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  • The British military says a ship caught fire after being hit off the coast of Qatar

    The British military says a ship caught fire after being hit off the coast of Qatar

    DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A new flare-up of maritime violence has hit the Persian Gulf, with British military officials confirming that a commercial bulk carrier suffered a projectile strike and subsequent fire off Qatar’s northeastern coast on Sunday. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO), the body that monitors security for international shipping in the region, confirmed the incident took place roughly 23 nautical miles, or 43 kilometers, northeast of Doha, Qatar’s capital. Following the impact, a small blaze broke out aboard the vessel, but crews were able to quickly contain and extinguish the fire, with no injuries or fatalities reported among the ship’s crew as of Sunday’s update.

    This attack marks the latest in a string of maritime assaults that have rocked the already unstable Persian Gulf region, coming into effect after a fragile temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran failed to resolve long-simmering hostilities. Just over 48 hours before the Qatar coast incident, the U.S. military launched strikes against two Iranian-owned oil tankers, with U.S. officials claiming the vessels were attempting to violate a Washington-imposed naval blockade on Iranian commercial ports.

    In response to that U.S. action, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Navy issued a sharp warning, stating that any future attack on Iranian oil tankers or other commercial vessels operating under Iranian jurisdiction will be met with an overwhelming, heavy retaliatory strike targeting U.S. military bases in the Middle East and enemy commercial and military ships operating in the region.

    Tensions have remained elevated in the region since the United States and Israel launched a joint military campaign against Iran on February 28. In the wake of that campaign, Iran has severely restricted traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the critical strategic waterway that carries roughly a fifth of the world’s daily global oil supplies. The restriction has triggered a sharp spike in global fuel prices and sent volatility through international financial and energy markets.

    Former U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly issued public threats to resume full-scale bombing campaign against Iran unless the Iranian government agrees to a deal that would fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz and roll back Tehran’s nuclear development program, further raising the stakes for a potential wider regional conflict.

  • The Cannes Film Festival is about to begin. Here are the key films making their debut

    The Cannes Film Festival is about to begin. Here are the key films making their debut

    For 12 consecutive days starting this Tuesday, the global film industry will turn its full attention to the sun-drenched shores of the French Riviera, where the annual Cannes Film Festival – one of the most prestigious and influential cinematic showcases on the planet – opens its doors to premieres, red-carpet galas, and the unveiling of what could be the next crop of award-winning hit films.

    Now in its 78-plus year of operation, the festival has long held a unique reputation as both a world-class platform for groundbreaking cinema and a glamorous cultural spectacle that draws A-list talent, top directors, and film lovers from every corner of the globe. History shows that a premiere launch at Cannes often paves the road to Oscar success: recent Palme d’Or contenders and winners including *Parasite* and *Anora* have gone on to take home the Academy Award for Best Picture, and last year’s Cannes lineup featured multiple eventual Oscar nominees such as *Sentimental Value*, *The Secret Agent*, and *It Was Just an Accident*. This year’s 12-day event is expected to produce similarly future award contenders, though major Hollywood studios will largely stay on the sidelines for 2025.

    Leading this year’s jury, tasked with awarding the festival’s top honor the Palme d’Or, is celebrated South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. The opening ceremony will also kick off a series of honorary Palme d’Or recognitions, with legendary New Zealand director Peter Jackson receiving the first honor this year, followed by iconic entertainer Barbra Streisand at a later date. Beyond the official festival screenings, pop culture fans have an extra point of interest: HBO’s hit series *The White Lotus* is currently filming its fourth season on the Croisette, Cannes’ iconic waterfront promenade, bringing a dose of small-screen star power to the city.

    This year’s official lineup leans heavily into work from world-renowned auteur directors, with highly anticipated features spanning genres, languages, and storytelling styles. One of the buzziest entries is Na Hong-jin’s long-in-development sci-fi thriller *Hope*, a genre-bending project that festival artistic director Thierry Fremaux says constantly shifts creative directions. The film features a cross-cultural cast mixing top Korean talent Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, and Jung Ho-yeon with Hollywood stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell, and many industry observers predict it could mark Na’s global breakthrough.

    Another high-profile American addition is James Gray’s *Paper Tiger*, a Queens-set crime drama that was a late addition to the competition slate. Starring A-list leads Adam Driver, Miles Teller, and Scarlett Johansson, the film centers on two brothers who get tangled up with the Russian mafia, and it has quickly become one of the most anticipated American films of this year’s festival. Romanian master Cristian Mungiu, a former Palme d’Or winner for *4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days*, returns to competition with *Fjord*, starring Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a Romanian-Norwegian couple who relocate to the wife’s isolated rural hometown in Norway.

    In the Un Certain Regard sidebar, Jane Schoenbrun – one of the most talked-about new voices in contemporary American independent cinema – presents *Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma*, a slasher-movie-set story starring Hannah Einbinder and Gillian Anderson. Polish auteur Pawel Pawlikowski, famous for his stripped-back, black-and-white period dramas *Ida* and *Cold War*, debuts his third feature in this creative vein: *Fatherland*, which follows German author Thomas Mann on a post-World War II road trip, starring Hanns Zischler in the lead role alongside Sandra Hüller as his daughter.

