World | Deutsche Welle

Congo's Ebola epidemic might have gone unnoticed for months The deadliest Ebola outbreak on record in the Democratic Republic of Congo may have begun months before it was declared in May. Global Gender Gap Report: Women's hard-won gains 'fragile' Two decades of progress toward gender parity is at risk as women's political representation declines, according to a new World Economic Forum report. At the current pace, the remaining gap could take 120 years to close. Kosovo ex-president Thaci sentenced to 25 years for war crimes A Hague tribunal ruled that Hashim Thaci, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), is responsible for war crimes carried out during the war of independence with Serbia. Turkey's rights groups, EU call out LGBTQ+ crackdown Several raids and arrests of LGBTQ+ persons in Turkey have triggered sharp criticism from numerous Turkish organizations — and also from Brussels. Why do authoritarian regimes target the LGBTQ+ community? A recent crackdown on the LGBTQ+ community in Turkey is symptomatic of a wider rights regression, according to experts. It's worse under authoritarian regimes, but why is it such a popular policy for these states? Saudi Arabia faces hard choices as Houthis gain in Yemen Saudi Arabia faces growing security and economic problems as it seeks to balance deterrence and diplomacy during its escalating conflict with the Iran-backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen. Why the era of cheap government debt is over US debt has topped $40 trillion. How risky is the country's growing debt burden. And will investors keep funding Washington's deficits? US allies in Asia alarmed as think tank calls for pullback Analysts warn that a US withdrawal from the western Pacific, as recently suggested by a think tank, would weaken deterrence and strengthen China's position. Iran's 'Woman, Life, Freedom' spirit lives on amid war The 2022 death of Jina Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered a resistance movement in Iran. Four years later, the Iranian regime endures — but so does the legacy of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests. Netherlands: Suspected sabotage disrupts train services A major outage has hit parts of the Dutch railway system after objects were found placed across lines, authorities say. The company responsible for rail infrastructure says it suspects deliberate wrongdoing. Europe launches two climate observation satellites The European Space Agency has put two satellites into orbit to take a closer look at the impact of climate change. One of them will focus particularly on plant life. EU seeks Arctic strategy amid growing power rivalry Russia's aggression, Trump's threats against Greenland and the race for critical raw materials are pushing the Arctic to the top of Europe's agenda. Ukraine, Russia set for new round of US-mediated talks New trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia and the US could begin in October, according to Kyiv and Moscow. Few expect a breakthrough, but Ukraine is seeking a partial de-escalation to help it get through the winter.