Author: DW

On Wednesday, about 980 million people across parts of the Northern Hemisphere will have the chance to observe this upcoming solar eclipse. They will be joined by hosts of researchers who will be taking advantage of the fleeting minutes when the sun’s corona is visible from Earth to test specialized instruments and capture rare images. With them, they hope to gain a deeper appreciation of the material above the sun’s surface. What’s going to happen? During a solar eclipse, the moon orbits between Earth and the sun during the daytime, casting a shadow which temporarily darkens the sky and appears…

Mata Hari was already a legend in her own lifetime. When she stepped into the Parisian limelight in 1905, she swept high society off its feet.  “She danced with veils and jewel-encrusted bustiers and almost nothing else,” the Parisian press reported. “Never had anyone dared to appear unveiled before the gods with such trembling ecstasy. And what wonderful movements she made — both daring and demure at the same time.”  Mata Hari had convinced audiences and the press that she was an exotic temple dancer — but the dark-haired performer was actually Dutch. One of the hallmarks of the Belle…

Water levels on the Rhine River — a small but critical artery for goods vital to Germany’s industry — remain critically low as a result of weeks of drought. At one of the river’s shallowest stretches, Kaub — between Mainz and Koblenz — the water level stood at around 16 centimeters (6.3 inches) at Monday lunchtime, according to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV). Although the real navigable channel is roughly a meter deeper, 40 centimeters is regarded as the lowest for standard commercial vessels at Kaub. Ship operators use the reading at Kaub to decide how much cargo their barges can safely carry and whether a passage is…

Gianni Infantino’s already perilous position as FIFA president took another blow on Monday, as three continental football federations banded together in an apparent attempt to try to force him out. An “Open Letter to the Football Family” signed by the heads of UEFA (Europe), CONCACAF (North and Central America and the Caribbean) and AFC (Asia) appeared to take aim at Infantino —  without actually mentioning him by name. “This is about something more fundamental: the integrity of the game, and the integrity of those elected to lead it. Leadership in football is not a possession. It is not about holding — or…

The Rhine River could soon become effectively split in two for commercial shipping as water levels continue to fall amid persistent dry weather, Germany’s inland shipping association has warned. Jens Schwanen, managing director of the Federal Association of German Inland Navigation, said the gauge at Kaub, a crucial point for freight traffic, was forecast to fall into single digits for the first time this week. “Commercial shipping will no longer be able to transport goods in the region at such low water levels,” Schwanen told the Rheinische Post newspaper. He said excursion boats and river cruises would also be affected.…

There used to be a clear-cut way to distinguish diabetes type 1 and type 2. Medical jargon aside: Type 1 diabetes was a genetic autoimmune disease that presented in young people, and type 2 was a disease that presented in older patients in their fifties or sixties due to an unhealthy lifestyle.  But that distinction of young and old doesn’t work anymore. More and more, younger people are being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. In England, for example, the biggest increase in new diagnoses of type 2 diabetes is among young women. This was revealed when a team of researchers from Imperial College…

For Moroccan fans, one thing is certain: The national team’s 1-1 draw against Brazil in its opening 2026 World Cup match was just the beginning. They hope that their team will make history once again after its historic run to the semifinals at the 2022 World Cup. However, while attention is currently focused on this month’s tournament, Morocco is already looking ahead to 2030. Along with Spain and Portugal, the kingdom will host the World Cup that year. For Morocco, hosting the World Cup means more than just having a global sporting event in the country. The North African country had unsuccessfully put…

Divers have discovered an ancient Roman shipwreck off the coast of Sicily, Italian police said. The shipwreck is believed to be 2,100 years old. The wreck had been found approximately three nautical miles off the coast of Mazaro del Vallo in western Sicily at a depth of 46 meters (150 feet), police said  in a statement. The cultural protection arm of the Italian police (Carabinieri) called it a “significant underwater archaeological site.” It added that initial surveys had “identified a Roman shipwreck presumably dating to between the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.” Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has called the find…

Being overweight or obese significantly increases the risk of developing colon cancer, breast cancer or liver cancer, and is a major risk factor for 10 other types of cancer, a new study has found. Until recently, researchers believed that 2% to 8% of all cancer cases were attributable to excess body weight. But a new study by a team led by Hermann Brenner, an epidemiologist with the German Cancer Research Center  (DKFZ), suggests that this was a serious underestimate. According to the study, up to 11.5% of cancers may be attributable to being overweight. The DKFZ researchers “have not only updated…

FIFA warned against what it calls a “concerted and ongoing effort” to “undermine” the organization and its president, Gianni Infantino. The statement, issued late on Saturday, comes amid a growing dispute over Infantino’s leadership after the failed plan to create a subsidiary to run the men’s World Cup and other events, with up to a 20% stake offered to external investors. The proposal drew criticism from European governing body UEFA, which threatened to boycott future World Cups, as well as several national associations and senior FIFA officials, and prompted calls for Infantino to resign. Amid the growing criticism Infantino persuaded FIFA’s…