and it's one of 3 w.'s 100 german must read. but 1st contestants have been arriving in tel aviv in israel for this year's your visions song called test and although the final is on saturday rehearsals have started and the knockout stages begin on tuesday 41 countries have entered now the 26 get to the finals and here's net was advised last year's winner arriving in greats she knows how to put on a show. and i'm joined by my colleague adrian cannon and the dea agent is all it is for most have arrived and their houses have gotten we can have a sneak preview i think we're going to have a look at the french contribution 1st i thought is one of the favorites the shia his song is as much a political statement as

a song because funny is an l g p t plus in fronts the song is about not being defined by others but stay true to yourself. something i think you can identify with 2 key haitian i stay true to myself part. and spain's entry provides a splash of color this is with la vendee. and finally come to germany is represented by sisters with that summation instead of the. following sister sisters are not actually sisters. and in the countries run of bad luck since 2015 germany has come lost twice actually receiving 1.6 in 2050 worse than britain in germany thought faring so well in the competition recently but top of the list when

it comes to set design indeed this is the 6th time for invite vida. has designed sets for vision. the final run up to the euro vision song contest in tel aviv a key test room for florian feeder. he designed the backdrop for the show the biggest competition of its kind in the planet's. now he gets a chance to see whether everything works as planned. the blue. bloods it's all it's a big set and big venue but the stage itself is actually relatively small and that creates an intimate party atmosphere even though when viewed as a whole it of course looks gigantic in unison course also. it's the 6th time the german stage designers shape the look of the contest the 1st rehearsals every participating country like poland is responsible for its own

performance but one design element reappears again and again the triangle it's a reference to the star of david and israeli symbol. of the expo exhibition center tel of eve is the venue for this year's european song contest the most complex aspect is coordinating with the various country delegations and israeli t.v. producers. it's not easy to do a search for the vision we have 4141 countries when we need a lot of versatility and i think you can see in floor and stage a lot of versatility guys who beat us this concert of course it's important to me that the whole thing looks good and works visually but the most important thing of all is that it works as a whole. you can only judge that after the show. and when it's over i'm happy if it all went well would leave florian vader has done far more than create a stage for

a competition with a 29000 euro vision song contest he sets a new milestone for stage design. so great but one of the big talking points this year a.j. well the biggest controversy is not a song this year but rather the venue of course the contest taking place in israel because israeli sing and it was a lie won the contest in 28 seeing the pro palestinian international boycott divestment sanctions movement b.d.'s has called for a boycott and there were protests at the weekend in tel aviv the b.d.'s says the contest allows a whitewashing of israelis policies towards palestinians in the occupied west bank and gaza israel says the international boycott is discriminating and anti said mystic but dozens of european artists have called for the contest to be moved

elsewhere but so far no singers have doubt some of the artists have also defied the boycott calls madonna will be appearing at the final on saturday night's indeed very briefly big who's going to win well the touch song is favored duncan lawrence has appeared naked in the video for al-qaeda appears naked on saturday night i predict he could have a good chance of pulling it off. he will be taken. off his clothes. by do very. the german aids foundation annual charity over the weekend in western germany tops out to us from the operatic world performed with the beethoven orchestra and raise lots of money for age charities he was maybe a part of the event and broadcast it live but if you've missed it. and see.

2 do good and take joy in it that's the motto of this year's opera gala in bone it's been held for the 8th time on behalf of the german aids foundation soprano orly and i took out was one of 10 singers who took part as well as pieces from their days this is silly investments and la traviata the ukrainian singer also performed mini's aria from pretty nice boy. that isn't concert the aria is perfect for this concert in particular because mimi as a character is also ill. but she's in love and never loses hope that everything will turn out ok. the artists all perform for free the proceeds from ticket sales are donated to the fight against the still incurable disease. accompanying this thing as is the city's beethoven orchestra led by conductor derek cuffed on.

it's for a good cause for an important cause that we need to keep in the public huge sum of money is raised on this evening that's great and we're happy to serve the cause of . god as was started by on and helmet under ass hot fake his biggest concerns remain prevention and research globally almost 37000000 people are living with hiv that's the aim of the subject is played down people act as if it's not such a bad thing no 1st you should protect yourself otherwise you have a lifelong. disease and be reliant on strong medication and that's not fun people should be careful and be informed that our message. the bon oprah gala has become one of the hottest dates in the cultural calendar popular with both concert go is and artists other engaging performances came from soprano iniesta.

and countertenor lisbon does a. 10 hour andrade on you know it had an energetic take on line start to do it from off from box the tails of hoffman. the sea has got a netted a record 240000 euros but close to as dagon of the german aids foundation says the charity's work is far from over anyone considering our work as a whole it's very important for us that the disease be acknowledged by society for it to be curable one day to finally beat it that would be our greatest success and . that beethoven's ode to joy the anthem of the european union brought the

event to a triumphant close sonu its beethoven choir and audience join together in song to demonstrate their joint resolve to fight aids. now to all series 100 must reads the best books of german language literature from the start of the 20th century today it's a book called by a swiss author called peter. it was written just 20 years ago and it's a tragic love story between an older man and a woman hoff his age is our man david leavitt's with mole. when people are in love they do some pretty cool raese stuff like buying expensive jewelry opening joint bank accounts going through each other's e-mails some people even write love stories but what happens when the story becomes more important than the love itself . and.

agnus is the debut novel of swiss author page. it's the story of a love story gone terribly wrong the narrator is a want to be a novelist with a writer's block he falls in love with agnes a student he meets at the public library now i'm not giving anything away when i tell you that it does not and as well the author makes that clear from the very beginning. agnes is dead killed by a story all that's left of her now is this story and begins on that day 9 months ago when we 1st met in the chicago public library it was cold when we 1st met and generally is cold in the city their conversation spanned the big topics love death intimacy when agnes asks her lover and who write a story about her it starts off as a game the narrator documents their love affair as it unfolds but then he starts writing a few chapters ahead. a few days after our excursion to the lake the story

moved into the future now agnes was my creation i felt the new freedom when the wings to my imagination i planned her future for her the way a father would plan his daughter's. so where's the line between reality and fantasy . or is it just part of the story within the story agnes is a novel about love and loneliness and a parable about the power of. finally today the hollywood legend doris day. in california. she dreamt of being. badly in a car accident and took up singing then a hollywood beckons and she became one of the biggest box office stars of the late 1950 s. and sixty's. pillow talk. and the man who.

in recent years she had spent most of its time and energy as an animal rights activists. was died aged $97.00 as if it's a day. facebook.

as are. countless tragedies and for. every. one person told them no way for a story leave their sergeant term and not give up. the joys of iraq we asked to. remember baghdad 15 minutes on d w. 2 still needs the e.u. . a journey across 4 member states such. critics and advocates of the e.u. speak out shosholoza what are people expecting. how is the e.u. doing as the european election approaches. close up 90 minutes on t w.

what secrets lie behind these memos. find out in an immersive experience and explore a fascinating world cultural heritage sites. d w world heritage 360 get the amount. earth home to millions of species a home worth saving. google ideas tell stories of creative people and innovative projects around the world ideas that protect the climate boost green energy solutions and reforestation. using interactive content to inspire people to take action global ideas the environment series of global 3000 on t.w.

and on mine. this is d.w. news live from berlin tree long imposes a curfew after violence against muslims angry mobs have killed one person and attacked mosques and muslim owned businesses the communal unrest following the deadly easter sunday attacks by islam must also coming up on the show. a callee of a california court awards $2000000000.00 in damages to a couple who says monsanto's round of we've killer caused their debilitating cancer germany's biassed a foot.