Author: DW

For a healthy young woman in South Africa, the greatest risk of HIV may come from someone she wants to trust, but can’t. She may not know her partner’s HIV status, may not always be able to insist they use a condom, and may have little control over whether he has other partners. There is an option: Daily Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) pills keep antiretroviral drugs in the body at high enough levels to stop HIV before it can establish any infection. But PrEP only works if she keeps taking the medication. Miss too many doses and drug levels can fall too low to…

After six years on ESPN, the Bundesliga has a new home in the United States of America. A combination of USA Network and Fandango has reportedly struck a deal through the 2030-31 season to be the English-language broadcaster of Germany’s top flight in the US. The deal is reportedly worth $20 million (€17.4 million) per year, which is noticeably less than the $34 million per year paid by ESPN. USA and Fandango are part of Versant, a media company that is trying to develop itself as a home for broadcasting rights below the top leagues of the NFL and NBA. Fandango is…

When Josep Masalles was 17 years old, he was captivated by a partial eclipse of the sun over Barcelona, where he lives in northeastern Spain. It sparked a lifelong fascination that has taken him around the world. In the 53 years that have followed, Masalles has witnessed 43 eclipses, including 22 total solar eclipses.  “The beauty of an eclipse is incomparable,” Masalles told DW at the headquarters of the Barcelona Astronomical Society, or ASTER, where he is president. “For me, it has also meant a way to travel, to see other societies and cultures, and to meet other astronomers.” Masalles, along…

The European Central Bank (ECB) said on Thursday it would hold its interest rates steady for the time being, but indicated it was closely monitoring the economic fallout of the Iran war.  The ECB had raised rates last month and hinted at more to come, but a string of relatively calm data in the weeks that followed made a follow-up step seem less urgent.  Still, Thursday’s decision came as oil futures prices once again briefly topped $100 per barrel and as more intense exchanges of fire between the US and Iran have again become a daily occurrence. What did the…

When it kicks off in Morocco on July 26, the Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) promises to provide great goals, games and memories as 16 teams compete for the continental title. While the focus will be on the stars on the pitch, there may also be some attention on the fact that very few of the head coaches are female.  Cameroon’s appointment of Valentine Nguel just weeks before the tournament, brought the number of WAFCON nations with female coaches to four — along with Zambia, Kenya, and South Africa. Still, the vast majority of coaches are men. Other teams have…

Paris’ Louvre Museum reopened its Apollo Gallery to the public on Wednesday, marking the first time visitors were allowed in since Ocotber 2025, when robbers stole €88 million ($102 million) worth of crown jewels in a dramatic daytime heist. The Louvre is world’s most visited museum, with guest numbers of up to 9 million a year. It was originally a royal palace, which was opened to the public during the French Revolution. The museum houses the Mona Lisa, one of the world’s most famous pieces of art. The October 2025 heist shocked the world as the thieves used a crane mounted on…

How bad are Germany’s economic problems? One commonly used indicator is the number of company insolvencies and recent figures have produced worrying headlines. According to a study by the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH), the insolvency rate among partnerships and corporations in Germany was 80% higher in June than in an average June between 2016 and 2019, the period before the COVID-19 pandemic. Sole proprietors, freelancers and very small businesses were not included in these figures because they are considered less relevant to the overall labor market. Partnerships and corporations account for about 90% of jobs affected by insolvencies…

Imagine sitting in a virtual room and coming face to face with yourself — ten years older, slightly grayer, but unmistakably you. Not a fantasy. Not a filter. Just you, aged by a decade, staring back. That’s the core of an experiment developed by Jean-Louis van Gelder, a criminologist and psychologist at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg, Germany. His team has just published findings showing that confronting people with a digitally aged version of themselves —their “future self” — can sharpen long-term thinking and help them act on their own goals.…

Rodri, like anyone who has ever played football, had dreamed of this moment. The Spain captain held the World Cup in his hands, surrounded by jubilant teammates. But, before he could lift the trophy, he had to find a way to politely usher the world’s most powerful man off the stage. He didn’t quite succeed. In the end, it required FIFA President Gianni Infantino to jog in front of the players to try and move Donald Trump on. Still the US president lingered next to Barcelona midfielder Pedri, bathing in the adulation he had been denied when walking on to boos with…

German singer-songwriter Danger Dan and pianist Igor Levit were invited to perform a song titled “Keine Angst” (No Fear) for the 100th episode of a political satire TV show called “Die Anstalt” (The Institution). But shortly before the recording of the program, public broadcaster ZDF withdrew the invitation. The sudden cancellation is sparking discussions on freedom of artistic expression and the limits of political speech in Germany. It is also drawing attention to the new song, which reached the top of the country’s YouTube music charts shortly after the musicians decried the cancellation on June 17. The broadcaster argued that parts of…