Author: DW

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, announced that their countries were ready to move ahead with a jointly developed new tank that would become the central pillar of their ground defenses. Pistorius signed a memorandum of understanding on the development of the next-generation tank, the Main Ground Combat System (MGCS), during a visit to France on Friday. The tank is meant to replace Germany’s Leopard 2 battle tank and France’s Leclerc.Pistorius, left, said the signed memorandum of understanding was an ‘important milestone’Image: Kay Nietfeld/dpa/picture alliance What did Pistorius say? Pistorius described the agreement in principle as…

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) appears to be inching towards changing the law to expand the imperial family and head off a succession crisis in the world’s oldest monarchy. Critics, however, caution that conservatives still intend to ensure that any new legislation does not open the way for a woman to finally assume the East Asian nation’s Chrysanthemum Throne.Many European nations have long embraced the concept of a female monarchImage: Takashi Aoyama/Getty Images Representatives of parties from across the political spectrum are expected to convene a meeting in early May to address an issue that has hung over the…

Protests over the Israel-Hamas war have reached boiling point at US universities, leading to the arrests of hundreds of protesters on campuses across the country.Police have been involved in clashes with pro-Palestinian protesters who have set up encampments on dozens of campuses, with over 500 arrests being made. But what are their demands, how have things escalated and where have people been arrested? Here’s what’s happened so far. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 1:36 University protests continue across the US What are the protests about?The message from the students in encampments has been simple: they…

Dust from the Sahara blew thousands of miles to Athens, Greece, this week, resulting in a striking natural event that appeared to position the Acropolis, at least momentarily, on Mars, giving everything a reddish-orange tint. Storms that carry dust from the Sahara into European capitals are common and have been happening for years. Here’s what you should know about how they form, how they move and whether they present a risk. The dust storm that hit Athens on April 23, 2024, gave the city a red tintImage: Costas Baltas/Andalou/picture alliance How does a dust storm develop in the Sahara? Dust storms…

Thousands of Indigenous people marched through Brazil’s capital, Brasilia, on Thursday, protesting against the government’s failure to recognize more of their ancestral lands officially. Along with calling for more land recognition, some tribes also protested a proposed 950-kilometer (590-mile) rail project. The Ferrograo railway will transport grain from farms in the central part of the country, to ports along the Tapajos River, a large Amazon tributary.Brazil’s indigenous people call out controversial new lawTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Lula fails to quell concerns One of the people’s main grievances is what…

Pepper spray flying, protestors shoved to the ground, flames leaping in the background as chants of “shame on you” filled the night air.The scenes in Newtownmountkennedy in County Wicklow won’t have come as much of a surprise to many. It’s just the latest manifestation of a growing frustration with Ireland’s immigration policies. The proposed refugee accommodation site has been a bubbling cauldron of resentment and anger for weeks now, often characterised by tense confrontations with Gardai officers. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:50 Small boats challenge for French police Like many of the protest sites…

A New York appeals court on Thursday overturned 2020 sex crime charges against former Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein and ordered a new trial. The court said in a 4-3 decision that it found errors in the landmark trial that helped drive the #MeToo movement. Weinstein New York sex crimes conviction overturnedTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Why was the New York Weinstein ruling overturned? New York’s Court of Appeals argued that the previous ruling had committed serious errors by admitting invalid testimony. “We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged…

The volcanic island of Robinson Crusoe, 670 kilometres 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 no more than around of 1,200 people is now set to enjoy one of its most magical moments of sporting history. For the first time ever, this island nation will compete in Chile’s domestic cup competition. The Chilean football association invited the Robinson Crusoe Island and the Alejandro Selkirk Island to join together and compete as the “Juan Fernandez Archipelago” and on…

Israel and the United States have agreed on the need to defeat Hamas, including in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, officials from both countries said after a meeting of the Strategic Consultative Group in early April.  As part of that virtual meeting, the US expressed its concerns with various courses of action in Rafah while Israel “agreed to take these concerns into account,” according to a statement released by the White House. Between the lines, however, the meeting highlighted that militarily, Hamas has not been defeated in Gaza despite more than six months of war. It remains unclear how long Hamas could be able…

ByteDance denied reports it intends to sell its popular TikTok app within the United States, after US President Joe Biden signed into law a legislation that would effectively ban the app should it not divest from the Chinese tech giant. “ByteDance does not have any plans to sell TikTok,” the company said, as the issue around the ban of TikTok further instigated rising tensions between Beijing and Washington. During a visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to China on Friday, Chinese chief diplomat Wang Yi warned of an increase in the “negative factors” in the relationship between the…