Author: DW

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…

Russia has carried out missile strikes on Ukraine’s two biggest cities – damaging apartment buildings and killing at least 18 people, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.The attacks on the capital Kyiv and second largest city Kharkiv came after Moscow shunned any deal backed by Ukraine and its Western allies to end the nearly two-year war. Follow latest:Pro-Russian leader in Moldovan region calls for military readinessThe strikes also come two days after Moscow-installed officials in eastern Ukraine claimed that Ukrainian shelling had killed 27 people on the outskirts of Russian-occupied Donetsk.In his nightly address, President Zelenskyy said Russian missile strikes killed…

Two US lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday, marking the first trip by US officials since the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party won a third consecutive term in this month’s presidential election. The island’s presidential election was won earlier this month by Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party. China considers him a “separatist”. Beijing warned ahead of the vote that his victory would be the beginning of “war and decline” for Taiwan. Taiwan’s governing party wins historic third termTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video US seeks to ‘strengthen’ relationship…

The chief executive of an American airline company has said internal checks found “many” loose bolts on their Boeing 737 MAX 9 planes.Ben Minicucci, the head of Alaska Airlines, told Sky News’s US partner network NBC News that he was “angry” about an incident on 5 January when a panel on one of the company’s planes blew out mid-air on a flight carrying 177 people. “I’m more than frustrated and disappointed,” he said.”I am angry. This happened to Alaska Airlines. It happened to our guests and happened to our people.”My demand on Boeing is what are they going to do…

Bürgerenergie Rhein-Sieg, a citizen energy renewables cooperative located in Siegburg in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in western Germany, wants to construct a new solar park on newly leased land at a former landfill site. Since 2011, more than 350 people in this region have joined forces to finance the next generation of environmentally friendly electricity. Germany boasts nearly 900 such “civic energy communities.” In total, there are about 9,000 of them across the European Union, most of which are in northern Europe. Anyone can join one of these communities by purchasing one or more “cooperative shares.” At the Rhein-Sieg…

Former US President Donald Trump won the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday, strengthening his bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, according to projections by the Associated Press and Fox News. After a landslide victory in the Iowa caucuses, Trump was down to one serious rival, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. According to the projections, Haley outperformed expectations but was unable to clinch an important victory. What were the results of the primary? With 25% of the votes counted, Trump had 53.6%, beating out Haley, who trailed with 45.5% of the vote, according to AP estimates. Trump will win at least 11 New Hampshire delegates to…

How far behind is too far for Nikki Haley? It was Donald Trump’s night, no doubt. He had the numbers and he got the victory. For Nikki Haley, the question that will be answered in due course is: how far behind is too far? In the Granite state, she had the conditions she craved – an independent, moderate crowd passing judgement on a two-person contest. It still didn’t get her as close to Donald Trump as she wanted. The question is whether it got her close enough to the notion that she can challenge in different and more difficult places.…

Skip next section Slovak PM to visit Ukraine amid tense relations01/22/2024January 22, 2024Slovak PM to visit Ukraine amid tense relationsSlovak Prime Minister Robert Fico will visit Ukraine on Wednesday, amid difficult relations between the countries following Fico’s criticism of its war-torn neighbor. His office that Fico would meet his Ukrainian counterpart in a city on the border with Slovakia. “In the morning, he will visit Ukraine and meet Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Uzhhorod,” the statement said, adding Fico would later travel to Berlin for talks with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Slovakia’s populist leader is opposed to sanctions on Russia and since…

The brother of two men still being held captive by Hamas in Gaza has said his life “stopped on 7 October”, the day his loved ones were taken.Liran Berman said he “needs his little brothers home” as he spoke on behalf of the families and loved ones of more than 130 hostages who remain in Gaza.The brothers were taken from their house in southern Israel, during the widespread attack by Hamas that left around 1,200 Israelis dead.”No one can feel what we feel, no one can understand the suffering, our lives stopped on 7 October,” he said, speaking on Sky…

Turkey’s parliament approved Sweden’s entry into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to sign it into law within a few days, leaving Hungary as the only NATO member state not to have approved Sweden’s membership. Erdogan had previously opposed Sweden’s bid, casting doubt on the Scandinavian state’s accession to the alliance, but he made a U-turn last summer and gave the go-ahead. Sweden ‘one step closer’ to NATO membership Lawmakers voted 287-55 in favor of the Nordic nation’s bid to become the 32nd member of the alliance after it won public…