Author: DW

Germany’s upper house, the Bundesrat, cleared the way to partially legalize cannabis on Friday. The law is supported by the government and had already passed in the Bundestag, but it could have been derailed by Bundesrat, which is made up of delegates from Germany’s 16 state governments. Some representatives in the chamber argued about negative consequences of the law, and a motion on Friday to send the law to a mediation committee threatened to delay the enforcement of the law. However, the motion did not receive enough votes, clearing the way for cannabis to become legal on April 1. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach advocated…

India’s prime minister has been labelled a “scared dictator” after a key opposition politician was arrested.Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, a prominent anti-corruption campaigner, was detained following a raid on Thursday night. He leads the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) – also known as the Common People’s Party – and the arrest comes weeks before national elections are due to begin. Image: Arvind Kejriwal. Pic: Reuters AAP is part of an alliance of opposition parties who have joined together as the main challenger to Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).Rivals claim Mr Modi is using law enforcement agencies to orchestrate…

Skip next section EU planning tariff hikes on Russian, Belarusian produce03/21/2024March 21, 2024EU planning tariff hikes on Russian, Belarusian produceCommission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters of the plans at the closing press conference of the summit’s first day late on Thursday.  “We have prepared a proposal to increase tariffs on Russian and Belarusian imports of cereals, oilseed and derived products,” she said, adding there were “several good reasons for making this proposal.” “It will prevent Russian grain from de-stabilizing the EU market in these products. It will stop Russia from using the revenues from the export of these…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed in Tel Aviv on Friday ahead of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. It’s the final stop on Blinken’s sixth visit to the region since Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip. Blinken is expected to urge Israel not to go ahead with its planned ground assault in Rafah, and instead put forward alternatives. Earlier in the week, Blinken and Arab leaders discussed efforts for a cease-fire as well as Gaza’s future after the conflict. Security Council to vote on cease-fire Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council will vote for a US-sponsored resolution on…

Action is being taken by schools taking part in Japan’s annual spring baseball tournament to safeguard cheerleaders against upskirting.Some have introduced shorts for the youngsters to wear, while others have used strategically placed teachers to block would-be voyeurs. The competition, being staged at Koshien stadium near Osaka involving 32 schools, is meant to showcase youth sporting talent and act as a potential recruiting ground for professional baseball clubs, but has become marred in recent years with the taking of sexualised images.Female cheerleaders, often dressed in sleeveless tops and short skirts, are photographed without their consent and the pictures then posted…

The high prevalence of neurological diseases is having a devastating impact on local communities in Africa. “Mental health and neurological diseases are often misunderstood in Kenya,”  said Penny Wangari-Jones, founding member of Hidden Voices, a Kenya-based mental health charity. “People are often taken to churches and prayed for or told they are possessed. Patients are often neglected, locked in houses or left to die in institutes. It’s harrowing.”  Neurological conditions are now the leading cause of ill-health worldwide, with around 3.4 billion people living with neurological conditions. However, neurological diseases disproportionately affect sub-Saharan Africa compared to other parts of the world. Around 50% of people…

Skip next section Ukraine says 2 killed in Russian attacks 03/22/2024March 22, 2024Ukraine says 2 killed in Russian attacks Ukraine’s Interior Minister said two people were killed and 14 injured in the overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine. Six people were injured in Zaporizhzhia, where Ukraine’s largest dam was hit, and another eight where injured in Khmelnytskyi, in western Ukraine, the ministry said.  Three people at the sites of the attacks remain missing, it added.  https://p.dw.com/p/4e0IGSkip next section Ukrainian minister: ‘Largest attack’ on energy sector in weeks03/22/2024March 22, 2024Ukrainian minister: ‘Largest attack’ on energy sector in weeksUkraine’s state hydropower company said a Russian strike hit Ukraine’s…

Germany’s embattled railway operator Deutsche Bahn posted a loss of €2.4 billion last year, the company announced on Thursday. The heavy losses come amid rolling strikes, major construction work and rising costs across the board. Deutsche Bahn also said that nearly one-third of trains were delayed in 2023, down from year earlier. More passengers, less turnover Although the number of passengers increased by 5.8% to 1.8 billion, turnover for the railway fell by 13% to around €45.2 billion.This decrease was attributed to the normalization of freight costs, which affected subsidiary DB Schenker. Deutsche Bahn also attributed its losses to advance payments…

A resolution calling for an “immediate and sustained ceasefire” in Gaza will be voted on by the UN Security Council today.The draft has been sponsored by the US, Israel’s closest ally, which has vetoed three resolutions calling for a ceasefire in recent months. A cessation of hostilities is described as “imperative” for protecting civilians and enabling humanitarian aid to reach more than two million Palestinians. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:57 Former hostage of Hamas speaks to Sky News US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield has expressed optimism that the 15-member council will approve the resolution.While Moscow…

Zimbabwe has received a timely donation of 25,000 metric tons of wheat and 23,000 tons of fertilizer from Russia as a humanitarian response to the southern African nation’s devastating drought. Most crops planted during the 2023-2024 farming season have failed because of the El Nino climate phenomenon, leaving more than 3 million people at risk of hunger. Seventy-nine-year-old Enny Nyashanu, one of the victims of failed crop harvests, told DW that the situation is dire. “I had high expectations from this crop,” Nyashanu said. “I was certain we would survive from our harvest. But there is no hope nor anywhere to run…