Author: DW

“Given the good prognosis for recovery, the impact is assessed as low,” wrote the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in a Threat Assessment Brief on August 9, 2024 — but that’s specifically for the European region, which has so far only seen imported cases of Oropouche virus. Of the 19 reported cases in Europe, all are thought to have been imported by travellers who had visited Cuba or Brazil. It was in the Brazilian state of Bahia where the first two people died from Oropouche fever, the country’s health ministry reported July 25, 2024. The two women, who were both…

US President Joe Biden gave his first TV interview on Sunday since withdrawing from the presidential election race, saying his decision stemmed from a desire to see his Republican rival Donald Trump beaten. Biden pulled out of a bid for a second term in the White House last month amid growing concerns about his age, health and mental acuity. What did Biden say? During a short interview with CBS recorded last week at the White House, Biden said he faced pressure from fellow Democrats about his chances of winning the next US election. “What happened was, a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate…

The opposition in Venezuela has called for global demonstrations on August 17 in support of its claimed victory over President Nicolas Maduro in July’s presidential ballot. Maduro — who has held the office since 2013 — was declared the winner by the National Electoral Council (CNE), despite exit polls showing the election going in favor of the joint opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. On Sunday, opposition leader Maria Corina Machado posted a video on social media platform X urging people to join the protest for “truth.” “This message is for you, who do not recognize yourself in today’s Venezuela, who…

The United Kingdom has a skilled labor problem, particularly in England. According to the country’s Department for Education, nearly a third of all job vacancies in 2022 were related to skills shortages while a majority of firms regularly report being unable to fill vacancies. An obvious knock-on effect is on productivity. Since the financial crisis, the UK has struggled with sluggish productivity growth and multiple studies point to a link between this and its widening skills gap. One of the ways the new government wants to tackle the problem is by revamping the way it identifies skills shortages and trains workers. Last…

The area around the Eiffel Tower has been evacuated after a man climbed the Paris landmark hours before the Olympics closing ceremony.The shirtless man was spotted near the Olympic rings adorning the second section of the monument, just above the first viewing deck. It is unclear where he began the ascent of the 330m (1,083ft) tall tower.French police said they “immediately intervened and arrested” the man. Image: A man climbs the Eiffel Tower during the 2024 Summer Olympics. Pic: AP/Nicky Worlock Some visitors who were briefly locked on the second floor were allowed to exit around 30 minutes later. Videos…

August 2024: Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna canceled Organizers have canceled three concerts by US pop star Taylor Swift slated for August 8, 9 and 10 at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium, due to a planned Islamist terror attack. Police had expected around 65,000 people to attend each of Swift’s concerts and many fans had already arrived in the Austrian city. Shortly after his arrest, a 19-year-old main suspect confessed that he had wanted to kill “a large number of people” at the concert by committing a suicide attack, Austrian security authorities said. Chemical substances and technical devices were seized from the…

Germany won Olympic gold in the women’s shot put for the first time in 28 years, courtesy of Yemisi Ogunleye. The 25-year-old from the southwestern German city of Mannheim produced a precisely 20-meter (65.6-foot) throw on her third and final attempt, beating Maddison-Lee Wesche of New Zealand, who threw a personal best 19.86 meters. Bronze went to Jiayuan Song of China (19.32 meters), while Ogunleye’s teammate Alina Kenzel from Stuttgart came ninth (18.29 meters). Earlier in qualification, Ogunleye had only just sneaked into the final with her third attempt. But after becoming the first German woman to win shot put gold since…

Skip next section German finance minister defends planned US missile deployment08/11/2024August 11, 2024German finance minister defends planned US missile deploymentUS Tomahawk missiles could reach targets within RussiaImage: Department of Defense/ZUMAPRESS.com/picture allianceGerman Finance Minister Christian Lindner has voiced his support for stationing long-range US missiles in Germany, saying that the deployment will be an important deterrent in the face of Russian aggression. “Germany has been within range of Russia’s nuclear-capable missiles for years. It is therefore of paramount importance to us that we establish a balance of deterrence,” Lindner told the Funke media group in comments published on Sunday. Berlin and Washington announced…

Tens of thousands demonstrated at key sites in central Belgrade on Saturday evening, calling for an end to a planned lithium mining project in western Serbia, saying it could pollute nearby agricultural land and water.  The vast project involving British-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto has EU support and aims to drastically reduce Europe’s shortfalls in local sources for the mineral. Lithium is crucial for making things like electric car and smartphone batteries. Protesters waved Serbian flags and chanted slogans like, “You will not dig” and “Rio Tinto leave Serbia!”   Government accuses protesters of ulterior motive The government of President…

Russia says it has used a thermobaric bomb against Ukrainian forces as it announced a “counter-terrorism” operation to retaliate against Ukraine’s shock incursion into Kursk.The Russian defence ministry said fighting was continuing in the western Kursk region following Ukraine’s unprecedented attack on its territory earlier this week. The Russian army has conducted airstrikes against Ukrainian forces, including using a thermobaric bomb, also known as a vacuum bomb.The pressure from the bomb’s extra hot blast is capable of vaporising human bodies. Read more:All calm on Russia’s front pages – despite Ukraine’s attackWhy Ukraine may have carried out high-risk Russia incursionIt is…