- World News
Forever Is Now: Art exhibition in the desert sand
A premiere after 4,500 years: Egypt is hosting its first art exhibition against the backdrop of the Giza Pyramids. Various artists have created large installations in the desert sand. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Are Southeast Asian nations meeting their climate commitments?
Southeast Asia is among the world’s most at-risk regions when it comes to the impact of global warming. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in its most recent report that the region is facing rising sea levels, heat waves, droughts and increasingly intense rainstorms. “Recent studies estimate that up to 96% of the ASEAN region is likely…
- World News
Donovanosis: ‘Flesh-eating’ STI has doctors worried
Donovanosis causes thick ulcers on the genitals. Both men and women can contract it, but men are twice as likely to be affected. It is generally transmitted through unprotected sex. Also called granuloma inguinale, donovanosis is a bacterial infection that has been dubbed “flesh-eating” because it causes extensive inflammation of the genitals. It does not actually eat the flesh. Typical…
- World News
Egypt: ‘Lifting emergency is just a public relations stunt’
This week’s lifting of the state of emergency status in Egypt was meant to be a message of hope for the 100 million people country. After all, President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi had announced that “Egypt has become, thanks to its great people and its loyal men, an oasis of security and stability in the region.” Back in April 2017, two…
- World News
Ghana: Growing COVID vaccine acceptance
At the West Hospital in Tamale, residents wait for the COVID jab. Ghanaians are slowly overcoming hesitancy and rejection. Conspiracy theories initially crippled inoculation efforts. Even health workers were hesitant. Community leaders were educated about the vaccines. They took the vaccines publicly to encourage others. Advocacy workers battled to change mindsets. But their efforts were held back by a flood…
- World News
Why African countries are skeptical of OECD tax reform plan
Kenya and Nigeria have withdrawn from a global tax reform plan preventing multinational corporations from easily shifting their profits to low-tax countries. The regional economic heavyweights had been weighing up taking part in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) led project, which envisages introducing a global minimum tax aimed at giving countries a partial share of the tax…
- World News
Pakistan: Media regulator accused of ‘moral policing’
The Pakistani government’s media watchdog has imposed a ban on “intimate” scenes on television amid growing religious conservativism in the country. Activists have decried the move. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Fruitful farming amid droughts
It has not rained for months in the semi-arid area of Muidabi, Kenya. There is no food for humans or pasture for animals. But Gabriel Mwangi Kariuki is changing lives: He owns a few greenhouses, filled with luscious, juicy tomatoes. His rain catchment system is vital: All his plants get a drop of water every 7 seconds. Through an EU-funded…
- World News
Japan: Economy and security top concerns ahead of election
Japan goes to the polls for parliamentary elections on Sunday, just weeks after Fumio Kishida became prime minister and with significant challenges at home and abroad in the forefront of the electorate’s minds. Opinion polls in the run-up to the election for Japan’s powerful House of Representatives suggest that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) could lose some seats in…
- World News
Somalia: Renewed clashes dim hopes for a credible election
After weeks of heated disputes between the outgoing President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmaajo and his Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Roble over the disappearance of a female spy agent, the two men finally agreed to move on. According to a deal signed by Farmajo and Roble, “speeding up elections is a top priority.” As things stand, Somalia currently has no legitimate national…
- World News
COP26: What is India doing to combat climate change?
When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends the UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, in Glasgow next week, he will represent the third biggest polluter in the world. His attendance, nevertheless, will be seen as critical, since the leader of the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, Chinese President Xi Jinping, is not expected to attend. Modi’s focus will likely be…
- World News
Coronavirus vaccine: Why are so many Russians skeptical of the COVID shot?
Once again, schools, stores, restaurants, sport centers and hair salons in Moscow and the region around the Russian capital have been forced to close. Drugstores and shops that sell food are allowed to remain open, along with theaters and museums, but visitors must show a QR code to prove they’ve been vaccinated or are fully recovered from a COVID infection.…
- World News
Kashmir: Artisans fight for survival amid dying art of pottery
As the paddy harvest season is nearing its end with the onset of winter, Dilshada Bilal, 35, is busy producing earthenware including fire pots and electric cooking heaters. Her modest workshop in the village of Larm-Ganjipora in southern Kashmir’s Anantnag district has a potter’s wheel, an oven, and storage space for her work. She lives a few meters away in…
- World News
The route from Iraq to Belarus: How are migrants getting to Europe?
