Author: DW

The job advertisement intrigued a lot more people than it was meant to, possibly because it sounded like the start of an action movie. “Foreign Legion operator” wanted, it read. Must be under 50, highly disciplined, physically fit, with at least five years of military experience and able to deal with “high stress conditions.” Pay would start at around $2,000 a month but would increase once deployed outside of the United Arab Emirates, to Yemen or Somalia. The ad was first discovered by French industry publication, Intelligence Online, who said it had been circulated by former French special forces soldiers. Further investigation traced…

Simon Harris has become the youngest premier in Ireland’s history after meeting with President Michael D Higgins. Earlier, Ireland’s Dail, parliament’s lower house, voted to approve the 37-year-old as their next taoiseach by 88 votes to 69. Mr Harris’s appointment – which came after the shock resignation of Leo Varadkar last month – was confirmed during a ceremony with President Higgins at his official residence at Aras an Uachtarain in Dublin. Image: Simon Harris received the seal of office from President Higgins in Dublin. Pic: PA Mr Varadkar, 45, tendered his official resignation to the president on Monday evening after…

Skip next section UN confirms sharp rise in civilian deaths in Ukraine in March04/09/2024April 9, 2024UN confirms sharp rise in civilian deaths in Ukraine in MarchThe United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine has verified that at least 604 civilians were killed or injured in Ukraine in March, a figure that amounts to a 20% increase from February. At least 57 children were killed or injured in March, twice as many as in February, the mission said.  Mines and explosive remnants of war killed and injured at least 28 civilians, including 7 agricultural workers, it added. The increase in…

“It will happen. There is a date,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message on Monday, referring to a planned, large-scale Israeli military offensive in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost town. He didn’t elaborate or give a specific date. In recent weeks, the Israeli prime minister has repeatedly said the town on the border with Egypt is Hamas’s last stronghold and that an offensive was inevitable to declare victory over the militant group, which is listed as a terrorist organisation in many countries. The new announcement defies fierce international criticism of the planned ground operations. Over one million Palestinians — more than half of…

An art exhibition intended for women only will soon have to allow male visitors after a man who was denied entry sued for discrimination.The Ladies Lounge in Australia was designed to offer luxury food and drink service to women in “opulent” surroundings, including displays of artwork from the likes of Pablo Picasso. It opened in 2020 at the Museum of Old and New Art (Mona) in Tasmania – 55 years on from a time when women were excluded from pubs in the country.Jason Lau took the organisers to court after he was denied entry in April last year for being…

A South African court on Tuesday overruled electoral authorities’ decision to bar former President Jacob Zuma from running in the country’s general elections next month. South Africans will on May 29 vote for a new parliament, which will in turn elect the president. What do we know about the decision? “The decision of the Electoral Commission… is set aside,” the Electoral Court wrote in its ruling seen by AFP news agency.  The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) decided last month to bar Zuma from running for a seat in Parliament on behalf of the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MK). The IEC disqualified Zuma over…

At least three people were killed after an explosion at a hydroelectric power plant in central Italy, a local mayor said on Tuesday. Marco Masinara, the mayor of the nearby town of Camugnano, said three dead bodies had been found and four were missing.  Three others were “badly hurt” and had been taken to the hospital. He added that the figures were “being updated.” Firefighters rescued three injured people from the plant and were searching for missing people after the explosion in the early afternoon, they said on social network X, formerly Twitter. What do we know about the explosion? It was not immediately clear…

Four bodies have been recovered following an explosion at a power plant next to a dam in Italy.Sky News’ Italian branch reported five others were injured in the blast and another three are missing. Fire brigade officials said earlier that an explosion had occurred at around 3pm (1pm in the UK) at the dam on Lake Suviana – one of three artificial lakes that feed the power station – in Bargi, near Bologna and Florence.Utility group Enel said a fire had broken out on one of its transformers at the hydroelectric power plant.A spokesperson added that the dam basin had…

“If I could, I’d vote for the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party),” says 26-year-old Indian aeronautic engineer Robin S. “I like to follow what’s happening back home. I am Indian no matter where I live,” Robin S., who lives in the German city of Würzburg, tells DW. When asked why he supports the BJP, Robin pauses briefly before listing the Hindu nationalist party’s initiatives to improve national security, digital finance, and infrastructure in India.Indian-born Robin S. supports the BJP, but points out there is ‘room for improvement’Image: Shristi Mangal Pal/DW “Despite facing crises like COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, the BJP has…

The federal government has approved a 240 percent hike in electricity tariffs for those who are classified as Band A electricity users. In Nigeria, Band A refers to customers who receive 20 – 24 hours of electricity supply daily, which mainly means businesses. Customers in Band A will now be charged 225 Naira (EUR 0.17) per Kilowatt-hour, marking a significant increase from the previous rate of 68 Naira (EUR 0.05). Nigerian companies were quick to express their anger at this hike in tariffs. The manufacturing sector in particular has warned that many businesses could go bankrupt following the move, and has called for a reversal of the move.Nigeria’s electricity woesTo view this…