Germany: Domestic travel drives highest-ever hotel bookings – DW – 08/11/2025
Fewer foreigners booked overnight stays in Germany in the first half of this year, but locals more than made up for it.
German accommodation providers logged a record-breaking 223.3 million overnight stays up to the end of June.
Meanwhile, the Left Party says it has obtained figures showing more than 11% of people deported from Germany in 2024 were children or teenagers.
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Mexico: Adidas apologizes for cultural appropriation – DW – 08/11/2025
German sportswear brand Adidas has apologized for "cultural appropriation" in the design of its "Oaxaca Slip-On" shoe. The Indigenous-inspired design attracted criticism in Mexico, including from President Sheinbaum. German sportswear manufacturer Adidas has issued an apology after being accused of cultural appropriation in the design of its new "Oaxaca Slip-On" shoe. The shoe, designed by US designer Willy Chavarria, is inspired by the "huarache" sandals traditionally worn by Indigenous villagers from Villa Hidalgo Yalalag in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, who weren't involved in the production. "Adidas values the cultural richness of Mexico's Indigenous communities and the importance of their craft heritage," the Bavaria-based company said in a statement on Monday. "The Oaxaca Slip-On was inspired by a design from Oaxaca rooted in the tradition of Villa Hidalgo Yalalag," it continued. "We apologize publicly and reaffirm our commitment to working with Yalalag in a respectful dialogue that honors their cultural heritage." The issue went as far as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who described the shoe design as "inappropriate cultural appropriation," saying: "Large companies are taking products, ideas and designs from our country's Indigenous communities. That is intellectual property." Oaxaca Governor Salomon Jara said on social media that "huaraches from Yalalag are part of the cultural heritage of this community, a tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation and reflects its identity," adding: "This heritage is one of our greatest treasures, and we must not allow it to be treated as a commodity." Mexico passed legislation in 2022 to protect Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples' intellectual and cultural property, with unauthorized use now punishable with fines and even prison sentences. In a statement to the BBC, Chavarria, a former senior vice president of design at Calvin Klein, said he was "deeply sorry that the shoe was appropriated in this design and not developed in direct and meaningful partnership with the Oaxacan community." He continued: "The intention was always to honor the powerful cultural and artistic spirit of Oaxaca and its creative communities – a place whose beauty and resistance have inspired me. This falls short of the respect and collaborative approach that Oaxaca, Villa Hidalgo Yalalag and its people deserve."
DW
5 hours ago
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Ukraine updates: Merz invites Trump, Zelenskyy to meeting – DW – 08/11/2025
German Chancellor Merz has invited Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a virtual meeting ahead of Trump's planned meeting with Vladimir Putin. Meanwhile, EU ministers are also meeting via video link. DW has more. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has invited Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a virtual meeting on Wednesday, It comes ahead of a summit in Alaska later this week where Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. European Union foreign ministers are also meeting via video link to discuss the upcoming Alaska summit, The EU has already expressed concern over the lack of Ukrainian presence in Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Monday invited US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and several European leaders to a virtual meeting, to take place on Wednesday ahead of the Trump-Putin summit later this week. The German chancellery said in a statement that the talks would concentrate on "the current situation in Ukraine with a view to the planned meeting between US President Trump and Russian President Putin." The chancellery also said the talks would focus on "further options for action to put pressure on Russia" as well as "preparations for possible peace negotiations and related issues of territorial claims and security." The foreign ministers' virtual huddle on Monday is more of a debrief after smaller talks with the US near London than deliberations on concrete EU action. There's little new in Europe's position — but in a way, that's the point. The EU's big players have spent the last few months trying to demonstrate their commitment to Ukraine by maintaining military, financial and political backing in the face of shifting US policies and a drawdown in support from across the Atlantic. Aware there will likely be no seat for Europe at Friday's Trump-Putin talks, the EU now seems keen to remind both sides that it, too, is key to any potential peace accord. Frozen Russian central bank assets, extensive EU sanctions on Moscow, ongoing support to Kyiv and a possible role as future security guarantors — these are some of Europe's areas of leverage. The bloc also wants to send a message to Moscow that trying to cut a deal directly with Washington won't cut Europe out of the picture. EU capitals will be watching Friday's talks "extremely attentively" — one diplomat told DW — conscious of how quickly things could move. US Vice President JD Vance said an eventual negotiated settlement would probably leave both Russia and Ukraine unhappy in one way or another. With the gap in positions so wide, it's likely Europe would find itself in the same boat. