Author: DW

From “Poppy Flowers” by Vincent Van Gogh to Rembrandt’s missing masterpiece, “Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee,” to Nazi-looted works by the likes of Gustav Klimt, absence has made the heart grow fonder for long-lost artistic treasures. In 1969, thieves stole the “Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence,” an early Baroque painting by Italian artist Caravaggio, which the artist completed in 1609 and which hung in a church in Palermo on the island of Sicily. Fifty-five years later, its whereabouts remains a mystery. Depicting the birth of Jesus, the vast work extending near 3 meters in height was removed…

China’s lunar spacecraft started its journey back to earth after collecting samples from the far side of the moon, the country’s space agency said on Tuesday.  The China National Space Administration (CNSA) said the ascender module of the Chang’e-6 probe unfurled the Chinese flag before lifting off.  The craft was the first to ever successfully take off from the moon’s far side.  The mission comes as China advances its space program, aiming to put a person on the moon before the end of this decade.  Why is the mission important? The so-called dark side of the moon, which is invisible from Earth,…

From Austria to Italy, France and the Netherlands, the ascending star of the far right in swaths of Europe has been the standout political story for much of the past 12 months. Tiny, often-overlooked Belgium is no exception, with the once-fringe Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) party set to storm national polls on June 9. Advocating, among other things, for the secession of the northern region Flanders and an “immigration stop,” VB is projected to take the most seats of any party: 26 out of 150, according to calculations by news outlet Politico, up from just three in 2014. Except that’s only half the story,…

Paedophiles found guilty of a sex crime against a child in Louisiana could soon be ordered to undergo surgical castration in addition to prison time.Politicians in the US state gave final approval to a bill on Monday that would allow judges to issue the order to those convicted of certain aggravated sex crimes against a child younger than 13. These crimes include rape, incest and molestation.If the bill becomes law, it can only be applied to men and women whose crime took place on or after 1 August this year.Louisiana judges have had the power to order those convicted of…

US President Joe Biden has said he has “boundless love” for his son Hunter as jury selection in his federal gun case started on Monday.Hunter Biden has been charged in Delaware with three felonies stemming from a 2018 firearm purchase when he was, allegedly, addicted to crack cocaine. He has been accused of lying to a federally licensed gun dealer, making a false claim on the application used to screen firearms applicants when he said he was not a drug user, and illegally having the gun for 11 days. Image: Hunter and Melissa Cohen Biden arrive at court. Pic: Reuters…

It was a moment of horror from Gaza which went viral – a video of an amputation on a dining table. No anaesthetic. No bandages. Just a bucket, some soap and a kitchen knife. It was 19 December 2023, and the war in Gaza was in its third month. Israel’s bombardment of the northern part of the narrow strip of land was at its most intense.Inside the Bseiso family home, an apartment on the ground floor of a six-storey block not far from Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital, 17-year-old Ahed Bseiso was laid across the kitchen table.The table, where Ahed’s mother…

It’s been confirmed that the Japanese state visit to the UK, hosted by the King, will go ahead despite the general election.The important diplomatic invitation to Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako has been given the green light in an “adapted” form, even though it’ll take place just days before the country goes to the polls. They will be guests of the King and Queen from 25 to 27 June, just a week before the vote on 4 July.There were doubts that it would take place after Buckingham Palace announced that some royal engagements would be postponed in this…

After an encouraging few months on and off the field, Germany’s men had rediscovered their form and revitalised their connection with the country. A dominant display against Ukraine might have ended goalless, but it didn’t dent the feeling that both the team and the country are on the verge of a special summer. A recent survey by German public broadcaster WDR has, however, sought to challenge the notion that the country is behind this team. The survey, which both head coach Julian Nagelsmann and star defender Joshua Kimmich labeled racist, revealed that 21% of those asked whether they wanted a…

For the past three weeks or so I’ve travelled the entire length of Mexico, from its border in the south with Guatemala to its northern state of Chihuahua that borders the US.In cities, towns, and villages, ubiquitous billboards for the various political parties and candidates dominated the skyline. Claudia Sheinbaum’s face was as common a signpost as the fast-food restaurants – which is something of a national obsession here. Image: Claudia Sheinbaum’s image was everywhere in the run up to voting day. Pic: AP What was interesting though, was that in some of the poorest areas we visited, on the…

A frustrating stalemate against a resilient but limited Ukraine side in a friendly leaves Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann with some questions to ponder, with just one more match before the opener to their home Euros campaign. Germany started Monday’s game in Nuremberg brightly enough, but were frustrated by a compact Ukrainian side determined to give nothing away. Nagelsmann’s side, without their contingent who played in Saturday’s Champions League final including Toni Kroos, looked a little blunt, hitting the target with just one of their 5 of their 27 shots. “Unfortunately, we didn’t reap the rewards for the many scoring opportunities, but…