Author: DW

1. From provincial festival to international metal mecca The Wacken Open Air festival, also known as W:O:A, began in 1990 as a small festival with just 800 rock fans and a few local metal bands. The initial venue was a former gravel pit on the outskirts of the village of Wacken northwest of the Germany city of Hamburg. Today, the four-day event is one of the biggest and best-known metal festivals in the world, attended by around 185,000 fans from over 80 countries. The festival usually sells out within hours, although tickets are getting more expensive — €333 ($386) this…

Striker Florian Wirtz has been voted Germany’s men’s Footballer of the Year for 2024-25 following another standout season at Bayer Leverkusen. Meanwhile, international teammates Giulia Gwinn and Ann-Katrin Berger will share the women’s award and both received 145 votes from the members of the Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS). The yearly poll, which is organized by German sports magazine Kicker, also saw Freiburg coach Julian Schuster voted Coach of the Year after he led his club to the Europa League in his first year in charge. Wirtz streets ahead of closest challengers for award Wirtz, who moved to Liverpool during the…

“They tell us Russia has done a lot for us. But all I notice is that I don’t have enough money to live like I did before. Before, I didn’t just have a good life, I had a wonderful life. Now I’m struggling to get by.” Oksana* is from the settlement of Novoaidar, some 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of the regional capital, Luhansk, which has been occupied since 2014. Soon after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in the spring of 2022, the Russian army also captured Novoaidar, as well as the cities of Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsk and Rubizhne, and took control of…

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany’s stance on the conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza remains unchanged despite his government’s order to suspend arms to Israel which could be used in Gaza. “We will continue to help this country to defend itself,” Merz told German public broadcaster ARD on Sunday, adding that despite this stance, the German government could not supply weapons to a conflict where hundreds to thousands of civilians could be killed. The move to partially halt German arms exports to Israel comes after Israel’s Security Cabinet announced Israel would take over Gaza City. That plan has…

From snowcapped mountains to a land scarred by conflict and calls for “azaadi” (freedom), Bollywood movies have shaped how the world sees Kashmir. A powerful dialogue from Vishal Bhardwaj’s acclaimed 2014 film “Haider” transcends the screen, capturing the human stories of Kashmir — a Himalayan territory where breathtaking beauty and rich culture belie a decades-long conflict between India and Pakistan. “Are we here or not? If we are, where and if not, where have we gone? If we exist, for whom and when? Sir… were we ever there, or never at all?” the character Haider asks. The dialogue also raises the question…

As of August 8, 197 people, including 96 children, have died of famine in Gaza as a result of Israel’s blockade and military offensive, according to Gaza health authorities. UN-backed health monitors have said some 100,000 Palestinian women and children are facing severe malnutrition, and a third of the population of 2.1 million hasn’t eaten in days.  Gaza isn’t the only place where conflicts are driving catastrophic hunger. In Sudan, international agencies claim 3.2 million children under the age of 5 will suffer from acute malnutrition in the next year. People under siege in El Fasher, in North Dafur, have been starving for the…

Two years after ending their relationship with Qatar Airways amid fan protests, Bayern Munich has signed a new partnership with Emirates, the airline owned and operated by the United Arab Emirates. The agreement, announced on Wednesday, is similar to the one the football club has with Visit Rwanda, the tourist board of the African country, and will encompass pitchside advertising as well as what Bayern calls “joint activations on both companies’ social and digital channels.” Unlike in their deal with Rwanda, the German champions make no mention of any football academy in the UAE. Emirates, which reportedly missed out on Bayern’s shirt sponsorship, is…

More than 260 firefighters battled a wildfire near Greece’s capital Athens on Saturday, as wind conditions raised alarms about the fire’s potential to escalate. The blaze, which has already left one person dead, broke out on Friday in Keratea, a rural area some 43 kilometers (27 miles) southeast of Athens. Two others died after being caught in the gale-force winds. What do we know about the fires near Athens? The wildfire, stoked by winds of up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) per hour, destroyed several homes and farmlands in Keratea, setting olive orchards alight. Footage published by local media showed gutted houses. Local officials ordered the evacuation of several…

US fashion designer Willy Chavarria has expressed regret on Saturday, after his latest design in collaboration with Adidas Originals caused wide controversy in Mexico. Authorities in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca have complained that new sandals which bear the name of the state “reinterpreted” a model uniquely found in the area, known as the huarache sandals. Mexico’s government on Friday announced it was seeking compensation from Adidas, while local authorities angrily accused the design, and its designer and producer by extension, of cultural appropriation. What did Chavarria, Adidas say about the Oaxaca Slip-Ons? Chavarria, whose father is a Mexican-American, addressed…

When Thomas Müller announced recently in an Instagram post that his next career move would be “across the big pond,” it was quickly reported that the bright lights of Los Angeles would be his destination. However, the soon to be 36-year-old, who has made a career of surprising opponents on the pitch, caught nobody off guard by announcing on Wednesday that he was indeed moving to the Pacific west coast — but north of the 49th parallel to Vancouver. The move had been Major League Soccer’s worst-kept secret for days. ‘A statement signing’ “Thomas is a world-class player — the ultimate “Raumdeuter” (“space interpreter”] — known…