عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Entertainment

Eurovision Song Contest Changes Rules After Israel Controversy

Pro-Palestinian protestors hold a flag and a banner outside the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) Irish public service broadcaster television studios as demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, in Dublin, Ireland, November 1, 2025. (Reuters)
Pro-Palestinian protestors hold a flag and a banner outside the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) Irish public service broadcaster television studios as demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, in Dublin, Ireland, November 1, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Eurovision Song Contest Changes Rules After Israel Controversy

Pro-Palestinian protestors hold a flag and a banner outside the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) Irish public service broadcaster television studios as demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, in Dublin, Ireland, November 1, 2025. (Reuters)
Pro-Palestinian protestors hold a flag and a banner outside the RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann) Irish public service broadcaster television studios as demonstrators call for an Irish boycott of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest if there is Israeli participation, in Dublin, Ireland, November 1, 2025. (Reuters)

Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest announced on Friday changes to voting rules to avoid state interference after controversy over Israel's entry this year.

The new rules by the European Broadcasting Union discourage governments and third parties from "disproportionately promoting" songs to sway voters - and say they could otherwise face sanctions.

At this year's edition, Israel's Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023, attack by Palestinian group Hamas, came second overall. However, some on social media raised concern about the transparency of the voting system, which was echoed by the winner, Austrian entry JJ.

Critics said state promotion unfairly boosted Israel's entry and that individuals' multiple voting for the same contestant went against the spirit of the competition, which has been running since 1956.

Israel has not commented on those accusations, but often alleges a global smear campaign against it since the Gaza war began after the Hamas attack. The Israeli permanent mission in Geneva did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Eurovision director Martin Green said the organization was taking steps to ensure the competition remains a celebration of music and unity. "The Contest should remain a neutral space and must not be instrumentalized," he said in a statement.

Under the new rules, an expanded professional jury will be reintroduced at the semi-final stage and will have about 50% of the vote. The other half will remain a public vote.

ISRAEL SAYS IT WILL NOT QUIT COMPETITION

Audience members will now have a maximum of 10 rather than 20 votes to cast. "Fans will be actively encouraged to share their support across multiple entries,” the EBU stated.

Ahead of next May's 70th edition in Austria, EBU members will meet in December to discuss Israeli participation.

Five countries - the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland and Spain - want Israel excluded over the number of Palestinian civilians killed during Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Israel denies targeting civilians in Gaza and says it is being unfairly demonized abroad.

According to the Euronews outlet, a dozen European members of parliament called for the release of voting data from this year's Eurovision contest citing fears of manipulation, after various national broadcasters had expressed the same worry.

Irish broadcaster RTE confirmed at the time that it had requested a breakdown of Eurovision voting numbers.

Posts and photos from the Israel X account run by Israel's foreign ministry and dated May 15 - the day that Israel competed in this year's Eurovision semi-final - encouraged people to vote for Raphael, adding that "you can vote up to 20 times."

Most Viewed

 
 
Entertainment

'Jurassic Park' Star Sam Neill Dies Aged 78

FILE PHOTO: Sam Neill attends a premiere of the television series 'Apples Never Fall', in Los Angeles, California, US March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sam Neill attends a premiere of the television series 'Apples Never Fall', in Los Angeles, California, US March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
TT
TT

'Jurassic Park' Star Sam Neill Dies Aged 78

FILE PHOTO: Sam Neill attends a premiere of the television series 'Apples Never Fall', in Los Angeles, California, US March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sam Neill attends a premiere of the television series 'Apples Never Fall', in Los Angeles, California, US March 12, 2024. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

Sam Neill, a smoothly elegant and versatile actor whose career moved from art film to blockbuster as he dodged velociraptors in “Jurassic Park” to playing Holly Hunter’s husband in “The Piano,” has died. He was 78.

In 2023, Neill disclosed he had been diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Neill died on Monday in Sydney, according to a statement posted to the actor’s social media page.

His death was “sudden and unexpected,” the statement said, adding that he “remained cancer free” when he died. A cause of death wasn’t specified.

“Sam was surrounded by family and passed with the dignity that has characterized his whole life,” his family wrote.

