DW News

12/12/2024

Much to passengers' expectations, a comparative study released by transport group Transport & Environment (T&E) found that German railway operators Deutsche Bahn and Flixtrain don't make it into the top tier of European railway services.

T&E ranked a total of 27 European railway operators, with Deutsche Bahn (DB) coming in 16th and Flixtrain ranking 20th.

When it comes to delays and cancellations, both companies fared badly. Flixtrain ranked 17th in the reliability category and DB is ranked 23rd.

Silver lining: Even though the study found it was unreliable, Flixtrain came in as Europe's most cost-competitive operator with 9 out of 10 possible points and DB achieved a high score in the booking experience category.

The study found Italian railroad company Trenitalia and the Swiss Federal Railways SBB to be Europe's top rail operators. The Italians scored 7.7 out of 10 in the overall ranking.

T&E is an umbrella group for European non-governmental organizations working in the field of transportation and advocating for environmentally sustainable transportation.

📷: Christian Charisius/dpa

12/12/2024

JUST IN: European interior ministers have voted to allow Bulgaria and Romania into the Schengen area, dropping borders between the two countries and the rest of Europe.

12/12/2024

The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly passed a resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the devastated Gaza Strip.

158 members voted in favor of the resolution, nine voted against, with 13 abstentions.

The text urged "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire," and "the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages" — wording similar to a text vetoed by Washington in the Security Council last month.

The General Assembly also approved another resolution that provides backing for the UN's agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which Israel has been vehemently at odds with since the start of the war.

The ceasefire resolution is considered a symbolic gesture, as it is rejected by both the United States and Israel, and also because the General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding.

The political weight of the resolution, however, comes from its reflection of the global opinion on the war, which Israel launched after Hamas' October 7 terror attacks. Since then, almost 45,000 people in Gaza have been killed as a result of Israel's actions, according to local officials, and the territory has been plunged into a humanitarian disaster.

Read more:https://p.dw.com/p/4o25g

📸:
1: AFP
2. IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

12/12/2024

South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol has defended his decision to declare a short-lived martial law, saying it was a measure to protect the country's democracy.

Yoon's comments came as the leader of his own party said the president had shown no signs of resigning and must be impeached.

12/12/2024

Migrant rescue agencies said they saved an 11-year-old Sierra Leone girl from the Mediterranean after she spent three days fighting for her life at sea when the refugee boat she was traveling in sank.

The girl told rescuers that 45 people had been on the boat when it set off for Europe from Tunisia, all others are feared dead.

11/12/2024

Loneliness has become more widespread in Germany, according to a new survey by one of the country’s leading public health insurers.

About 60% of Germans feel lonely. Among them, young people aged between 18 to 39 are particularly affected: One-in-three say the feeling of loneliness weighs on them heavily.

This could be due to changing life circumstances more likely to occur in younger years including moving to new cities and switching jobs, said Janosch Schobin, a sociologist working for the government-supported research and knowledge project Loneliness Network.

Bad news for singles — they are three times more likely to feel lonely than their partnered counterparts, with men and women feeling the same intensity of loneliness.

Men, however, are found to be less likely to talk about their loneliness than women because they “didn’t want to burden others.”

For lonely people, symptoms of loneliness include stress, exhaustion, tiredness, a low mood, sleep disorders and anxiety occur more frequently.

Photo: Flickr/AdamMirowski

11/12/2024

India's chess grandmaster and prodigy Gukesh Dommaraju is close to becoming the youngest-ever Chess World Champion. Here's how the 18-year-old inspires young people to follow in his footsteps:

11/12/2024

Rights group Amnesty International warns that Iran's so-called 'chastity and hijab law' will allow the death penalty and other draconian punishments against women who violate dress codes.

The law is due to come into effect on December 13.

Amnesty released details on the "Law on Protecting the Family through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab" which criminalizes nudity, indecency, unveiling and improper dressing and includes fines of up to $16,000 and punishments including flogging and prison sentences ranging from five to 15 years for repeat offenders.

Those whose violations are considered by the authorities to amount to "corruption on Earth" could even be sentenced to death under article 286 of Iran’s Islamic penal code.

Amnesty International interpreted this section of the law to specifically target women sending videos of themselves unveiled to media outside Iran or otherwise engaging in peaceful activism.

However, it remains unclear if Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has yet signed off on the law, a step necessary before it can go into effect.

Earlier this month, news agency AFP reported that Pezeshkian told Iranian state television, "As the person responsible for promulgating this law, I have many reservations about it."

📷: Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu/picture alliance

11/12/2024

Albert Einstein loved life — and women. Letters up for auction at Christie's shed light on his lesser-known theory of infidelity.

11/12/2024

Rights groups worry thousands of migrant workers will die building Saudi Arabia's massive infrastructure projects for the 2034 World Cup, as happened in Doha in the lead-up to the football tournament in 2022: "It looks like FIFA took the wrong lesson from the Qatar World Cup."

11/12/2024

Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men's soccer.

FIFA's decision to award the football tournament to Saudi Arabia "puts many lives at risk", Amnesty International and 20 other organizations have said.

11/12/2024

"I have no desire to leave anymore."

Syria’s long-awaited transformation is palpable in the streets of Damascus, as Syrians embrace their newfound freedoms amidst uncertainty.

11/12/2024

Attention coffee lovers: your morning brew could be about to get more expensive.

Coffee prices reached record highs on November 11, with Arabica beans trading for nearly $3.48 per pound (454 grams).

This marks the highest level in nearly 50 years and a jump of over 80% compared to prices at the beginning of 2024.

Brazil, the world’s biggest Arabica producer, is reeling from one of its worst droughts in history this year, causing crops to drop significantly.

Similarly, Vietnam, a key supplier of cheaper Robusta coffee, has experienced weather extremes, including droughts and excessive rains, already causing Robusta bean prices to spike back in September.

As companies are preparing to negotiate their coffee contracts early next year, coffee lovers might soon have to spend more on their daily brew, with food giants like Nestle set to pass on rising prices to customers.

The Swiss food and drink giant announced in November that it would increase prices and reduce the size of its coffee bags to protect margins.

But it's not all bad news for coffee fans: Big roasters like Starbucks that sell mostly to cafes aren't likely to see much change in price. With margins high, global coffee prices still make up less than 2% of the total price for the typical $5 cup of joe in a café.

📷: NomadSoul/IMAGO/Panthermedia

11/12/2024

German authorities approved dozens of climate projects in China that allowed firms to receive carbon credits.

A DW and ZDF investigation has found that these projects are likely fake and part of a large carbon credit scam.

11/12/2024

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will present the formal application for a vote of confidence in his government on Wednesday. This is the first step to snap elections scheduled for February.

11/12/2024

The raid at President Yoon Suk Yeol's office came ahead of a second attempt to impeach him.

Meanwhile, former South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun attempted su***de in custody.

The search of president Yoon Suk Yeol's office came ahead of a second attempt to impeach him. Meanwhile, former South Korean Defence Minister Kim Yong-hyun attempted su***de in custody.

11/12/2024

Taiwan’s military said 53 Chinese aircraft and 19 vessels were detected near the island as Beijing conducts its largest maritime exercises in decades.

11/12/2024

Dating apps are commonplace in the US, but the Amish stay offline. Two DW reporters traveled to Pennsylvania to discover how younger Amish people date.

Dating apps are commonplace in the United States, but the Amish stay offline. Two DW reporters traveled to Pennsylvania to discover how younger Amish people date.