Author: DW

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…

Former Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger has been arrested following a three-day police manhunt for the actor, according to Australian media reports.The 30-year-old was due to appear at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Tuesday accused of assaulting a woman, Sky News Australia said. The actor had been granted bail on Monday for a court-ordered hospital assessment and had been ordered to return to court the next day.When he failed to show up – Victoria Police issued a warrant for his arrest and asked the public to help find him.On Thursday night, Victoria Police confirmed Pledger had been found and arrested,…

A Russian deputy defense minister has been arrested under the suspicion of taking bribes, investigative officials said. The high-profile detention came as Moscow’s war in Ukraine continues in its third year. The Investigative Committee took to Telegram to say that Timur Ivanov, who has been in his job for eight years, had been taken into custody and his conduct was under investigation. Local media quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying that a report on Ivanov’s arrest had been presented to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He also said Ivanov had been informed of his arrest in advance. Russian news agency TASS…

Student protests against Israel’s war in Gaza continue to spread across the US, following last week’s arrest of more than 100 demonstrators at Columbia University.There have been nearly 550 protest-related arrests in the past week at major US universities, according to a tally by news agency Reuters. The students want universities to cut ties with companies helping Israel’s war in Gaza and, in some cases, with Israel itself.Some universities have called in police to end the demonstrations, resulting in clashes and arrests, while others appear to be biding their time as the academic semester enters its final days. Image: Students…

At least two horses seen pacing through the streets of central London have been recaptured, the City of London police said on Wednesday. What do we know so far?  The animals, wearing saddles and bridles, were seen racing along the road near Aldwych this morning, which is in between London’s historic financial center and the West End, the hub of the capital’s entertainment industry. The two horses belonged to one of the most senior regiments in the British Army. Later on Wednesday, police said all the animals were accounted for.  The animals skirted rush hour traffic this morning, but the spooked animals also hit…

The migrant dinghy in which five people died was chaotic, overloaded and packed with people carrying weapons and fighting, according to one of the passengers who was on board, speaking exclusively to Sky News.Heivin, 18, confirmed the boat was stormed by a rival group of migrants, armed with sticks and knives, as it was preparing to set off.She said: “People were fighting, people were getting stepped on, they were dying and being thrown off.”She said she fell into the water but was pulled out by another person on the boat. Two other passengers who fell into the water, including a…

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s close allies, signed a decree demoting priest Dmitry Safronov. Safronov presided over a memorial ceremony at  Alexei Navalny’s grave 40 days after the Putin critic’s death — an important ritual within the traditions of the religion. What did the decree say? The priest was barred from giving blessings, carrying a cross or wearing the clerical cassock for three years. He was also demoted and transferred to another church in Moscow, the decree stated. Safronov’s status went from that of a priest to that of a psalm reader. “At…

Six people have been arrested during a protest at a site earmarked to house asylum seekers in Ireland.Gardai said officers came under attack after workers were brought onto the site in Newtownmountkennedy, Co Wicklow, yesterday. They suffered “verbal and physical abuse throughout the day, which escalated into rocks and other missiles being thrown this evening”, Gardaí said.Fires were lit and an axe was found during the incident.Officers were “forced to defend themselves” with incapacitant spray, helmets and shields. Three patrol cars were also damaged.Videos posted on social media show scuffles between officers and members of the public. Follow Sky News…

British police said on Wednesday that they had arrested three men in connection with the deaths of five migrants that attempted to cross the Channel from France. It comes a day after British parliament passed a bill paving the way for asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has argued the measure will deter migrants from attempting to cross the Channel. More than 6,000 people are have arrived to Britain this year so far via small boats. What do we know about the investigation? The migrants, among which was one child, died on Tuesday after a…

The drive into the village of Jiljiliya is not what you expect on the West Bank. Imposing mansions line the route, with grand gates and lavish decorations.That’s because this is where Palestinian Americans return to build their dream homes after years of hard work in the land of opportunity. Like Omar Assad who came back after 45 years in Milwaukee. But for him, retirement was neither long nor happy. It was cut brutally short one freezing night in January 2022. Image: The body of Omar Assad at his funeral Middle East latest: Israel to receive billions from massive US aid…