Author: DW

Bushfires raged in Australia’s Victoria on Saturday, prompting an evacuation order at the highest rating for hundreds of people residing in the west of the state. Authorities raised the alert for an area near the Grampians National Park, which is located about 241 kilometers (roughly 150 miles) from the state’s capital Melbourne. Soon after, Victoria’s emergency services agency upgraded the advice to “evacuate immediately” and widened the affected area.  “This is an EMERGENCY WARNING – BUSHFIRE – Evacuate Immediately issued for Bellfield, Bellfield Settlement, Flat Rock Crossing, Fyans Creek, Grampians Junction, Halls Gap,” the agency said online.  “If you choose to…

With her fiction feature debut, “All We Imagine as Light,” Payal Kapadia became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix at Cannes. Released in cinemas around the world, including in Germany on December 19, the work is now set to become one of the most theatrically distributed Indian independent films of all time. In India itself, where the film was also recently released, “All We Imagine as Light” is also enjoying success. “We’re very happy,” says Payal Kapadia. “But at the end of the day, it’s a very small independent movie.”  But even without the marketing power of blockbuster movies, the arthouse work is garnering…

The winter in Europe is having an impact on renewable energy production and electricity prices in general. At least that is what some Scandinavian countries are saying. Since companies cannot store vast amounts of electricity yet, power must be used when it is generated. In the past, the European energy market was stabilized by power produced by fossil-fuel or nuclear plants. The introduction of more renewables into the system brings more volatility. As the percentage of renewables goes up, so does the dependence on the fickle sun and inconsistent wind. Without sun solar panels are kept in the dark. A lack…

The US says it has killed Islamic State (IS) leader Abu Yusif in Syria.US Central Command Forces (Centcom) said it carried out an airstrike targeting Yusif – who also goes by Mahmud – in the east of the country. Another IS operative was also killed in the strike, according to US officials.This strike was conducted in an area formerly controlled by the Syrian regime and Russian forces.Centcom commander, general Michael Erik Kurilla, said: “As stated before, the United States – working with allies and partners in the region – will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation…

On a small sports field on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, almost 60 young people take it in turns to cheer on Alexandra Ndolo and Ashley Ngoiri. The two fencers face off, demonstrating to the girls and boys a sport that is largely unknown in Kenya. “When so many children shout loudly and cheer us on, it gives me a lot of energy and motivates me to bring my sport closer to the people, of course,” Ndolo told DW. For Ngoiri, who only started fencing seven years ago, the support is also impressive. “As a fencer, this was…

As the moon rises over Avignon’s city walls, the night before the verdicts are announced, it is just high enough to illuminate the banner a small group of feminist activists has put up in a cloak-and-dagger operation. The banner reads: “Thank you, Gisele.” The next morning, it is the first thing the lawyers, journalists, family members, and the 51 men accused of raping Gisele Pelicot see as they enter the court building. It is still dark at 07 a.m., but already there is a long line of people waiting outside. Over the past four months, France and the whole world have…

On his possibly last overseas trip before leaving office US President Joe Biden is travelling to Italy in January to meet Pope Francis and top Italian officials, the White House announced on Thursday. Besides the pontiff, Biden will also meet with Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and President Sergio Mattarella during the January three-day trip, due to commence on January 9, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. In a call on Thursday, the president accepted the invite to the Vatican, and “thanked the Pope for his continued advocacy to alleviate global suffering, including his work to advance human rights and protect religious…

Images of ruined 2,000-year-old temples and towers in Syria’s ancient city of Palmyra shocked the world when they surfaced in 2015. Palmyra artefacts were blown up by the Islamic State that then occupied part of Syria. The city was one of numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites that were badly damaged during a relentless war, including the Ancient City of Aleppo and its citadel — one of the oldest castles in the world.   Now that the regime of Bashar Al-Assad has fallen, bringing an end to over 50 years of dictatorship under the Assad dynasty, there is hope that the nation’s cultural heritage can…

New legislation, signed into law by outgoing US President Joe Biden in early December, prohibits US courts from recognizing trademarks that were “illegally confiscated” by the Cuban government since 1959 without the original owners’ consent. The year 1959 was when Fidel Castro’s revolutionary forces overthrew Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista and established a socialist state. During the revolution, US companies and citizens were expropriated, prompting the United States to respond with a lasting embargo against Cuba. Now, the No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act of 2023 introduces a new twist to the long-standing legal battle between spirits manufacturer Bacardi and the Cuban government over the…

It is a crime so brutal and depraved it defies words – so outside the court, they applaud instead.Warning: This article contains descriptions of sexual abuseSince September, people have lined the route in Avignon clapping as Gisele Pelicot walks past. It is a wordless act of support for the 72-year-old woman at the centre of a mass rape trial that has sent shockwaves across France.It is a message that she, not the rapists, holds the power. An echo of Gisele’s rallying cry that “shame must change sides”.For four months, she has sat through the case of her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot,…