Author: DW

Wildfires burned in the Brazilian most populous state of Sao Paulo all weekend, causing plumes of smoke in the sky, with authorities declaring a “war against the fire.” Fires spread through southeastern Brazil, with Sao Paulo governor Tarcisio de Freitas decreeing a state of emergency in 45 municipalities. He said two people suspected of starting fires had been arrested. Fires burned through sugarcane fields and local media showed several dead cattle that had succumbed to the smoke and heat. Roads, schools closed The fires caused transport disruptions. Authorities closed some highways due to lack of visibility. A Brazilian championship football match was also…

An ice cave in Iceland collapsed while a tourist group was visiting, leaving two people seriously injured, while two others are missing, police said on Sunday. The incident occurred while a gorup of 25 people were touring the Breidamerkurjokull glacier along with a guide. Breidamerkurjokull, located in the south-east of the country, extends from southern Vatnajökull into the glacier lagoon Jökulsárlón, one of the Iceland’s popular tourist destinations. Natural caves dot the Breidamerkurjokull glacierImage: Arterra/alimdi/imageBROKER/picture alliance “Four people got stuck under the ice, two people have already been rescued from the ice and are seriously injured,” Sudurland police said in…

Billionaire Telegram founder Pavel Durov was arrested after arriving in France on his private jet at the weekend.He was reportedly the subject of a search warrant, with French news outlets suggesting an investigation focused on a lack of moderators on the encrypted messaging app and potential criminal activity by users. Telegram is one of the most downloaded apps in the world.But who is the man behind it – and how does the app work?’Russia’s Mark Zuckerberg’ Image: Pavel Durov, pictured in Moscow in 2012, is known for dressing all in black Born in Russia, Pavel Durov is the founder and…

In the Northern Hemisphere the summer season is in full swing and tourists are on the go. But there is a dark side of tourism and a number of popular places have complained about hordes of visitors. There have been protests against tourists in Spanish cities and the island of Mallorca. Venice has long been plagued by cruise ships and now charges an entrance fee. Lisbon, Prague and Amsterdam have all seen tensions rise between visitors and locals. Some businesses think they may have an answer.Overtourism: The costs of a $1.5 trillion industry To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a…

A new version of the mpox virus has emerged in Central Africa, spreading among children and adults in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries.  Infection with mpox causes a pus-filled skin rash lasting up to four weeks, which can be very painful. But what symptoms should we look out for and what can we do to reduce the risk of infection? What is mpox?  Mpox is an infectious disease caused by the monkeypox virus. The virus was first discovered in 1958 in Denmark, when an outbreak that resembled smallpox was described in monkey colonies kept for research. Although it…

Fifty-one years after tennis great Billie Jean King pushed the US Open to level the ‘paying’ field and give women players the same pay as men, the New York City  tournament will again split the total purse (a sport of tennis record $75 million in 2024) evenly between women and men.  If Coco Gauff repeats as champion, she will win $3.6 million (€3.2 million), the same as Carlos Alcarez if he defends his title.  Even the 64 losers on each side of the US Open’s first round of 128 players will earn $100,000 for their efforts. Women and men. It’s a far cry from when 1972 US Open…

French police arrested Pavel Durov, the billionaire founder and CEO of the messaging app Telegram, at Le Bourget airport near Paris on Saturday. Durov was arrested on a warrant for offenses related to the popular messaging app, the AFP news agency reported, citing unnamed officials. According to French broadcaster TF1, Durov was traveling aboard his private jet from Azerbaijan and was arrested around 8 p.m. local time (1800 GMT). He is due to appear in court on Sunday. Why is Durov being investigated? Durov is suspected of failing to take measures to curb the use of his platform for criminal purposes.…

Two NASA astronauts who flew to the International Space Station aboard a faulty Boeing Starliner capsule will return to Earth with rival SpaceX early next year, the US space agency said on Saturday. American astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams launched to the ISS on the first manned test flight of the Starliner on June 5 for what was planned as a week-long mission. However, the capsule’s propulsion system suffered a series of glitches in the first 24 hours of its flight leaving the veteran astronauts stranded on the station for 79 days now. On Saturday, NASA administrator Bill…

More luxury cars have been seized from Andrew Tate’s home in Romania after he was placed under house arrest earlier this week.The 37-year-old influencer was arrested alongside his brother Tristan, 36, and four others on Wednesday as part of an investigation into human trafficking, trafficking of minors, sexual intercourse with a minor, and money laundering, among other alleged offences. On Saturday, Romania’s anti-organised crime agency DIICOT took further vehicles from Tate’s largest property in Bucharest. Image: A vintage car is towed away from Tate’s home Image: A white Ferrari is seized from Tate’s Bucharest home During initial raids on Wednesday,…

Female founders who are perceived as attractive are more likely to raise funding from investors than those who are less attractive, a study by the Global Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland has found. The researchers conducted an experiment involving 111 male early-stage investors from Switzerland and Germany. The participants were randomly shown a video pitch of the same startup idea, with some presented by a more attractive actress and others by a less attractive one. It was a real startup case with significant potential for investors.The study wanted to know how male investors react…