Author: DW

Israel has unveiled its new entry for the Eurovision Song Contest after its original track was criticised for lyrics that were thought to reference the Hamas attacks on 7 October.The new song, titled Hurricane, will be performed by singer Eden Golan during the international song competition in Malmo, Sweden, in May. Israel agreed to change the original song, which was titled October Rain, when organisers said they would disqualify contestants who did not maintain the non-political spirit of the event.The lyrics of October Rain included “there’s no air left to breathe” and “they were all good children, each one of…

Historical drama “Oppenheimer” was a big winner at Sunday’s Oscars gala in Hollywood, taking home seven awards, including best picture, best director and best actor. The start of the gala, hosted for the fourth time by Jimmy Kimmel, was delayed by five minutes as pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the awards ceremony. Christopher Nolan won the Academy Award for best director for his film “Oppenheimer.” The 53-year-old British director had never won an Oscar before.  Cillian Murphy also earned his first Academy Award for his performance in “Oppenheimer” as the the physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb in World War II.Cillian Murphy won Best ActorImage: Patrick…

Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and the ongoing war has driven new arms purchasing in Europe in dramatic fashion, with US manufacturers being the main beneficiaries, according to a new study from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). From 2019 to 2023, the worldwide trade in weapons declined by 3.3% overall from the 2014-18 figures, but the amount of arms imported by European countries in that period doubled compared with the previous five years. At 55%, the lion’s share of arms sales to European countries came from the United States. This was up 20 percentage points from the previous period. US’s…

The United States has airlifted non-essential embassy personnel from Haiti, the US military said on Sunday. A spokesman for the German Foreign Ministry said later in the day that the German ambassador and EU diplomatic staff had also left the country “as a result of the very tense security situation in Haiti.” They had relocated to the Dominican Republic and would work from there until further notice, he said.  It comes as violent gangs have overrun the country threatening to bring down the government. What the US military said about the airlift “This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is…

Rescuers are searching for six skiers who have gone missing amid difficult weather conditions in the Swiss Alps.The cross-country skiers – five of whom are members of the same family – had set off on a ski tour from the Alpine town of Zermatt, Switzerland. They went missing around Tête Blanche mountain on Saturday, on the Zermatt-Arolla path near the Matterhorn mountain that straddles the Switzerland-Italy border, police said.The authorities added that a storm “raging in the south of the Alps and the risk of avalanches has prevented helicopters and rescuers from approaching the area”.The missing skiers are between the…

All over Europe, farmers have been taking to the streets to protest in recent months, snarling traffic with their tractors. Farmers in Turkey haven’t yet taken to the streets, but the agricultural sector there is just as incensed by an adverse economic situation and dissatisfied with state subsidies. Turkish farmers face worse conditions than their counterparts in Poland, Germany and elsewhere, representatives for the sector say. “One of the driving forces behind agricultural protests in Europe was that aid for agricultural diesel was being cut,” said Baki Remzi Suicmez, president of the Chamber of Agricultural Engineers of Turkey. “In Turkey, there are no…

The United States has airlifted non-essential embassy personnel from Haiti, the US military said on Sunday. It comes as violent gangs have overrun the country threatening to bring down the government. “This airlift of personnel into and out of the embassy is consistent with our standard practice for embassy security augmentation worldwide, and no Haitians were on board the military aircraft,” the US military’s Southern Command said in a statement. The embassy clarified on social media that it “remains open.” “Heightened gang violence in the neighborhood near US embassy compounds and near the airport led to the State Department’s decision to arrange for…

Seven people, including two children, are missing in southeastern France after floods swept cars away.”Extremely violent episodes” brought “very heavy rainfall” in Gard and Ardeche overnight, Gerald Darmanin, the interior minister, said on Sunday. Searches are under way for six people in Gard and one person in Ardeche after vehicles were found but without the people, Mr Darmanin added.In Gard, divers joined rescue teams to search for three members of a family who went missing when their car was swept away at about 11.30pm.The vehicle was about to cross a submersible bridge, according to France Info. The 40-year-old mother was…

The Saudi Arabian Oil Group, often referred to simply as Aramco, on Saturday reported a 24.7% decline in profits for 2023 compared to the previous year, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had driven oil prices well above current levels. Net income reached 454.7 billion Saudi riyals (roughly $121 billion or €111 billion) compared to profits in excess of $160 billion in 2022, the oil giant said in a filing with the Saudi stock market.  “The decrease mainly reflects the impact of lower crude oil prices and lower volumes sold, and weakening refining and chemical margins,” Aramco said.  Why the Middle East won’t…

Pope Francis has come in for fierce criticism over remarks that Ukraine should have what he called the courage of the “white flag” and negotiate an end to the war with Russia.  The head of the Catholic Church made the remarks in an interview recorded last month with Swiss broadcaster RSI, but partially released on Saturday. It sparked widespread criticism from Ukraine and its allies, as many interpreted it as a call for Ukraine to surrender. What did the pontiff say? “I think that the strongest one is the one who looks at the situation, thinks about the people and…