Author: DW

Construction workers in Rome have been working hard for weeks and bishops around the world have been motivating Catholics to visit the Holy City. On Christmas Eve, December 24, Pope Francis will open a “Holy Year.” First and foremost, it is a traditional religious event: a solemn pilgrimage to St. Peter’s and St. Paul’s basilicas and other churches in Rome. The very first Holy Year was officially held in 1300. It is not only a religious tradition — it is also an important source of revenue: Experts estimate that about 30 million additional visitors will come to Rome in 2025…

A few days after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen inked a long-pending trade agreement with four Latin American nations, French farmers were back on the streets dumping manure. This time they parked the tractors near the tunnel in Calais that goes through the English Channel. France’s minister for trade, Sophie Primas, said the deal with the Mercosur bloc — that includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay — “only commits the Commission, not the member states,” indicating that France will oppose ratification of the agreement.Negotiations came to an end on after 25 years, with the leaders of the partner states all smiles at…

The mother of a nine-year-old boy killed in the German Christmas market attack has paid tribute to “my little teddy bear”.Andre Gleissner was one of at least five people who died, while more than 200 others were injured when a car ploughed into crowds in Magdeburg on Friday evening.German Christmas market attack – latest updatesHis mother Desiree Gleissner said in a post on Facebook: “Let my little teddy bear fly around the world again… Andre didn’t do anything to anyone… He was only with us on earth for nine years… why you… why. I don’t understand.”Now you are with grandma…

The onions are caramelized in your pan, you flip them over with your black spatula, but in doing so you’ve probably laced your dish with hidden chemicals. That’s what a recent study published in the journal Chemosphere concludes — household black plastic items have been silently releasing harmful chemicals. Researchers tested various household objects made from black plastic to see if they had traces of toxic substances usually found in recycled materials. The study’s lead author Megan Liu, a science and policy manager for US-based environmental advocacy organization Toxic-Free-Future, said 85% of the products tested contained chemicals used as flame retardants. “We purchased 203 black…

Ukrainian heavyweight Oleksandr Usyk retains all four WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO heavyweight boxing championship belts after again besting his British rival Tyson Fury in Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.  Despite another closely-matched fight between the pair, judges were unanimous in the points decision, with all three scoring the fight 116-112 in the 37-year-old Usyk’s favor.  Smaller, more mobile Usyk finds gaps in Fury’s defenses Despite giving up advantages in height, weight and reach to his opponent, Usyk was the harder worker during the rematch and also landed punches more frequently and with greater impact. Late in the sixth round, in particular, a…

Sixteen security personnel were killed in an attack by Islamist militants in northwestern Pakistan early on Saturday, officials said. The attack on a security forces post took place at 2 a.m. (2100 GMT on Friday) and the attackers had used light and heavy weapons, police deputy superintendent Hidayat Ullah told Reuters. “A search operation is underway in the area,” he added. The siege began after midnight and lasted about two hours as about 30 militants attacked the mountainous outpost from three sides, a senior intelligence official told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Sixteen soldiers were martyred and five were critically injured in the…

The now 27-member European Union has been repeating the mantra since the 2003 EU summit in Thessaloniki, Greece: The countries of the Western Balkans that emerged from the disintegration of Yugoslavia, as well as Albania, belong to Europe, and should be welcomed into the European Union.  So far, the only one that has made the leap into the EU is Croatia in 2013. The other six — Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania — have been working for years towards a concrete date for their inclusion. They are all at different stages in the lengthy accession process.  “We…

15 films have now been shortlisted for the 2024 Oscar race for Best International Feature Film, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday. Among them is Germany, which has submitted Mohammad Rasoulof’s latest film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.” The work was inspired by the mass protests in Iran in 2022 that were sparked by the killing of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, by the so-called morality police. Rasoulof heard the demonstrations from his prison cell when he got the idea for a thriller exploring state violence, paranoia and censorship. “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” follows…

Japanese car manufacturers Nissan and Honda confirmed reports on Wednesday that they were discussing “future collaboration,” but denied that they had made an agreement on a merger. Despite this, Nissan’s share prices skyrocketed 22% over the rumors that a merger was likely. At the same time, Honda’s fell 3%. If the two auto giants were to combine, it would form the world’s third-largest carmaking group. There were also reports that one of Japan’s other main automakers, Mitsubishi, was part of the talks. All three companies had announced in August that they planned to share parts necessary for making electric vehicles as…

The doors of the white van are thrown open. Dozens of armed French police jump on board, their colleagues on the ground form a human chain and get to work.The van is carrying precious cargo. Water. Small plastic bottles stacked roof high and van deep. It’s chaotic.Orders are being shouted in French and Chimaore, the language spoken by Mayotte’s African community.Security is high. The gendarmes are backed up by armed local police. Local residents are angry. That anger could easily turn to violence.It’s why a 10pm curfew remains in place across the island. One resident described the situation as “volcanic”.…