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Eighteen people have been killed after a plane crashed during take-off in Nepal. The pilot of the plane is the sole survivor and is currently receiving treatment. The domestic flight was travelling from the capital Kathmandu when it's reported to have slipped off the runway and caught fire. The Himalayan country has a poor aviation safety record, and airlines operating there face challenging flying conditions. 0:00 Plane crashes at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport 0:26 DW talks to journalist Dhruba Adhikary in Kathmandu

Despite a raft of sanctions against Russia, especially its lucrative fossil fuel sector, the European Union is still paying billions to that country for energy. Legal loopholes are allowing barrel after barrel of oil into the bloc, even as Brussels sends aid money to Ukraine. Are more sanctions necessary?

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said it's very possible that US Vice President Kamala Harris will win the American presidential election. Speaking to reporters in Berlin he said he has met Harris several times and believes her to be a competent and experienced politician. He made the comments in his annual summer press conference. He also said that he intends to run for office as the chancellor again in the next German elections coming up in 2025.

"The chemical, biological and radiological (warfare) response team has safely collected the trash balloons," the South Korean presidential security service told the AFP news agency. "After investigation, results have confirmed that there was no danger nor contamination of the object," the South Korean security authorities continued. South Korean authorities did not say if President Yoon Suk Yeol was present at the compound when the trash balloons landed. Earlier South Korean presidents had their office at the Blue House in the historic Jongno district, but Yoon instead has moved to work on official duties at the Yongsan complex. The South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff earlier on Wednesday reported that the balloons from North Korea were north of Seoul and warned citizens to be vigilant. Tenth round of North Korean trash balloons enter South since late May The latest trash balloons come after South Korea ramped up its broadcasts of propaganda and pop music at the DMZ, targeting the North. The North Korean government was also angered by recent firing drills conducted by South Korea near their shared border area. It's the tenth round of North Korean balloons drifting towards the South since late May. The balloons from North Korea were initially a response to leaflets coming from South Korea, which carried material criticizing the North Korean government and the ruling Kim family. The North and South are still technically in a state of war, as the Korean War ended in 1953 ended in an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

All flights were grounded and schools and offices were closed in Taiwan, as the island braced for one of the strongest storms in years that is expected to unload damaging winds and torrential rainfall. Typhoon Gaemi is expected to make landfall on Taiwan's northeastern coast by 10 p.m. (1400 GMT), authorities said, with the storm estimated to bring about 1,800 mm or 70 inches of rain to southern and central Taiwan. The first typhoon of the season to affect the island, Gaemi was packing maximum sustained winds of 190 kilometers (118 miles) per hour. The storm has already affected Japan and the Philippines, enhancing the seasonal monsoon rains in Manila. The rains set off a dozen landslides and floods over five days, killing at least eight people, according to Philippine authorities. After crossing the Taiwan Strait, Gaemi is likely to hit the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian late on Thursday afternoon.

US Vice President Kamala Harris addresses a cheering Wisconsin crowd, leveraging her criminal prosecutor background to jab at Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers accuse Harris of being responsible for disputed policies of the Biden administration.

On the Israeli-Lebanese border, missile strikes in both directions have been ongoing since October. The destruction, insecurity and fear of an all-out war have pushed many to leave their homes on both sides of the border. Hezbollah leaders say they are ready for a full-scale war. What's Hezbollah trying to achieve with its continuous attacks on Israel? And is there any reason to believe Israel will invade Lebanon?

In Bangladesh, authorities have begun easing internet restrictions and a curfew imposed after student-led protests over state job quotas led to mass unrest. Soldiers are still deployed in large numbers on the country's streets including in the capital Dhaka, the scene of some of the worst violence. The government has accepted a court ruling largely scrapping the hated quota system, as demanded by protesters. But students have threatened to resume demonstrations if the government doesn't quickly ease restrictions. Despite the crackdown and the Supreme Court recommendation, some student protesters have vowed to continue. Sarjis Alam, one of the quota reform protest coordinators, told DW that the court decision doesn't fully address their demands, as it essentially leaves it up to the government to decide on how to implement to quota system. "The court said the quota issue is a policy decision of the government and the authorities can change the ratio of the quotas if they want," said Alam. He added that the court has asked the government to quickly issue information on how it intends to reform the quota system. Meanwhile, the student protesters are also demanding justice for those killed during the demonstrations. Alam has accused political wings of the ruling party of being involved in the protesters' deaths, a charge the government has denied. Protesters have also said they were beaten by police. Human rights group Amnesty International said video evidence from clashes last week showed that Bangladesh's security forces had used unlawful force.

China says the nearly two-decade rivals Hamas and Fatah, along with a dozen other Palestinian factions, have signed a reconciliation pact in Beijing. Unlike many Western nations, China does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization and aims to assert its role as a key player in Gaza peacemaking and on the international stage.

The World Health Organization says it's 'extremely worried' about a potential polio outbreak in Gaza. It warned that traces of the virus have been detected in wastewater, and that the dire sanitation situation could allow it to spread quickly. Polio attacks the central nervous system, causing paralysis and death in extreme cases. The WHO says a mass vaccination campaign may be needed. Chapters: 0:00 The polio potential 0:29 Joe English, UNICEF Emergency Communication Specialist

There is growing anger in the US following a police shooting of an unarmed Black woman in the state of Illinois. Authorities released this bodycam footage showing the moments leading to the fatal shooting. The woman, 36-year-old Sonya Massey, had called 911 to report a suspected intruder. Two deputies reponded. One of them told Massey to check on a pot of boiling water. He then told her to drop the pot of hot water, and shot her. He has been charged with murder. Chapters: 0:00 The events leading up to the murder + family reactions 0:58 Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, Constitutional law professor and author

