Author: DW

The two sprawling camps overcrowded with Islamic State families in northeast Syria, where Shamima Begum has been confined for most of the last five years or so, are a continual security challenge.Tens of thousands of people still live in the camps, years after the fall of the terror group and the dismantling of its so-called caliphate. But the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who guard it have warned that unless they’re given international help to maintain security in this increasingly unstable region, the extremist organisation will rise again. Image: Living conditions are basic in the camps Image: Some 60% of the…

The US Treasury called the sanctions the “largest single tranche” since the Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022Image: Pavel Kolyadin/dpa/TASS/picture allianceThe US plans to announce sanctions against 500 entities involved in Russia’s “war machine” on Friday, officials said. The sanctions come as Russia’s war in Ukraine threatens to drag on for a third year, and follow the death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in a penal colony. Earlier, John Kirby, communications director of the US National Security Council, said a “major package of sanctions” against Moscow was coming. Measures from both the US Treasury and State Department will be a part…

Two Britons who nearly died fighting in Ukraine have told why they have returned to the war-torn country – and warn urgent help is needed on the frontline in the battle against Russia.Shareef Amin was seriously wounded by Russian fire after answering President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call for foreigners to join the Ukrainian military in 2022. The 41-year-old from Bristol lost part of his hand and his right leg was paralysed from the knee down. He also suffered punctured lungs and severe injuries to his shoulder and forearm. Image: Recovering in hospital after he was ambushed. Pic: Shareef Amin Fellow Briton…

A 240-million-year-old long-necked marine reptile that resembles a Chinese dragon has been fully depicted for the first time, according to new research, published on Friday by Earth and Environmental Science Transactions of The Royal Society of Edinburgh. The fossils of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis were discovered in Guizhou province in southern China. The reptile was originally identified in 2003, but the discovery of additional, more complete specimens since then allowed an international team of scientists to fully describe the creature. With 32 separate cervical vertebrae, it had an extraordinarily long neck and its flippered limbs, as well as the well-preserved fish in…

British authorities said they seized 5.7 tons of cocaine at a port in southern England, believed to be the largest seizure of Class A drugs ever in the United Kingdom. The street value of the cocaine seized is believed to be “in excess of 450 million pounds” ($570 million or €526 million), the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) said in a press release. The cocaine was seized on February 8 at the port of Southampton on the south coast of England. The NCA said officers believed the drugs were bound for the German city of Hamburg “for onward delivery.” The…

Skip next section Bundestag votes for delivering ‘long-range weapons’ to Ukraine02/22/2024February 22, 2024Bundestag votes for delivering ‘long-range weapons’ to UkraineThe German parliament has voted in favor of a motion put forward by the country’s ruling coalition, which called for providing “additional, necessary long-range weapons systems and ammunition” to Ukraine. The measure, however, did not explicitly mention the delivery of the Taurus cruise missile system to Kyiv. While 382 lawmakers voted for the motion, 284 rejected it and 2 abstained. There are differences in views among the parties of the ruling coalition as to whether the wording also allows for the delivery…

Five people have been killed in China after a barge hit a bridge, which led to part of the structure breaking off, and vehicles plunging into the water below.A bus and an electric motorbike were among five vehicles that fell off the Lixinsha Bridge over a waterway, said China Central Television (CCTV). The bus, with only its driver on board, and one of the vehicles hit the water, while the other three ended up on the vessel.The bus driver, the motorcycle rider and three people in a van died in Thursday’s incident which happened at about 5.30am local time near…

A Spanish court on Thursday found Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves guilty of sexually assaulting a young woman in a Barcelona nightclub. The three-judge panel sentenced Alves to four years and six months in prison. What we know about the case Alves was accused of sexually assaulting his victim in a bathroom of an upscale Barcelona nightclub early in the morning of Dec. 31, 2022. The woman said the soccer star raped her. The 40-year-old had denied any wrongdoing in a trial that took place over three days this month. State prosecutors called for Alves to be handed a nine-year prison sentence, while lawyers representing his accuser…

A spacecraft built and flown by Houston-based Intuitive Machines landed on the moon at 2323 GMT on Thursday, marking the first US touchdown on the lunar surface in more than half a century and the first ever by a private company. The news was confirmed by Intuitive Machine’s chief executive Steve Altemus, who said: “I know this was a nail biter but we are on the on the surface and we are transmitting. Welcome to the moon.” The company behind the mission said flight controllers received a weak signal from the ship. “We’re evaluating how we can refine that signal,” said mission director Tim Crain. “Without a…

The father of an Italian woman who appeared in chains in a Hungarian court has said no one deserves to be treated like she has and that “it’s a disaster” if her case becomes political.Ilaria Salis, an anti-fascist activist, was arrested in Budapest last year on suspicion of a serious assault on two far-right supporters at Hungary’s Day of Honour commemorations. At a hearing last month she appeared with legs shackled together, handcuffed, and with a guard walking behind her holding a chain.There have also been reports in Italian media that at one point in her detention she was bound…