Author: DW

It was a rare window into confrontations most have viewed from afar. We were invited on board the Philippine Coastguard Vessel BRP Bagacay.They were on a resupply mission to Scarborough Shoal (referred to as Huangyan Dao by the Chinese), a submerged reef which China claims as its own but is within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone. They were meant to be dropping off food and fuel to fishermen who rely on the lives beneath these waters. But they knew, as did we, that this journey was about far more.It felt as if they wanted to show the world they were…

For the first time in history, Uzbekistan will compete in a team sport at the Olympics. Victory over Indonesia in a wild under-23 Asian Cup semifinal saw Indonesia have a goal disallowed and a man sent off, Uzbekistan fire off 28 shots and hit the woodwork four times, before running out 2-0 winners to secure their spot in Paris this summer. “I dedicate this victory to our President, our people and our supporters,” said head coach Timur Kapadze. “It’s true we dominated this game, my players were better physically and tactically. It was a game where we felt the pressure because we…

Skip next section Ukraine launches drone attacks on several Russian regions05/01/2024May 1, 2024Ukraine launches drone attacks on several Russian regionsUkraine launched drone strikes against several Russian regions in the hours leading up to Wednesday morning, according to Russian officials, with Russian media reporting a fire at the Ryazan oil refinery as a result of the attack. Pavel Malkov, governor of the Ryazan region, which borders Moscow Oblast in the northwest, said there were no injuries following drone strikes there. The attack sparked a fire at the Ryazan oil refinery, according to Baza, a Russian cable channel close to the security…

The voices of some 50 elderly protesters are heard echoing in song across the grounds of South Africa’s Constitutional Court in Johannesburg, the commercial heart of South Africa. They are demanding justice and reparations for abuses suffered under apartheid — 30 years after the country became a democracy. They are all members of the Khulumani Support Group and the Galela Campaign — two groups fighting for financial redress for the victims of white minority rule under apartheid. The protesters say that since they weren’t identified as victims of human rights abuses during apartheid by South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), led by the…

The law of the sea is clear and simple enough: a country’s territorial sea extends to 12 nautical miles from shore and a country’s exclusive economic zone – where the state has exclusive rights over natural resources – extends 200 miles.The problem is that there are a lot of countries bordering the South China Sea – and their claims conflict. That’s before you add in China’s own extremely expansive claim – the nine-dash line which claims nearly the whole sea as theirs. That was rejected by an international tribunal, a decision which China rejected. That’s why features in the sea…

South Korea is discussing participation in the AUKUS defense pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, Defence Minister Shin Won-sik said on Wednesday. Shin was speaking at a press conference following a meeting of Australian and South Korean defense and foreign ministers in Melbourne. “During today’s meeting we also discussed the possibility of partnering with AUKUS Pillar 2,” Shin said, referring to a deal focused on developing hypersonic weapons, drones and other advanced technologies. The AUKUS deal Established in  2021, AUKUS is a two-stage security pact to push back against China’s growing influence in the Asia Pacific…

The United Kingdom has sent its first asylum-seeker to Rwanda under a voluntary scheme, British media reports said on Tuesday, a week after the UK government adopted a controversial law allowing irregular migrants to be deported to the East African nation. The voluntary scheme is separate from the government’s forced deportation program that seeks to deter asylum seekers from crossing the English Channel in small boats to live in the UK. The contentious law allows the UK government to expel undocumented migrants to Rwanda, where they would be allowed to remain if their asylum applications are successful. They would not be allowed…

Police in Georgia’s capital have used water cannon, tear gas and stun grenades against crowds outside the country’s parliament protesting against a bill the opposition says aims to crack down on press freedoms.The legislation being debated by parliamentarians will require media and non-commercial organisations to register as being under foreign influence if they receive more than 20% of their funding from abroad. Image: Riot police detain a demonstrator in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi. Pic: AP Image: Police used water cannon to disperse protesters. Pic: AP Thousands of demonstrators gathered in the streets of Tbilisi on Tuesday to oppose the legislation.Clashes erupted…

Prizewinning US novelist Paul Auster has died of complications arising from lung cancer, aged 77. Auster, who was born in the US but celebrated world wide, died at his home in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday night. Auster, who published 34 books throughtout his career, didn’t always make things easy for readers. He confronted the big issues of life through his deliberate literary confusions and unfurled his stories in compound sentences, yet his books drew a large and devoted audience. A bumpy start Auster was born on February 3, 1947, in Newark, New Jersey to parents of Austrian Jewish descent.…

The US is planning to reclassify cannabis as a less dangerous drug in an historic shift that could have a significant impact across the country.The Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) proposal would recognise the drug’s medical properties and acknowledge it has less potential for abuse than other dangerous substances. However the proposal, which still must be reviewed by the White House, would not legalise cannabis outright for recreational use.Marijuana is currently classified in the US as a “schedule one” substance, alongside heroin and LSD, which is reserved for drugs with a high potential for abuse.The US Department of Justice, which oversees…