Author: DW

On the football pitches of Bundesliga club Wolfsburg, the Afghanistan women’s national team is training and doing exactly what is strictly forbidden in their home country: playing football. In the first session of the day, the coaches’ main focus is helping the players get to know each other better and have fun. That’s because, as of April of this year, these young women are now officially allowed to play football as the Afghan national team. FIFA, the world’s football federation, has amended its regulations, allowing Afghan women to once again represent their country in official international matches and FIFA competitions. “This was a…

The 370-year-old structure has all the attributes of a classically designed Japanese temple, from the curved roof to the timber-frame walls, spacious tatami-mat prayer hall and elaborately decorated altar. Set in manicured gardens on the Chita Peninsula in central Japan, the 350-square-meter (3,767-square-foot) property is on the market for 482 million yen (€2.66 million, US3.01 million). The estate agent’s pitch says the price includes dismantling by “expert heritage craftsmen” and delivery to anywhere in Japan, where it would be fully restored into a “stunning” two- or three-bedroom home. The sale and removal of the temple marks the end of its role in the…

How are Elversberg doing in the Bundesliga? So far, remarkably well. The smallest town ever to be represented in the top flight got off to a dream start on the Bundesliga’s opening weekend, racing in to a 3-0 lead against 2024 champions Bayer Leverkusen. In the end, they held off a late surge to claim a 3-2 victory. A trip to Borussia Mönchegladbach on matchday two looked to have brought them back down to earth, with the hosts leading 3-1 with little over 30 minutes to play. But a sensational comeback was crowned by a Maurice Krattenmacher winner in injury time. The win moved…

When Werner Herzog needed a title for his memoirs, he reached back to one of his own films: “Every Man for Himself and God Against All,” the original German title of his 1974 feature known in English as “The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser.” For Herzog, perhaps the last wild man of European cinema, it’s less a title than a worldview. Over more than 60 years as a provocative, boundary-breaking filmmaker, Herzog has made films on the slopes of active volcanoes, and in the middle of the Sahara. He’s filmed in the jungle and north of the Arctic Circle, telling stories…

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has unveiled a new phase of Washington’s economic campaign against Iran, this time aimed not only at sanctioned Iranian institutions but at the international networks Tehran has used to keep money and goods moving. Speaking on August 24, Bessent said the United States would target what he called five economic lifelines: digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping. He also warned foreign entities that help the country illicitly move money around. “Any entity that facilitates money laundering for Iran will be removed from the US dollar-based financial system,” Bessent said. “The countdown starts now.” The…

Four trumpeters will be scattered throughout the concert hall, accompanied by organ music, promising a magnificent auditory experience in Bonn’s newly renovated Beethovenhalle on Friday evening. The piece “A Call to the Heavens” was composed by Stefan Behrisch specifically for the opening of this year’s Beethovenfest. Additionally, the London Symphony Orchestra, led by principal conductor Sir Antonio Pappano, will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Die Weihe des Hauses” (“The Consecration of the House”) as well as Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 at the opening concert. The Beethovenhalle aims to make everyone feel at home Image: Marc John/Bonn.digital/picture alliance For nine years, Bonn’s Beethovenhalle, a designated historic…

1. Why is Volkswagen holding crunch talks with workers? Volkswagen’s management is holding extraordinary meetings with workers this week amid an unprecedented cost-cutting drive, including reports of up to 100,000 job losses and the possible closure of several German car factories. Germany’s auto industry faces a deep structural crisis due to intense pressure from Chinese rivals, the transition to electric vehicles (EVs), higher production costs and other challenges. As Europe’s biggest carmaker by volume, VW has the heaviest exposure to overcapacity in its German plants, high fixed costs and its reliance on China. Workers have been particularly concerned by how the restructuring was communicated so far, which representatives have described…

A year ago, North Korea’s women successfully defended their U-17 World Cup title after defeating the Netherlands 3-0 in Morocco. It was the fourth time that the country has won the competition. Now the country’s U-20 team enter the World Cup in Poland as defending champions, having won their third World Cup in 2024. North Korea’s women have clearly cemented their status as the dominant force in women’s youth football. But what is it that makes a state that, according to the United Nations, “does not have any parallel in the contemporary world,” so good at youth football? “International sport is one of the few ways to demonstrate their sovereignty, existence…

Volkswagen has built one of the largest workforces in the global auto industry. At nearly 630,000 people — 680,000 if you count joint ventures in China — VW employs around 60% more workers than Toyota, 140% more than Stellantis and nearly 240% more than Ford. That headcount was once a sign of Germany’s industrial might and VW’s huge profits. Now, it’s become a massive burden, one that’s forcing the company to make painful job cuts to survive against agile Chinese competitors. After already trimming thousands of positions last year as profits came under pressure, Volkswagen is now preparing to slash 50,000 additional jobs worldwide, including tens…

South African aviation authorities are reviewing a low-altitude flyover by two Airlink passenger planes at an international rugby match in Cape Town last weekend. The regional airline, meanwhile, said it had canceled another flypast scheduled for Saturday’s rugby test between South Africa and New Zealand in Johannesburg this weekend, citing unfavorable weather. In a statement, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) said it was carrying out a “compliance verification” of the August 29 flyover at Cape Town’s DHL stadium to ensure “all safety protocols were adhered to by the crew.” Footage of the flyby, showing two planes in formation passing over…