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Volodymyr Zelenskyy had a "long conversation" with Narendra Modi on Monday, where the Ukrainian president "informed" the Indian prime minister "about the Russian attacks on our cities and villages." "And this is at a time when there is finally a diplomatic possibility to end the war," Zelenskyy wrote on X. "Instead of demonstrating readiness for a ceasefire, Russia is showing only its desire to continue the occupation and killings. It is important that India is supporting our peace efforts and shares the position that everything concerning Ukraine must be decided with Ukraine's participation." Zelenskyy's remarks come amid concerns over the upcoming meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy and Modi also "discussed in detail the sanctions against Russia." India has been heavily criticized in the West for increasing imports of Russian fossil fuels in the face of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. India's oil purchases from Russia grew nearly 19-fold from 2021 to 2024, from 0.1 to 1.9 million barrels a day. And Zelenskyy "noted that it is necessary to limit the export of Russian energy, particularly oil, to reduce its potential and ability to finance the continuation of this war. It is important that every leader who has tangible leverage over Russia sends the corresponding signals to Moscow." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday warned against capitulating to the demands of Vladimir Putin ahead of talks between the Russian president and Donald Trump. The US-Russia summit is set to take place in Alaska on Friday and will be the first between a sitting US and Russian president since 2021. Kyiv is concerned that Trump and Putin could strike a deal requiring Ukraine to cede territory. "Russia is dragging out the war, and therefore it deserves stronger global pressure," Zelenskyy wrote in a statement. "Russia refuses to stop the killings, and therefore must not receive any rewards or benefits. And this is not just a moral position, it is a rational one." "Concessions do not persuade a killer," he added. Russia has become increasingly reliant on drones in its attacks on Ukrainian cities. Mass production of the Iranian-designed weapons began a year ago in Tatarstan, in central Russia. Independent Russian reporters say that children are involved in drone production and development. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video EU foreign ministers on Monday are to discuss a Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin meeting in Alaska later this week. The ministers are set to meet via video link, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha also planning to join. Trump and Putin will meet on Friday, but the EU has insisted that Kyiv and European powers should be part of any arrangement to end the war that began when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Over the weekend, European leaders pushed for Ukraine's involvement in the talks, amid fears that a meeting without Kyiv could see if forced to cede swaths of territory. "The path to peace in Ukraine cannot be decided without Ukraine," leaders from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Britain and Finland and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement, urging Trump to put more pressure on Russia. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday he hoped and assumed that Zelenskyy would attend the Alaska summit. Leaders of the Nordic and Baltic countries — Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Sweden — also said no decisions should be taken without Ukrainian involvement. Talks on ending the war could only take place during a ceasefire, they added in a joint statement. "The US has the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. Any deal between the US and Russia must have Ukraine and the EU included, for it is a matter of Ukraine's and the whole of Europe's security," the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas said. Meanwhile, US Vice President JD Vance said Washington is working on arranging a meeting between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy. "We're at a point now where we're trying to figure out, frankly, scheduling and things like that around when these three leaders could sit down and discuss an end to this conflict," Vance said during an interview on Fox News. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin has said that seven Ukrainian drones were shot down by Russia's air defense systems overnight on Sunday and into Monday morning. Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry and a regional official said three people were killed in Ukrainian drone strikes targeting the regions of Tula, Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow. Welcome to DW's coverage of the latest developments in the Russian war on Ukraine. European Union foreign ministers are set to hold talks via video link ahead of a planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday. The Europeans want to push for Ukraine's involvement in any peace talks with Russia. Monday's meeting comes amid an apparent stance change by Trump toward Ukraine and Russia, with him threatening harsher sanctions against Russia if it doesn't agree to a ceasefire.
