India farmers threaten Delhi blockade in protest of Modi's agriculture reforms

Tens of thousands of farmers have said they will besiege Delhi if PM Modi's government doesn't meet their demands to repeal the recent farm market reforms. They say they're ready for a long, but peaceful, demonstration. Thousands of farmers were met by police and tear gas as they descended upon India's ... Read full article »

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Coronavirus-hit Saxon woodcarvers struggle to rescue Christmas season

Christmas is the most important season for the makers of wooden toys and decorations in Germany's Erzgebirge mountains in Saxony. This year, though, the pandemic has brought tough challenges, as Hardy Graupner reports. The Erzgebirge region in Saxony near the Czech border has been a center of woodcarving ... Read full article »

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Taking a trial shot of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine

Vladimir Putin has ordered the launch of widespread COVID-19 vaccinations. DW correspondent Sergey Satanovskiy participated in a voluntary testing program for Sputnik V. In September, there were advertisements all over the internet calling for volunteers to test Sputnik V, Russia's attempt at a ... Read full article »

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CANZUK — Britain's answer to the EU?

The idea of a trade bloc between Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand gained traction after the 2016 Brexit vote. Small when compared to UK-EU trade, proponents say it could help counter a rising, aggressive China. CANZUK — a theoretical new trade alliance between the United Kingdom, Canada, ... Read full article »

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UN: COVID-19 to worsen poverty in 47 poorest nations

The pandemic could push as many as 32 million people in the world's least developed countries into extreme poverty, a new UN report has said. Without international action, global development goals will be missed. The world's least developed countries (LDCs) will experience their worst economic performance ... Read full article »

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Dirty diapers power light bulbs in Japan

There is a growing market for diapers for old people, but soiled nappies create a lot of environmental waste. Now, companies in Japan are inventing new ways of cleaning up the mess and producing energy. From used diapers to clean fuel for electricity in 24 hours — that was Yukihiro Kimura's ... Read full article »

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Cuba's digital startups sidestep US remittances blockade

Money transfers from exiled Cubans living in the United States are crucially important for their families back home. But a recent US ban on remittances is forcing Cubans to go digital to keep dollars rolling in. When international money transfer service Western Union closed its last office in Cuba at ... Read full article »

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Coding boot camp for aspiring software developers starts in the West Bank

A German IT company has started an academy to train Palestinians in software development. Despite the pandemic's challenges, it managed to run its first boot camp in Ramallah in the West Bank. Small teams are stretched out over the entire space to maintain a safe distance from each other. Face masks ... Read full article »

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Polish-built electric buses take over the European market

Surprisingly perhaps, Poland is one of the largest electric bus producing countries in Europe, and getting bigger. Germany's MAN Truck & Bus recently launched production in Poland, following Spain's CAF in 2018. A laggard for some in meeting its EU environmental obligations, Poland is not dragging ... Read full article »

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OECD: Global GDP to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2021

The world economy will make a spectacular comeback aided by vaccine rollouts and government support, the OECD says. But by then, the pandemic will have dealt some painful, enduring blows in many countries. The global output will return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2021 after witnessing a sharp ... Read full article »

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