Tanzanian opposition leader and former presidential candidate Tundu Lissu returned home after more than two years in exile in Europe to a cheering crowd on Wednesday, after the government lifted a ban on political rallies. A former lawmaker and a fierce critic of the government, Lissu initially left the country to seek treatment abroad after he was shot 16 times, mostly in his lower abdomen, in his car by unknown gunmen in the administrative capital Dodoma in 2017. He had been arrested eight times in the year leading up to the attack. Lissu was welcomed by a large gathering of his supporters at the Julius Nyerere International Airport, after flying […]
Ukrainian soldiers in the field now use German Gepard anti-aircraft guns to defend their skies, German anti-tank weapons to pierce Russian armour, and German howitzers to shell enemy troops. But the prize that Ukraine urgently seeks to regain territory before an expected Russian offensive this spring, the German-manufactured Leopard 2 battle tank, remains frustratingly out of reach. Germany is one of the largest donors of military hardware to Ukraine, but over 11 months of war, Berlin has only stepped up deliveries under pressure and only after other allies made the first move. If it were to provide the battle tanks, or even licence the re-export of Leopards from other countries’ […]
Germany is ready to authorise Poland to send German-made Leopard tanks to Ukraine to help Kyiv fight the Russian invasion if Warsaw makes such a request, foreign minister Annalena Baerbock has said. “If we are asked the question, then we will not stand in the way,” Baerbock told LCI television on Sunday after a Franco-German summit in Paris. The comments appeared to signal that Berlin was ready to authorise European countries to deliver German-made tanks to Ukraine amid growing pressure from Kyiv and other allies for such a move. Under the license agreement, countries cannot send German tanks without Berlin’s approval. Al Jazeera’s Dominic Kane reports from Berlin, Germany. Subscribe […]
Almost three weeks after Croatia adopted the euro as its currency, consumers are complaining about price increases. Many are angry that businesses may be exploiting the transition. Al Jazeera’s @StefanieDekker has more. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ @AljazeeraEnglish #Aljazeeraenglish #News #Croatia #Schengen #Euro
Italian police have arrested the country’s most wanted mafia boss, who had been on the run for 30 years. Prosecutors say Matteo Messina Denaro is a boss of Sicily’s Cosa Nostra mafia. Police on Monday morning swooped in on a private hospital in the Sicilian capital Palermo, where the 60-year-old was receiving treatment for an undisclosed medical condition, to make the arrest. Messina Denaro has been sentenced in absentia to a life term for his role in the 1992 murders of anti-mafia prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino. He also faces a life sentence for his involvement in bomb attacks in Florence, Rome and Milan the following year, which killed […]
A number of attacks against Pakistani police have raised concerns about violence by the Pakistani Taliban. Last November, the armed group ended a ceasefire and ordered its fighters to launch attacks against the Pakistani state. Al Jazeera’s Assed Baig reports. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ #Pakistan #TalibanPakistan #PakistaniPolice #KhyberPakhtunkhwa
The Philippine interior minister has urged hundreds of top-ranking police to resign as the government seeks to “cleanse” the corruption-tainted force of officers involved in the illegal drug trade. Police have been waging an anti-narcotics campaign launched by former president Rodrigo Duterte and continued by his successor Ferdinand Marcos. On Wednesday, interior secretary Benjamin Abalos urged all colonels and generals – about 300 in total in the 227,000-strong police force – to offer “courtesy” resignations after a probe found a “handful” were involved in narcotics. They could continue working while their records were assessed by a five-member committee. Those found guilty would have their resignations accepted, Abalos said. Al Jazeera’s […]
The United States House of Representatives has adjourned for a second day without a speaker, as Republican leader Kevin McCarthy continued to fall short of the majority he needs to preside over the chamber. In the sixth round of voting on Wednesday, far-right opposition to McCarthy persisted, setting up the prospect of a prolonged crisis in Congress as the House remains practically paralysed without a speaker. McCarthy needed 218 votes to claim the gavel. But in three ballots on Wednesday, he only received 201, with 20 far-right Republicans backing Congressman Byron Donalds and one voting “present” as a sign of protest. Democrats remained united behind their nominee, Hakeem Jeffries, who […]
Croatia has switched to the euro and entered Europe’s passport-free zone – two important milestones for the country after joining the European Union (EU) nearly a decade ago. At midnight on Sunday, the Balkan nation bid farewell to its kuna currency and became the 20th member of the eurozone. It is now the 27th nation in the Schengen zone, the world’s largest passport-free travel area, which enables more than 400 million people to move freely around its members. “It is the season of new beginnings. And there is no place in Europe where this is more true than here in Croatia,” tweeted EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, as she […]
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has issued a historic apology for the Netherlands’ role in 250 years of slavery. It comes amid a wider consideration of reparations for those affected, including efforts to return looted art. It has been long in the making, but for many descendants, it is not enough. Al Jazeera’s Ferdia Carr reports. Subscribe to our channel: http://bit.ly/AJSubscribe Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/AJEnglish Find us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera Check our website: http://www.aljazeera.com/ Check out our Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/ #Netherlands #DutchSlaveryTrade #DutchSlaveryHistory #MarkRutte
