Author: DW

The US Treasury’s regulatory amendment to the so-called Cuban Assets Control Regulations, announced on May 28, has caused quite a stir in Washington and beyond. For the first time since the revolution in the 1950s, Cuban entrepreneurs can open a bank account in the United States and access it from Cuba. The changes are intended “to promote internet freedom in Cuba, support independent Cuban entrepreneurs in the private sector, and expand access to certain financial services for the Cuban population,” the Treasury Department said in a statement. Cuba’s private sector has grown significantly since the government in Havana established a legal…

A Pakistani high court on Monday overturned a conviction of treason against jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his lawyer and party said.  The former leader and his former foreign secretary, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, were convicted in 2022 of making public a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington. “This is the first big case which was part of the political victimization against Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi which has been dashed to the ground,” Salman Safdar, a lawyer for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, told the AFP news agency outside of court. Khan blames US Khan had alleged…

A man who was presumed to have been taken hostage during the 7 October attack by Hamas has been found dead, the Israeli military has said.The body of Dolev Yehud, a 35-year-old volunteer medic, was found in the border village where he lived.After what it described as lengthy forensics, Israel’s military confirmed the remains belonged to Mr Yehud, whose name has also been spelt Yehoud.It said he was among dozens of residents of the Nir Oz kibbutz who were killed.Mr Yehud’s wife Sigal, who was nine months pregnant on 7 October, gave birth to their fourth child nine days after…

Mexicans have voted for a new president in an election that marks a major milestone. For the first time in the country’s history, the race came 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 Clear win for Claudia Sheinbaum Official results showed Claudia Sheinbaum, candidate of the left-wing populist Morena party winning a landslide victory at about 58-60%. The granddaughter of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania, Sheinbaum is an experienced politician, having served as mayor of…

A man who was presumed to have been taken hostage during the 7 October attack by Hamas has been found dead, the Israeli military has said.The body of Dolev Yehud, a 35-year-old volunteer medic, was found in the border village where he lived.After what it described as lengthy forensics, Israel’s military confirmed the remains belonged to Mr Yehud, whose name has also been spelt Yehoud.It said he was among dozens of residents of the Nir Oz kibbutz who were killed.Mr Yehud’s wife Sigal, who was nine months pregnant on 7 October, gave birth to their fourth child nine days after…

06/03/2024June 3, 2024Thousands mourn death of Ukrainian journalist and combat medicNearly 1,000 people came together in central Kyiv on Sunday for the memorial service of a young Ukrainian journalist and volunteer combat medic who was killed in action last week. Iryna Tsybukh, 25, was killed while serving in the Kharkiv area, where Russia started its offensive almost a month ago. Her funeral service, held at Saint Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery on Sunday, saw hundreds of people wearing colorful Ukrainian vyshyvankas — embroidered national shirts — and carrying Ukrainian flags and flowers. Tsybukh’s coffin was draped in the yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flag. She was a…

Burkina Faso topped a list of the world’s most neglected crises for a second year in a row, according to a report released Monday by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). The humanitarian organization said there were currently around 2 million internally displaced people in the West African country, most of them cut off from aid. Junta-ruled Burkina Faso has been grappling with a jihadi insurgency for years. In 2023, more than 8,000 people were killed in the violence.  What is the list of neglected crises? To arrive at its 2023 ranking, the NRC looked at which countries were worst affected by three metrics:…

A man’s life was likely saved after a thick chain necklace prevented a bullet from going into his neck.The shooting happened during an argument, said police in the US state of Colorado. The .22 calibre bullet became lodged in the silver chain around the victim’s neck.It left the unnamed man with only a puncture wound from last Tuesday’s attack. Image: The fact the necklace appeared not to be authentic silver probably saved the man’s life. Pic: Commerce City Police Department Officers in Commerce City, near Denver, released photos of the bloodied chain and said in a Facebook post: “We’d say…

Southern Germany is currently experiencing disastrous flooding. Rivers are overflowing, dams and sewage systems have collapsed and basements are filling with water. Hundreds have been evacuated, a firefighter has died and others remain missing. Time and again, nature demonstrates its overwhelming force, and we’re at its mercy. But how does water get so powerful? Michael Dietze, an environmental researcher at the German Research Center for Geosciences, which is part of the Helmholtz Center Potsdam, has written about the nature of floods. Dietze says it’s important to remember that a cubic meter of water weighs one metric ton, making it very heavy: “Water can exert tremendous pressure on an object in its…

Mexico’s ruling party candidate Claudia Sheinbaum has won the presidential elections, according to exit polls released Monday. The 61-year-old former Mexico City mayor won around 58% of votes, according to a representative statistical sample released by election officials on Monday. The result puts her comfortably ahead of leading opposition rival Xochitl Galvez, who had 29%.Mexico: Claudia Sheinbaum is first women president in 200 yearsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What did the Morena party say about the election victory? “I won’t fail you,” Sheinbaum told supporters after preliminary results…