Author: DW

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has arrived in his home country Australia to be reunited with his wife and children as a free man.The 52-year-old landed in the capital Canberra on Wednesday after an extraordinary few days following his release from Belmarsh prison in London. Assange was seen passionately kissing his wife Stella after stepping off a plane at the city’s airport.The Wikileaks founder earlier held up a fist in the air to applause and shouts of “welcome home” from his supporters.They could also be heard shouting “Thank you Julian” and “We love you Julian”. Assange later hugged his father John…

The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday issued a guilty verdict in the case of an al-Qaeda-linked jihadist accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity during an alleged reign of terror in Mali. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoud will be sentenced at a later date, but the crimes he is convicted of could amount to life imprisonment. The charges brought against him included torture, rape and sexual slavery, as well as destroying religious and historic buildings. The crimes are believed to have taken place when al-Qaeda-linked insurgents, a group known as Ansar Dine, took over the Malian ancient…

Kenya finds itself plunged into uncertainty a day after protesters stormed Parliament amid violent demonstrations over a controversial tax plan. How did we get here? Kenya’s controversial finance bill A finance bill outlines how the government wants to spend money. It is often presented to Parliament before the beginning of the fiscal year, which, in Kenya, runs from July to June. Young protesters in Kenya identifying as Generation Z have for days rallied against the country’s finance bill, which they argue will raise taxes on already overtaxed Kenyan workers. Following a public outcry, the government abandoned its plan to put…

Skip next section Kyiv hails Rutte’s appointment as NATO’s new head06/26/2024June 26, 2024Kyiv hails Rutte’s appointment as NATO’s new headKyiv hailed the appointment of outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as NATO chief, describing his role as “crucial.” “Congratulations to Mark Rutte on being elected as the new Secretary General of NATO. Your leadership and dedication to democratic principles are crucial for our shared future,” the Ukrainian presidency’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on social media. Rutte was officially named the new NATO secretary general on Wednesday. A staunch backer of Ukraine, the 57-year-old Rutte staked his claim for the…

A proposed finance bill has sparked mass anti-government protests in the streets of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, and across other cities in Kenya. The demonstrations in Niarobi took a violent turn on June 25, with rights groups accusing officers of firing live rounds at demonstrators. At least 13 people were killed during protests across Kenya on Tuesday, according to a doctors’ association. Angry over proposed tax hikes related to the cost of living crisis that has been simmering for years, protesters stormed the nearby parliament complex, which was then set ablaze.Footage broadcast on Kenya’s privately owned Citizen TV showed police trying to douse the flames with…

Newly released footage shows the search for missing British teenager Jay Slater continues by both land and air.The search for the 19-year-old from Lancashire, who is missing in Tenerife, has now entered its tenth day. He has been missing since Monday 17 June.The friends he was holidaying with last heard from him at around 8.30am that day.He told them he planned to walk back to his accommodation after missing a bus – a journey of around 11 hours by foot. The search currently centres on Masca, a mountainous area on the western tip of the island.The village, which is home…

NATO allies on Wednesday selected outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte for the alliance’s top job, as members and NATO itself continue to face the repercussions of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. Rutte’s eventual appointment to the secretary general position was clear last week after his only rival for the post, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, stepped out of the running. Stoltenberg hands over to Rutte The Dutch politician described his appointment as a “tremendous honor.” “The Alliance is and will remain the cornerstone of our collective security,” he said on social media. “Leading this organisation is a responsibility I do not…

In July 2023, after 13 years in office as the Netherlands’ prime minister, Mark Rutte announced he would resign from office, saying he was “retiring from politics.” Rutte had been the longest-serving prime minster in the history of the Netherlands, a country of just over 17 million. So, why did he step down? Rutte’s liberal-conservative People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) had deemed his approach to asylum-seekers too lenient, causing his fragile four-party coalition government to collapse. This was followed by snap elections won by far-right populist Geert Wilders. Rutte had been unable to prevent this shift toward the right, arguably marking the biggest defeat…

A white couple from West Virginia have been accused of child neglect after allegedly forcing their adopted black children to work as ‘slaves’ and locking them in a barn.Donald Ray Lantz, 63, and Jeanne Kay Whitefeather, 62, pleaded not guilty at Kanawha County court on Tuesday to multiple charges, including human trafficking of a minor child, use of a minor child in forced labour, and child neglect creating substantial risk of serious bodily injury or death, according to local news outlet Metro News.They also face allegations of human rights violations, over specifically targeting black children and forcing them to work…

06/26/2024June 26, 2024US journalist Gershkovich appears before closed Russian courtReporters took photos of Gershkovich ahead of his closed-door trial on WednesdayImage: Donat Sorokin/TASS/dpa/picture allianceReporters briefly filmed US journalist Evan Gershkovich ahead of the start of his closed trial on spying charges in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg. The 32-year-old, who could face up to 20 years in a penal colony if convicted, was seen standing with a shaved head in a glass box. Prosecutors accuse the Wall Street Journal reporter of gathering secret information on a company that makes tanks for Russia’s war in Ukraine.  “The judge has entered the…