- World News
Afghanistan: Can Turkey tame the Taliban?
Now that almost all Western troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan, the central government in Kabul is largely on its own to fight the radical Islamist Taliban. But Afghanistan might now receive military help from Turkey. During talks on the sidelines of last month’s NATO summit in Brussels, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with his US counterpart Joe Biden about…
- World News
Dilip Kumar: Bollywood legend who narrowed India-Pakistan divide
Indian movie stars, particularly from Bollywood, remain immensely popular in Pakistan despite the bitter political rivalry between the two nations. But Dilip Kumar wasn’t just any film star — his appeal transcended borders, generations — and the silver screen. Over the past week, the actor was remembered for the roles he played in movies, and the ones he played in…
- World News
Kyiv hopes for more as Zelenskyy meets Merkel
Angela Merkel is preparing for a special farewell. The outgoing German chancellor receives the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Berlin on Monday for what will likely be their last meeting in person. On several occasions, Zelenskyy has invited Merkel to Kyiv at the end of August to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Ukrainian independence. He is also keen for the…
- World News
Indonesia’s Sri Mulyani: A reformer working for women’s rights
She expected the path to power to be difficult. More difficult than for men. “The world is not fair for women,” Sri Mulyani said. And yet she has come a long way: In 2005 she was appointed Indonesia’s first female finance minister – a pioneer in the conservative, Muslim-majority country and since then a role model for countless women. DW…
- World News
Pakistan: Why RSF deems PM Khan a ‘press freedom predator’
Daniel Bastard, Asia-Pacific director at Reporters Without Borders (RSF), told DW that Pakistani authorities are trying to censor and intimidate journalists who dare not to toe the government’s line. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Is Afghanistan heading toward a civil war?
The Taliban are reportedly sweeping across Afghanistan’s rural areas, bringing more territories under their control. Afghan government forces are finding it increasingly difficult to repel Islamist militants without NATO’s crucial air power. The insurgents now control two-thirds of the Afghan-Tajik border, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday, adding that they were also able to capture key economic centers on…
- World News
Vietnam to gain as EU-China investment pact stalls
In geopolitics as in business, one person’s loss is another’s gain. As such, Vietnam could be set to benefit from an increase of investment from EU states after European leaders intimated in early June that their investment pact with China is now off the table. However, recent data suggests that this remains more of an aspiration than reality right now,…
- World News
Pakistan: PM Khan is the ‘first helper of the military to harass journalists’
Daniel Bastard, the Asia-Pacific director of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), told DW why the organization labeled Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan as a “press freedom predator.” SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Haiti: Violence and politics culminate in presidential assassination
Haiti has become “a country in a state of shock” following the murder of President Jovenel Moise, Radio Metropole broadcaster Richard Widmaier told listeners as they tuned in to his news program from the capital, Port-au-Prince. The newscaster and station director later told DW that following the killing: “it’s like the streets of the capital have been swept clean.” Wednesday’s…
- World News
Africalink 08.07.21 – 16 UTC – MP3-Stereo
South Africa’s ex-president Zuma starts serving jail term for contempt+++Nigerian kidnappings becoming the norm?+++Tales of returning migrants in the Gambia SOURCE: DW News
- World News
COVID: Public frustration grows as cases surge in Thailand
Public trust in Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha’s government has reached new lows as the number of daily coronavirus infections spikes and the death toll rises. Confidence in Prayut’s regime was again undermined last week, following a leaked Health Ministry document that included a recommendation against giving health care workers an additional shot of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine. Administering the vaccine,…
- World News
Taliban advances in Afghanistan give Kashmir militants a boost
As the NATO mission in Afghanistan approaches its end after a two-decade-long war, the uncertain prospects for the war-ravaged nation are raising security concerns in India. Policymakers in New Delhi are mulling over the implications for the disputed territory of Kashmir and calibrating ways to ensure that a Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan wouldn’t embolden militancy in the region. Multiple reports…
- World News
Coronavirus digest: WHO puts death toll at 4 million
The global death toll from the coronavirus had reached 4 million, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday. The UN’s health agency called on governments to be cautious in lifting measures aimed at combating the pandemic. “The world is at a perilous point in this pandemic,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, saying the latest toll was an underestimate…
- World News
Anger and tears over shooting of Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries
“Your work is not finished, Peter R. de Vries. Keep fighting,” says 61-year-old Renate Tjon-Fo who is standing in front of the rows of flowers placed where Dutch crime journalist Peter R. de Vries was shot on Tuesday night. Television crews and journalists from across the world gather outside the studio of RTL Boulevard, a popular Dutch daily television program.…
- World News
Anger and tears over shooting of Dutch crime reporter Robert R. de Vries
“Your work is not finished, Peter R. de Vries. Keep fighting,” says 61-year-old Renate Tjon-Fo who is standing in front of the rows of flowers placed where Dutch crime journalist Peter R. de Vries was shot on Tuesday night. Television crews and journalists from across the world gather outside the studio of RTL Boulevard, a popular Dutch daily television program.…
- World News
Africalink 07.07.21 – 16 UTC – MP3-Stereo
U.N. urges Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan to recommit to dam talks+++ Zambia lays founding father Kenneth Kaunda to rest +++ Zimbabwe tightens COVID restrictions +++ Cameroon’s missing COVID relief funds SOURCE: DW News
- World News
European Parliament demands action over Hungary’s anti-LGBTQ law
Members of the European Parliament are set to vote overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution demanding the EU fast-tracks legal action against Hungary over its new anti-LGBTQ law. During a debate on the issue in Strasbourg, German Green MEP Terry Reintke said “democracy, fundamental rights and the rule of law are dismantled inside the EU before our very eyes.” The…
- World News
Taliban advances: Why are Afghans so skeptical about Pakistan?
