Author: DW

Thailand’s government recently set an ambitious target to welcome 40 million visitors in 2025 in a bid by the tourism industry to regain momentum lost during the COVID pandemic. The plan aims to attract more visitors to lesser-known destinations, expand flight capacity, and do more to promote Thai culture. Gary Bowerman, a tourism analyst based in Kuala Lumpur, said the target would not just benefit Thailand economically.  “For Thailand, it would be a psychological milestone to surpass 40 million visitors as it would almost certainly have done so in 2020, if not for COVID,” he told DW. “Had arrivals continued…

The missionary position is a strange name for a face-to-face, horizontal, often heterosexual bedroom maneuver with the man on top. But the story behind the naming of this routine sexual position has more plot twists than one might expect. Did missionaries spread the idea of the missionary position? Since medieval times, Catholic popes, bishops and priests were meant to refrain from having sex, an indulgence that would distract from their devotion to God. But that does not mean they think other people should not be doing it. “The church of course needs people to go to the church, to keep the church alive. So, the more you have children, the more you are a…

Portuguese football club Sporting have confirmed they have received an approach from Manchester United for their manager, Ruben Amorim.Sporting also said the Old Trafford club have “expressed interest” in paying the €10m (£8.3m) release clause in their boss’s contract. United sacked their previous coach, Dutchman Erik ten Hag, on Monday.Amorim led Sporting to their first league title in 19 years in 2021 and repeated the achievement with the Lisbon club last season.So far this season, his side have won all nine of their league games and are top of their league. The 39-year-old is one of the most sought-after young…

On October 30, the UK’s center-left Labour Party will present its first budget in more than 14 years to the British people. Since it inherited a sluggish and indebted economy after a decade and a half in opposition to the Conservative party, it has been signalling that this will be a tough budget. Shortly after coming to office, UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) Rachel Reeves spoke of a “22 billion pound [€26 billion, $28.57 billion] black hole” in the public finances left by her predecessor.  Yet in presenting its budget, the new government has to balance several pledges made during the…

The increasing popularity of generative AI is projected to result in the rapid growth of e-waste, electronic waste, according to a study published in Nature Computational Science . Researchers behind the study calculated that e-waste could reach a total of 1.2-5.0 million metric tons between by 2030, which is around 1,000 times more e-waste than was produced in 2023. “We found that the e-waste generated by generative AI, particularly large language models, could increase dramatically — potentially reaching up to 2.5 million tons per year by 2030 if no waste reduction measures are implemented,” said Asaf Tzachor, an expert in sustainable development at Reichman University in Israel,…

In terms of football, it was a brisk goodbye. After just a quarter of an hour against Australia, Alexandra Popp was subbed off for the final time, concluding an era-defining and illustrious career for the German national team. “It was a bit short,” said Popp after the game on Monday. “I was looking up at the clock, keeping an eye on the time, thinking, ‘Oh no, it’s up already!'” Her brief cameo was agreed in advance with coach Christian Wück, who had sought ahead of the game to play down the emotional aspects of the evening. “All this talk about a…

Around 40 soldiers Chad were killed in an overnight attack on a military base in the Lac (“Lake”) border region with Nigeria, Chad’s presidency said.  President Mahamat Idriss Deby visited the site early on Monday and ordered a military operation “to pursue and track down the attackers to their last entrenchments,” according to the statement. The government did not specify who had attacked the army facility, or which forces had been mobilized to respond.  However, the AFP news agency cited unnamed local security sources as saying “Boko Haram elements” were behind the attack. The source said the attackers took control of the…

Germany’s IG Metall union launched strikes in the metal and electrical industries early Tuesday, with protests kicking off during the night shift. The strikes come amid collective bargaining over pay and other conditions for some 3.9 million workers in Germany’s automative and other manufacturing sectors. According to IG Metall, 250 workers went on strike at the Volkswagen(VW) plant in the city of Osnabrück in northwestern Germany. In Hildesheim, about 400 workers at several companies went on strike during the night. What does IG Metall say? “The fact that production lines are now at a standstill and offices are empty is…

Proceedings opened before a criminal court in Paris on Monday of French screen star Gerard Depardieu, on trial for allegedly sexually assaulting two women during a 2021 film shoot. Further complaints and a possible second court case also loom for the 75-year-old, who is accused of using “violence, coercion, surprise or threat” in the alleged attacks. The trial was set to go ahead against Depardieu in absentia after his lawyers applied for a postponement on health grounds. “Gerard Depardieu is extremely affected and unfortunately his doctors have forbidden him from being present at the hearing, which is why he will…

Volkswagen is planning to shut at least three factories in Germany and lay off tens of thousands of staff.Its remaining plants in Germany are also set to be downsized, according to the head of the company’s works council Daniela Cavallo. Europe’s biggest carmaker has spent weeks negotiating with unions over its plans to revamp its business and cut costs, which have spiralled thanks to labour and energy prices.The German firm employs about 300,000 people in its home country and operates 10 plants, but has said a major restructuring is needed.Ms Cavallo told workers at VW’s biggest plant in Wolfsburg that…