Author: DW

Germany’s benchmark blue-chip stock index, the DAX, crossed the 18,000-point mark for the first time during trading on Wednesday morning shortly after opening. The DAX, which is made up of 40 large publicly traded German corporations, has been on a strong run recently despite struggles for the overall  German economy. The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) reported that Germany’s gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 0.3%  in the last quarter of 2023. However, in January this year, Europe’s biggest economy recorded a jump with  German companies hitting a 6.3% increase in the value of goods exported.What’s wrong with Germany’s economy?To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading…

Seoul and Washington have made early progress in talks on sharing the financial burden of US military units stationed on the Korean Peninsula, with both sides reportedly keen to bring forward the discussions out of concern that a future Republican administration in the US would dramatically ramp up its financial demands and undermine the security alliance. “It is clear that [US President Joe] Biden and [South Korean President] Yoon Suk-yeol really want to lock a new SMA [Special Measures Agreement] in early as there is a lot of anxiety in Seoul that Donald Trump could return to the White House…

A retired husband and wife from Britain have died after being found on a beach in Grenada.The couple were found on Paradise Beach on the island of Carriacou, on Saturday 9 March. Police said the husband, 76, was pronounced dead at the scene after being found lying on the sand.His wife, 77, was rushed to the Princess Royal Hospital on the island, where she was later pronounced dead by a doctor.The Royal Grenada Police Force identified the couple as David John Foster and Rosaline Foster. Local media reports said that it was an apparent drowning.Read more from Sky News:Rocket explodes…

Lithuanian police said they are devoting “huge resources” to investigate the attack in Vilnius on Leonid Volkov, the long-time aide to late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Police Commissioner Renatas Pozela said on Wednesday. Volkov was attacked Tuesday outside his home in Vilnius, the capital city of  Lithuania.  In a video on Telegram, Volkov said he was struck 15 times in the leg during the attack, and his arm was broken. The incident sparked an uproar from the Lithuanian government. Volkov, in a video on Telegram, said he was struck 15 times in the leg during the attack, and his arm was brokenImage:…

Japanese company Space One’s first attempt to make the country a contender in satellite launches ended in fire, smoke and debris after the Kairos rocket exploded shortly after its launch on Wednesday. Tokyo-based Space One’s Kairos was Japan’s first private-sector rocket to be launched. The 18-meter (59-foot) solid-fuel rocket blasted off from the company’s own launch pad in the Wakayama region of western Japan at 11:01 a.m. (0201 GMT). Local media livestreams showed the rocket exploding midair within seconds of its launch. Hundreds of spectators had also gathered nearby to watch the launch. Space One said in a statement that following…

Retired UFC fighter Mark Coleman has been hospitalised and is fighting for his life after he rescued his parents from a house fire.Family members and those close to the UFC Hall of Famer said he was in an induced coma after the fire in Toledo, Ohio, early this morning. It was said Mr Coleman was woken up by his dog, Hammer, barking as the house began to go up in flames.The 59-year-old pulled his father and then mother from the burning building. He then returned to try and save Hammer but was unable to.While his parents were not seriously injured,…

Special counsel Robert Hur testified before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, defending assessments he made in a report on President Joe Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents.  In the 345-page report released in February, Hur recommended no criminal charges against Biden but questioned Biden’s age and mental capacity.  The report described Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” but did not recommend criminal charges.  “What I wrote is what I believe the evidence shows, and what I expect jurors would perceive and believe,” Hur said.  “I did not sanitize my explanation. Nor did I disparage the president unfairly,” he added.  “My task…

According to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) grouping of 20 nations, Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry is ready to resign. Now a presidential council consisting of seven members is to be established to appoint an interim prime minister for a transitional period leading up to elections in Haiti, Guyana’s President Mohamed Irfaan Ali said late Monday following a meeting of Caribbean leaders in Jamaica. “The government that I’m running cannot remain insensitive to this situation. There is no sacrifice that is too big for our country,” Henry said in a videotaped statement. Powerful criminal gangs controlling large swaths of Haiti and almost all…

Two dogs have died during Alaska’s annual 1,000-mile dog sled competition – prompting fresh calls for the race to be banned.The Iditarod is held every March and features dog sled drivers – known as mushers – and their canine teams travel across mountain ranges, a frozen river and sea ice, often in treacherous weather conditions. The race starts on the first Saturday of the month and takes around 10 days to travel the route from Anchorage to Nome.This year a two-year-old male called Bog collapsed just 200 feet (61 metres) from one of the race’s checkpoints and later died despite…

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Tuesday announced that the US would be providing a small package of emergency military aid for Ukraine, bypassing Congress after its more permanent plans to assist Kyiv have been stalled in Congress for several months.  “Today, on behalf of President Biden, I’m announcing an emergency package of security assistance and $300 million worth of weapons and equipment to address some of Ukraine’s pressing needs,” Sullivan told reporters. “The world is watching. The clock is ticking and we need to see action as rapidly as possible.”  The $300 million (roughly €275 million) package would include…