New technologies drive military spending: SIPRI

The number of people impacted by gun violence in the United States has surged dramatically recently. DW’s Ines Pohl reports from Washington DC, which has seen its highest number of shootings in 16 years.

Ethiopian authorities have closed all secondary schools so pupils can harvest crops for those on the frontline of the civil war, state-affiliated media says. ... More than 2 million pupils were already out of school due to the war which started in the northern region of Tigray last year, the government says.

Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, with an enormous variety of wild birds and reptiles. Amidst the COVID-19 lockdown the residents of Bogotá are now discovering that the city has a greater diversity of inhabitants than they had imagined.

On 19th December, Chile heads to the polls to choose a new president. The run-up to the elections have been deeply polarising, and the country's feminists fear that the unexpected frontrunner - far-right lawyer José Antonio Kast - could set women rights back by decades.

The European Union wants member states to halt air travel with South Africa and several surrounding countries over a new coronavirus variant. Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic were all quick to react.

The response to the tragic drownings on the English Channel has spiraled into a political spat between France and the UK, delaying proactive solutions to prevent future tragedies.