Author: DW

“Death of a Unicorn,” directed by Alex Scharfman and starring Jenna Ortega and Paul Rudd, features something you don’t hear about every day: Killer unicorns. The film, released in the United States on March 28, is a story about human greed, poking fun at the ultra wealthy in the context of humans hunting down unicorns they discover on a remote ranch in Canada. The creatures are said to have magical healing properties. As the chase begins, gory chaos ensues. From medieval tapestries to sculptures by Salvador Dali, the film is the latest cultural product to harness the centuries-old symbolism of the mythical one-horned creature. The unicorn’s sage-like origins…

Bird flu has done a fine job of spreading in the US since 2023. It hasn’t been government policy to let the virus spread among America’s chickens instead of culling sick ones, but it may just become the new direction under US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  Kennedy has spoken publicly about a strategy to “let it spread” among America’s poultry and breed the strongest ones that survive, a policy he said is supported by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins. On March 11, Kennedy told Fox News host Sean Hannity that “Most of our scientists are against the culling operation.”  “You should let the disease…

Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter and former UEFA chief Michel Platini were both acquitted of corruption charges by a Swiss court on Tuesday. The charges had related to fraud, forgery, mismanagement and misappropriation of 2 million Swiss francs (now €2.1 million; $2.26 million) of FIFA money in 2011. The two had previously been acquitted by a lower court in 2022, but Swiss prosecutors appealed that decision. “After two acquittals, even the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland must realize that these criminal proceedings have definitively failed,” Platini’s lawyer Dominic Nellen said in a statement on Tuesday. “Michel Platini must finally be…

In the latest display of North Korea’s growing military capabilities, Kim Jong Un oversaw tests of AI-enabled suicide drones and reconnaissance drones, state media KCNA reported on Thursday.  “The field of unmanned equipment and artificial intelligence should be top-prioritized and developed in modernizing the armed forces,” KCNA quoted the North Korean leader as saying. Kim oversees military modernization According to the report, Kim inspected upgraded reconnaissance drones capable of tracking targets on land and sea, as well as newly unveiled airborne early-warning (AEW) aircraft, as the North augments its existing land-based radar systems. He was seen examining a large four-engine aircraft…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believed his country’s partners should show the same resilience and strength when facing Russia that Ukraine does. Zelenskyy, who spoke to a panel of European journalists after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, specifically addressed the US role in the negotiations with Moscow in an attempt to reach a ceasefire agreement. Asked about whether the US would show the strength he mentioned, Zelenskyy said that he hoped they would. “God bless they will,” he said. Public support in the US The Ukrainian leader expressed his gratitude for the fact that most of the American…

Immigrants in the United States, both legal and illegal, are on edge. The new Trump administration’s hardline immigration policy has sent shockwaves through communities. Kabir, whose name we have changed on his request, is an engineer from India working at a Silicon Valley startup. He says losing his job would be a nightmare for him because he is currently in the US on a so-called H-1B visa for which he needs an employer sponsor who must file a petition with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He cannot stay without employment, he told DW, which is why he’s concerned about what new policies might be put in place.Indian…

The United States appears to be significantly increasing its military presence in the Middle East with the deployment of highly sophisticated aircraft and a second aircraft carrier to the region.In recent days, at least five B-2 stealth bombers have deployed to Diego Garcia, a British military base used by the US in the Indian Ocean. More are reportedly en route. Image: Map: OpenStreetMap Seven C17 aircraft have also been tracked landing on the remote atoll, suggesting transportation of equipment, personnel and supplies, and refuelling aircraft have been repositioned to strategic locations.The Pentagon recently ordered the USS Harry S Truman carrier…

Amid the US administration’s rapid dismantling of federal government agencies, President Donald Trump has also set his sights on cultural institutions. This month, Trump fired the board of directors of the Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.’s premiere cultural venue that hosts over 2,000 performances a year. He then appointed himself chair of the board of the iconic arts institution and filled the board with allies — including conservative Fox News hosts Laura Ingraham and Maria Bartiromo. “No more drag shows or other anti-American propaganda – only the best,” Donald Trump wrote on social media in reference to his revamped Kennedy Center, which…

More twins are being born across the world, but many mothers are not receiving the treatment required to ensure a safe pregnancy. Susie Lee from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany told DW “an important task remains to ensure that these twins can survive their early life” just as singletons do. This goes especially for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where many expectant mothers already have limited access to health care.  Lee co-authored a recent study that found more twins are being born in low-income countries. In general, this is simply due to population growth — even if…

“When you are in your mother’s womb, you can’t decide how you are born.” Annet Negesa, a former Ugandan middle-distance runner, was once a rising star on the global athletics stage.  As a teenager she broke national records in the 800 meters and the 1,500 meters and at the age of just 19, Negesa won gold medals in both disciplines at the 2011 All-Africa Games. Having qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games, and with her sights set on the ultimate success, she was dealt a blow she would never recover from. Medical intervention that proved costly As her preparations…