Author: DW

Radiologist Michael Rado remembers well the no-frills prayer hall on the ground floor of Ottostrasse 85 in Cologne. There were fewer than 15 rows of seats for those praying, and a curtain separated the men’s and women’s areas. Rado had his bar mitzvah there as a 13-year-old, an important religious ritual for a Jewish boy, comparable to confirmation among Christians. Today, Rado is 75 and co-chairman of Cologne’s Jewish Synagogue Community, the oldest Jewish community in Germany.After World War II; a revival of Jewish community life in Cologne: A group of Jewish children pose with their rabbi for a photoImage: Privat…

At the end of March, Brazil and Tottenham striker Richarlison told “ESPN Brazil” that therapy saved his life and his football career. “We know how prejudiced people are when they say they’re looking for [psychological] help,” the 26-year-old said. “I talk about it because it saved my life. I was at rock bottom. Only players know how much pressure we’re under, not only on the pitch but also off it.” Richarlison’s comments were just the latest example of an athlete speaking publicly about their mental health, something that has increased in the last five years. In Brazil though, such comments are not…

New York City was rocked by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake on Friday, the US Geological Survey said. The incident shook buildings and surprised residents in a region that rarely feels strong seismic activity. There were no initial reports of damage. “While we do not have any reports of major impacts at this time, we’re still assessing the impact,” a spokesperson for New York Mayor Eric Adams said. The earthquake’s epicenter was near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, the USGS said. It was also felt in northern Pennsylvania and western Connecticut. New Yorkers react to vibrating city The rare occurrence prompted a variety…

The price of gold broke the $2,300 (€2,212) level for the first time this week as geopolitical issues, expectations of US interest rate cuts and China’s accumulation of the precious metal spurred interest from speculators. Gold is seen by investors as a safe haven in times of turmoil and a hedge against currency devaluation, so the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine have helped the recent price rise, along with the post-COVID inflation spike. The move by China’s central bank, the People’s Bank of China (PBC), has been mirrored by other mostly emerging market central banks, who are all keen to up their gold…

The European Union and United States pledged ongoing support for Armenia on Friday as the country shifts away from its traditional ally Russia. At a meeting with Armenia’s leadership in Brussels, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen announced a €270 million ($290 million) package of financial grants to boost “resilience and growth” in Armenia over the next four years. “Europe and Armenia share a long and common history and the time has come to write now a new chapter,” von der Leyen said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also announced that Washington would bolster its economic support for Armenia…

A key witness who has given crucial evidence in the Madeleine McCann investigation is dying from cancer, a court has been told.It could set back investigators who have struggled for several years to find enough evidence to charge the main suspect, German drifter Christian B. He is currently on trial for unrelated sex crimes – three rapes and two sex assaults – which he denies.A former friend Helge Busching triggered police focus on Christian B seven years ago when he told Scotland Yard his pal had “confessed” to Madeleine’s abduction by revealing “she didn’t cry when I took her”. Image:…

Around midday on April 8, 2024, the sky over parts of North America will suddenly go dark for a few minutes. The reason is a total solar eclipse that will begin over the continent from near Mazaltan, Mexico to beyond Montreal, Canada, passing through nearly a dozen states in the US. The path along which the total solar eclipse can be seen is approximately 115 miles wide, according to NASA. For the millions of people in the path of the eclipse, sunshine will be blocked momentarily, causing a momentary dark dusk-like state during the prime of the day. Residents will…

This is the type of message one might come across on Ukrainian Telegram channels:  “The Armed Forces of Ukraine are recruiting homeless people.” “Ukrainians are going to surrender Kharkiv.” “Ukrainian border guards were allowed to open fire on those trying to flee Ukraine.” These messages, monitored by the Ukrainian Center for Countering Disinformation, are distributed by allegedly pro-Russian Telegram channels, apparently to sow panic and disinformation about Ukraine’s military affairs and political establishment. The speed and anonymity of Telegram have heightened the debate over whether to block the platform in Ukraine. This issue has reached political circles, with discussions now…

US Treasury chief Janet Yellen on Friday warned that China’s huge subsidies for its industry could pose a risk to the global economy, and called for a “level playing field” above all for American firms. Yellen was speaking to a gathering of the American business community in the city of Guangzhou, where she will hold several days of talks with Chinese officials during what is her second visit to China in less than a year. What did Yellen say? In her speech at the American Chamber of Commerce, on Friday, Yellen accused China of disadvantaging foreign firms in favor of its…

The European Union’s law enforcement agency Europol on Friday published an analysis of 821 criminal groups that it says pose a major threat to the bloc’s internal security. The Hague-based agency — which wants the study to be a springboard for more finely tuned investigations — found that crime networks vary significantly in structure, activity, territorial control, and longevity. What the analysis found Some 25,000 individuals were found to be involved in the identified networks, which were selected for the threat they were thought to pose. In terms of membership counts for each group, these were thought to most often…