Author: DW

Raphael Varane’s retirement from international football was perhaps unsurprising. The 29-year-old defender is a World Cup winner and recently played in perhaps the most spectacular World Cup final ever. Not long afterwards, though, the Frenchman gave an interview in which he used a damning turn of phrase that reveals just how much of the person elite athletes feel they have to give up. “The very highest level is like a washing machine, you play all the time and you never stop,” Varane told Canal Plus on February 4. “We have overloaded schedules and play nonstop. Right now, I feel like I’m suffocating and…

A 15-year-old boy in France has died in hospital on Friday, a day after he was attacked by a group of people after a music lesson at school. A murder investigation has now been opened, regional prosecutor Gregoire Dulin said on Friday afternoon. The incident occurred in the town of Viry-Chatillon, located around 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of the capital, Paris. Media cited prosecutors as saying the attack was carried out by masked youths. Thursday’s attack came just two days after a teenage girl was left temporarily comatose following an attack outside her school in the south of the country. What do…

Trade between Nigeria and neighboring Niger has bounced back since the West African bloc ECOWAS lifted sanctions on Niger. The Economic Community of West African States imposed the measures following the July 26, 2023, military coup that ousted Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s democratically elected leader.  The sanctions, whcih included closing borders, cutting off the electricity supply and threatening the military junta with the use of “force,” were introduced in an effort to have Bazoum reinstated and restore constitutional order to Niger.  The measures failed to achieve their aims, and the border closure devastated local communities on both sides of the frontier with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of trade lost.Trucks had to park…

Avidor Schwartzman, 38, was in his home in Kfar Aza on October 7 when Hamas militants made their way into the kibbutz in southern Israel. Schwartzman was locked in his safe room together with his wife, Keren, and their baby until the army rescued them 16 hours later. “We barely had anything to drink during that time,” he said. “We used all the water we had for food for our baby.” Shortly after their evacuation, they found out Keren’s parents, Cindy and Igal Flash, were among the 1,200 Israelis who were killed in the attacks. Hamas, which Israel, the United…

Arsenal footballer Oleksandr Zinchenko has said he would leave the UK to fight in Ukraine if called up.His comments came after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed into law a new bill which lowered the military mobilisation age from 27 to 25, boosting the country’s armed forces against invading Russian troops. In a new interview, Zinchenko said he would answer any call up to go and fight on the frontline in Ukraine.”I think it’s a clear answer. I would go,” he said.Ukraine war: Latest updates The player said some of his former school friends had already fought in the war, adding: “It’s…

Radiologist Michael Rado remembers well the no-frills prayer hall on the ground floor of Ottostrasse 85 in Cologne. There were fewer than 15 rows of seats for those praying, and a curtain separated the men’s and women’s areas. Rado had his bar mitzvah there as a 13-year-old, an important religious ritual for a Jewish boy, comparable to confirmation among Christians. Today, Rado is 75 and co-chairman of Cologne’s Jewish Synagogue Community, the oldest Jewish community in Germany.After World War II; a revival of Jewish community life in Cologne: A group of Jewish children pose with their rabbi for a photoImage: Privat…

At the end of March, Brazil and Tottenham striker Richarlison told “ESPN Brazil” that therapy saved his life and his football career. “We know how prejudiced people are when they say they’re looking for [psychological] help,” the 26-year-old said. “I talk about it because it saved my life. I was at rock bottom. Only players know how much pressure we’re under, not only on the pitch but also off it.” Richarlison’s comments were just the latest example of an athlete speaking publicly about their mental health, something that has increased in the last five years. In Brazil though, such comments are not…

New York City was rocked by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake on Friday, the US Geological Survey said. The incident shook buildings and surprised residents in a region that rarely feels strong seismic activity. There were no initial reports of damage. “While we do not have any reports of major impacts at this time, we’re still assessing the impact,” a spokesperson for New York Mayor Eric Adams said. The earthquake’s epicenter was near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, the USGS said. It was also felt in northern Pennsylvania and western Connecticut. New Yorkers react to vibrating city The rare occurrence prompted a variety…

The price of gold broke the $2,300 (€2,212) level for the first time this week as geopolitical issues, expectations of US interest rate cuts and China’s accumulation of the precious metal spurred interest from speculators. Gold is seen by investors as a safe haven in times of turmoil and a hedge against currency devaluation, so the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have helped the recent price rise, along with the post-COVID inflation spike. The move by China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBC), has been mirrored by other mostly emerging market central banks, who are all keen to up their gold…

The European Union and United States pledged ongoing support for Armenia on Friday as the country shifts away from its traditional ally Russia. At a meeting with Armenia’s leadership in Brussels, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced a €270 million ($290 million) package of financial grants to boost “resilience and growth” in Armenia over the next four years. “Europe and Armenia share a long and common history and the time has come to write now a new chapter,” von der Leyen said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also announced that Washington would bolster its economic support for Armenia…