Author: DW

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…

In an era of existential economic gloom across the European Union, one of the larger EU member states has been consistently posting positive numbers: Poland. A growth rate of almost 3% in gross domestic product for 2024 put Poland ahead of the overall EU rate of 1%, topping even those of the bloc’s two largest economies, France and Germany. France recorded a rate of 1.2%; Germany suffered a -0.2% contraction. The signs for 2025 are also positive. Poland recorded growth of 0.8% in the second quarter, the fifth-best rate in the European Union. Growth of about 3.3% is forecast this year, with a 3% rate expected…

Julia, an activist who asked that her real name not be used, was incarcerated for several years as political prisoner in Russia. Because she had no family, she received nothing from the outside world at all for the first few months. “Think of all the things you need each day to brush your teeth, get dressed, eat,” Julia said. “In prison, life goes on, but you don’t get any money.” “In the beginning, I even had to cut my fingernails with a piece of old razor blade,” Julia said. “After a while, people outside somehow became aware of my situation and I…

A powerful magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck northern Afghanistan early on Monday near the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province. Health authorities said at least 20 were killed in the quake, with 320 more injured. Dozens of injuries were reported in the provinces of Balkh and SamanganImage: Atif Aryan/AFP/Getty Images Casualty figures are expected to climb on Monday as rescue efforts continue. The Afghan Red Crescent said that rescue and medical teams had arrived in the affected areas. What else do we know about the earthquake? The earthquake struck at just before 1 a.m. local time Monday (8:30 p.m. GMT) at a…

Gen Z remixes him. Millennials grew up with him. Boomers watched him rise. For millions of people within and outside India, Shah Rukh Khan (aka SRK) remains one of the most recognizable and resonant icons of the Hindi film industry. This year alone, the actor, who turns 60 on November 2, notched several viral moments: In May he became the first Indian male actor to walk the Met Gala red carpet , in June he did a cameo in Ed Sheeran’s “Sapphire” video, and in October he went viral for a selfie taken in Riyadh with South Korean “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-jae — an image…

What would happen if Russia sent hundreds of drones at once into NATO airspace? This nightly reality in Russia’s war in Ukraine is a scenario the EU and NATO is scrambling to prepare for after last month’s airspace incursions by Russia and alleged espionage across Europe. Tomas Jermalavicius, a researcher at the International Center for Defense and Security in Tallinn, Estonia, says NATO radars often don’t see incoming drones because “they fly too low.” “And we are also quite short on means to shoot them down that have a proportionate cost-benefit balance,” he told DW. Jermalavicius noted that the shooting down of Russian…

Julia, an activist who asked that her real name not be used, was incarcerated for several years as political prisoner in Russia. Because she had no family, she received nothing from the outside world at all for the first few months. “Think of all the things you need each day to brush your teeth, get dressed, eat,” Julia said. “In prison, life goes on, but you don’t get any money.” “In the beginning, I even had to cut my fingernails with a piece of old razor blade,”Julia said. “After a while, people outside somehow became aware of my situation and I started…

Nigeria has vowed to continue defending citizens of all religions after the administration of US President Donald Trump listed it as a “country of concern” over what Trump claimed was an “existential threat” to Christianity. The West African state’s population of over 220 million is almost equally divided between Muslims and Christians. Islamist militant groups, such as Boko Haram, have been conducting attacks in the country for some 15 years, but most of their victims are Muslims living in the north, where the majority of the attacks occur. Nigeria also witnesses other incidents of violence rooted in communal and ethnic…

The year is 1838. A young German real estate agent, Thomas Hutter, is tasked with traveling to far-off Transylvania to meet the mysterious Count Orlok regarding a house for sale. While journeying through the Carpathian Mountains, he is warned multiple times about Orlok, but he remains undeterred. Upon reaching the castle, the count — pale, cold and sinister — personally receives him. Hutter realizes too late that something is amiss in the castle: Orlok is a vampire. Thus begins “Nosferatu — A Symphony of Horror,” the 1922 silent film classic by Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau, regarded today as a cinematic masterpiece. Murnau…

Germany consumes vast amounts of energy to sustain its manufacturing might and energy-intensive sectors like the automotive and chemical industry.  The country, Europe’s largest economy, still relies heavily on fossil fuels for its energy needs, even though the share of renewable sources like wind and solar has risen steadily over the past two decades.Under a nuclear phaseout plan, Germany’s reactors were decommissioned, and are now gradually destroyedImage: Dwi Anoraganingrum/IMAGO The German government has been implementing an ambitious energy transition plan to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045. It completely phased out nuclear power in 2023, and plans to wean itself…