Author: DW

A dam break in China’s Hunan province forced almost 6,000 people to evacuate, even as authorities rushed to stem the resulting floods, state media reported on Saturday. According to state news agency Xinhua, the breach at China’s second-largest freshwater lake, Dongting Lake opened up on Friday afternoon. How bad was the breach? The rupture across a 226-meter (740-foot) span pressed authorities to relocate around 5,700 residents. There were no injuries reported as of early Saturday. Videos showed water flooding through the fissure, overturning trucks, and inundating houses. According to Xinhua, the emergency management ministry sent more than 800 staff and almost 150 vehicles, and…

It was the world’s biggest job interview.Joe Biden’s grilling on primetime TV was a test of suitability for the dual role of president and election winner, when many had already reached the conclusion he’s neither. This 22-minute Q&A with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos felt make or break and, in the event, it was probably more break than make. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:16 ‘They are trying to push me out of the race’ To be fair, Biden turned in a steady performance and there was no repeat of the debate meltdown. His difficulty was in…

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Russia next week, marking his first visit to Moscow since the launch of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Modi, who was returned to power last month as leader of the world’s most populous country, is walking a fine line between maintaining a longstanding partnership with Moscow while courting closer Western security ties. The war in Ukraine has drawn scrutiny to Russia’s close ties with India, as Kyiv’s Western partners urge Modi’s government to condemn the invasion and put pressure on the Kremlin. New Delhi has so far refrained from explicitly condemning Russia for its actions in…

When Turkish security forces detained Abdul Qader Basmaji in March this year, there was no way the Syrian refugee could still have made it to an ATM in Istanbul to withdraw his savings before he was taken to a deportation center. A few days later, the 25-year-old arrived at the border between Turkey and Syria’s northwestern region of Idlib. Basmaji laughs bitterly when asked if he was compensated for losing his job, flat, friends and savings. “Nobody reimbursed me,” he told DW in Idlib city, adding that at least the Turkish authorities hadn’t requested that he’d cover the deportation costs himself. Basmaji…

Joe Biden has again vowed “I am staying in the race” at a rally as pressure mounts on him to quit the presidential election.Doubts grew over the health and capability of the 81-year-old US president after a shaky performance in a debate with opponent Donald Trump last week. Amid questions about whether he has the stamina to run against Trump, he held a rally in the key battleground state of Wisconsin, ahead of an interview with broadcaster ABC News – his first since the debate.Speaking to supporters, he said he is not letting the debate “wipe out years of work”…

Masoud Pezeshkian, a moderate who has promised to open Iran to the world, won the run-off presidential election, officials said early on Saturday. Pezeshkian, 69, was up against Saeed Jalili, 58, a hard-liner who is a former negotiator with the West over Iran’s contentious nuclear program. The run-off election in Iran were held 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. Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and reformist politician, was health minister from 2001 to 2005. Turnout higher than first round According to authorities,…

Several hundred delighted locals and tourists gathered Friday outside the Moulin Rouge cabaret club, one of the French capital’s most visited attractions, to celebrate the new four red blades for its iconic windmill. The club’s landmark windmill sails fell off in April, but the new blades were unveiled nearly a week before the Olympic torch was due to pass through the venue on July 15. The Games begin on July 26. “The windmill without its wings is a void for Paris, it was just sad,” said managing director Jean-Victor Clerico. “The idea was to be ready for the Olympic Games.”…

Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian has been elected as Iran’s new president, beating hardline conservative Saeed Jalili.The country’s interior ministry confirmed Mr Pezeshkian’s victory on Saturday, saying he had gained the “majority of the votes cast” the day before. He managed to beat his rival Mr Jalili, after promising to reach out to the West and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.Videos on social media showed supporters of Mr Pezeshkian dancing in streets in many cities and towns across the country and motorists honking car horns to cheer his…

Toni Kroos’ last moment as a professional was one he’s spent a lifetime preparing for. A deep freekick, a tournament on the line, a nation holding its breath. But it wasn’t to end in glory, as so many had before. Instead Spain cleared the ball, Kroos bowed his head and knew he would finish a highly-decorated career without a European Championship win. The German midfielder announced his retirement from all football shortly ahead of the tournament, before winning the Champions League again with Real Madrid. His departure signals the end of a footballing career marked by timing, precision, decisiveness and trophies.…

Hurricane Beryl has made landfall in Mexico, as the storm’s core shifted over the Yucatan, with winds falling to 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour), US forecasters said. The storm had previously reached Categories 4 and 5 and left a devastating trail of destruction in the Caribbean. Beryl has now been classified down to a Category 2 storm, the National Hurricane Center reported. Recent weather reports expect the storm to weaken further as it churns northwest across the Yucatan Peninsula. From there, the storm is projected to pick up strength again as it emerges over the Gulf of Mexico. Beryl is…