    Japanese master Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who made history with the Oscar-nominated *Drive My Car*, makes his French-language debut with *All of a Sudden*, a thoughtful drama starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto centered on a nursing home director and a terminally ill Japanese playwright. Fellow beloved Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda – a former Palme d’Or winner for *Shoplifters*, celebrated for his gentle, empathetic storytelling – ventures into sci-fi territory with *Sheep in the Box*, which follows a grieving couple who adopt an infant humanoid robot after losing their own son.

    Ira Sachs’ *The Man I Love* was the only American film selected for competition before James Gray’s late addition, and it sees Rami Malek take on the lead role as an actor with a life-threatening illness in 1980s New York, preparing for what may be his final performance. French filmmaker Arthur Harari, who co-wrote 2023 Palme d’Or winner *Anatomy of a Fall*, steps into the director’s chair for competition with *The Unknown*, a body-swap drama starring Léa Seydoux about a photographer who wakes up in the body of a woman he followed after photographing her at a party. Acclaimed Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev, whose previous works *Leviathan* and *Loveless* earned Oscar nominations, returns to Cannes after a near-fatal illness during the COVID-19 pandemic with *Minotaur*, a drama about a business executive facing a personal crisis in rural Russia.

    Among special screenings, Steven Soderbergh’s documentary *John Lennon: The Last Interview* has already drawn major headlines for its creative use of artificial intelligence to visualize John Lennon’s philosophical reflections, drawn from the final interview the Beatles icon gave at his New York home the Dakota shortly before his 1980 assassination. The film promises audiences an unprecedented intimate look at one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Finally, Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar, a longtime Cannes favorite, debuts his deeply personal new melodrama *Bitter Christmas*, a multi-layered story exploring filmmaking, grief, and aging that marks a return to Almodovar’s native Spanish language and Spanish setting after his recent English-language feature *The Room Next Door*.

  • Tenerife medics poised for arrival of virus-hit cruise ship

    Tenerife medics poised for arrival of virus-hit cruise ship

    Nearly a month after the first hantavirus fatality was recorded on the expedition cruise ship MV Hondius, the vessel is finally nearing Granadilla Industrial Port on the Spanish island of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands archipelago, to launch one of the most complex public health and repatriation operations in recent European history.

    Spanish health and emergency authorities have spent weeks finalizing intensive preparedness protocols to receive the ship and coordinate the safe disembarkation and repatriation of more than 100 passengers and crew trapped at sea after multiple ports denied the vessel entry following the outbreak. Though the MV Hondius is expected to enter the waters off Tenerife before dawn Sunday, strict isolation rules will remain in force from the moment it approaches the coast: a 1-nautical-mile security perimeter will be enforced around the vessel, and it will anchor offshore at the port rather than docking directly to contain any potential spread of the rare Andes hantavirus strain, which has already claimed three lives on board.

    Spanish Health Minister Mónica García has labeled the multi-national operation unprecedented, noting that 23 countries are involved in coordinating repatriation efforts. The meticulous planning has been tailored in part to address widespread public concern among Tenerife residents, who have expressed anxiety over bringing a vessel carrying a dangerous virus to their island. Canary Islands President has openly stated he will not feel at ease until every person on board has left the island.

    García repeatedly emphasized Saturday that the risk of community transmission to the general public remains low, warning that unnecessary alarm, misinformation and public confusion run counter to core public health safety principles. By Saturday, security had been visibly tightened across the southern Tenerife industrial port, with Spanish military police and national disaster response teams erecting large purpose-built reception areas and restricting all public access to the waterfront.

    Once the MV Hondius is repositioned to its designated anchorage by approximately 07:00 CET (06:00 GMT) Sunday, specialized medical teams will board the vessel to screen every person on board for hantavirus symptoms. As of the latest updates, no additional people have developed active symptoms of the virus, which has an incubation period of up to nine weeks. After screening, passengers and crew will be sorted into groups by nationality and transported to shore in small, controlled shuttles, with pre-arranged charter planes already waiting on the tarmac at Tenerife’s airport to fly them back to their home countries. Medically equipped aircraft are also on standby to airlift any symptomatic people to isolation facilities if needed.

    Spanish nationals repatriated from the vessel will be flown directly to Madrid, where they will complete a mandatory quarantine period at the Gomez Ulla military hospital. Officials have not yet confirmed how long quarantine will last for those returning to Spain or other countries around the world, given the pathogen’s unusually long incubation window.

    World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is personally present in Tenerife to oversee the disembarkation operation, and has praised Spanish authorities for their solid, effective response to the outbreak. The outbreak has been traced back to a popular birdwatching landfill site at the southernmost tip of Argentina, where the virus is carried by wild rodents. While human-to-human transmission of this strain is extremely rare, three passengers on the MV Hondius have already died from the infection. Tedros acknowledged that lingering trauma from the COVID-19 pandemic has made local residents’ anxiety legitimate, but reaffirmed that the risk of widespread community contagion is low both due to the inherent nature of the virus and the extensive prevention measures put in place by the Spanish government. He urged nervous local residents to trust the operation’s leadership.

