Author: DW

She is an enduring global symbol of beauty, power and mystery who has fascinated Hitler, Beyonce and Arab Spring activists alike: Queen Nefertiti, whose name translates to “the beautiful one has come,” is one of the most iconic figures of the ancient world. The Great Royal Wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten — who radically transformed Egyptian religion by promoting the worship of the single sun god, Aten — ruled more than 3,300 years ago. But Nefertiti’s current fame is largely due to the discovery of a painted stucco-coated limestone bust in 1912 by a German archaeological team led by Ludwig Borchardt. The bust was then brought to Berlin. Today,…

On Sunday, India’s women won the cricket World Cup for the first time in what is likely to be a game-changing victory for women, cricket and other sports in the country. There were 45,000 excited fans in Mumbai to see India defeat South Africa at the end of a five-week tournament that featured eight teams. There were also congratulations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other public figures. It was an unforgettable experience for those who watched in the stadium or elsewhere. “What happened was unbelievable, just a miracle,” Mumbai fan Tanvi Agrawal told DW. “I watched with my friends…

Flights were suspended Tuesday evening at Brussels and Liege airports in Belgium after drone sightings prompted security concerns. This is only the latest of several such sightings across Europe in recent months. A drone was first seen near the Brussels airport a little before 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) which led to a precautionary pause in flights. Many incoming planes were diverted and others were prevented from taking off. The main airport in Brussels reopened after two hours, only to be closed again after more drones were spotted. It is still unclear when flights will resume. “There are no flights departing or arriving due to suspected drones,”…

At least seven people were killed and 11 injured after a UPS cargo plane crashed on Tuesday in Louisville, Kentucky, erupting into a massive fireball shortly after takeoff, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear said. “The news out of Louisville is tough tonight as the death toll has now reached at least 7, with that number expected to rise,” Beshear posted on X. “First responders are onsite and working hard to extinguish the fire and continue the investigation.” “Air monitoring assets have been deployed, and we are working to keep the public informed and keep folks in the area safe. We will share more information…

With the death of Dick Cheney, the United States bids farewell to a vice-president — he served under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009 — who defied the usual Hollywood stereotype of the post. Vice-presidents, when they appear on film and TV, are usually cast as the bit-players, as politically inert or, at most, as comic relief. Cheney was something else. Widely seen as the real power and driving force of the Bush presidency, and as the architect of the US invasion of Iraq, Cheney came to symbolize American policy and power in the post-9/11 era. Not in a…

China’s drive to reduce reliance on the US dollar crystallized during the 2008–2009 global financial crisis. Alarmed by the US Federal Reserve’s aggressive money printing, which threatened the value of Beijing’s $1.9 trillion (€1.65 trillion) in foreign assets, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) launched a pilot scheme in July 2009 to settle cross-border trade in the yuan, or renminbi, for the first time. The pilot kickstarted a 16-year campaign that now sees the yuan used to settle 30% of China’s $6.2 trillion global trade in goods, the Chinese central bank’s deputy governor, Zhu Hexin, told an economic summit in June. If you count all cross-border…

Brazilian volleyball player Nayara Ferreira has said the decision by the Albanian Volleyball Federation (FSHV) to test her gender and suspend her from playing has left her bereft. “I feel destroyed, like I’m losing my mind, because I think a lot about why this happened to me, why they did this to me,” said Ferreira, who plays in the women’s top division in Albania. “Every day in my room I ask myself this question and up to now, I don’t know. I don’t understand why I’m in this situation,” Ferreira told DW. “They asked me for a gender test.  I have played in…

Peru announced on Monday that it had cut off diplomatic ties with Mexico over the asylum claim of former Peruvian Prime Minister Betssy Chávez, who is facing charges in her homeland over the alleged 2022 coup attempt by then President Pedro Castillo. “Today we learned with surprise and deep regret that former Prime Minister Betssy Chavez, the alleged co-author of the coup d’etat attempted by former President Pedro Castillo (2021-2022), is being granted asylum at the residence of the Mexican Embassy in Peru,” Peruvian Foreign Minister Hugo de Zela said at a news conference. ‘Unfriendly act’ De Zela described Mexico’s decision as an “unfriendly act,”…

A worker who was pulled from the rubble of a medieval tower that partly collapsed in Rome has died, Italian media reported citing hospital sources. The man, a Romanian national, had remained conscious during the lengthy rescue operation before being hospitalized, according to authorities. “Resuscitation attempts were made for about an hour to save Octay Stroici,” Italian news agency ANSA said, citing the Umberto I hospital. “Despite this, spontaneous cardiac activity could not be restored” and his “death was pronounced at 12:20 am (2320 GMT).” Part of a medieval tower in central Rome collapsed on Monday. The incident at the historic Torre…

To this day, Johann Strauss II is known the world over as the “King of Waltz.” Even back in the 19th century, his dance music in three-quarter time made crowds go wild and won the hearts of women around the globe. Johann Strauss was a pop star of his time, drawing large audiences of young people and filling up ballrooms. The violinist and composer performed for the Tsar’s family in Russiaand even toured the US. With his violin in his hand, he electrified listeners and even had his own merchandizing, including special accessories and memorabilia. He composed his famous waltz, “The…