Author: DW

If humans were alive 100 million years ago, we would have been constantly hiding from giant animals. Dinosaurs, such as the Pterosaur, with its 11-meter (36-foot) wingspan, swooped across the skies, while the 15-meter-long Spinosaurus would have chased us down in the plains. Compare this to today’s largest reptile, their ancestor, the saltwater crocodile, which comes in at a measly 6 meters long. New research suggests that changes in animal size depend on two key ecological factors: Competition for resources between species and the risk of extinction due to the environment.  “Just like how we try to adapt to hot or cold weather…

Churches, museums, monuments, mosaics: Russia’s war of aggression is also targeting Ukrainian cultural assets. Well over 800 cultural sites have already been damaged or destroyed since the start of the offensive in February 2022, including 120 of national importance, the Ministry of Culture in Kyiv has just announced. UNESCO, the cultural organization of the United Nations, classifies numerous World Heritage Sites in Ukraine as endangered, including St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and the old town of Lviv. “The destruction continues to increase,” says Christian Bracht, Director of the Documentation Center for Art History (DDK) — Bildarchiv Foto Marburg, “because there…

Palestine men’s national football team coach Makram Daboub admitted it had been difficult to control his players’ emotions for their opening game at the Asian Cup, a match that coincided with the 100th day of the Israel-Hamas war. “In the previous game the focus at the start was not what we intended,” Daboub said on Wednesday ahead of the country’s second group-stage game vs. the United Arab Emirates. “No coach would want the scenario we had against Iran, but the game against UAE is different because we have the same chances and it is important for us to get the three points.” In purely…

There are one million registered firearms in the Czech Republic. This means that this small Central European country with a population of 10 million has one of the highest rates of private gun ownership in post-communist Europe. Only Croatia, where one of the deadliest of the Yugoslav wars took place in the 1990s, has a higher number of privately owned guns per capita. Over 300,000 people in the Czech Republic hold a gun license. Very few of them are hunters. Most hold a firearm for their own personal protection. The number of civilians who own guns is almost six times…

The buzz around artificial intelligence is palpable on the promenade in Davos. Much of the real estate here has been plastered with posters extolling the virtues of AI. There is even an entire pavilion dedicated to the technology. It’s aptly called the AI House and is among the most sought-after addresses at this year’s World Economic Forum as business leaders debate the risks and opportunities presented by AI and figure out how to adopt the technology effectively. A sense of optimism prevails about the possibilities the AI promises to usher in in fields such as health care and education. However, the enthusiasm…

Pakistan said Thursday it had conducted overnight strikes on insurgent groups in Iran. It comes two days after Tehran attacked, “terrorist targets” inside the South Asian country. “This morning Pakistan undertook a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Siestan-o-Baluchistan province of Iran,” a Foreign Ministry statement said, adding that a “number of terrorists were killed.” The statement added, “Pakistan fully respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.” “The sole objective of today’s act was in pursuit of Pakistan’s own security and national interest, which is paramount and cannot…

The new Argentinian President Javier Milei has told Sky News he has begun discussions with the UK about the Falkland Islands, and that he expects future negotiations over the sovereignty of the British territory.The comments, made on the fringes of the World Economic Forum meetings in Davos, followed Mr Milei’s first bilateral meeting with the UK – a private session with Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron. Mr Milei, the radical libertarian who recently won the Argentinian election, pledged during his campaign that he would gain sovereignty over the islands. Image: David Cameron in Davos Speaking shortly after his meeting with Lord…

A mere four months after Japan’s first attempt to land on the moon ended in failure, the country quickly set its hopes on a second attempt. It launched IN SLIM — the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon — in September 2023. The spacecraft is better known as Moon Sniper because it was designed as a “pinpoint” lander. Controllers on Earth want to use the technology to land this and future spacecraft at precise locations. And that at midnight on January 20 — Tokyo time — late afternoon central European time. If they are successful, Japan will become the fifth nation…

With the 125th anniversary of Al Capone’s birth upon us on January 17, the legacy of the notorious American gangster remains a subject that intrigues both Hollywood producers and novelists to this day.  Capone, who gained notoriety in the “Roaring Twenties” as the co-founder and boss of the Italian-American organized crime syndicate known as the Chicago Outfit, has been described by some as Prohibition’s Robin Hood, as he donated some of the money from his illegal activities to charities. He also stood apart from other gangsters by being very present in the public eye, chatting with reporters and throwing big parties all while participating…

Alexander Zverev, Germany’s No. 1 tennis player, will go on trial for physical abuse in May, the Berlin criminal court has confirmed to DW. Zverev, the Olympic champion in Tokyo in 2021, is accused of “physically abusing a woman and damaging her health during an argument.” The woman, named by Zverev’s lawyers, is his ex-girlfriend. The 26-year-old Zverev “rejects” the allegations. In a statement to DW, Lisa Jani, a spokesperson for the court, wrote: “The main hearing in the case will begin in May 2024. We will announce the details in due course.” In October 2023, Zverev was given a…