World

Uganda’s government on Sunday said it would drop a military trial against opposition figurehead Kizza Besigye, urging him to give up his hunger strike in jail, a minister said.The pledge was promptly rejected as “suspicious” by Besigye’s wife, UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima.Besigye, a former ally turned rival of longtime President Yoweri Museveni, went on …

Uganda govt offers to drop military trial of hunger-striking opponent Read More »

At least 18 people died during a stampede at a railway station in India’s capital late Saturday when surging crowds scrambled to catch trains to the world’s largest religious gathering, officials and reports said.The Kumbh Mela attracts tens of millions of Hindu faithful every 12 years to the northern city of Prayagraj, and has a …

18 dead in India stampede to catch trains to Hindu mega-festival Read More »

Running late and vastly over budget, a mammoth rail project stands as a monument to what critics say is Germany’s glaring failure to tackle long-standing infrastructure woes.”Stuttgart 21″ is envisaged as a major, futuristic rail hub in the southwestern city, a fitting gateway to a region home to the headquarters of corporate heavyweights such as …

Late trains, old bridges, no signal: Germany’s infrastructure woes Read More »

Voting can be confusing, especially for young people casting their ballots for the first time, but in Germany they have an app to guide them through the democratic ritual: the Wahl-O-Mat. Also available online, the digital tool’s name translates roughly to the “voting machine” and has been a hit since its inception more than two decades …

Don’t know who to vote for? Germany has an app for that: the Wahl-O-Mat Read More »

All other German parties see the far-right AfD as a threat to democracy, but the anti-immigration party has a powerful friend abroad: Elon Musk, the loudhailer voice of Team Trump.”Let’s go, guys, let’s go — fight for a great future for Germany!” the tech billionaire shouted via video link at a recent campaign rally of …

Germany’s far-right AfD basks in spotlight of Musk support Read More »

With Coldplay and Ed Sheeran among the superstars who have played to packed-out crowds in India recently, there is increasing talk that the world’s most populous nation could soon become a mainstay of the global touring schedule.However, a lack of world-class venues to host big-name events has left fans wanting, with complaints ranging from filthy …

Global stars eye India, but show needs fine-tuning Read More »

Smoke billows from chimneys as factories churn in South Korea’s steelmaking heartland, now under threat from Washington’s swingeing new tariffs on the port city’s largest export.The city of Pohang on South Korea’s east coast for decades pumped out the steel that fuelled the country’s breakneck economic rise.South Korea was the fourth largest exporter of the …

Trump tariffs loom large in South Korea’s ‘steel city’ Read More »

When Germans go to vote in one week’s time, after a polarising election campaign overshadowed by a far-right surge, they are expected to hand the chancellery to conservative Friedrich Merz.If the polls are right, it will fall to the Christian Democrat to deal with a storm of challenges roiling Germany — economic stagnation, a society …

Conservative leads German election race in shadow of far right Read More »

European leaders on Saturday scrambled to force their way to the table for any talks on the Ukraine war, as Washington announced a team of senior US officials was planning to meet in Saudi Arabia with counterparts from Moscow and Kyiv.US President Donald Trump upended the status quo this week when he announced he was …

European allies seek united Ukraine front as US backing wavers Read More »

A two-year-old girl and her mother died Saturday from injuries suffered in a car-ramming attack two days earlier in the German city of Munich that left 37 others injured, police said.”Unfortunately, we have to confirm the deaths today of the two-year-old child and her 37-year-old mother,” police spokesman Ludwig Waldinger told AFP.A 24-year-old Afghan man was …

Mother and daughter die days after Munich car ramming Read More »