Author: DW

The French government declared a 12-day state of emergency in the Indo-Pacific territory of New Caledonia on Wednesday after four people were killed and others wounded during riots and looting on Tuesday night. The unrest came after French lawmakers passed a contentious voting bill, according to New Caledonia High Commissioner Louis Le Franc, who said that “a curfew and a ban on TikTok” were now in force. “Soldiers from the armed forces have been deployed to secure the New Caledonia ports and the airport,” Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced in Paris. Le Franc said Attal had requested the troops. French President Emmanuel Macron, who canceled a planned trip to Normandy on Wednesday…

You’ve heard of the transatlantic ‘Special Relationship’. This is the “No Limits” partnership – a term coined when Vladimir Putin visited Beijing in February 2022.It was just days before he ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. A lot’s changed for Russia since then, of course.It’s now an international pariah. One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is China’s support.Why? For one, Presidents Xi and Putin share a similar outlook. Both oppose external “interference” in domestic affairs, and long for a “multipolar” world. There are economic benefits for both, too. But this is not an equal partnership. The power lies with Beijing.”Because…

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is in a “life-threatening condition” in hospital after being shot in what his office has called an “assassination attempt.” “Today, after the government meeting in Handlova, there was an assassination attempt on the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic, Robert Fico,” the government said in a post on social media. Local broadcaster TA3 reported that four shots were fired in the central Slovakian town, one hitting Prime Minister Fico in the stomach. Handlova hospital director Marta Eckhardtova told the AFP news agency:  “Mr. Fico was brought into our hospital and he was treated at our vascular surgery clinic.”…

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico has been injured in a shooting following a government meeting and been taken to hospital. Local broadcaster TA3 reported that four shots were fired, one hitting Prime Minister Fico in the stomach. Emergency services said a helicopter had been dispatched to the central Slovakian town of Handlova, where Fico’s cabinet had been meeting, after a 59-year-old man was shot. Handlova hospital director Marta Eckhardtova told the AFP news agency:  “Mr. Fico was brought into our hospital and he was treated at our vascular surgery clinic. The prime minister was later transported from our hospital, he is…

Emmanuel Macron will call for a “state of emergency” to be declared in New Caledonia as deadly rioting rages in the French territory.The French president will make the request during a cabinet meeting today following violence across the archipelago in the South Pacific, his office said. At least two people have been killed and more than 300 injured in the riots, as France’s National Assembly approved controversial changes to voting rules in New Caledonia.French authorities in the territory say more than 130 people have been arrested since Monday. Image: A road is barricaded in Noumea. Pic: Lilou Garrido Navarro Kherachi…

African nations are particularly vulnerable to severe weather events. These not only cripple economies and people’s livelihoods but also cost lives across the continent. In West Africa, for instance, more than 70% of the population is affected at least once every two years by flood, drought or sandstorms. But like other less-developed regions, many parts of Africa have gaps in the ability to warn people of both imminent natural disasters, such as flash flooding, or future hazards, such as drought. This has dramatic consequences. Over the last two decades, the average number of deaths caused by a flooding event in Africa…

Eight watches belonging to Formula One legend Michael Schumacher raked in four million Swiss francs ($4.4 million; €4.1 million) at an auction in Geneva on Tuesday. The seven-time F1 champion was an avid watch collector. But he has not been seen in public since a serious skiing accident in 2013. The watches were put up for sale by Schumacher’s family to coincide with the 30th anniversary of his first Formula One Drivers Championship win in 1994. “Collectors were so happy to discover these timepieces filled with history,” said Christie’s Head of Watches in Europe, Remi Guillemin.A bespoke F.P. Journe watch…

Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court on Wednesday ruled that   former Gambian Interior Minister Ousman Sonko was guilty of crimes against humanity committed while in several positions of authority from 2000 to 2016. Trial International said on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that Sonko had been sentenced to 20 years in prison. He is the most senior official ever to be tried in Europe using universal jurisdiction that allows the most serious crimes to be prosecuted anywhere. Sonko had denied all charges during the trial. The ruling can be appealed. What was Sonko accused of? Sonko, 55, was accused by Swiss prosecutors of carrying out several…

A suspected drug boss nicknamed “The Fly” is at the centre of police manhunt after escaping from a prison van in France.Two prison officers were killed and three others seriously wounded when a convoy transporting prisoner Mohamed Amra from court to jail was ambushed at a motorway tollbooth near Rouen in Normandy by gunmen wearing balaclavas. Image: Mohamed Amra Several hundred police officers have been deployed nationwide to find the 30-year-old convict and gunmen. It is unclear how many assailants were involved.CCTV footage showed a black Peugeot SUV driving into the front of the white prison van, with other video…

Inflation in Argentina slowed for the fourth consecutive month, despite an annual rate nearing 300%, official data showed on Tuesday. The monthly inflation rate rose at 8.8%, compared to 11% in March. This is seen as a victory for President Javier Milei who took office in December with monthly inflation at a peak of over 25%, promising to address the rising costs. “Inflation is being pulverized,” Manuel Adorni, the presidential spokesperson, said on X. “Its death certificate is being signed.” The yearly inflation rate in April was at 289.4%, slightly higher than the annualized rate a month earlier, the official…