Author: DW

DW: You won the competition last year and brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Kyiv. Are you satisfied with the way your country is hosting the finals? Jamala: Of course, I am very happy. It’s a celebration not only for my team and my family but for the entire country. My country is happy. Look on the streets today – they are decorated and everyone is walking around, everyone is singing. It doesn’t matter what you think of the Eurovision contest, it’s an honor to welcome so many guests.Eurovision in KyivTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading…

Flash floods and heavy rains in Kenya that began in the middle of March have killed more than 200 people, the country’s Interior Ministry said on Friday. It said 22 were killed in the last 24 hours. Kenya and neighboring Tanzania have been grappling with devastating flooding and downpours since the onset of the rainy season. The severe weather has killed some 155 people in Tanzania so far. “Sadly, we have not seen the last of this perilous period, as the situation is expected to escalate. Meteorological reports paint a dire picture,” Kenyan President William Ruto said.The heavy rains have caused devastating flash floods in…

Russia has denied allegations of breaching the international chemical weapons ban by deploying chocking agents against Ukrainian troops.The Kremlin on Thursday responded to claims by the United States that it had used choking agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops – the same agent used by German forces against Allied troops during the First World War. The United States also accused Russia of using riot control agents “as a method of warfare” in Ukraine, which according to Ukrainian military cited by Reuters earlier this month, is being increasingly used in the country.Follow live: ‘Large fire’ as Russia hits port city with ballistic…

It’s a question that has arisen time and again: Is the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) political or not? The  European Broadcasting Union (EBU) , which organizes the competition, keeps repeating that the ESC is only a cultural event with no place for politics. Its rules clearly state that political statements or even slogans are not allowed at the competition. Netta of Israel won in 2018 with a clearly feminist songImage: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/TASS/dpa/picture alliance This might be especially difficult to follow through this year. Following the Hamas’ terror attacks in October 2023 and the ensuing Israel-Hamas war, Israel has been criticized for the impact of its military campaign on…

China launched a lunar mission on Friday to collect samples from the far side of the moon, the first attempt of its kind. A rocket carrying the Chang’e-6 lunar probe took off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China’s Hainan province on Friday around 5:30 p.m. local time (0930 GMT), Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. After orbiting the moon to reduce speed, the lander will separate from the returner. The uncrewed mission is meant to last for around two months.China launches unprecedented moon mission To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web…

After the worst drought in decades, East Africa is now being pounded by heavy rains. At least 180 people have died in floods and landslides in Kenya since the rainy season began in mid-March, with hundreds of thousands forced to leave their homes. “The flooding in Kenya is absolutely out of control,” reporter Andrew Wasike told DW’s Africalink program. “The rains just won’t stop. Whole villages across Kenya have just disappeared. And the worst part? Roads are gone, bridges are completely washed out, people are cut off. It’s heartbreaking, and the forecast says this rain isn’t going to let up anytime…

A young women’s rights activist from Afghanistan recently left the country and travelled to Iran.Women in both countries have few rights – but the activist told Sky News that when she arrived she saw a massive difference between the two places. That was until Iranian women revealed how they suffered under the Islamic Republic’s regime. We are keeping the activist anonymous to protect her safety. This is her story:Almost three years of living in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime has systemically erased me and my fellow Afghan women from public life. During this time, I struggled with deep depression and…

For Lydie Beassemda, May 6 will be an important date: When Chadians head to the polls to elect a new president, the 57-year-old will also stand for election. She’s one of 10 candidates, but the only woman to vie for the most important public role in the central African country. She told DW in a recent interview that it was her father who had founded the Party for Complete Democracy and Independence (PDI), making a career politics a family affair for her. “I wanted to lend a hand and offer a break to those who were there and who had grown…

Israel’s allies have ramped up the pressure in recent weeks to allow more aid into Gaza to avert a worsening humanitarian crisis. But few have so far imposed sanctions on the Middle Eastern country, or boycotted products from Israel. DW looks at what measures a handful of countries and activist movements have taken. Turkey raises the stakes In its first significant measure against Israel since the war began, Turkey has announced it will not resume trade with Israel,worth $7 billion (€6.52 billion) a year, until a permanent cease-fire and humanitarian aid are secured in Gaza. Israel’s “uncompromising attitude” and the worsening situation in Gaza’s southern Rafah region prompted…

Madeleine McCann’s parents said their daughter’s absence “aches” and they are still “living in limbo” as they mark 17 years since she vanished.In one of the most high-profile cases of a missing person in British history, Madeleine disappeared while on holiday with her family in Portugal’s Algarve back in 2007.Gerry and Kate McCann had left Madeleine in bed with her twin siblings while they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant in Praia da Luz when the then three-year-old disappeared on 3 May.In a message issued on the official Find Madeleine website, the McCanns, from Rothley in Leicestershire, said:…