Author: DW

Former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb looked set to become Finland’s next president with almost all the votes counted after Sunday’s runoff election.  Stubb declared victory around the same time as his rival, Green party lawmaker Pekka Haavisto, who had decided to run as an independent candidate, acknowledged that the nearly-complete results looked “like defeat” for himself.  “Well, Alexander. Congratulations to Finalnd’s 13th president,” Haavisto told Stubb on live TV as a prognosis forecast that Stubb’s lead would hold. With around 90% of the votes counted, support for Stubb was at 52.3% compared to 47.9% for Haavisto. The roughly 4-5% margin between…

More than a dozen people have been hurt after a tree fell onto a rollercoaster in Spain.A total of 14 people were injured – including two “seriously” – on the Tomahawk ride at the PortAventura theme park on Sunday morning. A spokesperson for the park, in Tarragona, eastern Spain, blamed “strong winds”.They said: “The incident was caused by a tree falling close to the Tomahawk ride. Some of the branches hit visitors who were on the ride.”The statement added that it was “completely unrelated to the operation and maintenance of our attractions, which meet the highest safety standards and are…

The first day of the Chinese New Year falls on February 10 this year. Also known as the Spring Festival or Lunar New Year, the festival marking the advent of spring is widely celebrated in China and several East Asian countries. Families traditionally gather during this time to share sumptuous meals, while children are often given money in red packets known as “hong bao.” The start of the Lunar Year also sees the rotation of the Chinese zodiac that runs over a 12-year cycle, each represented by an animal. There are several stories explaining the zodiac: One legend goes that…

Polls closed in Finland on Sunday evening following the second and final round of the country’s presidential vote, which pits former prime minister Alexander Stubb, a conservative, against Green party lawmaker Pekka Haavisto, who had decided to run as an independent candidate. Both Stubb and Haavisto had at different points served as Finland’s foreign minister. Some 4.3 million people were eligible to vote in Finland. However, almost 46% of all voters cast their ballots early, before polling stations opened from 9 a.m.local time (0700 GMT). The voting ended at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT).  As polls closed, the Justice Ministry released counting data from the…

Las Vegas is hosting the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event in the United States, on Sunday, with the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the San Francisco 49ers and a halftime show headlined by Usher. The neon-lit gambling capital in the Nevada is buzzing in anticipation for the NFL championship game, surpassing the usual level of hype. Pop star Taylor Swift is rumored to be cheering on her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, adding another layer of excitement to this year’s event.  Sunday’s game is also expected to smash sports gambling and television viewing records. Glamor, pomp and sports Las…

More than 50 people are now confirmed to have died in a major landslide that swamped a village in the southern Philippines.A further 63 people are still missing following the disaster on Tuesday, which came after weeks of torrential rains in the region.Authorities initially said seven people had been killed, but on Sunday said 54 bodies had now been recovered.The landslide, which happened close to a gold mine in Masara, Davao de Oro province, smashed into multiple buildings and vehicles.Miners who were waiting in two buses to be driven home are among the missing.At least 32 residents were injured but…

Two days before UNRWA Secretary-General Philippe Lazzarini was due to meet the EU development ministers in Brussels, the Israeli army once again made serious accusations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA): The Israel Defense Forces said on Saturday they had found a tunnel under the UN organization’s headquarters in the Gaza Strip, which Hamas had used for intelligence activities. The militant Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, the USA and other states. The UNRWA chief denied knowledge of this tunnel or its supply of electricity from the headquarters. He…

Myanmar’s military junta made military service mandatory for both young men and young women, state media reported over the weekend.  All men aged 18 to 35 and women aged 18 to 27 will have to serve for up to two years, while specialists like doctors aged up to 45 can be called on for up to three years.  During a state of emergency — in effect in Myanmar since 2021, soon after the junta took power from a democratically elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi — these service periods can all be stretched to up to five years, state…

Madagascar is set to castrate child rapists after its parliament passed a controversial law last week. The Indian Ocean island’s senate approved the law which will allow for chemical, and in certain cases, surgical castration of those found guilty of raping a minor.It must now be ratified and then signed into law by President Andry Rajoelina, who first raised the issue in December leading to the proposal of the new law.The move has drawn criticism from international human rights groups, but has also encouraged support from activists in Madagascar who say the law is an appropriate deterrent to curb a…

Hundreds of thousands of people took part in rallies across Iran on Sunday to mark the 45th anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The commemoration of the toppling of the US-backed monarch and the takeover by the Islamic cleric Ayatollah Khomeini comes amid rising tensions across the Middle East over Israel’s continued war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. How was the anniversary marked? Sunday’s processions took place across the country, with major streets and squares decorated with flags, balloons and banners with revolutionary and religious slogans. In Tehran, crowds waved Iranian flags, chanted slogans, and carried placards with the traditional phrases “Death to America” and…