Author: DW

France’s lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would enshrine a woman’s right to an abortion in the French Constitution. The measure was promised by President Emmanuel Macron last year following a rollback of abortion rights in the United States. The bill passed the National Assembly by a vote of 493 to 30, with nearly all members of Macron’s minority centrist coalition, as well as left-wing opposition parties, in favor. “Tonight, the National Assembly and the government did not miss their rendez-vous with women’s history,” Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti said. How to change…

Since Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine there has been a revolution in the role of military UAVs (unmanned air vehicles), which have enabled much smaller forces to prevail against the traditionally dominant military powers.Has drone warfare become the dominant military capability for the underdog?The first flight of a powered UAV was on 6 May 1896, several years before the Wright brothers’ first manned powered flight on 17 December 1903. However, both commercial and military exploitation of aviation potential focused on the manned option, limiting investment in UAVs.But, the prolonged war in Afghanistan saw a surge of investment in long-range UAVs…

Russian presidential hopeful Boris Nadezhdin on Wednesday submitted more than 100,000 signatures from supporters needed to register as a candidate in the upcoming election. The Central Election Commission will check the authenticity of the signatures and must decide within 10 days whether he can run. “Millions of people” support his bid, the 60-year-old Kremlin critic said. “I don’t understand how these signatures could not be accepted.” Nadezhdin the only anti-war candidate Nadezhdin has said he did not expect such a “crazy wave” of support.  “People understand that their lives and the safety of their families is threatened by what (Russian President…

The US military has launched an air assault on at least 85 targets in Iraq and Syria used by Iranian-backed militias on Friday.Numerous aircraft were used – including long-range B-1 bombers flown from the US – marking the opening salvo of retaliation for the drone strike that killed three US troops in Jordan last weekend. A statement from US Central Command said: “US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.Middle East latest: US begins wave of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria”US military forces struck…

A Russian dissident band has flown from Thailand for Israel, after Thai authorities briefly detained them and threatened to deport them back to Moscow over working without a correct permit. The Bi-2 band has previously criticized Russia’s war on Ukraine, refusing to play at a Russian venue with banners supporting the war. Its lead singer Igor Bortnik also criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin last year. All seven members of the self-exiled band had safely left Thailand en route to Tel Aviv, according to a post on the group’s Facebook page. Several members hold dual Russian and Israeli citizenship, and the band had…

The US has hit 85 targets in Iraq and Syria with airstrikes in a retaliatory attack after three American soldiers were killed at a base in Jordan.More than 125 “precision munitions” were fired from long-range bombers flown from the US at three facilities in Iraq and four in Syria. Middle East latest: US begins wave of airstrikes in Iraq and SyriaUS Central Command said the strikes targeted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups.Here is what our experts have said about the US strikes: Security analyst Michael Clarke”What the Americans are trying to do is…

Frustration with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban was palpable among European Union (EU) leaders arriving at a summit in Brussels on Thursday to discuss an aid package for Ukraine. For weeks, Orban had been holding back the EU from agreeing upon funds that would prop up Ukraine’s economy, which has been straining under the ongoing war efforts after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. However, the leaders came to a surprisingly quick result: Within an hour of meeting, the 27 EU members signed off a new €50 billion ($54 billion) aid package to support Ukraine’s economy through 2027. The funds consist of grants and loans financed…

Iran’s recent executions, including four Kurdish men, have alarmed human rights organizations and prompted a UN investigation. The UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights is flying to Tehran to investigate. Source link

A dangerous new phase in the Middle East conflict has begun with a major US military action targeting multiple locations in Syria and Iraq.Seeking to both to punish and deter Iran and its Iraq-based proxies after an Iranian-backed militia killed three US service personnel in Jordan, manned and unmanned aircraft hit multiple locations with 125 specialised munitions, according US military’s central command.This was a calculated response, not a knee-jerk reaction, coming six days after militant group Kata’ib Hezbollah’s drone strike on the US Tower 22 facility in Jordan.The Americans took the time to choose its targets – and it had…

Around a million Rohingya refugees are living in huts made of bamboo and plastic in Cox’s Bazar, the world’s largest refugee camp in southern Bangladesh. Most have fled ethnic and religious persecution in neighboring Myanmar.  Recent years have seen the security situation in the camps deteriorate, with crimes including sexual assault, abduction, extortion and murder becoming daily occurrences. The camps are rife with criminal gangs, as well as rebel Rohingya groups. Camp residents have also complained about abuses carried out by local law enforcement agencies. Camp security forces accused of rape A 22-year-old Rohingya woman living in the Balukhali refugee camp at Cox’s…