Neil was one of a host of actors and directors who achieved international fame after an explosion of Australian films that began in the late 1970s, a list that includes Paul Hogan, Mel Gibson, Geoffrey Rush, Russell Crowe, Jane Campion, Peter Weir and Gillian Armstrong. His range was remarkable, playing opposite Helena Bonham Carter in the Alan Ayckbourn comedy “Sweet Revenge” to chopping off Hunter’s finger in “The Piano” to poking his own eyes out in the sci-fi horror “Event Horizon.”

In “Omen III: The Final Conflict,” he played Damien the Antichrist and he also played Cardinal Thomas Wolsey in “The Tudors.”

The actor first came to the attention of international audiences in Armstrong’s 1979 film “My Brilliant Career,” which also introduced Judy Davis. He later appeared in Phillip Noyce’s “Dead Calm,” a classy thriller set at sea and co-starring the then-relatively unknown Nicole Kidman.

Neill twice co-starred with Meryl Streep, in Australian director Fred Schepisi’s “Plenty” and — again for Schepisi — in “A Cry in the Dark,” a film about the sensationalized aftermath of a dingo killing a baby in the Australian Outback.

He earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of the 1998 mini-series “Merlin” and another as narrator of 2017’s “Wild New Zealand.”

But perhaps he achieved his highest level of fame in “Jurassic Park” playing paleontologist Alan Grant, who is summoned to an island off Costa Rica where a theme park has been built to house herds of cloned dinosaurs. He co-starred alongside Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough.

His character was thoughtful and reasonable, a scientist who warned the mastermind of the theme park before the chaos: “Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution have just been suddenly thrown back into the mix together. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?”

Grant survived the harrowing events when the creatures get loose, but didn’t return for “The Lost World: Jurassic Park II” in 1997. He came back for the third episode in 2001 and “Jurassic World: Dominion” in 2022.

“It’s probably a little late to learn these things,” he told the Daily New of New York in 2001, “but I finally feel I’ve worked out how to be an action hero. I’m happier with Grant this time. He’s gnarly and grizzled, but he looks like he knows what he’s doing.”

Born in 1947 in Northern Ireland, Neill emigrated to New Zealand at the age of 7. His family settled in Dunedin on the South Island and he was sent to boarding school in Christchurch. After college, he took the lead in “Sleeping Dogs” in 1977, the first feature made in New Zealand in more than a decade.

Neill’s other film roles included playing a Soviet submarine officer who memorably dreams of a home in Montana in “The Hunt for Red October” and an investigator in director John Carpenter’s “In the Mouth of Madness.”

On the small screen, Neill played the malign Chester Campbell in TV’s “Peaky Blinders” and Thomas Jefferson in the four-hour CBS miniseries, “Sally Hemings: An American Tragedy.” On Apple TV+, he was on “Invasion,” playing Oklahoma Sheriff John Bell Tyson, a man late in his career searching for his purpose. In 2024 he starred opposite Annette Bening in the Peacock series “Apples Never Fall.”

His memoir “Did I Ever Tell You This?” came out in March 2023 and he was awarded a knighthood in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to film,” a title approved by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

“I can’t pretend that the last year hasn’t had its dark moments,” Neill told The Guardian in 2023, referring to his cancer diagnosis and treatment. “But those dark moments throw the light into sharp relief, you know, and have made me grateful for every day and immensely grateful for all my friends.”

Entertainment

'Moana' Crashes to Shore with Underwhelming Splash at Box Office

Executive producer Auli’i Cravalho attends the world premiere for the film Moana at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, US July 7, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Executive producer Auli’i Cravalho attends the world premiere for the film Moana at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, US July 7, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
TT
TT

'Moana' Crashes to Shore with Underwhelming Splash at Box Office

Executive producer Auli’i Cravalho attends the world premiere for the film Moana at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, US July 7, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Executive producer Auli’i Cravalho attends the world premiere for the film Moana at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, US July 7, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

The Walt Disney Company’s live action “Moana” may be the No. 1 movie at the domestic box office, but it did not make a big splash in its first weekend in theaters.

The movie, which cost a reported $250 million to produce, earned just $43 million from ticket sales in the US and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Internationally, it earned $52 million from 50 markets, adding up to a $95 million global debut, The Associated Press reported.

