Author: DW

French film star Gerard Depardieu arrived for his sexual assault trial on Monday at the Paris Criminal Court. The 76-year-old is accused of sexually assaulting two women on the set of the film “Les Volets Verts” (“The Green Shutters”) by director Jean Becker in 2021.  Around 20 women have previously accused him of inappropriate conduct, but this is the first case to come to trial. He is one of the most high profile figures to be accused in France’s #MeToo movement. The trial is expected to last two days. Depardieu could face up to five years in prison and a fine of €75,000 ($81,600),…

1. Burn calories with a kiss A normal kiss burns 6.4 calories per minute. A passionate kiss can burn up to 20 calories per minute. That’s even more than swimming, which burns 12 calories in one minute, just like jumping rope. 2. Kisses are getting longer  Today, an average kiss lasts more than 12 seconds. In the 1980s, couples came up for air sooner than that: back then an average kiss lasted a mere 5.5 seconds. 3. Public kissing restrictions Public kissing isn’t always allowed everywhere. It’s forbidden to kiss women in public on a Sunday in Michigan and Connecticut -…

Maybe it was the 30-minute happy hour on all food and drink for the fans in Dortmund that did it. Maybe it was Joshua Kimmich’s quick thinking from the corner flag. Or maybe it was just that Julian Nagelsmann’s Germany did just enough when it mattered to advance. Whatever it was, the momentum behind this team continues to build. Three days after the impressive performance in Milan, Germany drew 3-3 with Italy (5-4 on aggregate) to secure the final four of the Nations League, a tournament which they will also host. Nagelsmann’s vision of following in the footsteps of Spain — who won the Nations…

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday announced a general election, triggering a five-week election campaign ahead of the vote on April 28. The governing Liberals had looked set for a historic election drubbing this year until US President Donald Trump declared a trade war and threatened Canadian national sovereignty. What did the Canadian prime minister say? Carney said he was calling the election just nine days into office because of the need for act in light of Trump’s policies and threats. “We are facing the most significant crisis of our lifetimes because of President Trump’s unjustified trade actions and…

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday called on Ukraine’s allies to apply new pressure on Moscow to stop the war. The call came after nearly 150 Russian drones targeted Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities overnight, killing at least seven people. “New decisions and new pressure on Moscow are needed to put an end to these strikes and this war,” Zelenskyy posted on social media ahead of talks on a partial ceasefire. Originally scheduled for Monday in Saudi Arabia, the US-Ukraine talks on a partial ceasefire began on Sunday. After the meeting, Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov took to his X…

In recent weeks, some consumers in the United States have been paying more than $10 (€9.22) for a dozen eggs after an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused an egg shortage and a massive spike in prices. More than 166 million wild and domestic birds have been culled since the H5N1 strain of bird flu was first detected by US authorities in early 2022. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported this week that more than 30 million hens have been culled since the beginning of the year. The latest losses account for 12.3% of the national stock of caged birds and…

Pope Francis stopped to greet a pair of dog walkers as he returned to the Vatican after spending five weeks in hospital.He has now arrived back home following his release from Rome’s Gemelli hospital having survived a life-threatening bout of pneumonia. Shortly before entering the Vatican, his car appeared to pull over and there was an interaction between the pontiff’s security and two people, one of whom was with a dog, at the side of the road.The Pope then appeared to greet the couple through the open car door.Pope speaks in public for first time in five weeks – live…

New discoveries related to works of art in ancient Greece and Rome continue to be unearthed. A Danish study published in the Oxford Journal of Archaeology in March found that statues in antiquity were often perfumed. After examining ancient texts, researchers found references to the use of perfumes and scented oils on the statues of gods and goddesses to make them appear more lifelike. 

 Roman writer Cicero referenced the treatment of a statue of the Greek goddess Artemis in Sicily, while the poet Callimachus’ description of the statue of Queen Berenice II of Egypt. The study also cited archaeological evidence…

Much was made of the potential health risks that stranded NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams would face in space. Returning to Earth in March 2025, after an unexpected nine months at the International Space Station (ISS), their bodies will have adjusted to radiation and microgravity. The effects of radiation and microgravity are the same for every astronaut — starting with nausea and bloated faces — but this mission was only meant to last a week. It begged the question: Would the effects be worse for Suni and Butch?  Williams and Wilmore were stranded at the ISS in June 2024 their Boeing Starliner spacecraft experienced…

He didn’t sing the anthem. Everyone knew he wouldn’t. Thomas Tuchel said beforehand he had to “earn the right” to do so. It was a neat swerve of a somewhat heated question from a coach who has handled the unique off-pitch demands of the England job adeptly since October — without actually coaching a game until Friday. “If he’s leading the team then he should be singing it,” England fan Chris Wilkinson told DW outside Wembley Stadium. “You’ve got to lead by example. I think there’s always going to be controversy with it. But if he’s a good manager for us, us…