Author: DW

Skip next section Kremlin says German military wiretap shows Western ‘direct involvement’ in Ukraine war03/04/2024March 4, 2024Kremlin says German military wiretap shows Western ‘direct involvement’ in Ukraine warThe Kremlin has said that a leaked recording of German Bundeswehr officers shows the “direct involvement” of the West in the war in Ukraine. Officers were heard discussing potential Ukrainian strikes on the Kerch Bridge that links the Crimean Peninsula to the Russian mainland, which prompted Moscow to summon Germany’s ambassador for an explanation. The discussions “once again highlight the direct involvement of the collective West in the conflict in Ukraine,” Kremlin spokesperson…

The GDL train drivers’ trade union announced a 35-hour strike on Monday, saying the measure was unavoidable after the recent breakdown of negotiations on pay and hours.  GDL boss Claus Weselsky said that the strike would begin on Wednesday evening for members driving frieght trains, and for passenger train drivers from the early hours of Thursday morning.  He said that Deutsche Bahn was ultimately responsible for the strike.  One key demand of the GDL that it says Deutsche Bahn will not meet is a reduction of employees’ standard weekly hours from 38 to 35 with unchanged pay. More to follow…  msh/ab…

A Brazilian-Spanish tourist was allegedly gang raped in India and her partner attacked when they were camping during a motorcycle trip.Indian police have detained three men and are searching for four others accused of taking part in the attack on Friday night.Police found the couple, who are Spanish citizens, around 11pm local time on a roadside looking like they had been beaten, Pitamber Singh Kherwar, superintendent of police in Dumka in eastern India, told reporters.He said the pair had told authorities “their modesty had been outraged” in an incident involving seven men, but he did not give further details.The couple,…

Hans Zimmer’s piano teacher never thought his student would be one of the most successful composers in Hollywood. His pupil took lessons only for two weeks before his teacher gave up. As the story goes, he told Zimmer’s mother: “Either the boy goes or I do.” But the incident hardly left an impression on Hans Zimmer, six years old at the time. Now, around six decades later, the musician can look back at an illustrious career as one of the most famous film score composer in the world. Feelings through music Born on September 12, 1957 in Frankfurt Main, Hans Zimmer decided to…

South Korea’s government on Monday began taking steps to suspend the licenses of junior doctors still on strike, several days after its February 29 deadline for them to return to work passed.  Roughly 10,000 physicians walked out almost two weeks ago in a protest against government plans to drastically increase the annual medical student intake. The prolonged strike has led to the cancellation of treatments and surgeries, with the government raising its public health alert to its highest level in response. South Korean law permits the government to order medical professionals to end strike actions or risk suspension or even…

Haiti’s government declared a state of emergency on Sunday, following several days of violence in the capital culminating in an attack on the country’s main penitentiary which left most of its inmates at large. It said a curfew would be enforced from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Wednesday in the Ouest region, which includes the capital Port-au-Prince, and added that both the state of the emergency and curfew periods could be extended. Police told to ‘use all legal means’  Haiti’s Economy Minister Patrick Michel Boisvert signed the government statement, deputizing for Prime Minister Ariel Henry. Security forces had “received orders to use…

A SpaceX rocket carrying a crew of three US astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut took off from Florida on Sunday night. The crew is heading to the International Space Station (ISS) to begin a six-month mission in Earth orbit. The two-stage Falcon 9 rocket topped with an autonomously operated Crew Dragon capsule dubbed Endeavor was launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral at 10:53 p.m. (0353 GMT Monday). It took about nine minutes for the capsule to settle into orbit as it prepared to dock with the ISS and relieve four other crew members. A first attempt to launch…

Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley won her first contest in the Republican presidential nomination race in Washington D.C. on Sunday. Her triumph in the D.C. primary breaks rival Donald Trump’s sweep of the Republican presidential voting contests. In the US electoral system, voters head to the polls for either primaries or caucuses depending on the state they live, to elect a candidate for the presidential election. The presidential nominees are then declared during conventions held later in the year. The general election takes place on November 5.  Trump, Biden win Michigan primaries amid warning signsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider…

A state of emergency has been declared in Haiti after violence in the capital led to two prison breaks as a major gang leader tries to oust the prime minister.The government decree follows a dramatic escalation in clashes over the weekend, which paralysed parts of Port-au-Prince and temporarily downed communications. Heavy gunfire has caused panic in recent days after calls by gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, a former police officer, for criminal groups to unite and overthrow Ariel Henry.In a bid to restore order, a curfew will apply from 6pm to 5am each day until Wednesday, which may be extended for…

Officials said the militaries of South Korea and the US began their computer-simulated commandpost training “Freedom Shield” and a variety of field exercises Monday, to counter North Korea’s saber-rattling.  What do we know about the military drills?  The joint military exercises are happening from March 4-14, and come as Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear capabilities with missile and other weapons tests. It has twice the number of troops from both US and South Korea as compared to last year, in 48 rounds of combined field training, including live-firing, bombing, air assault and missile interception drills, said South Korea’s Joint…