Thaiger
- World News
Taliban victory: A likely boost for Islamist extremists in the Middle East
While the West is anxiously watching developments after the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan, “Islamic State” (IS), al-Qaeda and other terror militias are also observing what is happening with keen interest — to say the least. “We have to expect that not only IS, but also al-Qaeda and other smaller groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan will become stronger,” Guido Steinberg, a…
- World News
Refugees in Istanbul: Is anti-migrant sentiment growing in Turkey?
For years now, the Istanbul district of Yusufpasa has attracted migrants and refugees fleeing from war. Its inhabitants come from all over the world — but Syrians most visibly shape everyday life here. On bustling Millet Street you cannot overlook the many Syrian-run stores —- restaurants, barbers’ shops and travel agents mainly target Syrian customers. The advertising in the windows…
- World News
Why the Afghan army folded to the Taliban
US President Joe Biden on Monday addressed the nation to share his views on the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the war-ravaged country. As Biden justified his decision to pull all US troops out of Afghanistan, he blamed the Afghan leadership for not resisting Taliban advances in recent weeks. “The truth is: this did unfold more…
- World News
The conflict in Tigray, Ethiopia
Who’s fighting who? Ethiopian government soldiers and Tigrayan fighters are battling for control of the country’s northern Tigray region. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) sees Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed as a bitter enemy: in the 25 years before he became Ethiopia’s leader in 2018, the TPLF domintated national politics, and controlled ministerial, government and military appointments. Critics called…
- World News
Who are the Taliban?
They call themselves “students” ― that’s the verbatim translation of the word “Taliban” from Pashto. Today, the name of the Islamist militant movement doesn’t conjure up images of men and women bent over books, though, but rather of terror and destruction. After the Taliban completed their take-over of Afghanistan on Sunday by capturing the capital Kabul and moving into the…
- World News
Who is Zambia’s president-elect Hakainde Hichilema?
There was dancing in Zambia’s capital Lusaka when it emerged Hakainde Hichilema had won the presidential election. Hichilema beat incumbent President Edgar Lungu by a landslide of almost a million votes. Still, there was an anxious wait until midday on Monday, which ended when Lungu conceded defeat. It marks redemption for the 59-year-old Hichilema, popularly known as HH by his…
- Sports News
Supercup: Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich – live blog
With the first title of the season on the line, German Cup winners Borussia Dortmund play host to Bundesliga titleholders Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Der Klassiker with new head coaches. DW’s live blog has the latest. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Afghans fear return to the past after Taliban victory
After the Taliban entered the Afghan capital on Sunday, Suhail Shaheen, a spokesperson for the Taliban, said on Twitter that their fighters were under strict orders not to harm anyone. The militant group took over Kabul without facing any resistance from Afghan government forces. “Life, property and honor of no one shall be harmed but must be protected by the…
- World News
EU and Poland battle it out over the rule of law
This Monday (August 16) Poland faces yet another European Commission deadline in Warsaw’s years-long fight with Brussels over the restructuring of its national judicial system. This time, Warsaw could face stiff financial penalties if it fails to heed the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and immediately halt the work of a new Disciplinary Chamber of the Supreme Court deemed illegal…
- World News
Iran’s ‘hostage diplomacy’ traps foreign nationals
The 67-year-old German-Iranian activist Nahid Taghavi is still in detention after being arrested in the Iranian capital in October 2020. Last week, an Islamic Revolutionary Court sentenced her to 10 years and eight months detention on charges of engaging in political activity. Such courts are used to try people suspected of wanting to overthrow the government, the proceedings usually take…
- World News
Opinion: Europe’s migrants are part of the solution
Twenty-three million, an estimated 5% of the European Union’s nearly 450 million residents, were born outside of its borders. This figure is perhaps most noticeable in culture and sports. England’s Euro 2020 football squad only had three players that did not have a migration background. And at the Eurovision Song Contest in May, two refugees took part. One of them…
- World News
Tenacious Unicorn Ranch: Sanctuary and target
The Tenacious Unicorn Ranch has become a haven for transgender individuals but not everyone is a fan. Now, residents are arming themselves as death threats mount. SOURCE: DW News
- Sports News
Vaccine protest in Dortmund: 50 people return BVB jerseys in protest at stadium entry regulations
Around 50 people returned their Borussia Dortmund jerseys in protest at the club’s stadium entry regulations. Among them were people wearing symbols associated with the extreme right and the ‘Querdenker’ movement. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
Turkey: Anti-foreigner sentiment boils over in Ankara riots
It all began on Tuesday evening when a street fight erupted between two groups of youths in Altindag, a district of the Turkish capital, Ankara. In the violent confrontation between some Syrian migrants and a group of Turkish locals, two Turks were stabbed. A few hours later, one of them, 18-year-old Emirhan Yalcin, died in hospital. The event sparked a…
- Covid-19 News
Covid UPDATE: 22,086 new infections, provincial totals
The Thai public health department announced another 22,086 new infections to Thailand’s total. 270 of today’s cases stem from the Thai prison system. 217 Covid-related deaths were also announced. 23,672 people were released from hospital care. 60% of people who died in the past 24 hours were 60 years old plus. 18 of the total died at home. The median age…
