Germany announced on Friday that it would pay more than €1 billion ($1.22bn) to aid projects in Namibia after recognising for the first time that it committed genocide during its occupation of the African country.
The announcement came after more than five years of negotiations between the two countries over events in the territory controlled by Germany from 1884 to 1915.
"We will now officially refer to these events as what they are from today's perspective: genocide," said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
Namibia said the announcement was a "first step".
German colonial settlers killed tens of thousands of indigenous Herero and Nama people between 1904 and 1908 – acts considered by historians to be the first genocide of the 20th century.
"The acceptance on the part of Germany that a genocide was committed is the first step in the right direction," said Alfredo Hengari, a spokesman for Namibian President Hage Geingob.
"It is the basis for the second step, which is an apology, to be followed by reparations."
While Berlin previously acknowledged that atrocities occurred at the hands of its colonial authorities, it repeatedly refused to pay direct reparations.
Mr Maas said Germany would ask forgiveness from Namibia and the descendants of the victims of the massacres "in light of the historical and moral responsibility of Germany".
In a "gesture to recognise the immense suffering inflicted on the victims", Berlin will support the "reconstruction and the development" of Namibia through a financial programme of €1.1bn, he said.
The sum will be paid over 30 years, according to sources close to the negotiations, and must primarily benefit the descendants of the Herero and Nama.
But Mr Maas stopped short of referring to reparations, saying the payment did not open the way to any "legal request for compensation".
Mr Geingob will convene meetings with the affected communities in the coming weeks to work out the "implementation modalities of what has been agreed with Germany", Mr Hengari said.
Namibia was called German South West Africa during Berlin's rule. It was then ruled by South Africa for 75 years, before gaining independence in 1990.
Tensions with German colonial authorities boiled over in 1904 when the Herero – deprived of their livestock and land – rose up, followed by the Nama, in an insurrection crushed by imperial troops.
In the Battle of Waterberg in August 1904, about 80,000 Herero, including women and children, fled and were pursued by German troops across what is now known as the Kalahari Desert. Only 15,000 survived.
German military commander Lothar von Trotha, sent to put down the rebellion, issued an "extermination order" that year.
At least 60,000 Herero and about 10,000 Nama were killed between 1904 and 1908.
Colonial soldiers carried out mass executions and forced men, women and children to flee to the desert, where thousands died of thirst. They also established concentration camps, including one on Shark Island in southern Namibia.
The atrocities committed during colonisation affected relations between Berlin and Windhoek for years.
In 2015, the countries started negotiating an agreement that would combine an official apology from Germany and development aid.
But in August last year, Namibia said Germany's offers were unacceptable. No details of the offers were provided at the time.
Mr Geingob said Berlin declined to accept the term "reparations".
But in an effort to ease reconciliation, in 2018 Germany returned the bones of members of the Herero and Nama tribes, with Minister of State for International Cultural Policy Michelle Muentefering asking for "forgiveness from the bottom of my heart".
Mobile phone packages comparison
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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More from Neighbourhood Watch
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Zayed Sustainability Prize
if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
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