Author: DW

Syphilis and Christopher Columbus have more in common than you might think. Both touched down on new continents and colonized local inhabitants at the end of the 15th century: Columbus the indigenous Americans, syphilis the Europeans. Both also sought a route to Asia. Syphilis first erupted in Europe in 1494 in a French army camp, a year after Columbus returned from a voyage to America . The disfiguring disease spread between soldiers and their sexual partners, causing sores on their genitals, rectums, or mouths.  Within just five years, syphilis had spread through all of Europe. Soon after, it spread to…

There are not many places Dennis Schröder hasn’t played NBA basketball. In 2021 he was part of Boston Celtics, and then half a year later, he joined the Houston Rockets. A few months after that he joined LeBron James at the Los Angeles Lakers, but left after just one year to sign for the Toronto Raptors. He was then at the Brooklyn Nets before he most recently joined the Golden State Warriors. For Germany’s basketball star Dennis Schröder, life as an NBA professional has been full of trades and relocations that have taken him across North America. In swapping New…

Are they or are they not withdrawing from Syria? That is the question Middle East analysts have been asking about the Russian troops for the past several days. Open source investigators, looking at satellite pictures and online air traffic tracking, have noted significant moves by Russia at its long-held Syrian bases since the regime of its ally, Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, was toppled nearly two weeks ago. They’ve seen attack helicopters and an S-400 long-range air defense system dismantled for travel, people with suitcases waiting to leave and large cargo planes being loaded. Additionally, Russian navy vessels left their…

A fire in a cafe in Hanoi killed eleven people on Wednesday night, authorities said. The Vietnam Ministry of Public Security said on Thursday the police have arrested a man suspected of starting the fire after authorities responded to reports of a blaze at 11:00 pm (1600 GMT), where many people were feared trapped. “The police suspect that the cafe was (deliberately) burned down and … have arrested the perpetrator,” Hanoi police said in a statement.Authorities suspect arsonImage: Hau Dinh/AP Photo/picture alliance According to the police, the man admitted to lighting a fire using gasoline on the ground floor of the three-story…

When Katharina visits her extended family in Peru for Christmas, her uncles, aunts and cousins give her their Christmas wish lists well before she leaves her home in Bonn. There’s one German item in particular that’s always high on their list: Haribo candies. “My family writes to my father to tell him which Haribo varieties they want, because they either don’t have them in Peru at all or they’re very expensive,” she explains. That’s why Katharina and her father go to the factory outlet in Bonn before their trip to stock up for the journey. “It often feels like half the suitcase is full,” she…

Inflation in the European Union’s single currency area has increased for the second month in a row – albeit slightly less than expected. In Germany, however, inflation rates remained above the Eurozone average. According to the Luxembourg-based statistics office Eurostat, average consumer prices in November rose by 2.2% year-on-year, down slightly from the predicted 2.3%. In October, they had risen by 2% and in September by 1.7%. Looking at individual Eurozone countries, Belgium experienced the steepest November increase at 4.8%. Romania, which doesn’t yet use the single currency, had higher inflation of 5.4%, while Croatia was third-highest at 4.0%.  Inflation…

The world is set to use more coal than ever before, this year, because of high demand in Asia and despite the warnings over the harm that burning fossil fuels does to the planet, a report has said.Global demand for the fossil fuel is expected to hit a record 8.77 billion tonnes in 2024, and stay near that level for the next three years, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Wednesday. Growth in renewables is forecast to drive down coal use in the longer term, but this year its impact will be more than offset by strong demand for…

A trial of a new cognitive behavioral therapy program may provide a step toward greater support for new fathers experiencing postpartum depression, which is underrecognized in men. While postpartum depression is common in women — affecting around 25% of new mothers — it also affects 10% of new fathers. The emotional and psychological toll on men can be just as profound.  A new parental training intervention highlighting childhood developmental milestones and play-based parenting has shown promise for men with the condition. The results of the 18-month trial have now been published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Among 357 new fathers…

Which sporting competitions transgender athletes should be allowed to compete in has long been the subject of debate. What conditions are fair, and where should a line be drawn? Such questions were hotly debated in the run-up to the World Darts Championship, where Dutch player Noa-Lynn van Leuven became the first transgender player to take to the world’s biggest darts stage — at Alexandra Palace in North London, the legendary Ally Pally. Transition completed in 2022 On the way to the world’s most prestigious darts tournament, the 28-year-old faced many hurdles and sometimes massive resistance — in addition to a lot of support and…

The discovery of a World War II bomb in Cologne, Germany, on Tuesday evening prompted authorities to request more than 3,000 people to leave their homes. The explosive was uncovered in the Sülz district of the west German city. “World War II bomb found in Sülz,” the official account of the city of Cologne posted on X. “During construction work this Tuesday afternoon, an unexploded bomb from World War II was found in the area of ​​Luxemburger Straße/Greinstraße in Sülz, which must be defused today.” This meant the evacuation of a high-rise residential building, the Uni-Center, with almost 1,000 apartments. It is…