Author: DW

The European Union and NATO said Russia’s presidential election would be neither free nor fair, a day before polling stations open across the country. “We know, given the track record of how votes are being prepared and organized in Russia under the current Kremlin administration and regime, how this will look like,” EU spokesperson Peter Stano said. “It’s very difficult to foresee that this would be a free, fair and democratic election where the Russian people would really have a choice.”Russia’s Vladimir Putin up for reelectionTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5…

At least 29 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for aid in two separate Israeli attacks, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.The first incident on Thursday saw eight people killed in an airstrike on an aid distribution centre in Al-Nuseirat camp, in the central Gaza strip, they said. Later, at least 21 people were killed and more than 150 wounded by Israeli gunfire at a crowd waiting for aid at a roundabout, the ministry said.Israel’s military said it is looking into both incidents.This comes two weeks after the Gaza health ministry said at least 112 people were killed during another…

Critics have regularly said Russia is a dictatorship but nonetheless, between March 15 and 17, the country will hold a presidential election. But the outcome has been predicted long before this week: Vladimir Putin, who has been in charge of the country for the past 25 years, will win a fifth term. That means he would remain in power in the Kremlin until at least 2030. The only clear opposition figure, liberal politician Boris Nadezhdin, has been barred from running by Russian courts, including the Supreme Court, on appeal. Other candidates include Nikolai Kharitonov, 75, who represents the local Communist Party. This party’s candidate usually comes…

A US federal judge has denied a motion by Donald Trump’s lawyers to throw out a criminal case that accuses him of illegally holding onto classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago mansion. US District Judge Aileen Cannon — who was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2020 — denied the motion on Thursday hours after Trump’s legal team argued that the central charge was too vague. She ruled that the question “warrants serious consideration” but should not be decided at this point. The former president has pleaded not guilty to a 40-count indictment that accused him of retaining classified national security documents…

Northern Ireland’s first minister has urged the United States to bring the same critical approach to pursuing a ceasefire in the Middle East that it once brought to Northern Ireland.Michelle O’Neill and her power-sharing partner, Emma Little-Pengelly, the deputy first minister, are on a trade mission to Washington, where they will meet President Joe Biden at events marking St Patrick’s Day. Image: Michelle O’Neill. Pic: PA The first minister said: “When it comes to the Middle East, firstly, I will always recognise the constructive role that US administrations played in terms of the peace process.”I don’t believe we would have…

A former Stasi officer went on trial in Germany Thursday for shooting a Polish man who attempted to flee to West Berlin almost 50 years ago. The Stasi was the state security authority of communist former East Germany, known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The suspect could face a life sentence if convicted. What are the charges against the former Stasi officer? The 80-year-old defendant is accused of murdering Czeslaw Kukuczka at a border crossing in Berlin. At least 140 people were killed trying to cross the Berlin Wall between 1961 and 1989. Kukuczka was killed on March 9,…

In India, around 970 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots during the upcoming election . The vote will determine whether the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be elected a rare third consecutive term in power. People eligible to vote in the world’s most populous country include 497 million male, 471 million female and 48,044 third-gender electors, according to India’s Election Commission (EC), which is overseeing the gargantuan exercise in democracy. Largest festival of democracy More women than men have enrolled as new electors for the upcoming vote, said the poll panel, and over 20 million voters…

The most senior Jewish politician in the US has labelled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an obstacle to peace and urged him to call an election.Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, who has long been a supporter of Israel, said on the Senate floor that Mr Netanyahu’s government “no longer fits the needs” of the country and that its people “are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past”. The top Democrat said in his 45-minute speech: “As a democracy, Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips…

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has squarely rejected the idea of paying any ransom for the release over 280 schoolchildren, who were abducted last week. Tinubu specified that “not a dime” would be spent to meet the kidnappers’ demands since the payment of ransom was made illegal in Nigeria in 2022. Meanwhile, authorities may be running out of time to secure the release of the hostages in the north-western Kaduna State, as the kidnapping gangs have vowed to kill the captives if their demands are not met. The kidnappers are asking for the equivalent of over $620,000 for the release of the…

An expanded and more concrete migration and mobility partnership between the Philippines and Germany was one of the main talking points between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr when the two leaders met in Berlin on Tuesday. “The Philippines has a treasure of well-skilled workers,” Scholz said in a joint press conference. “This is also relevant for our health sector.” Scholz said that labor cooperation with the Southeast Asian nation is an important area for Germany, adding that he wants to make progress here in “a very concrete fashion.” The German chancellor said that a “very comprehensive…