The president's support for Israel during the Gaza war has provoked a backlash from some Democrat supporters. This was reflected in the large numbers of Democrats who voted 'uncommitted' in primaries earlier this year. That includes one-in-five voters in Minnesota and more than ten percent in Michigan and North Carolina. As Kamala Harris prepares to sit down with Benjamin Netanyahu this week, DW takes a look at Washington's shifting stance on the war in Gaza. Chapters: 0:00 The policy changes 3:22 Reem Abiu-Samra, Political scientist, University of Michigan-Dearborn

Democratic leaders in Congress have been endorsing Kamala Harris as the party's candidate for November's election. Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries have joined a growing list of prominent Democrats to back the her after Joe Biden withdrew from the race. A poll by the Associated Press News Agency says the vice president now has the backing of enough delegates at next month's Democratic National Convention in Chicago to secure the nomination. Harris has been holding her first campaign event since Biden withdrew - and she's been speaking in the key swing state of Wisconsin. Chapters: 0:00 Harr's backers 1:08 Ines Pohl, DW Washington Bureau Chief 4:37 John Mark Hansen, Political scientist

Hungary and Slovakia are calling for the EU to mediate over Ukraine's Lukoil ban. Both countries, which are considered to have pro-Moscow ties, said they were no longer receiving oil from Russia as a result. The European Commision has three days to respond to the consultation initiated by the two countries. But as the temperatures rise in Europe this summer, so are the tensions.

Chinese state media say rival Palestinian factions including Hamas and Fatah have signed a declaration in Beijing to unite the two groups. The two groups have competed for power in Gaza and the West Bank for years. The so-called Beijing Declaration is aimed at strengthening Palestinian unity and involves more than a dozen Palestinian factions. Hamas is considered a terrorist group by the US, EU and other states, but not so by China. Israel swiftly rejected the agreement adding that Hamas's rule "will be crushed." 0:00 Rival Palestinian factions meet in Beijing to sign a unity declaration 2:36 Ahmed Aboudouh, Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Program, Chatham House

Bangladesh has seen days of violent clashes between police and students protesting a government job quota system. More than 100 people have been killed, and the government has ordered a curfew and deployed military forces. Now a Deutsche Welle investigation has revealed that vehicles with UN markings have been deployed in the crackdown. The United Nations has called the violence against student protesters 'shocking and unacceptable'. Footage monitored by DW's investigations Unit clearly shows UN markings on armored personnel vehicles being used against the demonstrations. Pictures show similar vehicles with regular Bangladesh army markings. The investigation comes after rights groups questioned Bangladesh's involvement in several peace missions. A DW probe in May showed that Bangladesh had deployed officers implicated in cases of torture and killings as UN peacekeepers.

Spain is projected to become the most visited country in the world. But locals aren't happy about that, and they are protesting against mass tourism.

Children diagnosed with cancer are among the most vulnerable paediatric patients. But what if your child is diagnosed in a warzone? For many children in Ukraine, that means battling brutal circumstances to have a chance at life.

On the first full day of her campaign, US Vice President Kamala Harris has become the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee to replace President Joe Biden. She received pledges from enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination. The delegates, however, have not formally nominated Harris yet. Delegates will either take part in a virtual roll call to nominate Harris in the next few weeks, or they would formally vote for Harris during the Democratic National Convention from August 19 to 22 in Chicago.

Democratic heavyweight Nancy Pellosi has finally jumped aboard the rolling Kamala Harris bandwagon and endorsed the vice president's bid to become the party's presidential nominee. This turn of events came about, of course, after Joe Biden announced that he would not run again - despite everything he's said in the past - as questions about his age and mental acuity mounted. Kamala Harris now appears to be the Chosen One, with even potential rivals like Gavin Newsom and Gretchen Whitmer backing her. So, is she the person to beat Donald Trump? Chapters: 0:00 Pelosi jumps in behind Harris 3:05 The Democrats supporting Harris 3:14 Report on Biden ending bid 5:42 Chris Devine, University of Dayton Associate Professor 11:14 Meghan Milloy, Republican Women for Progress

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022 brought much of the country's cultural life to a standstill, with major events like big music concerts cancelled -- until now. DW correspondent Max Zander reports from a three-day rock festival that took place in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

US Vice President Kamala Harris has made her first public appearance since beginning her bid to win the Democratic nomination for president. At an event at the White House, she praised President Biden's achievements and talked about her professional relationship with his son. Meanwhile, leading members of the Democratic party are rallying behind Harris' bid to win the party's nomination. Veteran Democrat and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has given Harris her endorsement. And Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who had been tipped to throw her hat into the ring, also supports the Harris campaign.

US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has admitted that her agency failed to protect Donald Trump against an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania on July 13th. Lawmakers have been expressing anger over how the gunman could get so close to the Republican presidential nominee when he was supposed to be carefully guarded. The Secret Service has acknowledged that it denied some requests by Trump's campaign for increased security at his events in the years BEFORE the assassination attempt. Addressing Congress, Director Cheatle described it as the agency's "most significant operational failure" for decades. With the political climate in the US getting more dangerous than in the decades past, is the secret service up to the job?

EU member states are evaluating how to respond to trips taken by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to Russia and China and his country's positioning over the EU's role in Ukraine. Orban has described it as a "peace mission" even though none of his EU partners mandated him to do so. The EU's top diplomats are now discussing a suggested boycott of an upcoming informal gathering of foreign affairs ministers, due to take place at the end of next month in Budapest.

Human rights organizations and activists are concerned about what they see as a worrying trend in Germany. They say police are systematically using excessive force and are disproportionally targeting "politically undesirable protests,” such as climate activists and those expressing solidarity with Palestinians. Police say they are only enforcing the rule of law and do not classify protests as "good or bad", but act against those which are "unlawful and violent".