Author: DW

Cocaine use is at a record high: Experts at the United Nations estimate that about 22 million people took the drug in 2021. That’s more than the population of the US state of New York. In Europe, cocaine is the second most common street drug after cannabis. The substance, which is extracted from coca leaves, is typically snorted as a powder. It is highly addictive and can cause organ damage. Cocaine pushes the body to its limits, resulting in a physical effect similar to running a marathon. Withdrawal can cause intense physical and mental stress. Researchers in Brazil hope to support people…

A 33-year-old man is accused of a crime. He is arrested, tortured and dies on a cross. His fellow human beings, including his mother, are forced to watch his torture, unable to do anything. The darkest chapter in the history of Christianity is described personally and vividly by a witness, the evangelist John, a close friend of the victim. This is how one could summarize the theme of the St. John Passion. Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, which alongside Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, is considered by many to be one of the greatest works of European music. “The timeless themes that…

Do Germany have any more friendlies ahead of the Euros? Indeed, they do. Their opponents for their final two friendlies are Ukraine and Greece. Germany host Ukraine, who will also be at the tournament having qualified through the playoffs, in Nuremberg on June 3. Four days later, they face Greece in Mönchengladbach. The choice of opponents was deliberate, as Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann explained on the German FA’s website (DFB.de).  “We have to prepare for different styles of play and systems with a view to the European Championship and our group opponents. Ukraine and Greece are two combative, passionate teams — we’ve…

The two men speak in short sentences, often looking down and falling silent when talking of their time in Russian captivity and the strange circumstances of their release. “When I got back, I was given sedatives,” says one. “I only recently started sleeping normally again,” says the other. The two men speak to DW in a small, simply furnished office in the western Ukrainian city of Uzhhorod on the Slovak border. Andriy and Ivan are two of the 11 allegedly ethnic Hungarian Ukrainian soldiers transferred from Russia to Hungary in June 2023. This is the first time any of the…

For nearly 40 years, the same family has led Cambodia without much threat to its rule. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet was sworn in last year, taking over from his father Hun Sen, who was in power from 1985 to 2023. Hun Sen won another five-year term as prime minister in elections last July, but he quickly handed over the premiership to his son.  However, 71-year-old Hun Sen remains a political force as the president of Cambodia’s Senate. Supporters of Hun Sen’s long time in power contend he led Cambodia into modern times after the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge from…

Travelling England and Scotland football fans have been warned of the strength of German beer ahead of Euro 2024.Official guidance from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has urged people to “drink responsibly” during their time on the continent for this summer’s tournament. It warned that drunk and rowdy football fans could face being barred from stadiums, as England’s hopes of winning the competition are almost as high as they’ve ever been.The FCDO advised: “Beer can be stronger than in the UK, so drink responsibly, know your limits and respect local laws. You may not be let into the…

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine over two years ago, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed for military aid from the USA and Ukraine’s allies in the EU. At the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit in Tirana, Albania, in late February he went one step further and suggested co-producing arms with the countries of the Western Balkans. “I propose a joint forum for the defense industry between Ukraine, the Balkans and our partners,” he said. This begs the question as to whether the Western Balkan region is technically capable of fulfilling Zelenskyy’s wish. And if it is, will Serbia, which is known…

France’s state-owned energy company EDF announced on Wednesday evening that the nuclear supervisory authority had approved final preparatory steps for putting a new reactor into operation. The plant is now meant to be loaded with nuclear fuel in the coming weeks.  The reactor, in Flamanville on the English Channel, is scheduled to be connected to the grid in mid-2024 — 12 years later than initially planned — and will be the first to be commissioned by France in more than two decades. Massively over-budget Construction of the Flamanville reactor started in 2007. The facility was originally planned to cost €3.3 billion ($3.6…

A picnic area at a tourist attraction in Arizona has been closed to visitors because of the presence of a pungent plant called stinknet – which smells as lovely as it sounds.Officials at Casa Grande Ruins National Monument announced on Wednesday the area will be shut until 30 April due to the density of the invasive and noxious winter weed. Stinknet has pretty yellow blossoms on narrow green stems and can grow more than 0.6m (2ft) tall – but has a potent smell similar to nail polish remover or burnt rubber.It can cause serious breathing problems as well as severe…

It starts in a child’s first months of life, and it’s well-documented: A landmark study in 2005, for instance, showed that babies perceived differences in race and exhibited preferences for their own race as early as at three months of age. In a 2017 study, children associated adults of their own race with happy music, and adults of a different one with sad music — when the kids were aged just six to nine months old. While children showed a “weak racial bias” at seven years old, by the age of 10, their bias had become “strong and reliable” in a 2014 study. White…