Author: DW

Russian President Vladimir Putin has given a luxury car to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a gift, the North Korean state-controlled news agency KCNA reported Tuesday.   From Russia with love KCNA said the gift serves as a “clear demonstration of the special relations between the two leaders.” The outlet said the vehicle was presented by Russia to Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, on February 18.   Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that the car given to Kim was a Russian-made Aurus. The Aurus Senat serves as the presidential state car of Russia which transports Putin. According to Aurus, the Senat Limousine is…

Congo’s lush and forested eastern borderlands have long served as an operating base for multiple armed groups. As the conflict there intensifies, the mineral-rich eastern provinces have also become a bloody playground for a rising number of countries, including Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda, as well as regional forces from three southern African nations. At the same time, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are involved in a bitter spat. Each blames the other for supporting various armed groups in Congo’s eastern provinces of North and South Kivu, Ituri, and Tanganyika. The flaring violence, with its volatile mix of rebels,…

Usher has announced that he’ll be performing in London next year.The news follows the R&B star’s successful Super Bowl half-time show earlier this month, after which he married his partner Jenn Goicoechea in Las Vegas. Image: (L-R) Jenn Goicoechea and Usher in 2020. Pic: Matteo Prandoni/BFA.com/Shutterstock Aside from eight shows in Paris last year, it will be the first time he’s toured Europe since his UR Tour in 2015.Titled Past Present Future, the 45-year-old singer will play three dates at London’s O2 arena in April 2025 followed by concerts in Berlin, Paris and Amsterdam.He’ll tour America this summer, kicking off…

The Berlinale is renowned as a film festival that tackles political issues and advocates for humanitarian values. Debates and protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war were inevitably expected to be part of this year’s event. While a few “Free Gaza” signs were spotted on the red carpet, the opening gala on February 15 was held without disruption. Then on Sunday, rather unexpectedly, some 50 pro-Palestinian supporters staged a protest at the European Film Market, according to reports by Deadline.com. The film market has close links with the festival, but unlike the Berlin International Film Festival’s many red carpet premieres, the business platform is restricted to film industry professionals and is therefore not…

The trial of four senior Egyptian security officials accused of the kidnap, torture and murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in 2016 gets underway in Rome on Tuesday. The opening hearing marks the second time the four security officers will go on trial in absentia. The first trial was halted in 2021 after it was argued there was no certainty the men had been officially notified that they were charged with Regeni’s death. The four defendants have been identified as senior officers in Egypt’s domestic security agency. What do we know about Regeni’s death? Regeni, who was 28 at the time…

Sam Altman caused more than a stir in early February when he called for a $5 to 7 trillion (€4.65 to 6.5 trillion) global investment to produce more powerful chips for the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) platforms. Many industry analysts were left open-mouthed at the figure cited by the Open AI chief executive, which is equivalent to almost a quarter of the US federal budget.  Altman wants to solve some of the major issues faced by the AI sector, which includes a major shortage of chips and semiconductors needed to power large language models like his firm’s ChatGPT, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month.…

Russian authorities in the Ural mountain city of Yekaterinburg have arrested a US-Russian dual national on treason charges, the state-owned TASS media outlet said Tuesday. What do we know so far? “The Federal Security Service (FSB) in Yekaterinburg suppressed the illegal activities of a 33-year-old resident of Los Angeles, who has dual citizenship of Russia and the United States,” TASS reported.  The news agency did not provide information regarding the name of the woman, but said she was “involved in providing financial assistance to a foreign state.” The crime of treason carries a hefty punishment of up to 20 years in jail in…

Traffic cameras appear to have captured a Russian convoy transporting Alexei Navalny’s body from prison to a morgue.Russian media outlet Mediazona released the camera footage filmed overnight on the 16-17 February – the same day as Navalny’s death. Both cameras show the same convoy crossing the Ob River south of Labytnangi, which is the only road between the Kharp prison and the Salekhard morgue, where it’s reported the politician’s body is being held.Russia-Ukraine latest: Follow live updatesMr Navalny’s mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, and his lawyers had been denied entry to the morgue. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Monday Ukrainian troops on the front line face “extremely difficult” conditions due to delays in receiving promised Western military aid. Days after Russian forces seized the town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, further tightening their grip on the region, Zelenskyy made a surprise visit to Ukrainian troops, as Russia’s war of aggression nears its second anniversary. Zelenskyy, military officials point to front-line difficulties “The situation is extremely difficult in several parts of the front line, where Russian troops have concentrated maximum reserves,” Zelenskyy said after visiting soldiers in the northeastern Kharkiv region. He said that Russian forces…

The US has drafted a new UN Security Council resolution that calls for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza – and opposes Israel’s plans to launch a major ground offensive in Rafah.According to Reuters, Washington also plans to veto a rival, Algeria-drafted resolution that demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire – amid concerns it could jeopardise talks between the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar. Until now, American officials have been averse to use the word “ceasefire” at the UN, but the new text reflects the language used by President Joe Biden in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Image: David Cameron…