    Local medical facilities have also finalized full preparedness for potential complications: dozens of intensive care specialists are on standby at Tenerife’s Candelaria Hospital, with a fully equipped strict isolation bed stocked with testing supplies, a ventilator, and stockpiles of personal protective equipment ready to treat any severely ill patients. “We have never encountered this specific hantavirus strain before, but it is a virus with manageable complications, the same type of cases we handle every day,” said Mar Martin, chief intensive care doctor at the facility. “We are fully trained and absolutely ready.”

    When the plan to divert the MV Hondius to Tenerife was first announced, it sparked significant public anger across the island, with port workers holding a noisy protest outside the regional parliament Friday over fears that safety protocols would be insufficient. In recent days, however, greater transparency around the operation has helped restore a cautious calm. In the capital city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, local resident Jennifer, who was out walking with her child, noted: “The virus is dangerous, of course. But they say you need to have very close contact to get it. If we’re careful, we hope it’s not too serious.”

    Some residents remain critical of the central Spanish government’s decision to route the vessel to Tenerife, framing the issue as a political rather than purely medical concern, and a number of locals recalled that early reassurances about COVID-19 preceded uncontrolled pandemic spread. Still, there is no widespread panic on the island. “If they don’t come into contact with us from the ship, then we’re fine,” local resident Esteban told reporters. His partner Isabel added: “If the measures are adequate, then I don’t think people here are worried.”

    Not all people on board will disembark in Tenerife: approximately 30 crew members will remain on the MV Hondius to sail the vessel back to its home country of the Netherlands. For the majority of those on board, however, weeks of fear and uncertainty trapped at sea are finally coming to an end — though the next phase of the crisis, a prolonged quarantine period, still lies ahead.

  • Our relationship with food is messed up – let’s sort it out, says Stanley Tucci

    Our relationship with food is messed up – let’s sort it out, says Stanley Tucci

    When the highly anticipated second season of *Tucci in Italy* drops on Disney+ on May 12, viewers will be greeted by a recurring, warm motif that feels instantly familiar to anyone who has stepped foot in an Italian home: no matter how full Stanley Tucci insists he is, locals – from doting nonne to respected head chefs, and even whole family units – will pile more food onto his plate before he can finish his first helping.

    This relentless hospitality echoes the experience of anyone who has grown up with or been welcomed into Italian culture, where food is never just sustenance. It is a language of affection, a core pillar of hospitality, and a fundamental part of personal and collective identity rolled into one shared experience.

    In this new season, the celebrated actor, known for his role in *The Devil Wears Prada*, traverses the entire length and breadth of Italy – from the sunbaked shores of Sicily to the turquoise coasts of Sardinia, and all the way to the snow-dusted valleys of northern Italy. His journey goes far beyond tasting iconic dishes: he dives into centuries-old regional culinary traditions, meets tight-knit local communities, and steps into the small, family-run kitchens that are the beating heart of Italian food culture. Alongside sweeping shots of glistening fresh seafood, vibrant market produce, and one-of-a-kind local delicacies, Tucci weaves the story of a people whose social fabric is stitched together by family bonds and long-held ritual.

    In an interview, Tucci highlighted that one of the most striking features of Italian culture is its profound regional diversity, a trait that is most visible on the dinner plate. “We think we know what Italy is, but it’s incredibly complex and diverse,” he explained. Unlike many other nations, most Italians draw stronger identity from their local city or region than from the country as a whole. “When you say to someone, ‘You’re from Italy’, they’ll say, ‘No, I’m from Tuscany’ or ‘I’m from Florence’, so they are very territorial, especially when it comes to food,” he said.

    This strong local pride is on full display in an episode set in the Tuscan city of Siena, where Tucci explores the historic contrada system – centuries-old neighborhood districts that have maintained fiercely distinct identities for centuries. “They all believe their contrada is the greatest,” Tucci laughed, “and they express that in many ways, including food.”

    The divides between regional cuisines are just as stark in northern Italy, where climate and geography have shaped ingredient availability and cooking styles that differ dramatically from the south. “You go up north and you might only find tomatoes in the summer and you’ll find the likes of goulash, polenta and buckwheat which you would never find in the south,” Tucci noted. This patchwork of culinary traditions shatters the common international misconception that Italian food can be reduced to “just pizza and pasta.” “It’s not,” he emphasized.

    The 65-year-old host recalled every dish he sampled during filming with obvious affection. When asked to name the standout meal of the season, he immediately insisted “everything” was incredible, before singling out a handful of exceptional pasta dishes, including one prepared with multiple varieties of fresh mozzarella.

    But beneath the celebration of food, Tucci also raises a pressing concern: modern society is steadily losing the ability to find joy and deep emotional connection in shared meals. Speaking to the shifting cultural attitudes around eating, amplified by the rising popularity of weight loss drugs, Tucci argued that society’s relationship with food has become “really messed up.” “We overthink it, and the idea of what we’re supposed to look like has messed up our relationship with food,” he said.

    He added that modern culture increasingly pushes for uniformity across people, places, and food: “we want everything to look the same, taste the same and be generic.” Instead, Tucci argues that diversity and even imperfection – especially when it comes to produce and food – should be celebrated. “We should celebrate the tomato or the onion that comes out of the ground not looking perfect,” he said.

    A self-described non-adherent to food fads and passing trends, Tucci pushed back against the modern view of food as nothing more than a tool to satiate hunger, erasing its deeper cultural and emotional meaning. “Our relationship with food now is it’s just something you eat to feed your belly, but that’s not what it is,” he said.

