Author: DW

Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia is set to finally be completed by 2026, a whole 144 years since work on the monumental basilica started.Designed by celebrated Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi, who is buried in the church’s crypt, the world-renowned piece of architecture is famously unfinished. According to La Sagrada Familia Foundation, the organisation tasked with the construction and preservation of the church, work on the monument will be finished in two years’ time, coinciding with the centenary of Gaudi’s death.Back in November, the Spanish city of Barcelona celebrated the completion of the church’s four towers.Each tower represents one of the four evangelists,…

The diplomatic stand-off between China and the Philippines over a disputed shoal and surrounding waters in the South China Sea continued on Monday when Manilla summoned a Chinese envoy to protest the latest attempts by Chinese vessels to disrupt Philippine activities in the area. In a statement, the Philippines’ Foreign Ministry condemned the “aggressive actions undertaken by the China Coast Guard and Chinese Maritime Militia against the rotation and resupply mission undertaken by the Philippines in Ayungin Shoal” – the Filipino name for Second Thomas Shoal. Why are China and the Philippines arguing over a shoal? The shoal, which is claimed…

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, is four weeks of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community – and it’s observed on an annual basis by Muslims all over the world. Fasting is a key element of Ramadan and is obligatory for healthy adult Muslims. This means that all eating and drinking is prohibited from dawn to sunset – a potential challenge for many, particularly elite-level athletes. Community aspect missing For striker Ahmet Arslan of German third division side Dynamo Dresden this challenge is compounded by another problem at this time of year – solitude.  “It’s very sad for me…

Turn into Syria Street, a wide boulevard in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, and you’ll find yourself driving past buildings pockmarked with bullet holes and rubbish that has sat uncollected for weeks. But you’ll also pass items of furniture neatly set out and arranged for sale, practically inviting you to take a seat right there on the street as if in an open-air living room. The residents here all know each other. Many of them grew up in the area and have lived here all their lives. In the early 1900s, goods were transported north from Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, along this…

Ecuador’s youngest mayor and an aide were shot dead on Sunday, police in the South American country have said.Brigitte Garcia, 27-year-old mayor of San Vicente, and her communications director Jairo Loor, were found dead in Manabi province, officers said. Police added that the pair had both suffered gunshot wounds and that the gunfire had come from within the car, which was rented.Ms Garcia – a member of former president Rafael Correa’s left-wing Citizen Revolution Movement party – is the latest political figure assassinated in Ecuador. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:47 Scene of Mayor shooting…

The announcement in January 2024 that Princess Catherine — or Kate, as she is known to her fans — had to undergo serious abdominal surgery sparked great concern among followers of the royal family. To recover from the operation, the princess of Wales retreated to her house in Windsor — and remained silent. The rumor mill quickly started churning. Various clues and photos were used to feed all sorts of assumptions. Then in March, Kensington Palace, the official London residence of Prince William and Catherine, released a photo of a healthy, smiling Catherine with her three children, to mark Mother’s Day in the…

North Korean state media (KCNA) reported Monday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently proposed a bilateral summit with leader Kim Jong Un, citing a statement by Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong.  However, Kim Yo Jong added that any meeting would be contingent on a policy shift by Tokyo, accusing Japan of “antagonizing” North Korea.  “The prime minister should know that just because he wants to and has made a decision, it doesn’t mean he can, or the leadership of our country will meet him,” the statement said.  “If Japan … makes a political decision to open a new path…

Senegalese opposition candidate and tax inspector Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Monday appeared to be reaching victory in Senegal’s presidential election. The vote follows several years of unrest and a political crisis. Millions of people took part in the election that went ahead without incident. State television RTS said that turnout was at around 71%. If none of the 19 candidates secure over 50% of the votes, the election will go to a runoff. Final provisional results are expected by Tuesday. Incumbent President Macky Sall did not seek re-election, with his ruling coalition endorsing former prime minister Amadou Ba. Sall had…

North Korea said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently expressed his intentions to meet Kim Jong Un through “another channel,” according to state media outlet KCNA on Monday. In a media dispatch, Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, said that Kishida used an unspecified channel to propose a summit with Kim Jong Un. She, however, said that improving bilateral relations between the two countries will depend on Japan’s decisions. “The prime minister should know that just because he wants to and has made a decision, it doesn’t mean he can or the leadership of our country will meet…

There goes another one. The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced this week that he is quitting at the age of 45, explaining: “I don’t feel I’m the best person for that job any more.”He is just the latest in a spate of national leaders to stand down voluntarily when seemingly at the peak of their powers. Last year New Zealand’s former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, found she had “no more in the tank” aged 43.Nicola Sturgeon went at 53 to spend “a little bit more time on Nicola Sturgeon the human being”, since being first minister of Scotland “takes…