Author: DW

Senegalese opposition candidate and tax inspector Bassirou Diomaye Faye on Monday appeared to be reaching victory in Senegal’s presidential election. The vote follows several years of unrest and a political crisis. Millions of people took part in the election that went ahead without incident. State television RTS said that turnout was at around 71%. If none of the 19 candidates secure over 50% of the votes, the election will go to a runoff. Final provisional results are expected by Tuesday. Incumbent President Macky Sall did not seek re-election, with his ruling coalition endorsing former prime minister Amadou Ba. Sall had…

North Korea said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently expressed his intentions to meet Kim Jong Un through “another channel,” according to state media outlet KCNA on Monday. In a media dispatch, Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, said that Kishida used an unspecified channel to propose a summit with Kim Jong Un. She, however, said that improving bilateral relations between the two countries will depend on Japan’s decisions. “The prime minister should know that just because he wants to and has made a decision, it doesn’t mean he can or the leadership of our country will meet…

There goes another one. The Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar announced this week that he is quitting at the age of 45, explaining: “I don’t feel I’m the best person for that job any more.”He is just the latest in a spate of national leaders to stand down voluntarily when seemingly at the peak of their powers. Last year New Zealand’s former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, found she had “no more in the tank” aged 43.Nicola Sturgeon went at 53 to spend “a little bit more time on Nicola Sturgeon the human being”, since being first minister of Scotland “takes…

Russia will not stop if it wins the war in Ukraine, the US ambassador to the UK has told Sky News.Speaking to Sky News presenter Kay Burley from her official residence in central London last week, Jane Hartley said she is “optimistic” that the US will release more funding for Ukraine, but said “anybody who thinks that Russia may stop after this, I think is wrong”. Follow latest: Three Moscow terror suspects plead guilty”I was ambassador (to France and Monaco) in 2014, and I saw what happened in Crimea. I don’t know why anybody would say, ‘oh this is it…

Simon Harris on Sunday took over Ireland’s ruling center-right Fine Gael party, paving the way for his election as prime minister. He took over from Leo Varadkar, who announced his surprise departure on Wednesday. Harris ran unopposed in the election for party leadership. He is 37 years old, meaning he will be Ireland’s youngest prime minister if elected. He has no more than a year before new parliamentary elections. Fine Gael’s left-wing rival, Sinn Fein, has been leading in opinion polls over the last few years. The party favors reunification with Northern Ireland. Since 2020, Fine Gael has governed in…

The head of the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency has said it’s “outrageous” Israel will block its aid deliveries to northern Gaza.UNRWA boss Philippe Lazzarini said Israel had told the United Nations that convoys would no longer be approved.It comes after Israel accused 12 UNRWA staff of participating in October’s Hamas terror attack. Nine of the accused workers were sacked.America and the UK are among the countries that have paused funding to the agency, but others such as Canada and Australia have since resumed donations.”This is outrageous and makes it intentional to obstruct life-saving assistance during a man-made famine,” Mr Lazzarini…

The use of the messaging application Telegram in Spain will be temporarily suspended as of Monday, following a request from media companies. The order was issued by judge Santiago Pedraz of the Audencia Nacional, a high court which handles sensitive cases. Media companies, including Atresmedia, EGEDA, Mediaset, and Telefonica, complained that Telegram was allowing users to upload their content without permission. While the claims are being investigated, Pedraz agreed to block Telegram’s services in Spain. According to the court source, it will be the responsibility of mobile operators to block Telegram’s services. Why was the order issued? The judge issued the…

As the death toll climbs and the threat of famine looms, Israel’s closest allies are expressing their growing doubts about the ongoing war in Gaza following the October 7 terror attack in Israeli territory, which left 1,160 people dead and 250 taken hostage. Allies are particularly concerned by the Israeli government’s insistence that it will proceed with plans to launch a ground offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than 1.1 million people have sought refuge. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the offensive is necessary to wipe out the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which the US, EU…

For us, every day in Port-au-Prince starts with a situation report on the latest outbreak of fighting in this beleaguered capital city. It’s often near the presidential palace and government buildings in the downtown district, but in truth it can be anywhere – nowhere feels safe.Every day as we drive around town we see bodies on the road. Cars, motorcycles and buses don’t stop, and people step around the dead.Sometimes the bodies are covered with sheets, sometimes they are set on fire, and sometimes they just lie there in the blistering heat.Families often don’t retrieve their loved ones because they…

Polls closed in the first round of Slovakia’s presidential election on Saturday, with the country headed for a runoff. The final round of voting will pit the Russia-leaning ruling camp, represented by Peter Pellegrini, against pro-Ukraine candidate and ex-foreign minister Ivan Korcok. Korcok attracted 42.5% of the vote on Saturday. Pellegrini emerged with 37% of the vote, final results showed. Sitting president chooses not to run again Slovaks are electing a successor to Zuzana Caputova, the country’s first female president, after she decided not to seek a second term. The outgoing president, who has sued the country’s Prime Minister Robert Fico for labeling her a traitor,…