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Skip next section Which products could be subject to the sugar tax?08/26/2026August 26, 2026Which products could be subject to the sugar tax?Despite being called a sugar tax, the levy only applies to drinks and not confectioneryImage: Yona Elsner/photothek.de/picture allianceDespite being widely described as a "sugar tax," the proposal is aimed at drinks containing sugar or sweeteners, rather than sweets or other sugary foods. A Finance Ministry paper suggests the levy could apply not only to soft drinks but also to: Juices Milk-based drinks Iced tea Beer-based mixed drinks Oat and soya drinks Ready-made coffee drinks Alcohol-free beer and wine The paper also floated taxing zero- and light drinks containing artificial sweeteners. But Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil has now rule...

German media is reporting that investigators found a third drone and suspected explosives linked to the Leipzig/Halle Airport incident. DW has the latest.

US country music singer Dolly Parton has died at the age of 80.  Her nephew Brian Seaver announced the news in a video posted to Parton's Instagram page.  The 80-year-old singer spent almost all of her life making music and is known all over the world for a series of major hits like "Jolene," "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You." Her decades-long career earned her 10 Grammys and 13 Academy of Country Music (ACM) awards. Earlier in the year, Parton canceled a series of shows in Las Vegas citing ongoing treatment for health problems. Late last year, she had rebuffed rumors about her health with typical good humor, declaring in a short video, "I ain't dead yet!"  What did Parton's nephew say announcing her passing? Parton's nephew and longstanding head of security Seaver said it was an ...

More than 100 million records sold, 25 No. 1 hits on the US country charts, 11 Grammys and three Emmys — country star Dolly Parton was one of the most successful singers in the world. On Tuesday, her nephew Bryan Seaver announced in a video shared on Parton's social media channgels that his aunt had passed away.  "Dolly... opened doors for generations of singers, songwriters, musicians and dreamers from every walk of life and across every continent," Seaver said in the video. "She never saw a door she couldn't open, and the doors she opened made and changed history." Here are eight facts from eight decades of Dolly Parton. 1. Cornmeal for the doctor Dolly Parton came from humble beginnings, growing up with 11 siblings in Sevier County, Tennessee. Born on January 19, 1946, her parents ...

Lower Saxony state premier Olaf Lies called on Volkswagen (VW) shareholders to work together to avert plant closures. Volkswagen is headquartered in the northwestern German state. "Lower Saxony is automotive country ... and this must remain so," Lies, who is also on the company's supervisory board, said at the VW factory in Hanover on Monday. The Hanover site is one ​of five VW group plants facing possible closure. Lies was visiting the factory ahead of a series of workers' assemblies taking place this week. During those assemblies, VW staff will have their first opportunity to question VW CEO Oliver Blume on restructuring plans. Some 50,000 jobs could be cut to make Germany's biggest car manufacturer competitive, Blume has warned, in addition to the 50,000 cuts that have already bee...

Australia's official music charts will no longer allow wholly AI-generated tracks to qualify, under new rules announced by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The changes take effect with the ARIA chart dated August 31 and distinguish between music generated primarily by artificial intelligence and recordings where AI is used only as a supporting creative tool. What AI music will still be allowed in Australia's charts? Recordings made with generative AI can remain eligible if they are substantially human-made and do not raise concerns about manipulation of streams or chart positions. ARIA will use an industry-wide distinction announced in July between: AI-generated music, where AI creates all or the main creative elements of a recording AI-assisted music, which re...

The list of international composers who have written for star violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter is a long one. It features names like Krzysztof Penderecki and Sofia Gubaidulina, along with Andre Previn and Jörg Widmann. In recent years, women like Iranian-Dutch composer Aftab Darvishi and South Korean composer Unsuk Chin have also written works for Mutter. On the occasion of the violinist's 50th stage anniversary, she's now recorded over 30 works either dedicated to her or commissioned by her — all part of her "ASM Forte Forward" project on the Alpha Classics label.Anne-Sophie Mutter is deeply committed to social causesImage: Bernd Weißbrod/dpa/picture alliance The first album in the series, "East Meets West," reflects not just the artist's musical passions but also her social engagement. The...

Dutch state broadcaster Avrotros said on Monday that the Netherlands will not be taking part in next year's Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). The event can "no longer be considered neutral," given the war in Gaza, it said. Eurovision boycotts This year, the Netherlands was joined by Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia in staging the biggest political boycott in Eurovision history in protest at Israel's participation. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters also marched outside the event.  Avrotros Director-General Taco Zimmerman said international conflicts were increasingly affecting the contest and "undermining its neutral character," adding that it had "become a platform for division."Four nations boycott Eurovision over Israel inclusionTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and ...

Ukrainian Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna on Friday said Kyiv had imposed sanctions on the "producers and distributors" of the Russian children's cartoon series "Masha and the Bear," or "Masha i Medved" in the original language.  The step will enable Kyiv to seek to remove and demonentize the series on websites like YouTube or streaming services like Netflix in the country.  The cartoon about a mischievous young girl's unlikely friendship and adventures with a retired circus bear, loosely based on a Russian oral fairytale of the same name, launched in 2009 and quickly became one of Russia's most successful televisual exports. Masha and the Bear or Masha i Medved's YouTube channel is among the 50 most-watched in the world, with more than 54 billion views worldwide as of June 2026Image: ...

A ridge with sweeping views across Jotunheimen, a mountain region in southern Norway, seemed like the perfect hiking route for tour operator Georg Sichelschmidt to bring visitors. Then locals informed him it was home to nesting eagles. The trail remained open. But Sichelschmidt didn't want to disturb the apex predators at home in the massive peaks, dotted with turquoise lakes and glaciers. "We decided not to use this trail anymore. We had to find another solution," said Sichelschmidt, who runs nature-based tourism company JVB travel. Norway's right-to-roam rules, known as allemannsretten, give people broad access to nature regardless of land ownership, but also require them to respect it. For Sichelschmidt, who moved from Germany to Norway 16 years ago for its nature, the decision was a...