Author: DW

Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann announced his 26-man squad for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada on Thursday. With most of the surprises reported by local news in the days before the official announcement, the edge was taken off the squad reveal. Nevertheless, the headline news is the shock return of veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who retired from international football after Euro 2024. The 40-year-old has enjoyed a strong season at Bayern Munich, particularly in the Champions League, but has also battled injuries. He recently signed a new one-year contract despite rumors of impending retirement. Nagelsmann made it clear…

Turning 80 is probably not something Cher places much importance on — after all, conventions and expectations have never mattered much to her. Her fearlessness has made her one of the greatest icons in pop music history. Alongside her unique contralto voice, instantly recognizable to generations of listeners, it is above all her versatility and willingness to try new things that have led artists like Lady Gaga and Beyoncé to cite her as an inspiration. The comeback queen In the past six decades, Cher has had several number-one hits across various US Billboard charts. Only the Rolling Stones have managed to…

US President Donald Trump will hold a swearing‑in ceremony on Friday for the new Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh — an unusual step, since Fed chairs are not normally sworn in at the White House, and presidents usually don’t attend, given that the Fed is meant to be politically independent.  But some, particularly Democrats, question how independent Warsh will be as head of the world’s most powerful central bank. Among them is Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who described Warsh as Trump’s “sock puppet” during his Senate confirmation hearing in April. Stressing that independence requires courage, Warren asked Warsh: “Let’s check…

Hearing aids amplify everything — “indiscriminately” — wrote a group of scientists working on a system that may make brain-controlled hearing aids possible. “Current hearing aids are good at amplifying sounds and voices, but they struggle with the classic ‘cocktail party problem’ — deciding which voice matters to the listener,” said Vishal Choudhari*, lead author on their study published in Nature Neuroscience. It can take a lot of effort to focus your attention on one voice in a crowded room. “Hearing is not only about whether words are understood correctly,” Choudhari told DW. “Two people may both understand [what they’re saying], but one…

What are the Enhanced Games? It’s an event where athletes are permitted to take pharmaceuticals ordinarily banned in sports. Substances must only be approved by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a much lower bar than traditional sporting anti-doping organizations would employ.  Launched in 2023, organizers promised thousands of athletes competing in five sports. After aborted attempts to start it earlier, and some “exhibition events” featuring what the Enhanced Games call a swimming world record, the first Enhanced Games take place on May 24 in Las Vegas. In the end, it will feature 50 athletes across three sports — swimming,…

“It’s not just the end of our show, it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away,” Stephen Colbert told viewers last July, as he announced that the long-running program would be canceled at the end of his contract. The final episode of the network’s late-night talk show airs on May 21. According to CBS, the cancellation was “purely a financial decision.” Even though Colbert recognizes that the economic collapse of traditional broadcast TV models may have contributed to the decision, “there are many people who believe there was another reason,” the talk show host…

Shared any birthday photos on social media recently? There had better be enough candles on that cake, otherwise your account could be blocked.   Meta, the tech company behind Facebook and Instagram, plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) to find and remove the profiles of users under the age of 13 years. Thirteen is the minimum age for a person to create an account on the social media platforms.  “We want young people to have safe, positive experiences online,” started a press release from Meta in early May when it announced the move.  As part of that effort, the company said, it was always looking for ways…

When putting into context the significance of Freiburg reaching their first ever European final, the words of Bayern Munich head coach Vincent Kompany feel the most pertinent. “I think it [Freiburg’s success] embodies everything that is positive about football,” Kompany said recently. “It’s a small club that’s building itself up with its own resources. What Freiburg are doing is a great example for many other clubs.” Much has been written about the small club from Baden-Württemberg in recent years. A local club in its origin, Freiburg have evolved from a team yoyoing between the divisions to an established Bundesliga side. Despite…

A painting by the American Abstract Expressionist painter Jackson Pollock sold for an eye-watering $181.2 million (€156.2 million) with fees, at Christie’s auction house in New York on Monday, alongside other staggering sales on what was a blockbuster day for the institution. The roughly three-by-one meter (35 × 131.5 inches / 88.9 x 334 centimeters) oil and enamel work on canvas, entitled “Number 7A, 1948,” was painted at Pollock’s Long Island, New York, studio when the artist was 36 years old and is considered ait was a key early example of his floor‑based drip technique. Christie’s described the postwar work,…

Russia may celebrate its “no-limits” partnership with China — a phrase coined when President Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met just before the Ukraine war — yet those relations are increasingly one-sided. Although bilateral trade softened last year as a result of lower oil prices, Russia’s goods exports to China have nearly doubled since February 2022, when Moscow’s full-scale invasion began.  In 2024, Russia shipped roughly $129 billion (€111 billion) worth of goods to China — the overwhelming majority in crude oil, coal and natural gas sold at steep discounts. The Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air calculated that China has bought more than…