Author: DW

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly raised concerns about the war in Ukraine and the threats it poses to the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant (ZNPP), and the risks it sees for the people who live in the area. In April 2024 — more than two years since took control of the ZNPP — IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said his agency had been able to confirm three attacks against the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant since the start of the month.”These reckless attacks must cease immediately,” Grossi told the United Nations’ Security Council. “Though, fortunately, they have not led to a radiological incident…

04/16/2024April 16, 2024US House leader sets date for separate votes on aid for Ukraine and IsraelThe US House of Representatives will vote this week on separate aid bills for Israel and Ukraine, Speaker Mike Johnson said late on Monday. The announcement comes after Johnson stalled a vote for months on the US Senate’s combined $95 billion (€89.52 billion) package passed in February, which included funds to help Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion. “We know that the world is watching us to see how we react,” Johnson said. “They’re watching to see if America will stand up for its…

China’s economy grew far more than expected in the first quarter of 2024, according to official data released on Tuesday. From January to March, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 5.3% — significantly more than the 4.8% growth forecasted by analysts polled by Bloomberg. “The national economy continued the good momentum of a rebound,” China’s National Bureau of Statistics said. What’s behind China’s growth? Beijing has once again used infrastructure projects to help lift the economy as consumer confidence remains tepid. “Consumption and housing investment was the main drag, while manufacturing and infrastructure were the main engines,” Dan Wang,…

Israel has said there will be a response to Iran’s drone and missile barrage over the weekend, as the UK and US urge Tel Aviv to not strike back amid concerns of a wider conflict erupting in the Middle East.Israel’s military chief Lt Gen Herzi Halevi said it is still considering its steps after Iran launched an attack with hundreds of drones, ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. But he said the Iranian attack on Saturday “will be met with a response”.Follow live updates after Iran’s attack on IsraelThe attack – which saw the US, UK, France and Jordan help Tel…

Thousands of Georgians took to the streets of Tbilisi on Monday to protest against a so-called “foreign agents” bill. Critics say the bill is styled after similar legislation in Russia that has been used to crack down on dissent. Protesters chanted “Russians! Russians!” at police officers who surrounded Georgia’s parliament. “Georgia won’t be admitted into the EU with such anti-democratic laws, that’s why we will not let them pass it,” one protester, Giorgi Lashkhi, told the AFP news agency.The protesters chanted pro-EU slogansImage: Davit Kachkachishvili/Anadolu/picture alliance At least 14 protesters were detained for public order violations, according to Georgia’s Interior…

The owners of a US funeral home have been accused of spending nearly $900,000 (£723,000) in pandemic relief funds on things such as holidays, cosmetic surgery, jewellery and cryptocurrency.Jon and Carie Hallford, owners of Return To Nature Funeral Home in Colorado, already face more than 200 criminal charges connected to last year’s discovery of 190 decaying bodies in a bug-infested storage building. Those charges include corpse abuse, money laundering, theft and forgery, including allegations they gave families dry concrete instead of cremated ashes, collected money for burials and cremations they never provided, and buried the wrong body on two occasions.Now…

Every time contact lens wearers put in a new pair they create waste: the old pair of contact lenses, the packaging from the new pair and the bottle of saline solution.  It all adds up to about a kilogram (2.2 pounds) per year, with reusable contacts generating slightly less. And with 140 million contact-wearers across the world, that means a lot of rubbish. But eyeglasses come with their own set of problems. With about half of the world’s population projected to need spectacles by 2050, working out which is better for the environment could have a profound effect. Contact lenses create…

While in the movies, master spy James Bond usually saves the world with his well-equipped cars, the villains in today’s world have long found ways to turn ordinary passenger cars into vehicles that serve their criminal purposes. The European Union now wants to put the brakes on the growing security threats connected with modern car technology, especially in electric vehicles (EVs). The electronic equipment in cars not only serves the convenience of their drivers and contributes to road safety, but also allows cars and their users to be increasingly monitored. The United Nations and the European Union have recognized this and responded…

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a reporton Monday that the world is experiencing a major coral bleaching event following months of record levels of heat in the oceans. This is the second such event in 10 years, according to the agency. It is caused by warming oceans as part of climate change. 2023 was the hottest year on record. What else did the agency say about bleeching? “As the world’s oceans continue to warm, coral bleaching is becoming more frequent and severe,” NOAA’S Derek Manzello said. “When these events are sufficiently severe or prolonged, they…

Take the win, or strike back?The question exercising Israeli minds in the wake of Iran’s missile onslaught and the focus of intense debate in Jerusalem. The outcome will decide the immediate fate of this region. A return to shadow war, or all-out escalation into something much more serious.Joe Biden and other allies say Israel should bank a number of wins: Israel’s military success repelling Iran’s ballistic onslaught and its assassination of several high-level Iranians in the Damascus consulate on 1 April blamed on Israel that precipitated Iran’s retaliation.And in the Israeli media, there are others making a bigger point. Follow…