Author: DW

Train drivers in Germany on Wednesday began their longest strike yet in an ongoing labor dispute with Deutsche Bahn that is going to impact thousands of passengers and could dent the economy with a loss of up to €1 billion ($1.1 billion). On Monday, the German Train Drivers’ Union (GDL) had called for a six-day strike. The planned industrial action will run from 2:00 a.m. local time (0100 GMT) Wednesday until 6 p.m. on Monday for passenger traffic. The strike for freight trains began a day earlier. This is the fourth rail strike since November. It marks an escalation of the dispute…

According to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), women’s rights in the country have been restricted still more by the Taliban. In its December 2023 quarterly report, published on Monday, UNAMA noted that the Taliban has implemented draconian measures against women who are unmarried or unaccompanied by a male guardian. It has become even more challenging for women in Afghanistan to access work, travel, and healthcare. The UNAMA report states that, in one instance, a woman was advised by the “Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue” to get married to keep her job at a healthcare facility. The ministry…

It’s not surprising the British and Americans have had another go at striking the Houthis in Yemen – but it’s just not necessarily all that clever.Allied naval vessels have been threatened, the argument goes in London and Washington, the commercial shipping of other countries hit or hijacked.It is essential something is done about it, say the politicians and military planners.Middle East latest: Houthis warn UK and US to ‘expect response’But how far have they thought it through? The operations risk a lot, will almost certainly not achieve their goals and are already strengthening the enemy.The Houthis and their Iranian patrons…

Artillery fire has killed at least 27 people, according to local authorities in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk. Meanwhile, Volodymyr Zelenskyy voiced hope in more future arms deliveries. DW has more. Source link

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…