Author: DW

Solar power surpassed coal as a source of electricity in the European Union (EU) for the first time in 2024, according to a report released on Thursday by climate think tank Ember. Solar energy has become the EU’s fastest growing power source, contributing 11% to its supply. Overall, strong growth in solar and wind have boosted the share of renewables to 47%, up from 34% in 2019.  Only 10% of the block’s power was generated with coal. The report highlighted a continued decline in fossil fuel dependency, with gas generation falling for the fifth consecutive year and overall fossil-fueled power dropping…

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Odesa soon became one of the targets. In July 2023, an enemy rocket hit the Museum of Western and Eastern Art in the historic center of the southern Ukrainian port city, damaging the magnificent, blue-washed museum. Fortunately, museum director Igor Poronyk had already managed to have all the paintings stored away before the attack, sending the most important works to Lviv, in western Ukraine. Those efforts also launched a remarkable German-Ukrainian cultural project, as it soon became clear that the paintings were not in good hands in their emergency storage. Thousands of…

A court has ruled that five elephants being held in a Colorado zoo do not have the legal right to pursue their release, because they are not human.An animal rights group brought a lawsuit on behalf of the elephants from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, using a legal process known as habeas corpus. A writ of habeas corpus – Latin for “you may have the body”‘ – is a legal manoeuvre which requires a court to examine the legality of a detention.The Nonhuman Rights Project (NRP), which took the case to court, had argued the elephants, born in the…

Four-hundred-and-eighty-three gold coins: the largest discovery of Celtic gold in the 20th century. A priceless find for Celtic researchers — and a valuable one for the thieves who managed to steal the coins from the Celts and Roman Museum in Manching, Bavaria, in November 2022. In a Hollywood-worthy heist, they took out the surrounding area’s internet and telephone service, enabling them to snatch up the coins undisturbed by alarm systems. The thieves were caught and will stand trial starting Tuesday, but only around 500 grams of the original 3.7 kilos (8.1 pounds) of gold has been found; the rest is thought to…

Around 80,000 people attended the opening event on January 18 that launched Chemnitz’s year as European Capital of Culture 2025, a title the eastern German city is sharing with Nova Gorica/Gorizia, which will officially kick of their year on February 8.  “This year, Chemnitz can send out a signal of a new sense of togetherness,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at the opening ceremony. The Capital of Culture year brings people together who would otherwise have little contact with one another, Steinmeier said, adding that “this is exactly what we so urgently need at this time.” The day’s celebratory events concluded…

The protest is small but loud. As limousines drive past, a few hundred young people have gathered on the Postplatz square in Davos, Switzerland. The high-altitude resort in the Alps that usually belongs to skiers looks different this week. Bakeries, cafes, and boutiques have been converted to host banks, companies, or whole countries for the next few days. A pub is now called “Belgium House.” The old furniture has been cleared out and chic designer furniture and large advertising posters have been put in their place. The demonstrators outside shout “Eat the rich” and “Tax the rich.” Some of them block the street.…

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s youngest son, Nikolai, has been appearing ever more frequently in the media lately. The 20-year-old, who used to accompany his father on state visits, now appears to be influencing national politics. Young Nikolai Lukashenko is currently touring the country to play piano concerts for a “unity marathon”—propaganda events to gain support for the nomination of his father to another term in office. The elder Lukashenko has ruled the country for 30 years. An early presidential election is to be held in Belarus on January 26. When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared earlier this year that Lukashenko had…

In Kazakhstan, the penalties for so-called bride kidnapping are to be toughened up. The local parliament is working on changing laws to try to eradicate what is now considered an outdated custom. Almost every young woman in Kazakhstan is only too well aware that she too could become a victim of bride kidnapping. If that happens to a young woman, it puts paid to any personal plans for her future. This is what happened to Gulmira K., a nurse from Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. Gulmira, who doesn’t want to use her full name in the media, was kidnapped when she…

At times, when the author of “Hope” writes of sweeping away the courtly culture in the Curia and elsewhere, he sounds like a young Catholic revolutionary declaring war on tradition. He reminds us that the Catholic Church is not a court, not a place of nepotism, and certainly not the highest court of an absolute monarchy. But, of course, we are not talking about a revolutionary. The author of this book is 88 years old, lives in the Vatican, and is the leader of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis, who has now been head of the Church for almost 12 years,…

Two 18-year-old women are in intensive care after a ski lift collapsed in Spain, according to local media.The incident on Saturday took place on a chair lift at the Astún ski resort, which is on the Spanish border with France, in the Pyrenees mountain range. The regional government said at least 30 people were injured, nine of them very seriously – though the ski resort later said around 15 people were injured and three were seriously injured.Regional media outlet el Diario has since reported that two 18-year-old women are being monitored in intensive care units, citing the regional government. Image:…