Author: DW

Throughout his life, the internationally famous East German-born artist defied convention: Georg Baselitz, renowned for his expressive, figurative paintings and sculptures, has died on April 30 at the age of 88. When a young and up-and-coming artist is kicked out of an art academy, that could either mean an early end to their career or the beginning of a life on the world stage. The latter happened to Georg Baselitz. In 1956, Hans-Georg Bruno Kern moved from his hometown, Deutschbaselitz in the state of Saxony, to East Berlin to study art. But his career as an art student was short-lived as the 18-year-old refused to…

Four years ago, the United States tightened the screws on China’s technological ambitions, rolling out export curbs on advanced chips, commonly known as semiconductors, used in artificial intelligence (AI), data centers and national defense. The Biden administration aimed to limit Beijing’s ability to develop technologies that could boost its military and financial strength, further narrowing the gap between the world’s two largest economies. The restrictions pushed Beijing to accelerate its push for chip self‑reliance, a goal laid out years earlier in its Made in China 2025 plan. The Chinese government has since poured hundreds of billions of dollars into building up domestic semiconductor production. Chips as a national security issue Beijing…

A North Korean women’s soccer club will visit South Korea for a face-off between the rival neighbors, making it the first sports team since 2018 to play on the South’s soil, the Unification Ministry in Seoul said on Monday. North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC is set to play against the South Korean Suwon FC ​Women ‌on May 20 in the semi-finals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Champions ⁠League. What do we know about the rare game? Pyongyang has sent ​a list of a delegation of 27 players ⁠and ​12 staff ​who would visit ​South Korea ‌for the semi-final ​of ⁠Asia’s…

International superstar and Latin icon Shakira performed in front of 2 million fans at a free concert on Copacabana Beach on Saturday, city officials said, marking one of the largest shows of her career. “Brazil, I love you! It’s magical to think that here we are, millions of souls together, ready to sing, dance, be moved and remind the world what really matters,” Shakira told the crowd in Portuguese. The 49-year-old Colombian singer said she had always dreamed of singing on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro. “And now look at this. Life is magical.” The performance was part of…

Apple announced on Monday that after more than a decade as chief executive, Tim Cook will step down in September. Cook will hand leadership to company veteran John Ternus, currently Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, marking Apple’s first CEO transition since the death of founder Steve Jobs. “Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor,” Ternus said. “It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with…

Alessandro “Alex” Zanardi, a decorated Italian race driver and later para-cyclist, has died suddenly at the age of 59, his family said in a statement on Saturday.  “Alex fell asleep peacefully, surrounded by the affection of his loved ones,” the statement said. The family didn’t go into details on the cause of death, but the double amputee suffered severe cranial injuries in a road accident when riding his handbike in Siena in northern Italy in 2020.  Zanardi won six Paralympic medals and continued to race cars even after losing his legs Image: Mauro Ujetto/NurPhoto/picture alliance Who was Alex Zanardi?  Zanardi was…

Actors created with artificial intelligence will not be eligible for an Oscar, said the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday introducing new rules for the awards. The governing body of the Oscar Awards clarified that acting performances and screenplays must be created by humans, while allowing the use of artificial intelligence tools. The new rules primarily concern: AI-created actors Screenplays written using AI International films category Multiple nominations for actors in the same category Actors created using AI Under the updated guidelines, only roles “demonstrably performed by humans with their consent” will be eligible for acting awards,…

“We’ve been preparing for exactly this moment,” German-Venezuelan businessman Thilo Schmitz tells DW. “I’m certain that we’ll do very good business over the next five years,” the 59-year-old Caracas-born entreprenur predicts. By “this moment” he means the Venezuela’s reopening after years of decline. Venezuela has been changing rapidly since United States special forces abductedVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3. Although interim President Delcy Rodriguez, Maduro’s former deputy, continues to handle official business, Schmitz is convinced the US is pulling the strings. “On an economic level, the Americans are calling all the shots,” Schmitz said.Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodriguez recently met US Interior…

Strolling out to Notorious B.I.G.’s Hypnotize for his matches, Hossein Vafaei looks right at home on snooker’s biggest stage.  It’s been a long time coming.  For years, diplomatic red tape stalled his career, but he’s now making up for lost time at the age of 31.  At the 2026 World Snooker Championship in Sheffield, England, he became the first Iranian to reach the quarterfinals of the sport’s top tournament, stunning world No.1 Judd Trump along the way before bowing out on Wednesday.  “I wasn’t nervous, I enjoyed every moment. I was born for these kinds of situations,” he said.  “I’m looking forward…

Germany’s flagship carrier Lufthansa said on Friday it had found an Oscar statuette belonging to Pavel Talankin, the Russian director who won best documentary this year for “Mr. Nobody Against Putin,” which had been lost while he flew with the airline from New York to Frankfurt on Thursday. Lufthansa offered its “regret” over the incident, saying it had embarked on an internal search “with the utmost care and urgency” to recover the Oscar. Hours later, the airline issued a new statement saying that “we can confirm that the Oscar statuette is now in our care in Frankfurt” and it was going to…