Author: DW

The National Trust, Britain’s heritage and nature conservation charity, said on Thursday that specialists had started work re-chalking the UK’s “largest and most iconic chalk hill figure,” the Cerne Abbas Giant.  The roughly 55-meter (180-feet) tall chalk giant carved into a hillside overlooking Cerne Abbas in Dorset in southwest England is a standout figure of the landscape and renowned landmark, not least because it’s such an anatomically faithful rendering of a naked and clearly excited club-wielding man. The outline is prone to the elements, though, and requires regular renewal to prevent it from fading. The famous erect penis was accidentally extended…

The Iran war and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz — a key waterway through which about 20% of the global oil trade passed before the conflict — have triggered an oil supply shock on a scale unseen in decades.   The crunch has sent countries worldwide scrambling for alternatives to fill the lost supply. Many governments, particularly in Asian countries that are heavily dependent on Middle Eastern energy, have also introduced measures to curb fuel demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) coordinated a massive release of oil reserves in March — about 400 million barrels — from the emergency stockpiles of industrialized…

Hip hop blares over speakers, barely eclipsing the thuds of gloves striking focus mitts and bodies dropping onto mats. As the evening wears on and the dozen participants break a serious sweat, condensation builds on the windows.While Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) training at Athletic Sonnenberg resembles many such gyms, members of the Chemnitz sports club see it as a battleground for democracy.”This has a clear political element,” said Stani, the martial arts coach at Athletic Sonnenberg. “Lots of martial arts gyms in Saxony are run by right-wingers and there are many right-wing structures in the MMA scene generally.” Athletic Sonnenberg is focused on diversity and empowerment. Organizers hope it…

At The Game Awards last December, “007 First Light” ranked among the most anticipated games of 2026. Now, the wait is over: The new James Bond video game launches May 27 for consoles and PC. Players are able to step straight into the British secret agent’s shoes. In the game, he’s only 26 years-old, yet unmistakably Bond. James Bond was the brainchild of British author Ian Fleming. He made his first appearance in a 1953 novel, with the first Bond Hollywood movie hitting theaters nine years later. Actor Sean Connery was the first to portray the secret agent on screen, followed…

Germany’s coalition government of Christian Democrats (CDU) and Social Democrats (SPD) is seeking to overturn the central provision of the heating law introduced by the previous administration. The original law stipulated that all newly installed heating systems must run on at least 65% of renewable energy, with the requirement due to apply to all new heating installations in the coming years. Under the new proposals, however, oil and gas heating systems with significantly lower shares of climate-friendly gases would still be allowed in existing buildings for a longer period. The cabinet approved the plan based on a draft bill submitted by…

Picture the scene on April 24, 1945, as the Battle of Berlin between the Soviets and the Nazis raged: A group of Red Army soldiers arrive at Berlin’s Jewish Hospital to find hundreds of people living and working in the battle-scarred facility. “You are Jews? Not possible. You can’t be Jews, the Jews are all dead,” one Russian soldier reportedly exclaims.    Berlin’s Jewish Hospital, together with the Jewish Cemetery Weissensee, is the only Jewish institution that continued to operate and survive the Nazi era. It still operates to this day. How could an institution designed to preserve Jewish life survive in the heart of the Nazi killing machine — and…

Ferrari presented its first fully electric car to reporters in Rome this week, a four-door, five-seater called the “Luce,” developed with help from former Apple design chief Jony Ive and his collective LoveFrom. The first models of the Luce, which means “light” in Italian, is set to be ready for delivery from the fourth quarter of 2026, with a price tag in the region of €550,000 (roughly $640,000).  The launch comes at a testing time for carmakers and their electric mobility plans. Several manufacturers, Ferrari included, are paring back their targets for electrification — given factors like headwinds in the…

It seems Büsra Sayed has truly taken the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” to heart. After all, she managed to turn a situation that one could only be described as insulting or sad — certainly discriminatory — into a victory, both financially and, above all, for the human spirit.   What happened after Büsra Sayed appeared at Miss Germany? In March, Büsra Sayed entered the Miss Germany pageant and even made it to the final round. For the past few years, the pageant has come to be about more than just physical appearance. Today it’s all about empowerment,…

Elon Musk has a habit of turning science fiction into reality. From reusable rockets to autonomous vehicles and humanoid robots, the billionaire’s ventures often achieve what was once thought impossible. With SpaceX’s initial public offering (IPO), he’s aiming for even bigger milestones. The company, which has stayed fiercely private for 24 years, is now preparing to go public. In an S1 filing to US regulators on Wednesday, which runs to hundreds of pages, SpaceX plans to raise roughly $75 billion (€64.5 billion) from new investors, which would value the company at up to $1.75 trillion. Not bad for a firm that is still loss-making and…

While not a fan of the bloated 48-team World Cup this summer, Andreas Rettig admits anticipation is high as Germany enter the decisive phase of their preparation. Following two consecutive World Cup campaigns that saw Germany fail to get out of their group, the Director of Football at the German Football Association (DFB) knows the goal in 2026 is clear. “The goal would be for us to ultimately rank among the top five nations in the world. If we perform better than our current FIFA World Ranking [ninth], that would be a success,” Rettig told DW. Rettig: ‘Values-based order has…