- World News
Greece: Abandoned to the flames on Evia
The sun loungers have been abandoned in the seaside resort of Rovies. In parts of this village, the flames blazed their way right down to the beach. Just a few days ago, Evia’s hills were covered in thousands of its characteristic pine trees. All that’s left of them now are black stumps, split open by the heat, standing in a…
- World News
The dying art of papier-mache in Kashmir
His family has been in the business of papier-mache art for well over a century, but for Akhtar Hussain Mir, his trade is gradually disappearing before his eyes. Mir learnt the art at the age of 10 but now, five decades later, he feels disheartened as the craft is slowly vanishing from the Himalayan Valley of India-administered Kashmir and little…
- World News
Meet India’s last maker of hand-made national flags
Mohammad Arif, a 70-year-old flag maker, told DW about how plastic flags are harmful for the environment and it’s better to use cotton flags in their stead. SOURCE: DW News
- World News
As migration is rising, so are border barriers
Although thousands of miles apart, Lithuania and the Dominican Republic have something very specific in common: Due to increasing migration from their respective neighboring countries, both recently decided to tightened their borders. Both countries are showcases of an ongoing trend: The world today is seeing ever more refugees and asylum-seekers than two decades ago. Political conflicts and the effects of…
- World News
Lebanon: Dollars shield some from hyperinflation crisis
Long queues outside gas stations, empty shelves in pharmacies and often more than 20 hours of power outages a day — the situation in Lebanon was grim even before the Central Bank decided to lift the subsidies for fuel imports this week. Signs of the crisis are easy to spot everywhere in Lebanon: The elderly woman who asks for money…
- World News
Victims of Belarus police violence: ‘they said we should just die’
At a press conference earlier this week, broadcast by state television, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko rejected allegations that those who were arrested for protesting the outcome of the presidential election in August 2020 had been tortured. Only 47 people work in Minsk’s Okrestina prison, Lukashenko said during his exchange with journalists and handpicked citizens. “And they are supposed to have…
- World News
How peanut shredders changed this Mozambican’s life
Almeida Jorge has been dealing with machines since he was a child. In 2017, he had an idea that changed his life. The 25-year-old Mozambican invented a machine. The equipment grinds groundnuts and coconuts.The machine is based on a similar one from China. The workshop is in his house on the outskirts of Maputo. His team sets up three to…
- World News
Angolan bets on rabbits in economic crisis
Octávio Simão has been farming rabbits for six years after tough economic conditions forced him to try something new. Many said his enterprise was foolish, but rabbit farming sustains his family today. At 25, he has a degree in Business Management. Simão raises over 100 rabbits consisting of four breeds. The rabbit breeder sells 10 to 20 rabbits a day.…
- World News
Venezuela: Uncertainty around government-opposition talks
A new round of talks to defuse Venezuela’s prolonged national political crisis will kick off in Mexico City on Friday. Norway will mediate the negotiations between Nicolas Maduro’s government and the opposition coalition led by Juan Guaido. The focus will be on regional elections as well as international sanctions facing the country. Besides the lifting of these sanctions, Maduro’s government…
- World News
Algeria and Tunisia wildfires reinforce the tone of IPCC findings on Africa
The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report outlines the severity of the global climate crisis. According to the UN body, the crisis poses not only a policy problem but a global political challenge. Some analysts have been quick to question the difference between the latest IPCC assessment and those over three decades, But experts in Africa see a…
- World News
How Mekong River is turning into a new flashpoint in Indo-Pacific
For several years, US politicians have adopted the Japanese slogan of a “free and open Indo-Pacific,” calling for international law to apply over disputes in the South China Sea, in which China is accused of acting aggressively. Earlier this month, during the East Asia Summit foreign ministers’ meeting, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for “a free and open…
- World News
Afghanistan: Taliban offensive puts Iran in a bind
Iran has been beefing up its military presence along its border with Afghanistan since early May when US-led foreign troops began their total withdrawal from the war-torn nation and the Taliban started an aggressive offensive against Afghan government forces. Since last weekend, Iranian border guards have been on constant alert as Taliban fighters stand guard on the other side of…
- World News
Tanzania’s famous female firefighter
She needs special equipment to work. Pili Kaku loves what she does. She’s a member of the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Service. Kaku is trained to save lives. She pays attention to the grievances of people. This gives her more motivation. Fighting fires is a challenging job. Many women are not interested in it. Kaku is drawing the attention. She…
- World News
Will Romania step up anti-LGBTQ legislation like Hungary?
Many Romanians probably do not know what the letters LGBTQ stand for, and this is hardly surprising given that sexual orientation and gender identity have not played a major role in the country’s public debate in recent years. Although a referendum seeking to prevent same-sex marriage from ever being legalized was held in 2018 after being championed by the Romanian…
- World News
AfricaLink on Air – 11 August 2021
Ethiopia calls “all capable” citizens to fight in Tigray war +++ Zambian election: Youth unemployment may swing vote +++ Kenya forces vaccines on Civil Servants +++ Cameroon: Aid agencies drawn into conflict SOURCE: DW News
