Author: DW

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s memoirs will be published on November 26, the publisher, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, announced on Monday. It comes nearly three years after the end of Merkel’s 16-year tenure.  What we know about Merkel’s memoirs The book, titled “(Freedom). Memories 1954 — 2021,” will be published in over 30 countries, Kiepenheuer & Witsch said.  In her memoirs, Merkel looks back “on her life in two German states — 35 years in East Germany (GDR), 35 years in reunified Germany,” the publisher said. Merkel was born in Hamburg, northwestern Germany, in 1954 but moved with her family to the former GDR shortly afterward. She co-wrote the book…

Star witness Michael Cohen on Monday appeared at a New York criminal court to testify at former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial. Cohen worked as an executive and lawyer at Trump’s New York-based real estate company and also served as the former president’s personal lawyer after the start of Trump’s term in 2017. He has since become an outspoken critic of Trump. At the start of his testimony Cohen said it was “fair” to describe him as Trump’s “fixer” throughout his tenure at the Trump Organization.  Cohen said he lied for Trump Asked whether he had lied and bullied people…

In a world desperately seeking solutions to climate change, for this group of scientists, the answer to sustainable mobility might be closer than we think. And that’s not just another metaphor. In Lindau, Germany, a city of vast valleys and lakes like straight out of a fairy tale, one company is transforming air into green fuel. “We believe that CO2 is not just waste, but can be a resource for all kinds of products,” explained Johannes Prock, a chemist and chief technology officer at Obrist Group, an Austrian technology company with over 20 years of experience in automotive powertrain systems. In their case, they use CO2 to produce so-called…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz traveled to Stockholm on Monday to meet with the prime ministers of Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland. The Swedish government said the leaders would “discuss security policy issues such as hybrid threats, civil preparedness and new technologies.” “At a dinner that evening, discussions will center on continued support to Ukraine,” the Swedish government added. Seeking common alliances Prompted by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Sweden joined NATO in March while Finland acceded to the military alliance last year. “We have long appreciated our neighbors, but at the same time underestimated the importance of concrete, operational…

A light plane has landed safely without landing gear after circling an Australian airport for almost three hours to burn off fuel.The pilot and two passengers walked away from the scene and did not need hospital treatment after the “textbook wheels-up landing”. The plane had just taken off from Newcastle Airport, near Sydney, for a 112-mile flight north to Port Macquarie when the pilot raised the alarm about “issues with the landing gear,” police superintendent Wayne Humphrey said.Peter Schott, 53, who first piloted a plane when he was aged 15, was praised by the passengers as “wonderful” for the way…

Heidelberg’s famous Church of the Holy Spirit, a 600-year-old edifice in the town’s historic city center, was the scene of an unusual religious service on Sunday, where some 1,200 congregants came together to pray and contemplate (and enjoy) a performance of US pop star Taylor Swift’s songs as part of a special liturgy. Staged under the name, “Anti-Hero — Taylor Swift Church Service,” organizers at the Protestant church said the event was conceived to attract younger people, as well as to focus on the profound religious convictions expressed in many of Swift’s songs. Swift — who was not at the…

Hamburg football side St. Pauli will play in the Bundesliga for the first time in 13 years next season after they secured promotion with a 3-1 victory over relegated VfL Osnabrück on Sunday. A day earlier, league leaders Holstein Kiel secured a tough 1-1 draw with third-placed Fortuna Düsseldorf. That ensured that it was no longer possible for Düsseldorf to overtake them following the last game of the season next weekend.  Being assured of either first or second in the second Bundesliga tier meant Kiel gained automatic promotion to Germany’s top division.  How did things go for St. Pauli? St. Pauli were, in any case, in a great…

Incumbent Gitanas Nauseda declared victory on Sunday in the first round of Lithuania’s presidential election after preliminary results showed that he had received the most votes. However, he failed to reach the 50% threshold needed to avoid a run-off against Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte. According to the preliminary results, Nauseda was leading with 44% of the vote to Simonyte’s 20%. What was the campaign about? The campaign focused on security concerns in the Baltic states, with the main candidates agreeing that the country should increase defense spending to counter a perceived threat from neighboring Russia. Across the region, citizens are concerned that the Baltic states,…

In November 2016, Gwadar port symbolized stability, peace and prosperity for Pakistan — at least according to then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. “This day is the dawn of a new era,” he told the opening ceremony crowd, which had gathered to witness a row of Chinese trucks arriving to load cargo onto the first-ever container ship to pass through the port. It was the official launch of the port’s operations, nearly a decade after its completion. The ceremony also marked the start of the prestigious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of China’s global collection of infrastructure projects and trade networks known…

Tens of thousands of Georgians have taken to the streets in Tbilisi – protesting against a proposed law threatening press and civic freedoms.The “foreign agents” bill has sparked a political crisis amid concerns it is modelled on laws used by Vladimir Putin to crack down on the media in Russia – and if passed, would make it harder for Georgia to join the EU. Sky’s international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn is in Tbilisi: Image: Pic: Reuters The Georgian security forces moved in shortly after dawn this morning. Phalanxes of masked men sweeping through streets and parks outside parliament.They kettled protesters…