Author: DW

A FIFPRO report on the 2024-25 football season highlights concerns over the amount of football players in the men’s game are playing. Key findings cover several areas of concern, perhaps most notably continued calendar congestion and extreme heat. The 32-team Club World Cup put an enormous strain on the players, with some, such as Achraf Hakimi, having their seasons stretch over almost an entire year as a result. The report notes that Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich all had their off-seasons and preseasons for the current campaign severely shortened because of the competition. Without improved safeguarding and better load…

“I can’t work 13 hours a day, and I don’t expect that from my employees,” says Anni, who owns a beauty salon by the name of “64” in Pagrati, central Athens. She doubts any of her clients would be satisfied with the work of an exhausted beautician either. That is why she wonders why Greek Labor Minister Niki Kerameos wants to create the legal foundation for a 13-hour workday. Kerameos has told reporters that this is merely about allowing exceptions on 37 days a year “in the interests of employees.” Greek labor unions, meanwhile, reject the minister’s plans and are trying…

President Donald Trump has only been in office again since January, but a lot has changed in those eight months. One thing that hasn’t changed though is the possibility of government shutdowns. This time, Democratic and Republican lawmakers did not approve a stopgap federal funding bill to keep the government running, with a last-minute measure failing in the US Senate on Tuesday night. That means the government has officially shut down as of 12:01 am Washington time (4:01 GMT). The shutdown is the first of Trump’s current presidency after his first term saw two government shutdowns, including the longest in US history from December…

“All communities and ages benefit from the wisdom of older persons,” said UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres. “They have much to teach about navigating uncertainty, resolving conflict and building solidarity across generations.” Commenting on the United Nations International Day of Older Persons on October 1, a day that promotes a society for all ages, Guterres added that “older persons are powerful agents of change.” A look at some of the top-rating films and series of recent and past history demonstrate how older actors can have enduring appeal. Hit Netflix film set in a retirement village Based on the best-selling novel by Richard Osman, “The Thursday…

Hankavan is about an hour’s drive from Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, and is known for its campgrounds. Every summer, all kinds of programs draw students here. During the last week of August, more than 100 young people came for something new: learning about career paths in artificial intelligence (AI). A nonprofit called the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology organized the camp as part of its efforts to get young Armenians ready for tech jobs. On the last day of the program, Armenian tech professionals sat in circles with high school students from all over the country to share advice.At the…

Northern India, in particular the Delhi metropolitan region, is experiencing a significant spike in infections with the H3N2 strain of influenza this autumn. There are about 46 million people in the conurbation around the Indian capital, which extends across many neighboring towns and districts in the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. According to a survey by the community-based social media platform LocalCircles, 69% of households in the area currently have at least one person with flu-like symptoms. Doctors say H3N2 is currently the predominant influenza variant in the region. “The increasing numbers make it clear that the virus is circulating…

The international football player union FIFPRO reviewed how much players are playing, releasing its finidings in a report published on Monday. Moroccan star Achraf Hakimi, as a result of his treble-winning season with PSG and his commitments with the national team, has been under extreme physical strain. Last season, Hakimi, 26, played 69 matches, accumulating 6,371 minutes. This was a noticeable increase from his previous season, when he played 53 games and 4,869 minutes for club and country. Hakimi was not alone in playing 69 games in the last campaign. Bayern Munich’s Joshua Kimmich played the same number of matches and…

“Russia and Russian influence? No thank you!” This was the clear message sent out by an unexpectedly large majority of voters in Sunday’s parliamentary election in the Republic of Moldova. The winner by a clear margin was the ruling pro-European Action and Solidarity (PAS) party, which contrary to all opinion poll predictions in the run-up to the election garnered just over 50% of the vote, unexpectedly retaining its absolute majority. Even though it lost eight seats, it is still likely to have a majority of 55 of the 101 seats in parliament. The pro-Russian Patriotic Electoral Bloc alliance led by former…

Police detained dozens of people on Monday in Morocco, according to a local rights group and news agencies, as they sought to quash a third day of protests calling for education and health reforms. A heavy security presence was seen in cities such as the capital Rabat and Morocco’s largest city Casablanca as well as in Agadir, Tangier and Oujda. Authorities have been trying to prevent groups of young people from gathering since online calls circulated for protests over the weekend. Both AFP and Reuters news agencies cite journalists and witnesses as reporting seeing police arrest dozens of young protesters who…

“This is all so pointless. My life is hell,” says Bernd das Brot — Bernd the bread — one of Germany’s most unusual children’s TV characters. For 25 years, the perpetually grumpy loaf of bread has wandered through children’s television with world-weariness and dry quips. Now the sad loaf has gained viral appeal  in the US, after TV host John Oliver introduced the bad-tempered German character on his show, “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” Bernd embodies the stereotype of a humorless German who always has something to complain about, Oliver dryly observed: “That’s the most German thing I’ve ever…