Author: DW

ECOWAS was once considered Africa’s most institutionally developed regional organization, but that has changed. Following the recent military coups in various countries in the West African sub-region, it became clear that the organization lacks authority, legitimacy, and effective sanction and intervention instruments. “ECOWAS will only have a future if its member countries remember the spirit of pan-Africanism, come together, and pull in the same direction,” Carlos Pereira, a political analyst and activist from Guinea-Bissau told DW. Cooperation and integration within the region are more important than ever, but currently almost non-existent, he added. The problems within the regional bloc became evident when the three Sahel…

Iran’s president has vowed Israel would face a “massive and harsh response” if it attacks, as US officials believe it is planning to do.Iran launched more than 330 missiles and drones towards Israel on Saturday in response to Israel’s alleged bombing of its Syrian consulate.On Wednesday, Foreign Secretary Lord David Cameron said he hoped that Israel’s potential retaliation “does as little as possible to escalate this conflict”.Experts told Sky News that Israel is likely to be considering an airstrike on critical Iranian infrastructure, including air bases and nuclear facilities. Image: Experts told Sky News that Israel was likely considering a…

More than 1,000 people have succumbed to cholera, while tens of thousands across Africa have been infected in a series of deadly cholera outbreaks since the beginning of 2024. The hardest hit nations are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Zimbabwe , Zambia in southern Africa, and Ethiopia further north. Zambia is being battered by its worst outbreak ever, with more than 740 cholera deaths recorded since the onset of seasonal rains in October 2023. The highly contagious bacterial disease can cause severe diarrhea and dehydration within hours of infection. When people are quickly treated, less than 1% die. But the death…

Police in the French capital, Paris, on Wednesday cleared a major migrant squat in the southern suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine with just 100 days to go before the start of the 2024 Summer Olympics. The makeshift camp at the site of an abandoned bus company office had been home to roughly 450 migrants, mainly young men but including some mothers with small children as well.  Rights groups said most migrants there had documents and were awaiting social housing allotments. Rights groups are concerned that those ejected may end up on the streets without even the poor weather protection offered by the…

A popular football YouTuber and passionate Chelsea supporter known by his fans as Angry Rantman has died at the age of 27. Angry Rantman, whose real name is Abhradeep Saha from Delhi, India, died this morning, his family announced on social media. They said: “With profound grief and sorrow, we hereby declare the sad and untimely demise of Abhradeep Saha AKA AngryRantman today.”He touched the lives of millions with his honesty, humour and unwavering spirit. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.”As we mourn his loss, let us remember the joy he brought to our lives and…

800 years ago, a mystery gripped a Chinese village when a body was discovered with multiple stab wounds. Upon inspection, local detective Song Ci determined the wounds had been wrought by a sickle. To locate the culprit, he gathered the villagers together on a hot afternoon and told them to lay down their sickles for inspection. Blowflies started swarming around. They eventually settled on a single sickle. Attracted by trace amounts of the victim’s blood, the flies had identified the offender, who was led away pleading for mercy. Case closed. This is the first known case of a detective identifying…

Bipin Das* had worked for the Indian National Congress party (INC) for over two decades before switching to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) two months ago. He told DW that he was left with no choice a recent redrawing of the borders of electoral constituencies in the northeast state of Assam. “The Congress is never going to come to power here, we are 100% sure,” Das said. The centrist and secular INC, often known simply as the Congress, is the primary opposition to Narendra Modi’s BJP. But with the  general election starting on Friday, the party is facing a…

Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia, are facing an influx of illegal waste shipments from industrialized nations, with a considerable amount trafficked from Europe. According to a new UN reportmapping waste trafficking trends from Europe and Southeast Asia, criminal actors exploit loopholes and legitimate business structures, making waste trafficking one of the most significant crimes that can affect the environment. Despite existing regulations, traffickers are empowered by ineffective law enforcement and low penalties when caught, and tempted by opportunities for easy profit. The European Commission estimates that 15 to 30% of waste shipments from the EU are illegal,…

Record rainfalls in the United Arab Emirates and the wider Gulf region have flooded major roads and caused “carnage” at Dubai’s international airport.More than 14cm (5.6 inches) of rain soaked Dubai on Tuesday, around as much as normally falls in a year-and-a-half at Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel. The heavy downpours were “a historic weather event” that surpassed anything seen since records began in 1949, the state-run WAM news agency said.Israel-Hamas war latest: Israel ‘planning’ limited Iran strike Image: Pic: Reuters Schools across the UAE, which largely shut ahead of the storm, remained closed on Wednesday…

Skip next section Zelenskyy to address EU leaders04/17/2024April 17, 2024Zelenskyy to address EU leadersUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been invited to address the assembled European Union leaders via video link on Wednesday. He is expected to urge Ukraine’s allies to provide his country with more air defense systems.  Earlier on Wednesday, the Ukrainian president called for sufficient resolve and support from Western partners after a Russian missile strike on the northern city of Chernihiv killed at least 14 people. He said his country lacked “sufficient” air defenses that could have stopped the strike.  “This would not have happened if Ukraine had…