Author: DW

Thousands of Belarusians have escaped to Poland in recent years to avoid political persecution by President Alexander Lukashenko’s regime, which is loyal to Moscow. But Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt went the opposite way. He has asked Lukashenko for “care and protection,” he told Belarusian state news agency BelTA at a press conference last week. Szmydt said he had resigned from the judgeship in protest at unjust Polish policies towards Belarus and Russia. He accused Warsaw of trying to start conflict under the influence of the US and the UK and claimed that he had been persecuted and intimidated because of his views,…

At least 300 people have been killed in flash floods in northern Afghanistan, according to the UN food agency.Heavy seasonal rains have also destroyed more than a thousand houses leaving many without shelter in the provinces of Baghlan, Takhar and Badakhshan. Transport links and water supplies have been “severely disrupted”, while helicopters have been sent to assist the rescue effort and evacuate casualties. Image: Many have been left homeless by the floods. Pic: AP The World Food Programme, which operates throughout Afghanistan, estimates the floods have killed more than 300 people.Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for the Taliban government, said “hundreds……

The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) always makes headlines but this year is different from many in the event’s nearly 70-year history. The last week has seen large protests and a general sense of anger and tension, much of it linked to the ongoing war in Gaza. Organizers and police reported on Saturday that thousands of pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli protesters were again marching through Malmo, Sweden, upset over Israeli singer Eden Golan’s participation in the event. Earlier this week, as Golan was being booed while qualifying for the final, a similar march took place.There were several protests against Israeli participation in…

A man has been rescued from a collapsed building in South Africa after five days trapped in the rubble.His recovery was described as “nothing short of a miracle” by Western Cape premier Alan Winde. When the five-storey structure in the city of George collapsed on Monday there were 81 people on the construction site.Of those, 13 have been confirmed dead, 29 have survived and 39 remain unaccounted for, officials said.Rescuers have been using cranes, drills and their bare hands to try to reach those trapped on South Africa’s southern coast. X This content is provided by X, which may be…

Flames and black smoke chugged from the windows of a two-storey apartment block in a frontline Ukrainian town.Residents said a Russian missile or bomb had punched a large crater into the soil in front of the building, devastating their homes. The attack had only happened a short while ago and the scene on Saturday morning was still chaotic, with people worried the fire would spread to a row of apartments next door.”There are pensioners inside,” said one man. “If the fire gets in, they will be burnt.” Image: Damage in Vovchansk, three miles from Ukraine’s border with Russia Firefighters had…

Rescuers in the city of George, east of Cape Town, South Africa, on Saturday pulled a man from the rubble from a building 116 hours after it collapsed.  Western Cape Premier Alan Winde called the man’s rescue, “the miracle that we have all been hoping for” in a statement on the social media platform X. Officials say that 81 people were in the five-story building, which was under construction, when it collapsed for unknown reasons on Monday. Of these, 13 have been confirmed dead, 29 were alive and a further 39 remain unaccounted for. Rescuers have used heavy equipment, drills, jackhammers, saws…

Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have visited a volleyball court during their three-day trip to Nigeria.The Duke of Sussex joined Nigerian athletes on the court for an exhibition game of sitting volleyball in Abuja, the country’s capital. He took part in a training session with the injured service men, while Meghan took photos with children who turned up to see the royals. Image: Pic: AP Image: Pic: AP Later, the duke and duchess will talk to injured soldiers and their families, before Meghan co-hosts a leadership event with the director general of the World Trade Organization, Dr…

“Massacre,” “carnage,” “bloodshed”: United Nations observers and human rights organizations have said they fear the worst in the event the ongoing siege by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces on El Fasher — the last stronghold of the opposing Sudanese Armed Forces in Darfur — culminates in an attack. Since the outbreak of the war in Sudan in April 2023, El Fasher has turned into Darfur’s largest humanitarian hub. Today, it’s home to around 1.5 million people including 800,000 internally displaced persons. An informal peace deal between the warring parties — the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, under General Abdel Fattah Burhan, and his rival, the head of the…

The sale of alcohol will be totally banned between 9.30pm and 8am in areas of “excessive tourism” in Majorca and Ibiza, under a new decree passed by the government of Spain’s Balearic Islands.In a bid to crack down on booze-fuelled holidays in tourist areas, the law completely prohibits late-night sales of alcohol in Llucmajor, Palma and Calvia (Magaluf) in Majorca, and San Antonio in Ibiza. Authorities have also banned party boats from sailing within one nautical mile of any of these destinations and the vessels are banned from picking up and disembarking passengers in these areas, reported the Majorca Daily…

Erona C., a young mother from the city of Ferizaj, was just 21 when she was murdered by her ex-husband in mid-April. As she was meeting with her husband to pick up their child, he pulled out a gun, shot his ex-wife dead and injured her brother, who was with her at the time. Gjyljeta U., a mother of three from the city of Peja, was 42 when she was murdered by her partner a few days later. According to official reports, he turned himself in to the police with the words “I shot my wife.” Both women — Erona…