Author: DW

A hole more than a meter deep was discovered by city workers at the grave of German politician Wolfgang Schäuble in the southwestern city of Offenburg on Monday morning, triggering an investigation. Investigators said the hole was about 1.2 meters deep and did not reach the coffin of Schäuble, who died in December at the age of 81. The criminal investigation department of the Offenburg police took over the investigation in cooperation with the public prosecutor’s office. There is no information about a possible background or motive of the incident, according to the authorities. Police are looking for witnesses. Who…

Twelve people were killed and at least 60 injured after a billboard at a petrol station collapsed during a fierce storm in India’s financial capital Mumbai, officials said Monday. Eight bodies have already been removed from the wreckage, while four others are still buried in the rubble, according to Gaurav Chauhan, an inspector with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). “We have located them but we cannot remove them due to this petrol pump and the situation can be hazardous,” he added. Devendra Fadnavis, the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, said the injured were being treated at Rajawadi Hospital.…

Watching a live drone feed, it was possible to make out three people running down a street in a frontline town in northeastern Ukraine.”Are they Russians?” I asked a Ukrainian soldier, who was also on the ground in Vovchansk and was showing us the footage from a secret location as we spoke to him via video link from outside the town. “Yes, yes,” said Denys, 42, the commander of a reconnaissance unit.”They come in groups like this of three to five soldiers.”Follow war latest: US confirms aid arriving on frontlineOther footage from Monday shared with Sky News appeared to be…

Trailer: Ice Cold PassionTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 videoIn May, 1932, the two set off together on a five-month filming trip to Greenland. Image: AlbatrosThey were there to make the first ever German-American feature film, the extremely expensive “S.O.S. Eisberg.” At the time, it was the riskiest film project ever attempted. Annette Baumeister’s current-day documentary is based on spectacular footage from the life-threatening production. Image: AlbatrosBaumeister explores the passionate relationship between Fanck and Riefenstahl, and examines just how closely intertwined the two filmmakers’ careers were. While Fanck’s star…

Skip next section Russia reports casualty, damage in new Belgorod attack05/14/2024May 14, 2024Russia reports casualty, damage in new Belgorod attackVyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the southern Russian border region of Belgorod, said an air attack caused one casualty and damage to 24 houses.  “There is one casualty — a woman has received a shrapnel wound to her spine,” Gladkov said.  Earlier on Tuesday, Russian news agencies reported explosions following a missile alert. Russia’s Defense Ministry said air defense systems shot down 25 missiles over Belgorod. The ministry said the missiles had been fired from Ukraine.  Russia starts evacuating villages after cross-border attacksTo view this…

The European Union on Monday sent an official complaint to the Swiss-based European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organizes the Eurovision Song Contest, over its refusal to let contestants wave the bloc’s flag at this year’s final in the Swedish city of Malmo. “Such actions cast a shadow over what is meant to be a joyous occasion for peoples across Europe,” European Commission vice president Margaritis Schinas wrote to in a letter to the EBU. “With the EU being targeted by malicious and authoritarian actors, EBU’s decision contributed to discrediting a symbol that brings together all Europeans,” he added. EU asks…

A livestream portal between Dublin and New York was temporarily shut down after “inappropriate behaviour” in the Irish capital.Thousands of people have visited the two-way portal, which allows people on either side to see and interact with each other. And while there have been a number of wholesome moments – including Irish dancing and even a proposal – a handful of people have behaved “inappropriately”, Dublin City Council has said.Videos on social media have shown people on the Irish side flashing body parts, and displaying images of 9/11 and swear words on phone screens.A woman was also escorted away by…

It’s a question that has arisen time and again: Is the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) political? The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) , which organizes the competition, has repeatedly insisted that the ESC is only a cultural event with no place for politics. Its rules clearly state that political statements or even slogans aren’t allowed at the competition. Netta from Israel won in 2018 with a clearly feminist songImage: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/TASS/dpa/picture alliance This rule might be especially difficult to enforce this year. Following the Hamas terror attacks in October 2023 and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, Israel has been criticized for its military campaign’s impact on the civilian population in Gaza. Israel…

The  Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is relying on its partners in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to neutralize the M23 rebel group in Congo’s conflict-hit east.  Tensions flared in March 2022 when M23, after a decade of relative calm, attacked Congolese army positions near the border between Uganda and Rwanda, causing locals to flee for their safety.   The SADC Mission in Congo, known as SAMIDRC, started deploying in December after Congo — one of SADC’s 16 members — sought support under the bloc’s mutual defense pact.  But the SADC’s capacity to restore peace and security in eastern Congo is in question. UN…

Sadegh Zibakalam, a distinguished former political science professor and prominent critic of the Iranian regime, has been detained and sentenced to jail, according to Iranian media reports. The charges against Zibakalam were related to spreading “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic, as reported by the Iranian judiciary’s news website Mizan. The report said Zibakalam will serve at least 18 months. He is to be sent to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where numerous political prisoners, including human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, are incarcerated. Mohammadi and other Evin inmates have reported accounts of torture and other human rights abuses taking place…