Author: DW

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…

A second major wave of airstrikes has been carried out by American and British forces on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the group’s attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea.The first round of strikes did not deter the Houthis from continuing to attack shipping and the prime minister was pushed in the House of Commons today on what Britain’s long-term strategy would be if the Houthis keep up their attacks. On this episode of the Sky News Daily, Niall Paterson is joined by military analyst Michael Clarke and Sky’s international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn to analyse the…

Syria’splayers hoisted Omar Khrbin into the air in celebration after the final whistle, recognizing the significance of the moment. Khribin’s goal, Syria’s only of the group stages, gave Syria a 1-0 win against India and sealed their first ever spot in the knockout rounds of the Asian Cup as one of the best third-placed sides. It was perhaps the most important goal in the country’s football history. For a side that has seemingly not played a home game in over a decade due to an on-going conflict in the country, the emotion of the moment was tangible. In the post-game interview…

The European Union’s anti-trust authority has launched an investigation into German carrier Lufthansa’s effort to acquire a 41% stake in Italy’s ITA Airways. Anti-trust regulators temporarily blocked the deal on Tuesday, citing fears it might hurt competition. Lufthansa said it would press for a swift resolution of the matter, and it believed the transaction would be greenlit. The European Commission must make a final decision by June 6 this year. What do we know about the deal? Lufthansa agreed last year to take over a minority stake of 41% in ITA, for €325 million (approximately $350 million). The deal with the Italian state also…

Around 248 million people living in India escaped multidimensional poverty in the past nine years, according to a report by NITI Aayog, an Indian government public policy think tank. The report suggests a 17.89% decline in multidimensional poverty over the last nine years, as the number of people living in this condition in 2013-14 was 29.17% — and it fell to 11.28% in 2022-23. Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan recorded the sharpest decline in the number of people classified as poor. “The government has a goal to bring down multidimensional poverty to below 1% and all…

A mother who took her son to a shooting range just days before he shot dead four students at his US school, is to go on trial, charged with involuntary manslaughter.Jennifer Crumbley and her husband, James Crumbley are the first parents to be charged in a mass US school shooting. They gave their son, Ethan Crumbley, access to a gun, ignored his mental health needs and declined to take him home when shown his violent drawings at school on the day of the 30 November 2021 attack, according to prosecutors. Image: Ethan Crumbley was jailed for life without parole They…

A tennis fan was ejected from the US Open in New York on Monday after German tennis player Alexander Zverev protested that the man had been chanting words from the Nazi-era anthem. Zverev said that the spectator had chanted “Germany above everything” during his encounter with Italy’s Jannik Sinner. ‘It’s not OK to do that’ — Zverev “He started singing the Hitler anthem. That was too much,” Zverev said. “As a German, I’m not proud of that part of history and it’s not OK to do that.” “He was sitting in the front row, so a lot of people heard…

China underwent rare scrutiny of its human rights record at the United Nations on Tuesday. The Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which all UN member states must undergo every five years, focused on Xinjiang, a remote region where China has incarcerated more than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities and is accused of crimes against humanity. The political situation in Hong Kong, where Beijing has imposed a strict set of “security” laws, was also taken into consideration.  More than 160 countries addressed the hearing in Geneva, Switzerland, and each only had 45 seconds to speak. China once again denied any allegations…

Christopher Nolan’s war biopic “Oppenheimer” dominated the Academy Award nominations on Tuesday after it was announced to be in the running for 13 separate Oscars. Another of the biggest films of 2023, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” was close behind with eight Oscar nominations. Both films were nominated for best picture. The other nominees in the category were “American Fiction,” “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Holdovers,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” “Past Lives,” “Poor Things” and “The Zone of Interest.” ‘Barbenheimer’ sweeps acting categories Among the nominees for best actor were Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer” and Bradley Cooper in “Maestro.” German Sandra…

Rishi Sunak has said the UK is “not seeking a confrontation” with Yemen’s Houthi fighters – but it will strike again if their attacks in the Red Sea continue.Royal Air Force jets took part in a second wave of joint US-UK action against the group on Monday night after further attacks on the vital shipping lane. Politics Live: Rishi Sunak says UK ‘not seeking confrontation’ with strikes on HouthisThe prime minister told MPs: “We are not seeking a confrontation. We urge the Houthis and those who enable them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks.”But, if necessary, the United Kingdom…