Author: DW

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen traveled to Lebanon to announce an economic aid package of €1 billion for the country on Thursday. The visit comes with EU member state Cyprus increasingly anxious about a sharp rise in Syrian migrant numbers from Lebanon, just 185 kilometers (100 miles) from the Mediterranean island. For months, Cyprus has lobbied the bloc, urging it to extend aid to Lebanon in a way similar to EU deals with Turkey, Tunisia, and, more recently, Egypt. Cyprus has told Brussels the number of migrants is no longer sustainable, and it has suspended the processing of asylum applications by Syrian…

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is visiting Lebanon, where she was expected to announce aid for the country on Thursday. The visit comes with EU member state Cyprus increasingly anxious about a sharp rise in Syrian migrant numbers from Lebanon, just 185 kilometers (100 miles) from the Mediterranean island. For months, Cyprus has lobbied the bloc, urging it to extend aid to Lebanon in a way similar to EU deals with Turkey, Tunisia, and, more recently, Egypt. Cyprus has told Brussels the number of migrants is no longer sustainable, and it has suspended the processing of asylum applications by Syrian…

Iran is willing to “expend every Arab life” in its efforts to end Western influence in the Middle East and destroy Israel, a former US national security adviser has said.HR McMaster, who held the position between 2017 and 2018 during the Trump presidency, told Sky News that there is still a risk of escalation between Iran and Israel after the two nations carried out attacks on each other in April. Iran said its attack on Saturday 13 April was a retaliation after two of its generals were killed in a strike Tehran blames on Israel.Israel responded to the Iranian attack…

A two-week lull in attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels have ended with the resumption of missile strikes targeting Red Sea ships linked to Israel, the United States or nations supporting the international anti-Houthi naval coalition in those waters. The attacks, which the Houthis have been carrying out since November 2023, are a bid to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. However, while the Iran-backed group has not managed to influence the course of the war between Israel and Hamas, its ongoing attacks have increased the group’s popularity to an unprecedented level. And now, some five months into the attacks, the Houthis are starting to leverage this power boost across Yemen. The US-led international naval coalition has been…

The death toll from a highway collapse in China’s Guangdong province climbed to 36, state media said on Thursday, as rescue efforts continued. Thirty people were wounded in the incident. A section of the Meizhou-Dabu Expressway collapsed on Wednesday at 2:10 a.m. local time, triggered by heavy rain. The 17.9-meter-long (58.7-foot) stretch of collapsed road caused 23 vehicles to plummet down the steep slope below, according to the Meizhou city government. “As of 5:30 a.m. on (Thursday)… 36 people have died, and 30 people have been injured,” the state Xinhua news agency said, adding that the injuries were not life-threatening. Rain hinders rescue President…

Solomon Islands lawmakers have selected China-friendly former diplomat Jeremiah Manele as the new prime minister of the South Pacific nation. This follows elections on April 17. Manele won 31 votes to opposition leader Matthew Wale’s 18 votes in a secret ballot of the 49 new MPs, Governor General Sir David Vunagi announced outside the parliament house on Thursday. Police patrolled the parliamentary grounds as MPs voted inside, as Solomon Islands has seen unrest during elections in the past. “The people have spoken,” Manele said outside the parliament on Thursday, praising the fact there was no repeat of past violence. “We have…

US users were responsible for most posts on X mentioning the location of a recent violent protest in Ireland in recent days, data obtained by Sky News shows.On 25 April, a group of anti-migrant activists assembled in Ireland to protest outside a site being converted to asylum accommodation near the town of Newtownmountkennedy.Within hours, the scene became violent. Video recorded in the evening showed a fire was lit at the site, and activists clashed with officers.Migration to Ireland has become a focus of debate beyond the country’s borders. Prominent figures from the United States and elsewhere have frequently weighed in…

After an absence of two years, when she last competed in the DTM (German Touring Masters) and the European Le Mans Series, Sophia Flörsch is back in Formula 3.  “It feels very good,” the 22-year-old German told DW. “For the past two years it was always my goal to return to Formula-class racing. I’m really happy to be racing in Formula 3 again.”  Not only that, but Flörsch is now on the junior squad of Renault’s Alpine Formula 1 racing team.  “This brings me a bit closer to my goal of Formula 1, but I still have a long way to go,”…

About 300 people have been arrested during police crackdowns on protests at US universities.In the early hours of Wednesday, police were called into Columbia University in New York, and also broke up protests at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as demos over the Israel-Hamas war reached boiling point. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said about 300 people were arrested at Columbia and nearby City College.Columbia’s Hamilton Hall was occupied by protesters and Mayor Adams said this particular group was “led by individuals who were not affiliated with the university”.”There is a movement to radicalize young people,” he…

Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Paris Saint-Germain(Füllkrug 36′)Westfalenstadion, Dortmund Borussia Dortmund will take a precious lead into the Champions League semifinal second leg in Paris next week after Niclas Füllkrug’s stunning first-half strike proved the winner in Wednesday night’s first leg against Paris Saint-Germain. Ten minutes before half-time, central defender Nico Schlotterbeck exposed PSG’s high defensive line with a long ball over the top which Füllkrug brought down with a cushioned first touch before firing emphatically past Gianluigi Donnarumma. Dortmund a different proposition in Europe Frustratingly inconsistent in the Bundesliga this season, Dortmund have been a completely different proposition in the Champions League,…