Author: DW

The platform bobs sluggishly in the sea, composed of several steel pontoons anchored to the seabed to form a large pier, soon to dock ships bringing urgently needed aid to Gaza. The US Army has finished building the makeshift pier, a Pentagon spokesperson told reporters on Tuesday, but added that weather conditions may delay its operation. A ship carrying humanitarian aid departed from a port in Cyprus on Thursday and is set to unload its cargo at the dock over the weekend. The completion of the pier comes as Israel is conducting operations in the southern city of Rafah, displacing hundreds of thousands of…

Eurovision has kicked out the Netherlands’ entrant following a controversy over an ‘incident’ he was involved in.Joost Klein was alleged to have made verbal threats to a female production worker at the event’s venue in Malmo, Sweden, on Thursday night. Eurovision organisers said: “We would like to make it clear that, contrary to some media reports and social media speculation, this incident did not involve any other performer or delegation member. Image: Pic: Reuters Israel’s entrant, Eden Golan, in the semi-finals The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) said: “We maintain a zero-tolerance policy towards inappropriate behaviour at our event and are…

People in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul were bracing for more rains this weekend, as efforts to rescue people stranded by last week’s flooding in the state continued Saturday. The state capital, Porto Alegre, was virtually cut off as the worst flooding in 80 years submerged entire neighborhoods. The airport and bus station remain closed. Many streets in Porto Alegre remain entirely submergedImage: Diego Vara/REUTERS Five of Porto Alegre’s six water treatment facilities were not working as of earlier this week, with the mayor issuing a decree to conserve water so it can only be used for “essential consumption.” Rains to persist…

Kuwait emir’s dissolved thecountry’s parliament once again, a month after elections were held in the tiny nation along the Persian Gulf. Sheikh Meshal Al Ahmad Al Jaber suspended several articles of the constitution on Friday as well, saying they would be suspended for a “period of no more than four years” without elaborating. The tiny nation with some 4.2 million people, also one of the wealthiest in the world on a per capita basis, has seen a rise in domestic political turmoil. Kuwait is typically seen as one the more democratic Gulf monarchies, with some real power invested in elected officials,…

The European Hospital, in southern Gaza, is a dangerous place to be. The facility is the only remaining hospital east of the city of Rafah and an Israeli military operation has come perilously close to its doors.It was a hazardous time then, for three British medics to begin a short placement, arriving at the hospital just a few days before the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) began its campaign.Now they are unable to leave. Image: A patient is treated at the European Hospital. Pic: Fajr Scientific We managed to speak to one of these doctors – an orthopaedic and peripheral nerve surgeon…

After long discussion, Germany’s main opposition party, the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), this week voted to put a gradual return to mandatory military service back on its agenda. That means that if the CDU returns to power, it would try to introduce legislation making it mandatory for young people to either serve in the military or the social sector for one year. Germany used to have a system like that, but axed it in 2011. The reason for the CDU’s about-face is concerns about Russia and a lack of personnel in the Bundeswehr. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, of the governing center-left Social Democrats (SPD),…

It’s estimated that some 1,000 people gathered at Hamburg’s popular street Steindamm late April, following a call to protests by an organization called Muslim Interactive (MI). Some demonstrators chanted “God is great,” and held up signs that read “caliphate is the solution,” and “Germany = a dictatorship of values.” Public outcry was quick to follow, with many calling for the organization to be banned. A second demonstration is this weekend. Necla Kelek is a sociologist and head of the Secular Islam Initiative, which is based in Hamburg. She said that she, like many others, had been surprised by the sudden demonstration…

Israel has called on residents from more areas of Rafah in the Gaza Strip to evacuate and head to the “expanded humanitarian area” as it prepares to ramp up its military assault.Despite heavy US pressure, Israel has said it will proceed with an assault on the southern city, where more than 1.4 million people have taken refuge from the fighting – around half of them children – and Israeli forces say Hamas militants are dug in. Tensions over the gathering offensive have led President Joe Biden to warn the US would stop supplying Israel with some weapons if it presses…

Russia’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it would lodge an official complaint with the German government after six people threatened to take over a building that once served as a Russian consulate in the eastern city of Leipzig. It said two staff members from the Russian Embassy had called police after the six intruders climbed over the fence of the building and displayed banners expressing anti-Russia sentiments from the balcony while threatening to take control of the property. Police in the city said six German nationals were currently being investigated on suspicion of trespassing. The incident comes after Germany this…

The announcement that in 2025 India will overtake Japan in nominal gross domestic product in dollar terms has shocked Tokyo, which had until 2010 been the undisputed second-largest economy in the world but is now on the brink of slipping to fifth place. In estimates released in late April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicated that India’s nominal GDP will reach $4.34 trillion (€4.03 trillion) in 2025, surpassing Japan’s $4.31 trillion. The timing of India’s surge into fourth place in the world comes one year earlier than the IMF’s last estimate, due in large part to the weakness of the Japanese…