Author: DW

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…

Bayern Munich secured yet another Bundesliga title after beating Stuttgart 4-2 at home on Sunday. Top scorer Harry Kane scored his 32nd goal of the season after coming on as a second-half substitute as the Bavarians won their 35th German league trophy. “To finish the league off in ​the way we have with the goals we scored… credit to the lads… we still have a lot to ​play for… but all the hard work, this makes it all worth it,” said Kane. Bayern Munich cruise to title  The win moved the Bavarian giants an unassailable 15 points clear of second-placed Borussia Dortmund…

Conservative billionaire Vincent Bollore, the owner of the Hachette group, pledged on Sunday to find new authors to replace the some 170 who have left the prestigious subsidiary Grasset in protest at alleged political interference. The protest was ‌triggered ​by the departure of Grasset’s chief executive, Olivier Nora, which the authors blame on Bollore, who is known for his highly conservative views and has shifted his outlets ever further to the right.Bollore’s family made its money by means of ports and trading in AfricaImage: Julien De Rosa/AFP What did Bollore say? In a commentary published by the Journal du Dimanche newspaper, which he also owns, Bollore expressed…

How will Trump’s blockade of Iranian oil work? After US-Iran peace talks in Pakistan collapsed at the weekend, US President Donald Trump said the US Navy would block ships entering or leaving any Iranian port or coastal facility via the Strait of Hormuz. Until the war began in late February, a fifth of the world’s seaborne oil trade passed Hormuz, the narrow stretch of water between the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. If successful, the blockade would sever Iran’s main source of revenue by halting its nearly 2 million barrel-per-day oil export trade, which Trump is betting will force Tehran back to…

Until just a few years ago, the quiet community of Peyia on the western coast of Cyprus was known mainly for its banana plantations. Over the past decade, however, the area has undergone a rapid transformation, driven largely by developments involving foreign investors, many of whom are Russian. The most emblematic project of the development of this coastal community is the Cap St Georges complex, a luxury resort that includes a hotel and hundreds of beachfront villas. Between March 28 and April 16, this high-end resort hosted some of the world’s greatest chess players, who gathered there to compete in…

A concert by US rapper Kanye West, known as Ye, scheduled to take place in a Polish stadium in June was cancelled by the venue on Friday. “The concert by Ye (Kanye West), scheduled for 19 June 2026 at the Superauto.pl Silesian Stadium, will not take place due to formal and legal reasons,” wrote venue director Adam Strzyzewski in a press release on the stadium’s website.  The move comes after the UK banned West entry into the country, forcing him to cancel appearances there. He also postponed a concert in Marseille, France due to mounting opposition from city officials. Holocaust…

Gasoline and diesel have never been as expensive in Germany as they were this April. According to the website Clever Tanken, diesel prices rose above €2.43 (about $2.80) per liter on average across Germany’s 100 largest cities, while Super E10 (unleaded gasoline with up to 10% ethanol) cost more than €2.18. Even during the oil crisis of the 1970s, fuel prices in Germany — adjusted for purchasing power — remained well below €2.  In the context of the US-Israeli war on Iran, this is hardly a surprise. According to the International Energy Agency, the current war in the Middle East has triggered a…

Football fans trying to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City for the World Cup matches this summer will have to pay $150 (€127) for a round-trip, according to local transportation officials. The price is almost 12 times higher than the usual $12.90 fare for the 15-minute trip from Penn Station in Manhattan to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. “We are going to charge $150 for our roundtrip ticket on our system. So from New York to MetLife, MetLife back to New York,” said Kris Kolluri, the president and CEO of NJ Transit. NJ Transit officials said…

While walking through Berlin’s western neighborhood of Spandau, a 13-year-old made a discovery that has been hailed as highly significant in Germany’s archaeological history. He found a small bronze coin, which experts have since dated 2,300 years — back to the ancient Greek city of Troy, in present-day Turkey. For archaeologist Jens Henker of Berlin Heritage Authority, who was responsible for analyzing the find, it was a situation unlike any has seen in his career: “This young boy realized he had found something interesting and he wanted to know more about it,” Henker told DW. During a school visit to the Archaeology Lab PETRI…

Brazil is presenting itself with confidence at the Hannover Messe, the world’s largest trade fair for the manufacturing industry, opening on April 20 in Hannover, Germany. “We want to show that Brazil is not only an agricultural powerhouse, but also a global player in industrial technology,” said Patricia Gomes of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. The goal, she explained, is to position Brazil as a leader in green, digital and resilient industries like renewable energy and electric mobility. A focus on energy and technology Brazil is already a regional leader in Latin America when it comes to electric…