Author: DW

A man has been arrested after allegedly confessing that he started a fire in South Africa that killed 76 people – while trying to get rid of a body. The 29-year-old made the shock confession during a public inquiry into the cause of the fire at a five-storey building in Johannesburg in August last year. The man reportedly said he had strangled someone to death in the basement of the block of flats, before setting fire to his body, according to South African media reports of the testimony.He said that he was a drug user and was told to kill…

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday difficult questions can often be solved only when Germany and France work together. Macron spoke at a ceremony in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag,  honoring the late lawmaker Wolfgang Schäuble. “Germany has lost a statesman. Europe has lost a pillar. France has lost a friend,” Macron, who delivered most of his speech in German, said. Veteran of German politics The former speaker of the Bundestag and finance minister, Schäuble, died on December 26, 2023, aged 81. Around 1,500 dignitaries and politicians, including German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Olaf Scholz annd former…

The government of the Maldives on Tuesday announced that a Chinese marine research vessel, the Xiang Yang Hong 03, had been given permission to dock in the archipelago. The Maldives Foreign Ministry said the vessel was currently en route but did not specify when it was expected to arrive. The Foreign Ministry said it had received a “diplomatic request” from Beijing for permission to dock.  According to officials, The vessel will reportedly rotate crew and resupply in port before heading back out to sea, and will not conduct any research while in Maldives’ waters. A Foreign Ministry statement said, “The…

British and US aid workers have been asked to leave Yemen by Houthi authorities in the country, a letter seen by Sky News shows.In the letter to the country’s United Nations coordinator, the Houthi-controlled foreign affairs ministry requests aid workers with US and British citizenship to leave within 30 days.It follows the second set of joint UK and US airstrikes against Houthi forces, aimed at stopping raids on shipping in the Red Sea.Middle East latest:Houthis warn UK and US to ‘expect response’The letter also calls on aid agencies not to recruit any workers with dual nationalities from the UK and…

Why did Germany claim land in East Africa?   Initially, German presence in East Africa had been limited to land grabbing of private colonialists like Carl Peters. At the Berlin Conference in 1885, Germany claimed territories in today’s Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi, which gave them the authority to establish, control and protect trading routes.  How did German colonialism become so violent? In 1888, German settlements on the East African coast came under attack during the Abushiri, or Arab Uprising. This was a mix of actors on the Swahili coast with ties to local leader Abushiri bin Salim al Harth that did not…

Polish president Andrzej Duda Tuesday pardoned former interior minister Mariusz Kaminski and his deputy Maciej Wasik. The two were convicted of abuse of power for actions taken in 2007 and arrested earlier this month. What do we know about the pardon? Kaminski and Wasik, took refuge in the president’s palace before being arrested. The Polish president is an ally of their conservative Law and Justice party (PiS). “The decision regarding the pardon has been issued. Both men are pardoned,” Duda said in a statement on social media, adding that he was demanding their immediate release. Duda particularly urged Kaminski’s release, citing his “state…

A second major wave of airstrikes has been carried out by American and British forces on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the group’s attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.The first round of strikes did not deter the Houthis from continuing to attack shipping and the prime minister was pushed in the House of Commons today on what Britain’s long-term strategy would be if the Houthis keep up their attacks. On this episode of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by military analyst Michael Clarke and Sky’s international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn to analyse the…

Syria’splayers hoisted Omar Khrbin into the air in celebration after the final whistle, recognizing the significance of the moment. Khribin’s goal, Syria’s only of the group stages, gave Syria a 1-0 win against India and sealed their first ever spot in the knockout rounds of the Asian Cup as one of the best third-placed sides. It was perhaps the most important goal in the country’s football history. For a side that has seemingly not played a home game in over a decade due to an on-going conflict in the country, the emotion of the moment was tangible. In the post-game interview…

The European Union’s anti-trust authority has launched an investigation into German carrier Lufthansa’s effort to acquire a 41% stake in Italy’s ITA Airways. Anti-trust regulators temporarily blocked the deal on Tuesday, citing fears it might hurt competition. Lufthansa said it would press for a swift resolution of the matter, and it believed the transaction would be greenlit. The European Commission must make a final decision by June 6 this year. What do we know about the deal? Lufthansa agreed last year to take over a minority stake of 41% in ITA, for €325 million (approximately $350 million). The deal with the Italian state also…

Around 248 million people living in India escaped multidimensional poverty in the past nine years, according to a report by NITI Aayog, an Indian government public policy think tank. The report suggests a 17.89% decline in multidimensional poverty over the last nine years, as the number of people living in this condition in 2013-14 was 29.17% — and it fell to 11.28% in 2022-23. Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan recorded the sharpest decline in the number of people classified as poor. “The government has a goal to bring down multidimensional poverty to below 1% and all…