Author: DW

In what seems like the blink of an eye, China has gone from being up to five years behind the United States in top-tier artificial intelligence (AI) to lagging by just a few months. While US players, including Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT, have spent hundreds of billions of dollars to push the frontier of AI, China has pursued a very different path. Faced with US curbs on high-end chips that help AI to do its most advanced thinking, Chinese tech firms have prioritized dozens of open-source AI models built on “good enough” technology. These platforms, including DeepSeek, Alibaba’s Qwen and Xiaomi’s MiMo, are now widely deployed across…

Sunday’s final stage of the Tour de France will be shorter than planned because security forces have been redirected to help fight wildfires near Bordeaux, organizers and police said Saturday. “In a spirit of national solidarity with the areas and communities affected, it was decided to adapt the route for the final stage from Thoiry to Paris,” the Paris police and the event’s organizers said in a joint statement. Slovenian four-time champion Tadej Pogacar has all but sealed victory in the world-famous cycling race and only needs to finish Saturday’s stage to secure a fifth Tour title in seven years.…

The last weekend in July marks the beginning of the Bayreuth Festival, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. The event regularly attracts international opera fans and distinguished guests, especially German politicians. This year, attendees include the current chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and his predecessor, Angela Merkel, who regularly attends. The first Bayreuth Festival opened on August 13, 1876, after years of disputes over funding Richard Wagner’s ambitious project. Philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, a friend of Wagner who was also a guest at the festival, praised the event, calling it “the first circumnavigation of the world in the realm of art.” In August…

Why are oil prices rising again? Around two weeks after the resumption of US and Iranian attacks in the Gulf region, the price of Brent crude broke above $100 a barrel (€87.8) on July 24. This marked a nearly one-third increase from last month’s low but is still below the $126 peak reached in April at the height of the conflict. The latest oil price surge was fueled by a major escalation in the Red Sea that could further set back efforts to export Gulf oil through alternative southern routes as the Strait of Hormuz remains effectively shut. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels based in Yemen entered the conflict on Wednesday…

The German Football Association (DFB) has appointed Jürgen Klopp as the new head coach of the national team on Friday, ending speculation about who would succeed Julian Nagelsmann. DFB President Bernd Neuendorf said the association’s governing bodies had unanimously approved Klopp’s appointment, describing him as the “ideal choice” for the role. “It is a great honor to sit here today,” Klopp said at the press conference announcing his appointment, adding he was “delighted.” What else do we know about Klopp’s appointment as Germany head coach? Klopp emerged as the federation’s preferred candidate after Nagelsmann stepped down following Germany’s penalty shootout defeat to…

The United Nations cultural agency on Friday updated its list of World Heritage in Danger, with locations including a Lebanese castle that Israeli forces recently captured as well as an archaeological site in the occupied West Bank, amid Israeli objections. The decision was made during a UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) meeting in South Korea’s Busan. Members agreed that five castles in Lebanon’s Mount Amel, including Beaufort Castle, and the West Bank’s Sebastia would both go on the agency’s World Heritage List and List of World Heritage in Danger. The decision came after reviewing the nominations on an emergency…

Which countries will face Trump’s new tariffs? The Trump administration on Thursday announced new tariffs on 60 economies, including the European Union, citing their handling of imported goods made with forced labor. In a statement, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said it had investigated major trading partners and found that they failed to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods made through modern slavery. The tariffs cover more than 99% of US imports and replace a temporary 10% global tariff that was due to expire. A 10% tariff will apply to countries like Argentina, India, Pakistan and…

For a healthy young woman in South Africa, the greatest risk of HIV may come from someone she wants to trust, but can’t. She may not know her partner’s HIV status, may not always be able to insist they use a condom, and may have little control over whether he has other partners. There is an option: Daily Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) pills keep antiretroviral drugs in the body at high enough levels to stop HIV before it can establish any infection. But PrEP only works if she keeps taking the medication. Miss too many doses and drug levels can fall too low to…

After six years on ESPN, the Bundesliga has a new home in the United States of America. A combination of USA Network and Fandango has reportedly struck a deal through the 2030-31 season to be the English-language broadcaster of Germany’s top flight in the US. The deal is reportedly worth $20 million (€17.4 million) per year, which is noticeably less than the $34 million per year paid by ESPN. USA and Fandango are part of Versant, a media company that is trying to develop itself as a home for broadcasting rights below the top leagues of the NFL and NBA. Fandango is…

When Josep Masalles was 17 years old, he was captivated by a partial eclipse of the sun over Barcelona, where he lives in northeastern Spain. It sparked a lifelong fascination that has taken him around the world. In the 53 years that have followed, Masalles has witnessed 43 eclipses, including 22 total solar eclipses.  “The beauty of an eclipse is incomparable,” Masalles told DW at the headquarters of the Barcelona Astronomical Society, or ASTER, where he is president. “For me, it has also meant a way to travel, to see other societies and cultures, and to meet other astronomers.” Masalles, along…