World

The Israeli army has now told residents of Tyre several times that they should evacuate the southern Lebanese city, previously home to more than 100,000 people as well as around 10,000 displaced from surrounding areas. But her father and other members of her family are staying, says Lily, a community worker from Tyre. Lily, who didn't want to give her full name for security reasons, is now living with friends in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. But when she can, the 29-year-old returns to Tyre to deliver medicine and food. "Tyre is a ghost town," she tells DW. Since early March, ongoing Israeli aerial attacks have seen successive waves of locals leave. Drone and artillery attacks on Tyre are continuing this week, with Israel saying it is targeting the Lebanese militant group despite the new...

On May 26, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree that a special forces unit of the Ukrainian army was being given the honorary name Heroes of the UPA, explaining that it was "to restore the historical traditions of the national army." However, the decree has created serious tensions with Poland, one of Ukraine's most important allies in the war with Russia. After Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, the partisan Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was formed to fight for an independent Ukrainian state — which at first it did as Germany's ally. In order to drive the Polish population out of regions it claimed for Ukraine, the UPA committed war crimes against ethnic Polish civilians, including the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and eastern Galicia, a region now divi...

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday for his first visit to North Korea since 2019, at a time when an emboldened Kim Jong Un has expanded his regime's trade and military relationship with Russia. In a letter published in North Korea's state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper ahead of his visit, Xi wrote, "no matter how times change or how the international situation evolves, the traditional friendship between China and North Korea remains unbreakable, enduring, and constantly radiates vitality." Since the North Korean dictatorship emerged out of the ashes of the Korean War, China has been Pyongyang's primary geopolitical and financial benefactor. However, as North Korea provides military support to Russia's war in Ukraine, Xi will be motivated to "consolidate and reconfi...

On Monday, the director-general of the UN's World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, visited Uganda, which borders the epicenter of the latest Ebola outbreak in Ituri province, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).  The WHO has declared a public health emergency over the current outbreak, which was announced on May 15 in the northeastern DRC. Tedros was in the DRC last week, in the gold mining hub of Ituri province that has been at the center of the latest outbreak, involving more than 500 confirmed cases. What did Tedros say during his visit to Uganda?  Tedros praised local authorities and their success in largely containing the handful of cases that have come across the border.  "I am in Uganda, where the government has mounted a prompt and capable r...

On May 26, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree that a special forces unit of the Ukrainian army was being given the honorary name Heroes of the UPA, explaining that it was "to restore the historical traditions of the national army." However, the decree has created serious tensions with Poland, one of Ukraine's most important allies in the war with Russia. After Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union in 1941, the partisan Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was formed to fight for an independent Ukrainian state — which at first it did as Germany's ally. In order to drive the Polish population out of regions it claimed for Ukraine, the UPA committed war crimes against ethnic Polish civilians, including the massacres of Poles in Volhynia and eastern Galicia, a region now divi...

Many countries are ramping up their military capabilities — and nuclear weapons are back on the agenda. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), all nine nuclear-armed countries modernized and expanded their arsenals in 2025. In addition to new nuclear weapons, additional delivery systems have been introduced that can be equipped with both conventional and nuclear warheads. These include missiles or cruise missiles. For the 2026 annual report, the SIPRI researchers identified a general trend: More governments are once again banking on nuclear weapons for national defense. Tytti Erasto, a scientist with SIPRI’s Weapons of Mass Destruction program, told DW that Finland and Sweden are examples of countries where nuclear policy has changed drastically since ...

Kosovo Prime ‌Minister ⁠Albin ⁠Kurti's Vetevendosje ​party on Sunday won the most votes in a snap election, yet failed to secure enough votes to govern alone. Results from almost all polling stations showed Kurti's Vetevendosje party won nearly 43% of the vote. This is lower than its result in the previous election in December, when it won 51%. The opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) secured 21% and 17% of the vote, respectively. The election is the third in 16 months, with the unstable political situation negatively affecting Kosovo's economy and EU aspirations. Why is Kosovo holding snap elections? The election was called after the main political parties were unable to elect a new head of state to replace former President Vjosa Osman...

The recently held parliamentary election in Ethiopia has been described as "generally peaceful," despite the exclusion of parts of the country due to insecurity. Ethiopia is Africa's second-most populous country, and nearly 50 million people registered to vote in the June 1 election. However, insecurity in two of the most populous regions — Amhara and Oromia — saw voting suspended in at least 140 constituencies. Voting was also suspended in Tigray, the fourth-most populous region, with election organizers citing "unfavorable conditions." Mixed responses to Ethiopian election  Despite the suspension of votes in some areas, a joint statement by the African Union Election Observation Mission and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)described the election as peaceful. "The IGA...

On Thursday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reminded the world of Pyongyang's nuclear threat, announcing plans to bolster nuclear forces "at an exponential rate," as state media carried footage of Kim visiting what South Korea said was likely a new uranium enrichment plant.  The plant's unveiling came a week after the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement vowing that the "denuclearization" of North Korea "will never happen." This was in response to the foreign ministers of the US, Japan, India and Australia, which comprises the so-called Quad grouping, calling for the "complete denuclearization" of North Korea after a meeting in New Delhi. North Korea has become more defiant in building up its nuclear program, with Kim declaring in February 2026 that North Korea's status as ...