↩ Accueil

Vue normale

index.feed.received.today — 18 mai 2025

Austria wins 69th Eurovision song contest with Wasted Love

18 mai 2025 à 01:05

Israel finished second, with Estonia third and the pre-contest favourites from Sweden fourth

Austria has won the Eurovision song contest after JJ triumphed in Basel with their song Wasted Love, an operatic ballad with soaring vocals that mutates into a club anthem for the finale. It is the third time the country has won, with JJ following in the footsteps of Udo Jürgens in 1965 and Conchita Wurst in 2014.

Switzerland, which hosted the first ever Eurovision song contest in 1956, was the venue this year after Nemo won in Malmö last year with their song The Code. They presented the trophy to JJ, who called for “more love”. After finishing a reprise of their winning song, a clearly emotional JJ said “thank you Europe, I love you all”

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

© Photograph: Martin Meissner/AP

index.feed.received.yesterday — 17 mai 2025

Doctor Who: The Interstellar Song Contest – season two episode six recap

17 mai 2025 à 21:00

As a song contest on a space station descends into terror, Ncuti Gatwa gives his most disturbing performance yet – and the Doctor in rage mode is terrifying

For an episode that started out like a joyfully camp romp into the world of Eurovision, Juno Dawson turned in a script that truly had ice in its heart, in just the way the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) told Kid (Freddie Fox) that the Time Lord now had ice in his hearts.

Doctor Who stories often feature alien invasions, conquest, destruction and the desire for revenge, but they have seldom so bleakly painted the determination to carry out a mass casualty terrorism event. That in turn provoked one of the most extreme reactions we have ever seen from the lead character.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Lara Cornell/AP

© Photograph: Lara Cornell/AP

Eurovision song contest 2025 – live!

17 mai 2025 à 20:49

It’s time for the world’s biggest musical extravaganza! Follow along with us live – and brace yourself for a wild night …

Talking of our hosts, long term Eurovision watchers will know that the skits and intervals can veer between joyful camp fun and excruciating awkwardness. A bit like a night out with me, I guess. We got some of both during the semi-finals. If you fancy something to get you in the mood, the first semi-final featured this musical number, Made In Switzerland, which was definitely fun, and had a little bit of political bite in some of the lyrics along the way …

Thanks to Nemo’s victory last year, this is Switzerland’s third crack at hosting Eurovision, having hosted the inaugural event in Lugano in 1956 and then hosted in Lausanne in 1989 after perennial trivia question answer Céline Dion won for the country the year before.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

© Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters

index.feed.received.before_yesterday

Ukraine says major prisoner swap agreed after first talks with Russia since 2022 – live

Ukraine source tells Reuters that Russian demands in Istanbul are unrealistic

Reuters is reporting that several vehicles have arrived at Dolmabahçe palace in Istanbul, where we are anticipating trilateral talks between Turkey, Ukraine and the US and then between Turkey, Russia and Ukraine.

An air alert has sounded in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Turkish Foreign Minister Office Handout/EPA

© Photograph: Turkish Foreign Minister Office Handout/EPA

Papal beginnings, crowded islands and a rescued baby squirrel – take the Thursday quiz

15 mai 2025 à 12:00

Questions on general knowledge and topical trivia, plus a few jokes, every Thursday. How will you fare?

The Thursday quiz has thoroughly overdosed on Eurovision preparations this week, but never fear, it still just about found time to put together the usual mix of 15 topical general knowledge and pop culture questions for your amusement. There are no prizes, but you can let us know how you got on in the comments.

The Thursday quiz, No 210

Continue reading...

© Photograph: FLPA/REX/Shutterstock

© Photograph: FLPA/REX/Shutterstock

Bye bye banana wolves! Is social media ruining Eurovision?

14 mai 2025 à 16:25

From gorilla stage invasions to novelty butter churners, the extravaganza has always been a haven for wackiness. But it’s getting less outre by the year … and YouTube and TikTok are to blame. More Papa Pingouin required!

Eurovision has always been a time to gather round the TV and experience dancing babushkas, gorilla stage invasions and someone inhaling from a helium balloon halfway through their song. But being a Eurovision entry now looks like being part of an exhausting social media content factory, which may be driving some of the wackiness out of it. No one is giving a wolf a banana this year.

In 2025, a Eurovision artist needs to tread on eggshells to avoid putting a foot wrong during months-long internet exposure, but must also stay interesting enough to attract likes and follows. It has also become the norm for contestants to provide alternative versions of their own or other Eurovision songs for the viral content mills. And it is difficult to do that if you are, like Ireland in 2008, sending a puppet.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: David Fernández/EPA

© Photograph: David Fernández/EPA

Middle East crisis live: More than 60 killed in Israeli strikes in Gaza

14 mai 2025 à 10:50

Dead include those killed in a strike on the European hospital complex near Khan Younis

Associated Press, citing local hospitals, reports that at least 22 children were killed in Gaza overnight Tuesday and early Wednesday by Israeli airstrikes.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan met online with US president Donald Trump, Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa, Reuters reports, citing Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency.

Continue reading...

© Photograph: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters

© Photograph: Mahmoud Issa/Reuters

❌