Author: DW

The free trade deal between the European Union and the South American trade bloc Mercosur would be the world’s largest such agreement, affecting a total of 780 million people. But in late March, French President Emmanuel Macron not only described it as “a very bad agreement,” he even suggested it should be “left behind” and called for “a new agreement.” Macron likely doesn’t want to give right-wing populist parties like Marine Le Pen’s National Rally any free ammunition for their campaign ahead of the EU elections in June. And he wouldn’t want to get French farmers any more annoyed; they’ve already brought the…

South Africa has enjoyed 30 years of democracy after apartheid, and, for the first time, the stakes are significantly high in the general election scheduled for May 29. Several polls suggest that the African National Congress (ANC) party of President Cyril Ramaphosa could lose its majority after three decades in power. However, Steven Gruzd, head of the African Governance and Diplomacy Programme at the South African Institute of International Affairs, believes the ANC can still secure a slim majority. “My personal feeling is that somehow the ANC is going to get just over 50%, even though it is deeply unpopular,” Gruzd told DW. According to Gruzd, the…

Officials in Slovakia are investigating whether the attacker who shot the prime minister was not a “lone wolf”.The interior minister Matus Sutaj Estok issued the update on Sunday, after the suspect was previously believed to be a “lone wolf”. Robert Fico’s condition is no longer life-threatening but is still very serious, his team said on Sunday.Deputy prime minister Robert Kalinak issued the update four days after the assassination attempt on the populist leader.Speaking to reporters outside the Banska Bystrica hospital, where Mr Fico is being treated, he said: “The worst that we feared had passed, at least for the time…

Voters in the Dominican Republic head to the polls Sunday to choose the next president and members of parliament. With widespread support for his tough stance on migration from troubled neighbor Haiti, President Luis Abinader is poised for a comfortable re-election. Voting officially began at 7:00 a.m. local time (1100 GMT) and will continue until 5:00 p.m., with the first results expected a few hours later. Opinion polls show Abinader with 60% of voter support against 25% for his closest rival, Leonel Fernandez, a 70-year-old three-time ex-president. If Abinader exceeds 50% of the vote, he will win another term without…

A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a “hard landing” on Sunday, Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said. “The esteemed president and company were on their way back aboard some helicopters and one of the helicopters was forced to make a hard landing due to the bad weather and fog,” the minister said in comments aired on state TV The incident took place in the city of Jolfa in Iran’s northwestern province of East Azarbaijan, Vahidi added, following earlier reports on state media. Jolfa is located about 600 kilometers (375 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran, on the border with Azerbaijan.…

A helicopter carrying Iran’s president has been involved in a “hard landing” during bad weather, Iranian state media has said.President Ebrahim Raisi was travelling in Iran’s East Azerbaijan province at the time. Rescue teams are trying to reach the scene but are reportedly being hampered by fog and heavy rain.State media initially said it happened near Jolfa, about 375 miles (600km) northwest of Tehran, but then put it further east near the village of Uzi.The president was reportedly travelling with foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan province and other officials. However, Iranian interior minister Ahmed Vahidi didn’t…

Following days of unrest and violence in New Caledonia, French security forces have smashed through dozens of roadblocks set up by rioters between the territory’s capital, Noumea, and the airport, according to High Commissioner Louis Le Franc. France has been attempting to restore order in the Pacific territory, which has been paralyzed by unrest sparked by a controversial electoral reform. What do we know about the police action in Noumea? Officers had cleared up around 60 barricades set up along the road to the airport, Le Franc said on Sunday. However, the commissioner said that the road will only be operational after debris…

Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is out of danger following an assassination attempt, officials said on Sunday. Fico was hit four times by bullets at point-blank range on Wednesday when meeting supporters in the central town of Handlova. What do we know about Fico’s condition? Milan Urbani, the deputy head of the university hospital in Banska Bystrica, said that the prime minister’s condition was no longer life-threatening. “Based on the adviser to the medical consultation this morning, we can state that the patient is currently not in a life-threatening condition,” Urbani said at a press conference. However, he stressed that Fico’s…

People in northeastern Japan have been warned to stay vigilant after a man was found dead with gash wounds and police officers were left with serious injuries.Two officers were attacked on Saturday in Kazuno city, Akita prefecture, while recovering the missing man’s body, Japanese media said. He was found dead after going looking for bamboo shoots in the mountains a few days before.It is yet to be confirmed whether a bear was responsible.The officers’ injuries, while serious, are not believed to be life-threatening. A police helicopter and cars are involved in the search for the bears. Wooded areas in Kazuno…

Skip next section Ukraine says Russian minesweeper destroyed05/19/2024May 19, 2024Ukraine says Russian minesweeper destroyedThe Ukrainian navy has said that Ukrainian forces have sunk a minesweeper from Russia’s Crimea-based Black Sea Fleet, adding to the growing list of Russian vessels destroyed during Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.  “Last night the Ukrainian Defence Forces destroyed the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Project 266-M Kovrovets minesweeper,” the navy said on the Telegram messaging app. Kyiv says it has destroyed a third of Russia’s vessels in the Black Sea since Moscow launched its offensive over two years ago. Moscow officials have tended to remain silent about most of…