    The conversation also turned to some of the most hotly debated culinary “crimes” against Italian cuisine, and Tucci had no shortage of firm opinions. Pineapple on pizza is an unambiguous no. Learning that some home cooks and restaurants prepare carbonara with cream, bacon, or cheddar cheese made him shudder (traditional carbonara only requires guanciale, pecorino romano, and egg yolk, after all). While breaking spaghetti in half before cooking is usually off the table, he acknowledged that some regional soups and dishes do call for broken pasta. As for post-dinner cappuccinos, ketchup on pasta, or parmesan cheese over seafood pasta? “Absolutely not,” he said.

    *Tucci in Italy* Season 2 will be available exclusively for streaming on Disney+ starting May 12.

  • Putin says he thinks Ukraine conflict ‘coming to an end’

    Putin says he thinks Ukraine conflict ‘coming to an end’

    On Russia’s annual World War II Victory Day, Moscow’s Red Square hosted a significantly downsized 2026 parade, marking the first time in nearly 20 years that iconic heavy military hardware such as battle tanks and intercontinental missiles were absent from the traditional display. The scaled-back event was organized in direct response to elevated security fears, with Russian authorities assessing a high risk of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting the central Moscow ceremonial site. That threat was partially mitigated hours before the parade began, when a last-minute ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv was finalized through brokering efforts by US President Donald Trump, allowing the event to conclude without any security incidents.

    Shortly after delivering his formal Victory Parade address, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to reporters, offering his most direct public assessment of the ongoing “special military operation” in Ukraine to date: he stated firmly that he believes the conflict is moving toward its conclusion. In his earlier parade speech, Putin had framed Russia’s military action as a morally “just” campaign, characterizing Ukraine as an aggressive faction that receives extensive military backing from the entire NATO alliance. He doubled down on this criticism of Western support for Kyiv during the post-parade press conference, accusing Western powers of deliberately stoking continued confrontation between the two countries, a conflict that he acknowledged remains a serious issue even as it nears resolution.

    On the topic of potential diplomatic talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Putin laid out clear conditions for any face-to-face meeting. The Russian leader noted that while he has heard repeated claims that Zelenskyy is eager for a direct summit, he will only agree to such a meeting after a comprehensive, long-lasting peace deal has been finalized through preliminary negotiations. He added that a meeting in a neutral third country could be arranged as the final step to formally sign the agreed-upon treaty, but refused any preliminary meeting before text is settled.

    Putin also commented on future negotiations over European security arrangements, stating that he is open to discussing new regional security frameworks and naming his longstanding personal associate, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, as his preferred negotiating counterpart for those talks. Schröder’s close ties to Putin have long been controversial across Europe, particularly due to his post-chancellorship work for Russian state-owned energy corporations.

    As a core component of the newly agreed US-brokered ceasefire, both Russia and Ukraine committed to a large prisoner of war swap, with each side set to release 1,000 detained service members to the other. However, Putin confirmed Saturday that as of his press conference, Russian officials had not yet received any formal communication from Kyiv outlining next steps for the exchange.

    Beyond the absence of military hardware, this year’s Victory Parade also featured restricted media access: far fewer journalists were granted entry to cover the event, with most international media organizations denied accreditation entirely. The parade, which the Kremlin has long used to project Russian military power to global audiences, instead featured only marching troops, reflecting the ongoing strains of the nearly two-year conflict with Ukraine.

  • Another year, another controversy for Eurovision – but fans are sticking by it

    Another year, another controversy for Eurovision – but fans are sticking by it

    The 70th iteration of the Eurovision Song Contest is set to open its doors in Vienna this Sunday, kicking off with the iconic turquoise carpet parade that will bring together competitors from 35 participating nations. What should be a joyous celebration of cross-cultural music and unity, however, has been overshadowed by a bitter, years-long controversy over Israel’s inclusion in the competition, driven by ongoing fallout from the 2023 Gaza conflict.

    As delegations assemble in the Austrian capital, five longstanding Eurovision participants will be notably absent: Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Spain have all pulled out of the 2026 contest in protest of Israel’s participation. The debate over Israel’s presence first ignited in October 2023, when the Israeli government launched a large-scale military offensive in Gaza in response to a Hamas-led attack that Israeli authorities report killed approximately 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. To date, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry puts the Palestinian death toll from the offensive at 72,628. A ceasefire has been in place since October 2025, but the political rift over Israel’s Eurovision participation has not healed.

    Controversy has dogged Israel’s participation in the two most recent editions of the contest, held in Malmö 2024 and Basel 2025. During that time, mass anti-Israel protests filled host city streets, and Israeli contestants were assigned armed security detail for their protection. In 2025, Israeli entrant Yuval Raphael — a survivor of the October 7 attacks — told the BBC she had practiced performing through boos during rehearsals. Two stage invaders interrupted her performance during the grand final, and tensions boiled over after Raphael’s song unexpectedly placed first in the public vote, ultimately landing her second place overall after lower jury scores. Multiple countries alleged that the public vote was skewed by an unprecedented intervention from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, which repeatedly urged its social media followers to vote for Raphael’s entry.

    Last November, a coalition of countries pushed for a formal vote to exclude Israel from the 2026 contest. When the motion failed, the boycotts began, including the withdrawal of Ireland — a seven-time Eurovision winner — and Spain, one of the competition’s largest financial backers.

