Author: DW

Few places embody wealth and glamour quite like the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles. The exclusivity of that neighborhood is one of the reasons why the wildfires which struck the wider Los Angeles area this week could become one of the costliest natural disasters in US history. The wildfires have left at least 10 people dead, and have already destroyed tens of billions of dollars’ worth of property. They’ve even threatened iconic landmarks such as the Hollywood sign, and have reduced several well-known LA locations and buildings to ash. JPMorgan analysts said losses from the fire would cross the tens…

Donald Trump has been handed a no-penalty sentence following his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.The incoming US president has received an unconditional discharge – meaning he will not face jail time, probation or a fine. Manhattan Judge Juan M Merchan could have jailed him for up to four years.The sentencing in Manhattan comes days before the 78-year-old is due to be inaugurated as US president for a second time on 20 January.Trump appeared at the hearing by videolink and addressed the court before he was sentenced, telling the judge the case has been a “very terrible experience”…

At just 20 years old, Vincent Keymer has been a chess grand master for the past six years. He turned pro after graduating from high school in 2023 and is currently ranked 20th in the world. No German has climbed this high in the rankings since the late grand master Robert Hübner was at his peak some 50 years ago. “Top 20 is nice, but it’s not where I want to be in the long term,” Keymer tells DW. His goal for the next few months is to qualify for the Candidates Tournament for the 2026 World Championship. Many believe that…

The first week of 2025 has been cold in Moldova. Temperatures at night have dropped to around freezing. When the sun shines during the day, they rise a little. On January 7, pensioner Gheorghe Colun and his wife prepared a traditional Christmas dinner of stuffed cabbage. Christmas in the predominantly Christian Orthodox Republic of Moldova is celebrated on January 6 and 7 according to the old Julian calendar. This year, the couple will be cooking on a wood-burning stove because Russia halted gas deliveries to Moldova on January 1.Moldova: village life without Russian gasTo view this video please enable JavaScript,…

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s team and Venezuelan media report that Machado was arrested in Caracas on Thursday.  Sought for arrest and largely in hiding, she had made her first public appearance in months in Caracas, to lead a protest against President Nicolas Maduro being sworn in for a third term. The opposition said on social media that Machado was “violently intercepted on exiting the rally,” also claiming that shots had been fired at her motorcycle convoy. However, in a message on X later, Machado said that she was “in a safe place and with more determination than ever to continue…

California has been battling raging wildfires around Los Angeles, leaving several people dead and many injured. The danger is especially acute in the Pacific Palisades area, where more than 100,000 residents have been ordered to evacuate. There are also concerns about the fate of two German landmark buildings in the Palisades that hold great cultural significance: the Thomas Mann House and Villa Aurora. Villa Aurora, an elaborate Spanish-style villa from 1927 that was once an intellectual center for people who fled Nazi Germany, is especially at risk, as it is located in the immediate vicinity of the fires.”The images of…

As a debate intensifies in several European countries over Elon Musk’s attempts to influence domestic politics, a separate discussion is ongoing about the world’s richest person: His growing influence in the global satellites sector. The Italian government is currently in advanced negotiations with Musk’s SpaceX company for a €1.6 billion ($1.65 billion) deal to provide encrypted telecommunications services via its Starlink satellite internet provider. Italy’s government has confirmed that talks are ongoing. The talks have led to controversy, with opposition politicians accusing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of compromising national security. Namrata Goswami, an independent space policy scholar, thinks this type of deal will become…

What does Russia think of Donald Trump’s plan to acquire Greenland? Well, on the face of things, it is alarmed.”The Arctic is a zone of our national interests, our strategic interests,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, sounding protective, when asked about the US president-elect’s recent remarks. His language echoes that frequently used by Russian President Vladimir Putin, when discussing NATO’s historical expansion eastward. “Zone of strategic influence” generally means “back off”.But Donald Trump has refused to rule out using military force to seize the world’s largest island, and it appears to have made Moscow nervous.”We are watching the rather dramatic…

Life takes its toll on our brains. Our brain cells pick up wear and tear over the years, causing our minds to become slower, forgetful and have slower movements. But it’s been unclear whether this deterioration is due to the passage of time or if it’s predetermined by genes. Now, a major suite of scientific reviews published in the journal Neuron has tried to answer those questions by taking stock of current understanding of brain aging, and how the risk of age-related cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease can be reduced.  It found that many physical and biological changes are responsible…

German mountaineer Jost Kobusch was on Mount Everest when an earthquake hit that killed more than 120 people and injured many others.