Author: DW

Germany’s Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has produced a 15-point paper aimed at what it calls “the mobilization of the private sector for the reconstruction of Ukraine.” Meetings have been held in the German and Ukrainian capitals for weeks in preparation for Berlin’s Ukraine Recovery Conference on June 11 and 12. Similar events focusing on financial aid for Ukraine’s economy have been held in Locarno, Switzerland, and most recently, London. However, those close to the German government say the Berlin conference will highlight “four dimensions of reconstruction.” In addition to training workers, the issue of EU accession will also be prominent, as will support…

US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida have reached agreement on a wide range of issues at the outset of the Japanese leader’s weeklong visit to the US. The common ground includes the importance of support for Ukraine, the joint development of emerging technologies and plans for the two nations’ space agencies to work together to put a Japanese astronaut on the moon. For Kishida, however, nothing was more important than securing Biden’s renewed commitment to the security and stability of northeast Asia at a time when China continues to expand its military capabilities and confront neighbors in territorial disputes…

It has been more than 17 years since Meredith Kercher was murdered in Italy and Amanda Knox was accused of being responsible. The murder, trial and subsequent overturning of convictions have been the subject of a string of books, documentaries and films. Ms Knox now faces a slander trial, which her lawyers hope will remove the “last legal stain” against her.Sky News looks at the latest legal development and how it got to this point.Why is Amanda Knox back in court? The latest trial relates to a slander conviction after Ms Knox wrongly accused a Congolese bar owner, Patrick Lumumba, of…

A Bundesliga title, a German Cup final, a decent shot at a European trophy and, so far, not losing a single game; Xabi Alonso’s first full season as a first team coach could not have gone much better. A win for his Bayer Leverkusen side on Sunday, or a loss for Bayern Munich and Stuttgart the day before, will seal a first ever Meisterschale for the Werkself and underline Alonso’s credentials as the best young coach in the world. The turnaround since he took over in October 2022, with Leverkusen in the relegation zone, has been dramatic. But the origins of the 42-year-old’s coaching success…

Volkswagn will invest €2.5 billion ($2.7 billion) to expand its operations in China, it announced on Thursday. The move comes as the German auto giant tries to compete with local manufacturers in order to prevent a sales slide in its most important market. Volkswagen will use the multi-billion-euro investment to expand its production and innovation hub in Hefei, in the eastern province of Anhui. “This additional investment in the (Hefei) site underlines our ambition to quickly expand our local innovative strength,” said Volkswagen’s China chief Ralf Brandstätter.Why big automakers are losing ChinaTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to…

Israel’s allies have ramped up the pressure in recent weeks to allow more aid into Gaza to avert a worsening humanitarian crisis. But few have so far imposed sanctions on the Middle Eastern country boycotted Israeli products. DW looks at what measures a handful of countries and activist movements have taken. Turkey raises the stakes In its first significant measure against Israel since the war began, Turkey on Tuesday announced curbs on a wide range of exports to Israel until a cease-fire is declared in Gaza. The measure restricts sales of products from 54 categories, including steel, fertilizer, aviation fuel, bricks and construction equipment. Turkey’s trade ministry said…

The Russian defense ministry sent military personnel and trainers to Niger on Wednesday to install systems and train soldiers, Nigerien state TV RTN said. The channel showed people and goods being unloaded from a military cargo plane, with images showing Russian Ilyushin-76 aircraft.  The dispatch of Russian personnel to the African nation is part of a recent agreement between Niger’s military junta leader Abdourahamane Tchiani and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two countries are trying to increase cooperation. “We are here to train the Nigerien army … (and) to develop military cooperation between Russia and Niger,” a trainer dressed in…

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Russia launched a fresh wave of attacks across Ukraine overnight, including in Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Kharkiv and Lviv, Ukrainian authorities said. “Overnight, Russia fired more than 40 missiles and 40 drones at Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media. “Some missiles and ‘Shahed’ drones were successfully shot down. Unfortunately, only a part of them.” There were no immediate reports of casualties. The head of the Kyiv administration, Ruslan Kravchenko, said an air raid alert lasted for five hours in the city.  “Tonight the area was massively attacked with kamikaze drones and missiles,” he said. The strikes completely destroyed the…

A UN Security Council committee has failed to agree on a common response to a renewed bid by the State of Palestine for full United Nations membership. Malta’s ambassador to the UN, Vanessa Frazier, who currently chairs the committee, said after a meeting in New York on Thursday that two-thirds of the members were in favor of the application while five were opposed. It is considered unlikely that the committee will then recommend that the Security Council vote on the application. However, a resolution to that effect could be introduced at any time by any member state of the Security…