Author: DW

Activists in Pakistan-administered Kashmir say the recent protests over soaring food and energy costs reflect larger problems involving the semi-autonomous region’s local government and the central government in Islamabad. On Monday evening, four people, including one police officer, were killed after paramilitary forces, called rangers, responded to the protests in the regional capital, Muzaffarabad. An estimated 100 people have been injured. Authorities also shut off internet services and closed schools in response to the unrest.  In response, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved $82 million (€75 million) worth of subsidies on Tuesday in a bid to defuse the situation by…

South Africa on Thursday urged the UN’s top court to order an end to Israel’s assault on Rafah, accusing Israel of intensifying what it calls “genocide” in Gaza. The hearing at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is part of South Africa’s broader case accusing Israel of committing “acts of genocide” against Palestinians in Gaza. “South Africa had hoped, when we last appeared before this court, to halt this genocidal process to preserve Palestine and its people,” Vusimuzi Madonsela, South Africa’s ambassador to the Netherlands, told the ICJ. “Instead, Israel’s genocide has continued apace and has just reached a new and…

A man has been charged with attempted murder over the shooting of Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico.Mr Fico – who is fighting for his life in hospital after Wednesday’s assassination attempt – was shot several times in the town of Handlova, around 85 miles northeast of the capital Bratislava, where the politician was meeting supporters. Here’s what we know so far about the man detained by police at the scene. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:16 Video shows moment Slovak PM was shot Who is the suspected attacker?The suspected assailant is a 71-year-old former security…

What is Sports Free? Sports Free is an initiative that advocates for greater visibility and acceptance of queer athletes in professional sports. The initiative was started by Diversero, a global community that advocates for diversity and against bullying. Marcus Urban is the co-founder of the organization. Who is Marcus Urban? In 2007, Urban became Germany’s first former football player to come out as gay. Born in 1971 in the former East Germany (GDR), Urban was one of the most talented young footballers in the communist state. As a midfielder for Rot-Weiss Erfurt he played in the highest youth leagues and…

China has become the main supplier of microelectronics and machine tools for Russian weapons, and  NATO countries are worried that Russia may use these weapons on targets well beyond Ukraine. In late 2023, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) concluded in an analysis that, in the worst-case scenario, NATO had only five more years to ensure that the 32-country bloc has the potential to deter a possible Russian attack on a NATO member. “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin needs the war to continue because he has conjured up so many specters that may be unable to accept peace,” the study’s author, Christian…

The prestigious Michelin Guide star was awarded to a 10-foot by 10-foot (3-meter by 3-meter) taqueria in Mexico City.  Tacos El Califa de Leon, in the scruffy-bohemian San Rafael neighborhood, is the first such restaurant to receive the prize from the coveted French dining guide. It is named after the celebrated Mexican bullfighter Rodolfo Gaona, whose nickname in the ring was “El Califa de Leon.” The parents of current owner Mario Hernandez founded the taqueria over 50 years ago. “My father said, ‘Do you want me to tell you the secret of the meat? There is no secret,” only “love and effort,” 66-year-old Hernandez said after his taco stand received the Michelin star.Owner…

Police are to dig again for the body of murdered Muriel McKay after her killer agreed to reveal where he buried her 54 years ago.The move follows a tireless campaign by her family who flew to Trinidad to persuade her killer Nizam Hosein to pinpoint the burial site earlier this year.Hosein was convicted of kidnapping and killing Muriel McKay, who he mistook for the then wife of newspaper magnate Rupert Murdoch, in one of the first British murder trials without a body.He spent 20 years in jail and many more after his release denying his involvement until he finally told…

Health authorities have confirmed that a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been spreading among dairy cattle in nine US states since March 2024. The H5N1 bird flu virus has been found in the raw milk of infected cows, including in samples of milk sold in grocery stores. US health agencies said milk products were safe to consume when pasteurized because the pasteurization process kills the virus. But they recommend against consuming raw milk products. H5N1 bird flu adapted to spread among other animals The H5N1 virus is primarily adapted to infect birds. Outbreaks have been common in wild birds in the past two decades. There…

European Union regulators have opened a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram over child protection concerns, the European Commission said on Thursday. The Commission said in a statementthat systems of both Facebook and Instagram, including the algorithms, may “exploit the weaknesses and inexperience of minors and cause addictive behaviour, and/or reinforce so-called ‘rabbit hole’ effect.”  The rabbit hole effects “draw you in to more and more disturbing content,” according to the statement. The European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said the bloc was not convinced Meta had done enough to comply with the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Both Instagram and Facebook are designated as…

Germany’s Euro 2024 squad has been announced, with uncapped Bayern Munich midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, Hoffenheim’s forward Maximilian Beier and Stuttgart forward Chris Führich the big surprise inclusions. Alongside veterans Manuel Neuer, Thomas Müller, Toni Kroos, and captain Ilkay Gündogan, the preliminary squad also included Führich’s Stuttgart teammates striker Deniz Undav and defenders Waldemar Anton and Maximilian Mittelstädt. Leon Goretzka,  Mats Hummels and Julian Brandt were surprise omissions, with head coach Julian Nagelsmann preferring the aforementioned Pavlovic and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Robin Koch. The 27-man squad will be reduced to the tournament maximum of 26 by June 7 at the latest, when Germany play their final…