Author: DW

Skip next section Baerbock open to missile swap with Britain to arm Ukraine03/11/2024March 11, 2024Baerbock open to missile swap with Britain to arm UkraineGerman Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is open to British Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s suggestion that the countries swap cruise missiles to provide Ukraine with more sophisticated long-range weapons. Cameron’s proposal is “an option” worth considering, Baerbock said in an interview with German broadcaster ARD. Under Cameron’s proposal, Berlin could supply Taurus missiles to Britain, and in return the British government would provide Ukraine with additional long-range Storm Shadow missiles from British stocks. Berlin is reluctant to provide…

There are minerals and metals like lithium and copper and then there are rare earths, including scandium, cerium, promethium, terbium and thulium. Rare earths are not that rare. The rarest — thulium — is more common than gold, but it is rarely found in quantities that make mining economically worthwhile. A study published last week by IW Consult at the German Economic Institute and Fraunhofer Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) shed light on Germany’s imports of these rare earths, along with copper and lithium, to assess their importance to the economy.Rare earths discovered in SwedenTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser…

Tensions were again evident in Germany’s ruling coalition on Monday as the long-running dispute on sending Taurus missiles to Ukraine was extended and amplified by Russia intercepting and releasing a conversation on the matter between senior German military officials.  Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a Social Democrat (SPD) member, has ruled out the delivery at least for now, saying that the missiles’ range is too long and that Germany could be directly or indirectly drawn into the war if it tries to provide them. However, the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) support the idea, and are staging a series of votes in the Bundestag parliament…

Three Palestinians have been arrested on terrorism charges in Italy.Italian police have accused the men of planning attacks in an unspecified country.They said the men were living in L’Aquila, a city about 75 miles northeast of Rome, and had allegedly set up a cell linked to the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades.The group, a coalition of armed militants once linked to the Palestinian Fatah movement, is considered a terrorist organisation by Israel, the EU and the US.Police said the three men had been charged with criminal conspiracy for terrorism purposes or subversion of the democratic order, which carries jail terms of…

The leader of Portugal’s center-right Democratic Alliance (AD), Luis Montenegro, claimed victory in Sunday’s closely contested parliamentary election. “It seems inescapable that the AD won the elections and that the Socialists lost,” he said in an address in Lisbon shortly after midnight. Montenegro said he expected President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa to formally invite AD to form a government. Portugal election: Center-right wins narrow victoryTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video However, the official results, which were nearly complete early Monday, showed that the DA was still short of…

The UK government has warned against all travel to Haiti as intense fighting and gang violence continues to spiral in the Caribbean nation.It follows US secretary of state Antony Blinken heading to Jamaica in an attempt to solve the crisis, which threatens to bring down Haiti’s government. Attacks by powerful gangs on key government targets began on 29 February across Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, with gunmen having burned police stations, closed the main international airports and raided the country’s two biggest prisons, releasing 4,000 inmates. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:38 Protests continue in Haiti There…

The European Environmental Agency (EEA) warned on Monday that Europe could suffer “catastrophic” consequences of  climate change if it fails to take urgent action. In its first Europe-wide analysis of climate-related risks, the EEA listed 36 threats related to climate in Europe, 21 of which demand immediate action, while eight were described as “particularly urgent.” The dangers include fires, water shortages and their effects on agricultural production, while low-lying coastal regions face threats of flooding, erosion and saltwater intrusion, the report said. Why should Europe worry? Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, heating up at twice the global rate, the EEA said. Even if…

Fears are on the rise over a looming military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The People’s Republic of China wants reunification with self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a Chinese province, even by force, if necessary. Presenting his government’s work report to the National People’s Congress (NPC), China’s rubber-stamp parliament, Premier Li Qiang reaffirmed Beijing’s firm resolve to “resolutely advance the cause of China’s reunification.” This is part of the government’s “overall strategy,” he emphasized. The statement itself is not new, but the word “peaceful” — a term that was present in the declarations of previous years — was missing before “reunification.”…

It should be one of the great moments in the Islamic calendar. When a month of prayer, fasting and ultimately celebration begins. But Ramadan has started this year in an atmosphere of resentment, fear and anger for Palestinian Muslims, thanks to the war in Gaza.Outside Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third most holy shrine, there was tension during Tarawih prayers that launch the holy month. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised freedom of worship opposed by his far-right extremist national security minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who had wanted restrictions imposed on worshippers.We witnessed police pick and choose who was…

When there are disputes in sport, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) often decides. But how does it work? Source link