Author: DW

The platform bobs sluggishly in the sea, built of several steel pontoons anchored to the seabed to form a large pier, soon to dock ships bringing urgently needed aid to Gaza. The photos published by the US Central Command on X earlier this week suggest that work on the US makeshift pier is almost complete. Floating several miles off the coast of Gaza, it will be guarded by around 1,000 armed US soldiers. They are just one component of a complex logistics chain that will cost at least $320 million (€297 million). The pier will be just the first landing…

Bodies have been found in the search for two Australian brothers and a US tourist who went missing in northern Mexico.The remains were found south of Ensenada, near where the men – Jake and Callum Robinson from Australia and American Jack Carter Rhoad – went missing last weekend. The trio, who were believed to have been on a camping and surfing trip, were only reported missing in the last few days – but the mother of the Robinsons said they hadn’t been in touch since 27 April. Image: American Jack Carter Rhoad has also been missing since last weekend The…

“We definitely don’t want to win the ‘Wolfsburg Cup,’ as some people might call it. We want to win the [German] Cup, and then maybe we can name it something different this year.” Footballer Georgia Stanway is not fazed. The England midfielder scored the opener as Bayern Munich beat Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 on Saturday to retain the Bundesliga and put the club on the verge of the first domestic double in its history. A German Cup final on May 9 against Wolfsburg, the standard setters in German women’s football and winners of the last nine straight cups, is not something the 25-year-old is concerned by.…

At least 56 people have been killed in floods in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul following days of torrential rain, civil defense authorities said on Saturday.The severe flooding is partly driven by climate change, experts sayImage: Gilvan Rocha/Agencia Brasil/picture alliance What do we know about the flood catastrophe? Rising waters brought about by heavy rain since Monday have struck more than 265 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul, with more than 24,000 people forced to abandon their homes. Houses and bridges have been damaged and many roads have been rendered unusable by the deluge. A hydroelectric dam located between the…

Countries in South and Southeast Asia have been coping with a weeks-long heatwave which has seen record temperatures sweep parts of the region.Pupils in the Philippines, India and Bangladesh have been told to stay at home and learn remotely due to a severe health risk. Schools in Cambodia have also cut back on their hours.Cambodia faces its hottest temperature in 170 years, according to meteorologists – as high as 43C (109F).Bangkok in Thailand has reached 40C (104 F), but the heat index is said to have topped 50 C (122 F) due to the heat being trapped among the mass…

Chloropicrin is a poisonous, oily fluid with an extremely acrid smell. If humans come into contact with the substance they are likely to experience a blistering of the skin, irritation of the eyes and breathing difficulty. Chloropicrin fumes are especially dangerous, attacking the pulmonary veins in a victim’s lungs when inhaled. The result: Pulmonary edema with gurgling breathing sounds and foamy red sputum, which, in extreme cases, can result in death. The effects of chloropicrin were already well-known at the time of the First World War. Originally developed as a pesticide, Russia was able to weaponize the substance. The German army…

Social media has always been one of the only places where members of the LGBTQ+ community in Iraq could meet and be more open about their sexual identity. “Before Instagram, members of the community created fake Facebook accounts and joined secret groups to get to know one another,” Khalid, a 22-year-old student in the central Iraqi province of Babylon, told DW; he could not give his full name because doing so would expose him to danger. “Then with Instagram’s ‘close friends’ story feature [launched in 2018], it became even easier for people to connect, and even to find love.” The country’s…

At least 14 people died in a flood and landslide that hit Indonesia’s Sulawesi island, officials said on Saturday. Torrential rainfall has been pounding the region since Thursday, triggering a landslide in the Luwu district of the South Sulawesi province, according to local rescue chief Mexianus Bekabel. Floods of up to 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) covered 13 sub-districts in water and mud. Over 1,000 houses were affected, and 42 of them were swept off their foundations, officials said.  What is being done? Search and rescue officials worked to evacuate residents from their homes using rubber boats and other vehicles. Over…

China has been branded “a bully” and an international lawbreaker after its ships blasted Philippine vessels with water cannon in the South China Sea.Sky News was on board the BRP Bagacay when a Chinese vessel fired water at it, causing significant damage. Philippine coastguard spokesman Jay Tarriela told Sky News that this week’s confrontation was the first time China had used “such aggression” against their ships.”The metal parts and the railing were bent. The canopy was also destroyed. So this came as a surprise for us that China never hesitated to use brute force,” he said.”It completely justifies us calling…

Britain’s Labour Party urged Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to call a general election after his governing Conservative Party suffered heavy losses in local elections in England. The Tories lost around half the seats they contested. In contrast, Labour won councils that the party hasn’t held for decades, regional mayorships, and a special election for the Blackpool South seat in parliament. “Here in Blackpool, a message has been sent directly to the prime minister,” Labour leader Keir Starmer said. “This was directly to Rishi Sunak to say we are fed up with your decline, your chaos and your division and we want change,”…