World

Democrats are pushing to remove Donald Trump from office under the 25th Amendment after he threatened that "an entire civilization will die" if Iran didn't back down, a statement many have described as a potential war crime.  The US president's handling of the Epstein files and, in the past week, social media posts and statements lashing out against Pope Leo XIV have only intensified the discussion. What is the 25th Amendment?  The 25th Amendment was added to the US Constitution in 1967 to clarify procedures when a president or vice president is unable to continue in office due to death, resignation or ill health.  Though dealing with presidential incapacities had long been an issue, the amendment's creation was only sped up after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Novem...

France and the United Kingdom have said they are ready to lead a multinational mission to help restore freedom of navigation and trade in the Strait of Hormuz, only to be deployed once peace had been agreed in the region.  But at a meeting of the coalition of nonbelligerent states in Paris on Friday, the mood remained one of caution. A temporary ceasefire has put fighting between Iran and a US-Israeli coalition on hold until April 22. On Thursday, a 10-day ceasefire was also announced between Israel and Lebanon, the stronghold of Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah. And on Friday, both Iran and the US said the Strait of Hormuz was now "open" to commercial shipping, though the US said its blockade of Iranian ports would remain in place until a peace deal with Tehran was reached. Maritime t...

Iran's nuclear program has been at the heart of tensions between the US and the Islamic Republic for more than two decades. Washington has said Tehran is working toward developing nuclear weapons, something it wants to prevent at all costs. Iran has denied seeking the bomb, but insists on its right to a civilian nuclear program. US President Donald Trump has said stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon was a key reason behind the US decision to, together with Israel attack Iran on February 28. A ceasefire is now in place, and negotiations between the two sides could soon resume. Back to 2015? More than 10 years ago, Washington and Tehran reached a landmark compromise. The 2015 nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was designed to cu...

The United Kingdom and the European Union have finalized an agreement allowing Britain to take part in the bloc's Erasmus+ student exchange scheme. More than 100,000 people are expected to benefit when they become eligible on January 1, 2027, the British government said in a statement on Wednesday. The agreement is currently only for one year, and Britain will contribute 570 million pounds (€655 million, $774 million) towards the scheme's costs in 2027. What is Erasmus? Erasmus is the EU's flagship student exchange scheme that allows people to study and train across much of Europe for up to a year. It started in 1987 with university exchanges, but now also includes school exchanges, work experience, apprenticeships and sport. Those participating aren't charged tuition at their host s...

Fatuma Muhumed is glowing as she arrives for an interview with DW just hours before her inauguration as a local councilor in the Dutch municipality of Apeldoorn — her first political office, on top of her job as a lawyer. Her election was far from certain: She was ranked 15th on the candidate list of the left-leaning GroenLinks-PvdA, yet she secured one of the party's six seats. Muhumed climbed the ranks thanks to preferential voting, or "smart voting," as the campaign Stem op een Vrouw (Vote for a Woman) calls it. How does it work? In the Netherlands, voters don't just choose a party but select a specific candidate on a party list. Candidates are ranked by the parties, typically with their leaders at the top.  "We see more men, and then we see women lower on the lists," says Zahra Run...