Author: DW

The multi-billion dollar bidding war to acquire Warner Bros. may soon be over. How are the negotiations connected to Harry Potter, Trump, TikTok — and the future of cinema?

Data for the first three quarters of 2025 have shown that smaller German firms have borne the brunt of almost three years of economic downturn in Europe’s biggest economy over the past three years. On December 12, the chief analyst at the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), Volker Treier, told news agency Reuters that the “wave of insolvencies continues.” He added that small and medium-sized enterprises in particular were “running into difficulties.” In a recent survey, DIHK found that nearly one in three companies with fewer than 20 employees expects its business situation to worsen. Such firms account for…

We’ve heard it all before: Women do more in the home. They spend more time cooking, cleaning, planning, and caring for children. Science shows that this is not just about women being too sensitive or tired. In fact, more than 20 years of research shows that women’s disproportionate share of domestic and mental labor has measurable consequences for their health and wellbeing. Marriage (for the purposes of this article: between a woman and a man) is often framed as a source of stability and health. Yet studies increasingly show that its benefits are conditional — shaped by the quality of the…

A Cessna C550 plane owned by the GB Aviation company and affiliated with US racing driver Greg Biffle crashed and exploded in North Carolina on Thursday while attempting to land.  The Statesville Regional Airport said the crash occurred at 10:15 a.m. local time (1515 UTC/GMT), and that officials from the Federal Aviation Administration were headed to the site.  “I can confirm there were fatalities,” Iredell County Sheriff Darren Campbell said. Flight tracking data appeared to indicate that the aircraft had just taken off, and tried to turn around and land again soon after. Investigators have said it is too early to determine what…

He was rarely silent. For over five decades, he transformed German cinema, directed more than 150 short and feature films, and influenced the LGBTQ+ movement. His work was often uncomfortable, colorful, angry, sometimes offensive, but always thought-provoking. Rosa von Praunheim, who has died on December 17 in Berlin at the age of 83, leaves his mark as a pioneering figure of queer cinema. Born as Holger Radtke, von Praunheim emerged as one of the most outspoken activists in the gay movement in Germany during the early stages of his career. He fought for visibility and demanded change, sometimes using forceful…

The European Union’s planned Mercosur trade agreement with four Latin American countries appeared at risk of yet another delay, or possibly even collapse, on Wednesday, a day before leaders were set to discuss it at an end-of-year summit in Brussels. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz appealed for leaders to get the deal over the line, but French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni both expressed hesitancy in speeches to their national parliaments.  As one of the groups most opposed to the planned deal, French farmers staged protests across the country, including outside the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Meanwhile, across the…

The British government on Wednesday said it was giving Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich a “final chance” to donate 2.5 billion pounds (roughly $3.4 billion or €2.85 billion) to Ukraine from the 2022 sale of Chelsea Football Club, or face legal action.  The funds have been frozen since Abramovich hastily sold the club in the aftermath of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.  Two successive British governments and Abramovich have been locked in a dispute over how to use the football funds for years. The UK is calling for them to be donated to humanitarian causes inside Ukraine, while Abramovich argues it should go to “all…

On December 16, the Beethovenhalle Bonn reopened after nearly 10 years of renovation. The concert hall welcomed audiences back with a “Beethoven Night” concert lasting nearly four hours. In front of approximately 1,600 guests, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered the opening address. He thus followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, Theodor Heuss, who inaugurated the “bold and modern building” (as the then Federal President described it in his speech) in September 1959. At the opening of the renovated venue, Steinmeier noted that the Beethovenhalle is not only dedicated to Bonn’s most famous son and his music. “It is also, and you can surely…

Donald Trump’s announcement of a “total and complete blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers travelling to and from Venezuela has raised questions about the economic consequences for the regime of leftist president Nicolas Maduro. Trump has made oil a central target in his ongoing campaign against Maduro, which was sparked by the US president’s claims that Maduro was to blame for the illegal flow of both migrants and drugs to the US from Venezuela.Maduro’s powerful international backers, including Russia, China and Iran, have repeatedly offered lifelines against international pressureImage: Pedro Rances Mattey/Anadolu/picture alliance The fragile Venezuelan economy is exceptionally dependent on…

FIFA introduced a new category of ticket prices called “Supporter Entry Tier” tickets on Tuesday, following uproar from national supporters’ associations about the cost of World Cup entry for traveling fans.  World football’s governing body said the discounted $60 (roughly €51) tickets would be available for all 104 matches of the tournament, including the final. This is significant as original plans for final tickets foresaw no prices below $4,000 for supporters buying via their national football associations.  The competition in the US, Mexico and Canada between June 11 and July 19 next year looks sure to be the most expensive…