Author: DW

Billions of euros in once-frozen European Union funds are flowing to Hungary again after the central European state reformed its judicial system to Brussels’ satisfaction. Though billions more remain blocked over alleged violations of LGBTQ+ and migrant rights — plus concerns about  academic freedom — many EU lawmakers are furious over last month’s funding releaseand have threatened legal action against the EU’s executive. The timing of the European Commission’s move raised eyebrows — just before a crucial summit as EU states sought to get Budapest on board with plans to open membership talks with Ukraine and offer the country long-term financial…

British fish and chips could be under threat if Vladimir Putin’s Russian government goes ahead with ripping up a longstanding agreement with the UK.The Russian government is said to be ready to terminate a decades-old deal with the UK that allows British boats to fish in the Barents Sea – leading to an accusation that it is “weaponising food”. Russian newspaper Izvestiya reported that the country’s agriculture ministry has submitted draft legislation to ban the UK from the key fishing grounds famous for cod and haddock.It would put an end to an agreement between the then USSR and the UK,…

Russia’s Defense Ministry has not reacted to the Ukrainian military’s announcement that it shot down a Russian military  A-50 surveillance plane over the Sea of Azov on Sunday and damaged an Il-22M bomber. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he had “no information” about the incident and directed questions to the Defense Ministry. Ukraine’s top general, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, and the head of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleshchuk, have both claimed that the Russian aircraft were hit. If other sources verify their claims, it will be the first time that the Ukrainian military has managed to shoot down an A-50 plane. The early…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected US calls for the development of a Palestinian state, as he vowed the offensive in Gaza would press ahead for many months.In a nationally televised news conference on Thursday, Mr Netanyahu struck a defiant tone, repeatedly saying that Israel would not halt its offensive until it achieves its goals of destroying the Hamas militant group and bringing home all remaining hostages in Gaza. “We will not settle for anything short of an absolute victory,” Mr Netanyahu said.It comes as Israel’s closest ally, the US, has urged the country to scale back the intensity…

Germany’s lower house, the Bundestag, on Thursday passed a bill that will allow faster deportations of rejected asylum seekers. The move comes as Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s coalition government seeks to deal with irregular migration and related issues. The bill had been taken off the agenda at short notice in the last session a week before Christmas because one of the coalition partners, the Greens, had demanded changes. It passed on votes from the three ruling parties — with a handful of Greens voting against — while the opposition Christian Democrats opposed the measure, criticizing it as ineffective.  Some of the provisions of…

Iran and Pakistan have accused each other of harbouring terrorists. Fighter jets from the Pakistan Air Force undertook a series of coordinated and targeted strikes using extended-range munitions against seven terrorist hideouts in the Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran. Follow live: US hits more Houthi targets – Pakistan explains Iran strikesIn a statement, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it had “credible intelligence of impending large-scale terrorist activities in the ungoverned spaces of southern Iran.”These targets were 80km inside Iranian territory where several terrorists were killed.” Thursday’s attack comes after Iran used missiles and drones on Tuesday to hit what they claim…

Police detained and clashed with activists at a rare protest in a remote region of Russia on Wednesday. Thousands of protesters braved temperatures of -20 Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) in the town of Baymak, in the Bashkortostan region, to protest a prison sentence for local environment activist Fail Alsynov. They chanted “Fail, we stand with you!” along with “Freedom!” and “Disgrace!”Dozens of protesters arrested in RussiaTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Observers said it was one of the largest protests in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine almost two…

Emma Raducanu is out of the Australian Open after China’s Yafan Wang beat her in three sets as the Briton struggled with sickness at the end of the match.Raducanu, who made her return to tennis two weeks ago after missing most of the 2023 season to have three surgeries, had fought back from a set and a break down to force a deciding set. But she struggled physically – and appeared to have breathing difficulties, clutching at her chest and abdomen before calling the trainer after two games.She had her blood pressure checked and took some pills before resuming, and…

The Luxemburg-based European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that women who suffer or are at risk of “physical or mental violence, including sexual violence and domestic violence” on account of their gender in their country of origin could apply for protection and be granted refugee status.  The original case in the ECJ concerned a Turkish Muslim national of Kurdish origin. She claimed that her family had forced her into marriage, and she had been threatened and beaten by her husband, from whom she is now divorced. She escaped to Bulgaria after leaving him and said that her life would be…

“We are surprised that you have failed to answer a simple question that we have been asking for three years: when will you tax extreme wealth?” begins the open letter by an initiative called Proud to Pay More. Directed at “global leaders gathering in Davos,” it was handed over to world leaders gathered at the Swiss ski resort on Wednesday. The signatories are demanding higher taxes be levied on the super-rich.   Notably, many of the signatories are among the wealthiest people in the world. Proud to Pay More comprises at least 260 billionaires and millionaires who say that steps must…