Author: DW

With a hundredth of a second left in extra time, veteran Ihar Bryshtsel scored the goal to send  Belarus into the beach soccer World Cup semifinals for the first time ever. “My buzzer-beater was cosmic! I really like [basketball player] Steph Curry. I watched him score a buzzer-beater. I’m thrilled to have scored one myself,” Bryshtsel told FIFA afterwards. Indeed, even before Belarus swept past two-time champions Portugal, many of the players at the tournament believed Belarus had a chance to win it all. The team’s participation in Dubai is not without controversy, though. Belarus, who have never made it past the group stage…

Since taking office in mid-2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has moved the Philippines closer to the US, even risking ire from Beijing by signing a new defense agreement with Washington. Marcos Jr. also pushed to normalize ties with the EU that had been badly damaged by his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, whose brutal “war on drugs” prompted criticism from Europe. Duterte responded with expletive-laden tirades, telling European leaders to stay out of his country’s affairs and threatening to expel all European ambassadors. But in 2023, Ursula von der Leyen became the first sitting European Commission president to visit the Philippines, where she…

There has been an ongoing debate in the West about whether and when to send more funds and arms to Ukraine. “Strategically, the West is still standing by Ukraine, but this year will be an important turning point, said Julia Smirnova from the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). A specialist in disinformation, she told DW that Russia was doing its best to undermine solidarity with Ukraine with fake news and propaganda. She explained that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was one of the main targets. “Zelensky is the symbol of Ukraine, the symbol of Ukrainian resistance, which is why many…

The two sprawling camps overcrowded with Islamic State families in northeast Syria, where Shamima Begum has been confined for most of the last five years or so, are a continual security challenge.Tens of thousands of people still live in the camps, years after the fall of the terror group and the dismantling of its so-called caliphate. But the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who guard it have warned that unless they’re given international help to maintain security in this increasingly unstable region, the extremist organisation will rise again. Image: Living conditions are basic in the camps Image: Some 60% of the…

The US Treasury called the sanctions the “largest single tranche” since the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022Image: Pavel Kolyadin/dpa/TASS/picture allianceThe US plans to announce sanctions against 500 entities involved in Russia’s “war machine” on Friday, officials said. The sanctions come as Russia’s war in Ukraine threatens to drag on for a third year, and follow the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a penal colony. Earlier, John Kirby, communications director of the US National Security Council, said a “major package of sanctions” against Moscow was coming. Measures from both the US Treasury and State Department will be a part…

Two Britons who nearly died fighting in Ukraine have told why they have returned to the war-torn country – and warn urgent help is needed on the frontline in the battle against Russia.Shareef Amin was seriously wounded by Russian fire after answering President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for foreigners to join the Ukrainian military in 2022. The 41-year-old from Bristol lost part of his hand and his right leg was paralysed from the knee down. He also suffered punctured lungs and severe injuries to his shoulder and forearm. Image: Recovering in hospital after he was ambushed. Pic: Shareef Amin Fellow Briton…

A 240-million-year-old long-necked marine reptile that resembles a Chinese dragon has been fully depicted for the first time, according to new research, published on Friday by Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh. The fossils of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis were discovered in Guizhou province in southern China. The reptile was originally identified in 2003, but the discovery of additional, more complete specimens since then allowed an international team of scientists to fully describe the creature. With 32 separate cervical vertebrae, it had an extraordinarily long neck and its flippered limbs, as well as the well-preserved fish in…

British authorities said they seized 5.7 tons of cocaine at a port in southern England, believed to be the largest seizure of Class A drugs ever in the United Kingdom. The street value of the cocaine seized is believed to be “in excess of 450 million pounds” ($570 million or €526 million), the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said in a press release. The cocaine was seized on February 8 at the port of Southampton on the south coast of England. The NCA said officers believed the drugs were bound for the German city of Hamburg “for onward delivery.” The…

Skip next section Bundestag votes for delivering ‘long-range weapons’ to Ukraine02/22/2024February 22, 2024Bundestag votes for delivering ‘long-range weapons’ to UkraineThe German parliament has voted in favor of a motion put forward by the country’s ruling coalition, which called for providing “additional, necessary long-range weapons systems and ammunition” to Ukraine. The measure, however, did not explicitly mention the delivery of the Taurus cruise missile system to Kyiv. While 382 lawmakers voted for the motion, 284 rejected it and 2 abstained. There are differences in views among the parties of the ruling coalition as to whether the wording also allows for the delivery…

Five people have been killed in China after a barge hit a bridge, which led to part of the structure breaking off, and vehicles plunging into the water below.A bus and an electric motorbike were among five vehicles that fell off the Lixinsha Bridge over a waterway, said China Central Television (CCTV). The bus, with only its driver on board, and one of the vehicles hit the water, while the other three ended up on the vessel.The bus driver, the motorcycle rider and three people in a van died in Thursday’s incident which happened at about 5.30am local time near…