Author: DW

Russia launched a fresh barrage of missiles at Ukraine early Saturday with the goal of targeting energy infrastructure, according to Ukrainian officials.   “This night, 34 Russian missiles targeted Ukraine. We managed to intercept a portion of them,” Ukrainian President Voldoymyr Zelenskyy wrote on social platform X, while reiterating his call to receive more air defense systems from allies.   Ukrainian private energy firm DTEK said four of its thermal power plants had been damaged from the assault.   “The enemy against massively shelled the Ukrainian energy facilities,” DTEK said. “At this very moment, energy workers are trying to eliminate the consequences of the…

When will the Rafah offensive begin? Discussions about a possible military offensive on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, have been going on in Israel since early February. According to Israeli media reports from late April, troops have now finished their preparations for the ground offensive. All that remains is for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give the word. Netanyahu recently announced the operation could begin “in the coming days” and that army officials estimated about six weeks of “continuous fighting” would be necessary. Aid groups are issuing warning after warning about the risk of famine in GazaImage: -/AFP/Getty Images However,…

A memorial is set to be built for Muslim soldiers who fought and died alongside British and Allied forces in both World Wars.Set to be erected at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire, the 13.2m minaret-shaped structure is to be constructed with brick and terracotta sourced from different parts of the UK and inscribed with the stories of Muslim soldiers who fought for the crown. Architect Benny O’Looney, who designed the memorial, told Sky News he was inspired by travels to the Indian subcontinent. Image: Architect Benny O’Looney He said: “The idea is, as you approach the memorial, it…

A pocket watch that belonged to the wealthiest passenger aboard the Titanic sold for £1,175 million (€1,38 million, $1,46 million) at auction Saturday, smashing a pre-sale estimate. Henry Aldridge & Son, the auction house that sold the watch, had predicted it would sell for between £100,000 and £150,000. The auction for John Jacob Astor IV’s 14-carat gold Waltham pocket watch had a starting bid of £60,000. It was sold to an American buyer. The watch, engraved with the initials JJA, was found with Astor’s body when it was recovered several days after the Titanic sank in April 1912. He was also found…

Myanmar is now four years into a civil war that shows no sign of abating. Following an October 2023 offensive in the north-eastern state Shan, the military junta, known as the State Administrative Council (SAC), lost control over swathes of territory on the border with China. In early April the border town Myawaddy, an important transit point for the flow of goods between Thailand and Myanmar, fell under the control of the Karen people, an ethnic minority group that has been battling the central government for decades. As of late April, Myawaddy was back under SAC control. The situation remains…

Lisbon is not planning to pay reparations for trans-Atlantic slavery and colonialism, Portugal’s government said on Saturday. The statement comes in response to remarks by President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who said Portugal could find ways to compensate its former colonies. What did Portugal’s government say about reparations to its former colonies? Portugal said in a statement that it seeks to “deepen mutual relations, respect for historical truth and increasingly intense and close cooperation, based on reconciliation of brotherly peoples.” It stressed that it had not launched any “process or program of specific actions” for paying reparations. The statement said that…

Britain plans to equip its armed forces with a homegrown hypersonic cruise missile by the end of the decade, according to a report.Military chiefs are under pressure to catch up with China, Russia and the US by developing a weapon capable of flying at speeds higher than Mach 5 – five times the speed of sound, according to The Sunday Telegraph. The Ministry of Defence wants the missile to be designed and built in the UK and to enter service by 2030.Plans are at an early stage, the newspaper reported, although there is no decision on whether the missile will…

Russian journalist Konstantin Gabov has been arrested over accusations of “extremism,” the press service for Moscow courts said on Saturday. The accusations are linked to YouTube videos published on the channel that was once run by late opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Navalny died in an Arctic penal colony in February but the YouTube channel is still active and managed by his aides and allies. Navalny’s movement is designated by Russian authorities as an “extremist” group, meaning his staff and supporters can face prosecution. What do we know about the charges against Gabov? Gabov worked for the Russian broadcasters Moskva 24 and MIR, according…

Dozens of tornadoes have hit the US Midwest, with authorities on Saturday warning of more storms. The CNN broadcaster reported that at least 60 tornadoes and cyclones were reported across five different states on Friday. The National Weather Service said it expects more bad weather later on Saturday, which may include “very large hail, damaging winds, and multiple strong tornadoes.” It said that it was still evaluating the number and strength of the tornadoes. Omaha police lieutenant Neal Bonacci said that the fire department had completed its search of damaged homes and structures.Spring tornadoes rip through US MidwestTo view this…

The United Nations has expressed increasing concern over a potential imminent attack on al Fashir, the capital of North Darfur in Sudan.It comes as residents describe the city as “seriously suffocated” and besieged by Sudanese paramilitary forces known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A spokesperson for the office of UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said in a statement that “an attack on the city would have devastating consequences for the civilian population”.”The escalation of tensions is an area already on the brink of famine,” with the rival Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) appearing to be “positioning themselves”.The last of Darfur’s…