Author: DW

Voters in Iran are going to the polls in a run-off election to choose a successor to late President Ebrahim Raisi, who was killed in a helicopter crash in May along with the foreign minister and other officials. The two contenders are Saeed Jalili, 58, a hard-liner who is a former negotiator with the West over Iran’s contentious nuclear program, and Masoud Pezeshkian, 69, a heart surgeon and reformist politician who was health minister from 2001 to 2005. State TV said polling stations opened their doors to voters at 8 a.m. local time (0430 GMT/UTC). Voting is officially scheduled to end…

Mexican authorities issued a “red alert” on Thursday evening in the nation’s top tourist destinations in anticipation of the deadly Hurricane Beryl. The storm, which had weakened somewhat on Wednesday from its initial Category 5 strength, gathered speed and wind over the Gulf of Mexico as it approached the Mexican coast. It is expected to make landfall on the Yucatan peninsula’s eastern coast early Friday, as a Category 3 storm, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). The agency warned of damaging waves and a dangerous storm surge. Beryl is the 2024 Atlantic season’s first hurricane which, at its…

Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has reportedly been indicted for embezzlement over diamond jewelry that he received from Saudi Arabia. During his time in office, the Saudi government gave Bolsonaro and his wife $3.2 million (€2.96 million) worth of jewelry including a diamond necklace, a ring, a watch and earrings. Security sources told the Associated Press and Reuters that Brazil’s federal police had indicted Bolsonaro on Thursday, but the Supreme Court has yet to receive the police report in order to move ahead. Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son and a sitting senator, claimed on social media that the news was an…

Police in Ecuador say 49 kidnapping victims have been rescued from a crime gang in the south of the country.Two suspected kidnappers were arrested during the raid in a mining region in Azuay province. Police said the Los Lobos (The Wolves) crime gang was behind the kidnappings.An earlier statement from the armed forces said 46 people were rescued and five were found killed – four of them dismembered. Image: Two suspected kidnappers were arrested during the raid. Pic: Ecuador Police “Forty-nine citizens who were victims of kidnapping in mining areas were released and two people linked to this crime were…

Mohammed is 27 years old and gay. However, he has yet to come out with his sexuality. Like many other LGBTQ+ Ghanaians, he fears that going public after Ghana’s lawmakers passed a bill in February to restrict gay, lesbian and trans voices could have serious consequences for him. “Life has actually changed for the worse for me personally,” he told DW. “The level of fear has increased, the level of isolation has increased.” Bad timing for bill Ghana’s “Human Sexual Rights and Family Values Bill” proposes a maximum five-year jail term for those who form or fund LGBTQ+ groups. There is also a proposed jail term of up…

Far-right parties made big gains in EU parliamentary elections this June, shifting the political balance at both the EU and the national levels across the bloc. A victory by the far-right National Rally (RN) in France, for instance, sent shockwaves through the country, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to call new national elections. While the true strength of the RN within France’s national parliament will not be clear until the second round of voting is completed on Sunday, right-wing parties in the European Parliament have begun to forge alliances for the upcoming legislative period — some old, others new. The right-wing…

The Royal Navy has sent a warship to help with Hurricane Beryl relief efforts – as the deadly storm heads towards Mexico.The former category five storm first slammed into the Caribbean earlier this week and on Thursday was continuing to sweep west across the Caribbean Sea. Widespread damage on multiple islands has been reported and at least nine people have died.The Ministry of Defence said offshore patrol vessel HMS Trent had been sent to the Cayman Islands to help and was scheduled to arrive this weekend.The warship, which departed from Puerto Rico on Wednesday, is carrying supplies of bottled water, basic…

A volunteer search party has pulled out of the hunt for Jay Slater, insisting they have not seen a penny of the money raised to help find the missing teenager.Callum Fahim, who flew to Tenerife after contacting the 19-year-old’s mother online, has told Sky News he has withdrawn after two weeks of looking – and receiving death threats. He plans to return to the UK on Thursday.Mr Slater was last heard from on 17 June after setting off on a walk back to his accommodation – a journey of about 11 hours.Police called off the land hunt on 30 June…

Germany has summoned Turkey’s ambassador as the row over a Turkish player’s ultra-nationalist gesture at Euro 2024 grows.UEFA is investigating Merih Demiral for mimicking a wolf’s head with his fingers – a symbol linked to a far-right group known as the Grey Wolves – after scoring against Austria in Leipzig on Tuesday. Turkish President Recip Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly cancelled plans to appear at a summit of Turkic states in Azerbaijan to instead attend Turkey’s quarter-final match against the Netherlands.The Grey Wolves are the youth branch of Turkey’s Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) – an ally of Mr Erodgan’s AK Party…

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is attending Turkey’s football game against the Netherlands this weekend, following controversy over a Turkish footballer’s celebratory gesture. Merih Demiral celebrated his second goal against Austria in a group of 16 knockout game in the Euro 2024 earlier this week by a gesture associated with an ultra-nationalist group. The tournament organizer, UEFA, said it was investigating the gesture for “inappropriate behavior,” while host Germany slammed the player’s actions. Ankara has defended the Turkish player, describing Berlin’s reaction as “xenophobia.” Turkish footballer’s ‘wolf salute’ sparks diplomatic rowTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading…