What is SWIFT and why does Ukraine want Russia banned from it?

The European Union is being criticized for not cutting off Russia from the global payments system. But what exactly is SWIFT? What would a ban mean for Russia? And why is the EU dragging its feet? DW explains. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba didn’t mince his words in calling out the European Union for dragging

Democracy in decline worldwide

For the first time since 2004, the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) has recorded more autocratic states than democracies around the world. Civil society activists often represent the last bastion of resistance. Autocracies such as Russia and China on the one hand; democracies like the USA or Germany on the other. Is that the great conflict

Germany leads NATO operation in Lithuania, sends troops – WION

Germany is leading a NATO operation in Lithuania and has stationed around 500 soldiers there. Also, the German chancellor Olaf Scholz has offered a clarification on why Germany is not supplying weapons to the Ukraine.

Boris Johnson: Former minister joins calls for PM to resign

Another Conservative MP has called for Boris Johnson to resign as the turmoil at 10 Downing Street continues. Former minister Nick Gibb is the latest Tory to submit a letter of no confidence in the row over events held at No 10 during lockdown. And Tory MP Stephen Hammond said he is “considering very carefully”

Germany urges ‘prudence’ in potential sanctions against Russia over Ukraine

Germany’s leader has urged Europe and the United States to think carefully when considering sanctions against Russia for any aggression against Ukraine in a crisis pitting Berlin’s main gas supplier against its biggest security allies. Among a range of possible Western sanctions against President Vladmir Putin’s government, Germany could halt the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia if it

Ten Minute History: The Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany – History Matters

This episode of Ten Minute History (like a documentary, only shorter) covers Germany from the end of the First World War to the end of the World War 2. The first half deals with the establishment of the Weimar Republic, its wider problems and the rise of the Nazis. The second half covers how the

German police raids target ‘anti-vaxxer murder plot’ against state leader

Searches carried out in Dresden after plans for the killing discussed on Telegram messaging group German police have carried out armed raids on several locations in the eastern state of Saxony in connection with a plot by anti-vaccination activists to murder the state’s prime minister, Michael Kretschmer. The searches at five addresses in the city

Germany’s SPD votes to back ‘traffic light’ coalition with Greens, FPD – DW News

Germany’s Social Democrats have voted to back a coalition agreement with the Greens and the Free Democrats. The coalition is expected to be led by the SPD’s Olaf Scholz. The Greens and the FDP still need the final seal of approval from their members. Scholz could be sworn in as chancellor as early as next

COVID surge in Germany: Is a lockdown inevitable? – DW News

As Germany faces record-breaking infection numbers and fears of the omicron variant abound, Angela Merkel’s designated successor Olaf Scholz is calling for a general vaccine mandate. Talking to Germany’s Bild television on Tuesday, the chancellor-in-waiting said he would like to see mandatory vaccinations “not too far away in the future, so I suggest beginning of

Germany bans unvaccinated people from shops and bars – BBC News

Germany has announced sweeping new restrictions for people who have not been vaccinated against Covid. Chancellor Angela Merkel said unvaccinated people would be barred from many public places, including non-essential shops and events, unless they had recently recovered from Covid. “Culture and leisure nationwide will be open only to those who have been vaccinated or