DW reporter Miltiades Schmidt says his family belongs to Germany’s middle class. But with prices rising fast, he wonders how much longer they’ll be able to make ends meet. A look at how one family is dealing with the energy crisis.

In Germany, high inflation and rising energy costs are making it hard for many people to get by. Some are being forced to pawn their possessions. More and more people from all walks of life are leaving items at pawnshops in exchange for loans.

Heat pumps are in big demand as an alternative to oil and gas. But they’re big energy consumers themselves – especially when not properly configured. And there’s a shortage of professional installers.

France’s favorite condiment is disappearing from supermarket shelves. Drought has crippled harvests of mustard seeds in one of the major export nations: Canada. A report from France’s Burgundy region, where mustard is part of the local culture.

Autonomous trains are set to make rail travel more punctual and more efficient – while boasting energy savings of 30%. Operators also expect less wear and tear on the machinery. We look at a pilot project in Hamburg.

Cities like Bangkok and Berlin could face flooding due to climate change. Bangkok faces rising sea levels and extreme weather. In Berlin, increasingly heavy rainfall is challenging drainage systems. The 'sponge city' idea could be the way forward.

Computers are a heat source whose potential has yet to be tapped. The more data they process, the hotter they run. A home desktop PC may only produce enough thermal energy to warm up a small office, but there are data centers that have lots of potential.

The Greek government is speeding up its energy transition by promoting wind energy in particular. But resistance to wide-ranging wind farm construction is growing on Evia, a large island near Athens.

The production of avatars for the metaverse relies on the provision of full-body scans. That's complicated. Entrepreneur Naureen Mehmood from Pakistan has developed a platform which simplifies the process.

Digital systems are increasingly voice-operated. Two-thirds of people in Africa are at a digital disadvantage due to not speaking a global language. The big tech companies focus on clients in Europe and the US – but why not Africa?