- World News
Madagascar’s worst drought in decades
It has not rained in Madagascar for months and parasites have affected staple crops, leading to rising food prices and leaving families with nothing to eat. In its latest Hunger Hotspots report for 2021, the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) says acute food insecurity in southern Madagascar “is expected to push 14,000 people into catastrophic acute food insecurity by…
- World News
Julian Assange: US still pushing for extradition
Assange has not been a free man for 11 years: that is 4,000 days and nights. He celebrated his last three birthdays in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison, which is often referred to as the “British Guantanamo” for its tough conditions. All applications for bail or a release into house arrest have been denied. So, the Australian journalist and activist remains incarcerated as he awaits the decision on whether or not the…
- World News
Absar Alam: ‘State of press freedom completely rotten in Pakistan’
Pakistani authorities briefly detained two journalists in Lahore last week. Absar Alam, a prominent media figure who was shot in Islamabad earlier this year, explains why journalists are routinely targeted in the South Asian country. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
AfricaLink on Air – 10 August 2021
Zambia ahead of the election on Thursday August 12th +++ Nigeria’s ruling party as well the opposition pass a vote of no confidence on their interim chairmen +++ Ugandans oppose mandatory car tracking +++ Cameroon’s Bee Delivery taxi firm thrives amid pandemic gloom SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Fires to floods: Extreme weather is occurring worldwide
In many parts of Greece on Monday, the fierce winds weakened, so the fires were not fanned further. The breather for emergency workers is likely to be short-lived, however, as another heat wave with temperatures of over 40 degrees is on its way — with the potential to worsen the situation. Forest fires have been raging in Greece for weeks,…
- World News
Pakistan: Why liberal Pashtuns are supporting the Afghan government
It is generally believed that most people in Pakistan’s northwestern areas support the Taliban due to their own inclination toward Islamism, but the reality is somewhat different. It is true that the Islamist group is liked by many in the region, but the number of people who oppose the Taliban and the Pakistani state’s alleged support to the outfit has…
- World News
Why North Korea is wary of foreign warships in the region
The United States and South Korea are holding joint military exercises from Tuesday and the most powerful warship in Britain’s Royal Navy is preparing to dock in the South Korean port of Busan before the end of August, moves that prompted Pyongyang to ramp up the rhetoric against what the regime insists is a threat to peace in the region.…
- Thailand video news
Good Morning Thailand | Daily deaths reach 235, CDC downgrades Thailand | August 10
Tim and Jay bring you up to date with all the main stories from around Thailand and get you ready for the day with the daily Good Morning Thailand. Plenty of main stories… The public health department has announced 235 Covid-related deaths in Thailand over the past 24 hours. Teerawat Thothip, the suspect accused of murder for the killing of…
- World News
Crime Fighters: Out of the Shadows, Into the Light
In the city of Swangoly, somewhere in Africa, Jeremy faces persecution, violence and discrimination because of his sexual orientation. Meanwhile, the MP Celia was shot in a homophobic attack. With the perpetrators still at large, 19-year-old Jeremy feels unsafe and threatened. Even his own family struggles to provide him with understanding and support. This Crime Fighters audio drama exposes the…
- World News
Out of the Shadows, Into the Light – Ep 04: Sana’s Secret
Things in the Lantaro family just keep going from bad to worse. Jeremy is determined to leave home to escape his family’s hostility, which started after he came out. Will his twin sister, Julie, manage to talk him round? SOURCE: DW News
- World News
India: New temple-mosque conflict brewing in Varanasi
It’s the afternoon call to prayer at the Gyanvapi mosque in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The handful of men there, kneeling, are dwarfed by the massive 17th century structure, their soft words nearly drowned out by the steady hum of the low ceiling fans. It’s a moment of peace and reflection, before the men step back out…
- World News
How nationalism is driving Chinese trolls to target athletes
“I am sorry to you all,” said Liu Shiwen, a Chinese table tennis player who, along with her teammate, lost to the Japanese team in the sport’s mixed doubles’ competition at the Tokyo Olympics. She issued this tearful apology after losing the game, adding: “I feel like I have failed the team.” Liu is not the only Chinese athlete who…
- World News
Belarus protests one year on: Lukashenko in command and striking back
Every year-end review published last December featured prominent images of the largest mass protests in Belarus since the republic gained independence. Led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Maria Kolesnikova und Veronika Zepkalo, citizens had been protesting the results of the country’s August 9, 2020, presidential election in which incumbent strongman Alexander Lukashenko was declared the overwhelming winner. But the European Union (EU),…
- World News
Belarus athletes watch Olympics from afar
Andrei Krauchanka was a hero in his home country of Belarus. In a way, he still is. A decathlete, he won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but years later found himself in direct conflict with the country’s government. He was one of 400 athletes who signed an open letter that will not have amused President Alexander Lukashenko.…
- World News
‘Chinese Taipei’: Taiwan’s Olympic success draws attention to team name
As the 2020 Tokyo Olympics comes to an end this week, Taiwan’s record-breaking number of medals has put a spotlight on the name of its delegation at international competitions like the Olympics. Over the past three weeks, athletes from Taiwan have won a total of 12 medals at the Tokyo Olympics, including a first gold medal in badminton. After defeating…
- World News
Ugandan blogger’s ‘life in peril’ after arrest in Turkey
