Author: DW

An infamous cybercrime gang that holds victims’ data to ransom has been disrupted by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and a coalition of international police agencies. A post on Lockbit’s extortion website on Monday said: “This site is now under the control of the National Crime Agency of the UK, working in close cooperation with the FBI and the international law enforcement task force, ‘Operation Cronos’.” Europol and other international police organisations from France, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland and Germany all aided in the rare law enforcement operation.An NCA spokesperson confirmed that the agency had disrupted the…

A Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine last year has reportedly been found dead in an underground car park in Spain. Maxim Kuzminov’s body was found with gunshot wounds on 13 February in the town of Villajoyosa, near Alicante in southern Spain. Spanish media reported that investigators were searching for two suspects who had fled in a vehicle that was later found burnt out in a nearby town.Russia-Ukraine latest: Follow live updatesDuring a flight between two Russian air bases last August, Mr Kuzminov instead landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine with his Mi-8 helicopter as part of a secret operation. Ukraine’s GUR military…

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Monday Ukrainian troops on the frontline 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 third anniversary. Zelenskyy, military officials point to frontline 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 were “taking…

The Prince of Wales has been so horrified by the human suffering unfolding in the Middle East he’s set to carry out a series of engagements to highlight the plight of all those affected by the ongoing conflict.In the coming days, Prince William will meet with charities in the UK that are providing humanitarian support in the region and will hear about the conditions faced by those working on the ground. He will also join a conversation at a synagogue with young people from a wide range of communities to acknowledge the rise in antisemitism around the world.In October last…

A US man has admitted the rape and murder of a woman who was pushed down a ravine near a famous German landmark, used as the inspiration for the famous Disney Castle.The 31-year-old made the admission at the start of his trial in Kempten, southern Germany. He allegedly met two American women, aged 21 and 22, near Neuschwanstein Castle, one of Germany’s best-known attractions, in June last year.Prosecutors say the trio were close to the Marienbruecke, a bridge over a gorge that offers views of the castle.After luring them away from the trail, he is said to have forced the…

The High Court in London on Monday rejected a bid to stop the construction of a controversial road tunnel near the prehistoric megalithic stone circle Stonehenge in southwest England.  The case pitted British campaigners — and to some extent UNESCO, which named Stonehenge a World Heritage Site in 1986 — against the government, the National Highways agency and the National Trust, a charity that maintains British sites of natural beauty and historical significance.  The Save Stonehenge World Heritage Site group and a private individual who owns land near the proposed construction site, Andy Rhind-Tutt, had argued that plans to build…

The trial of a US man accused of murder and rape near Germany’s famed Neuschwanstein Castle began on Monday. The man admitted to the charges during the start of his trial. The 31-year-old is accused of having pushed two fellow US tourists into a ravine close to the popular tourist attraction in the southern state of Bavaria last June. One of the women died as a result of her injuries. His client was “deeply ashamed” about his actions and wished to apologise to the victim’s family, the lawyer added. What we know about the attack The women, aged 21 and 22, had been hiking on June 14,…

A UK-registered cargo ship is at risk of sinking after being attacked by Houthis, the Yemeni group has said.The Rubymar sustained “catastrophic” damage after being hit by a missile on Sunday, military spokesperson brigadier general Yahya Saree claimed. Middle East latest: Rafah offensive to begin if hostages ‘not home by Ramadan’In a statement posted on X on Monday, he said the ship “came to a complete halt” after the attack and its crew were forced to abandon the vessel.It had been travelling through the Bab al Mandab Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The spokesman…

The government has rejected calls to consider a prisoner swap to free dual British-Russian citizen Vladimir Kara-Murza following warnings he could be “next” following the death of Alexei Navalny.Conservative MP Bob Seely raised the case of Mr Kara-Murza in the Commons following a government statement on Mr Navalny, the Russian Opposition leader who died last week while being held in an arctic penal colony. Mr Kara-Murza, a former journalist, spent years as a politician opposing Vladimir Putin before he was jailed for 25 years after being convicted for treason last year.Raising his case in the House of Commons, Mr Seely said…

Hundreds of Russians have been arrested after mourning the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny.Mr Navalny’s body has been found in a hospital morgue – his mother and lawyers tried to see it but were denied access, according to local media reports. There’s been no talk of a post-mortem yet. With a Russian presidential election on the horizon, questions are being raised as to whether his death intends to act as a message to Mr Putin’s opponents.Host Adam Parsons is joined by our Moscow correspondent, Diana Magnay, who met Mr Navalny. She describes what’s happening in Russia and speaks about…