Author: DW

The Senate has passed $95bn (£76.2bn) in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan after months of delays and rows – with Joe Biden set to sign the legislation later.The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 79-18 vote late on Tuesday after the House had approved the package on Saturday. Once signed, the president will start the process of sending weapons to Ukraine, which has been struggling to hold its front lines against Russia.The legislation would also send $26bn (£20bn) in wartime assistance to Israel and humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza, and $8bn (£6.4bn) to counter Chinese threats…

A newspaper chief was Donald Trump’s “eyes and ears” and killed unfavourable stories about him in the run-up to the 2016 election, a court has heard.Trump has made history as the first former US president to face a criminal trial. He stands accused of paying hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels in an effort to cover up their alleged affair and falsifying business records in order to do so.David Pecker, the former boss of publisher AMI, took the stand as the first witness in the trial, as he described participating in a “catch and kill” scheme with Trump and…

The landslide victory of President Mohamed Muizzu’s party, securing 70 out of the 93 seats in the Maldives parliamentary elections over the weekend, could mark a pivotal shift towards a pro-Beijing foreign policy in the country. The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), led by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is widely perceived as a pro-India leader, held 65 seats in the previous parliament but won only 15 seats this time round. Muizzu, who ran the “India Out” campaign, has made no secret about his anti-India and pro-China stance since he assumed office in November last year. Cutback on Indian military operations…

The great lawn in the center of Columbia University’s Manhattan campus is normally where students meet up to study in the sun, or before heading to the Morningside Heights neighborhood for drinks. But these days, it has become the central gathering point for protesters in a controversy that has spread from the Middle East to New York and universities across the US. Columbia president called police on pro-Palestinian protesters On Thursday, April 18, Columbia University President Nemat Minouche Shafik called the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to campus, where officers in riot gear arrested more than 100 students who had set up tents on…

Plenty of people have died on small boats trying to cross the Channel. But this was different.The people who perished in the waters off Wimereux died not just because of the greed of people smugglers, or the inadequacy of their boat. This is a story about violence. What really killed these people was a hijacking, and by the increasingly dangerous and volatile atmosphere that lingers over the lives of migrants in northern France who are trying to get to Britain.Often we have heard stories of feuds and of weapons being used between rival groups in camps. Now, it seems that…

“The roof came crumbling down upon us. We felt as if we were free-falling towards the ground,” said Afroza Begum, recalling the events of April 24, 2013, when the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory building on the outskirts of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, killed 1,134 and wounded at least 2,500 people.    At the time, Begum worked as a seamstress there, producing garments for several global fashion brands. “Fifteen or so of us laid in a pile on top of each other. Scratching, grunting and looking for an escape. There was no electricity, so it was pitch dark,” she…

Numerous media outlets are reporting that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to announce sanctions against a battalion of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The unit, known as Netzah Yehuda (Judea Forever), has been accused of human rights violations against Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. According to the Associated Press news agency, the US has been investigating five army units for serious human rights violations. These sanctions, however, would only apply to this unit, imposing two restrictions: Firstly, no US military aid would go to Netzah Yehuda; secondly, its participation in training programs financed by the US would be limited.…

The UN’s human rights chief has said he is “horrified” by reports of mass graves containing hundreds of bodies in Gaza.Palestinian authorities said they were uncovered at Nasser hospital in the central city of Khan Younis, and at al Shifa hospital in Gaza City.Some had their hands tied and were “stripped of their clothes”, said Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for UN human rights commissioner Volker Turk.Middle East latest: Israel orders new evacuation in ‘dangerous combat zone'”The intentional killing of civilians, detainees and others who are hors de combat [not participating in hostilities] is a war crime,” said Mr Turk in a…

Spain’s High Court on Tuesday ordered the reopening of an investigation into the alleged hacking of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other Spanish politicians’ phones with Pegasus spyware. The investigation was launched in 2022 when the government said software from the Israeli firm NSO Group was used to spy on ministers, triggering a political crisis in Spain. The probe was shelved last year over “the complete lack of legal cooperation” from Israel. After receiving new information from French judicial authorities, Judge Jose Luis Calama decided to reopen Spain’s investigation. What is the Pegasus software? Pegasus is a software that can be used on…

At least 16 people have died after a boat they were traveling in from Yemen capsized off the coast of Djibouti, the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the IOM wrote that “Tragedy as boat capsizes off Djibouti coast with 77 migrants on board including children,” adding that at least 28 people were missing. The Ethiopian Ambassador to Djibouti Berhanu Tsegaye, wrote, on X that 33 people survived the disaster. Local authorities were assisting IOM with search and rescue operations. Tsegaye wrote the boat was carrying Ethiopian migrants from Yemen and…