Author: DW

US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke over the phone on Tuesday, marking their first conversation since November. The two leaders discussed Taiwan, artificial intelligence and security issues. The call comes ahead of weeks of high-level engagement between the two powers, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen expected to pay separate visits to China. What did Biden and Xi discuss? The White House said in a statement that the conversation was “candid and constructive” and that a variety of bilateral, regional and global issues were discussed. Biden reaffirmed the US’ long-standing…

Three British aid workers were killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, charity World Central Kitchen (WCK) has said. Nationals from Poland and Australia were also killed, as well as a dual citizen of the US and Canada – and a Palestinian who was driving the car they were all travelling in. The volunteers were employed by WCK, a non-governmental organisation which provides food for displaced Palestinians.It is believed the workers were helping to deliver aid that had arrived hours earlier on a ship from Cyprus at the time.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that Israeli forces were responsible for…

1. A normal kiss burns 6.4 calories per minute. A passionate kiss can burn up to 20 calories per minute. That’s even more than swimming, which burns 12 calories in one minute, just like jumping rope. 2. Today, an average kiss lasts more than 12 seconds. In the 1980s, couples came up for air sooner than that: back then an average kiss lasted a mere 5.5 seconds. 3. Public kissing isn’t always allowed everywhere. It’s forbidden to kiss women in public on a Sunday in Michigan and Connecticut – these US states take the Day of the Lord quite seriously.…

The DW documentary “Reclaiming History — Colonialism and the Genocide in Rwanda” is the first to examine the role played by German and Belgian colonialism in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Rwandan director Samuel Ishimwe, whose parents were murdered in the genocide, sets out in search of the origins of the “racial hatred” between Tutsi and Hutu. The 86-minute documentary will be broadcast on DW’s worldwide linear program and available for streaming on DW Documentaries’ YouTube channels starting April 5, 2024. Sowing the seeds of hatred “If we speak the same language, share the same culture, same country,…

Inflation in Germany dropped in March, Germany’s statistics agency Destatis said on Monday. Consumer prices fell to 2.2% year-on-year, compared to 2.5% in February. This is the lowest inflation figure since April 2021, when it was 2%. The annual inflation rate in January of this year was 2.9%. The weakening of inflation has been buoyed by a decrease in energy prices. Energy became 2.7% cheaper in March despite the expiry of the energy price cap at the beginning of the year and the increase in the carbon price to €45 (48.36) per ton of CO2. Could the ECB cut interest…

The biggest democratic exercise in human history takes place across India in April and May. Close to 1 billion people are eligible to vote in parliamentary elections at more than 1 million polling stations stretching from the Himalayas to the Indian Ocean. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is seeking to extend his decade-long premiership, sounds bullish on one key issue: the economy. He and his ruling BJP party frequently talk about “Viksit Bharat 2047,” which translates as “Developed India 2047” — a pledge to make India a fully developed economy by its independence centenary. Yet there is a variety of views and…

At least 29 people have died after a fire broke out at a nightclub in Istanbul on Tuesday. Several others were seriously injured. The incident occurred at the Masquerade nightclub on the European side of the city. “The number of people who lost their lives in the fire… in Gayrettepe of Besiktas district has increased to 29,” governor Davut Gul’s office said in a statement. The nightclub was closed during the month of Ramadan and was undergoing renovations at the time of the incident. Investigation underway Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. Authorities detained five people for questioning, including managers of…

Twenty five people have died and several are injured after a fire at a nightclub in Istanbul.The blaze broke out during renovation work at the venue in the Turkish city. It was extinguished and Davut Gul, the Governor of Istanbul, said an investigation was under way.The victims are thought to have been involved in the renovation work.At least eight people were injured with seven of them taken to hospital in a serious condition. Police detained five people for questioning, including managers of the club and one person in charge of the renovations, Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said.This breaking news story…

The World Central Kitchen (WCK) said on Tuesday that it had suspended its operations after seven of its employees were killed in what they said was a “targeted” Israeli air strike in central Gaza. Confirming initial reports from the Hamas-run Gaza media office late on Monday, the Spanish aid organization listed those killed as citizens of Australia, Poland and the United Kingdom, as well as a Palestinian and a dual US/Canadian citizen. The WCK said its staff were traveling in two armored cars clearly marked with the WCK logo and in coordination with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) when they were hit leaving…

Ailing German department store chain Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof has filed for insolvency for the third time, this attempt though believed to be in a bid to break free of its struggling owner. A court in the western city of Essen announced the move on Tuesday, saying it opened the proceedings a day before. Lawyer Stefan Denkhaus is to continue as the insolvency administrator, taking over the management of the store’s chain business. What do we know about the sale of Karstadt? Denkhaus says he is planning to finalize the sale of the company to new investors within the current month. Talks for…