Author: DW

In Erlangen, a city of 119,000 residents in northern Bavaria, a great deal is happening at once. Preparations are underway for a new synagogue for which the state of Bavaria has provided a plot of land near the university. The city’s two major mosques are planning expansions. And in one of the city’s suburbs, an association has purchased land to build a Shiva‑Vishnu temple for the Hindu community. Silvia Klein, who heads Erlangen’s Department of Integration and Diversity, highlights the city’s rich mix of cultures, languages — and religions. When it comes to the temple project, she points to the association “Hindu Tempel…

Less than 12 hours before a deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz was due to expire, the Republican announced he would postpone planned strikes on the Islamic Republic’s power plants. Trump on Monday claimed “very good and productive” talks with Tehran had resulted in the five-day delay, although Iranian news agencies disputed his comments, reporting that there had been “no contact” between the two sides. Washington is trying to force Iran to end its effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway linking the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean through which a fifth of the world’s oil and…

Like so many Brazilians, Thiago Pessao was captured by the World Cup as a child. By the time the tournament came to his homeland in 2014, it was a full-blown obsession. He attended 23 games in that tournament and 17 in Russia four years later. Only Brazil’s early exit and an agreement with his wife to leave on their departure stopped him from racking up even bigger numbers in Qatar 2022. In short, Pessao is committed to the World Cup — Brazil and beyond. But even he is struggling to justify the cost and hassle of the largely US-hosted expanded tournament this…

Germany’s federal commissioner for culture and media, Wolfram Weimer, was heavily criticized recently when he rejected the expansion of the German National Library in favor of digital archiving. Although the former journalist has since indicated that the expansion might proceed, his initial decision has sparked debate about the role of books in a digital world. Today, we are bombarded with text and information. Podcasts, social media posts, comments, emails, the latest online news — everything is immediately available, any time and anywhere. Yet something important is lost amid the digital clutter: the act of deeply engaging with a thought. Unlike the distractions of…

Stock markets dipped across the board early on Monday, with traders nervous after another weekend yielded no real signs of deescalation in Iran or the wider Gulf region or a reduction in the rising energy prices the conflict is causing. Several of the major Asian markets dipped by 3% or more, while Europe’s main indices all shed in the region of 2% in morning trading. Government bond yields were up and even the traditional safe havens gold and silver shed more than 6% and 7% of their values.  However, an apparent change in tone from US President Donald Trump as he…

In a major interview with German sports magazine kicker at the start of March, Germany head coach Julian Nagelsmann had said a team’s belief can emerge in the space of just two games. Those two games this month were against Switzerland and Ghana — and they won both, delivering plenty of evidence that confidence is not something this group is short of. Against Switzerland on Friday, Germany proved that, if nothing else, they are an entertaining side that can win a high-scoring game. The defensive issues are familiar, but with players like Florian Wirtz in attack, conceding a couple appears something this team…

While wars and revolutions have long threatened national cultural heritage sites — most recently in Iran and Ukraine — a new danger has emerged in the form of climate change. UNESCO World Heritage sites from the 4,000 year-old pyramid temples in Iraq to the ancient statues of Easter Island are facing extreme erosion and deterioration as temperatures rise and storms and droughts intensify. A 2025 study showed that 80% of World Heritage sites are facing climate stress as materials such as wood and stone struggle to adapt to a hotter world. Here are a few of the world’s most climate-vulnerable UNESCO-listed cultural sites. ‘Cradle of civilization’: Ziggurat of Ur Thousands of years of history…

Hungary has dramatically increased its dependence on Russian crude oil since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over four years ago, despite EU efforts to limit the import of Russian fossil fuels into the bloc. A new report from the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD), a European public policy institute, states that in 2025, Russian crude accounted for as much as 93% of Hungary’s oil imports, up from a 61% share in 2021. The report has been shared exclusively with DW. It also points to Budapest’s deepening reliance on Russian gas and nuclear energy. Describing Hungary as “the most significant…

While the impact of last week’s new “Policy on the Protection of the Female (women’s) Category in Olympic Sport” has focused largely on trans athletes, medical experts and Olympians say the impact of the ban will be felt more keenly by those with Differences in Sexual Development (DSD).  New Zealander Laurel Hubbard is the only recorded trans athlete in Olympic history. The weightlifter failed to record a successful lift in the women’s +87 kilograms weightlifting in the delayed 2020 Olympics and crashed out early. South Africa’s Caster Semenya was not at those Games in Tokyo to defend her 800 meters title…

Lufthansa is marking its anniversary with major celebrations while facing new economic and geopolitical pressures. Company CEO Carsten Spohr has prepared events in Frankfurt and beyond, even as rising fuel costs linked to the Iran war weigh on the airline’s outlook. The company is celebrating the origins of Deutsche Luft Hansa AG, whose first scheduled flight departed Berlin Tempelhof Airport for Zurich on April 6, 1926. The anniversary includes the opening of a new visitor center, “Hangar One,” at Lufthansa’s Frankfurt headquarters, showcasing early aviation history. The modern Lufthansa has also acknowledged its full historical legacy, including ties to the Nazi…