GENEVA: The Eurovision Song Contest’s organizers confirmed Thursday that the 2023 edition cannot be held in Ukraine due to the Russian war, despite angry protests from Kyiv.
Ukraine’s Kalush Orchestra last month won the world’s biggest live music event, and by convention, the country should host the kitsch annual pop extravaganza next year.
But on June 17, the European Broadcasting Union said the war-torn country would not be able to host the 2023 show — triggering upset among fans across the continent and demands from the Ukrainian government to reverse the decision.
“The EBU fully understands the disappointment that greeted the announcement that the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest cannot be staged in Ukraine, this year’s winning country,” it said in a statement.
“The decision was guided by the EBU’s responsibility to ensure the conditions are met to guarantee the safety and security of everyone working and participating in the event, the planning of which needs to begin immediately,” it explained.
The EBU said more than 10,000 people are usually accredited to work on Eurovision, including crew, staff and journalists.
“A further 30,000 fans are expected to travel to the event from across the world. Their welfare is our prime concern,” it said.
Kalush Orchestra won the Eurovision final on May 15 in Turin, thanks to the votes from national panels of judges and the general public, with European audiences demonstrating their solidarity with Ukraine in the face of Russia’s invasion.
The EBU said Eurovision’s rules clearly state that an event can be moved in situations such as an ongoing war.
The union said the severe risk of air attacks and the high risk of a mass casualty event factored into the decision, while the conflict would make delegations and participants reluctant to go to Ukraine.
As for hosting the contest in a border location within Ukraine, the specifications of suggested venues and the lack of surrounding infrastructure, do not meet Eurovision’s needs.
“All this contributes to the EBU’s overall assessment that in terms of security and operational guarantees, the necessary requirements for hosting... are not met.”
The EBU said it would keep searching for a suitable location for the next Eurovision, but said earlier this month that it was considering the possibility of the contest being held in Britain, which finished second.
Founded in 1950, the Geneva-based EBU is the world’s biggest public service media alliance. It has 112 member organizations in 56 countries, plus 31 associates in Asia, Africa and the Americas.
Eurovision chiefs insist Ukraine cannot host 2023 show
https://arab.news/4xj2s
Eurovision chiefs insist Ukraine cannot host 2023 show
- Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra last month won the world's biggest live music event
- The European Broadcasting Union said the war-torn country would not be able to host the 2023 show
Cambodia takes back looted historic artifacts handled by British art dealer
- The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian officials on Friday received more than six dozen historic artifacts described as part of the country’s cultural heritage that had been looted during decades of war and instability.
At a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Hun Many, the 74 items were unveiled at the National Museum in Phnom Penh after their repatriation from the United Kingdom.
The objects were returned under a 2020 agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and the family of the late Douglas Latchford, a British art collector and dealer who allegedly had the items smuggled out of Cambodia.
“This substantial restitution represents one of the most important returns of Khmer cultural heritage in recent years, following major repatriations in 2021 and 2023 from the same collection,” the Culture Ministry said in a statement. “It marks a significant step forward in Cambodia’s continued efforts to recover, preserve, and restore its ancestral legacy for future generations.”
The artifacts were described as dating from the pre-Angkorian period through the height of the Angkor Empire, including “monumental sandstone sculptures, refined bronze works, and significant ritual objects.” The Angkor Empire, which extended from the ninth to the 15th century, is best known for the Angkor Wat archaeological site, the nation’s biggest tourist attraction.
Latchford was a prominent antiquities dealer who allegedly orchestrated an operation to sell looted Cambodian sculptures on the international market.
From 1970 to the 1980s, during Cambodia’s civil wars and the communist Khmer Rouge ‘s brutal reign, organized looting networks sent artifacts to Latchford, who then sold them to Western collectors, dealers, and institutions. These pieces were often physically damaged, having been pried off temple walls or other structures by the looters.
Latchford was indicted in a New York federal court in 2019 on charges including wire fraud and conspiracy. He died in 2020, aged 88, before he could be extradited to face charges.
Cambodia, like neighboring Thailand, has benefited from a trend in recent decades involving the repatriation of art and archaeological treasures. These include ancient Asian artworks as well as pieces lost or stolen during turmoil in places such as Syria, Iraq and Nazi-occupied Europe. New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the prominent institutions that has been returning illegally smuggled art, including to Cambodia.
“The ancient artifacts created and preserved by our ancestors are now being returned to Cambodia, bringing warmth and joy, following the country’s return to peace,” said Hun Many, who is the younger brother of Prime Minister Hun Manet.
