Author: DW

A woman who survived the horrors of the Holocaust as the “cover girl” of a leading fashion magazine? You might wonder if that isn’t a little disrespectful, considering Margot Friedländer’s life and story of suffering? Yet it is not. Because this woman has something to say as one of the most important surviving witnesses of the Holocaust. She has made it her life’s work to tell people about what she experienced. Always gently, kindly, with compassion, without pointing fingers. Her main objective is to preserve remembrance culture while respecting humanity. A perusal of the diverse Vogue covers in various countries where…

A new report published on Tuesday has warned about the dangers posed by extreme temperatures at the Paris Olympics. The report titled “Rings of Fire: Heat Risks at the 2024 Paris Olympics,” was compiled by the British Association for Sustainable Sport and Frontrunners, an organization helping athletes engage in environmental issues. Researchers consulted scientists and athletes during the process of compiling the report.  ‘Intense heat’ could have deadly consequences, report warns “The next Olympics in Paris is now upon us, and notable cases of extreme heat undermining the health and enjoyment of sporting spectacles have only increased in the intervening…

Authorities in Germany have closed a number of Euro 2024 fan zones due to severe weather warnings on Tuesday. Severe thunderstorms, hail of up to five centimeters in diameter, and gale-force winds were forecast for parts of western and central Germany. The German Weather Service said that tornadoes were also possible. The decision affects venues set up for Tuesday’s match between Turkey and Georgia in Dortmund as well as fan zones in Berlin, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Gelsenkirchen. “Safety of the visitors is the top priority,” said Moritz van Duelmen from Kulturprojekt Berlin. The fan zone in Leipzig, where the day’s other…

Vietnam and China boast strong economic and political ties. In 2008, the two authoritarian regimes established a “comprehensive strategic partnership” that has not only fostered cooperation and stability but also strengthened trade, with bilateral commerce exceeding $171 billion (€159 billion) in 2023.  But despite this close cooperation, the two Asian nations have struggled to defuse tensions over disputed territory in the South China Sea, a strategically significant and resource-rich waterway. Beijing and Hanoi both assert sovereignty over the Spratly and Paracel Islands, which sit hundreds of kilometers from both countries. Beijing is currently undergoing a significant military expansion and has adopted a more…

“You can’t do this job without a gun. You have to carry a gun,” the man opposite me calmly explains.”When there is disagreement, they come to you at night and empty two bullets in you and then disappear.” The high-risk job he’s describing isn’t in the military or the police – he is a people smuggler.Last year, he made more than £800,000 selling migrants spots in dinghies taking them from France to the UK. He’s agreed to tell me more about the shadowy industry on the condition that we disguise his identity.”My job is to send people from Dunkirk to…

Avid virus-watchers will know that influenza viruses that make the news often feature the letters “H” and “N” in their names, such as H5N1 or H9N2. Those are examples of “Type A” influenza viruses — classed as highly infectious pathogens and a significant threat to influenza viruses that make the news. But there are B, C and D types as well, with various sub-types and lineages, many colloquially known as avian/bird, cow and swine flues. You can forgive yourself for feeling confused — because it is confusing: And it’s not immediately clear which types of flu risk public health to the extent of the Spanish flu…

For German Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger, freedom is the foundation “for the way we live in our country, for our democracy, our constitutional state and our prosperity.” She made the comment at the launch of Germany’s Science Year, which in 2024 focuses on freedom, a theme chosen to mark the 75th anniversary of Germany’s Basic Law, the country’s constitution. But now more than 2,900 academics are accusing Stark-Watzinger of threatening freedom of expression and have called for the minister’s resignation in an open letter.Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger is under fire for her reaction to a letter of protest from university professorsImage:…

Germany’s Interior Ministry said it was satisfied with the security situation over the first weekend of the Euro 2024 championship. “The security measures are working,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Maximilian Kall said on Monday. He said that “so far, there have been no surprising events.” However, incidents did occur away from the pitch. In Saxony-Anhalt, police shot a man who fatally stabbed a guest at a viewing party. In Hamburg, police also shot a man wielding a hammer near where Dutch soccer fans were gathering, although authorities dismissed any connection to the Euros. Police respond to Serbia-England clash Kall nevertheless pointed to an…

Amid heightened tension on the Korean peninsula, Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to arrive in North Korea on June 18 for a two-day meeting with its leader Kim Jong Un. It is Putin’s first visit to the country in 24 years and is a demonstration of their deepening dependance on each other. American and South Korean officials have accused North Korea of secretly providing military equipment to Russia to sustain its invasion of Ukraine; something both Pyongyang and Moscow deny.   But since August, North Korea has made numerous weapons transfers in Russia, according to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service. Other reports…

Microsoft and Nvidia have quickly taken prime positions in the artificial intelligence revolution. The tech giants have a combined market value of $6.6 trillion (€6.16 trillion), making them two of the three largest companies in the world.  Microsoft’s recent success has been underpinned by its $13 billion bet on OpenAI, the startup behind the ChatGPT chatbot, while Nvidia can boast the world’s most  advanced chips that are vital to running high-end AI systems. But their good fortune means competition authorities in the United States are circling. Earlier this month, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reached a deal on how to investigate the two firms’ dominant position in the AI…