Author: DW

The US Senate recently approved legislation that gives the short-form video app TikTok a nine-month deadline to either sell its US operations to an American company or face a nationwide ban. The reason: Chinese parent company ByteDance is allegedly subject to Chinese government influence, and may therefore pass on sensitive data from American citizens to the regime in Beijing. ByteDance has denied the allegations, but the bill still became law on Wednesday when, following the Senate’s approval, it was signed by President Joe Biden. The TikTok discussions in Europe focus on a different aspect. EU authorities have argued that the app…

Britain’s King Charles III is to return to some public-facing duties next week, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday evening. The UK monarch stepped back temporarily from public engagements after beingdiagnosed with an undisclosed cancer in February just 17 months into his reign. However, the 75-year-old has kept up his state duties, including reviewing government papers and meeting with the prime minister, despite undergoing treatment.’Big Lunch’ to celebrate King Charles IIITo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What did the Palace say? Buckingham Palace released a statement saying that the King would…

Israel’s security minister, controversial far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, has been taken to hospital with minor injuries after a car accident, police have said.Video on social media showed the car Mr Ben-Gvir was travelling in had flipped over. Police said they were investigating the circumstances of the accident and that Mr Ben-Gvir’s daughter, a security guard and a driver were also injured.His office said the minister was in “good condition” following the smash.Hebrew media aired footage of a black car overturned on the road and quoted a witness who said that the car had run a red light. Mr Ben-Gvir was…

The European Union on Friday added Chinese-founded fast-fashion company Shein to its list of very large online platforms (VLOP), which subjects it to stricter online rules. The listing applies to companies with over 45 million users, according to the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA). When added to the list, companies are required to do more to fight illegal and harmful content, as well as counterfeit products on their platforms. How did Shein react? The designation comes into effect from the end of August. Shein said it was committed to comply with the rules. We share the [European] Commission’s ambition to ensure consumers…

Iran knows it, China knows it and apparently, so does the US government: despite existing sanctions against the oil industry of the Islamic Republic, oil from Iran is being shipped to China in record volumes. Javier Blas, an opinion columnist who covers energy and commodities for Bloomberg, recently described how Iranian oil ends up in China. “If you believe the Chinese government, the country doesn’t import any oil from Iran. Zero. Not a barrel. Instead, it imports lots of Malaysian crude. So much that, according to official Chinese customs data, it somehow buys more than twice as much Malaysian oil as…

Heavy rains and relentless flooding fueled by the erratic El Nino weather pattern, have plunged East Africa into a humanitarian crisis. From Uganda’s Mpigi District to Kenya’s capital Nairobi and further south to Tanzania, many communities are left to face the devastating impact of its widespread destruction. In Tanzania alone, over 155 people have been killed, and at least 200,000 impacted by flood damage. Homes, infrastructure, and crops are all significantly affected. In neighboring Kenya, flash floods in Nairobi have resulted in at least 13 deaths, as the search for missing people continues. Uganda’s submerged communities In Uganda’s Mpigi District, located near the capital, Kampala, a typically peaceful river has turned aggressive,…

The trial of Andrew Tate, the social media influencer accused of human trafficking, rape, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women, can go ahead, a court in Romania has said.Friday’s ruling by a court in Bucharest comes almost 10 months since he and his brother Tristan were first charged – and can be appealed. The Bucharest Tribunal said that the prosecutors’ case file against Tate met the legal criteria but did not set a date for the trial to begin.One of the brothers’ lawyers, Eugen Vidineac, said the court’s decision “lacks legal basis and reasoning” and has filed…

The volcanic island of Robinson Crusoe, 670 kilometers (416 miles) west of Chile’s mainland, was renamed in 1966 after the famous Daniel Defoe novel about a man left to survive on a remote island. Over 300 years after the novel was written, this island of roughly 1,200 residents is now set to enjoy one of the most magical moments of sporting history. For the first time ever, the island will compete in Chile’s domestic football cup. The Football Federation of Chile invited Robinson Crusoe Island and Alejandro Selkirk Island to join together and compete as the “Juan Fernandez Archipelago.” This weekend, on the last Sunday in April, they will host three-time…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on the last day of his China tour Friday, where he stressed that it was important to manage bilateral relations responsibly. “We are committed to maintaining and strengthening lines of communication to advance that agenda, and again deal responsibly with our differences so we avoid any miscommunications, any misperceptions, any miscalculations,” Blinken said at a news conference. According to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, Xi told Blinken the two “countries should be partners, not rivals.”  “There are still a number of issues that need to be resolved, and there is still room for further efforts,” CCTV…

The Hannover Messe, one of the world’s largest trade fairs, is a trendsetter.   The annual event, which takes place in the German city of Hanover, is where the world gets a glimpse into the industrial future and its groundbreaking themes. The fact that China is an indispensable player here is apparent from the number of exhibitors from the Asian powerhouse. Almost 1 in 3 of the approximately 4,000 participants this year came from China. The fact that the German government defines Beijing simultaneously as a “partner,” “competitor” and “systemic rival” in its China strategy, unveiled last year, did not deter exhibitors. “I’m not…