Author: DW

Several years ago in Belozem, a wisp of a village in south-central Bulgaria, two unlikely young energy pioneers set out on a mission: Even though it was not yet feasible according to Bulgarian law, they wanted to launch a clean energy collective like the ones they’d heard about elsewhere in the European Union. There are several thousand of these grassroots community energy projects dotted around the EU, mostly in northern Europe. In these DIY endeavors, not only do townspeople invest together in renewables, they also democratize the clean energy transition by actively participating in it. At first, Belozem’s interest in…

There was only one passenger strapped in the back of the bush plane. She said little during the flight and wore a look that revealed nothing about her ordeal. The pilot said he could only remember one thing about the 20-year-old, called Victoria Mishoni.Hidden beneath her shawl was a tightly wrapped bundle. She held on to it tightly – yet tenderly – and he noticed that it never left her arms.The bundle contained Victoria’s newborn baby, named Rose Jackson. But the child, who was born with a condition called gastroschisis, was dead.Ms Mishoni, from Manyara in central Tanzania, said she could…

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 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 wanted to use new technology to land this and future spacecraft at precise locations.  Is Japan’s moon mission successful?  So far, yes, the SLIM mission has been a success. Japan became the fifth nation ever to have landed a spacecraft on the lunar surface on…

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Wednesday said his government was ready to ease restrictions on access to emergency contraception measure the “morning-after” pill. Cabinet approved a draft law that seeks to undo the prescription-only policy introduced by the former Law and Justice (PiS) party government. Draft legislation to head to parliament “The topics at today’s meeting included the finalization of works regarding the so-called day-after pill. The matter has been finalized, the draft will be sent to parliament,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, told a press briefing. Tusk said the prescription-free emergency contraception would be available for women over…

Troubled property developer China Evergrande said Monday it would continue to operate despite a court in Hong Kong  ordering the firm to be liquidated as part of legal action by some of its foreign creditors. The legal proceedings were brought by Samoa-registered Top Shine, an investor in one of Evergrande’s subsidiaries, among others. High Court judge Linda Chan cited the “obvious lack of progress” in the company presenting a “viable restructuring proposal,” adding that the winding up order was “appropriate.” A crackdown three years ago by China on two decades of real estate speculation caused a deepening property crisis and left Evergrande owing $300…

Japan’s SLIM spacecraft has regained power more than a week after it ran out of electricity after landing on the moon.The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it re-established communication with its lander late on Sunday, nine days after Japan became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down on the moon within 55m (180ft) of its target on 20 January, but a likely failure with one of the probe’s two main thrusters meant it landed on its head rather than its feet. Image: The SLIM ran out of…

Employees at Ukraine’s well-known investigative outlet Bihus.Info have been covertly wiretapped and filmed. A video leaked online, purportedly showing team members consuming illegal substances at a New Year’s party, has caused a scandal. The video was released on January 16 on a little-known YouTube channel called Narodna Pravda (Ukrainian for “national truth”). It ostensibly also contained snippets of private conversations between Bihus.Info employees as they discussed buying drugs. The video has since been removed. A group of journalists founded the investigative outlet in 2013 under the aegis of editor-in-chief Denys Bihus. One of its reports uncovered the financing schemes of Ukrainian…

Yemen’s Houthis launched a drone attack on a British warship which was “successfully repelled”, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has said.The ministry said HMS Diamond used its Sea Viper missile system to shoot down a drone “illegally targeting” it, with no injuries or damage reported. Follow Middle East latest: Anti-Netanyahu protesters clash with Tel Aviv police”These intolerable and illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and it is our duty to protect the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea,” the MoD said.”We want to thank the brave crew of HMS Diamond for their service to defend British and international interests.”…

Skip next section Turkey finalizes Sweden NATO accession ratification01/25/2024January 25, 2024Turkey finalizes Sweden NATO accession ratificationTurkey’s government took the final step in ratifying Sweden’s bid to join NATO late on Thursday, publishing the bill that approves its accession to the military alliance in its official gazette.  Sweden, like Finland, applied to join NATO in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, having remained neutral throughout the Cold War.  Turkey had held up the Swedish bid for months, claiming that the country harbors individuals — very often Kurds — who it considers terrorists. All NATO members must approve any prospective member joining the…

China’s real estate giant Evergrande was ordered on Monday to liquidate, after it failed to present creditors a viable restructuring plan for its debts. Judge Linda Chan at a Hong Kong court said it was appropriate for the court to order the company to wind up its business given a “lack of progress on the part of the company putting forward a viable restructuring proposal” as well as Evergrande’s insolvency. Fergus Saurin, a lawyer representing an ad hoc group of creditors, said he was not surprised by the ruling. “The company has failed to engage with us. There has been a history of…