Author: DW

After an encouraging few months on and off the field, Germany’s men had rediscovered their form and revitalised their connection with the country. A dominant display against Ukraine might have ended goalless, but it didn’t dent the feeling that both the team and the country are on the verge of a special summer. A recent survey by German public broadcaster WDR has, however, sought to challenge the notion that the country is behind this team. The survey, which both head coach Julian Nagelsmann and star defender Joshua Kimmich labeled racist, revealed that 21% of those asked whether they wanted a…

For the past three weeks or so I’ve travelled the entire length of Mexico, from its border in the south with Guatemala to its northern state of Chihuahua that borders the US.In cities, towns, and villages, ubiquitous billboards for the various political parties and candidates dominated the skyline. Claudia Sheinbaum’s face was as common a signpost as the fast-food restaurants – which is something of a national obsession here. Image: Claudia Sheinbaum’s image was everywhere in the run up to voting day. Pic: AP What was interesting though, was that in some of the poorest areas we visited, on the…

A frustrating stalemate against a resilient but limited Ukraine side in a friendly leaves Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann with some questions to ponder, with just one more match before the opener to their home Euros campaign. Germany started Monday’s game in Nuremberg brightly enough, but were frustrated by a compact Ukrainian side determined to give nothing away. Nagelsmann’s side, without their contingent who played in Saturday’s Champions League final including Toni Kroos, looked a little blunt, hitting the target with just one of their 5 of their 27 shots. “Unfortunately, we didn’t reap the rewards for the many scoring opportunities, but…

Portugal repealed a key migration policy on Monday as it aims to limit the number of new arrivals. The changes put an end to a rule that allowed non-EU migrants to move to Portugal without an employment contract and later request residency after paying social security for a year. Now, migrants will need an employment contract before moving to the country. Portugal has one of Europe’s most open immigration regimes but the country has witnessed a political shift toward the right wing, with border restrictions being a key issue. Newly-elected Prime Minister Luis Montenegro said he wanted to “put an end…

Kylian Mbappe has joined Real Madrid on a five-year deal, confirming weeks of speculation that he was finally joining the Spanish champions.”Real Madrid CF and Kylian Mbappe have reached an agreement whereby he will be a Real Madrid player for the next five seasons,” the club said on Monday evening. Mbappe posted photos of himself as a youngster wearing the famous white kit, including one alongside Madrid legend Cristiano Ronaldo. X This content is provided by X, which may be using cookies and other technologies. To show you this content, we need your permission to use cookies. You can use…

Toyota Motor Corporation on Monday admitted to cheating on various certification and safety tests for seven models of car sold in Japan, three of which are still in production.  Chairman Akio Toyoda apologized at a press conference in Tokyo, offering a customary low bow as he did so.  HIs comments were based on the findings of an internal Toyota review, launched as the Japanese government announced its own investigation at the beginning of the year. That probe is ongoing and affects multiple car manufacturers. “We are not a perfect company. But if we see anything wrong, we will take a…

British-Israeli hostage Nadav Popplewell was among four people who died while in Hamas captivity, the Israeli military has said.The 51-year-old’s body remains in Gaza, it is understood.He was taken hostage along with his mother from their home in Nirim during the 7 October Hamas attack.On Monday, Israel confirmed the deaths of the four hostages, including three elderly men seen in a Hamas video begging for their release.The three, Amiram Cooper, Yoram Metzger and Haim Peri, were all aged 80 or older.Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the four men had died together in the southern Gaza city of…

“People were there on the beach. It was really very exciting to see the launch, and to see the expectation from everybody for this mission. That was really something wonderful for a scientist to see,” said Olivier Gasnault.   He was referring to the launch of China’s Chang’e-6 lunar probe on May 3 from the southern Chinese island province of Hainan. Its mission was to land on the moon’s far side and collect samples that scientists expect will help answer key questions about the early evolution of the solar system. Gasnault, together with his colleagues at the French Institute of Astrophysics and…

Flooded streets, landslides, evacuated houses submerged deep in water — that’s the scene in large parts of southern Germany. Where the water has flowed, buildings, cars, furniture and household goods have all been swallowed by mud and destroyed.  This is not the first extreme weather to cause damage this year: heavy rainfall, hailstorms and severe thunderstorms have already ravaged parts of Germany. Regions in the west of the country along the Rhine, in the north along the Elbe, and in the south at the foothills of the Alps have all been hard hit.  As a result of climate change, extreme…

Two of Nigeria’s largest trade unions called an indefinite strike starting on Monday, with the walkout already crippling the national electricity grid and air travel.  Talks with the government on a new minimum wage, meant to cushion the impact of inflation of more than 30%, recently broke down.  The ongoing protest is the fourth large strike staged by the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) since President Bola Tinubu took office last year and launched a far-reaching set of economic reforms. Power grid goes offline overnight Electricity and aviation unions had directed their workers to withdraw their services and comply with…