Author: DW

“One must suffer to be beautiful,” according to the old saying. For some, pubic grooming is part of those necessary, painful rituals. It was already fashionable in ancient times, whether in Egypt or ancient Rome. Women used polished shells or stones, bat blood, calf urine or donkey fat to get rid of unruly pubic hair. Others preferred bronze knives, pumice or beeswax. Another technique was to twirl pubic hair off with thin threads. Some even applied orpiment, a highly toxic mineral containing arsenic, to dissolve the unwanted hair. It took some time before the modern razor or epilator were invented. Yet, there must be a…

Algerian boxer Imane Khelif claimed a unanimous points decision against China’s Yang Liu in the women’s welterweight gold medal fight on Friday evening.  The 25-year-old won welterweight (maximum 66 kilos or 145 pounds) gold after facing intense scrutiny throughout the competition. She completed a dominant run through her weight class at the Olympics, not being judged to lose a single round en route to the final.  The 25-year-old claims gold in her second Olympic attempt, having competed in Tokyo tooImage: MOHD RASFAN/AFP/Getty Images “I’m very happy. For eight years this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medallist,” Khelif said…

What is known about Ukraine’s advance into Russia’s Kursk region? As of August 9, Ukrainian troops had advanced as far as 35 kilometers (21 miles) into Russian territory in the Kursk region, according to the US-based Institute for the Study of War. However, they reportedly do not have full control of the area. Other military experts believe this assessment to be realistic. There have been reports of fierce fighting, deaths and casualties in the area. However, no independent reports from the region itself are available. Information on the fighting stems largely from social networks, Russian military bloggers and authorities. Russia battles Ukrainian troops after…

Medical company Lykos Therapeutics on Friday said the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had rejected its bid for approval to use the psychedelic substance MDMA to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  Lykos said it had received a formal “complete response letter” to its application refusing it, at least for the time being.  “The FDA communicated that it had completed its review of the [new drug application] and determined that it could not be approved based on data submitted to date,” Lykos said in a statement.   “The FDA has requested that Lykos conduct an additional Phase 3 trial to further…

The summer of 2024 has been particularly hot and dry in Eastern Europe. In Ukraine, one of the world’s key corn exporters, temperatures soared above 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) in July, which is unusual for the region. Neighboring Romania, meanwhile, has been stricken by a drought for several months now which has prevented insects from pollinating the corn plants in one of the main corn-supplying countries of the European Union. A phenomenon that Ukraine has also experienced, says Tetiana Adamenko from the agricultural department at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center. “Ten days in July we observed temperatures above 35 degrees.…

An Israeli television channel has broadcast CCTV footage allegedly showing Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers sexually abusing a Palestinian detainee.The video shows dozens of prisoners lying face down on the floor with their hands on the backs of their heads.One of the prisoners is led away to a discreet corner. Three soldiers then appear to use shields to block the view.Only a metre or so away, a military dog on a lead can be seen barking fiercely at the prisoner.The incident, which is said to have taken place at the Sde Teiman prison in July, has been severely criticised by…

American rapper Travis Scott was arrested in Paris on Friday over a violent altercation with his own bodyguard, authorities said. “Policemen were called to the Georges V hotel and arrested Travis Scott for violence against a security agent. The latter had intervened to separate the rapper from his bodyguard,” the Paris prosecutor’s office said in a statement. French media reported that Scott was intoxicated at the time. The rapper’s representatives did not immediately comment. Travis Scott in Paris for basketball event Scott is one of the biggest names in rap, having topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart with singles like “Sicko…

A new type of mpox called “clade 1b” appears to be deadlier and able to spread from person-to-person more easily than previous forms. Mortality rates are as high as 10% of infections. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said the situation in Central Africa was now “high risk.” Mpox, formally known as monkeypox, is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. Clade 1b mpox was first detected in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in central Africa, where it started spreading in September 2023. Infections have since been reported in Cameroon, the Central African Republic (CAR), and Rwanda. New cases in…

Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has won his country’s first Olympic medal since 1992 after an Olympic record throw of 92.97 meters. In doing so, Nadeem becomes the first athlete from Pakistan to ever win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event. The feat prompted praise from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who said “you’ve made a whole nation proud young man.”  ‘We will all celebrate together’ “On August 14, we are going to celebrate our Independence Day, and this is a special gift to the nation from me,” Nadeem said when asked by DW what the medal means to him and…

The number of people leaving Sweden is set to exceed the number of arrivals in 2024 — for the first time in more than 50 years — the Swedish government announced on Thursday. “According to the Swedish Migration Agency’s forecast, Sweden is set to receive the lowest number of asylum-seekers since 1997, and for the first time in over 50 years, Sweden has net emigration,” the Swedish Ministry of Justice posted on X, formerly Twitter. Number of asylum applications is at a ‘historically low level’ Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard told reporters that from January to May this year, around 5,700 more people left Sweden than…