Author: DW

A wave of demonstrations have swept the Canary Islands as locals protested against a tourism model they say has plundered the environment, priced them out of housing and forced them into precarious work.The seven main Canary Islands are home to 2.2 million people – and welcomed almost 14 million international visitors in 2023, up 13% from the previous year. The protests were not aimed at individual tourists, activists say, but at the governments that have created a system that skews so much in favour of investors at the expense of local communities.The tourism industry accounts for 35% of gross domestic…

The United States government is planning a new multi-billion-dollar military aid package to help Ukraine defend itself from Russia’s ongoing invasion, the AP news agency reported citing US officials.  US news outlet Politico also reported that the government was preparing to sign off on a $6 billion (€ 5.6 billion) long-term military aid package.  This would be a second installment from the $61 billion military aid approved by the US Congress and signed into action by President Joe Biden this week.  The plan could become public as early as Friday.  The aid package will be funded through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, two…

While Tunisia is a trusted ally in curbing migration to Europe, human rights observers don’t consider it a "safe" place for migrants given ongoing crackdowns by the increasingly repressive government. Source link

In the nation of ‘Cade Mile Failte’ (a hundred thousand welcomes), the residents of Coolock want to shut the door.They’ve set up an anti-immigrant camp in the north Dublin suburb, outside a disused factory earmarked to house asylum seekers. With green, white and orange, they’re staking claim to this ground, their protest tents bedecked with dozens of Irish flags.Car horns blast every four or five seconds, in response to a large poster reading: “Beep if you support Coolock.”Their other roadside banners state: “Community concern over 1,000 male migrants being housed in this building” and “Irish lives matter”. The camp is…

A drone attack at the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq’s northern Kurdistan region has killed at least four people said to be foreigners according to a local official. “Four Yemeni workers were killed and the field was severely damaged,” the AFP news agency quoted Kurdistan regional government spokesperson Peshawa Hawramani as saying. Hawramani said there would be “power shortages” and called on the federal government in Baghdad “to find the perpetrators of this terrorist act.” AFP also cited Ramak Ramadan, the district chief of Chamchamal where the Khor Mor complex is located, as saying that the drone struck the site…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday again urged European allies to ramp up their commitment towards strengthening Ukraine’s air defense capabilities. Speaking during a joint press conference in Berlin with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Scholz highlighted the importance of Patriot air defense batteries amid Russia’s continued drone and missile attacks on Ukraine’s cities, towns and critical infrastructure. The Patriot guided missile system is capable of shooting down aircraft, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly emphasized Ukraine needs more air defense to fend off Russian attacks.  “I would like to take this opportunity once again to ask…

The US Senate recently approved legislation that gives the short-form video app TikTok a nine-month deadline to either sell its US operations to an American company or face a nationwide ban. The reason: Chinese parent company ByteDance is allegedly subject to Chinese government influence, and may therefore pass on sensitive data from American citizens to the regime in Beijing. ByteDance has denied the allegations, but the bill still became law on Wednesday when, following the Senate’s approval, it was signed by President Joe Biden. The TikTok discussions in Europe focus on a different aspect. EU authorities have argued that the app…

Britain’s King Charles III is to return to some public-facing duties next week, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday evening. The UK monarch stepped back temporarily from public engagements after beingdiagnosed with an undisclosed cancer in February just 17 months into his reign. However, the 75-year-old has kept up his state duties, including reviewing government papers and meeting with the prime minister, despite undergoing treatment.’Big Lunch’ to celebrate King Charles IIITo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video What did the Palace say? Buckingham Palace released a statement saying that the King would…

Israel’s security minister, controversial far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, has been taken to hospital with minor injuries after a car accident, police have said.Video on social media showed the car Mr Ben-Gvir was travelling in had flipped over. Police said they were investigating the circumstances of the accident and that Mr Ben-Gvir’s daughter, a security guard and a driver were also injured.His office said the minister was in “good condition” following the smash.Hebrew media aired footage of a black car overturned on the road and quoted a witness who said that the car had run a red light. Mr Ben-Gvir was…

The European Union on Friday added Chinese-founded fast-fashion company Shein to its list of very large online platforms (VLOP), which subjects it to stricter online rules. The listing applies to companies with over 45 million users, according to the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA). When added to the list, companies are required to do more to fight illegal and harmful content, as well as counterfeit products on their platforms. How did Shein react? The designation comes into effect from the end of August. Shein said it was committed to comply with the rules. We share the [European] Commission’s ambition to ensure consumers…