Author: DW

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday called for members of the military alliance to maintain current levels of aid for Ukraine as Russia continues its invasion. He made the comments in the Czech capital, Prague, following an informal meeting of NATO foreign ministers. What did Stoltenberg say about Ukraine aid? Stoltenberg said that NATO will take on a greater role in coordinating the provision of military aid to Kyiv and the training of Ukrainian forces. He argued that such a move will “provide more predictability for Kyiv and address both immediate and longer-term needs.” The NATO chief pointed to the…

“No one is looking at the sofa or the television. Everyone is searching for photos or keepsakes. Absolutely everyone,” says Gustavo Oliveira, the founder of a volunteer group helping clean up flood-ravaged homes in the southern Brazilian city of Novo Hamburgo. People here have lost not only material possessions, but spaces and memorabilia that define their identity and the meaning of their lives. “One of the most impressive scenes I saw was a man who found his wedding ring in the mud. He immediately put it back on his finger,” added Oliveira, whose group has already helped clean up more…

A police officer who was stabbed during an attack at a far-right rally in Germany has died.The 29-year-old was one of six people who suffered serious injuries in the central square of Mannheim on Friday. He was placed in an artificial coma but died on Sunday, officials said.Chancellor Olaf Scholz posted on X, formerly Twitter, that he was “deeply grieved” and said the officer’s “commitment to the safety of us all deserves the highest recognition”.The officer was stabbed several times in the head and neck. A 25-year-old suspect from Afghanistan was shot and wounded at the scene.He remains in hospital…

The African National Congress, which came to power in 1994 after the end of Apartheid in South Africa, lost its parliamentary majority for the first time, partial results from the general election showed on Saturday. With 99% of the votes from Wednesday’s election counted, the party, once led by Nelson Mandela, secured just over 40%, a far cry from the 57.5% it won in 2019. The party also lost its majority in two of the nine provinces, while the opposition pro-business Democratic Alliance (DA) retained control of a third. The independent electoral commission that ran the election said it would formally declare the results by…

On Sunday, Mexicans will be voting for a new president in an election that marks a major milestone. For the first time in the country’s history, the race has come down to two female candidates: Claudia Sheinbaum (above), of the ruling Morena party, and Xochitl Galvez, of the opposition alliance.Xochitl Galvez is currently polling second though her campaign rallies, like the above, draw many fansImage: Carlo Echegoyen/AFP/Getty Images Claudia Sheinbaum: The favorite The clear favorite in the election is Claudia Sheinbaum, candidate of the left-wing populist Morena party. The granddaughter of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, Sheinbaum is an experienced politician, having…

Three friends were seen hugging each other moments before being swept away by flash flooding.The two women and a man, all aged in their 20s, were captured on camera embracing after finding themselves suddenly surrounded by rapidly rising waters in Italy. The trio got into difficulties after going for a walk along the Natisone River, near Udine, on Friday afternoon, local media reported.As the water levels suddenly swelled, the group realised they were trapped and alerted passers-by.Firefighters were called and crews quickly arrived at the scene. They attempted to rescue the group by throwing them a rope – but the…

Presidential elections wrapped in Iceland after a day of voting, with businesswoman Halla Tomasdottir projected to win the race, national broadcaster RUV reported. Tomasdottir secured 32.1% of the votes, RUV said. Former Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir, who got 25.8% of the votes, conceded victory to her. In April, Jakobsdottir stepped down as prime minister to run for president. The third closest contender was Halla Hrund Logadottir, an environmental expert and a Harvard University professor. There were 12 candidates in total in the race for president. President Gudni Johannesson was not seeking reelection. The hugely popular president has held the job since 2016…

North Korea sent around 600 trash-filled balloons into South Korea overnight, the South Korean military said on Sunday. The balloons, filled with cigarette butts and plastic, began appearing from 8 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday (1100 GMT on Saturday to 0100 GMT on Sunday), according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. The South Korean military said it is monitoring and collecting the balloons, which are landing in northern provinces, including Seoul and Gyeonggi. Emergency alerts were issued in affected areas. North Korea began sending hundreds of balloons carrying bags of trash earlier this weekImage: AP North Korea, formally…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused China of helping Russia disrupt a global peace conference in Switzerland.Speaking at the Shangri-La defence forum in Singapore, Asia’s premier security conference, on Sunday, Mr Zelenskyy said China is pressuring other countries and their leaders not to attend the “Summit on Peace in Ukraine”, scheduled for 15-16 June. “Russia, using Chinese influence in the region, using Chinese diplomats also, does everything to disrupt the peace summit,” he said.Ukraine-Russia war: Moscow warns it could go to war with NATO”Regrettably this is unfortunate that such a big independent powerful country as China is an instrument in…

Mediators have tried over the weekend to convince both Israel and Hamas to sign up to a new cease-fire proposal for Gaza made public by US President Joe Biden on Friday.  Biden presented the plan as originally an Israeli one, although Israel’s government has voiced criticism of some of the details since then. Still, senior US officials said they were confident of Israeli agreement if Hamas were to sign up.  “This was an Israeli proposal. We have every expectation that if Hamas agrees to the proposal — as was transmitted to them, an Israeli proposal — then Israel would say…