DW
8 hours ago
- DW
Will Trump's trade war widen Southeast Asia's wealth gap? – DW – 08/11/2025
Southeast Asian governments are hailing lower-than-expected US tariffs as a diplomatic win. But the region's poorest are still set to bear the brunt of the trade conflict, and the celebrations could be short lived. Many in Southeast Asia breathed a sigh of relief after the Donald Trump administration partially walked back its tariff threats. While Washington still imposed a series of trade penalties, Southeast Asian states managed to secure far lower levies than many other parts of the world. Cambodia, for example, secured a 19% rate, down from 49% which was previously threatened by the US president. According to Cambodia's chief trade negotiator, Sun Chanthol, the 49% tariffs would have "collapsed" the country's vital garment industry. The sector employs around 800,000 workers, most of them women born in rural areas. Vietnam, which has one of the largest trade surpluses with the US, saw its tariffs reduced to 20% from the 46% import penalty threatened by President Trump in April. Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines also negotiated 19% levies. Singapore was given the baseline 10%. Myanmar and Laos, however, were not so lucky — they face levies of 40%, and are among the hardest hit nations globally. Still, most government in Southeast Asia see the outcome of the last-minute trade negotiations as a diplomatic victory. In states with large garment sectors, there is even some schadenfreude that key competitor India was last week hit with 50% tariffs on some goods, a blow that has reportedly already pushed some manufacturers to consider relocating to Southeast Asia. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Analysts warn, however, that the full impact of the revised rates on ordinary households will only become clear in the months ahead. As part of the tariff negotiations, most Southeast Asian countries agreed to cut their taxes on US imports to nearly zero, a move that will "definitely help the wealthy with some luxury imports," Zachary Abuza, professor at the National War College in Washington, told DW. For the most part, though, the benefits for the rich are unlikely to outweigh the broader risks for the poor. "Trump's policy will certainly have negative impacts on people in Southeast Asia, including the poor," Budy Resosudarmo, a developmental and environmental economist at the Australian National University, told DW. Southeast Asia has seen decades of strong economic growth, but concerns have long simmered over how fairly this wealth is distributed. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The latest US tariffs could affect the wealth gap in several ways — for example, they might trigger a downturn in labor intensive sectors, such as garment manufacturing. This, in turn, could push more capital into technology industries, which employ fewer workers, according to Wannaphong Durongkaveroj, associate professor of economics at Thailand's Ramkhamhaeng University. If this shift happens quickly and smoothly, the damage will be limited, he told DW. If not, the lower-skilled parts of the economy that employ a majority of workers will be doubly impacted. At the same time, there is no guarantee that the technology sector will avoid the tariffs. Last week, Trump announced 100% penalties on imported semiconductor chips — except for companies that had already committed to manufacturing in the US or were in the process of doing so. This is a particular concern for Malaysia, which exported around $14 billion (over €12 billion) worth of semiconductors to the US last year. Its semiconductor industry employs about 80,000 people. While Kuala Lumpur said its chips are exempt from the 19% reciprocal tariff, it remains unclear if US exemptions will be applied consistently. There might also be higher unemployment or suppressed wage growth if there's a spike in imports to Southeast Asian states from countries seeking non-US markets, Hwok-Aun Lee, senior fellow with the Regional Economic Studies Programme at Singapore's ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told DW. Even before Trump returned to the White House in January, there were concerns in Southeast Asia that China was dumping surplus goods on the region, reducing demand for local goods. China's global exports rose 7.2% in July from the same month last year, but shipments to Southeast Asia jumped 16.6%, while exports to the US fell by more than a fifth, according to official Chinese data. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The immediate effect of this influx will be on wages, Lee warned, adding that "this could have longer-term implications, such as slower wealth accumulation among workers and increased wealth inequality in society." An even bigger worry is the US plan to impose 40% tariffs on exports it deems "transshipment." This refers to goods that are shipped from the origin country to an intermediate location, only to be relabeled or tweaked and exported again to the final destination. Specifically, the US will be looking at goods originating from China that are exported via Southeast Asian countries to the US. The reported last week that the White House will release rules on what qualifies as transshipment "in a few weeks." Many lower-end manufacturing jobs in Southeast Asia involve importing raw materials from China, making only slight modifications or assembly, and then exporting the finished product to the US. If Washington adopts a broad definition, analysts warn, entire industries could be wiped out.
