Author: DW

Official data released on Wednesday showed that China’s population was on the decline for a second consecutive year. China’s economy rose slightly in the fourth quarter of 2023, allowing the government to hit its growth target after it missed the mark last year. However, China’s growth was one of its slowest in over 30 years. China’s population figures Falling birth rates and a wave of deaths due to the coronavirus pandemic has quickened a downtourn in population that is projected to have long-term effects on the economy’s growth potential. “By the end of 2023, the national population was 1,409.67 million……

The world’s five wealthiest men have more than doubled their wealth since 2020, while five billion people have been made poorer, according to a new report by British charity Oxfam. The report, published Monday, comes as the global elite get together at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The anti-poverty group found that a billionaire is now either running or is the main shareholder of 7 out of 10 of the world’s biggest companies.. The combined wealth of the top five richest people in the world – Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison, and Mark Zuckerberg – has increased…

For years, Miliana Lasku Canaj from Prizren in southern Kosovo has dreamed of visiting her son Patrik. He emigrated to Germany 15 years ago and now lives in Munich with his wife and children. Canaj, 62, has never been to Munich. She missed the birth of her grandchildren and most of her son’s and grandchildren’s birthdays. She just didn’t have the energy for the complex procedure involved in getting a visa. Until December 31, all Kosovars needed a visa to enter the European Union. Kosovo was the last Western Balkan state — and the only remaining country in Europe apart…

Gamers could be at risk of irreversible hearing loss and tinnitus, according to new research. A review of worldwide studies involving more than 50,000 people concluded that sound levels are often close to or exceed safe limits. The risk is exacerbated by people typically gaming for long periods of time while impulse noises – such as gunfire – can also be very loud, experts said.The study, published in medical journal BMJ Public Health, was conducted by a team including experts from the World Health Organisation and the University of South Carolina.They warned “gamers who are listening at high-intensity sound levels…

When researchers created Dolly the Sheep by cloning, it was the first time they had had such success with a technology known as somatic cell cloning — or somatic cell nuclear transfer. That was in 1996, and in the nearly three decades since then, researchers have successfully tried and tested the same technology on a further 20 mammalian species.  Cloned mammalian animals often suffer from damage to their muscles and/or other organs, and that dramatically reduces their life expectancy. Cows have so far had the best chances of staying alive. Primates have had the lowest likelihood of birth and survival. In early…

Two shows about bickering families dominated the 75th Emmy Awards, as media dynasty drama “Succession” and restaurant dramedy “The Bear” bagged six trophies each on Monday. HBO’s “Succession” won the coveted best drama prize for a third time for its fourth and final season. While the show’s stars — Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen — won acting awards for their roles as part of the rich and powerful but dysfunctional Roy family. The series also won in the categories of best writing and direction. “It was a great sadness to end the show, but it was a great…

German second division club Hertha Berlin announced the shock death of president Kay Bernstein on Tuesday. “Hertha BSC are mourning the death of Kay Bernstein. The club received the terrible news on Tuesday that president Kay Bernstein has passed away unexpectedly aged 43. The whole club, its governing bodies and staff members are shocked and deeply saddened by the news,” Hertha wrote on social media platform X (formelry Twitter). Bernstein was a well-known figure in German football after rising to his position having once been a prominent member of an ultra (hardcore fan) group. Since taking the presidential position in…

In an event covered by Russian media at the end of 2023, President Vladimir Putin was presented with production figures from the domestic arms industry. Sergei Chemezov, the chief executive officer of state-owned Rostec, announced that the company was now producing 50 times more ammunition for small arms in addition to the multiple-rocket launchers that have become notorious on the front lines in Ukraine, which itself has an acute shortage of such artillery munitions. Chemezov’s report stated that Russia now produces seven times more tanks than before the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The presentation was intended to demonstrate…

Last November, the European Central Bank (ECB) issued a stark warning about the state of the commercial property sector within the bloc as part of its wider six-month review on overall financial stability. It said European property companies are recording huge losses and their debts are at a higher level than before the 2007-2008 financial crisis. These growing problems within the sector have “the potential to amplify an adverse scenario,” it warned. The dire soundings underlined how serious things have gotten within the commercial property sector over the past year. “If you ever wanted to cause trouble for the financial…

China summoned the Philippine ambassador on Tuesday after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. congratulated Lai Ching-te on winning the Taiwanese elections. Lai, of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), comfortably won Taiwan’s presidential election over the weekend. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory and did not favor Lai as a candidate. Marcos congratulated him, saying in a statement shared on social media that he was looking “forward to close collaboration” and “strengthening mutual interests.” It irritated Beijing, which considers Taiwan as part of China and has vowed to take back control of the self-governing island, with force if necessary. What did China say about the…