Author: DW

China has become the main supplier of microelectronics and machine tools for Russian weapons. NATO countries are worried that they may be used on targets well beyond Ukraine. In late 2023, the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) analyzed that, in the worst-case scenario, NATO would have only five more years to ensure that it has the potential to deter a possible Russian attack on a NATO country.  “[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 Mölling, head of the…

Slovakia’s prime minister remains in hospital in a critical condition after being shot several times in an attempted assassination.Robert Fico was reported to be fighting for his life after being hit in the stomach on Wednesday. At least four shots were fired outside a cultural centre in the town of Handlova, around 85 miles northeast of the capital Bratislava, where the 59-year-old was meeting supporters, the government said.A 71-year-old suspect is in custody, but the motive for the shooting is still unclear.Who is Slovak prime minister Robert Fico? Image: Slovakia’s prime minister Robert Fico A message posted to Mr Fico’s…

Moises Spilere remembers the day of his election very well. “It was rather spontaneous and came about that way,” the 35-year-old told DW. In the past, elections at Caravaggio Futebol Clube were usually held where members turned to a group that was willing to take over the leadership and run the club. “I was ready this time, together with others, to take on that responsibility,” Spilere said. By the end of the day, he was elected unanimously and for the last few weeks, Moises Spilere has been the chairman of Caravaggio Futebol Clube. As a second-division club from Nova Venza, a…

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is in a “life-threatening condition” in hospital after being shot five times in what his office has called an “assassination attempt.” “Today, after the government meeting in Handlova, there was an assassination attempt on the prime minister of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico,” the government said. Local broadcaster TA3 reported that five shots were fired in the central Slovakian town, at least one hitting Fico in the stomach. Video footage from the scene showed Fico’s bodyguards dragging him into his car and police officers pinning down an apparent suspect.Slovak PM Fico severely injured after being shotTo view this…

Tensions between West African neighbors Niger and Benin began with the July 2023 military coup in Niger and the arrest of the country’s democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. West African bloc ECOWAS condemned the coup and imposed sanctions on the Nigerien military regime led by General Abdourahamane Tiani. In Benin, the protests against the coup leaders were particularly explicit. Beninese President Patrice Talon loudly demanded Bazoum’s reinstatement and even advocated for a military intervention by ECOWAS troops against the coupists in Niger.A conflictual relationship: Benin’s President Patrice Talon (left) and Niger’s ruler General Abdourahamane TianiImage: Yanick Folly/AFP/Getty Images, ORTN/TÈlÈ Sahel/AFP Niger closes borders to…

Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Beijing on Thursday for his first trip abroad since his reelection. The two-day trip is the Russian leader’s second to China in six months. Increasingly isolated internationally more than two years after launching a full-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Putin is searching for military and financial support from his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, to sustain his effort in the face of growing global sanctions and a war that his troops have been unable to win despite advantages in arms and numbers. Putin was welcomed by Chinese officials as well as a military honor guard…

This weekend’s undisputed heavyweight clash is “D-Day” for both fighters, Tyson Fury has warned, as he renewed his verbal feud with his opponent. The British boxer is set to face off against Ukrainian Oleksandr Usyk at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday. While he had nothing but praise for his boxing, ahead of the estimated $240m clash, he restated that he regarded Usyk as “an ugly little rabbit dosser”.The long-awaited fight will see the unbeaten rivals face each other for the first time as well as an undisputed champion crowned for the first time since 1999.The fight…

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…

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili told DW on Wednesday that she still planned to veto the contentious “foreign influence” law that passed a third and final reading in parliament the previous day.  Even though her veto can ultimately be overridden by another vote in parliament, Zourabichvili said that the law had become a “symbol of a number of laws and measures and rhetoric that is taking Georgia away from its European path,” and that she therefore planned to veto it as such. Law ‘taking Georgia away from its European path’To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web…

Pro-Palestinian protests and the response by law enforcement have shaken US university campuses in recent weeks. Similar incidents have been unfolding on campuses across Europe. Protests against Israel’s conduct in its war against Hamassince the October 7 terrorist attacks are also beginning to raise questions in the corporate sector. The most high-profile example so far is Google. The tech giant fired 50 workers in April for participating in pro-Palestinian sit-in protests at two of its US offices. “Ultimately we are a workplace and our policies and expectations are clear: this is a business, and not a place to act in a…