Choose your location
DPA
China issues sharp rebuke of NATO declaration
China has issued sharp criticism of the NATO summit declaration, which accuses Beijing of supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine. NATO's claim about China's responsibility in the Ukraine war is unjustified, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian. He said NATO was spreading false information generated by the United States, thereby undermining cooperation between China and Europe. At their summit in Washington, NATO intensified its tone towards China. In the final summit declaration, the alliance accuses Beijing of being a "decisive enabler" for Russia's war against Ukraine. Examples cited include extensive support for the Russian defence industry and the so-called "no limits" partnership. NATO called on China to immediately cease all material and political support for Russia's war. This also includes dual-use civilian goods and raw materials used by the Russian arms industry.
Fair city no more: Attacks on visitors dent Dublin's tourism image
The recent death of a Canadian tourist in Dublin has again raised concerns over whether the Irish capital remains a safe and welcoming starting point for a holiday on the island. Neno Dolmaijan, a 41-year-old from Montreal, died in a Dublin hospital in early July after being seriously injured in the centre of the city on June 23. Ireland’s Taoiseach (prime minister) Simon Harris described the assault as "horrific," while Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Sinn Féin, the biggest political party on the opposition benches, said it "highlights the hard reality that our city centre is not safe." The death followed several...
Indonesia to give visa-free entry to people from 20 countries
Already eyeing up a winter break in the sun? Indonesia could soon be an easier destination to reach, as the government there plans to ditch holiday visa requirements for nationals of 20 countries. "We are proposing visa-free entry for tourists from countries that provide the greatest economic impact," said Sandiaga Uno, the country's tourism minister. France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain and the UK are the European nations on the list, according to state news agency Antara, which reported that the relaxation is to take effect in October. Australia, China, India, Japan and the US are among the other countries whose passport...
Sunscreen myths, debunked: The truth on re-applying and 'pre-tanning'
With the arrival of summer, hot days lure us to enjoy the outdoors. As always, myths about sun cream are making the rounds. Does a higher sun protection factor (SPF) offer better protection? Can a vegan diet safeguard your skin? Does reapplying sun cream extend its effectiveness? This fact check reveals the truth. Re-applying prolongs sun protection: True, but only to a degree Germany's Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) recommends applying sun cream 20 to 30 minutes before sun exposure. To maintain its protective effect, regular reapplication is crucial: "At least every two hours and especially after swimming and drying off." However, dermatologist Christoph...
Colombia reaches Copa finals after 1-0 win, chaos as fans clash later
Colombia, led by James Rodríguez, have won the second semi-final of the Copa América, though the victory was overshadowed by riots after the match. The team won despite having to play the whole second half with only 10 men. "We made history that night," said a visibly moved Rodríguez after the final whistle. The winning team will face Argentina, with superstar Lionel Messi, in the finals, after Colombia won 1-0 (1-0) against Uruguay at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina in the US south-east. After the furiously-fought game on Wednesday, Uruguay striker Darwin Núñez and other players ran into the...
NATO leaders to meet Zelensky and Indo-Pacific leaders in Washington
NATO leaders will hold talks in Washington on Thursday with the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, followed by further talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The meetings conclude a three-day NATO summit that began on Tuesday with a celebration of the alliance's 75th anniversary. NATO being a Euro-Atlantic alliance, the four Indo-Pacific countries are not members, but have been invited to discuss common security interests in the region. Before the summit, China accused NATO of stoking tensions in the Asia-Pacific region, where the alliance has been cultivating partnerships with the four countries. NATO, meanwhile published a declaration on Wednesday calling...
Heavy rainfall causes flooding and damage across Germany
Germany is bracing for further heavy rainfall on Thursday, a day after storms caused widespread flooding and numerous emergency responses across several parts of Germany. In the south-western city of Rastatt, located 90 kilometres west of Stuttgart, storms and heavy rain caused some 100 emergency responses as basements and underpasses filled with water, according to the police. No injuries have been reported, but significant property damage is anticipated. Meanwhile, heavy rain caused water to seep into the stacks of the Berlin Central and Regional Library (ZLB). In an Instagram post by the library, employees were seen carrying water out of the building with...
