Author: DW

Who wouldn’t want a T. rex? You can scare the neighbors with one. Or you can charge admission to see it. Plus, they are extremely rare and will only go up in value, right? But are fossilized bones really a good investment? Investing in ancient specimens is not for everyone and there are a few things to think about. One good thing is they are hard to steal. A triceratops skull wouldn’t fit in a burglar’s backpack. This also means they are hard to move around, and you’ll need lots of space. The Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi surely had all…

Germany is for the first time to provide personnel to the United Nations Command, the US-led multinational headquarters that oversees the armistice that concluded the 1950-53 Korean War, a commitment welcomed by South Korea. The German contingent is expected to be made up primarily of senior military personnel working alongside officers from 17 other UN nations to monitor the uneasy peace on the peninsula, with analysts suggesting the contribution is largely designed to underline international support among nations facing down increasingly aggressive dictatorial states. President Yoon Suk Yeol expressed gratitude for Berlin’s application to join the United Nations Command (UNC)…

The man who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan has disavowed violence in the wake of the attempt on Donald Trump’s life. John Hinckley Jr, who wounded the former US president during an attack in 1981, wrote on X: “Violence is not the way to go. Give peace a chance.” The post on Wednesday came days after Mr Trump was shot at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Image: Donald Trump after a bullet grazed his ear in a shooting at a Pennsylvania rally. Pic: AP Although Hinckley did not directly mention the Republican presidential nominee, people were quick to draw the connection, responding with bemusement…

Police in the western German city of Gelsenkirchen took a suspected Taylor Swift stalker into custody on Wednesday evening ahead of the first Germany date on the US singer’s “Eras Tour.” Authorities said on Thursday morning that event organizers had alerted police to threats made against the 34-year-old star, but gave no further details. Around 60,000 fans – known as “Swifties” – attended the first of three concerts at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, which police said went peacefully. After the concert, police responded to a call-out from a 70-year-old man in the Gelsenkirchen suburb of Erle, which neighbors the…

The jointly written history textbook “Europe – Our History” is a flagship project of German-Polish cooperation. Dozens of academics from Poland and Germany have been working on the project since 2008. It is also only the second bilateral history textbook in the world to be produced by two neighboring countries. The final volume in the series — volume 4 in Germany and volumes 7 and 8 in Poland — was finished in 2020. However, unlike in Germany, teachers in Poland have so far been unable to use the book in class because of objections from Poland’s former national-conservative government.Academic Marcin…

When Donald Trump stepped onto the stage at the Republican National Convention this week, the audience welcomed him with raucous applause. Some shed tears, others hailed him as a survivor. The failed assasination attempt against the former president not only galvanized the support of his own base, but drew sympathy from across political lines and continents. European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Comission President Ursula von der Leyen, sharply condemned the attempt on his life and wished him a speedy recovery. “Political violence has no place in a democracy,” von der Leyen said in a post on social…

South Korea’s top court on Thursday upheld an earlier decision by an appeals court which ruled that the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) had to grant a same-sex couple spousal coverage. The appeals court decision last year was the first time a South Korean court recognized the rights of a gay couple. What is the case? So Seong-wook and Kim Yong-min had sued the NHIS in 2021 after it canceled their spousal benefits when it discovered they were both men. Chief Justice Jo Hee-de said that denying them such benefits, even though there is no language in the National Health Insurance Act that relates…

Joe Biden has been forced to pull out of a campaign speech after contracting COVID.The US president was due to deliver an address to UnidosUS – the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organisation – in Las Vegas. Mr Biden is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House said, including “general malaise” from the infection.He has returned to his home in Delaware to self-isolate and from where he will “continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time”, Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.A post on the president’s X feed said simply: “I’m sick.” X This content is…

US President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House announced Wednesday. Biden, who has been campaigning in Nevada, had to call off a keynote address at Unidos, a Latino civil rights organization’s annual conference. “He is vaccinated and boosted and experiencing mild symptoms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. She added that he would continue his presidential duties from his home in Delaware.  As he boarded Air Force One on his way home, he flashed a thumbs-up to reporters and said, “I feel good.” He was not wearing a mask when he boarded but had one on during the…

JD Vance, Donald Trump’s running mate, made his national political debut on Wednesday with a primetime speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC). The freshman senator from Ohio officially accepted Donald Trump’s offer and the Republican Party’s nomination to run for vice president and urged voters to “choose a new path.” “The people who govern this country have failed and failed again,” he said. Trump and Vance will face the Democratic ticket of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in the November 5 election. Vance contrasts Biden and Trump Vance’s autobiographical speech was the first time many Americans heard from him.  “I grew up in Middletown, Ohio,…