Author: DW

Donald Trump couldn’t resist the temptation of bringing up Kamala Harris’ laugh last month, shortly after the vice president stepped up to be the likely Democratic presidential nominee.  “I call her laughing Kamala,” Trump said at a recent rally in Michigan. “You ever watch her laugh? She’s crazy. You can tell a lot by a laugh. No, she’s crazy, she’s nuts.” Harris’ rival for the US presidency never tires of denigrating the incumbent US vice president. He makes fun of her both as a woman and as a person of color. His online followers join in, spreading insulting memes and fake videos. But Harris and…

The UN’s health agency reports concerns about more severe variants of SARS-CoV-2 evolving globally. The latest figures from the WHO show that between 24 June and 21 July 2024, new hospitalizations increased by 11% and ICU admissions by 3% compared to the previous month. “Data from our sentinel-based surveillance system across 84 countries reports that the percent of positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 has been rising over several weeks,” said the WHO’s Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove. Deaths due to COVID were also up 26% in recent weeks. However, the WHO urges caution when interpreting reported data, as testing and sequencing for COVID has decreased,…

Mounir Nasraoui, the father of teenage Spain and Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, was stabbed late Wednesday, several Spanish media outlets reported. Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia reported that he was in a serious but stable condition. The Catalan police lead the investigation into the attack but have not publicly commented on the incident. It took place in the Rocafonda neighborhood of Mataro, around 30 kilometers north of Barcelona, where Yamal grew up and where his father and grandmother still live. According to eyewitnesses interviewed by La Vanguardia, Yamal’s father was surrounded by a group of men while walking his dog. An…

The first German woman is set to fly into space on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket along with four other astronauts, the private space exploration company said on Wednesday. Rabea Rogge was introduced by SpaceX as a “robotics researcher” who studied electrical engineering and information technology at ETH Zurich. For her doctoral thesis, she transferred to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The mission, called Fram2, is going to be the first human spaceflight over the Earth’s poles. The company said the flight will take place “no earlier than late 2024.” No German woman has ever been to space, according…

Argentina’s former President, Alberto Fernandez, was formally charged with committing violence against former first lady Fabiola Yanez on Wednesday. Prosecutor Ramiro Gonzalez submitted documents to the court asking for charges to be brought against the ex-president for “minor and serious injuries” as well as “coercive threats.” He said there was evidence Yanez had “suffered a relationship marked by harassment, psychological harassment and physical aggression in a context of gender and domestic violence.” Fernandez has denied the accusations. Photos published of alleged abuse The domestic abuse allegations first came to light in text messages that surfaced as part of a separate embezzlement investigation…

There is most probably no other political office in the world that requires so deep a pocket to win than that of the president of the United States. During their 2020 campaigns, then incumbent President Donald Trump and his challenger, Joe Biden, spent a combined $5.7 billion (€5.2 billion) to win over the hearts and minds of voters — a new record for a US presidential election, according to OpenSecrets, a US nonprofit which tracks and monitors campaign finance and lobbying. This year’s presidential campaigns are seemingly running just as smoothly when it comes to funds, with the war chest of Vice President Kamala…

Tennis star Naomi Osaka has said she doesn’t feel like she is in her own body, having returned to tennis after giving birth.The four-time Grand Slam champion returned to professional tennis in January after giving birth to her first daughter, Shai, last July. But since her comeback, the 26-year-old has struggled for consistency, failing to progress past the second round of the French Open and Wimbledon after a first-round exit at the Australian Open.Her latest loss, to American Ashlyn Krueger in the final round of qualifying for the Cincinnati Open, prompted a heartfelt social media post.”I’ve been trying to figure…

Meng Meng, the Berlin Zoo’s female giant panda is expecting twin cubs, zoo authorities announced Monday after an ultrasound examination over the weekend showed developing fetuses.  “One heartbeat could initially be made out on the ultrasound equipment, and shortly thereafter a second as well,” they said.  The cubs are just 2.5 centimeters long at the moment and still have plenty of growing to do before birth. If all goes well the zoo expects the birth at the end of August, zoo officials said. She was artificially inseminated in March 2024. Pregnancy still at risky stage Berlin Zoo veterinarian Franziska Sutter cautioned that the…

7:00 am – wake up and check blood sugar. 9:00 am – eat breakfast, calculate carbohydrates, check blood sugar. 11:30 am – eat lunch and take insulin. 1:00 pm – eat a snack, calculate carbohydrates, take insulin. Repeat steps every 1-2 hours, depending on blood sugar levels. This is what a typical day in the life of approximately 9 million people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) can look like.  “With type 1 you have to think about every decision you make, right from the moment you wake up,” says Grace Bennett, who works for the type 1 diabetes charity Breakthrough T1D. …

Spectacular venues, memorable performances and breakout stars: Paris 2024 had plenty to recommend it. DW takes a look back at some of the standout moments, whether good, bad or comical, of the Summer Games.