Most media outlets and political commentators in Afghanistan are blaming Islamabad for the current turmoil in their country, alleging that the Pakistani military and its intelligence agencies are backing the Taliban amid the withdrawal of foreign troops, helping militants capture more territories. These are not new accusations; Afghan officials have long maintained that Pakistan provides shelter and military support to…
- World News
COVID: Indonesian hospitals grapple with shortages as cases surge
Indonesia’s health care system and hospitals are struggling to keep up with an influx of new COVID patients. One of the largest hospitals in Indonesia’s Yogyakarta province reported last week that dozens of patients died after the hospital ran out of oxygen due to the large numbers of COVID-19 patients coming in. Meanwhile, in the capital Jakarta, the daily funeral…
- World News
Covid digest: Germany’s Spahn doubts outright restrictions lift
Even as Germany allows people from the UK, India, Nepal, Portugal and Russia to enter the country without restriction, Health Minister Jens Spahn said it is unlikely that coronavirus restrictions will be lifted soon. On public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk radio, Spahn noted that everything depends on the vaccination rate. Nearly 90% of the elderly will soon be vaccinated. However, he noted,…
- World News
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa on the defensive
Arriving in Strasbourg, Jansa was greeted with a protest sign demanding his government “protects the rule of law.” He has attacked independent journalists from his Twitter account and supported former President Donald Trump’s claims that last November’s elections in the United States were rigged. Inside the European Parliament chamber, MEPs listened to Jansa outline his priorities for Slovenia’s six-month EU…
- World News
What is the future of democracy in the Philippines?
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has announced plans to run for vice president when his term ends in May 2022, raising concerns about how it could bypass presidential term limits and keep him in power, while granting immunity from criminal charges. “Consider me a candidate for the vice presidency at this time, maybe to maintain equilibrium for all,” Duterte told reporters…
- World News
Cannes: Film spotlights one of Japan’s last WWII stragglers
An international production about a Japanese soldier who remained in the Philippine jungle for 29 years after the end of World War II, will make its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month. “Onoda — 10,000 Nights in the Jungle,” which is set to debut on Wednesday, is expected to receive glowing reviews from foreign audiences. The movie will…
- World News
Dominating delta and an unexpected kiss
Struggling for oxygen in Indonesia, empty streets in Sydney, an unexpected kiss — have a look through the most dramatic photos of the day’s current events. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Donald Tusk returns to Poland’s political fray
Determined, confident, combative and goal-oriented — that’s how Donald Tusk presented himself at his comeback appearance in Warsaw on Saturday. A man who knows what he wants, which is to defeat the right-wing populist Law and Justice Party (PiS), led by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which has been in power since 2015. The next parliamentary election will be held in just over…
- World News
Bangladesh struggling to rein in COVID delta variant
Bangladesh has been witnessing an alarming rise in coronavirus cases over the past several days, prompting the government to deploy the military to the nation’s streets to ensure that people stay indoors and don’t violate lockdown restrictions. The surge in the South Asian country’s COVID infections is blamed largely on the highly infectious delta variant first detected in India. Hospitals…
- World News
Journalists under threat: July’s 10 most urgent cases
Across the world, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exert a toll on the way we live, it has also reshaped the way journalists work. Covering the pandemic and its aftermath has led to direct exposure to the virus, but just as concerningly, journalists have been exposed to the whims of authorities in some countries that use the contagion as…
- World News
COVID: High medical expenses take toll on poor families in India
Anindita Gupta, a resident of the eastern city of Kolkata, said she had to sell some of her jewelry to pay for the treatment of her brother-in-law at a private hospital. Her brother-in-law, who had contracted COVID-19, needed the support of an ECMO, which is used to pump and oxygenate a patient’s blood outside the body. So, at the end…
- Thailand News
Sunday COVID Update: 5,916 new infections, 44 deaths
Today the public health department has announced 5,916 new infections and 44 Covid-related deaths. 39 of the total are attributed to Thai prisons. The report indicates a stabilisation of numbers after 3 days hovering around the 6,000-per-day level of new cases. But Sundays often return lower-than-usual reports. • The Delta variant has been identified in 70% of Bangkok patients falling sick…
- World News
COVID-19: Africa plans a vaccine revolution
The third wave of coronavirus is rolling through much of Africa — and it could be the most severe of the pandemic yet, experts fear. The conditions on the continent could not be worse: The more contagious and arguably more dangerous delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has already wreaked havoc in India, is now spreading in Africa, where…
