Author: DW

The first hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic season, Beryl, has become a Category 4 storm, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Sunday. “Reconaissance aircraft find Beryl now an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane,” it said, warning that life-threatening winds and storm surge expected in the Windward Islands, a group of islands that includes Martinique, Saint Lucia and Grenada, early on Monday. According to the NHC, the hurricane is located about 565 kilometers east-southeast of Barbados, with maximum sustained winds of 215 kilometers per hour. Earlier on Sunday, Beryl was already upgraded to Category 3. A Category 3 or higher on the Saffir-Simpson scale is considered a…

At least 18 people were killed and 30 more injured in co-ordinated attacks by suspected female suicide bombers in Nigeria, local authorities said.The first suspect detonated an explosive device during a marriage celebration in the north-eastern Nigerian town of Gwoza on Saturday. Minutes later, another explosion went off near a hospital and then a third attack took place at a funeral service.The suspect at the funeral service was dressed as a mourner, according to the state emergency agency.Children and pregnant women were among those killed and 19 of those injured are seriously hurt. “I have mobilised emergency drugs to complement…

French opinion polls suggest the far-right National Rally will likely win a majority in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, as voters go to the ballot box in two rounds on June 30 and July 7. The party came out on top in the European Parliament elections in early June, with almost twice as many votes as the centrist Renaissance party headed by President Emmanuel Macron — a crushing loss that prompted Macron to call the snap legislative elections. If the latest polls prove true, what would this shift in power mean for Macron’s ability to govern in Paris? DW answers the most pressing questions…

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced plans for a new alliance of European populist parties, during a news conference in Austria on Sunday. Dubbed Patriots for Europe, the group brings together Orban’s right-wing populist Fidesz party, Austria’s far-right Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) and the Czech Republic’s centrist group of ex-premier Andrej Babis. Currently, there are seven political alliances at the European Union level that represent the political parties of the 27 member states elected to the European Parliament. The groups are organized by political affiliation rather than nationality. Some parties don’t belong to any group. What did Orban say? Speaking a day before Hungary assumes…

An Israeli woman who was taken hostage and rescued from Gaza says she wishes people could “learn to love and not hate”.Speaking publicly for the first time since her rescue, Noa Argamani said 120 hostages remain in “Hamas captivity” – including her boyfriend Avinatan Or. Video of her being kidnapped was widely shared after she was taken from the Nova music festival on 7 October by two men on a motorbike.She and Mr Or were “separated at the moment of abduction”, she said in a video recorded for the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Please use Chrome browser for a…

Arms exports from Germany rose 30% in the first six months of 2024 compared to the same period a year earlier, Economy Ministry data published Sunday showed. Between January 1 and June 18, the government approved total weapons exports worth at least €7.48 billion ($8.01 billion). By June 18, exports had already reached 60% of 2023’s total, the ministry data showed. If the trend continues for the remainder of the year, the total value of arms sales is set to reach a new record. Germany’s weapons exports for the whole of last year hit an all time high of €12.2 billion, mostly…

The governor of Turkey’s largest city of Istanbul has once more banned the LGBTQ+ community from holding a Pride Parade, without giving any reasons for his move except to say that “illegal groups” were wanting to hold a protest march without authorization. The governor’s office said the area around the central Taksim Square had been sealed off to traffic and that pedestrian traffic was being monitored. At last year’s parade, which was held despite being banned, several arrests were made. LGBTQ+ people in Turkey have been a regular target of scorn for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has depicted them…

A 13-year-old boy carrying a “realistic appearing” replica firearm has died after being shot by police in New York state, US authorities have said.The shooting happened after two youths were stopped by officers investigating robberies in Utica, about 240 miles northwest of Manhattan, on Friday evening.They were approached because they “matched the robbery suspects’ descriptions”, police said.One of them ran before pointing what appeared to be a handgun at the officers, Utica police chief Mark Williams told reporters. Image: Police said the boy was carrying a replica gun. Pic: Utica Police Department Video on social media shows the boy being…

Skip next section Polling stations open in exceptional parliamentary elections06/30/2024June 30, 2024Polling stations open in exceptional parliamentary electionsVoters across mainland France have begun casting their ballots in the country’s snap election, with polling stations opening at 8 a.m. (0600 GMT/UTC). First projections of results are expected at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT/UTC), which is when the final polling stations are scheduled to close. Preliminary official results are then expected later on Sunday evening. Voters in France’s overseas territories cast ballots earlier in the weekend. Some 49 million people are eligible to vote. The election was called by President Emmanuel Macron after his party suffered a…

Skip next section Who are the competing parties in France’s snap election?06/30/2024June 30, 2024Who are the competing parties in France’s snap election?The election features four major blocks competing for seats in the National Assembly: The New Popular Front is a coalition of left-wing parties and the Greens. It was formed earlier this month after the snap elections was called by President Emmanuel Macron. Its platform includes overturning immigration and pension reforms, a wealth tax and increasing minimum wage. It currently holds 149 seats. Macron’s Renaissance party is part of the Ensemble (Together) coalition. The centrist, pro-EU and pro-NATO alliance aims to make…