Author: DW

Ukraine’s air force has claimed it tricked Russian forces into hitting dummy versions of warplanes and air defence systems.Air force commander Mykola Oleshchuk said mock-ups were put in place at an airfield near the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih and a district of the Black Sea port of Odesa. He shared a video filmed by a Russian reconnaissance drone, which he said showed Russian Iskander missiles attacking the mock-ups.Russia’s defence ministry had shared similar footage on Thursday on its Telegram channel and said it had used Iskender missiles to destroy a Ukrainian Mig-29 fighter jet at the Dovhyntseve airfield.Mr…

Since Ukraine started mobilizing prisoners in mid-May, some 3,000 men have been granted early release from detention facilities “to participate directly in the defense of the country,” as the government officially calls it. But the released prisoners aren’t really free. Directly after leaving prison, they’re first taken to a draft office under the watchful eye of National Guard personnel, where they sign a contract with the armed forces. From there, they go straight to military training areas to become soldiers. Many of the men have wanted to go to the front ever since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early…

England are through to the Euro 2024 semifinals, after holding their nerves in a penalty shootout against Switzerland in Düsseldorf on Friday. The game finished 1-1 after extra time.  Swiss defender Manuel Akanji again endured the misery of missing a penalty for his country, Switzerland’s first of the shootout. Jordan Pickford dived low to his left to stop an imprecise shot, after Akanji failed to convert against Spain in the last European Championships. Akanji’s opening penalty was reminiscent of England coach Gareth Southgate’s infamous miss against Germany in the Euro 1996 semis, albeit struck in the other directionImage: Martin Meissner/AP/picture alliance…

The military leaders of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger said Saturday that they had no plans to rejoin the West African regional bloc. The three juntas left the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in January, accusing the body of being manipulated by former colonial ruler France. What did the junta chiefs say? Speaking at the first gathering of its kind since military coups in all three countries, Niger’s military leader Gen Abdourahmane Tchiani said the nearly 50-year-old ECOWAS has become “a threat to our states.” The three leaders agreed to strengthen their own union, the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), created last year amid fractured relations with…

Newly-elected United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Saturday declared a controversial plan by the ousted government to deport migrants to Rwanda “dead and buried.” Starmer, the leader of the center-left Labour Party, took office on Friday after winning one of the largest parliamentary majorities in modern British history during the UK election a day earlier. The 5-year Rwanda plan, costing 370 million pounds ($494 million, €437 million), would have flown asylum seekers to the central African country to apply for refuge, rather than in Britain. The scheme was widely denounced by rights groups and the public and was even revised and resubmitted to parliament after the Supreme Court ruled it…

Norwegian cyclist Andre Drege has died in an accident during the Tour of Austria.The 25-year-old suffered fatal injuries in a fall while descending the Grossglockner, Austria’s highest mountain. A statement from the organisers read: “It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that we have to announce the passing of Andre Drege.”On Saturday July 6, following a very serious crash during the descent of the Grossglockner at stage 4 of the Tour of Austria, Andre crashed and sustained severe injuries.”Our entire team is devastated by this tragic accident and our thoughts and prayers are with Andre’s family and loved ones…

The manager of Germany’s national football squad Julian Nagelsmann on Saturday paid tribute to his team’s performance at Euro 2024 after their 2-1 extra-time elimination by Spain in the quarter-finals. Germany came from a goal down in Stuttgart on Friday evening to send the match into extra time when Florian Wirtz scored an 89th-minute equalizer. The German side then had a penalty claim denied before conceding a Mikel Merino goal in the 119th minute.Upset, but hopeful: German team exits Euro 2024To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What did Nagelsmann say? Nagelsmann…

If a TV broadcaster lands an exclusive prime-time interview with a sitting president it has to do with more than luck. The White House only schedules such segments to get out a particular message. And that was the case on Friday evening, when US President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos at 8 p.m., to quash the memory of his recent presidential debate with Donald Trump. Biden appeared weak and confused during the June 27 debate with Trump and was nearly impossible to understand at times. But Friday’s interview did little to quiet critics who say the…

At least 89 people have died after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Mauritania, the West African country’s state news agency and the head of a fishing association said.A further 70 people are said to be still missing and nine people, including a five-year-old girl, were rescued.The Atlantic migration route from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the world’s deadliest, and summer is its busiest period.On Thursday, the coastguard were said to have recovered the bodies of 89 people who were bound for Europe. Follow Sky News on WhatsApp Keep up with…

The Cher department in central France used to be a stronghold of the left. During World War II, it was one of the heartlands of the French resistance fighters known as maquisards. France was at the time partly occupied by Nazi Germany, while the rest of the country was under the rule of French general Philippe Petain, whose Vichy government was collaborating with the Nazis. Since the 1950s, several provincial towns of the Cher, such as Vierzon, even voted in the Communist Party. But in last Sunday’s first round of voting in France’s parliamentary elections, candidates from the far-right National…