Fred Lumbuye, a well-known blogger, social media activist and critic of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, was arrested in Turkey on Tuesday, according to several news reports. Human rights and political activists have raised concerns about the possibility the Ugandan activist being extradited to Uganda “… we know that, if he is handed over to Uganda he will not get a…
- World News
Ceuta – Last stop for refugees
Refugees and migrants from Morocco have few prospects of having their status recognized in the neighboring Spanish exclave Ceuta. Even some supposedly well-meaning volunteers advise them to go back. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
How the Japanese get through scorching summers
Soaring temperatures and uncomfortably high humidity levels have been among the biggest complaints from athletes taking part in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. And while temperatures have set new record highs in some parts of the country, most Japanese are fairly sanguine about the situation. They have, after all, both traditional and modern ways of beating the heat. The temperature…
- World News
Opinion: Iranian regime will stop at nothing to ensure survival
The recent protests that erupted under the pretext of socioeconomic deprivations, but are rooted in political grievances stemming from decades of lack of accountability and repression, have become a trend in the country. Regrettably, the brutal crackdown of these protests by the regime is also the disconcerting order of the day. This is all while the authorities continue to make…
- World News
German-Iranian ties face scrutiny as hard-liner Raisi takes office
Iran has a new head of government: Ebrahim Raisi. The 60-year-old cleric with the rimless glasses and what comes across as a shy smile was inaugurated as president on Tuesday, and takes the oath of office Thursday. The ultraconservative lawyer is taking over the presidency at a crucial time. Indirect negotiations with the United States in Vienna on the future…
- World News
Kashmir: A conflict between wild animals and humans
On June 3, 4-year-old Adda Mudasir was playing with her toys a few feet away from her brother and grandfather on the lawn of her home in Ompora village in India-administered Kashmir. By the time her family heard the screams it was too late. A leopard had attacked the girl and dragged her away, leaving only her toys and shoes…
- World News
Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi: What to expect
On Thursday, 60-year-old Ebrahim Raisi will be sworn in before parliament as the Islamic Republic’s sixth president after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei inaugurated him on Tuesday in a ceremony broadcast live on state television. However, the handover of power to a new administration is being greeted by many Iranians with a sense of hopelessness and resignation. “Raisi and his…
- World News
Ebrahim Raisi: What to expect from Iran’s new president
On Thursday, 60-year-old Ebrahim Raisi will be sworn in before parliament as the Islamic Republic’s sixth president after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei inaugurated him on Tuesday in a ceremony broadcast live on state television. However, the handover of power to a new administration is being greeted by many Iranians with a sense of hopelessness and resignation. “Raisi and his…
- World News
On Tunisian streets, economic worries and political fury
Wadi bin Soleiman taps at his mobile phone. He’s sitting on his chair, inside his ceramics store in the historic old city of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. The market is usually a focal point for tourists. But it’s shortly before midday and bin Soleiman has yet to get a single customer. Like so many other Tunisians involved in the…
- World News
A year after Beirut explosion, parents seek justice for their daughter
Paul Naggear and Tracy Awad-Naggear thought they and their 3-year-old daughter would at least be safe at home. It wasn’t like they expected much from the state in Lebanon anyway. The economy was in free fall and the COVID-19 pandemic was also impacting the country. Nobody really believed things could get much worse than they were. But anybody who thought…
- World News
What is the India-France Rafale fighter jet deal all about?
As India continues to embark on modernizing its aging military amid ongoing geopolitical challenges, one of Delhi’s biggest defense deals continues to draw controversy years after it was concluded. In 2015, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the landmark defense deal with French aviation company Dassault to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets to refurbish India’s rusting air force. In late…
- World News
Why are there so few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Africa?
This year, eight mosques in northern Ivory Coast and Ivindo National Park in Gabon have landed one of the coveted places on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. In addition to the two sites in Africa, the responsible committee at its 44th session in the Chinese port city of Fuzhou named 16 candidates from Europe and another 16 from other world regions…
- World News
Ethiopia: A catastrophe in the making
In Ethiopia’s Tigray province, a lack of medical supplies, frequent power cuts and a severe fuel scarcity — not to mention a cash shortage due to closed banks, and growing unemployment after factories were shut down or looted — is making life increasingly difficult for the population, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). “The humanitarian situation…
- World News
How US-China sanctions create two parallel tech universes
As the US continues to blacklist dozens of Chinese companies, Beijing is increasingly imposing its own sanctions on US organizations and individuals it accuses of meddling in China’s internal affairs. Last month, the US government added 23 Chinese companies to an economic blacklist, including 14 companies that have allegedly enabled Beijing’s oppression of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang province.…
- World News
How US-China sanctions create parallel tech universes
As the US continues to blacklist dozens of Chinese companies, Beijing is increasingly imposing its own sanctions on US organizations and individuals it accuses of meddling in China’s internal affairs. Last month, the US government added 23 Chinese companies to an economic blacklist, including 14 companies that have allegedly enabled Beijing’s oppression of the Uyghur Muslim minority in Xinjiang province.…