German president to open memorial at former East German women's jail
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is set to inaugurate a new memorial site on Thursday commemorating those incarcerated in the notorious Hoheneck women's prison in the former communist East Germany. Many of the inmates of the former women's prison in Stollberg, some 80 kilometres south-west of Dresden, were political prisoners. Joined by eyewitnesses of that era, Steinmeier will visit the historic cell block and a newly established permanent exhibition. He is scheduled to deliver a speech afterwards. The former castle grounds were used as a prison from 1864. In 1950, the facility was turned into the largest women's prison in East Germany. Around 24,000 women,...
Is the Ora 07 just a Porsche parody from China - or a good buy?
Chinese cars have come in for a lot of praise recently after years of being ridiculed by the European and US competition. Positive reviews centre around China's new design identity which seems to have moved carmakers away from cloning the mainstream, yet the Ora 07 is a throwback to the days of blatant copycats. The Chinese appear to have have modelled their large pug-faced saloon largely on the Porsche Panamera, but it is still a weird mix to European eyes. There are differences though. The original is only available as a plug-in hybrid and otherwise as a pure combustion engine, while the Ora...
Kane becomes top scorer at Euros knock-out stages
Harry Kane became the player with most goals scored in European Championship knock-out games with his equalizer in England's 2-1 victory against the Netherlands on Wednesday. Kane scored his third goal of the tournament and sixth in a Euros knock-out match as he found the net from the spot in the 18th minute to cancel out Xavi Simons' opener. Ollie Watkins' dramatic winner in stoppage time secured England a spot in the Euro 2024 final against Spain on Sunday. Antoine Griezmann of France is second on the list with five goals, while Nuno Gomes (Portugal), Dieter Müller (Germany), Dragan Džajić (Yugoslavia) and Gerd Müller (Germany) are joint third-placed with four goals. Kane has been widely criticized as he and his English team have presented a poor performance at Euro 2024. He previously scored in the 1-0 group stage win against Denmark and in the 2-1 victory over Slovakia in the last 16. In the all-time list of top scores at Euros, Kane moved up to joint third-placed with seven goals, level with Spain's Alvaro Morata, compatriot Alan Shearer and Griezmann. Only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (14) and Michel Platini (nine) have scored more goals.
65,000 cups missing from Tesla gigafactory near Berlin
The US electric car manufacturer Tesla is grappling with an internal issue involving tens of thousands of missing coffee cups at its plant in Grünheide just outside Berlin, dpa has learnt. Factory manager André Thierig addressed the matter at a staff meeting on Monday, saying that a total of 65,000 coffee cups have been unaccounted for. He humorously remarked, "Statistically, each of you already has five Ikea coffee cups at home," according to a recording of the staff meeting cited by the Handelsblatt business newspaper on Wednesday. Thierig clarified that his comment about the missing cups was not intended as an accusation. He also...
NATO leaders pledge €40 billion military aid to Ukraine in next year
NATO leaders on Wednesday pledged €40 billion ($43 billion) worth of military aid to Ukraine in the next year and declared the country's path to NATO membership "irreversible." Leaders from NATO's 32 member states reached the agreement on the second day of a three-day summit in Washington, after a celebration of the alliance's 75th anniversary on Tuesday. The plan to spend €40 billion in 2025 was proposed by NATO's outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a foreign ministers' meeting in Prague in May. However, Stoltenberg had wanted NATO members to make a multi-year commitment to Ukraine in order to show Russia it...
Netherlands coach Koeman: 'Difficult to accept' Euro 2024 exit
Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman said it's "difficult to accept" the Euro 2024 exit after a 2-1 defeat to England in the semi-finals on Wednesday. "I'm disappointed with the final result in a match that started really well for us," Koeman said in a news conference. The Dutch side took an early lead thanks to Xavi Simons. While Harry Kane equalized from the spot, Ollie Watkin scored a late winner to secure England a ticket to the final against Spain. "After that (Simons' goal) we had some difficulties in midfield to stop the good players like (Jude) Bellinghan, (Phil) Foden. We didn't control the...
England score late winner to set up Euro 2024 final against Spain
Ollie Watkins scored a late goal for England to claim a 2-1 comeback win against the Netherlands on Wednesday and set up a clash with Spain in the Euro 2024 final. Xavi Simons broke the deadlock for the Netherlands in the seventh minute, but captain Harry Kane from the spot equalized in the 18th. When the game in Dortmund looked set to go to extra time, substitute Watkins produced a sweet finish to become England's hero in stoppage time and fire his side into an European Championship final for a second consecutive edition. "Unbelievable. I've been waiting for that moment for weeks. It's...
