Author: DW

Smoke hung in the air on the road into the border town of Vovchansk in northeastern Ukraine after a surprise Russian offensive.Woodland that frames the route had caught fire amid the heavy bombardments. Sky News followed a rescue team as they raced into Vovchansk in a white van to help evacuate residents amid fears of a wider assault by Moscow.The streets in the part of the town we entered were largely deserted.We pulled into a residential road of bungalows.Part the way down there was a group of five elderly residents, gathered around a bench. They did not appear to be…

Dutch performer Joost Klein has been disqualified from the Eurovision Song Contest, organizers of the show announced on Saturday, just hours before the grand final.  Klein was under investigation for an incident that took place off stage, with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the competition organizers, providing clarity on the situation on Saturday. “Swedish police have investigated a complaint made by a female member of the production crew after an incident following his performance in Thursday night’s Semi Final,” the European Broadcasting Union said in a statement.  “While the legal process takes its course, it would not be appropriate for him to continue in…

05/10/2024May 10, 2024Zelenskyy says Western weapons will reverse battlefield fortunesUkraine intends to regain momentum on the battlefield with the delivery of Western weapons President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. “We are putting maximum pressure on our partners to increase weapon deliveries,” Zelenskyy told a press conference in Kyiv alongside European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. “If the delivery of weapons is increased, we will be able to stop (Russian forces) in the east, where they have the initiative.” Air raid sirens went off during the press conference — a reminder of the persistent threat of Russian missile and drone attacks. Meanwhile, Metsola said European Union…

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…