Author: DW

Mukesh, a 22-year-old from Munak in the northern state of Haryana, shows Sky News the scars all over his body he says are from torture in a Russian prison.He alleges prison guards stubbed their cigarettes out on him and regularly beat him up for months while he was incarcerated. Mukesh is one of the many young men from Haryana who have taken dangerous journeys in search of work abroad. Image: Mukesh, 22, shows injuries he claims were inflicted in a Russian prison Sky News has reported on several men who have ended up trapped and forced to fight for the…

“I’m hurt. All the Saturday mothers are hurt. Every new day is worse than the last when you have no certainty, no gravestone to visit,” Emine Ocak says. At 88, the co-founder of a protest movement demanding answers about disappearances in state custody finds that her memory isn’t what it used to be. For her daughter, Aysel Ocak, things are a little different. “When it comes to my brother Hasan, the memory, the pain is still fresh,” she says. The last time they heard from Hasan was March 21, 1995. Over the phone, he promised to bring fish and cake that…

The United States announced plans for new sanctions on Chinese officials on Friday after 14 pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong were convicted a Beijing-imposed national security law. A court found the 14 pro-democracy activists guilty in a landmark subversion trial that critics pointed to as evidence of a continued crackdown on civil liberties. “The United States is deeply concerned by the guilty verdicts announced in the national security law trial of pro-democracy organizers in Hong Kong,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement. “The defendants were subjected to a politically motivated prosecution and jailed simply for peacefully participating…

Israel has offered a comprehensive new ceasefire deal to Hamas, according to US President Joe Biden.The deal would involve the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza and the reconstruction of civilian areas.Mr Biden urged Hamas and prominent figures in Israel not to “lose this moment” after ceasefire talks ground to a halt at the start of the month when Israel refused a permanent end to the war and ramped up its assault on the city of Rafah.”Everyone who wants peace now must raise their voices and work to make it real. It’s time for this war to end,” the president…

In an AI-generated image that has gone viral, tent camps for displaced Palestinians can be seen against a backdrop of mountains. The white tents are arranged in such a way that the words “All Eyes on Rafah” can be read. The image has been spreading across social media since May 27, the day after an Israeli airstrike killed dozens of civilians in the southern Gazan city of Rafah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the attack, which has prompted widespread condemnation worldwide, a “tragic mistake.” More than 47 million Instagram accounts have shared the picture since a Malaysian user…

Authorities in France have arrested an 18-year-old who was suspected of plotting an “Islamist-inspired” terror attack during the Paris Olympics. The suspect was an “18-year-old of Chechen origin” who was arrested in Saint-Etienne, in southeast France, on May 22. “He intended to attack spectators but also security forces and die as a martyr,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement on Friday night. The ministry said the arrest marked the “first foiled attack against the Olympic Games.” What do we know about the alleged terror plot? According to the Interior Ministry, the suspect was accused of “actively preparing an attack” against…

France says it has foiled an attack targeting one of the football stadiums being used for this summer’s Olympic Games.The country’s security forces arrested an 18-year-old from Chechnya earlier this month in the southeastern city of Saint-Etienne, interior minister Gerald Darmanin said. According to investigators, the man was preparing an attack on the Geoffroy-Guichard stadium in Saint-Etienne.He planned to target spectators and police forces in order to “die and become a martyr”, the minister’s statement added.The Paris Olympics will take place between 26 July and 11 August, and will be held under heavy security. President Emmanuel Macron has said the…

Alexander Zverev’s assault trial has opened at the Berlin criminal court, with his legal team attacking the charges as “unfounded” and painting the alleged victim, Zverev’s ex-girlfriend, as someone motivated by fame and money, interested only in her follower count on social media. Zverev, the reigning Olympic tennis champion, is accused of “physically abusing a woman and damaging her health during an argument.” The woman is also the mother of his child.  Opening the trial, Philipp Zündorf, the public prosecutor, read out the charge in full. He said the alleged incident occurred at a rented Airbnb apartment in Berlin’s Charlottenburg district, between…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Stockholm Friday to meet with the leaders of Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Finland and Norway. “Today I am in Stockholm for the third Ukraine-Northern Europe summit,” Zelenskyy wrote in a social media post, adding, “Our top priorities are to ensure more air defense systems for Ukraine, joint defense industry projects, and weapons for our warriors, as well as global efforts to force Russia to make peace.” “Ukraine will grow stronger as a result of the support of our principled and consistent allies, as well as new security agreements,” wrote Zelenskyy on Friday. In February and…

Provisional election results show the country’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party is in the lead with 41.8% of the total vote. As of 2 p.m. CET on Friday, approximately 66% of votes from around the country had been counted and verified. The final results are expected over the weekend. South Africa’s election took place on May 29, with polls officially closing at 9 p.m. local time.Although these are merely partial results as votes continue to be validated, many analysts are predicting the ANC, which currently rules the country, will not hold the majority in parliament for the first time in 30…