    For Eurovision, a cultural event uniquely dependent on its passionate global fan community, the boycott and ongoing controversy have left audiences deeply divided. Unlike most major entertainment events, Eurovision integrates independent fan media directly into official proceedings, granting fan websites and blogs equal access to press centres, press conferences, and behind-the-scenes content alongside legacy outlets like the BBC and The New York Times. Fan creators publish year-round content, from pre-selection show analysis to rehearsal leaks, voting predictions, and staging breakdowns, cementing their central role in the event’s ecosystem.

    “The fan base is very important for the commercial dimension of Eurovision,” explained Dean Vuletic, historian and author of *Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest*. “When it comes to merchandising, when it comes to ticket sales, the fans are really the ones fuelling this Eurovision industry. They’re the ones you can count on to attend the contest, even when it becomes mired in political controversy.”

    In response to the 2026 boycott, a number of prominent fan platforms have suspended all coverage of this year’s contest. “The Eurovision we once knew, that shaped this community and inspired us to create this channel, just isn’t the one we fell in love with all those years ago,” wrote the team behind cross-continental fan page Eurovision Hub. Ireland’s Eirevision podcast echoed that sentiment: “A contest founded on unity, peace, and connection has never felt more divided. We no longer recognise the Eurovision Song Contest we grew up with.”

    Other conflicted fans have sought a middle ground. Welsh Eurovision fan Philip Dore published a widely shared reflective piece on fan site ESC Insight addressing the split, titled “So, what do Eurovision fans do now?” Dore noted that for many, Eurovision is far more than a one-night song competition: the event has longstanding deep ties to LGBTQ+ liberation and community, and is a key space of belonging for neurodiverse fans. He outlined a range of options for divided fans, from full personal boycott to a “halfway” approach that involves following pre-contest build-up but stepping back once events kick off in Vienna.

    “This isn’t an easy situation for anyone,” Dore wrote. “Many people in the community are feeling a mix of sadness, anger, and loss, and I have no intention of adding judgment to anyone.”

    Despite the deep rift, many of the traditional signs of Eurovision excitement remain visible across social media, where fans continue to share photos, memes, and interviews ahead of the contest. All tickets for nine total events in Vienna sold out in record time, with every grand final seat claimed in just 14 minutes. “To see every single show sell out so quickly is a powerful reminder of what the Eurovision Song Contest represents – joy, togetherness and shared experience at a time when that feels more important than ever,” said Martin Green, the British producer overseeing the 2026 contest.

    The on-the-ground mood among fans is far more nuanced, however. “It still feels exciting. It still feels like something that I couldn’t miss. And, that said, it feels different,” said Rob Lilley-Jones, host of UK-based podcast Euro Trip. “There’s still that fun element but now, and for the last few years, you are going into Eurovision week with a sense of apprehension and nervous anticipation.” Lilley-Jones called the 2024 Malmö contest, marked by heightened security and pervasive backstage tension, the worst in the event’s history.

    Marcos Maximillian Tritremmel, president of Austria’s national Eurovision fan club, told Germany’s Der Spiegel that he understands the motivations for protest, but confrontations with fans have crossed a line. “But when you get yelled at on your way into a concert hall – ‘What are you doing here? Why are you supporting the genocide?’ – at that point, it stops being funny.”

    Lilley-Jones says he has debated ending his podcast over the controversy, but ultimately decided that continuing to create content feels like the right choice: if the contest can still bring small moments of joy to audiences navigating a difficult global context, he argues, it is worth continuing. That approach — prioritizing dialogue over further division — has become the prevailing attitude among many fans who choose to engage with this year’s event.

    Vuletic, who has studied the contest’s long history of political controversy, argues that Eurovision will weather this current rift just as it has overcome past crises. He notes that claims this is the “most political Eurovision ever” overlook decades of political unrest tied to the event. For example, the 2009 contest in Moscow was overshadowed by violent police crackdowns on a gay pride rally held to coincide with the event, and the 2012 contest hosted by authoritarian Azerbaijan faced widespread criticism over the regime’s suppression of political dissent; that year’s winner, Sweden’s Loreen, publicly highlighted human rights abuses during her visit.

    “The media tends to sensationalise the current moment but we’ve always had to navigate the political context [of the contest],” Vuletic said. “And the fans have always kept coming, no matter what.”

    Organizers have worked to balance competing demands ahead of the 2026 opening: host Austrian public broadcaster has confirmed it will not ban Palestinian flags from the venue or censor audience booing of the Israeli entry. That said, the boycott will have concrete impacts: broadcasters in the boycotting countries will not air any 2026 content, almost guaranteeing a drop in global viewing figures. Uncertainty also lingers over what would happen if Israeli entry Noam Bettan’s ballad *Michelle* — ranked as one of the year’s strongest competitors — takes home the win.

    For Eurovision’s fans, who have already navigated years of growing tension, the 2026 contest will unfold with far more trepidation than the usual upbeat pre-event anticipation.

