Author: DW

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets. Khan’s former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also given a 10-year jail sentence as part of the case. It was alleged that Khan shared the contents of a secret cable sent by the country’s ambassador in Washington to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.Khan claimed the cable was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and US government to topple his governmentin 2022, after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.He also previously said the contents of…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday asked the United Nations’ agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) to immediately look into the “deeply troubling” allegations that some of its staff were involved in the deadly October 7 attacks in southern Israel. “It is imperative that UNRWA immediately, as it said it would, investigate, that it hold people accountable as necessary, and that it review its procedures,” Blinken said at a news conference. Last week, the US announced it was temporarily suspending funds to the agency, pending an investigation, alongside several other donors. Blinken stressed the importance of UNRWA, which provides education, medical care…

Brazilian federal authorities searched on Monday the house and office of Carlos Bolsonaro, the son of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, over suspected illegal spying on political opponents during his father’s presidential term. The Supreme Court justice and electoral court chief Alexandre de Moraes, an alleged target of the espionage, authorized the raids. Federal police said Monday’s events were the latest phase of their investigation into a “criminal organization set up in the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (ABIN) to illegally monitor public officials and others.” Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing by his family. What do we know about the search? Police…

The three US troops who were killed in a drone attack on an American base in Jordan have been named.The Pentagon has identified those killed in the attack as Sgt William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Spc Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia, and Spc Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. The three US army reserve soldiers were assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade in Fort Moore, Georgia.Officials said that of the more than 40 wounded, most had cuts, bruises, traumatic brain injuries and similar wounds.Middle East latest: ‘Drone mix-up’ led…

The European Union (EU) has indicated it would await the outcome of investigations into “very serious allegations” that several staff members of the Palestinian refugee agency were involved in the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel before deciding on future contributions. Nearly a dozen western states have already announced funding freezes to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). The European Commission, which coordinates aid for Palestinians paid for by joint EU funds, said in a press release published Monday that it would “review the matter in light of the outcome of the investigation…

Iran and Pakistan agreed to expand security cooperation on Monday in a bid to improve relations following deadly cross border strikes earlier this month. Tensions between the two neighbors were raised after Iran killed two children when it conducted unilateral strikes against suspected insurgents in Pakistani territory. Pakistan then conducted strikes against suspected insurgents in Iranian territory in retaliation. On Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met with Pakistan’s caretaker foreign minister, Jalil Abbas Jilani, in Islamabad. Amirabdollahian said the two countries “strongly respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of each other,” and would solve future issues through diplomatic means. “All these…

A British man aiming to run the length of Africa has been given the green light to enter Algeria – after visa issues left his gruelling challenge “hanging in the balance”.Russ Cook, from Worthing in West Sussex, has been running the length of the continent for 283 days, covering more than 7,600 miles (12,200km) and raising more than £150,000 for The Running Charity – which supports young people who are homeless. The 26-year-old says he will become the first person to ever run the full of length of Africa if he completes the challenge.He began his journey at South Africa’s…

The more likely it seems that Donald Trump will be the Republican Party’s nominee for the US presidency, the louder the voices become that warn Europe to prepare itself for a second Trump term in the White House. In an interview with French public broadcaster France 2, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, described the possible election of Donald Trump as a “clear threat” to Europe. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told the European Parliament in mid-January that “if 2024 brings us ‘America First’ again, it is really more than ever ‘Europe on its own.'” In a paper…

The retail group which owns the iconic Berlin department store KaDeWe and two other large luxury German shopping malls has declared bankruptcy, the corporation announced in Berlin on Monday. KaDeWe Group, part of the troubled Signa real estate empire, is 49.9% owned by Signa Retail, an Austrian-based property empire which itself filed for insolvency last year. The other 50.1% is held by the Central Group of Thailand. KaDeWe Group said “exorbitantly high rents” in Berlin, Hamburg and Munich “make it almost impossible to operate profitably in the long term.” Since the start of the pandemic rent has risen 37%, it said. “There is no…

The US will respond “in a manner of our choosing” after three American troops were killed and at least 34 injured in a drone strike in Jordan, its National Security Council spokesman has said.John Kirby would not reveal what options are being discussed in the White House, but promised a response to Saturday night’s attack near the Syrian border. Speaking on NBC’s Today programme, he said: “I’m not going to get ahead of the president’s decision space here or talk about what the options might be.”He said we’ll respond. We absolutely will do it at a time or in a…