Author: DW

An opening weekend full of surprises silenced even notorious critics at the Bayreuth Festival. Firstly, there was the eagerly awaited premiere of “Tristan and Isolde” — an age-old story of star-crossed lovers — directed by Icelandic director Thorleifur Örn Arnarsson. There was resounding applause for the singers, above all for Camilla Nylund as Isolde and tenor Andreas Schager as Tristan, as well as for Christa Mayer as Brangäne, Isolde’s chambermaid. Russian conductor Semyon Bychkov was also applauded for not neglecting Richard Wagner’s subtler tones and for giving the singers the space they needed. Director Arnarsson and dramatic adviser Andri Hardmeier, on the…

Football’s world governing body FIFA, which operates both the women’s and men’s Olympic tournaments, announced the sanctions in a statement released on Saturday evening Paris time. FIFA said that in addition to deducting the six points from the defending gold medalists from the Tokyo Olympic Games, it was fining Canada Soccer 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000, €246,000). It also banned Canadian head coach Bev Priestman and assistant coach Jasmine Mander, as well as analyst Joseph Lombardi, from all football-related activities for a period of one year. Barring the Canadian women’s team staff members will have no practical impact on the tournament, as all…

They go to a foreign city as au pairs or trust traffickers on a journey to a supposed better future: the victims often only realize over time or during the journey that they have fallen into the clutches of human traffickers. Migration routes across Africa are full of danger. In addition to the perils of the journeys themselves, there is also a serious risk for people ending up trafficked and exploited. Lately, much of the spotlight in the migration debate has been on West Africa: more and more people from Nigeria, Mali, Niger or Senegal decide to undertake these journeys, hoping for a…

Donald Trump has some clear ideas for the American economy should the Republican presidential candidate win in November. Based on what he has said, some fear geopolitical chaos and trade wars. Others are excited about his so-called ‘America First’ policies bringing jobs back to the US. Even though Trump’s first stint in the White House had mixed results when it came to the economy, many voters still say they trust him to handle the economy better than the Democrats. Joe Biden, the current president, has not been able to sell his ideas on the economy to the American public. In a…

Venezuelan presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez said Monday the opposition had evidence to prove that he won Sunday’s election.   Electoral authorities had named President Nicolas Maduro as the winner, triggering protests in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. Maduro claims victory in disputed Venezuela electionsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Police fired tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters, while Maduro said his government “knows how to confront this situation and defeat those who are violent.” Maduro’s campaign manager accused the opposition of stoking violence and called on the president’s supporters to march on Tuesday. What did…

Hundreds of ardent Hezbollah supporters gathered in Beirut late Sunday afternoon amid promises of revenge attacks from a range of Israeli politicians, who blame the Lebanese group for the massacre of young football players in the Golan.”We don’t fear death,” one Hezbollah loyalist told us. “We don’t care even if we all die. We don’t care.”Far from cowing Hezbollah, the threats and accusations from their Israeli neighbours seem to have only hardened their attitudes. Hezbollah has vehemently denied it carried out the rocket attack on a remote, predominantly Arab Druze town in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights – and the…

They were philosophers, bankers, and musicians: The Jewish Mendelssohn family left distinctive marks on Germany’s intellectual, economic, and cultural life as early as the 18th century. However, the family’s zenith ended abruptly in 1933, when the Nazis seized power in Germany. The eventful history of the Mendelssohns is commemorated in a building that once belonged to them, in the center of Berlin. The Mendelssohn-Remise, which lies on a side street off Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt Square, was originally part of a bank and later used as a carriage house. Today, this historic site is home to a privately run museum that organizes concerts, readings, discussions and…

Football’s world governing body FIFA, which operates both the women’s and men’s Olympic tournaments, announced the sanctions in a statement released on Saturday evening Paris time. FIFA said that in addition to deducting the six points from the defending gold medalists from the Tokyo Olympic Games, it was fining Canada Soccer 200,000 Swiss francs ($226,000). It also banned Canadian head coach Bev Priestman and assistant coach Jasmine Mander, as well as analyst Joseph Lombardi from all football-related activities for a period of one year. Barring the Canadian women’s team staff members will have no practical impact on the tournament, as all three…

Italy and China signed a three-year economic cooperation deal on Sunday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said, following talks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Meloni said her first visit to Beijing as Italian leader was a “demonstration of the will to begin a new phase, to relaunch our bilateral cooperation.” The leader of the right-wing populist Brothers of Italy party also spoke of wanting to see trade relations with China become “fairer,” the Italian news agency ANSA reported. “Chinese investment in Italy accounts for about a third of Italian investment in China,” she said, adding that she would like to see this gap narrow. Meloni later…

Venezuelans headed to the polls on Sunday to vote in a presidential election in which incumbent President Nicolas Maduro was said to have secured reelection against rival Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia. Around 21 million Venezuelans were registered to vote. Tens of thousands of security forces were deployed, with border control ramped up and public gatherings and protests banned. Ahead of the vote, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington would not prejudge the results, yet called on parties to respect the democratic process which would be closely watched. Maduro against biggest ‘Chavismo’ threat The vote has pitted 61-year-old Maduro against 74-year-old former diplomat Gonzalez…