Author: DW

The spire of the cathedral in the northern French city of Rouen caught fire on Thursday, but firefighters managed to put out the blaze at the famed landmark after a couple of hours. Rouen Mayor Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol posted an image of smoke rising from the cathedral on X, formerly Twitter, adding that the cause of the blaze was “unknown at this stage.” Workers discovered the fire at a height of around 120 metres at midday and raised the alarm. Nearly a 100 firefighters responded and reached the tower using a giant ladder. Rouen Archbishop Dominique Lebrun told broadcaster BFMTV that welding…

The United States hosted NATO’s 75th anniversary summit at a tumultuous time. While Russia’s constant attacks on Ukraine continue to have the military alliance on high alert, the host country’s leader also finds himself in a precarious position. Ever since his disastrous debate performance against likely Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, President Joe Biden has been facing a growing number of calls from within his own party to withdraw his candidacy for another four years in office. Support for Ukraine in focus as NATO summit opensTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video…

Europe has not prioritised its security enough for “many, many years”, the Danish prime minister has warned. Speaking from the NATO summit in Washington DC, Mette Frederiksen said the military alliance’s European members need to step up their efforts to help Ukraine and secure peace. “Different American presidents have been putting the same message on the table – you have to do more, you have to take care of your own security, you have to bring bigger commitments,” she told Sky’s diplomatic editor Dominic Waghorn.”I have to say I agree with them.”The Danish prime minister was asked about reports that…

A Polish mining company on Thursday said at least 10 coal miners had been injured and that rescuers were searching for dozens more. Some 68 miners were in the affected underground area when an unknown tremor was recorded at about 8 a.m. local time. What we know so far Polish Coal Mining Group spokesperson Aleksandra Wysocka-Siembiga said the tremor was at a depth of about 1,200 meters (about 4,000 feet), according to broadcaster Polsat. “Some of these people are being brought to the surface, some have already been brought up and some have not yet been reached by the rescuers,” Wysocka-Siembiga…

Pakistan intends to expel more Afghan migrants residing in the country illegally, Islamabad announced on Thursday. Tens of thousands of Afghans remain stranded in Pakistan despite having been approved for relocation to other countries. Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokeswoman for the Pakistani foreign office, told reporters that the upcoming deportations would be the “second phase” of the “Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.” It would target “Afghan citizen card” holders whose documents are valid for a limited time. Since the deportations started last year, an estimated 600,000 Afghans have gone back to Afghanistan. What do we know about the Afghans leaving Pakistan?…

An Irish woman charged with attempted suicide in Dubai has said she is “so relieved” to be back home after the charges against her were dropped.Tori Towey, 28, was charged with attempting suicide and alcohol consumption after she tried to take her own life following an alleged assault. She was prevented from leaving the United Arab Emirates and warned she faced prison. Today, after diplomatic wrangling and the decision of the Dubai court to drop the charges, Ms Towey arrived into Dublin Airport for an emotional reunion with family and friends. Image: Tori Towey works as an airline cabin crew…

The border between Russia and Ukraine runs across fields, through forests and the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Since the end of January, it also runs across the desks of the judges at the Supreme Court of the Netherlands in The Hague, who are looking into the legal tug-of-war being fought over a collection of Crimean gold for the past eight years. This somewhat misleading name has been used by the media to describe a collection of valuable archaeological artifacts — just shy of a quarter of the 432 objects are actually made of gold — presented as part…

Kenyan President William Ruto on Thursday dismissed almost his entire Cabinet after anti-tax protests, with immediate effect. “I have today, in line with the powers given to me by Article 1521 and 1525 B of the constitution and section 12 of the attorney general’s act, decided to dismiss with immediate effect all the cabinet secretaries and attorney general of the Republic of Kenya,” Ruto said in a televised address outside State House in Nairobi.  Those who are to remain in their positions are prime cabinet secretary and Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Ruto looking to establish ‘broad-based government’ Ruto said he made…

The NATO summit that took place in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius, in July 2023 ended in disappointment for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: There was no invitation for Ukraine to become a member of the military alliance, nor a concrete road map to that end. Instead, he had to content himself with the fact that G7 leaders and the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission had signed a joint declaration in support of Ukraine. “Today we are launching negotiations with Ukraine to formalize — through bilateral security commitments and arrangements aligned with this multilateral framework, in accordance with our respective legal and…

England fans hoping to see the Euro 2024 final in Berlin against Spain are facing steep price hikes, with some flights costing three times what they normally would.Hotels and flights take-off The cost of a hotel for Sunday night is showing as double the usual price and a one-way flight on Sunday morning costs three times more than standard, research by Sky News shows.The price of a one-way flight to Berlin from London would usually be around £75, according to Google Flights.However, if you can find one, a one-way flight on Sunday is now showing at around £243 – a…