The studio bet big on “Moana,” one of its most popular franchises. The 2016 animated film is the most watched movie on Disney+. Its sequel, which was stitched together from a planned streaming series, made over $1 billion and scored a Thanksgiving record when it opened with $225 million in 2024.

“Moana 2” was also released just 19 months ago.

This latest “Moana,” directed by Thomas Kail, brings Dwayne Johnson back as the demigod Maui and introduces Catherine Lagaʻaia as the adventuring Polynesian princess. Despite praise for Lagaʻaia, the film set sail on a wave of dismal reviews from critics for being essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the original.

It’s currently sitting at a 34% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, the majority of whom were women (66%), were less negative: According to PostTrak, 63% said they would “definitely” recommend the film to their friends. Parent reactions were even stronger, with 78% saying they would recommend it to other parents. It also got a promising A- CinemaScore.

Disney’s live action remakes of beloved animated films, new and old, have had their share of successes and disappointments. Some have made over $1 billion, including “Lilo & Stitch,” “The Lion King” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Others have floundered, most notably last year’s “Snow White,” which made only $205 million worldwide.

Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, said “Moana's” debut could also be a product of PG-rated oversaturation in the marketplace: Universal’s “Minions & Monsters” was in second place with $20.5 million and “Toy Story 5” was close behind in third place with $18.5 million.

“Families love going to the movies, but right now there are three of them,” Dergarabedian said. “That’s a lot of competition.”

PG-rated films outgrossed others in 2024 and 2025, so “Moana's” performance may not be a case of “family movie fatigue,” he said, but simply shows there can be a ceiling. Families have to make a choice, and after four weekends, “Toy Story 5” is still going strong with a running global total of $879.1 million.

There also are signs that these movies might not sink or swim based on the opening weekend alone. Although “Minions & Monsters” opened below expectations over the Fourth of July holiday, it also had a modest 45% drop this weekend. Its running domestic total is currently sitting at $108.3 million

The weekend’s other big new opener was definitely not PG: The R-rated horror “Evil Dead Burn,” a Warner Bros. release, opened to $13.7 million and landed in fourth place.

Angel Studios’ George Washington movie “Young Washington” rounded out the top five in its second weekend in theaters, with $6.4 million.

Entertainment

US Rapper Pitbull Sets Bald Cap World Record at London Show

Members of the crowd sporting "bald caps" gather in the sunshine ahead of a concert by US rapper and singer Pitbull in Hyde Park, London, on July 10, 2026. (AFP)
Members of the crowd sporting "bald caps" gather in the sunshine ahead of a concert by US rapper and singer Pitbull in Hyde Park, London, on July 10, 2026. (AFP)
TT
TT

US Rapper Pitbull Sets Bald Cap World Record at London Show

Members of the crowd sporting "bald caps" gather in the sunshine ahead of a concert by US rapper and singer Pitbull in Hyde Park, London, on July 10, 2026. (AFP)
Members of the crowd sporting "bald caps" gather in the sunshine ahead of a concert by US rapper and singer Pitbull in Hyde Park, London, on July 10, 2026. (AFP)

US rapper Pitbull has set the first Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people wearing bald caps.

A total of 22,141 fans wore the caps in London's Hyde Park on Friday ahead of his set at the British Summer Time (BST) festival.

Many also sported other elements of the singer's signature style -- a suit, black aviator sunglasses and stick-on dark goatees.

"Record breaking, record making, history in the making," the 45-year-old hip hop artist said before being presented with his certificate.

"Thank you London, thank you to the fans, thank you Hyde Park, thank you to the bald-es," he added, as temperatures reached 31C in the British capital.

In recent years, it has become a trend for fans to dress as Pitbull while attending his performances.

"I think I put it (the bald cap) on too early," 21-year-old student Connie McGovern told AFP.

"I can't take it off now because my hair and my make-up's messed up, so I've got to commit -- it's not coming off."

Her sister Ella, 23, said it was "good to be a part of something".

"We're going to make history today," she added.

Pitbull was the first person to attempt the feat under official adjudication, meaning there was no previous record to beat.

The Miami-born star's hits include "Fireball", "Timber", "Time Of Our Lives", and "On the Floor".