Author: DW

Colorfully costumed carnival goers mingle at a traditional brewery on the banks of the Rhine river in the city of Cologne in western Germany. Kölsch beer — the city’s native brew — is flowing freely. “Echte Fründe ston zesamme” (or “Real friends stand together”) blares from the loudspeakers. The popular carnival hit by Cologne band, Höhner, dates back to the 1980s. But it couldn’t be more fitting, especially here at the Kölsche Kippa Köpp carnival party. (Editor’s note: The name in Cologne dialect translates to “Cologne natives wearing the Jewish head covering, the kippah”).  “Some of us feel more like celebrating, others less,” Kippa Köpp…

There is no doubt in Sylvester Obinna’s mind about who should lead Nigeria to victory at the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. “My favorite player is Victor Osimhen,” the 32-year-old said as he sits in the “Nigerian Village” in Abidjan, Ivory Coast’s largest city, watching the round-of-16 match between Morocco and South Africa. The Nigerian Village, located on the university campus in Abidjan was set up by a group of Nigerian immigrants for the AFCON. Sylvester is a die-hard supporter of the Super Eagles, the Nigerian national team – as are the majority of the 600 or so fans who have turned…

Robert Fico has not dwelt upon his recent remarkable return from the political wasteland to which he was banished after the 2018 murder of journalist Jan Kuciak ejected him from an eight-year stint as prime minister of Slovakia. Instead, in the 100 days since his Smer party regained power, the illiberal populist has sought to rapidly push through radical changes to the judicial system, with plans for other democratic pillars also being drawn up. His all-action performance has provoked protests and worry both at home and abroad.Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets over the past three…

It sounds counterintuitive. Like many countries, Germany is struggling to find enough workers . Now, an experiment is kicking off where companies will ask employees to work one day less a week. In February, 45 companies and organizations in Europe’s largest economy will introduce a 4-day workweek for half a year. Employees will continue to receive their full salary. The initiative is led by the consulting firm Intraprenör in collaboration with the non-profit organization 4 Day Week Global (4DWG). Advocates argue that a 4-day workweek would increase worker productivity, and by consequence, help alleviate the country’s skilled labor shortage. Germany…

Water is a scarce resorce in Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone, where it is not unusual to see groups of youths gathered around water taps, jostling for turns to fill their buckets and jerrycans.  The struggle for clean water is oftentimes settled with the exchange of blows. Deforestation in the West African nation could contribute to water shortages, according to the Reuters news agency, which cited a recently-released UN report. The study called for close monitoring of forest coverage to protect the city’s main water sources, Reuters said. How does deforestation affect the water supply? Freetown is built on a forested peninsula,…

A woman attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour has praised the “heroic” neighbours who came to her aid.Lauren O’Neill was swimming close to the shore near her home in Elizabeth Bay when her leg was bitten by one of the creatures on Monday evening. The 29-year-old was helped by residents in the area – including a local vet who had just purchased a set of bandages, which she used to create a tourniquet to stem the bleeding.Surgeons worked through the night to save Ms O’Neill’s leg from amputation, according to Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.She is expected to make a full…

After artists from Iceland and Finland opposed Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) in mid-January, voices from this year’s host country have also spoken out. More than 1,000 Swedish artists have signed an open letter against Israel’s participation in the music competition, including famed international acts like Fever Ray and Robyn, and contest veterans such as opera star Malena Ernman — who performed in the song competition in 2009 and is the mother of climate activist Greta Thunberg.   The letter alleged that the Israeli army had committed “gross war crimes,” noting that more than 25,000 Palestinians, including more than 10,000 children,…

Organizers of the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics have come under pressure from a South Korean parents association following reports they had provided condoms to the participants, who are aged between 13 and 18. Over 1,800 young athletes are taking part in the Games. In a statement issued on January 23, six days after the official opening ceremony in the South Korean province of Gangwon, the National Federation of Parents’ Organizations demanded that no more condoms should be handed out and that the organizing committee issue an official apology. A failure to do so, it added, would mean that the Youth Olympics should…

On Sunday, an attack drone killed three US soldiers and injured some 30 others near the border between Syria and Jordan. US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he decided on a response, though he did not specify exactly what course of action he would take.  According to the Pentagon, over the past four months, Iranian-backed militants have mounted over 150 attacks on bases occupied by US forces in Iraq and Syria. This has given rise to serious concerns over escalating tensions in the Middle East, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warning of “further spillover” of the war in Gaza into the wider region. At the same…

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told his Irish counterpart, Leo Varadkar, he was confident Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government would be restored soon.The two leaders spoke on the phone after the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) reached a deal with the UK government to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland after an almost two-year power vacuum. “The prime minister said he was confident that the steps taken paved the way for the restoration of power-sharing in the Northern Ireland executive,” Sunak’s spokeswoman told reporters in a readout of the call. “Both leaders agreed it was in the people of Northern Ireland’s interest to have a stable, devolved…