Author: DW

It is almost impossible to treat an illness like the Disease X that’s spreading in DR Congo — medics don’t even know whether it is a viral or bacterial infection.  So far, the DRC has recorded 406 cases of the undiagnosed disease. Severe cases have been reported among severely malnourished people, including 31 deaths, mostly children.  The spread of the disease is currently concentrated in the Panzi district in Kwango province, located about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa. Panzi district is remote, with difficult-to-access roads and nearly non-existent health infrastructure. Health officials say the disease is most likely to be…

Gukesh D beat defending world chess champion Ding Liren in a frantic time scramble in Singapore, taking the lead 11 games into their 14-game match to crown a new champion.  The 18-year-old rising star from India and China’s top player had been deadlocked during a series of seven consecutive draws heading into Sunday’s game.  Taking the lead, particularly so late in the contest, could prove decisive for Gukesh. Ding will be forced to take considerable risks in the remaining three games, as he must win one of them to stay alive.  Time pressure the theme throughout Both players looked uncomfortable…

Germany and the United Kingdom have taken measures aimed at closer cooperation when it comes to dealing with human trafficking — specifically making it easier to prosecute syndicates involved in small-boat crossings to Britain. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and the UK’s Yvette Cooper on Monday signed a joint action agreement aimed at combating the smuggling of migrants across the English Channel in rubber dinghies. Earlier this year, a lengthy undercover investigation by the BBC shone the light on the west German coastal city of Essen and its alleged links to human trafficking across the English Channel.What can be done…

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday it had detected 47 Chinese military aircraft around the island. The French AFP news agency cited a senior Taiwanese security source as saying that “nearly 90” Chinese naval and coast guard vessels had been detected in waters along the so-called first island chain, which links Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines. The Defense Ministry said that 47 aircraft and 12 warships were detected in the last 24 hours. It added that this was the largest number of aircraft spotted near the island in a single day in the last two months, which saw an escalation in Chinese…

A rare Ferrari F50, a Lamborghini Diablo and a Rolls-Royce are among dozens of luxury cars found at Bashar al Assad’s palace.Just 349 F50s were made between 1995 and 1997 and the V12-engined car has a top speed of 233mph. It originally sold for about £350,000, but one went for $5.5m (£4.3m) in a Sotheby’s auction earlier this year.Car website classic.com puts the average sale price at $4.2m (£3.3m).Also parked up in the vast garage in the Syrian capital of Damascus was another classic 90s supercar that adorned many teenage walls – a Lamborghini Diablo. While not as rare as…

China’s economy is still struggling to recover from the pandemic, nearly two years after Beijing dropped its draconian zero-COVID lockdowns. In the first three quarters of 2024, economic growth came at 4.8% — just shy of Beijing’s 5% target. Deflation, weak consumer demand and a huge real estate crash have hurt the country’s incredible growth trajectory, while ongoing trade tensions with the United States — likely to worsen under Donald Trump’s second term — have hurt exports, which were credited with helping China’s ascent to become the world’s second-largest economy. “China suffers from overproduction and under-consumption,” George Magnus, a research associate at the University of…

At the end of October, Berlin’s Prussian Cultural Institute (SPK) announced that three items used in sacred rituals are on the path to being restituted to the indigenous Kogi people of Colombia’s Sierra Nevada de Santa Maria mountains. The items to be returned include a staff, a basket and another woven item. All are used in sacred rituals still performed today by the Kogi. The three items are currently at Colombia’s anthropology and history institute, ICANH, on a loan basis. Research is being undertaken by Kogi representatives and in December, the formal restitution contract is set to be written up. Back in 2023,…

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen will serve his “work of public interest” punishment for swearing when he visits Rwanda next week, the sport’s governing body said on Sunday. Verstappen, who won his fourth straight championship in Las Vegas last month, will travel to the Rwandan capital Kigali to collect his trophy at the FIA’s annual awards gala. The Dutchman was punished for using foul language during a press conference at the Singapore Grand Prix in September. Verstappen’s community service-style punishment The FIA outlined Verstappen’s punishment after the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. In Kigali, the Red Bull driver “will undertake some work…

Italy’s Trenitalia claims top spot as the best rail operator in Europe, according to a new study released on Monday. The ranking was published by the European NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). Trenitalia was followed by Swiss operator SBB and Czech company RegioJet. Austria’s ÖBB came in fourth, ahead of France’s SCNF. “Trenitalia stands out for its travel experience, SBB is the most punctual operator in Europe and RegioJet has some of the most affordable tickets,” T&E said in the report. Eurostar performs the worst On the other hand, expensive and unreliable service put Eurostar, which links France, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany,…

Australia and Nauru have announced a landmark security treaty on Monday — a move which is seen as a broader effort by Canberra to push back against China’s influence in the Pacific. The treaty will provide the tiny Pacific island nation with 100 million Australian dollars (€60.6 million, $64 million) in direct budget support over five years. But it also gives Australia the final say over Nauru’s key infrastructure. “It’s a good day for the security and resilience of the Pacific region,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a joint media briefing with Nauru’s President David Adeang. What do we…