Author: DW

It’s been an historic week for German football on the pitch as Bayer Leverkusen won the Bundesliga for the first time and both Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich progressed to the semifinals of the Champions League. But it’s also a big week off the pitch as the German Football League (DFL), which operates the Bundesliga, opens the bidding for the sale of its domestic broadcast rights for the seasons 2025/26 to 2028/29. The billion-euro negotiations take place every four years and are a vital process since they concern German football clubs’ most important revenue stream. However, the DFL confirmed on…

Judges in Strasbourg on Thursday ruled in favor of Lithuanian authorities’ ban on singer Philipp Kirkorov entering the country because he was considered a threat to national security. The court agreed with the Lithuanian assessment of Kirkorov, who has previously referred to himself as Vladimir Putin’s “representative on stage.” Why was Kirkorov barred from entry? In January 2021, Lithuanian migration authorities, at the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, banned Mr Kirkorov from entering Lithuania for five years The authorities noted that Kirkorov was a tool of “soft power” for Russia’s propaganda in states of the former Soviet Union. They…

Former US President Donald Trump met with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Wednesday in New York, discussing NATO defense spending and other global issues, according to Trump’s campaign. Trump: ‘We’re behind Poland all the way’   In town for his court appearances in a criminal trial, Trump hosted Duda at his Trump Tower property in Manhattan. Trump praised the Polish president, saying, “He’s done a fantastic job and he’s my friend.” “We’re behind Poland all the way,” Trump added. Duda called the two-and-a-half hour meeting friendly and “in very nice atmosphere,” emphasizing the strength of US-Poland relations. The European conservative, an…

Paris Olympic organizers have ambitious plans to hold the swimming sections of the triathlons and the marathon swimming events in the iconic River Seine, despite fears over the water quality. The plan follows on from a string of controversies over water pollution that have hit sports which need open water rather than a chlorinated swimming pool, such as rowing, triathlon, sailing, surfing and marathon swimming. The French capital region is spending €1.4 billion to try to clean up the river after complaints from swimmers in warm-up events over potential sewage levels. Some test events were even canceled. Persistent heavy rainfall causes locals canals to…

The Sydney shopping mall where six people were stabbed to death by a lone attacker five days ago was again made accessible the public on Thursday in a “slow reopening” meant to give people the chance to come to terms with the incident, which shocked Australia. Shops in the Westfield mall in Bondi Junction remained closed for a “community reflection day” and will reopen properly only on Friday, with heightened security. A candlelight vigil will also be held at nearby Bondi Beach on Sunday to mourn the victims, authorities said. The shock caused by the mall attack in Sydney has been compounded by another stabbing attack on Monday…

Germany is a fantastic holiday destination year-round. With more medieval castles than you can count, vibrant cities, a rich history, famously hearty fare and Oktoberfest, the world’s biggest beer festival, Germany offers something for everyone. Plus, this summer, it’s playing host to the UEFA 2024 European Football Championship. So that’s plenty of good reasons to spend a vacation in Germany. But what documents do tourists need to visit the country? Will a valid identity card or passport do? And is any additional paperwork needed? Well, that depends on your nationality. Visiting Germany as an EU national All EU citizens have the…

German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck arrived in Ukraine on Thursday on a surprise trip. The visit comes as Russia carries out daily air attacks on Ukraine, targeting Ukrainian infrastructure such as power stations in particular. Why is the trip taking place? Upon his arrival at Kyiv train station, Habeck said his visit comes as Ukraine needs every bit of support it can get to fight for its freedom. “And it is indeed a fight for freedom,” Habeck said. “Yes, Ukraine is fighting for its self-determination, for its territorial integrity against Putin’s aggression, but it is also a fight for the…

As the Prime Minister’s car approaches, the chants of “Modi!” are deafening. His cavalcade moves at walking pace and as it nears, the people surge forwards with their phones out, snapping the moment for posterity.The atmosphere is carnival-like, with blaring music, drums and dancers in traditional Indian clothes. Narendra Modi, 73, has kicked off his campaign for a third term with a roadshow in Ghaziabad, a city in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.Shishir Gupta is here with his family. “I’m not interested in the candidate,” he says. “It’s because of Modi every BJP candidate wins, I’m here to see…

04/17/2024April 17, 2024Zelenskyy: Israel showed Ukraine’s ‘real need’ is aerial defenseUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told leaders in Brussels of Russia’s overnight cruise missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.  He said more than 60 people were injured and 17 were known to have been killed.  Zelenskyy said this was “what’s happening every day” in Ukraine and that it “reflects our current key need — the need for air defense.”  “Here in Ukraine, in our part of Europe, unfortunately, we do not have the level of defense that we all saw in the Middle East a few days ago. When, thanks…

Leaders of the European Union (EU) urged Israel and Iran to de-escalate mounting tensions at a meeting in Brussels on Wednesday. Originally dedicated to sharpening the bloc’s economic competitiveness, the EU summit was overshadowed by the recent turn of events in the Middle East. The EU is eyeing fresh sanctions on Iran after the Islamic Republic fired over 300 missiles and drones toward Israel on Saturday. These were overwhelmingly shot down by Israeli air defenses, backed by a coalition of allies led by the United States. Tehran said the attack was retaliation for an air strike on its embassy complex in Syria on April 1,…