Author: DW

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…

The US Supreme Court declined on Wednesday to impose curbs on the executive branch’s communication with social media. The ruling rejects a challenge made in 2022 on how federal officials encouraged the removal of social media posts deemed misinformation. The case was brought by the Republican-led states of Missouri and Louisiana and five individuals. What did the Supreme Court say in its ruling? Ruling on the motion in 2023, the New Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals found that various federal officials had likely violated the US Constitution’s First Amendment that protects free speech. The court also issued an injunction constraining contacts…

Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been chosen as NATO’s next boss.The 57-year-old takes the helm of the world’s biggest military alliance at a critical time – against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, mounting global insecurity, and uncertainty over the United States’ future attitude to the transatlantic organisation. Mr Rutte is bowing out of Dutch politics after nearly 14 years as leader.He will take over as secretary general on 1 October from Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg, who is stepping down after a decade in the post.Ambassadors from the alliance’s 32 members approved his appointment at a meeting at…

On Monday, Romania played against Ukraine in Munich at the EURO 2024 football championship, winning its first match of the tournament 3-0.  After the game, a video went viral on social media, in which Romanian fans in the stadium chant “Putin, Putin” – apparently in support of Russia’s president Vladimir Putin.  One of the posts on X has been viewed almost two million times. The video spread widely and was shared in different languages, such as Russian, German,  Czech, Chinese, Arabic, and on other platforms like Youtube, Telegram and TikTok.  The fans in the stadium were filmed from behind, which made it impossible to identify…

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi will not run as a candidate in the Southern African nation’s election scheduled for October 9. The Mozambican constitution limits the president to two consecutive five-year terms and Nyusi has been in power since 2015.  Frelimo — the ruling party that has held power since Mozambique’s war for independence from Portugal in 1975 — selected Daniel Chapo as its presidential nominee. At 47 years old, the former radio announcer is the first Frelimo candidate born post-independence.  Although a relatively unknown figure in national politics, Chapo is the governor of the southern Mozambican province of Inhambane. He holds a law…

Israel’s allies and Middle East players have echoed warnings regarding the spread of the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, after Israel said its plans for an offensive on Lebanon, where it is expected to face the Islamist Hezbollah militia, have been “approved and validated.” The US, Germany and Turkey have all responded with concern. While Berlin and Washington have cautioned against the consequences of the expansion of war, Ankara has pledged solidarity with Lebanon and called on other regional players to join in. Separately, the UN’s most senior official in charge of humanitarian affairs also warned such an escalation could be “apocalyptic.” “I…

Kenyan president William Ruto has withdrawn a bill which sparked deadly protests in Nairobi, saying he was respecting Kenyans’ “loud” opposition to it. After 22 people were reportedly killed in violent protests on Tuesday which also saw part of Kenya’s parliament building burnt, Mr Ruto said he would no longer be introducing unpopular new financial laws which would have hiked taxes for Kenyans. Protesters said the bill would have put yet more pressure on ordinary citizens and businesses trying to grapple with the high cost of living.The government claimed it wanted to raise funds to pay off debt.Read more: Kenya…

Scientists injected two radioactive chips into a live rhino’s horns at a South African rhino orphanage June 25, 2024. The rhino was the first of 20 slated to receive the injection in an effort to stop poaching, which a conservationist at the rhino orphanage called “the best idea I’ve ever heard.” How the anti-poaching chips work The chips will do two things: Scientists leading the project told the AFP news agency the chips will set off radiation detectors at border control points, alerting authorities of potentially poached material; they will also render the injected horns poisonous for human consumption, depleting their…

Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak were renowned Czech composers who borrowed from the folk music of their homeland in their classical-romantic works. “Ma Vlast” (My Fatherland) by Smetana, for example, is a homage to what is now the Czech Republic; while the famous “The Vltava” (also known as “The Moldau”) references the river that builds up from a trickle from its source over rapids to a large river that then flows into the Elbe in Germany. The full orchestra of the Hessischer Rundfunk symphony orchestra that opens the Rheingau Music Festival every year are performing the Czech classics. When the Armenian-French chief conductor…

An evening of Doner kebabs and a fully dressed Joshua Kimmich jumping into swimming pools – it’s safe to say spirits are high in the Germany camp. Top of the group and contributing to a party atmosphere at Euro 2024 , it’s easy to see why Germany are all smiles. One man who deserves perhaps more credit than he is getting is head coach Julian Nagelsmann. The 36-year-old was the face of Germany’s young coaching generation. Now he has seamlessly transitioned into leading the country at a home tournament. Ironic then, that the man who has long insisted football is a players’ game now looks like Germany’s…