  • Greece conducts controlled blast of mystery naval drone explosives

    Greece conducts controlled blast of mystery naval drone explosives

    A dramatic maritime security incident has unfolded off Greece’s western coast after local fishermen stumbled on an operational explosive-carrying naval drone hidden in a coastal cave near Lefkada in the Ionian Sea, prompting a major bomb disposal operation and reigniting fierce debate over the country’s preparedness for modern, asymmetric maritime threats. The unmanned surface vessel, which was found still running its engine on Thursday, was quickly secured by Greek coastguard vessels, towed to the nearby port of Vasiliki, and handled by specialist bomb disposal teams who safely removed its detonators and power battery before moving the 100 kilograms of estimated explosives to be disposed of via controlled detonation off the coast of Astakos. Multiple independent Greek media outlets have confirmed that the drone matches the design of Ukraine’s domestically produced Magura naval drone, a type of attack uncrewed vessel Kyiv has deployed extensively against Russian military and commercial maritime targets since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Reporters also confirm handwritten notes in the Ukrainian language were recovered from the vessel’s onboard storage, though Kyiv has so far declined to issue any official comment on the incident. Greek armed forces specialist technical teams are currently conducting a full forensic inspection of the recovered drone components to trace its origin and intended mission. Two leading working theories have emerged from official and media sources, outlined by Greek newspaper Ta Nea: the drone either fell overboard during transit by sea, or it lost contact with its operators while en route to target Russian commercial shipping in the Mediterranean, a mission that would expand Kyiv’s naval drone campaign far beyond its traditional operating area of the Black Sea. Public broadcaster ERT added that faulty sensors and GPS interference from recent bad weather in the region likely caused the drone to drift off course before it was found by local fishermen. The discovery has triggered intense political backlash in Athens, with opposition figures and minor parties slamming the ruling government for gaps in Greece’s maritime surveillance and defense capabilities. Opposition defense spokesman Michalis Katrinis warned that the incident exposed Greece’s unprotected maritime borders, while the country’s Communist Party issued a series of pointed questions demanding clarity on whether the Greek government was aware the drone was operating in its territorial waters, and if similar uncrewed vessels from allied nations are regularly active in Greek sovereign waters. The pro-Russian nationalist party Hellenic Solution went further, labeling the incursion a deliberate military provocation against Greece. Speaking on Saturday to defuse rising political tension, Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias sought to downplay the security risks of the incident, stating that authorities had fully contained the threat and that the government is already moving to modernize Greece’s naval fleet. Dendias confirmed that Athens is pursuing policies to domestically produce advanced drones and deploy cutting-edge anti-drone defense systems to protect Greek territorial waters. The incident has already put Greece’s national intelligence agency, armed forces, and multiple relevant government ministries on heightened security alert. This discovery comes amid already tense context for Greek-Ukrainian defense cooperation: in November last year, the two nations signed a landmark agreement to jointly produce naval drones, granting Greece access to Ukrainian drone technology for its own domestic defense needs. However, just one week prior to this incident, leading Greek newspaper Kathimerini reported that Kyiv has recently demanded a veto over any Greek use of the jointly produced drones, out of concern that Athens could deploy them against Turkey – a NATO member with long-running maritime territorial disputes with Greece and close ties to Moscow. Beyond cooperation, the incident also fits a broader pattern of expanding naval drone activity in the Mediterranean: back in March, Russia accused Ukraine of attacking a Russian LNG tanker carrying sanctioned cargo with uncrewed sea drones in the Mediterranean between Malta and Libya, marking one of the first confirmed attacks of its kind outside the Black Sea. As the investigation continues, Greek authorities are still working to answer core questions about how the drone entered its territorial waters and what its ultimate target was, with the incident serving as a stark wake-up call for Southern European nations to adapt their maritime security frameworks to the growing threat of uncrewed attack vessels.

  • Steve Rosenberg: This year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow felt very different

    Steve Rosenberg: This year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow felt very different

    For veteran foreign correspondent Steve Rosenberg, who has covered dozens of Victory Day parades on Moscow’s iconic Red Square, the 2026 iteration stood out as fundamentally unlike any he had witnessed before. In years past, Rosenberg recalled scrambling from media drop-off points near St. Basil’s Cathedral to claim a usable spot in the overcrowded press pen, a race that was completely unnecessary this year. Attendance for international press was sharply curtailed: most foreign news outlets were denied press credentials entirely, leaving only a tiny handful of foreign journalists on site.

    When Rosenberg took his place on the press stand, a Russian television crew approached him to film a segment framing his presence as proof that international access remained open. Rosenberg’s dry response cut through the narrative: he could not spot a single other foreign reporter on the entire square.

    Beyond the depleted press corps, the event saw far fewer dignitaries in the guest stands, with only a small handful of foreign leaders traveling to Moscow for the annual commemoration. But the most striking departure from tradition only became clear once the parade officially got underway: none of the massive rolling military armor that the Kremlin typically displays to project Russian power to a global audience – no tanks, no rocket launchers, no intercontinental ballistic missiles – rolled across Red Square this year.

    Russian authorities explained the dramatic downsizing by citing urgent security concerns, revealing that intelligence pointed to a high risk of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting the Red Square event. For President Vladimir Putin, the choice to scale back the parade – a carefully choreographed centerpiece of Russian national pride that has long been used to showcase military strength – was undoubtedly a difficult one, but the threat of an attack left no other viable option.

