Author: DW

Although there is a Democratic primary taking place in New Hampshire this Tuesday, no one seems to be paying attention. In fact, President Joe Biden isn’t even on the ballot. The big story is the Republican primary and whether Donald Trump can steamroll his last competitor — his former ambassador to the United Nations — Nikki Haley. Haley is seeking to hang on long enough to make it to the February 24 primary vote in her home state of South Carolina, where she served as governor (2011-2017) and sees a home-state advantage. Haley vows to carry on, Trump seems to embody…

Turkey’s parliament has approved Sweden’s application to join NATO – lifting a key barrier to its entry into the military alliance.The decision means Hungary is the only NATO member yet to ratify Sweden’s application after 20 months of delays. Sweden’s membership would enhance the military alliance’s defences in the Baltic Sea region facing Russia.Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on the social media site X after the decision: “Today we are one step closer to becoming a full member of NATO. Positive that the Grand General Assembly of Türkiye has voted in favour of Sweden’s NATO accession.”NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg…

At least 11 people have died in a landslide that struck a remote mountainous area in southwestern China, authorities said on Tuesday. At least two survivors were rescued, authorities added. The landslide in Yunnan province early Monday buried some 47 people, according to authorities. Rescue missions operate in freezing cold Rescue teams were working in freezing temperatures to find victims buried in some 18 homes, local officials said. Around 500 people were evacuated from the area. Rescuers worked through the night sifting deep mounds of earth at the site of the landslide in Zhenxiong County, state-run China Central Television reported. Search teams struggled with snow, icy roads…

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 Baltic 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…

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…