Author: DW

For decades, the small Arab Gulf state of Kuwait has been one of the most democratic countries in the Middle East. Although the oil-rich country is ruled by a royal family, which gets to appoint Kuwait’s prime minister, it also has an elected parliament representing diverse interests, consistently high voter turnout, and a political opposition that may criticize the monarchy (within limits). This is why Kuwait has been described by long-time observers as “an oasis of democracy” and a “liberal outlier” among autocratic Arabian Gulf states. In Freedom House rankings, Kuwait and Lebanon are the only countries in the Middle East classified “partly free”…

What does Nakba mean? The Arabic word Nakba means catastrophe, or disaster. In reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict , the term Nakba or al-Nakba refers to the Palestinians having lost their homeland during and after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It’s thought that around 700,000 people in what is now Israel either fled or were forced from their homes. Many Palestinian refugees abroad remain stateless to this day. By the time the war was over, some 700,000 Palestinians had left or been expelled from their homesImage: Eldan David/Pressebüro der Regierung Israels/picture alliance /dpa What is Nakba Day? May 15, 1948 was the beginning…

Protesters have smashed barriers at Georgia’s parliament after it approved a divisive “foreign agents” bill.Riot police used tear gas and sprayed crowds with water cannon as they entered the grounds of the Georgian parliament in the capital Tbilisi. Sky’s international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn, who is covering the protests in Tbilisi, said there was a “febrile atmosphere” and a “real sense anger, frustration and massive disappointment” that MPs voted for the bill.Follow live: Riot police move in on Georgia protesters Image: Hundreds of law enforcement officers guarded parliament. Pic: Reuters Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player…

A Paris court on Tuesday acquitted filmmaker Roman Polanski in a defamation case brought by British actress Charlotte Lewis. Lewis had claimed that Polanski raped her in the 1980s when she was a teen. Polanski refuted the accusation in a 2019 interview, telling the French magazine Paris Match, “The basic quality of a good liar is an excellent memory.”  More to come…  js/rt (dpa, Reuters) Source link

At least two French prison officers were shot dead and three injured on Tuesday in an ambush on a prison van, French police said on Tuesday. The attackers escaped alongside an unarmed inmate. France has launched a major manhunt to find the fugitives, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. “All means are being used to find these criminals. On my instructions, several hundred police officers and gendarmes were mobilized,” Darmanin said on the platform X, formerly Twitter. Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said two of the injured officers were in a critical state. “Absolutely everything will be done to find the…

What has the Biden administration announced? In a move that is likely to inflame trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies, the Biden administration announced on Tuesday it was imposing more stringent curbs on Chinese imports worth $18 billion (€16.67 billion). After nearly four years of review, Washington will hike tariffs in targeted sectors, with Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) bearing the brunt of the increase. The total tariff on these vehicles will skyrocket to 102.5% from the current 27.5%. The new measures also target other technologies including batteries, solar cells, steel, and aluminum. Levies will rise from 7.5% to 25% on lithium batteries, from zero…

For decades, the small Arab Gulf state of Kuwait has been one of the most democratic countries in the Middle East. Although the oil-rich country is ruled by a royal family, which gets to appoint Kuwait’s prime minister, it also has an elected parliament representing diverse interests, consistently high voter turnout, and a political opposition that may criticize the monarchy (within limits). This is why Kuwait has been described by long-time observers as “an oasis of democracy” and a “liberal outlier” among autocratic Arabian Gulf states. In Freedom House rankings, Kuwait and Lebanon are the only countries in the Middle East classified “partly free”…

Hundreds of police officers have been deployed after heavily armed men attacked a prison convoy in France – with a convict who is reportedly nicknamed “The Fly” having escaped during the raid.Two male prison officers have been shot dead and three others were seriously injured during the ambush on a motorway in Incarville in northwest France at around 9am local time. Eric Dupond-Moretti, France’s minister of justice, has said one of the prison officers who was killed leaves behind a partner who was five months pregnant, while the other leaves a wife and two children.He added that two of those…

Delegates from the 211 FIFA members are to vote at a Congress in Bangkok on Friday, May 17 on where the 2027 Women’s World Cup will be held. This will be the first time that a full FIFA Congress decides whether a country or countries will host a Women’s World Cup. The previous nine World Cup hosts were decided either by the FIFA Executive Committee or later by the FIFA Council. The last World Cup, hosted by Australia and New Zealand last year, featured 32 teams for the first time. The 2027 edition of the tournament will remain at 32 teams.…

A concrete wall spanning 74 kilometers (45 miles) is to be built along a section of Iran’s border with Afghanistan and help close a known illegal crossing point, Iranian officials say. The wall is set to be 4 meters (13 feet) high and expanded with additional barbed wire fencing. The border between Iran and Afghanistan is about 920 kilometers long. For over 40 years, thousands have braved tough desert and mountain terrain to enter Iran and leave behind civil war and poverty. Now, they are once again fleeing the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Iranian authorities see their northeastern Razavi-Khorasan province and North and South Khorasan as the top destinations…