Author: DW

A rough burlap sack launched Ibrahim Mahama to global fame. In 2015, when Mahama was in his late 20s and finishing up his fine arts Ph.D. in Ghana, he was selected to participate in one of the world’s most important art festivals, the Venice Biennale. His installation there, “Out of Bounds,” combined stitched-together burlap sacks — made in Southeast Asia used to export Ghanaian cacao beans to the West — with knotted ropes and metal tags, creating a giant patchwork of material that he draped over a long medieval dockyard passageway. Ibrahim Mahama’s ‘Out of Bounds’ was installed in a passageway of the…

Three years ago, Germanhigh-end domestic appliances maker Miele began selling refurbished washing machines in the Netherlands alongside its regular products. This involves collecting Miele washing machines that have been returned, including those with scratches or easily repairable faults, fixing them up and reselling them online. The German company chose the Netherlands because Miele products have proven popular in the country and because consumers there are comparatively open to refurbished products. The firm hopes the project will reach new customer groups. Max Wagner, who heads Miele’s sustainability team, say the sale of refurbished appliances has not cannibalized his company’s sale of new models, as was…

Accordionist Matthias Matzke has a deep passion for his instrument, and his inspiration goes beyond its sound. “You can really push yourself to the limit, and there’s a correlation between muscle power and the sound produced,” he said.  Matzke’s appreciation for the accordion began in his childhood. Now, he serves as one of the ambassadors for the instrument of the year in 2026. “The accordion sparks the imagination. Sometimes it sounds like an orchestra with wind instruments, but you can also cover pop songs wonderfully,” he told DW. Germany’s state music councils have been selecting an instrument of the year since…

The United States’ strikes on Caracas and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro have left the South American nation in a state of deep confusion and uncertainty. US President Donald Trump pledged in the immediate aftermath that the US would “run” Venezuela, a move that appeared to hinge on how the US would approach the country’s key commodity: oil. “We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” he said.  How key is oil…

In the early hours of Monday, December 29, residents in the state of Thuringia called the police out to a local supermarket, warning that thieves were trying to break in. But when the authorities arrived, they found a group of young men, armed with hot tea and blankets, who just wanted to be first in line when the supermarket opened. December 29 is the start of the three-day window in Germany when fireworks can be sold, to adults over the age of 18, to celebrate New Year’s Eve. All over the country, undeterred by the cold and dark, people line up…

Annual sales figures for 2025 show Tesla has lost its crown as the world’s top electric vehicle seller to Chinese rival BYD. Elon Musk’s Tesla reported a bigger-than-expected fall in fourth-quarter deliveries on Friday and delivered 1.64 million cars in 2025, down nine percent from the previous year. On Thursday, BYD said it sold 2.26 million battery-powered cars in 2025. Tesla came under pressure in 2025 Tesla said it delivered 418,227 vehicles in the October–December quarter, down 15.6 percent from 495,570 a year earlier. The slump followed the end of a $7,500 tax credit in the United States in September,…

Even in Paris’ hard-drinking intellectual circles, French philosopher and feminist icon Simone de Beauvoir found that a glass of wine hit harder than expected. De Beauvoir once joked that two glasses left her feeling quite dizzy, long before any existential debates began. Decades later, science can explain why: Women process alcohol differently from men — often faster and more intensely — and women’s brains also respond more strongly to its rewarding effects, even when drinking the same amount as men. How alcohol moves through the body Alcohol affects the body almost immediately. Before it hits the stomach, taste buds signal the brain, causing…

Bulgaria is set to adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, making it the 21st member state of the eurozone. Joining the currency club marks a major milestone for the Eastern European country, which entered the European Union in 2007. Bulgaria’s accession leaves only six of the 27 EU nations outside the currency union: Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Denmark. The euro is “not just a currency but a strategic choice” that strengthens Bulgaria’s position in Europe, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said at a high-level conference in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, in November. At the same event,…

Waves of jubilation crashed over the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca on Sunday, as Sudan’s male footballers celebrated their first victory in the Africa Cup of Nations for 13 years with their fans. The African country secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Equatorial Guinea in their second group game of the 2025 tournament, which secured their passage to the last 16. They face Burkina Faso in their final group game on Wednesday. As well as being their first AFCON win since 2012, this was only Sudan’s second win at the tournament since it won the trophy in 1970. Celebrations in fan…

Trencin is a picturesque city in western Slovakia, best known for its historic castle perched on a rock above the city. Below it, the city center is nestled around a large square lined with cafes and bars. The old town is also home to a magnificent synagogue that was recently renovated and stands as a powerful symbol of Trencin’s centuries-old Jewish community. Today, it occupies a central place in the city as both a tourist attraction and a venue for cultural events. Trencin is home to around 55,000 people. Like much of Slovakia, the city near the border with the Czech Republic has…