    In a last-minute turn of diplomacy, former U.S. President Donald Trump brokered a temporary ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv that eliminated the immediate threat of an attack during the event. In the end, the parade concluded without any security incidents. Still, Kyiv’s public framing of the ceasefire move drew sharp pushback from the Kremlin: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued an official decree “permitting” Russia to hold its parade on Ukrainian territory that Moscow currently occupies, a deliberate act of political trolling that Kremlin spokespeople rejected out of hand, noting that Russia required no permission from any third party to hold its national commemorations.

    While live military hardware was absent from the streets of Red Square, the Kremlin found a work-around: pre-recorded footage of tanks, multiple rocket launchers, fighter jets, submarines and other advanced weapons systems was broadcast on massive digital screens erected across the square. It was a clear signal that the leadership remained determined to highlight its military capabilities, even without a live display.

    In his keynote address to the gathered crowd, Putin struck a familiar defiant tone, declaring “We always were and always will be victorious!” The 2026 parade marks 81 years since the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, a historical event Russia calls the Great Victory – a milestone that holds deep legitimate national meaning, marking the Soviet Union’s defeat of an invading aggressor.

    Yet the context of 2026 casts a very different shadow over the commemoration. More than four years have passed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and as the parade unfolded, there was no visible path to a Russian victory in the ongoing conflict, turning this year’s muted celebration into a quiet reflection of the current strains of Moscow’s ongoing military campaign.

  • Crunch Clasico as Barca look to pounce on Real unrest

    Crunch Clasico as Barca look to pounce on Real unrest

    El Clasico, the most anticipated fixture in Spanish football, is never just another 90 minutes of action. But this Sunday’s Nou Camp meeting between Barcelona and Real Madrid carries far higher stakes than most, as the Catalan side stands just one result away from securing back-to-back domestic titles, while Real enters the clash mired in damaging internal conflict.

    Barcelona holds an 11-point advantage at the top of the La Liga table heading into the fixture. A win or even a draw on home soil will formally seal their second consecutive championship, capping a season of near-total dominance across Spain’s top flight. For head coach Hansi Flick’s squad, the build-up to the match has been marked by calm confidence, with the club framing its camp as a unified push to claim the title in front of its own supporters.

    The narrative around Real Madrid, by contrast, has been dominated by off-pitch chaos rather than on-pitch preparation. A dressing-room altercation between star midfielders Federico Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni earlier this week has thrown the club into crisis, leaving Valverde sidelined for El Clasico with concussion symptoms and resulting in a 500,000 euro fine for both players after an internal investigation.

    Tchouameni returned to training Friday and is available for selection, but interim head coach Alvaro Arbeloa refused to confirm whether the French international will start. Addressing reporters at his pre-match press conference Saturday, Arbeloa attempted to downplay the severity of the incident, noting that internal disputes are not unprecedented in elite football. The 43-year-old, who took over the role in January following Xabi Alonso’s departure, even recalled a well-documented 2007 incident from his time at Liverpool, where Craig Bellamy confronted John Arne Riise with a golf club during a training camp dispute.

    “These are situations that have always happened, although I’m certainly not justifying it,” Arbeloa told reporters. “It was an incident and we were unfortunate that Fede ended up with a gash. It was more bad luck than anything else. What happens in the Real Madrid dressing room should stay in the Real Madrid dressing room, and that’s what hurts me the most. The players have acknowledged their mistake, expressed their regret and asked for forgiveness. That’s enough for me. If you want to blame someone, here I am.”

    Arbeloa’s position at the club is already precarious, with Spanish media linking high-profile candidates including Jose Mourinho to the permanent head coach role for next season. Pressure is also mounting on long-time Real president Florentino Perez, who has overseen a turbulent two-year stretch that has seen three different managers in charge and no major trophy won. The upcoming permanent head coach appointment is widely seen as one of the most critical decisions of Perez’s 20-plus year presidency, as the club works to rebuild stability and competitiveness after a messy season. Arbeloa, however, defended the 79-year-old, arguing no leader is better positioned to turn the club’s fortunes around.

    “There is no-one more prepared than Florentino Perez to turn this situation around,” he said. “I remember how the club was before his arrival. He is the president with the most titles in Real Madrid history and he brought the club back to where it belongs. We all have to fight together.”

    Despite the off-pitch chaos, Arbeloa insisted his squad remains focused on claiming three points Sunday. “We face the Clasico with the ambition to do things well and go to win,” he added.

    Over at Barcelona’s training ground, the mood has been strikingly different. The club has shared multiple upbeat updates from training throughout the week, featuring photos and videos of relaxed, connected players, with one social media post describing the squad as “One big family”. Flick echoed that unified tone in his pre-match press conference, saying his side is eager to secure the title at home in front of their supporters.

    “We want to win our second title in a row. I think it’s amazing. It’s not normal here in Spain,” Flick said. “We are very clear in how we want to play. We want to win this at home. The fans are supporting us. This is why the Clasico is so important for everyone. We are here because we have played a fantastic season as a team and this is what I want to see tomorrow. The tension is very high. Everyone in the world is watching, but in the end it’s about us. We want to play as a team and a unit.”

