Author: DW

Melania and Ivanka Trump made a rare appearance at the Republican National Convention, showing support for Donald Trump’s presidental bid.Entering the event in Milwaukee on Thursday night to a warm round of applause, the former president’s wife waved to the crowd before taking a seat in the family box. Unlike previous Republican conventions in 2016 and 2020, she did not give a speech.Trump v Biden latest: Trump addresses adoring RepublicansShe was joined by Mr Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka, and her husband Jared Kushner, who have also been noticeably absent from the campaign trail, despite having held senior roles on Trump’s…

This year’s Salzburg Festival will feature 172 performances over 44 days in 15 venues, drawing an expected quarter-million visitors from around the world. (Last year, despite wars and crises, 79 nations were counted in Salzburg, 40 of which were non-European). More than 1,500 artists — including the biggest stars of the opera and theater industry — make up the program, conceived and coordinated by an international team led by artistic director Markus Hinterhäuser. This year’s theme: ‘Between heaven and hell’ The festival management presented the program back in December 2023: 10 opera productions and just as many theater productions, flanked by numerous concerts, exhibitions and discussion…

Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican Party’s presidential nomination during a speech capping a convention dominated by the weekend’s attempt on his life. “The discord and division in our society should be healed,” the former president said at the start of his speech.  “I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America,” he added. In a 90-minute speech, Trump seemed to have gone off script after the first few minutes. He made various pledges to his voters including putting an “end” to international crises, and carrying out the…

The virus that causes polio has been detected in sewage samples in Gaza, according to its health ministry.It said tests had been carried out with UNICEF and that the finding “exposes thousands of residents to the risk of contracting poliomyelitis”.It warned of a potential “new health disaster” if action isn’t taken.Polio mainly affects children and usually spreads through contact with faeces; for example when people don’t wash their hands properly, or from contaminated food or water.The dire conditions in Gaza, where infrastructure has been decimated and thousands are packed together in camps, make transmission far more likely.In a statement, the…

Donald Trump is set to formally accept the Republican Party’s presidential nomination during a speech capping a convention dominated by the weekend’s attempt on his life. The former president promised to deliver a message to unify his party and the country behind his vision for “a new golden age for America.” Trump’s acceptance speech marks the climax and conclusion of the four-day Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. Trump’s appeal to voters Over the four days, a stream of speakers aimed to depict Trump as a compassionate family man and dedicated public servant unfairly criticized by Democratic opponents. The televised event aimed to…

On Friday, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague will present an advisory opinion on the “legal consequences arising from the policies and practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem.” The United Nations General Assembly requested the ICJ render an advisory opinion in December 2022 — well before the Hamas-led attack in Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip in response.  According to Israeli officials, the militant Islamist Palestinian group Hamas killed about 1,200 people in the attack and took more than 250 hostages to Gaza. According to the…

An Italian court in Milan on Thursday ordered a journalist to pay €5,000 ($5,450) in damages to Giorgia Meloni for “body shaming” the prime minister on social media. The Milan court also gave Giulia Cortese a suspended fine of €1,200 over another post on X, formerly Twitter, about Meloni’s height. “Italy’s government has a serious problem with freedom of expression and journalistic dissent,” Cortese said in reaction to the sentence. Social media exchanges ended up in court Meloni launched legal action against the journalist three years after the two women clashed on social media. Cortese published a mocked-up photo of Meloni…

A suspected arson attack in the southeastern French city of Nice has left seven people dead, including three children and a teenager.  The fire, which police believe was arson, tore through a top-floor apartment in a block of flats in the western suburb of Moulins at about 3 a.m. local time on Thursday morning. Nice prosecutor Damien Martinelli later said investigators were looking into a “criminal” cause for the fire. “In light of the initial evidence, I have opened an investigation into acts of arson leading to death,” he told reporters at the scene. First Deputy Mayor of Nice, Anthony Borre, said on X that “These actions…

US President Joe Biden was facing fresh doubts from Democratic Party leaders over the viability of his candidacy.  Former President Barack Obama has privately expressed concerns that Biden’s path to victory has greatly diminished, several people familiar with the private conversations told the Associated Press in a report published on Thursday. The Washington Post reported that Obama thinks Biden should “seriously consider the viability of his candidacy.” Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reportedly among those who have privately told Biden he cannot win and that he is putting Democrats’ chances at winning control of the House of Representatives at risk.  Biden and…

Israel’s parliament voted overwhelmingly against the creation of a Palestinian state on Thursday. The resolution said that the Israeli parliament “firmly opposes the creation of a Palestinian state (on land) west of Jordan.” “The creation of a Palestinian state in the heart of the land of Israel would constitute an existential danger for the state of Israel and its citizens, would perpetuate the Israel-Palestinian conflict and destabilize the region,” the resolution added. It claimed that “promoting” a Palestinian state was “a reward for terrorism and would only encourage Hamas and its supporters” after the October 7 terror attacks. Hamas is classified…