Author: DW

A trial date has been set in Donald Trump’s hush-money case, which centres on the claim he paid off two women – including an adult film star – after they said he had affairs with them. Jury selection will begin on Monday 25 March, a judge ruled today, turning down requests for a delay from Trump’s lawyers. The case centres on years-old accusations that Trump sought to bury stories about extramarital affairs that emerged during his 2016 presidential campaign.The decision means Trump will become the first former US president to stand trial on a criminal charge.Prosecutors claim he paid off…

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates said that writing things down would make people forgetful. Now, thousands of years later, we’re in the fortunate position of being able to discuss Socrates’ thinking, precisely because it was written down. Commentators often say the written word — books — is best and that computers negatively impact learning, almost for the same reasons that Socrates was against writing things down: forgetfulness, when memory is a cornerstone of learning. You may wonder: What have people got against new technologies? As more and more classrooms shift from print to digital books and other materials, researchers are looking into the impact on…

South Africa’s mission to help bring peace and security to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has gotten off to a deadly start. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on Thursday said that two of its soldiers had been killed in a mortar strike near the eastern city of Goma. The SANDF said that three more soldiers were injured in the attack, which took place on Wednesday. “A mortar landed inside one of the South African contingent military bases inflicting casualties and injuries to the SANDF soldiers,” the South African military said in a statement. The injured were…

Labor unions in Guinea have threatened a nationwide strike if the government does not reduce the cost of living in the West African nation.  Guinea has been led since September 2021 by a military junta that deposed the country’s first democratically-elected president. The ruling junta recently increased the price of importing of basic food items into the country — which has resulted in an unprecedented price increase in markets across the country.  “Life is very expensive today in Guinea,” Mabinty Bangoura, a government worker and housewife told DW, adding that “the authorities have willingly increased the price of a bag of rice, and traders…

Russia is secretly developing a new kind of satellite-killing space weapon, according to US intelligence watchdogs in Washington.The Biden administration is gathering highly sensitive information about the new capability, which is not yet operational but could potentially be a game changer in the war in Ukraine. Russia has denied the claims but the chair of a powerful congressional intelligence committee on Capitol Hill in Washington has issued an urgent warning about Russia’s alleged ambitions.Space is the new frontier in military technology and never more so than during the Ukraine war. Ukraine has pioneered the use of satellites and AI to…

The Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale — one of the world’s major international film festivals alongside Cannes and Venice — opens on February 15 and will feature appearances by stars such as film director Martin Scorsese and the actors Kristen Stewart and Cillian Murphy. But controversy over this year’s event has begun even before the red carpet is rolled out: The invitation — and subsequent disinvitation — of politicians from Germany’s far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has made waves. After days of discussion, the Berlinale management duo, comprised of Dutch director Mariette Rissenbeek and Italian journalist Carlo Chatrian, withdrew invitations to five AfD politicians…

Senegal had planned presidential elections to take place on February 25. However, the parliament has since voted to push back the vote until December 15. Senegalese President Macky Sall announced the delay on February 3, just one day before the election campaign was scheduled to get underway across the West African nation. Sall said he postponed the vote because of a dispute between parliament and the Constitutional Court over the rejection of some candidates.The UN called for prompt and independent investigations into the killings of protestersImage: GUY PETERSON/AFP Deaths: ‘It’s sickening’ Protesters took to the streets in response to Sall’s decision to delay the…

German carmaker Volkswagen (VW) on Wednesday said there had been a hold-up in the delivery of certain models to the US market over issues related to a car part — which according to a Financial Times (FT) report — may have violated US anti-forced labor laws. “We are working to rectify a delay in delivering certain Volkswagen Group vehicles from ports to dealers due to a customs issue,” the Reuters news agency quoted Volkswagen as saying in a statement. Report points to Chinese-made component The FT reported that thousands of Porsche, Bentley and Audi vehicles had been impounded at US…

An elderly man from Alaska has become the first person to die after contracting Alaskapox – a recently discovered viral disease.But how dangerous is Alaskapox, how many people have caught it and what are the symptoms? Here’s everything you need to know. What is it?Alaskapox, or AKPV, is a double-stranded DNA virus with officials saying it appears to be zoonotic, primarily circulating across Alaska’s state mammals with occasional transmission to humans.It’s a type of bug known as an orthopoxvirus. The most well-known variation of this type of virus is smallpox. There’s also camelpox, cowpox, horsepox and mpox – formerly known…

The red carpet is once again rolled out to greet stars and filmmakers from all over the world, while hundreds of films will be screened over 10 days at the Berlin International Film Festival. Alongside Cannes and Venice, it is one of the world’s major film festivals. Taking place from February 15-25, the 74th Berlinale kicks off on Thursday with the world premiere of “Small Things Like These,” an Irish-Belgian production directed by Tim Mielants and starring Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley and Emily Watson. Cillian Murphy stars in opening film ‘Small Things Like These,’ based on Claire Keegan’s 2021 bestselling novelImage:…