Author: DW

Dissident Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof has arrived in Cannes to present his new film, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” just weeks after he escaped Iran, fleeing an 8-year prison sentence. Details of the director’s harrowing escape were made public last week after he had already arrived safely in Germany. He left Iran over the mountainous border by foot, after authorities sentenced him to a lengthy prison sentence, as well as a flogging. Rasoulof’s case dates back to 2022, when he was arrested and imprisoned in Tehran’s notorious Evin jail for signing a petition calling on security forces to “Lay Down Your…

For the first time in 15 years, an African leader is making a state visit to the US. This week Kenya’s President William Ruto took the historic step. But what’s next for the strategic alliance? Source link

A restaurant collapse on Spain’s Mediterranean island of Mallorca left at least four people dead and 16 others injured on Thursday night. According to Spanish media, the incident took place at around 8:30 p.m. local time (1830 GMT) in the Playa de Palma area, just south of the island’s capital, Palma de Mallorca. Emergency services said that the Medusa Beach Club on the Calle de Cartago, which consisted of a two-story restaurant, roof terrace and cellar bar, suddenly collapsed, trapping people downstairs. What we know about the victims On Friday, a spokesman for the local city council confirmed that the fatalities included two female…

Hundreds are feared dead after a landslide flattened dozens of homes and buried families alive in a remote in a remote part of Papua New Guinea.Rescue efforts are under way in the village of Kaokalam, which lies about 370 miles (600km) northwest of the South Pacific island nation’s capital, Port Moresby. Disaster struck at about 3am local time on Friday as people slept.Australian media reported that more than 100 people have been killed – although villagers believe this figure may be nearly 300. No official estimate has yet been made by the authorities.Footage posted on social media showed locals pulling…

The trial of Italian anti-fascist activist Ilaria Salis is set to begin in Hungary on Friday. Salis will stand trial in a Budapest court, where she will face charges of attacking two participants in a neo-Nazi march in February 2023. On Thursday, the 40-year-old teacher was released from a Hungarian prison and placed under house arrest after paying 16 million forints (€41,000) in bail. Incidentally, Salis is running in the upcoming European elections on June 9. What are the accusations against Salis? Salis faces three counts of attempted assault and accused of being involved in an extreme left-wing criminal organization following a…

Armenia on Friday returned to Azerbaijan four border villages it seized decades ago, officials in Yerevan and Baku said. The move is seen as a new step toward normalizing relations between the historic rivals. Armenian border guards “officially” took up new positions, Armenia’s national security service said. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Shahin Mustafayev announced that Baku’s border guards had taken control of the four settlements in the Gazakh district on the border with Armenia under an agreement with Yerevan. On May 16, Baku and Yerevan agreed on the demarcation of 12.7 kilometers (almost seven miles) of their border that returned…

Three women and a man have died after a beach club partially collapsed in Majorca.Two German women aged 20 and 30, one 23-year-old Spanish woman and a Senegalese man aged 44 died after the first floor of the two-storey Medusa Beach Club in Palma collapsed on Thursday, Sky News has been told. A further 16 people were injured in the incident which occurred at 8.30pm local time, seven of whom were “very seriously” injured and nine were seriously injured, emergency services said yesterday.No details about the nationalities of the injured have been released. Image: Pic: AP Palma’s fire chief Eder…

Skip next section Israel’s military says bodies of 3 hostages recovered05/24/2024May 24, 2024Israel’s military says bodies of 3 hostages recoveredThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Friday that it had recovered the bodies of three hostages taken into the Gaza Strip after being killed during the October 7 attacks by Hamas-led militants.  The IDF said the army and intelligence services collaborated on an overnight operation in Jabalia in northern Gaza, where there has been intense fighting in recent days. Families of the victims had been notified, it said. The Israeli National Forensic Institute and Israeli police identified the bodies, the…

China’s military continued its war drills around Taiwan on Friday, testing their ability to “seize power” and control key areas, with Chinese naval vessels and military aircraft encircling the island. These drills were launched on Thursday in response to Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te’s recent inauguration. China sees the self-ruled island as a part of its territory, and has not ruled out the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said it had tracked 49 Chinese fighter jets, as well as 19 naval and coast guard vessels in a 24-hour period from Thursday to Friday. Of…

Kabosu, the dog behind the “doge” meme, has died at the age of 18 after enjoying more than a decade of internet fame.The Japanese shiba inu had been suffering from leukaemia and liver disease. “To all of you who loved Kabosu, on the morning of the 24 May, Kabosu crossed the rainbow bridge. Thank you all so much for your support over the years,” Atsuko Sato, her owner, wrote on Instagram.”She went very peacefully without suffering, as if falling asleep while feeling the warmth of my hands petting her.”Thank you all so much for loving Kabosu all these years. “I…