Author: DW

Togo’s parliament adopted a new constitution last weekend, paving the way to transition from a presidential to a parliamentary regime in Togo. This has sparked great debate across the nation, with both opposition leader and civil society groups decrying the change in the political landscape as an attempted power grab by President Faure Gnassingbe. The shift from a semi-presidential to a parliamentary regime marks a notable departure from Togo’s political tradition. Dodji Apevon, leader of the opposition party Action Committee for Renewal, told DW that the parliamentary decision to change the constitution needs to be overturned. “Whatever it costs us, we will fight. We are all…

Joe Biden has said he would be open to debate his presumptive Republican opponent Donald Trump ahead of November’s presidential election.The US president was speaking to radio host Howard Stern on Sirius XM, who asked Mr Biden if he would debate Mr Trump, to which he said: “I am, somewhere. I don’t know when. But I’m happy to debate him.” His answer is the clearest indication Mr Biden has given on the prospect of a clash between the two, having evaded the idea so far.In March, Mr Biden entertained the notion when he said a debate with Mr Trump “depends…

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday that pasteurized milk is safe, despite the recent outbreak of bird flu affecting herds of cows in the country. It comes a day after they said one in five retail milk samples tested positive for viral fragments. Additional tests showed that the pasteurization process killed the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) causing concern. Preliminary results indicated “pasteurization is effective in inactivating HPAI,” the FDA said on Friday. Risk to public remains low The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed dairy cows in Colorado tested positive for bird flu, following earlier infections in Texas, Kansas, Michigan, Ohio,…

The Canadian province of British Columbia is reversing its policy of allowing the open use of hard drugs in public. Premier David Eby said Friday that police will soon have the power again to enforce drug use laws in all public places, including hospitals, restaurants, parks, and beaches. It brings to an end a much-criticized pilot program that allowed the personal use of some illegal drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, heroin, morphine, and fentanyl.  The program launched in January last year, to remove the stigma associated with drug use that keeps people from seeking help, was supposed to run for three years.  ‘Addiction a health issue’…

The family of a missing high school student who may have been the first victim of a suspected serial killer in Mexico City have protested at the site where bones were found last week.The bones were discovered with the belongings of at least six women, police said, and Amairany Roblero’s relatives have been told that evidence was found relating to her 2012 disappearance.Ms Roblero was 18 when she vanished and, as is often the case in Mexico, her family was left to investigate her disappearance with little help from prosecutors.Family friend Alejandra Jimenez said: “The prosecutors had the case file…

A court in Bucharest, Romania, on Friday gave the green light for the start of the human trafficking trial of controversial influencer Andrew Tate after rejecting appeals lodged by the defendants as “unfounded.” What did the court rule? The Bucharest Tribunal ruled that the prosecutors’ case file against Tate met the legal criteria. However, it did not set a date for the trial to begin. The court has “established the legality of the administration of evidence and the execution of acts by the criminal prosecution authorities and orders the start of the trial,” a statement said.  Tate’s spokesperson, Mateea Petrescu, said the ruling…

As a newly democratic country, South Africa got off to a euphoric start with its first free elections in 1994. People queued up for hours to cast their votes, full of hope, optimism and joy. That positive spirit continued as Nelson Mandela was elected president after spending 27 years in prison. The African National Congress (ANC), Mandela’s political party and former anti-apartheid movement, came into power, ending not only white minority rule but centuries of colonialist mentality. It’s still in power today. Nelson Mandela — pictured here with his former wife, Winnie — was finally released from prison in 1990Image: epa/picture alliance/dpa However, looking back on the…

A British tourist is in intensive care after being attacked by a shark in Trinidad and Tobago.The incident has prompted the government of southeastern Caribbean nation to shut seven beaches and a marine park. The attack occurred at Turtle Beach along Great Courland Bay on Tobago with the closure including beaches along the northwestern coast of the islandA watersports manager at a beach hotel who saw the incident said the man was about waist deep in the water when the shark attacked. He told local media their backs were turned, and they did not see the shark approaching.”The other people…

Heavy rains and relentless flooding fueled by the erratic El Nino weather pattern have plunged East Africa into a humanitarian crisis. From Uganda’s Mpigi District to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, and further south to Tanzania, many communities have been left to face the devastating impact of its widespread destruction. In Tanzania alone, over 155 people have been killed and at least 200,000 affected by flood damage. Homes, infrastructure and crops have all been devastated. In neighboring Kenya, flash floods in Nairobi have resulted in at least 13 deaths, as the search for missing people continues. Uganda’s communities submerged In Uganda’s Mpigi District, located near the capital, Kampala, a typically peaceful river has turned aggressive. A crucial bridge has…

An emergency exit slide fell off a Delta Air Lines Boeing on Friday shortly after takeoff from New York. Delta said the Boeing 767 pilots felt a vibration in the plane, circled back, and landed safely at JFK airport. The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the latest incident involving a Boeing aircraft.  Plane returned to JFK without further incident “As nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and people, Delta flight crews enacted their extensive training and followed procedures to return to JFK,” the airline said. There were 176 passengers, two pilots, and five flight attendants on board the…