Author: DW

Just when communities were starting to understand the lethal effects of fentanyl and oxycodone abuse, yet another painkiller opioid has emerged from the pharmaceutical archives as a deadly street drug. Commonly known as nitazenes, 2-Benzyl Benzimidazole opioids are said to be up to 500 times more potent than heroin, making people more prone to addiction. Drug and health agencies in the UK, elsewhere in Europe, and the US are reporting a rise in the number of overdoses and fatalities linked to nitazenes. There are indications that while authorities clamp down on fentanyl, and heroin cultivation in Afghanistan slows under the Taliban, nitazenes…

It might seem a strange thing for a practicing Muslim to say, but Kholoud Khardoum, a 53-year-old living in Iraq, is clear. “Not all of Ramadan is necessarily about religion,” the Baghdad-based writer said. “It’s also about the atmosphere and the tradition of people coming together.” Iraq is a Muslim-majority country, but in areas where different religious communities live together, you’ll often find non-Muslims participating in celebrations around the month-long Muslim holiday of Ramadan, she told DW. In particular,  “iftar,” the sunset meal where friends and family come together to break the daily fast, can be a community occasion. “Sometimes Christian people…

Two men have been accused of starting a business in China by stealing trade secrets from electric car manufacturer Tesla and conspiring to sell them to undercover law enforcement officers, US federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. A 58-year-old Canadian citizen who lives in Ningbo, China, was arrested in New York’s Long Island, where he had traveled for a meeting with undercover agents whom he had believed were businesspeople, prosecutors said. According to media reports, the second business partner remains at large. Why was the man arrested? The man along with his partner built their business using trade secrets belonging to “a…

A kangaroo at a zoo in western Russia has been killed in shelling, the zoo has announced.The zoo in Belgorod said the animal, named Grandi, was outside when her enclosure was “damaged by cluster fragments” on Tuesday. It came as Russian officials said air defence systems destroyed Ukraine-launched missiles and drones over Belgorod and other regions bordering Ukraine.Follow latest: French units in Ukraine would be ‘priority’ target, Moscow warns”There are no words to convey the pain. And anger. And powerlessness,” Belgorod Zoo said in a social media post announcing the death. None of its employees were injured in the attack,…

A Polish police spokeperson said farmers in Poland blocked two crossings on the German border in protest Monday. The farmers parked their tractors on the A2 highway, blocking traffic in both directions at the Swiecko and Gubinek crossings, both western towns in Poland. The demo first began on Sunday. Marcin Maludy, a spokesperson for the police in Gorzow Wielkopolski said: “Traffic in Swiecko and Gubinek is blocked, you cannot travel in either direction,” and the protest “will continue until Wednesday evening.” Why are Polish farmers demonstrating? Polish farmers staged the protest against farm imports from outside the  European Union  and the bloc’s environmental red tape.The current demo is expected to continue through Wednesday, but it…

Around 2,000 Nepali men have been recruited by Russia to fight in its war against Ukraine, Sky News understands.Driven by poverty, many of the Nepali mercenaries are now desperate to return. Ganesh, 35, is one of the few recruits lucky enough to have made it home. He spent four and a half months fighting in Donetsk and he says Nepalis were “treated like dogs”.”It was very frightening. It wasn’t man to man, bullet to bullet. We were attacked by drones and it was terrifying,” he said.We spoke to him in Kathmandu as he prayed at a temple, relieved but traumatised…

Skip next section ‘Ukraine’s survival is in danger’ US defense secretary says03/19/2024March 19, 2024’Ukraine’s survival is in danger’ US defense secretary saysUS Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned that Ukraine’s ability to keep fending off Russian forces is at risk as US urgent aid continues to be held up by lawmakers in Washington. “Ukraine’s survival is in danger,” Austin said in a press conference after Kyiv’s allies met at the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany’s Rhineland-Palatinate state.  “Our allies and partners continue to step up, the United States must also,” he added. The Republican-run US House of Representatives has…

Hong Kong’s lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously passed a proposed national security law on top of a similar law imposed by Beijing four years ago that has already largely silenced opposition voices. “Today is a historic moment for Hong Kong,” said city leader John Lee, who added that the law would come into effect on March 23.  The vote was held in special session one day before the regular Wednesday meeting of the Legislative Council.  Government’s desire to fast-track legislation The bill was unveiled on March 8. The legislature, which is packed with Beijing loyalists, accelerated debate after Lee called for the law…

Five people have been injured after a bear went on a rampage through a town in Slovakia.It comes just hours after a 31-year-old woman from Belarus died after being chased by a bear in Slovakia’s Low Tatras mountain range. The latest bear attack on Sunday, which happened in Liptovsky Mikulas, in the north of the country, left a 49-year-old woman with a shoulder injury and a 72-year-old man with a cut to his head.A 10-year-old girl and two other adults suffered scratches and bruises, according to reports.Officials have declared a state of emergency following the spate of attacks. In a…

A German soldier has been charged with spying for Russia, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday. The suspect worked as a professional soldier at the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw). The institute is responsible for equipping Germany’s armed forces, the Bundeswehr. It also develops, tests and procures military technology. “On one occasion, he passed on information that he had obtained in the course of his professional activities to a Russian intelligence service for forwarding,” prosecutors said in a statement. German officials said the country’s support for Kyiv has increasingly made it the target of Russian spying…