To put it into perspective: Since the beginning of October, there have been 11,300 attempts to illegally enter Polish territory from Belarus. So far this year, around 23,000 such attempts have been registered. From there, many make their way to the German border. Three German states border Poland: Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony. Border police say there have been around…
- World News
Madagascar hunger crisis exacerbated by global warming
The impacts of global warming are getting worse around the world. An example is Madagascar, an island nation which is currently experiencing its worst drought in 40 year. For months, aid organizations have been sounding the alarm over this forgotten crisis, since hundreds of thousands of people in Madagascar are malnourished and suffer from hunger; and many have been so…
- World News
Crude oil price fluctuations expose Africa’s fossil fuel dependence
As fuel prices skyrocket around the world, it has become clearer that African countries will remain exposed to the detrimental impacts of sporadic fluctuations — at least until the global shift to renewable energy is realized. The economies of many African nations are fueled by petroleum, leaving the continent particularly vulnerable to volatile international fuel price fluctuations. In most countries,…
- World News
China removes top financial news outlet from official media list
In recent weeks, the Chinese government has revealed new plans to consolidate its control over the media landscape in China. On October 8, China’s National Development and Reform Commission, which oversees the country’s social and economic policies, released the “2021 Negative List of Market Access” and stated that “non-public capital” can’t invest in the establishment and operation of news organizations.…
- World News
EU climate chief: ‘We need to be more ambitious’
European Union climate chief Frans Timmermans told DW that he would have preferred to have all leaders present at the COP26, the landmark climate summit due to take place in Glasgow from October 31. The presidents of Russia and China are among those intending or likely to send envoys to the conference instead of attending in person. Critics fear that…
- World News
Burkina Faso’s silent refugee crisis
Jacob Ouermi does not like to talk about what his family has gone through. He, his wife Elisabet Simpore and their seven children lived in a village in northern Burkina Faso — until the violence started. “People were kidnapped, so we fled and didn’t take anything with us,” said Ouermi, sitting on a narrow wooden bench in the shade of…
- World News
Explained: Why Turkish President Erdogan is backpedaling in diplomatic row
What happened exactly? Over the weekend, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan instructed his Foreign Ministry to declare the ambassadors of 10 states, including those of Germany and the US, “persona non grata.” Following a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdogan stuck a more conciliatory tone, explaining that the embassies had “taken a step back from this slander against our country and…
- World News
In pictures: A rare look into Amazon tribe’s funeral rites
When the chief dies, the endangered Indigenous people in Brazil’s Xingu region gather for a unique ritual. A Reuters photographer was the only journalist invited to the funeral ceremony in September. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Why Iran fears chaos in Afghanistan
Iran is hosting a meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors plus Russia on Wednesday to discuss the current situation in the war-ravaged country. The conference, organized by the Iranian Foreign Ministry, will see the foreign ministers of Iran, China, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Russia holding talks in the Iranian capital Tehran on Afghanistan’s political future and the formation of a new…
- World News
A Rasta president for The Gambia?
The Gambia is going to the polls in December, to vote their new president. And among those who wants to be president is independent candidate, Rasta man Bankole Yao Jojo Ahadzie, aka Banky. It is the first presidential and parliamentary election since the departure of Yahya Jammeh, who ruled for 22 years. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Critics seek proof after Israel designates Palestinian rights groups as terrorists
The Israeli Defense Ministry’s unexpected decision to designate six Palestinian human rights and civil society establishments as terror organizations has resulted in swift criticism from Palestinians and several international organizations. Palestinian civil rights activists, international human rights organizations and some United States lawmakers have denounced the move, which was first announced Friday. They have accused Israel of trying to silence…
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Don’t wait!! Book your berth or booth at the Thailand International Boat Show
Press Release The Thailand International Boat Show (TIBS) 2022 is set to raise the bar for boating and lifestyle exhibitions in the region. Initial feedback from the industry has been very good, with organisers expecting a large in-water line-up of boats and an exciting collection of marine products and luxury lifestyle in the marina-side exhibition hall. The show is set…
- World News
Japan: Princess Mako marries commoner amid controversy
Japanese Princess Mako has quietly married a commoner without traditional wedding celebrations and said their marriage “was a necessary choice to live while cherishing our hearts.” The couple’s marriage document was submitted by a palace official Tuesday morning and made official, the Imperial Household Agency said. There was no wedding ceremony, reception banquet or other marriage rituals for the couple.…
- World News
Why Dubai plans to build infrastructure in Kashmir
The government of Dubai, one of the UAE’s seven emirates, recently inked an agreement with India to ramp up infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government said the deal will see Dubai building infrastructure in the troubled region including industrial parks, IT towers, multi-purpose towers, logistics centres, a medical college and a speciality hospital. “The world…
- World News
Japan: Princess Mako set to marry commoner amid controversy
Hours before Japan’s Princess Mako is due to marry her commoner fiance, Kei Komuro, there is little indication of the public or the domestic press relenting their criticism of the first imperial family wedding in nearly 30 years. An unforgettable day of traditional pomp and finery will instead be reduced to the signing of paperwork and a press conference. The…
- World News
Criminal gangs smuggle sodas into Portugal to avoid sugar tax
Customs officer Helder Mendes has lost count how of many trucks he has already stopped on this October day. “Good afternoon, your papers, please. What is your load?” he asks a truck driver. Since seven in the morning, he and five colleagues have been checking trucks en route from Spain at Vilar Formoso, one of Portugal’s busiest border crossings. The…
- World News
Joe Biden’s Taiwan gaffes create concern in China and Asia
In August, ABC television asked US President Joe Biden what he thought of Chinese media’s claims that the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan without a fight had shown Taiwan that Washington could not be relied on to come to its defense. Biden replied that the US’s commitments to Taiwan, South Korea and NATO were fundamentally different situations than what had happened…
