Author: staff

Israel in recent days has moved to take control of humanitarian aid deliveries to the coastal enclave where it has been carrying out a devastating war in retaliation for Hamas’ militants Oct. 7, 2023 attack. “This suffering must stop,” De Wever said in a podcast published Wednesday. While acknowledging the conflict’s complexity, De Wever also described Hamas as “the side of darkness.”  Van Peel emphasized that N-VA “has always stood for humanity” despite recent mounting criticism from coalition partners Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) and Flemish social democratic party Vooruit over the party’s silence.  Across Europe, governments have different views on…

The politically-charged situation surrounding Northern Irish rap band Kneecap continues, as British police said today that counterterrorism detectives will investigate comments made about the Middle East and British politics.As reported earlier this week, one of these videos appears to show a band member shouting “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah”, while the other allegedly shows the group calling for the deaths of Conversative MPs.London’s Metropolitan Police force said the videos “were referred to the Counter Terrorism internet Referral Unit for assessment by specialist officers, who have determined there are grounds for further investigation into potential offenses linked to both videos.”“The investigation is now…

Al-Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda member, has received a cautious welcome from the international community after his forces toppled brutal Syrian dictator Bashar Assad late last year. He has vowed to protect minority groups in Syria and to pursue more inclusive policies. But sectarian violence in recent months, including two bloody days in March during which security forces killed hundreds of civilians, has raised fears that al-Sharaa is failing to rein in Syria’s extremist factions. The Syrian leader subsequently vowed to punish those responsible. In Paris al-Sharaa argued that “elements of the former [Assad] regime took advantage of the situation to rekindle…

When torrential rains swept across eastern Spain in 2024, they unleashed one of the most catastrophic floods the Valencia region had seen in living memory. Among the worst-hit areas was the small town of Paiporta, where entire neighbourhoods were submerged, homes were rendered uninhabitable, businesses destroyed, and streets turned into rivers of thick, suffocating mud. But out of the devastation came an extraordinary response. Young people – many still students – arrived in numbers to unflinchingly clear debris, carry water, and comfort strangers.Photographer Raúl Belinchón, who initially came to help a friend whose home had been flooded, found himself unable…

Names of frontrunners —  to be taken with communion-wafer-sized grains of salt — have surfaced. One is Maltese Cardinal Mario Grech, who presided over the so-called synods, consultative bodies intended to give more power in daily church decision-making to laypeople, women and small peripheral churches. Another is Cardinal Robert Prevost, an American who served in both Latin America and Rome, and is considered a potential bridge-builder between opposing factions. Earlier this week Prevost gave a speech calling for more participation in the selection of bishops, who are normally chosen by the pope, from local bishops’ conferences, a key demand of…

A 15-year-old autistic Nigerian has set the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest art canvas to raise awareness for autism.Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo-Okeke’s painting, which features a multi-coloured ribbon – the autism symbol – surrounded by emojis, spans 12,304 square meters.It is aimed at highlighting the spectrum disorder and the challenges that people like him face amid stigma – like the highly controversial comments made by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.The US Secretary of Health and Human Services recently declared autism an “epidemic”, while stating that many autistic people will “never pay taxes, they’ll never hold a job, they’ll never play baseball, they’ll never write…

Seinen ersten Arbeitstag verbringt Friedrich Merz mit Reisen. Erst ist er in Paris, dann in Warschau. Gordon Repinski begleitet den neuen Kanzler sowohl in Frankreich als auch in Polen und berichtet aus Paris, wie sich Merz gibt, wo er außenpolitisch erste Akzente setzt und wo sich weiterhin Differenzen zwischen ihm und Emmanuel Macron abzeichnen. Außerdem ist Rasmus Buchsteiner im Studio bei Rixa Fürsen. Er hat nicht nur die diversen Amtsübergaben in den Ministerien beobachtet, sondern auch Neuigkeiten aus den Fraktionen von SPD und Union, die sich ebenfalls neu einstellen. Da herrscht Klarheit bei den Sozialdemokraten, während die Unionsfraktion wohl nochmals…

British actor-comedian Russell Brand was granted conditional bail by a London court today after appearing to face charges of rape and sexual assault involving four women.Brand, 49, did not enter a plea. He previously denied the allegations made against him.He was swarmed by photographers as he arrived at Westminster Magistrates’ Court for his first hearing since he was charged last month with one count each of rape, indecent assault and oral rape, as well as two counts of sexual assault. Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told Brand to present himself at the Central Criminal Court, commonly known as the Old Bailey, in central…

While most legal experts argue that rejecting people who want to claim asylum violates EU law, Dobrindt argued there is a clear legal basis for the decision, and said he and Merz are “in talks” with Berlin’s neighbors about the new approach. Officials from Poland and Austria criticized the new German government’s plan in comments to POLITICO last week. Poland’s chief diplomat in Berlin, Jan Tombiński, said the current controls were “already a problem for daily border traffic and the functioning of the EU internal market,” while the Austrian Interior Ministry cited a ruling of the European Court of Justice,…

The signs of a diplomatic reset between the European Union and China continue to intensify despite Beijing doubling down on its “no-limits” partnership with Moscow, which until recently was considered a disqualifying factor in the eyes of the bloc.Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, and António Costa, the president of the European Council, exchanged messages on Tuesday with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qian, celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations.Upbeat in tone, the statements highlight a mutual willingness to advance cooperation in areas of common interest and tackle global challenges together. The anniversary “takes…