Author: DW

Meryam Schouler-Ocak knows the looks first-hand: “I was on a train recently, sitting across from two older women, who kept looking me up and down the whole time, staring.” At first, she thought they may have seen a stain on her clothes, or that she had left a button open somewhere. But it wasn’t that. It was the fact that she had dark hair and is of Turkish descent. “Microaggression” is how Schouler-Ocak describes such forms of racial discrimination. “Many people with a migration background, dark skin or dark hair, experience it almost every day,” she said. Dismissive stares, dumb…

They are quirky characters in quirky stories, depicted with an affectionate detachment. They’re about love, loss and abandonment — and a lot about sex. There is smoking and drinking; when music is played, it’s rock or jazz. And that’s no coincidence: Haruki Murakami loves music, and the Japanese editions of some of his novels have the same titles as famous songs. No such thing as bad publicity Murakami published his first novel in the late 1970s, but international recognition came later. In Germany, that happened in June 2000, when the panel of a weekly TV talk show where literature critics met…

Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah,Victor Osimhen and Mohammed Kudus are just a few of the big stars that will play at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). They carry the hopes of their nations. But their teammates who play club football at a much lower level have their own role to play, and often quite magical tales to tell. Take Mozambique striker Stanley Ratifo. Born in Halle, Germany, Ratifo has been playing for his father’s homeland since 2017 and ever since his debut has been heralded as a hero. Ratifo scored the winner in injury time to seal Mozambique’s first ever win…

European countries — especially Spain and Italy — are witnessing a surge in the number of people infected with respiratory illnesses. Many local news agencies are reporting shortages of hospital beds and overflowing healthcare facilities. Flu infections across the continent are the biggest concern at the moment. Its impact on the health care system is compounded by an increasing number of  coronavirus and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases.  A potential ‘tridemic’ in Europe — plus Swine flu  While Italy is staring at an additional threat of Swine flu spread, Spain is introducing new mask regulations. Other parts of the continent, including Germany and the UK, have observed a…

US aircraft maker Boeing could deliver Ryanair more 737 Max 8 aircraft by June without giving any concrete numbers, the budget carrier’s boss Michael O’Leary told DW in an interview. Boeing declined to comment on O’Leary’s assertion. Ryanair will still receive fewer Max aircraft from Boeing than expected this year, O’Leary said. The airline was due to receive 57 Boeing Max 8s before summer, but O’Leary recently told the Financial Times he expected that number to fall by 5 or 10 aircraft due to recent delays. O’Leary said Thursday that the number could now be improved, although he wasn’t certain by how much. “We…

Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Thursday expressed concern about elevated tensions in the South China Sea during a visit to the Philippines.  What did Baerbock say? “I have just come from the Middle East, where the situation continues to be extremely dangerous, and the risk that one more spark could set the whole region ablaze still exists,” she said in a press briefing after meeting her counterpart, Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo. “I am saying this because in your region, tensions are rising too,” Baerbock added. There have been flaring tensions in recent months between Beijing and Manila with barbs…

An oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman was boarded by “unauthorised” people in military uniforms on Thursday morning, an advisory group run by the British military and a private intelligence firm warned. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKTMO), which provides warnings to sailors in the Middle East, said the incident began early in the morning in waters between Oman and Iran in an area transited by ships coming in and out of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil traded passes. UKTMO described receiving a report from…

Researchers have linked hydroxychloroquine — an antimalarial drug that was briefly promoted by former US President Donald Trump and others as a “miracle” medicine for COVID-19 — to an increased mortality rate of up to 11%. There was a great panic to find treatments for the respiratory disease during the first wave of the pandemic and, as is standard practice, pharmacologists looked at existing medicines to test whether any would help while we waited for a vaccine and the development of new drugs. Even the World Health Organization looked at hydroxychloroquine as a potential COVID treatment, said former WHO chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan.…

I was either 11 or 12-years-old when I played “Duck Tales” on my Game Boy for hours and went on treasure hunts with Uncle Scrooge. I climbed up green vines, explored a green haunted house and hopped through green snowy landscapes. Graphically, there was nothing more than light and dark shades of green, with the technical possibilities being extremely limited back then. If I fell into an abyss or ran into skeletons, it was “game over” and I had to start all over again. There were no saved points. Nevertheless, I loved this game — even though I never made it to…

Should Nigeria start Francis Uzoho in goal when the Africa Cup of Nations starts in Ivory Coast This is a question that has polarized fans of the Super Eagles, yet there is no disputing his experience at major international tournaments. “When our mistakes occur, it’s loud,” Uzoho told DW about the pressure of being the man in goal. “Everybody knows about it, so everybody keeps throwing shade and sticks at me. But you have to embrace it. It is part of the weight that comes with the position.” Decisive miscue Goalkeepers have always been open for criticism, but there is one…