Author: DW

The 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, which takes place from May 13-24, was shaping up to be the hottest one in years, with the creme de la creme of Hollywood and international movie-making set to descend on the French Riviera for two weeks of cinema celebration. Leave it to Donald Trump to spoil the party. The US president’s announcement on May 4 that he planned to “make Hollywood great again” by imposing 100% tariffs on “foreign-made films” and punishing US studios that go abroad to shoot their movies has pulled Cannes-bound filmmakers and cinema fans into a global trade war. Exactly what the president wants to…

We owe our sweet tooths to the Arab world of the 7th and 8th centuries. It was in the newly founded Baghdad where people started our ongoing love of sweet treats, gorging themselves on sugar-based sherbets, honeyed porridge, fried syrupy pastries, and candies.  The word itself — “sugar” — comes from the Arabic “Sukkar”, which Europeans imported westwards, along with a sugary appetite, following the Crusades of the 11th century. Back then sweets were infrequently enjoyed as treats: they were little pick-me-ups or remedies for a sleepy afternoon. Now, sugar is everywhere — over 60% of food and drink products…

Several European foreign ministers and other officials were in attendanceImage: Christophe Petit Tesson/AFP/Getty ImagesThe United Kingdom is set to host European ministers on Monday for talks on the war in Ukraine. London’s Foreign Office said that the “critical talks” would focus on “repelling Russian aggression and bolstering European security and securing a just and lasting peace for Ukraine.” The talks come two days after European leaders threatened Russian President Vladimir Putin with sanctions if he did not agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine. Representatives from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the EU will join British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in London. This…

After four days of intense hostilities and concerns that India and Pakistan would engage in an all-out war, the US played a decisive active role in mediating a ceasefire between the two countries over the disputed Kashmir region. But foreign policy experts and diplomats from both countries believe that though the de-escalation might mark the end of the two countries’ worst military confrontation in 25 years, the foreign-brokered ceasefire will not lead easily to an enduring peace. US mediation provided a useful off-ramp for both nations, according to diplomatic analysts from both countries. “The US has played a helpful role in getting…

Pope Leo XIV has appealed for “no more war” in his first Sunday message to crowds in St Peter’s Square since his election as pontiff.The new pope called for an “authentic and lasting peace” in Ukraine and a ceasefire in Gaza and release of all Israeli hostages. Recalling the end of the Second World War, Leo quoted his predecessor Pope Francis as he denounced the number of ongoing conflicts as “a third world in pieces”. Image: Pope Leo delivers his first Sunday message. Pic: AP Image: Pontiff appears at the central balcony of St Peter’s Basilica. Pic: AP It is…

Measles is well-suited for eradication. The virus only spreads among humans and does not survive long in the environment. There’s a vaccine and it is cheap and effective. And if enough people (95% of a population) get immunized, the deadly disease could be gone forever. By the year 2000, 82 countries had eliminated measles within their borders, including the US. But measles is making a comeback — outbreaks are happening in every region of the world. Yemen saw over 10,000 cases in April 2025. And India had over 7,000 cases — measles is the number one cause of death from disease…

What has happened between India and Pakistan? India and Pakistan are engaged in conflict in Kashmir, a disputed territory between the two countries. Parts of Kashmir are controlled by India, Pakistan and China. India has carried out airstrikes, which it says targeted militant groups in the region in recent days, with Pakistan describing them as an “act of war” and vowing to retaliate. Both sides have since been launching attacks on each other. The current flashpoint started in April when 26 tourists in India-administered Kashmir were killed. But the region has been disputed for centuries, eventually leading to the current uneasy three-way administration.How India-Pakistan tit-for-tat military…

The conclave elected Cardinal Robert Prevost as the 267th pope surprisingly quickly on Thursday. Prevost, a native of the United States and a Peruvian citizen after having spent many years in the South American country, is a multilingual man of the world. But what will the new pope focus on as head of the Catholic Church? He offered some clues in his first short address as Pope Leo XIV on Friday. For the first time, a pope spoke to the crowd not only in Italian, but in another modern language: a few sentences in Spanish for his “dear diocese of Chiclayo, in Peru.”…

Bangladesh’s interim government banned all activities of the former ruling Awami League on Saturday. The party is headed by Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s long-serving former prime minister who was ousted in a mass uprising in 2024. The ban is to stay in place until a special tribunal completes a trial of the party and its leaders over the deaths of hundreds of people during anti-government protests last year. “It has been decided to ban the activities, including in cyberspace, of the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act until the trial of the Awami League and its leaders ends,” the country’s law…

US President Donald Trump’s scrapping of a duty-free loophole has shattered Temu and Shein’s business model, choking their flood of cheap Chinese goods into the United States. In 2024, 1.36 billion shipments entered the US under the so-called de minimis rule, exempting goods valued under $800 (€704) from import tariffs. That figure marks a nine-fold increase from 153 million in 2015. Goods bought from Temu and Shein, who handled 30% of daily US low-value packages last year between them, will now be subject to a 30% tariff or flat fees of up to $50, plus the 145% tariff on imports from China levied by Trump last month. With…