Posts by Riah Stelmack
UK and Germany sign deal against people smugglers as Europe struggles to halt Channel crossings
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. and Germany pledged Tuesday to share intelligence and expertise against the people-smuggling gangs that send migrants across the English Channel in small boats, the latest effort by European countries to stop the dangerous journeys. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and her German counterpart, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, signed a “joint action…
Read MoreStellantis and CATL to invest €4.1 bn in joint Spanish battery plant
The Stellantis logo pictured on a banner outside the Opel plant in Eisenach. Martin Schutt/ZB/dpa The multinational car maker Stellantis and the Chinese battery giant CATL are to invest up to €4.1 billion ($4.3 billion) in a joint battery cell factory in Spain, the companies said in a statement on Tuesday. Production of the factory…
Read MoreIndian election commission did not say opposition candidate received no votes in state polls
Protests broke out in the Indian state of Maharashtra after misinformation spread that the election commission declared a candidate from the opposition Congress party received no votes in state elections in November. The false claim was fanned by wider accusations of fraud in the polls, but official records provided by the Election Commission of India…
Read MoreImage of centuries-old Italian well shared with false claim origins ‘remain a mystery’
The origins of the Pozzo di San Patrizio — a historic structure in central Italy — have been well-documented but online posts have repeatedly shared a picture of the site alongside false claims its beginnings remained a “mystery”. Multiple sources indicate the well was dug in the 16th century to supply the city of Orvieto…
Read MoreItaly joins other European nations, suspends Syrians’ asylum claims
Italy announced on Monday that it too is temporarily suspending its asylum procedures for Syrians, following the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad. In doing so it is following the example of other European partners, according to the right-wing government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Earlier, Meloni had met with ministers in Rome to assess the development…
Read MoreGerman aviation association expects air travel costs to rise
Jens Bischof, CEO of the airline Eurowings and President of the German Aviation Association, speaks at a press conference. Bernd Weißbrod/dpa Ticket prices for air travel in Germany are expected to rise, according to Jens Bischof, president of the German Aviation Association (BDL). “Arrivals and departures in Germany will become significantly more expensive,” Bischof told…
Read MoreFormer Italian prime minister Draghi sees leadership vacuum in Europe
The former head of both the European Central Bank and the Italian government lamented on Monday over the “leadership vacuum” stemming from weakened leadership in France and Germany. “The Franco-German leadership is weakened,” Mario Draghi said at an awards ceremony in Milan. “But I see no other leadership capable of leading Europe into a common…
Read MoreOld military event picture falsely portrayed as night of S.Korea martial law
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late on December 3 before he was forced into a U-turn after lawmakers faced down soldiers at parliament and voted to overturn the measure as thousands protested outside. But a picture that ricocheted across social media worldwide does not show tanks rolling into the capital Seoul…
Read MoreGermany to tighten people-smuggling law in UK deal
Germany has said it will tighten its law to make it easier to prosecute those helping to smuggle migrants to the UK, as part of a new plan agreed between the two countries. Currently facilitating people-smuggling is not technically illegal in Germany if it is to a third country outside the EU – which, following…
Read MoreIsrael carries out dozens of air strikes across Syria, reports say
Syrian media reports say Israeli warplanes have carried out dozens of attacks across the country, including on the capital, Damascus. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said there were more than 100 strikes on military targets. A research centre with suspected links to chemical weapon production was among the sites hit, according local…
Read MoreUkraine’s changing up its Black Sea attacks on Russia with drone boats armed with machine guns and flying exploding drones
Ukraine just showed off new modifications to its fleet of naval drones. They appear to have been outfitted with machine guns and given the ability to carry small flying drones. It marks Ukraine’s latest innovation for these systems, which have battered Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Ukraine appears to be operating modified naval drones in the…
Read MoreSyrian asylum seekers in limbo as countries stop applications
A number of European countries, including the UK, have suspended the processing of asylum applications for Syrians, after the downfall of former president Bashar al-Assad. Austria’s caretaker government has stopped all asylum claims from Syrians and says it is making plans to to repatriate or deport people back to their homeland, arguing that the situation…
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