Author: DW

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US calls for the development of a Palestinian state, as he vowed the offensive in Gaza would press ahead for many months.In a nationally televised news conference on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu struck a defiant tone, repeatedly saying that Israel would not halt its offensive until it achieves its goals of destroying the Hamas militant group and bringing home all remaining hostages in Gaza. “We will not settle for anything short of an absolute victory,” Mr Netanyahu said.It comes as Israel’s closest ally, the US, has urged the country to scale back the intensity…

Germany’s lower house, the Bundestag, on Thursday passed a bill that will allow faster deportations of rejected asylum seekers. The move comes as Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government seeks to deal with irregular migration and related issues. The bill had been taken off the agenda at short notice in the last session a week before Christmas because one of the coalition partners, the Greens, had demanded changes. It passed on votes from the three ruling parties — with a handful of Greens voting against — while the opposition Christian Democrats opposed the measure, criticizing it as ineffective.  Some of the provisions of…

Iran and Pakistan have accused each other of harbouring terrorists. Fighter jets from the Pakistan Air Force undertook a series of coordinated and targeted strikes using extended-range munitions against seven terrorist hideouts in the Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran. Follow live: US hits more Houthi targets – Pakistan explains Iran strikesIn a statement, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it had “credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities in the ungoverned spaces of southern Iran.”These targets were 80km inside Iranian territory where several terrorists were killed.” Thursday’s attack comes after Iran used missiles and drones on Tuesday to hit what they claim…

Police detained and clashed with activists at a rare protest in a remote region of Russia on Wednesday. Thousands of protesters braved temperatures of -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) in the town of Baymak, in the Bashkortostan region, to protest a prison sentence for local environment activist Fail Alsynov. They chanted “Fail, we stand with you!” along with “Freedom!” and “Disgrace!”Dozens of protesters arrested in RussiaTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Observers said it was one of the largest protests in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine almost two…

Emma Raducanu is out of the Australian Open after China’s Yafan Wang beat her in three sets as the Briton struggled with sickness at the end of the match.Raducanu, who made her return to tennis two weeks ago after missing most of the 2023 season to have three surgeries, had fought back from a set and a break down to force a deciding set. But she struggled physically – and appeared to have breathing difficulties, clutching at her chest and abdomen before calling the trainer after two games.She had her blood pressure checked and took some pills before resuming, and…

The Luxemburg-based European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that women who suffer or are at risk of “physical or mental violence, including sexual violence and domestic violence” on account of their gender in their country of origin could apply for protection and be granted refugee status.  The original case in the ECJ concerned a Turkish Muslim national of Kurdish origin. She claimed that her family had forced her into marriage, and she had been threatened and beaten by her husband, from whom she is now divorced. She escaped to Bulgaria after leaving him and said that her life would be…

“We are surprised that you have failed to answer a simple question that we have been asking for three years: when will you tax extreme wealth?” begins the open letter by an initiative called Proud to Pay More. Directed at “global leaders gathering in Davos,” it was handed over to world leaders gathered at the Swiss ski resort on Wednesday. The signatories are demanding higher taxes be levied on the super-rich.   Notably, many of the signatories are among the wealthiest people in the world. Proud to Pay More comprises at least 260 billionaires and millionaires who say that steps must…

A plane has returned to its departure airport in Japan after a female member of the cabin crew was bitten by a drunk passenger, according to the airline.The All Nippon Airways (ANA) Flight 118 took off from Tokyo on Tuesday night and was heading to Seattle where it was due to land 10 hours later, FlightAware tracking data showed. But it went back to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport three hours into its journey.An ANA spokesperson told Sky’s US partner network NBC News: “While flying over the Pacific Ocean, a passenger who was heavily intoxicated bit the arm of a female cabin…

The United States government has barred former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei from entering the US over allegations of his involvement in significant corruption.” Giammattei has been accused of supporting the attorney general who was at the forefront of a judicial campaign against the Central American country’s new, anti-graft president, Bernardo Arevalo. “The State Department has credible information indicating·that Giammattei accepted bribes in exchange for the performance of his public functions during his tenure as president of Guatemala, actions that undermined the rule of law and government transparency,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement on Wednesday. Guatemala after Bernado…

The British multinational energy giant Shell is under constant scrutiny over its operations in Nigeria and pollution, especially in the oil-rich Niger Delta. The company this week said it wants to sell off its onshore Nigerian subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in a deal worth $2.4 billion (€2.2 billion). It named the buyers as Renaissance, a consortium comprised of four Nigeria-based exploration and production companies and an international energy group. The deal is still subject to Nigerian government approval. Shell said it would not completely exit Nigeria. “This agreement marks an important milestone for Shell in Nigeria, aligning with our previously announced intent to exit onshore oil production in the Niger…