Author: DW

On Tuesday, the Olympic flame was lit in the ancient ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia in southwestern Greece. It will now make its way to Paris, where the Summer Olympic Games are due to open on July 26. Until the closing ceremony on August 11, 10,500 athletes from 206 countries will compete at Paris 2024 in 32 disciplines. The French government has said that security will be the top priority during the event. Some 45,000 police and gendarme officers will be deployed every day, as well as 18,000 soldiers and 20,000 private security guards. In addition, more…

Myanmar’s jailed former leader, Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, has been moved out from prison along with other elderly inmates as a health measure to protect them from severe heat, the military government said on Wednesday. Win Myint, the 72-year-old former president of her ousted government, was also reportedly among the prisoners taken from prison amid the heat wave.  A military source told AFP news agency that Suu Kyi and Win Myint were transferred to house arrest.   Suu Kyi, 78,  has been serving a 27-year prison term in the capital, Naypyitaw, after being convicted on several charges that her supporters and rights groups say were…

Croatian voters are going to the polls on Wednesday in parliamentary elections, with conservative Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic seeking a new term. Plenkovic, 54, is facing up against President Zoran Milanovic, a Kremlin-friendly left-wing populist. The two men engaged in bitter campaigning ahead of the election, with Milanovic accusing Plenkovic of heading a corrupt government, while Plenkovic slammed Milanovic over his leanings toward Moscow. The latest polls put Plenkovic’s conservative Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) ahead of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Croatia (SDP), for which Milanovic is the candidate. Intense rivalry Elections were originally scheduled for the fall, but Croatia’s…

In a world that has grown more dangerous in recent years, the nightmare scenario of a Third World War is in the public consciousness.Earlier this year, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps warned the world could be engulfed by wars involving China, Russia, North Korea and Iran in the next five years, and said we are moving “from a post-war to pre-war world”.The relief felt at the end of the Cold War in the late ’80s has been replaced with increasing alarm at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and there is outcry at the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.Sky News spoke to experts…

Skip next section Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs ‘immediate’ steps on air defense04/17/2024April 17, 2024Zelenskyy: Ukraine needs ‘immediate’ steps on air defenseUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country needed “immediate” support from NATO to bolster its air defenses. The Ukrainian leader’s comments came following talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “I am grateful to the Secretary General and NATO partners for their prompt response. Ukraine requires immediate steps to strengthen its air defense,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X. https://p.dw.com/p/4etYiSkip next section NATO-Ukraine Council to meet Friday to discuss air defense04/17/2024April 17, 2024NATO-Ukraine Council to meet Friday to discuss air…

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…