Author: DW

Belarus’ longtime leader Alexander Lukashenko said he would run for president again in 2025, the country’s state news agency BeITA reported Sunday. “Tell them (the exiled opposition) that I’ll run,” Lukashenko told journalists at a polling station after voting in the country’s parliamentary and local council elections. “No responsible president would abandon his people who followed him into battle,” the 69-year-old, who has ruled Belarus for nearly 30 years, added. Sunday’s election is the first since the contentious 2020 presidential vote that handed Lukashenko his sixth term in office. The result was disputed by the country’s opposition and sparked months of angry protests against his government.Belarus heads to…

The diplomatic dispute between Israel and Brazil continues to escalate. After the Brazilian ambassador to Israel was summoned for a meeting at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, he was recalled by his home country. Meanwhile, media reports have said Brazil might expel Israel’s ambassador. The diplomatic crisis was triggered after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made controversial statements about the Israel-Hamas war. “What is happening in the Gaza Strip and to the Palestinian people hasn’t been seen in any other moment in history. Actually, it did when Hitler decided to kill the Jews,” he said on the sidelines of a meeting of…

Oppenheimer has continued its winning streak – picking up more top gongs at the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards ahead of next month’s Oscars.Christopher Nolan’s biopic won best cast in a motion picture, while its star Cillian Murphy scooped the prize for best actor at the Hollywood ceremony. Co-star Robert Downey Jr picked up the award for best supporting actor. Image: Cillian Murphy has already enjoyed success at the BAFTAS and Golden Globes. Pic: AP The red carpet event followed the longest actors’ strike in history and is a key indicator for the Academy Awards, for which voting is currently…

For the first time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has presented his Security Cabinet with a plan for managing the Gaza Strip after the end of the war against the militant Islamist group Hamas. The Israel-Hamas war began after the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on October 7. According to Israeli figures, around 1,160 people were killed and some 250 hostages were taken to Gaza. Israel believes that around 130 hostages are still being held by Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, Israel and other states. The Palestinian death toll since the start of…

Zong Qinghou, a prominent Chinese business magnate with a rags-to-riches story, died on Sunday at 79 after “treatment for an illness proved ineffective,” his company said. In 1987, Zong founded the Wahaha conglomerate, whose bottled water, soft drinks, tea and other products can be found in retail outlets across China.  He was listed by Forbes magazine as China’s richest person in 2010, with a fortune of $8 billion (€7.4 billion). Staying under a bridge Zong did not go into business until he was in his 40s, when he began selling soft drinks to children. At the time, he was reportedly so hard…

There has been “progress” in talks on a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas in Paris after the group “dropped some of its demands”.An Israeli official told Sky News’ US partner outlet NBC News that Israeli negotiators have returned from ceasefire talks with US, Qatari and Egyptian officials in Paris. “There was some progress in Paris but it’s too early to tell if it will lead to a breakthrough,” the official said.Israel’s war cabinet will meet on Saturday night to discuss the negotiations and the state of the war, they added.The fact that Israeli negotiators believed their meeting on Friday…

The historical drama “Oppenheimer,” which portrays the race to build the first atomic bomb, continued to dominate Hollywood’s award season by winning the top honors at the 30th Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards on Saturday. The celebratory night comes after the union went on monthslong strike last year. The Christopher Nolan movie won the top award for outstanding movie cast, handed out by members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union. Cillian Murphy, the actor who played scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, was named the best movie actor while his co-star Robert Downey Junior won the best supporting actor prize. “Why me? Why now?…

It was no cliffhanger.Donald Trump was always going to win the South Carolina primary, it was simply a matter of margin – margin of victory and margin of Republican shift. This result moves the party’s centre of gravity yet further, from traditional to Trump.It strengthens his status as Republican nominee-in-waiting, as a movement waits for Nikki Haley’s next move.She has pledged to fight on – “I’m a woman of my word” – but the question is: for how long? Before this primary, her game plan had been to get as far as ‘Super Tuesday’, the 5 March when the results…

The King has criticised Russia’s “indescribable aggression” and praised Ukrainians for their “true valour” on the second anniversary of the full-scale invasion.Saturday marked two years since Vladimir Putin unleashed war on Ukraine, seeking to crush Ukrainian democracy under tank treads as his forces tried to capture Kyiv. Follow latest: Expert predicts which areas Russia will target nextIn a message released by Buckingham Palace, the King said: “The determination and strength of the Ukrainian people continues to inspire, as the unprovoked attack on their land, their lives and livelihoods enters a third, tragic, year.”Despite the tremendous hardship and pain inflicted upon…

The Indian Foreign Ministry said Friday that some of the country’s citizens have signed up for jobs helping Russia in its war against Ukraine. The ministry has not confirmed if any of those who signed up had taken combat roles. What is New Delhi saying? In a statement, the ministry said it was “aware that a few Indian nationals have signed up for support jobs with the Russian army.” “The Indian Embassy has regularly taken up this matter with the relevant Russian authorities for their early discharge,” the statement.  “We urge all Indian nationals to exercise due caution and stay away…