Author: DW

Former South African President Jacob Zuma has been disqualified from running in the country’s general elections in May. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said on Thursday he was one of eight candidates who faced official objections. “In the case of former president Zuma, yes, we did receive an objection, which has been upheld,” IEC chairperson Mosotho Moepya said at a media briefing. The IEC disqualified him over his 2021 conviction and jailing for contempt of court. Increasing tensions in the run-up to the polls Zuma, who led the country from 2009 to 2018 until his removal amid wide-ranging allegations of…

France’s lower house of parliament or National Assembly approved a bill on Thursday that aims to ban any discrimination based on hair and hairstyle. Olivier Serva, a Black member of parliament from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, who drafted the bill, said it would help victims of such discrimination and make their voices heard. Hair discrimination creates suffering, French lawmaker says “There is a lot of suffering (based on hair discrimination) and we need to take this into account,” Serva told Reuters.Why these German women of color are promoting natural hairTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that…

In a unanimous decision, the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to take “all the necessary and effective action” to prevent a further deterioration of the “catastrophic living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip”. Piling even more pressure on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, the justices observed that “Palestinians in Gaza are no longer facing only a risk of famine… but that famine is setting in”, as they called for urgent action to prevent mass starvation. The court told Israel to increase the number of land crossing points into Gaza and work with the United Nations to…

A bus carrying worshippers from Botswana has plunged off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people on board. An 8-year-old girl is thought to be the sole survivor and was airlifted to Johannesburg for treatment. “It is alleged that the driver lost control, colliding with barriers on the bridge causing the bus to go over the bridge and hitting the ground, where it caught fire,” South Africa’s transport ministry said. The bus was headed to an Easter weekend church service in Moria when it veered off the road between the towns of Marken and Mokopane in the northern province…

Maryland Governor Wes Moore asked for $60 million (€55.6 million) in emergency federal funding on Thursday in response to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. “Government is working hand in hand with industry to investigate the area, including the wreck, and remove the ship,” Moore said. The Democratic governor said the emergency funding was needed to “lay the foundation for a rapid recovery.” ‘Long road ahead’ for Baltimore’s port The Baltimore bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River in the early hours of Tuesday when it was hit by a large container ship. Six people, who had…

A bus crash in South Africa has killed 45 people. The bus had a total of 46 people on board, including the driver. Only one child, an eight-year-old, survived the accident and is being treated in hospital. In a statement, the transport ministry said the driver lost control, and the bus fell onto a rocky surface, some 50m under a bridge and caught fire, near Mamatlakala in the northeast province of Limpopo.The passenger bus was transporting people from Botswana, who were reportedly travelling to Moria in Limpopo for an Easter weekend church service.Rescue operations continued until the late hours of…

The United States on Thursday branded Russian officials “pretty good manure salesmen” after Moscow sought to link the attack on the Crocus City Hall music venue to “Ukrainian nationalists.” “My uncle used to say that the best manure salesmen often carry their samples in their mouths. Russian officials seem to be pretty good manure salesmen,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. His remarks come after Russian investigators said they had evidence linking “Ukrainian nationalists” to last week’s attack on the concert hall on the outskirts of Moscow in which at least 143 people were killed. Russian investigators link…

In the early hours of March 26, the Singapore-flagged ship Dali, loaded with 5,000 containers, slammed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the 1.6-mile (2.5-kilometer) bridge to collapse in a matter of seconds. The Dali was departing for Colombo when the disaster struck. Initial fears were confirmed  that half a dozen people lost their lives in the accident. Baltimore’s port had to be shut down, leaving millions of tons of coal, hundreds of cars, and deliveries of lumber and gypsum stranded. About 40 ships were ready to depart on Tuesday, and a big number of ships coming from the Atlantic cannot dock…

The Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi released their first electric vehicle in China on Thursday, and began taking orders for the car via an app.  The company’s first EV is called SU7 and is a sporty four-door sedan. The price of the vehicle is estimated by analysts at 300,000 yuan (€37,000, $40,000) The low price should help to compete with the competition from overseas. Government subsides helped China to become the world’s largest market for electric vehicles, with sales remaining mainly domestic. Xiaomi plans on being in the top five worldwide automakers in the next 15 to 20 years. ‘Human x Car x Home’ ecosystem Xiaomi is…

Russia was the only nation to veto the annual renewal of a panel of experts who monitor the enforcement of longstanding UN sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile activities. The block comes as the US has accused Pyongyang of transferring weapons to the Kremlin, which Russia has used in the Ukraine war. Both countries have denied the allegations but said there was a desire to strengthen military relations last year.Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un met at Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome in September, when the North Korean leader had pledged his support to Moscow to “fight…