commander Sgt. Oddball in the film “Kelly’s Heroes.” He was known for his tall frame and piercing eyes, that helped him…