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Al Jaber Denies Using COP28 Presidency to Make Oil and Gas Deals
Al Jaber Denies Using COP28 Presidency to Make Oil and Gas Deals
Sign up for the Green Daily newsletter for comprehensive coverage of the climate summit right in your inbox.
2023-11-29 18:13
Russia to build nuclear plant to meet Burkina Faso's energy needs
Russia to build nuclear plant to meet Burkina Faso's energy needs
The deal comes after junta leader Capt Traore asked President Putin to help set up a nuclear plant.
2023-10-13 19:06
Eurovision 2023: A homage to naffness or musical genius? Two writers battle it out
Eurovision 2023: A homage to naffness or musical genius? Two writers battle it out
Millions will be watching as 26 countries go head to head to be crowned champions of the Eurovision Song Contest this weekend – but not everyone calls themselves a fan. The notoriously weird and wonderful event still divides opinion right down the middle – when it comes to Eurovision, you’re either all in or not. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter We pitched two writers against each other, one who loves Eurovision and one who can’t stand it. So, whose side are you on? Kate Plummer: Why I hate Eurovision What would happen if you brought together all the kinds of musicians who X Factor judges consider passing at the audition stage of the competition - but ultimately decide not to? What would happen if you asked cruise ship singers to come together and belt out hours of 'tunes' that resemble copyright-free hold music at best, or something your 10-year-old niece cooked up on GarageBand at worst? The answer, of course, is the gaudy Eurovision Song Contest, that homage to naffness, that yearly nightmare that we are forced to endure. "But it's fun!" the doltish masses cry. "Look at their outfits," the square-eyed cretins say. Save it. Like most organised fun and forced merriment (see hen dos, school reunions and anything to do with sport), Eurovision is absolutely awful. But unlike hen dos, school reunions and anything to do with sport, there is no escaping the tyrannical grip of its regime. It man spreads over the course of Saturday night telly, it bleeds into every pub, bar and group chat of excitable friends organising their cursed viewing parties. This year, it will even be screened in cinemas. Where is my respite? I didn't even vote for Brexit but surely the yearly congregation of the worst representatives of Europe is a dividend we could have gained from leaving the bloc? The 2023 contest is being held in the UK city of Liverpool this week, building up to the grand final on Saturday. Acts from 37 countries are taking part. So will I be tuning in to see which act has become this year's meme and what 'funny moments' have gone viral on social media? Absolutely not. After all, 66 contests and over 1,600 songs, there's a reason the only Eurovision act anyone can name is Abba... Eurovision is completely naff. Count me out. Harry Fletcher: Why I love Eurovision There aren’t many things that every single member of the family can sit down to watch together and genuinely look forward to. Eurovision is one of them. It’s a big event in our household, with family members spread around the country heading back up north to watch together. Why do we love it? The sheer strangeness is certainly a factor. The likes of Käärijä, representing Finland in 2023 with the bizarre 'Cha Cha Cha', are doing a good job keeping it weird and wonderful. But the sheer quality of the entries is more impressive year on year. The overall standard has increased inexorably and the quality of the songwriting in the strongest entries is always staggering. Crafting a good Eurovision song is an art form, and there are still entries from more than 10 years ago that pop into my head occasionally. Eurovision also has to be the most welcoming, accessible major event in the UK calendar. It’s for absolutely everyone; it’s a comfortable space, completely free of cynicism. With Eurovision, you take away all the nastiness that comes hand in hand with X Factor and other formats that invite people to sing before live audiences. Here, there’s none of the sneering at contestants or gawking at eccentric members of the public. Instead, with Eurovision it’s a celebration, and an invitation to be as weird as you like when representing your country. Eurovision can always be relied on to bring out the best in Twitter, too. When so much of social media is increasingly devoted to negativity and hate, it feels like a throwback to nicer times when it functioned more as a public forum for fans during events like Eurovision. The contest has changed a lot since I started watching around 15 years ago. There was an endearingly cheap feel about the contest back then, but the production values are outstanding these days. It’s far less of a niche interest than it used to be too; with the event coming to the UK this year, it’s attracted more and more attention. More eyes on this wonderfully odd event, which celebrates diversity, gives us genuinely brilliant songs every year and gives us something wholesome to get stuck into on social media can only be a good thing. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Activision's Boston studio workers announce unionization
Activision's Boston studio workers announce unionization
A majority of workers at videogame publisher Activision Blizzard Inc's recently acquired studio Proletariat said on Tuesday that
1970-01-01 08:00
Arrest made in Halloween weekend's fatal shooting of 2 in Tampa; 18 more victims injured
Arrest made in Halloween weekend's fatal shooting of 2 in Tampa; 18 more victims injured
Police in Florida say they've arrested a suspect in the mass shooting on a Tampa street overnight
2023-10-30 06:11
Israel-Hamas war upends China's ambitions in the Middle East but may serve Beijing in the end
Israel-Hamas war upends China's ambitions in the Middle East but may serve Beijing in the end
The Hamas attack on Israel has put China's ambitions in the Middle East to the test
2023-10-15 22:07
Rosario, Naylor each have 3 hits and RBI, Guardians beat Red Sox 5-2
Rosario, Naylor each have 3 hits and RBI, Guardians beat Red Sox 5-2
Amed Rosario and Josh Naylor each had three hits and an RBI, Josh Bell drove in a run for the sixth consecutive game and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Boston Red Sox 5-2 on Wednesday night
2023-06-08 09:59
With Jayson Tatum ejected late in 3rd quarter, Celtics beat 76ers 125-119
With Jayson Tatum ejected late in 3rd quarter, Celtics beat 76ers 125-119
Jayson Tatum scored 21 points before he was ejected for arguing near the end of the third quarter, Derrick White also had 21 and the Boston Celtics beat the depleted Philadelphia 76ers 125-119 on Friday night
2023-12-02 11:19
Norfolk Southern CEO promises to keep improving safety on the railroad based on consultant's report
Norfolk Southern CEO promises to keep improving safety on the railroad based on consultant's report
Norfolk Southern's CEO pledged to continue working to improve safety after the consultant the railroad hired after the fiery Ohio derailment in February recommended making sure that safety is truly a priority at all levels and continuing many of the efforts it has already begun
2023-09-16 05:08
FBI and European partners seize major malware network in blow to global cybercrime
FBI and European partners seize major malware network in blow to global cybercrime
U.S. officials say the FBI and its partners in Europe infiltrated and seized control of a major malware network that was used for more than 15 years to commit a gamut of online crimes including crippling ransomware attacks
2023-08-30 04:35
Republican US Rep. Emmer drops out of race for House speaker -media
Republican US Rep. Emmer drops out of race for House speaker -media
WASHINGTON U.S. Representative Tom Emmer, the No. 3 Republican in the House, has dropped out of the race
2023-10-25 04:36
Alabama death row inmate cannot be executed due to intellectual disability, appeals court rules
Alabama death row inmate cannot be executed due to intellectual disability, appeals court rules
An appeals court has ruled the state of Alabama cannot execute an intellectually disabled man who was sentenced to die for murdering a man in 1997, upholding a lower court's decision.
2023-05-20 08:30