Author: DW

The Netherlands announced on Friday that it will give back a collection of thousands of fossils to Indonesia. The collection is made up of over 28,000 fossils, including some of the so-called “Java Man” bones. These are the first known fossils of the Homo erectus, an ancestor to the Homo sapiens species. “At Indonesia’s request, the Netherlands is transferring more than 28,000 fossils from the Dubois collection,” the Dutch government said. The soon to be retrieved fossils are known as the Dubois Collection, named after the Dutch anthropologist Eugene Dubois. Dubois extracted the fossils from Indonesia in 1891, time during…

Slovakia amended its constitution on Friday to enshrine two legal genders. The newly approved amendment states that “the Slovak Republic recognizes only two genders, namely male and female, which are biologically determined.” The move has received harsh criticism from the opposition, who say it will harm the LGBTQ+ community in Slovakia. The leader of the biggest opposition party, the progressive Michal Simecka, called the vote “shameful”. Meanwhile, nationalist Prime Minister Robert Fico defended the amendment as “the best response to the collapse of Western societies, where progressivism and liberalism have been given priority.” In Friday’s vote, ninety members of the…

When Juri de Marco lifts his hand and plays a note on his small pocket trumpet, people start singing and making music — in concert halls and on the street. There’s no sheet music necessary; following his hand gestures allow people find their way to a shared sound that’s all their own. What de Marco makes is known as community music. “In high-classical music culture, it’s all about perfection, interpretation and fidelity to the score,” de Marco tells DW. For him, community music means “making music on an equal footing,” where the social interaction between people of different ages and…

The news came in much the same way as previous tariff bombshells from the US president had — suddenly, via social media, and with much left unclear. In a post on his social media site late on Thursday, Donald Trump announced  steep new tariffs on US pharmaceutical imports. “Starting October 1st, 2025, we will be imposing a 100% Tariff on any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product, unless a Company IS BUILDING their Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in America,” he wrote on Truth Social. So far, pharmaceutical goods have been exempt from the so-called reciprocal tariffs Trump announced back in April. That was…

Psychological warfare has often involved touting technological superiority while suggesting that opponents are powerless against it. That might be the right context in which to view a new study about an advanced artificial intelligence-driven anti-submarine warfare (ASW) system out of China that can reportedly detect 95% of even the stealthiest submarines. Last week, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post outlined the study, published in August by the trade journal Electronics Optics & Control. It announced that the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute had created an AI system that can simultaneously evaluate measurement data from various sources. From sonar buoys…

The former director of the FBI, James Comey was on Thursday criminally charged on for making false statements and obstruction of justice. Trump lauds Comey indictment US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsey Halligan announced the charges, and said Comey could face up to five years behind bars if convicted.  US President Donald Trump hailed the indictment on his Truth Social platform, claiming Comey “is now at the beginning of being held responsible for his crimes against our Nation.”   US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the indictment “reflects this Department of Justice’s commitment to holding those who abuse positions…

Over the past year, a curious trend has been making the rounds on TikTok: Young (and mainly Western) people are proposing marriage to like-minded individuals seeking companionship and stability as well as shared financial burdens and benefits. Love and/or sex? Not necessary.  The term “lavender marriage” resurfaced from obscurity, sparking conversations about the origins of such marriages of convenience, and whether this once covert survival tactic could be repurposed for an era seeing shifting relationship norms. A heteronormative front The phrase “lavender marriage” mainly gained traction in early 20th-century Hollywood, where image was paramount and being openly queer could have ended careers.…

The pressures of the war in Ukraine are starting to bite for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his policymakers in the Kremlin, with Moscow planning tax hikes and spending cuts to deal with its growing budget deficit. The draft budget for 2026 is expected to be submitted to parliament on September 29. Only minor changes are likely from that point, with Putin having agreed the main details by then. On Wednesday (September 25), the government announced plans to raise value added tax to 22% from 20% in a bid to curb the deficit, reneging on a pledge Putin previously made not…

Looking at Google Maps, it may seem as if every last corner of the planet has already been subjected to topographical surveys. But what lies beneath the ocean surface remains largely hidden from the view of orbiting satellites. That’s because radar signals can’t penetrate water. So while commercial satellites provide a resolution of about 30 centimeters per pixel of the Earth’s surface, ocean images are much rougher, with a resolution of around just 5 to 8 kilometers (3-5 miles) per pixel. Only about 20% of the ocean floor has been surveyed so far with echo sounding. But Seabed 2030, a joint project between the United…

The airport in the northern Danish city of Aalborg was closed on Wednesday, after drones were observed over its airspace, an airport spokesperson said. “Drones have been spotted near Aalborg Airport and the airspace has been closed,” Police said on X. “The police are on site and investigating further.” What do we know so far? Eurocontrol, the agency that oversees European air traffic control, said arrivals and departures at Aalborg airport would be at a “zero rate” until 6 a.m. local time (0400 GMT/UTC) on Thursday. No information was provided on how many drones had been observed. The closure of the small airport…