Author: DW

The German Football League (DFL) has announced that it has abandoned its plans to negotiate a 1 billion euro investment deal with a private equity partner. The decision came after widespread fan protests against the proposals which had seen matches in the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 (Germany’s top two divisions) increasingly disrupted by supporters throwing tennis balls and other objects onto pitches, causing delays of up to 30 minutes. “Given current developments, a successful continuation of the process no longer appears possible,” said Hans-Joachim Watzke, DFL supervisory board chairman and Borussia Dortmund CEO, in a statement following an emergency DFL meeting on Wednesday.…

On the eve of the second anniversary of Russia’s  invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has managed to get a 13th package of sanctions targeting Moscow over the line. On Wednesday, EU ambassadors agreed to add close to 200 individuals and companies to a list that already had around 2,000 entries. With the bloc facing tough questions about the scope and effectiveness of its sanctions strategy, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was among senior officials publicly celebrating the deal. “We are taking more action against entities involved in circumvention, the defense and military sectors,” Borrell wrote on X, formerly…

A European satellite launched in 1995 to observe Earth and ended its mission 13 years ago — long after its planned 3-year lifetime — returned to our planet Wednesday, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). Debris from the satellite fell over the North Pacific Ocean at around 18:17 CET (17:17 UTC), the ESA said. The satellite’s altitude had been declining steadily since the ESA decided to retire it in 2011. The satellite then reached the critical altitude of around 80 kilometers (50 miles) above Earth’s surface on Wednesday, at which point the atmospheric drag was so strong that it began to break…

Baleen whales have long been thought to sing to each other in a way scientists couldn’t identify – but new research has uncovered how the world’s largest mammals communicate.The species – which includes humpbacks and blue whales – use low-frequency sounds of up to 300Hz to speak underwater, which are absorbed less rapidly in the ocean. Scientists have now found that the mammals have unique structures in their larynx which lets them to speak, direct themselves and find mates.For their study, researchers from the University of Southern Denmark analysed the voice boxes of sei whales and humpback whales, and were…

Three consecutive defeats proved too much for those responsible at Bayern Munich, especially the manner in which they came about.  Following last weekend’s defeat at Bochum in the Bundesliga, the gap to league leaders Bayer Leverkusen was stretched to eight points.  The German record titleholders have already been eliminated from the German Cup back in November and are facing the threat of early exit in the Champions League after losing the first leg of their round of 16 tie against Lazio.  Although three months remain in the league season, the club decided to pull the ripcord and have begun taking steps for…

Each year, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban gives speeches that are eagerly awaited by his supporters. Every February, Orban takes stock of the previous year and announces the kick-off of the new political season. The occasion is usually marked by a triumphant tone on past achievements and combative pronouncements of new iniatives. This year was different. The hotly anticipated event was overshadowed by scandal. President Katalin Novak resigned earlier in February after pardoning a man who had helped to cover up child abuse. As a result, Orban started his address with the following sentence: “The year 2024 could not have started…

Sam Altman caused more than a stir in early February when he called for a $5 to 7 trillion (€4.65 to 6.5 trillion) global investment to produce more powerful chips for the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. Many industry analysts were left open-mouthed at the figure cited by the OpenAI chief executive, which is equivalent to almost a quarter of the US federal budget.  Altman wants to solve some of the major issues faced by the AI sector, which includes a major shortage of chips and semiconductors needed to power large language models like his firm’s ChatGPT, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month. The…

Since last year, Chinese-owned TikTok and other large internet platforms have been obliged to comply with the European’s Union’s (EU) Digital Service Act (DSA). Compared to similar regulations around the globe, requirements laid out in the DSA are relatively stringent. Two months ago, the European Commission, which provides oversight, expressed doubt that TikTok was adhering to regulations. It launched preliminary investigations and requested a statement from the platform. According to the European Commission, the statement was unsatisfactory. On February 19, Thierry Breton, EU commissioner for the internal market, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that his office had opened a formal investigation into TikTok. Should…

British companies are exporting hundreds of millions of pounds of equipment and machinery which almost certainly ends up in Russia, undermining the official sanctions regime and bolstering Vladimir Putin’s war machine, according to data analysis from Sky News.The items – which include drone equipment, optical supplies and heavy machinery – are being sent to countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia, including Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Uzbekistan and others, from where they are understood to be forwarded on to Russia. Ukraine war latest: Russia hits out at UK after prison bosses sanctioned over Navalny deathThe numbers show that despite the sharp fall…

As mass demonstrations took place across Germany in protest against the rising far right, many football clubs rallied fans to take to the streets. Alemannia Aachen, a club in the fourth division of German football, responded differently. “We’re obviously against all forms of hate, incitement and extremism,” their social media post read. The club would not participate in any demonstrations that “divide society,” it said. The club later apologized for the “questionably phrased” post and promised to conduct an internal investigation. But that didn’t stop right-wing social media accounts celebrating the statement, including those of the far-right, populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Aachen later distanced itself from the party and rejected any…