Author: DW

As soon as the lights went out in Spain and Portugal, the speculating about the cause of the blackout began. Was it a cyberattack? Atmospheric interference? Aliens? Though the Spanish government is looking into the possibility of a cyberattack on the Spanish electricity grid, the head of the Spanish electricity transmission system operator Red Electrica (REE) , Eduardo Prieto, has ruled this out already. Extreme frequency fluctuation According to Prieto, two apparently separate incidents that happened within 1.5 seconds of each other in southwestern Spain threw the grid frequency off balance. He said that this caused the outage of power…

The Greek government on Monday launched “Kids Wallet,” a state-operated mobile application that allows parents to monitor their children’s screen time and verify their age on digital platforms and social networks. “We are giving parents a powerful tool to protect their children online,” said Digital Governance Minister Dimitris Papastergiou, presenting the new digital instrument in Athens. “This is an application that Greece — and Europe — needs to confirm children’s ages when they use social media,” Papastergiou added. “It will also serve as an identification tool for upcoming initiatives.” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis expressed his support for the initiative as…

Mining in Pataz in Peru’s north will be suspended for 30 days, the country’s President Dina Boluarte said on Monday. She made the announcement after the bodies of 13 security guards working at a gold mine were found by policein a mine tunnel on Sunday. The workers had been held captive for more than a week after being kidnapped. Peru’s government also plans to impose an overnight curfew and set up a military base in Pataz, located around 560 miles (900 kilometers) from the capital Lima. The 13 people found dead on Sunday were employees of a subcontractor of mining company Ponderosa, one of…

For more than three years, Western observers have puzzled over the true state of Russia’s economy. At times, it has appeared to buckle under the strain of sanctions — at others, it has shown unexpected strength. In 2023, Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 4.1%, and in 2024, by 4.3%. However, the momentum, largely fueled by the shift to a wartime economy, now appears to be fading. Many economists expect Russia’s growth to be cut in half, dropping to just 2%. For instance, Germany’s Kiel Institute for the World Economy projects GDP growth of only 1.5% for 2025 and…

Dark clouds of smoke have been rising over Sudan’s wartime capital Port Sudan for two consecutive days.A state of panic is building in the administrative centre that is home to tens of thousands of people seeking safety during two years of war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This is the second RSF attack to target critical infrastructure in Port Sudan over 24 hours and is suspected to be another drone strike in a series of hits on army-held territory across the country.On Sunday morning, Port Sudan airport was damaged by suicide drones that targeted a…

Brazilian police said on Sunday that they had foiled a bomb plot against a packed Lady Gaga concert in Rio de Janeiro a day earlier. Two people were arrested in raids carried out across several states. “The suspects were recruiting participants, including minors, to carry out coordinated attacks using improvised explosives and Molotov cocktails,” the police said in a statement. “The plan was treated as a ‘collective challenge’ with the aim of gaining notoriety on social media,” police added. More than 2 million people were in attendance at the free concert, according to official numbers.At Copacabana, 2 million Brazilians go…

There are many reasons to learn a new language — it might be for work, a love interest, or a personal interest in a region’s culture or people. Research shows that learning languages benefits your overall brain health too. Learning a new language is like working out your brain. Just as muscles get stronger with physical training, neural pathways in the brain reshape when you learn a new language. That’s what neuroscientists mean when they say people who speak multiple languages process information differently than those who speak one language. But what really happens in the brain when you learn…

Normal service has been resumed. After Bayer Leverkusen produced the first unbeaten season in Bundesliga history to lift the trophy for the first time in 2023-24, Bayern Munich have wrestled the Meisterschale back, confirming the title with one game to spare. That makes it 12 of the last 13 titles for the Bavarians. And given the straightforward nature of their win, it’s easy to forget the turmoil the club was in at the end of last season, with Thomas Tuchel leaving his coaching position and Bayern’s preferred candidates, including Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, spurning their advances. So, what have been the…

The bodies of thirteen people were found in a mine in Peru on Sunday after they were abducted a few days earlier. The grim discovery was made in a gold mine in Peru’s Pataz province in the northern La Libertad region, situated around 560 miles (900 kilometers) from the capital Lima. Victims discovered tied up The mayor of Pataz told broadcaster Canal N that the victims who were both miners and security guards, were found tied up in a pit. “This morning, after intense search efforts, the police rescue team was able to recover the bodies of the 13 workers…

Romania’s hard-right populist leader on Sunday secured more votes over his challengers, winning the first round of a presidential election that is a rerun of the original vote last year. Official electoral data showed George Simion winning 40.5% of the vote. He will face off against pro-EU Bucharest mayor Nicusor Dan in the May 18 runoff who received a 20.9% share of the vote while the governing coalition’s candidate, Crin Antonescu, missed out on the showdown after garnering 20.3% of the ballots cast. “I want to thank from the bottom of my heart all those who chose to vote (for me) with the number one position on the ballot paper,” Simion said in…