Author: DW

In a significant strategic change, Germany is signalling an interest in boosting military relations with India.  Earlier this month, the German ambassador to India, Philipp Ackermann, said in an interview that there is now a “clear political will” in Berlin to improve defense ties with New Delhi, calling it a “huge paradigm shift.” “We have earlier been very hesitant. Now, there is clear political will in Germany to increase defense cooperation with India through military visits, exercises, co-production and other areas, including new ones like cyber,” Ackermann told The Times of India. The defense secretaries of the two countries held talks…

Four men accused by the Russians of carrying out a deadly attack on a concert hall appeared to show clear signs of having been brutally interrogated when they were paraded in court.The suspects, from Tajikistan, were charged with terror offences after Friday’s attack at Crocus City Hall in Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, left 137 people dead and at least 182 injured.Russia-Ukraine latest: Terror group behind Moscow shooting attempted attacks in France – MacronDalerdzhon Barotovich Mirzoyev, 32, Saidakrami Murodali Rachabalizoda, 30, Shamsidin Fariduni, 25, and Muhammadsobir Fayzov, 19, appeared at Basmanny district court in Moscow on Sunday.Three of the men were marched…

A Russian and a Belarusian trampolinist have qualified for this summer’s Paris Olympics at a competition in Germany, despite German authorities not giving them visas to enter the country. DW understands the Russian athletes taking part were instead issued visas by Spain, which granted them short-term access to Germany. Iana Lebedeva from Russia and Ivan Litvinovich from Belarus, the reigning Olympic champion, amassed enough points at the weekend’s World Cup event in Cottbus to secure spots at the Games. Both were competing as “Individual Neutral Athletes.” Ukrainian sports officials accuse the pair of supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine, which would violate neutrality rules established…

Judge Santiago Pedraz of Spain’s High Court on Monday halted his own order to suspend the Telegram messaging app. The lifting of the block is pending a police report on the platform and “the impact the temporary suspension could have on users.” Why was the order issued? The order was issued on Friday by Pedraz after media companies, including Atresmedia, EGEDA, Mediaset, and Telefonica, complained that Telegram was allowing users to upload their content without permission.  While the claims were being investigated, Pedraz agreed to block Telegram’s services in Spain, as of Monday. According to the court source, it will be the…

Walking into Sunmaxx’s production facility near Dresden, Germany, what catches the eye is its manageable size and that it still appears rather empty. An assembly line is in operation, with shiny solar modules moving along the conveyor belt and through machines assessing their quality. These modules can only be filmed from the front side, where the cells are placed and covered with glass. But the rear side is shrouded in secrecy. Sunmaxx CEO Wilhelm Stein is reluctant to share details about the technology. Stein fears that even though Sunmaxx’s technology is patented, it would not take long for Chinese manufacturers…

A winter of heavy storms and flooding, especially in late December, washed away vast stretches of protective sand dunes and bathing beaches on Germany’s North Sea islands. Coastal areas on islands like Sylt, Borkum and Norderney, which together attract millions of tourists, will need to be rebuilt before the summer holidays — an extensive and expensive procedure. In what’s known as beach nourishment, load after load of sand will be moved in to reconstruct depleted coast. The state government in Lower Saxony, where Borkum and Norderney, are located, has already said it will provide up to €700,000 (about $760,000) to shore up…

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…