Author: DW

The leader of the military junta in Mali, Colonel Assimi Goita, has long been accused of not being genuinely interested in a “return to democracy.” On Thursday, Goita issued a decree suspending all political activities in the restive West African nation. The ban applies “until further notice and across the entire country” and affects “political parties and associations with a political character.” Government spokesperson Abdoulaye Maiga justified the move in a statement read on state television on Wednesday night, citing the need to maintain “public order.” Media silenced Also on Thursday, Mali’s high authority for communication ordered all media — whether television stations, radio…

Hundreds took to the streets of Niger’s capital, Niamey, on Saturday to demand the departure of US troops. It comes after the West African country’s military leadership said it was withdrawing from a military agreement with the US. What do we know about the protest? Several prominent figures from the junta were present at the demonstration in front of the National Assembly Headquarters. The crowd chanted “Down with American imperialism” and “The people’s liberation is on the march.” Flags from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Russia were visible.Protesters in Niamey chanted “Down with American imperialism”Image: Mahamadou Hamidou/REUTERS Burkina Faso and…

New mum Ash Good has been named as one of six people killed by a knifeman in Sydney, according to Australian media reports.The 38-year-old osteopath was reportedly rushed to hospital but could not be saved, while her infant daughter was severely injured in the attack at Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre.Earlier two men, who were nearby, said a mother threw her baby to them after she was injured.Blood was coming from her mouth, one of the men told 9News Sydney.”I was holding the baby. It looked pretty bad,” he said.His brother added: “He helped with holding the baby and trying…

The last remaining person out of 174 stranded passengers was rescued from a cable car in Turkey on Saturday afternoon, a day after a passenger was killed when one of the pods burst open. The incident occurred at the Tunektepe cable car outside of Antalya, a popular resort destination on the Mediterranean coast. Turkish news agency Anadolu identified the deceased as a 54-year-old Turkish man. Six Turkish citizens and one Kyrgyz national were also injured, including two children among them The tragedy coincided with Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the Muslim holy month Ramadan. What happened? The incident occurred…

Floodwaters in the Russian city of Orenburg passed official expectations to reach a record high on Saturday, after days of floods along the Ural River. Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated in Russia and Kazakhstan. Russia’s worst flooding in decades was caused by winter’s heavy snowfall melting faster than expected in April. Flooding continues in Orenburg On Saturday, the water level of the Ural River reached almost 12 meters (39 feet) in Orenburg — more than 2.5 meters above the level considered critical. “We expect this to be the plateau: There will be no further rise, the situation…

Masked gunmen who killed nine people after abducting them from a bus in southwest Pakistan are being hunted by police as the country’s prime minister vowed they would be “punished”.The gang had earlier shot dead two more people and wounded six others in a car, when they failed to stop at a makeshift roadblock. The deadly kidnapping happened on Friday in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province, where separatists have been battling for independence. Image: There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the deadly attack. Pic: AP Speaking on Saturday, district deputy commissioner Habibullah Mosakhail said the gunmen set up a blockade,…

Qantas Airways said on Saturday that its flights from the western Australian city of Perth to the British capital would take a different route for the time being owing to the current crisis in the Middle East. The announcement comes after US President Joe Biden said Iran was on the point of carrying out its promised retaliatory attack for the killing last week of a senior officer in Iran’s embassy in Damascus in an Israeli airstrike. What did Qantas say? “We’re temporarily adjusting the flight paths for our flights between Perth and London due to the situation in parts of the Middle East,”…

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have detained a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported on Saturday. Footage provided to the news agency Associated Press showed commandos rappelling down from a helicopter and raiding the ship. UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and British maritime intelligence firm Ambrey also said that a ship had been seized by regional authorities 50 nautical miles (92 km) northeast of Fujairah. A US defense official said “we are aware of the situation reported by UKMTO and we are monitoring it.” What do we know about the ship? Iranian media and ship…

Six people have been killed and several are in a critical condition, including a baby, after stabbings at a shopping centre near Bondi Beach in Sydney.Police said the attacker, believed to be a 40-year-old man, acted alone and was shot dead by an officer who confronted him on her own.Authorities said the suspect is known to them and his attack is not thought to be terror-related.Hundreds of people were evacuated from the Westfield Bondi Junction shopping centre, while an ambulance spokesperson said people were still inside the building.Police confirmed there is no longer a threat following the attacker’s death. Image:…

Earlier this year, human rights activists, members of the European Parliament and former political prisoners in Belarus signed an open letter calling on the Forest Stewardship Council, the world’s leading forestry certification scheme, to investigate why furniture made in Belarusian jails was able to receive the FSC seal of approval. They accuse the Germany-based FSC of shutting its eyes to the use of forced labor in Belarus and thus helping Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko make more money. “FSC’s seal was instrumental in giving an appearance of sustainability to timber products linked to these penal colonies and forests and served to open…