Author: DW

The UK should consider sending troops to Ukraine to give training and other support to Ukrainian forces in the war with Russia – though away from the frontline, former armed forces minister James Heappey has said.He also told Sky News that Britain needs to be better prepared for war at a time of growing threats, including by reinvigorating a large “strategic reserve” force of thousands of veterans who could be required to serve again in a national crisis. In a wide-ranging interview, the outgoing MP for Wells in Somerset repeated a call for an immediate increase in defence spending to…

The new migration pact comprises several intertwined laws and is primarily intended to reduce the number of new arrivals, speed up asylum procedures and establish centers for doing this at the European Union’s external borders. According to the EU’s statistics agency Eurostat, the number of asylum applications has risen steadily in recent years, reaching 1.14 million in 2023. Around 4 million refugees from Ukraine have been accommodated in the bloc since 2022. How will asylum procedures be implemented at the external borders? In the future, asylum-seekers and refugees will be clearly identified within seven days of arrival in the EU by land, sea or air.…

The United States on Thursday urged countries to give more attention to the conflict in Sudan. It also called for the international community to press Iran not to fuel the war amid reports it was providing the Sudanese military with arms. Sudan has been facing a humanitarian crisis since war broke out between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 15, 2023. What did US officials say about the situation in Sudan? “As communities barrel toward famine, as cholera and measles spread, as violence continues to claim countless lives, the world has largely remained silent,” said the…

A memoir written by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny before his death will be published later this year.Mr Navalny began to write his biography Patriot in Germany – where he was recovering from nerve agent poisoning, which he blamed on the Kremlin, according to publisher Alfred A Knopf. He then continued to write the book while in and out of prison in Russia after his arrest in 2021.The publisher has labelled it as the 47-year-old’s “final letter to the world”.His widow, Yulia Navalnaya, said in a statement on Thursday that the book was not only a testament to her late…

Germany said Thursday it is sending Holocaust survivors in Israel €25 million ($27 million) to help them cope with the impact of the October 7 attacks by Hamas and its aftermath. There are around 113,000 Holocaust survivors living in Israel, according to Jewish groups. What do we know about the payments? Each of the survivors in Israel will receive a one-off €220 payment, according to the New York-based Claims Conference, a Jewish umbrella organization that seeks damages for Holocaust survivors. “Many Holocaust survivors were hit particularly hard by the Hamas attacks,” said a spokeswoman for the German Finance Ministry. She added…

The port of Hamburg used to be a vibrant part of the northern German city and a magnet for tourism. Everyone could visit the port to watch the ships roll in and dockers at work. Germany’s largest port is known as the country’s “gateway to the world.” However, this has fundamentally changed. Entire areas are now cordoned off, with visitors facing fences or closed gates. Since September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the US claiming thousands of lives, shipping infrastructure has been considered security-sensitive because it too is vulnerable to terrorism.Hamburg has the largest seaport in Germany — any shipping disruptions would cost the…

Mali’s military junta continued to restrict political life in the country on Thursday, banning the media from reporting on the activities of political parties and associations. The country’s high authority for communication issued a statement calling on “all media (radio, television, written press and online) to halt broadcast and publication of the activities of political parties and the activities of a political nature of associations.” It did not indicate what would happen to media organizations that did not observe the ban. The ban came on the heels of a decision on Wednesday that banned all activities of political parties until…

Lawyers for the families of OJ Simpson’s ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman have told Sky News they still believe he was “a murderer”.The former NFL star and Hollywood actor died aged 76 of cancer on Wednesday. Nicknamed “The Juice”, Simpson was tried for their double murder in 1995, in what was dubbed the “trial of the century”. Image: LA police department booking photo of OJ Simpson following his arrest for two murders. Pic: Reuters He was found not guilty of murdering Ms Brown and Mr Goldman, but was later found liable for the deaths in a civil…

A memoir written by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny before his death in February under mysterious circumstances in a Siberian prison camp will be released in October, American publisher Alfred A. Knopf announced Thursday. The memoir, titled “Patriot,” is a testament not only to Navalny’s life, but “to his unwavering commitment to fight against dictatorship —  a fight he gave everything for, including his life,” said Yulia Navalnaya, Navalny’s widow.    She added the book would be released simultaneously in at least 11 different languages on October 22, including in Navalny’s native Russian, although the book is unlikely to be available in Russia, as…

Mali’s junta on Thursday banned all media coverage of political parties. The West African country’s highest authority said it had ordered “all media (radio, television, written press and online) to halt broadcast and publication of the activities of political parties and the activities of a political nature of associations.” What do we know about the ban on political party activity? It comes a day after the Mali’s military leadership issued a decree suspending the activities of political parties, government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga said in a statement read on state television Wednesday night. “Until further notice, for reasons of public order,…