Author: DW

Israel says its special forces have raided the biggest functioning hospital in Gaza, with a number of suspects detained.The Israeli military said the operation at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis was “precise and limited” and claimed it had information Hamas fighters were hiding there.Israel also said the ruling militant group in Gaza may have kept hostages at the medical facility, and it was possible some captives’ bodies were at the site.Hamas has denied the accusations, calling them “lies”, with health authorities saying Israel has pushed out displaced people and medical workers’ families who were sheltering in the hospital.Middle East latest:Hezbollah…

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates said that writing things down would make people forgetful. Now, thousands of years later, we’re in the fortunate position of being able to discuss Socrates’ thinking precisely because it was written down. Commentators often say the written word, books, is best and that computers negatively impact learning, almost for the same reasons that Socrates was against writing things down: forgetfulness, when memory is a cornerstone of learning. You may wonder: What have people got against new technologies? As more and more classrooms shift from print to digital books and other materials, researchers are looking into the impact on children’s learning.…

Donald Trump’s hush money trial will go ahead as scheduled after a judge on Thursday threw out his request to dismiss the criminal charges. Justice Juan Merchan set a trial date of March 25 for the case, which relates to money that the former US president allegedly paid to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. “Given all the information I have before me, we are moving ahead to jury selection on March 25,” the judge said. Trump repeated unfounded claims that the case brought against him is politically motivated. “They wouldn’t have brought this except for the…

The looming prospect of NATO-skeptic Donald Trump winning a second term as US president is serving as food for thought in Europe on everything from climate to trade. But this week, explosive comments from the isolationist front-runner to be the Republican Party’s candidate for president have pushed concerns about EU security to the fore and loomed large over a NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels on Thursday. At a campaign rally on Saturday, Trump implied he wouldn’t come to the aid of NATO states attacked by Russia if they hadn’t met the alliance’s military spending targets. In fact, he would have opted…

A trial date has been set in Donald Trump’s hush-money case, which centres on the claim he paid off two women – including an adult film star – after they said he had affairs with them. Jury selection will begin on Monday 25 March, a judge ruled today, turning down requests for a delay from Trump’s lawyers. The case centres on years-old accusations that Trump sought to bury stories about extramarital affairs that emerged during his 2016 presidential campaign.The decision means Trump will become the first former US president to stand trial on a criminal charge.Prosecutors claim he paid off…

The ancient Greek philosopher Socrates said that writing things down would make people forgetful. Now, thousands of years later, we’re in the fortunate position of being able to discuss Socrates’ thinking, precisely because it was written down. Commentators often say the written word — books — is best and that computers negatively impact learning, almost for the same reasons that Socrates was against writing things down: forgetfulness, when memory is a cornerstone of learning. You may wonder: What have people got against new technologies? As more and more classrooms shift from print to digital books and other materials, researchers are looking into the impact on…

South Africa’s mission to help bring peace and security to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has gotten off to a deadly start. The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on Thursday said that two of its soldiers had been killed in a mortar strike near the eastern city of Goma. The SANDF said that three more soldiers were injured in the attack, which took place on Wednesday. “A mortar landed inside one of the South African contingent military bases inflicting casualties and injuries to the SANDF soldiers,” the South African military said in a statement. The injured were…

Labor unions in Guinea have threatened a nationwide strike if the government does not reduce the cost of living in the West African nation.  Guinea has been led since September 2021 by a military junta that deposed the country’s first democratically-elected president. The ruling junta recently increased the price of importing of basic food items into the country — which has resulted in an unprecedented price increase in markets across the country.  “Life is very expensive today in Guinea,” Mabinty Bangoura, a government worker and housewife told DW, adding that “the authorities have willingly increased the price of a bag of rice, and traders…

Russia is secretly developing a new kind of satellite-killing space weapon, according to US intelligence watchdogs in Washington.The Biden administration is gathering highly sensitive information about the new capability, which is not yet operational but could potentially be a game changer in the war in Ukraine. Russia has denied the claims but the chair of a powerful congressional intelligence committee on Capitol Hill in Washington has issued an urgent warning about Russia’s alleged ambitions.Space is the new frontier in military technology and never more so than during the Ukraine war. Ukraine has pioneered the use of satellites and AI to…

The Berlin International Film Festival, or Berlinale — one of the world’s major international film festivals alongside Cannes and Venice — opens on February 15 and will feature appearances by stars such as film director Martin Scorsese and the actors Kristen Stewart and Cillian Murphy. But controversy over this year’s event has begun even before the red carpet is rolled out: The invitation — and subsequent disinvitation — of politicians from Germany’s far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) has made waves. After days of discussion, the Berlinale management duo, comprised of Dutch director Mariette Rissenbeek and Italian journalist Carlo Chatrian, withdrew invitations to five AfD politicians…