Author: DW

Leaders of the world’s fast-growing BRICS economies gather in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this weekend, promising to strengthen trade and technology exchange within the bloc in the shadow of US President Donald Trump’s tariff threat. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will host the three-day talks, attended by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese Premier Li Qiang among others. The Kremlin has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has an outstanding arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged war crimes over the war in Ukraine, will not be appearing. DW recaps the history of BRICS and the…

“Blackpink in your area”: This tag line sending many K-pop fans wild with excitement. Blackpink is more than a girl group — they’re a real movement, a lifestyle, a cultural phenomenon. Since their debut in 2016, the South Korean girl group Blackpink has risen to become one of the top pop exports worldwide — and they are not just traveling the globe as musicians. Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa take on alternating roles as fashion icons, brand ambassadors and influencers, too. Their “Deadline World Tour,” which will whisk them across the globe on the big stage, is kicking off on July…

Norway came back from a goal down to beat hosts Switzerland 2-1 in their opening match of the Women’s Euro 2025 football tournament on Wednesday night. Switzerland, who had started brightly in front of a energetic St. Jakob-Park crowd, had led at half-time through Nadine Riesen’s 28th minute strike which went in off the post. But Norway, World Cup winners in 1995, scored twice in five minutes to deny the Swiss a fairytale start in their home tournament. Norwegian star striker Ada Hegerberg headed in from a corner after 54 minutes, before a Julia Stierli own goal five minutes later completed the turn…

The European Commission under President Ursula von der Leyen will face a European Parliament no-confidence vote next week. Parliament President Roberta Metsola informed parliamentary group leaders of the development Wednesday evening. European lawmakers will debate the motion on Monday, with a vote scheduled for three days later. Although the vote is largely symbolic, as most parties oppose the motion, it underscores growing frustration in Brussels following a series of contentious decisions. If the motion were to pass, the Commission would be required to resign as a whole, including its president and all 26 EU commissioners. COVID vaccines at center of…

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked US President Donald Trump’s asylum ban at the US-Mexico border. US District Judge Randolph Moss ruled that Trump overstepped his authority by declaring illegal immigration an emergency and bypassing existing legal processes.  However, he stayed the ruling for two weeks to give the government time to appeal. Trump exceeded his authority, judge finds As part of his immigration crackdown, Trump declared that the situation at the southern border constituted an invasion of the United States. He signed a proclamation on the day of his inauguration, saying he was “suspending the physical entry” of migrants and…

The war between Iran and Israel in the Middle East has led to complications for airlines seeking to avoid the airspace while also complying with an ongoing Russian airspace ban. Although Iran’s airspace has partially reopened following a ceasefire, data from flight tracking website flightradar24 shows that Western airlines are still largely avoiding flying over the country. Most are choosing routes skirting the country’s western border, through Iraqi airspace, or over the Arabian peninsula. With Russia having barred Western planes from its skies since the beginning of its war against Ukraine in early 2022, it’s the latest example of how an era of…

The open-toe footwear showcased last week at Milan Men’s Fashion Week was simply described as “leather sandals.” But those flat leather sandals sparked controversy among Indian fashion critics, craftspeople and politicians, who noted that the design had been stolen from traditional Kolhapuri chappals — sandals named after the town of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, western India. The handcrafted footwear with an intricate interwoven pattern dates back to the 12th century. For now, the sandals are not yet available on the market, but as luxury fashion brand items, they could typically sell at over €1,000 ($1,200) a pair. Meanwhile, authentic Kolhapuri sandals…

Where and when Euro 2025 be played? Euro 2025 is being hosted by Switzerland from July 2 to July 27, and the matches will be played at eight stadiums: in Basel, Bern, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Thun and Sion. Iceland and Finland open the tournament in Thun on July 2, while hosts Switzerland kick off their campaign three hours later in Basel’s St. Jakob-Park stadium — where the final is to be played on July 27. Germany open their campaign against Poland in St. Gallen on July 4. What’s the format of the tournament? By today’s standards this is a…

The world’s wealthiest person has apparently set his mind to a new startup: his own political party. As the ongoing public fracturing of the relationship between the US President Donald Trump and his top election financier continues to play out in public, Elon Musk has again vented his opposition to the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill,” a tax and spending bill, which he believes undoes the efficiency mantra he sought to instill in Washington. Musk has gone as far to warn Republican lawmakers who pass the bill that he’ll run candidates against them in next year’s primaries. And he also threatened the broader US two-party system…

The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, said on Wednesday that the Buddhist institution will continue after his death. “I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue,” he said in a video broadcast in Tibetan language from the mountainous town of Dharamshala, India. The Nobel Peace Prize winner was speaking at the start of a meeting of religious leaders in the Himalayan town where he has lived for decades. The Dalai Lama fled Lhasa, the capital of Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Since then, he has lived in India where the Tibetan government-in-exile…