Author: DW

US President Donald Trump’s reliance on tariffs rather than sanctions has been described as both the “world’s worst bet” and “a powerful proven source of leverage” to protect the national interests of the United States.  While tariffs essentially are taxes on imports to protect domestic industries, sanctions are penalties imposed on other countries to punish or influence their governments. Sanctions typically put restrictions on trade or finance. Since his return to the White House in January, Trump’s tariff threats against dozens of countries have created great uncertainty among US businesses and global trading partners.  What’s become known as “tariff tango” — bold pledges of steep duties on foreign…

Productions of Wagner’s opera “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” divide audiences. Should emphasis be placed on the opera’s comical elements, or is it to be seen as more of a serious play about German virtues with antisemitic undertones? In this year’s new production at the Bayreuth Festival, director Matthias Davids aims to highlight the opera’s comical side. Nevertheless, the fact that the Nazis included the piece in their Reich Party Congresses continues to cast a shadow over the production. Richard Wagner was Adolf Hitler’s favorite composer, long before coming to power in 1933. The dictator saw Wagner as a kindred spirit…

A vital piece of a 300-year-old mystery surrounding a pirate’s treasure in the Indian Ocean may have been discovered. Archaeologists believe that they have identified the wreck of the Nossa Senhora do Cabo (Our Lady of the Cape), a Portuguese warship that was captured off the island of Reunion in 1721. The ship had been en route to Lisbon, fully laden with treasures from Goa and the Portuguese colonies on the west coast of India. On the way, the warship, weighing more than 700 tons, was badly damaged in a storm. To avoid capsizing, the crew jettisoned some of the ship’s…

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling coalition has failed to secure a majority in Sunday’s election for the 248-seat upper house of parliament, Japan’s public NHK TV outlet said. Ishiba’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), already in a minority in the lower house since last October’s snap election, faced mounting public discontent over inflation, political scandals and a surge in anti-immigration sentiment. Why Ishiba won’t resign as prime minister The LDP and its junior partner Komeito needed to win 50 of the 125 contested seats in addition to the 75 they already have. They fell short, winning only 46 of the seats.  In recent years,…

Pakistani authorities on Sunday arrested a suspect after a viral video on social media showed a man and a woman being shot and killed for marrying against their family’s wishes. The practice, known as “honor killing,” is a fairly prevalent one in Pakistan and some neighboring countries where eloped couples are killed to “restore” the family’s social standing and reputation. Honor killings also occur in other situations where the partiarch deems the family’s honor has been affected by women’s actions. In this instance, the unidentified couple was shot on the orders of a local tribe council in the southwestern Balochistan province, local…

The UK’s economy unexpectedly fell for a second month in a row in May. Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 0.1% in May, following a 0.3 % contraction in April, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement on Friday. The figures add to challenges faced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour government as it battles global uncertainty over US tariffs and inflation. After fiscal issues caused by its U-turns on welfare cuts and winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners, the government’s spending plans depend heavily on economic growth. The drop in GDP adds pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer…

Fanon is regarded as a crucial figure of early anti-colonial and anti-racist theory. For Algerians, he is one of the heroes of the country’s struggle for independence. Yet his role during the war against France and his writings remain largely unknown to a wider public. July 20, 2025, marks the 100th anniversary of his birth. Fanon was not granted a long life: At just 36, he died of leukemia in 1961 without ever witnessing Algerianindependence, a goal he devoted his life to. Fight for African unity His work is “a reflection on the concept of solidarity, understanding what solidarity means in…

Ann-Katrin Berger ended the Euro 2025 quarterfinal as she’d started it, with a broad smile. As the rest of Germany’s team belted out the national anthem prematch with their game faces on, their goalkeeper grinned and took in the surroundings. After her second penalty save won a match Germany looked to have lost inside 15 minutes, that smile was wider still. Just before her save, Berger herself scored a penalty in a 6-5 shootout win after the game had finished 1-1 after extra time. Before that, she’d made a stunning save in extra time, as her teammate Janina Minge’s header…

Germany has had an official friendship with France for more than 60 years in the form of the Elysee Treaty. Now there is also one with the United Kingdom— the first comprehensive bilateral treaty between the two nations since the end of the Second World War. Above all, the treaty signed on Thursday provides for close security and arms cooperation, including mutual assistance obligations in the event of a crisis, though this is something that has long existed within NATO. Chancellor Merz and Prime Minister Starmer celebrate the signing of the new German-British friendship treaty on July 17Image: Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture…

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said on Saturday that a man suspected of driving a car into a crowd in Hollywood had been hospitalized and was undergoing surgery. The car ramming took place in the early hours of Saturday at the entrance of a nightclub. Some 30 people were injured in the incident. Authorities said the man was shot during the incident, although it was unclear whether he was shot before or after he drove into the crowd. “He was transported to the hospital, he’s undergoing surgery, he is in stable condition. However, he is not free to leave, he…