Author: DW

“This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase the beauty and the greatness of America. And we can’t wait to welcome soccer fans from all over the globe.” This statement by US President Donald Trump stands prominently on the US governement’s official visa information page for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But the message of welcome contrasts sharply with the broader policy landscape in Trump’s second term. Immigration restrictions, intensified enforcement, and deportation raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have become defining elements of his administration. “This is a difficult time in this country because a lot of things that are happening are extremely…

The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) is calling for Katie Uhlaender, the skeleton athlete at the center of an Olympic qualifying controversy, to be given a discretionary place at February’s Winter Games at Milan-Cortina, to “preserve” her Olympic dream. Uhlaender, a two-time world champion, says she was unfairly denied the chance to reach her sixth Winter Games during a qualifying event in Lake Placid, New York, earlier this month. She accused Canada’s skeleton coach, Joe Cecchini, of deliberately pulling his female racers out of the event, in a move aimed at depriving her and other athletes of vital Olympic…

Inside a hall stretching more than 100 meters (about 330 feet), countless robots hum as lights blink and warning signals chirp. Currently, only about a dozen people are working on the floor, with the remaining work being handled by high-performance machines. Journalists are rarely allowed inside this high-tech factory from China, and when they are, the rules are strict: no photos, smartphone cameras are taped over, and even short audio recordings require approval from a press spokesperson. The plant shrouded in secrecy is not located somewhere in China, but in Arnstadt, a small town in the eastern German state of…

Meet Veronika. The 13-year-old Swiss Brown cow lives in the village of Nötsch at the foot of the Carinthian Mountains in southern Austria. She’s kept as a pet by a local farmer, and can roam her meadow to her heart’s delight. Like many other pets, she likes to have her back scratched. If no friendly humans are around to do the job, that’s not a problem ― Veronika uses a brush or stick to do it herself. She picks up objects like sticks, rakes or brushes with her mouth and then uses them to reach and scratch various body areas. That makes Veronika the first cow to…

The deal the Washington Spirit announced on Thursday ended weeks of uncertainty over the footballing future of Trinity Rodman, whose previous contract with the club had expired on December 31. “I knew this was where I wanted to enter the next chapter of my career,” the 23-year-old said in a statement. “I’m proud of what we’ve built since my rookie season, and I’m excited about where this club is headed.  “We’re chasing championships and raising the standard, and I can’t wait to keep doing that with my teammates and the best fans in the NWSL [National Women’s Soccer League].” In…

Neil Diamond celebrates his 85th birthday — and while the musician himself has long retired from the stage, his music is more present than ever. Few songwriters have created so many distinctive melodies over the decades; tunes with a firm place in the collective memory: “Sweet Caroline,” “Cracklin’ Rosie,” “I’m a Believer,” “I Am… I Said,” “Song Sung Blue” can be heard at weddings and in stadiums, on radio stations and road trips, at family celebrations and in movies. Memorable hits for The Monkees, Cliff Richard and Elvis  Neil Leslie Diamond was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1941, the son of Jewish immigrants.…

US President Donald Trump argues that the US economy is disadvantaged in global markets and wants to reduce the trade deficit through tariffs. Taken together, the 27 member states of the European Union form the United States’ largest trading partner. Below are the key questions and answers on trade disputes and mutual dependence. How large is trade between the EU and the US? Together, the EU and the US account for more than 40% of global economic output and nearly one-third of world trade. In 2024, they exchanged goods worth more than $975 billion (€867 billion). Including services, total transatlantic trade reached…

Some 182,000 Kurds living in Iraqi Kurdistan were killed in 1988 by chemical weapons launched by Saddam Hussein’s regime in a series of attacks known as the Anfal campaign. That campaign included chemical attacks on Halabja, a village on the Iraq-Iran border, and other communities. Five thousand people are estimated to have died in Halabja. They were the victims of sarin and VX nerve agents, and mustard gas. The scars of that atrocity, now known as the Halabja Massacre, are still felt today — by about 6,000 people who survived and other Kurds living in the region.  Clinical psychologist Ibrahim Mohammed studied the…

“This will be a once in a lifetime opportunity to showcase the beauty and the greatness of America. And we can’t wait to welcome soccer fans from all over the globe.” This statement by US President Donald Trump stands prominently on the US governement’s official visa‑information page for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But the message of welcome contrasts sharply with the broader policy landscape in Trump’s second term. Immigration restrictions, intensified enforcement, and deportation raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have become defining elements of his administration. “This is a difficult time in this country because a lot of things that are happening…

The horror film “Sinners” by Ryan Coogler broke Oscar history by earning a total 16 Oscar nominations on Thursday for the 98th Academy Awards, which will be presented on March 15. The previous record of 14 had been held by “All About Eve,” “Titantic” and “La La Land.” The nominations were additionally notable as horror films tend to be excluded from Oscar honors. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the film features actor Michael B. Jordan in a dual role of twin brothers who face supernatural forces in the southern US of the Jim Crow era.  “Sinners” is considered a frontrunner in the best picture category.…