Author: DW

The appointment of Xabi Alonso Though the stunning unbeaten campaign of 2023-24 — which may yet be capped by Europa League and German Cup triumphs — has captured global attention, Bayer Leverkusen’s charge to a first Bundesliga title has its origins in a miserable start to the previous campaign. Gerardo Seoane, who had overseen a third-placed finish the season before, was gone by October 2022, having won just five points from the first eight games. The subsequent appointment of Xabi Alonso, who had never coached a senior side before, was something of a risk, with Leverkusen in real danger of following other German…

The Pakistani and Indian governments on Saturday urged their citizens in Kyrgyzstan to stay indoors after mob violence towards foreigners.  Hundreds of Kyrgyz men on Friday attacked buildings in Bishkek where foreign students reside, including Pakistani and Indian nationals. Thousands of Pakistanis and Indians are studying or working in the Central Asian country.  Several Pakistanis injured after mob violence in Kyrgyzstan Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said Saturday in a post online that four Pakistani nationals had been provided first aid and discharged, with another under treatment for a jaw injury. It’s unclear if any Pakistanis have died from the attacks in Kyrgyzstan.  …

As a little girl Shani Louk would walk into the pine forests on the hills behind her home and pick flowers and look for animals.On Sunday, she will be buried among those trees, back home, close to her family, after seven-and-a-half months in Gaza.Her parents, Nissim and Ricarda knew she was dead a few weeks after a video of her body, slumped on the back of a Hamas truck, became one of the defining images of the 7 October massacre at the Nova music festival.But to have her body back, and give her a proper burial, has brought the family…

Cologne will be playing second division football in Germany next season, after losing 4-1 to Heidenheim on Saturday in the last game of the season.  That result ensured that 1. FC Köln finished second-to-last in the league and will face automatic relegation as a result. They will join bottom-of-the-table Darmstadt, who were already well beyond saving prior to the final Bundesliga matchday. The Billy Goats needed to win their game in Heidenheim — and also needed Union Berlin to lose at home to Freiburg — if they were to have any chance of surviving.  Instead, they slumped to a 3-0 deficit within 36 minutes of…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russian forces might aim to capture Kharkiv city. Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was not currently seeking to do so. DW has the latest. Source link

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Saturday vetoed a “foreign influence” law which has sparked mass protests in the Caucasus country. The bill had been earlier passed by the Georgian Parliament on May 14.   Zourabichvili: Foreign agent law ‘contradicts our constitution’ “Today I set a veto… on the law, which is Russian in its essence, and which contradicts our constitution,” Zourabichvili said in a televised address. Opponents of the bill liken the legislation to laws in Russia which also crack down on entities the Kremlin deems “foreign agents,” such as the late Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation.   Zourabichvili had earlier told DW…

A paper napkin that sealed Lionel Messi’s move to Barcelona has been sold for £762,400.It contains a pledge, written in 2000, that the player would move to the legendary Catalan club. The starting price was £300,000 ahead of Friday’s online auction, run by Bonhams.Messi was 13 at the time the napkin was signed and had been on trial with Barcelona, but his father was reportedly frustrated at the club’s lack of commitment to him.Sporting director Carles Rexach pulled out the napkin during a meal with Argentine agent Horacio Gaggioli and Barcelona’s transfer adviser, Josep Minguella. Image: Pic: PA Rexach wrote:…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday visited the western state of Saarland to examine damage caused by flooding and landslides. Saarland was hit by flash flooding on Friday amid heavy rains. What did officials say about the situation in Saarland? “We have a strong tradition of solidarity,” Scholz said during the visit. “Unfortunately, this is not the first time we have had to deal with a major natural disaster,” Scholz said, “so we will of course look at what needs to be done now and what is necessary.” Speaking alongside Scholz, Saarland State Premier Anke Rehlinger said: “Nobody should be…

An operation on Friday has “contributed to a positive prognosis” for Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico as he remains in hospital with injuries sustained in a shooting attack, Health Minister Zuzana Dolinkova said on Saturday.  The update on Fico’s health came as the man accused of attempting to assassinate him made his first court appearance, according to Slovak state media.  Fico, who was hit four times by bullets at point-blank range while about to meet with supporters in the central mining town of Handlova, underwent one five-hour surgery on Wednesday directly after the shooting and another shorter surgery on Friday. What is the…

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico remains in a stable but serious condition as the man accused of attempting to assassinate him appeared in court for the first time.Health minister Zuzana Dolinkova said further two-hour surgery on Friday “contributed to a positive prognosis” for the 59-year-old, who was shot five times at point blank range while greeting supporters in the former mining town of Handlova on Wednesday. Image: The media were kept at a distance. Pic: AP Defence minister Robert Kalinak said “several miracles” had happened in recent days at the hands of medical staff.However, although awake at the hospital in…