Author: DW

Christian Streich has long been a coach who follows his own path. And the long-serving Freiburg boss lived up to that reputation when he became one of relatively few prominent figures active in football to publicly question the morality of the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) acquiring a controlling interest in Newcastle United. “There are always things happening in football that have exceeded all limits. In this case it is  unbelievable who is part of this consortium,” Streich said ahead of his high-flying side’s home match with RB Leipzig this weekend. The Premier League last week approved the PIF’s takeover bid after receiving…

Skip next section Russia says it captured Orlivka03/19/2024March 19, 2024Russia says it captured OrlivkaRussia’s Defense Ministry says its forces have captured the village of Orlivka in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk. It lies 9.5 kilometers (5.9 miles) northwest of Avdiivka. Ukrainian forces withdrew from the city last month. Earlier on Tuesday, the Ukrainian General Staff said that Kyiv’s forces had repelled nine Russian attacks around Orlivka. https://p.dw.com/p/4dtXvSkip next section Ukraine requires drones for battlefield advantage, says Syrskyi03/19/2024March 19, 2024Ukraine requires drones for battlefield advantage, says SyrskyiUkraine’s Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi says that the development of drones is key to giving Kyiv…

Female genital mutilation (FGM) remains illegal in Gambia — for now. A decision in Gambia’s National Assembly on whether to overturn the ban on FGM has been postponed for at least three months. The divisive issue led MPs to ask for more consultation on the matter, referring the bill to a parliamentary committee which will examine it for at least three months. The bill will then be returned to parliament. According to the AFP news agency, hundreds of people were seen protested outside parliament on Monday, with most supporting a repeal of the ban on FGM. The tiny West African nation had explicitly criminalized FGM, also called cutting or female circumcision, in…

The boyfriend of tennis player Aryna Sabalenka has died.Konstantin Koltsov, a Belarusian former professional hockey player, was 42 years old. The news was announced by Salavat Yulaev, the Russian hockey club that Mr Koltsov played for and later worked for as an assistant coach.”It is with deep sorrow that we inform you that the coach of Salavat Yulaev, Konstantin Koltsov, has passed away,” a statement by the team said on Tuesday.His cause of death has not been released. The club described him as a “strong and cheerful person” who was “loved and respected by players, colleagues and fans”.The statement added:…

For decades, modesty, continuity, and youth development have been central at SC Freiburg. The strategy is clearly working. Club President Eberhard Fugmann told DW that plenty of the credit belongs to their enigmatic frontman.  “I can see a certain development within the last 10 years with Christian Streich being our head coach. Even with him we were relegated twice but we always came back. The last three seasons always being among the top 10, this tells me as well that we are not an underdog anymore.” The club from southwestern Germany’s Black Forest are now grappling with a clash between their culture of…

Taiwan’s Vice President-elect, Hsiao Bi-khim, is visiting the Czech Republic after a low-key trip to the United States, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. Hsiao was invited to the Czech Republic by the Sinopsis think tank and will speak with them and meet other “friends” in the country to exchange views before her inauguration, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu said. Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil, who visited Taiwan in 2020, posted a picture on X, formerly Twitter, of him meeting and chatting with Hsiao. Hsiao, who has served as Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the US, will take office with…

With poverty rising and inflation dropping, the first 100 days of Javier Milei’s presidency in Argentina have given cause for hope and concern. The Social Observatory of the Catholic University (UCA) found that poverty had risen from 45% to 57% in Argentina. And the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) expects the country’s child poverty rate to climb from 62% to 70%. These growing societal tensions pose an ever-greater problem for Argentina’s new libertarian-conservative government under President Milei. Inflation slows The rise in poverty opposes the first fiscal achievements. Milei has overseen an inflation drop from around 25% in December to…

Hong Kong’s lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously passed a proposed national security law on top of a similar law imposed by Beijing four years ago that has already largely silenced opposition voices. “Today is a historic moment for Hong Kong,” said city leader John Lee, who added that the law would come into effect on March 23.  The vote was held in special session one day before the regular Wednesday meeting of the Legislative Council.  Government’s desire to fast-track legislation The bill was unveiled on March 8. The legislature, which is packed with Beijing loyalists, accelerated debate after Lee called for the law…

A French tennis player collapsed mid-match on court at the Miami Open.Arthur Cazaux was forced to retire from his qualifier against Harold Mayot on Monday after he fell to the ground during the third set. Cazaux had levelled the match by winning the second set 7-5 after Mayot took the first 6-4.Footage posted on social media shows Cazaux fall to the ground as he begins to ready himself for his opponent to serve at 2-1 up in the third set.In the video, Cazaux, dressed in a white T-shirt and black shorts, goes down to his left and falls on to…

Four professional footballers from Argentinian premier division football club Velez Sarsfield were provisionally taken into custody on Monday as part of an investigation into allegations they raped a female sports journalist in a hotel room earlier in March. The four players – Uruguayan goalkeeper Sebastian Sosa (37), Paraguayan midfielder Jose Florentin (27) and Argentines Braian Cufre (27, defender) and Abiel Osorio (21, striker) – were ordered to be detained for 48 hours until a judge decides whether they should remain under arrest pending the investigation. The plaintiff, a 24-year-old sports reporter, alleges she was invited by Sosa to a hotel room…