    Asked for his reaction to Real Madrid’s dressing-room dispute, Flick downplayed the news, saying such incidents are not unique to any club. “Things like this happen all over the world, so I don’t think it’s something exclusive to Real Madrid,” he said. “Was I surprised? Maybe a little, but in the end I don’t really care, because it’s not my club and not my team, so I shouldn’t be thinking about it.” He added that the key to Barcelona’s success this season has been the squad’s shared focus and internal unity: “The most important thing in this club is that we are all going in the same direction. When something happens, we respond together. In football and in life, these things can happen, but you have to manage them.”

    Flick did reserve praise for Real star Kylian Mbappe when asked about the French forward, describing him as “one of the best players in the world” and highlighting his exceptional finishing quality in the penalty area.

    The first El Clasico of this campaign, played back in October at the Santiago Bernabeu, ended in a 2-1 win for Real, when the title race was still wide open and the club was under different management with far less public internal tension. This time around, the stakes could not be clearer: Barcelona can lift the trophy on home soil just 90 minutes after kickoff, while Real is only playing to delay the inevitable and preserve its season’s pride.

    A victory would also put Barcelona on course to match La Liga’s all-time record of 100 points in a single season, moving the Catalan side to 91 points with just three matches remaining. The 100-point mark has only been hit twice before – by Mourinho’s Real Madrid in 2011-12, and Tito Vilanova’s Barcelona a year later – and no side has reached the milestone since. For Flick’s dominant squad, matching that record would be the final confirmation of their status as the best team in Spain this season. But before that history can be written, they must first get past their biggest rivals on Sunday.

  • WHO chief reassures Tenerife residents ahead of hantavirus cruise ship arrival

    WHO chief reassures Tenerife residents ahead of hantavirus cruise ship arrival

    Tensions are running high on the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife this weekend, as public health authorities and local emergency services finalize strict containment protocols for the imminent arrival of the MV Hondius — a Dutch cruise vessel grappling with a deadly hantavirus outbreak that has already claimed three lives.

    As residents voiced deep anxiety, with lingering trauma from the 2020 COVID-19 cruise ship outbreaks still fresh for many, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus delivered a direct public message to ease community fears, stressing that this event poses far lower public health risk than the coronavirus pandemic.

    “I know you are worried,” Tedros told Tenerife residents in a public address Saturday. “I know that when you hear the word ‘outbreak’ and watch a ship sail toward your shores, memories surface that none of us have fully put to rest. The pain of 2020 is still real, and I do not dismiss it for a single moment. But I need you to hear me clearly: this is not another Covid. The current public health risk from hantavirus remains low.”

    Six confirmed cases of hantavirus have been linked to the voyage, which originated in South America. Three passengers have died from the infection to date: the first fatality was recorded on April 11, a second on May 2, and a 69-year-old Dutch passenger who disembarked in St. Helena on April 24 died in South Africa two days later. Two infected British passengers are currently receiving care in the Netherlands and South Africa, while a third Briton is undergoing treatment for a suspected case on the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha, where the ship made a mid-April stopover.

    The MV Hondius is scheduled to dock at Granadilla Port between 4:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. GMT Sunday, Spanish Health Minister Mónica García confirmed at a press briefing Saturday. The decision to allow the vessel to dock in Tenerife has been deeply controversial: regional president Fernando Clavijo has openly opposed the move, questioning why the vessel could not complete its outbreak response at its previous stop in Cape Verde. Far-right Spanish party Vox has attacked the national central government over the call, and local protests have broken out across the island in recent days. In contrast, Tedros praised Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for the decision, framing it as “an act of solidarity and moral duty,” noting that Tenerife was selected specifically for its robust medical infrastructure, emergency response capacity, and ability to facilitate safe repatriation of passengers.

    To eliminate any risk of community spread, Spanish authorities have put in place a rigorous set of containment measures. All passengers will remain quarantined aboard the vessel while initial health screenings are conducted, and no one will be permitted to disembark until a repatriation flight is waiting on the island’s tarmac to carry them directly back to their home countries. Repatriation flights are arranged for passengers from the United Kingdom, United States, France, Germany, Belgium, and Ireland, with Spanish passengers prioritized for disembarkation and repatriation.

    All people who interact with passengers during transfer — including bus drivers and logistics staff — will be required to wear FFP2 masks, and passengers will only be permitted to bring a small, sealed bag of essential items such as identification documents, mobile devices and chargers, and basic personal necessities when disembarking. Notably, the body of the passenger who died aboard the vessel will not be unloaded in the Canary Islands; the ship will continue onward to the Netherlands after repatriations are complete, where the remains and personal belongings will be disinfected before being removed.

    Health experts explain that hantaviruses are most commonly carried by wild rodents, and the strain detected in this outbreak — the Andes strain — can spread between humans, a mode of transmission that has raised targeted concerns. All infected passengers are believed to have contracted the virus during pre-voyage travel through Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay, where they visited areas with populations of rodent species known to carry the pathogen, Tedros confirmed. As of this publication, the exact origin of the outbreak remains unclear, and public health teams have not yet confirmed whether any additional crew or asymptomatic passengers have been exposed to the virus. A WHO expert is already aboard the vessel to monitor conditions, and Tedros has announced he will travel to Tenerife personally to observe the response operation first-hand. Symptoms of hantavirus infection range from mild flu-like effects including fever, muscle aches, fatigue, and abdominal pain to severe respiratory distress in advanced cases.