England defeat Netherlands with late goal to reach Euro 2024 final
Ollie Watkins scored a late goal for England to claim a 2-1 win against the Netherlands on Wednesday and set up a clash with Spain in the Euro 2024 final. Xavi Simons broke the deadlock for the Netherlands in the seventh minute, but captain Harry Kane from the spot equalized for England in the 18th. When the game in Dortmund looked set to go to extra time, substitute Watkins produced a sweet finish to become England's hero in stoppage time and fire his side into an European Championship final for a second consecutive edition. England were defeated by Italy on penalties in the Euro 2020 final and had so far struggled to show good football at the tournament in Germany. As England chase their first-ever European title, they will have a huge challenge on Sunday against Spain, top favourites to take the trophy home and widely considered the best team at Euro 2024.
NATO leaders agree to launch Ukraine aid and training mission
NATO leaders on Wednesday agreed to launch a project that will see the alliance coordinate military support and training for Ukraine for the first time, dpa has learned. NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU) is expected to launch on Friday. Until now, NATO countries have been coordinating support to Ukraine through an informal, US-led group called the Ukraine Defence Contact Group. NSATU will see NATO itself formally coordinate support. NSATU aims to put NATO allies support for Ukraine "on an enduring footing," according to a prepared NATO declaration seen by dpa. "NSATU will not, under international law, make NATO a party to the conflict."
Volkswagen to close its design centre in Potsdam outside Berlin
German car manufacturer Volkswagen intends to close its design centre in Potsdam just outside Berlin. "The function of the centre as a future lab for new technologies – such as those around electromobility and the associated new customer ecosystem – has been gradually integrated into the regular innovation processes of the Volkswagen Group's brands," a spokeswoman for Volkswagen Group Services said on Wednesday. "The operational business of the Volkswagen Group Future Centre Europe will consequently be discontinued by the end of 2024," she said. Some 100 employees are affected, dpa has learnt. Volkswagen Group Services said they would not comment on the upcoming discussions...
NATO leaders to declare Ukraine's path to membership 'irreversible'
NATO leaders are expected to endorse a declaration of Ukraine's "irreversible path" to membership of the alliance on Wednesday, at a summit being held in Washington this week. The portion of text prepared for the summit declaration, seen by dpa on Wednesday, is intended to reassure Ukraine that its "future is in NATO." Leaders gathered on Tuesday for the first day of the summit, which is set to continue throughout Wednesday and Thursday. The text underscores that Ukraine can only join when all current members agree. The United States and Germany in particular are against rushing the process, diplomatic sources within the...
Bild: Germany's Müller retires from international football
Germany's 2014 world champion Thomas Müller is retiring from international football, the Bild newspaper reported on Wednesday. Following Germany's 2-1 extra-time loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 quarter-final on Friday, the Bayern Munich forward, 34, had said he was mulling his Germany future. Midfielder Toni Kroos quit all football after Germany's exit at their home tournament while goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is also considering whether to carry on playing internationals. Müller made his Germany debut in March 2010 and has amassed 131 caps, third on the all-time list behind Lothar Matthäus (150) und Miroslav Klose (137). After the group exit at the 2018 World...
Germany's Baerbock to focus on crises, not run for chancellor
Annalena Baerbock wants to concentrate fully on her role as German foreign minister and is not seeking to run for the top job as chancellor again. Instead of being tied up in running for chancellor, she wants to devote all her energy to her current task in view of the international crises, the Green politician explained in an interview on the US television channel CNN on the fringes of the NATO summit in Washington. "Obviously, the world is a totally different one than at the last German national elections," said Baerbock. "In the light of Russia’s war of aggression and now also...
DPA
+
Posts
+
Views
The German Press Agency (dpa) is one of the world’s leading independent news agencies. As a joint venture of the German media, we have successfully reported on national and international events since 1949. We are convinced that an enlightened democratic society needs verified information in order to make good, fact-based decisions. This requires an independent news agency and independent journalists. DPA is committed to the facts, but not to any political party, government, religion, culture, company, or other group. This is guaranteed by the DPA statute.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.