Author: DW

What you need to know: Synthetic stimulants like cathinones continue to rise in Europe Researchers lack knowledge about the long-term health risks of synthetic drug use Cocaine remains Europe’s illicit drug of choice, and it’s moving from big cities to small towns Fentanyl and nitazene use are increasing, driven by a ban on opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan   The European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) monitored 1,000 new psychoactive substances at the end of 2024 and found that local drug users were increasingly consuming new forms of synthetic drugs.  This has been the dominant trend in Europe over the past 5-10 years. …

The evening started with a weather warning: a stubborn storm was approaching, delaying the start to the game and perhaps also delaying the goals. This was supposed to be Joshua Kimmich’s night. Not only did the Germany captain make his 100th appearance with the national team. He also assisted the first goal of the match and did so at his home stadium, Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.Germany captain Joshua Kimmich made his 100th appearence with the teamImage: Wunderl/Beautiful Sports/IMAGO But opponents Portugal had other plans and ended up stealing the show with a 2-1 away win to reach the Nations League final,…

The German chancellor will be meeting President Trump in Washington with Ukraine and tariffs on the agenda. Meanwhile, a massive evacuation effort took place in Cologne as three WWII bombs are defused. DW has more.

Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelaaty has told his Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis that the sovereignty of Saint Catherine’s Monastery is assured. Gerapetritis travelled to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Saint Catherine’s after an Egyptian court ruling sparked alarm among Orthodox Christian leaders over the fate of the historic monastery. Greek Orthodox patriarchates in Jerusalem, Istanbul and Athens feared that the land the monastery sits on could be confiscated by the state after the court last week rejected the monastery’s ownership claims to it. The court ruled that the monastery sits on public land but affirmed the monks’ right to use…

It’s like navigating a labyrinth — a journey hundreds of young entrepreneurs across Europe embark on each year in search of opportunity, innovation, funding, and success. They’re also looking for the country and city that offers the ideal conditions to launch a business. For an increasing number, that journey leads to Isar Valley, named after the river that runs through Munich, and which provided the informal nickname for the Bavarian capital’s technology and artificial intelligence (AI) scene, inspired by the Silicon Valley technology hub in California.Munich’s Technical University and its entrepreneurship center are essential for startup foundersImage: UnternehmerTUM Munich ranks 17th globally…

One of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Thomas Mann’s literary genius reflected a life spent wandering between diverse worlds, especially after escaping Germany in the early 1930s. Mann rose to global fame when in 1929 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature — primarily for for his great social novel, “Buddenbrooks” (1901), but also for his fiction masterpiece, “The Magic Mountain” (1924). But during and after the Nazi dictatorship from which he escaped, Mann wrote political essays and delivered radio speeches to his countrypeople about the German “catastrophe” that led to the Holocaust. These strident views were often…

Italy’s Mount Etna lays claim to several titles. It is: The world’s most active “stratovolcano”     Europe’s largest and most active volcano One of the best-monitored volcanoes in the world One of the world’s longest documented volcanoes A UNESCO World Heritage Site Where is Mount Etna? Mount Etna rises 3,357 meters (11,014 feet) above Catania, a city on the east coast of Sicily, Italy. It covers an area of 1,250 square kilometers (482 square miles). What type of volcano is Mount Etna? Mount Etna is what geologists and volcanologists call a stratovolcano or composite volcano. Stratovolcanoes typically have steep inclines and…

If Jonathan Tah suddenly decided to retire, he could already look back on an accomplished career. Seen as one of the best defenders in Europe, Tah played a key role in Bayern Leverkusen’s unprecedented double of winning the Bundesliga and the German Cup in 2024. “As of now, I’ve done everything I can to be the best version of myself,” Jonathan Tah told DW at the German national team’s training camp in Herzogenaurach. “But of course, I can and want to always get more out of myself.” Tah again performed at his consistently high level this past season, winning 65%…

Pornhub, Redtube and Youporn were scheduled to be suspended in France on Wednesday, according to parent company Aylo. Instead of porn, the company will only display a statement on France’s new regulations that require porn sites to verify that their users are 18 or older, a Pornhub spokesperson said on Tuesday. Alyo’s sites, like other porn sites available in France, has until June 7, 2025, to implement a rigorous new age verification standard. It’s part of a French government push to shield minors from inappropriate content. France’s Deputy Minister for Digital Technology Clara Chappaz defended the government’s move late on Tuesday. “We’re…

Billionaire Elon Musk has delivered a scathing opinion of US President Donald Trump’s key tax and spending bill, describing it as “a disgusting abomination.” Tuesday’s remarks by Musk, considered a major Trump ally, come shortly after he withdrew from Washington at the end of his work for the administration, where he led the Department of Government Efficiency, better known as DOGE. The bill, which Trump has named the “Big Beautiful Bill,” has so far passed the House of Representatives but is being held up in the Senate by several Republicans who want more cuts to spending. What did Musk and others say? “This massive, outrageous, pork-filled…