Author: DW

McDonald’s restaurants in several countries appeared to be suffering from some kind of software or system problems on Friday, hampering staff’s ability to take and process orders. Disruptions to service were reported in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and later in the UK. McDonald’s told DW that there were also “occasional” technical issues at German branches. McDonald’s Japan first reported a “system failure” and apologized to customers for any inconvenience. A few hours later, it said that many restaurants had temporarily shut.  “Many restaurants across the country have temporarily suspended operations. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to our…

Pakistan has formed a new government led by Shehbaz Sharif — and the message sent to Sharif by India’s Narendra Modi, though brief and simple, felt like a sign of changing times after years of strained ties and occasional cross-border violence. “Congratulations to [Shehbaz Sharif] on being sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan,” Modi wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Sharif responded days later with an equally curt post, thanking Modi for his “felicitations.” But this was enough to get people talking, including diplomats beyond the borders of the two South Asian nations. Following Modi’s message, the US said it…

Applications are open to work in Antarctica’s famous ‘penguin post office’.Successful applicants will be ‘self-motivated’, ’empathetic’ and fine with showering once every two weeks. The shop in Port Lockroy is the southernmost post office in the world and frequently smells like penguin poo.Every year, the Antarctic Heritage Trust is flooded with applications for the jobs. This year, there are three positions on offer and they are only open to UK residents.As well as processing up to 80,000 letters and postcards a year, staff must run the shop and welcome roughly 18,000 cruise passengers who stop by. One applicant, charity manager…

Skip next section Scholz, Macron and Tusk set for 1st ‘Weimar Triangle’ talks in Berlin03/15/2024March 15, 2024Scholz, Macron and Tusk set for 1st ‘Weimar Triangle’ talks in BerlinGerman ChancellorOlaf Scholz will welcome French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin on Friday. The meeting will be closely followed as it comes amid increased tensions between the two EU powers over how to assist Ukraine in its fight against Russian forces. The leaders will be joined by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, marking the first meeting of the so-called Weimar Triangle, since Tusk became prime minister of Poland again in December. The Weimar Triangle format, considered…

After years of strife and war, Libya once again appears to be seeking a political breakthrough. According to the local newspaper Libya Observer, several high-ranking Libyan politicians met in Cairo last weekend for talks on a unity government and elections. The meeting, which was organized by the Arab League, was attended by the President of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed Yunus al-Menfi, who also serves as the country’s president. Other participants were the Chairman of the High Council of State, Mohammed Takala, and Aguila Saleh, the influential speaker of the House of Representatives in Benghazi, which is considered as counterpart to the…

Russia embarks this Friday on three days of voting to reconfirm the inevitable, which is another six-year presidential term for Vladimir Putin.Given the fact this is simply a matter of going through the motions for Putin and for the public, why does it matter and why does his administration go to such lengths to try to secure a resounding so-called victory? First, the war-time context.If turnout and support flag in line with a generalised anxiety regarding how this war ever reaches a conclusion – particularly a war which is pitched as a never-ending conflict with the West – then it…

Germany’s government promised to slash the country’s notorious thicket of bureaucracy on Wednesday. The Cabinet agreed to draft a new law after a public campaign to cut red tape for German businesses, municipalities and citizens. Under the changes, hotels would no longer be obliged to register German travelers, signatures for some government forms would be replaced with emails and text messages, and the period that businesses are required to retain tax accounting documents would be reduced from ten to eight years. According to the Justice Ministry, this could save companies €625 million ($684 million) per year in “space, rental and storage costs.” “Reducing bureaucracy…

Russia is believed to have jammed the satellite signal on an RAF plane taking Defence Secretary Grant Shapps back to the UK from Poland.The GPS signal was interfered with for about 30 minutes while the jet flew near the Russian territory of Kaliningrad on Wednesday, according to a report in The Times. Mobile phones could not connect to the internet and the aircraft, a Dassault 900LX Falcon jet, had to use alternative methods to determine its location.Mr Shapps, who was travelling with his staff and several journalists, was returning from a military training site in Orzysz, Poland, where he had…

Russians returning to their home country have been subjected to thorough checks and interrogations simply for having donated to Ukrainian organizations, commenting on Russia’s war on Ukraine online or having “suspicious” visa entries in their passport. In some cases, they were even subjected to criminal proceedings. Take the example of Natalya (not her real name), who crossed from Estonia into Russia in February 2024. She says a border official looked through her passport and discovered a Latvian category D visa, which can be converted into a long-term residence permit in the Baltic country. The officer took a close look at Natalya and asked…

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has squarely rejected the idea of paying any ransom for the release of more than 280 schoolchildren who were abducted last week. Tinubu specified that “not a dime” would be spent to meet the kidnappers’ demands, after the payment of ransom was made illegal in Nigeria in 2022. Authorities may be running out of time to secure the release of the hostages in northwestern Kaduna state, as the kidnapping gangs have vowed to kill the captives if their demands are not met. The kidnappers have asked for the equivalent of over $620,000 (about €570,000) for the release of the students…