Author: DW

When will the Rafah offensive begin? Discussions about a possible military offensive on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, have been ongoing in Israel since early February. Israeli media reports in late April said troops had finished their preparations for the ground offensive. All that remained was for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to give the word. After the failure of indirect negotiations with Hamas regarding a cease-fire and the release of hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners over the weekend, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said military action was required in Rafah and there was “no other alternative,” according to news agencies. On Monday,…

Russia has warned that Ukrainian strikes on its territory with UK-supplied weapons could bring retaliatory attacks against British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian soil or elsewhere.During a trip to Kyiv last week, Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said Ukraine “absolutely has the right” to strike back at targets inside Russia using British-supplied weapons. Russia’s foreign ministry said the UK’s ambassador to Moscow had been “summoned” to make him “reflect on the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps by London”.The UK’s Foreign Office, however, contested the claim saying the ambassador had not been “summoned” but he had just taken part…

Each day, buses driven by volunteers travel from the town of Sumy to the Ukrainian-Russian border and back. They’re collecting people who have crossed at the Kolotilovka-Pokrovka checkpoint, the former being a village in the Russian region of Belgorod and the latter in the Ukrainian region of Sumy. Since April 2022, this has been the only humanitarian corridor through which Ukrainians from the Russian-occupied territories can reach areas controlled by Kyiv. On this day, 11 people and a howling dachshund are on the bus to Sumy. The passengers are mostly women and older people, but two teenagers are also on board. Some people gaze wearily…

Health workers are the backbone of a functional health system in any country. However, Kenya’s system began to crumble in mid-March when doctors and medical workers began a nationwide strike over pay and working conditions, disrupting services for thousands of patients in the East African nation. The medical workers, led by the Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union (KMPDU), want the government to fulfill a labor agreement signed in 2017, which promised higher salaries and better working conditions for medical workers, as well as the hiring of intern doctors.Members of the 7,000-strong KMPDU have been on strike since March 13 to demand better pay…

A painting that had been up for auction for just €1,500 (£1,285) has been confirmed as a lost work of Italian master Michaelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio.Spain’s Prado Museum says the work titled Ecce Homo – which means behold the man in Latin – was due to be auctioned in April 2021 as a painting by 17th-century Spanish artist Jose de Ribera. But before it could go under the hammer at a Madrid auction house, Spanish authorities imposed an export ban on the painting after the museum alerted the government it could be a Caravaggio.The painting is one of only 60…

“Role models are important so that other women realize what is possible,” Sabrina Wittmann said in an interview published on the website of the German Football Association (DFB) early last month. A few weeks later, she has become just such a role model. Appointed as interim head coach at Ingolstadt last week, the 32-year-old earned her first point in charge of the third-division outfit on Sunday, as Ingolstadt pulled out a last-minute 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Waldhof Mannheim. “Exciting, just like the previous few days,” Wittmann told MagentaSport shortly after the final whistle. “We’ve already implemented a lot of what…

The Japanese government expressed “disappointment” with US President Joe Biden’s remarks in which he described Japan as “xenophobic” when it came to immigration policy. At a campaign fundraiser on the evening of May 1, Biden deemed Japan, along with India, China and Russia, as “xenophobic” as he tried to contrast the nations’ economic circumstances to those in the US as a nation of immigrants. Through diplomatic channels, Tokyo informed the White House that the president’s remarks were not based on an “accurate understanding” of Japanese policies, Kyodo News quoted a government official as saying. Many Japanese and foreign residents have also expressed their disagreement…

Praful Reddy, 49, an IT professional from southern Andhra Pradesh state, suffers from lung cancer and has been undergoing targeted therapy, chemotherapy, and radiation to stop its spread since he was diagnosed two years ago.  Vomiting, headache, and ulcers are a few of the recurring side effects that Reddy faces and he has no idea if he will get well, although doctors are holding out hope for his recovery. “The doctors have been administering drugs to block the growth and spread of cancer cells. If it does not improve, I might have to undergo a lobectomy to remove the entire…

Senior Israeli officials have been threatening a major military operation into the city of Rafah and surrounding areas in southern Gaza for weeks.On Sunday, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant warned it could take place “imminently” as talks on a ceasefire with Hamas fizzled-out in Cairo. Now, they have taken a major step towards it.War latest: Families flee Rafah as IDF orders 100,000 to evacuateOn Monday morning, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released a statement instructing people in southeastern Gaza to advance towards an “expanded humanitarian area” to the north, centred around the city of Khan Younis, and a coastal community…

Scientists said they used a human the gene editing tool, CRISPR-Cas9, to restore vision in people with a rare form of inherited or congenital blindness. The researchers said 11 out of the 14 people in a clinical trial experienced improved vision, without serious adverse side effects. They said the study was also the first to use gene therapy to treat children who had been born with a form of blindness. Harvard Medical School’s Eric Pierce, who led the study, said that participants were “thrilled” to be able to see the food on their plates. “These were individuals who could not read any lines on…