Author: DW

A Bangkok court on Friday cleared Thailand’s former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra of royal defamation charges that saw him facing jail time. The 76-year-old faced up to 15 years in prison, but judges found him not guilty, easing a serious legal threat to his family’s political movement. What were the charges against Thaksin? Prosecutors accused Thaksin of breaching Thailand’s lese majeste law, which criminalizes criticism of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and his family. Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who leads the Pheu Thai party, became prime minister last year.Thailand: How high is the risk of a coup?To view this video please enable…

Two narrow straps that sit just above the hipbone, their edges cutting into sun-tanned flesh: the thong.  These days, thanks to the revival of fashion from the 2000s, it seems to be everywhere: sticking out of low-rise jeans, shimmering underneath transparent beach dresses or revealing derrieres on the beach.  But what many people might not know about the thong bathing suit is that its creation was political — and its creator a gay man. Austrian-born designer Rudi Gernreich poses with two models presenting his creationsImage: United Archives International/IMAGO July 1974: Los Angeles’ last summer of nude bathing  “Everyone was nude,” a lifeguard recalls in the newspaper LA…

The White House has confirmed that the Trump administration is in talks with Intel about acquiring a stake of up to 10% in the chipmaker. “The president wants to put America’s needs first, both from a national security and economic perspective,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday after days of media speculation over a possible deal. Although it would be unusual for the US government to take a stake in such a large company, it would align with President Donald Trump’s trend of intervening in the free market during his second term. Chipmakers Nvidia and AMD recently agreed to pay around 15% of their sales…

Summer means grill season. Grilled cheese and vegetables are delicious, but for many, meat and sausages are a must on the grill. While consumers now pay more attention to the origin of their meat, many are unaware that processed meat products from supermarkets and discount stores often contain high levels of nitrite — and that’s a problem. Cured meats and sausages — such as hot dogs, bacon or salami — typically contain nitrite curing salt (sodium nitrite, E 250). For the German meat industry, this additive is very practical — it acts as a preservative with antibacterial properties, gives the meat an appealing pink color,…

Though Maccabi Tel Aviv’s name comes first on UEFA’s fixture list, neither they nor opponents Dinamo Kiev will be playing at home in their Europa League qualifier over successive Thursdays in August. While the clubs play domestic matches in Israel and Ukraine respectively, European football governors UEFA have deemed the countries unsafe for continental competition. As a result, the first leg on August 21 will be played in the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia, as were their previous European games this term. The team, like many other Israeli sporting clubs, has also played in Belgrade, with Serbia becoming a home away from home. Marko…

European leaders seem relieved their intense efforts to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a seat at the table where decisions about his country’s future were being made have paid off.  But the most difficult diplomacy now lies ahead. Among the more practical issues: Where could talks between Zelenskyy and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin actually take place? Berlin: ‘Good venues in Europe’  German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told DW on Wednesday there are “many good venues in Europe” for negotiations. He said Berlin has no ambitions to host though and pointed to Switzerland as somewhere that has “always been good in the past.”…

Over 750 US Department of Health and Human Services staff on Wednesday called on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to ensure health workers’ safety. A signed open letter said health staff were being put at risk by misleading claims about vaccines and infectious diseases and came in the wake of this month’s deadly shooting at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) buildings in Atlanta. What was said in the letter? The open letter said Kennedy “is complicit in dismantling America’s public health infrastructure and endangering the nation’s health by repeatedly spreading inaccurate health information,” and implored the health chief…

The Austrian capital last hosted the ESC extravaganza in 2015 and 1967. Vienna beat out the Alpine city of Innsbruck to host the 2026 European Song Contest, Austrian public broadcaster ÖRF said on Wednesday. Austria won the rights to host the 70th edition of the event after the country’s singer, JJ, won in May 2025 with his song “Wasted Love.”JJ’s “Wasted Love” mixed techno beats with operatic vocalsImage: Denis Balibouse/REUTERS The venue for the final will be the Wiener Stadthalle, the city’s largest indoor arena. Since the first ESC in Lugano, Switzerland, in 1955, Eurovision has become on of the world’s…

Work has slowed or stopped in Kolkata, a major hub for India’s steel foundries that export sanitary castings. Owners discuss distress privately but don’t share much publicly, and workers are confused.  But some owners, like Vijay Shankar Beriwal of Calcutta Iron Udyog, are not holding back. He blames the 50% tariff on steel and aluminum imposed by US President Donald Trump, which went into effect in June. Trump cited national security concerns under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962 for the move. In addition to the steel tariffs, Trump has also imposed 25% “reciprocal tariffs” on…

A cholera infection doesn’t have to be deadly, but it can be, especially in conflict zones such as in Sudan. A year into an ongoing outbreak, Sudan has recorded more than 65,000 cholera cases — about 32,000 of those in 2025 alone — and about 1,700 deaths (426 in 2025). “In Sudan, the conflict has severely disrupted access to safe water, sanitation and health care — the very systems that prevent and contain cholera,” Joe English, an emergency communication specialist at the United Nations Children’s Fund, wrote in an email to DW. Data published by the World Health Organization (WHO)…