Author: staff
Portuguese rock wasn’t born with Rui Veloso, nor with José Cid, nor even with the Conchas, generally considered to be the first rock group in Portugal in the 1960s. The first disc in the genre, which is now largely forgotten, came from a woman named Zurita de Oliveira. From a family of artists, sister of comedian Camilo de Oliveira, Zurita had already recorded several light music albums throughout the 1950s. She changed course, however, in 1961 and moved towards the new sounds emanating from the USA to record what is now recognised as the firstrock ‘n’ roll song in the…
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Finnish divers have recovered the bodies of two of the four remaining Italians who died deep inside an underwater cave in an atoll in the Maldives, an official said on Tuesday. The bodies were located on Monday, when searches resumed after being suspended following the death of a local military diver during a perilous mission to try to reach them. Five Italian divers went missing on Thursday, with one of the bodies recovered earlier. The plan is to recover the remaining two bodies on Wednesday. The announcement that two bodies were recovered on Tuesday was made by presidential spokesperson Mohamed…
Published on 19/05/2026 – 15:50 GMT+2 Repas sans vin, repas chagrin, as the French say. Translation: A meal without wine is a sad meal. Some stereotypes don’t come from nowhere, and wine is an integral part of the French national identity on the same level as the consumption of a good baguette, excessive amounts of cheese, and the absolute necessity of garlic and butter as the basis of most cooking. Oh, and pure, unfiltered anger at the makers of Emily in Paris. However, the first part of that statement is changing… For the first time ever, the consumption of beer…
The formal proposal was filed by a group of 43 lawmakers led by SDS parliamentary chief Jelka Godec. A parliamentary vote on Janša’s candidacy could come as early as Friday. National Assembly Speaker Zoran Stevanović said he expected “no surprises,” arguing that the coalition already had the numbers needed to secure the politician’s return to office. The comeback would represent a dramatic political reversal. Incumbent Prime Minister Robert Golob’s Freedom Movement won last March’s national elections by a razor-thin margin, scoring 29 seats to Janša’s 28. But the liberals failed to build a governing majority after weeks of coalition talks,…
Published on 19/05/2026 – 14:10 GMT+2 “For three centuries, we were in (the) shadow of Russian Empire. And I’m here to say, Europe, we are back,” Ukrainian human rights defender Oleksandra Matviichuk declared as she received the European Order of Merit in the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday. Visibly emotional, Matviichuk said Ukraine is “returning home to European values.” “We are paying the highest price for this.” The head of the Centre for Civil Liberties, which was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, Matviichuk is among the first European Order of Merit laureates. She has been recognised for her…
Published on 19/05/2026 – 15:25 GMT+2•Updated 15:29 The United States Department of Defence’s internal watchdog has launched a formal evaluation into lethal strikes conducted by US Southern Command against suspected drug-smuggling vessels. The announcement follows intense bipartisan criticism regarding the legality of the operations. The probe, announced on Monday by the Pentagon’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG), will scrutinise “Operation Southern Spear,” a controversial military campaign launched in late 2025 aimed at dismantling maritime drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean and Pacific. According to Pentagon data, the campaign has resulted in the destruction of 59 vessels and the deaths…
By Pascale Davies with AP Published on 19/05/2026 – 14:55 GMT+2 More than a billion people follow it — and according to its believers, it is all-knowing. But it isn’t a religion, it’s artificial intelligence. The use of the technology, though, is becoming a concern for many, with AI psychosis, cybersecurity, and the vast amounts of energy it needs to function. Pope Leo XIV is one of those voicing their worries, and in the first major text of his papacy, he will address the impact of AI on humanity. Pope Leo will present a document, known as an encyclical, at the Vatican on…
While Hayer fell short of backing Metsola, her comments signal the liberals are taking a different stance than the Socialists, whose leader Iratxe García said they have a deal that gives her group the right to name Metsola’s successor. Manfred Weber, the head of Metsola’s European People’s Party, has publicly cast doubt on whether the EPP would comply with such a deal, while MEPs say Metsola is already campaigning behind the scenes. Renew wants any presidential candidate to keep the EPP tied to the political center — despite the president representing political lawmakers of all stripes — after the center-right…
A viral X post claiming that Eurovision’s 2026 contest was secretly “fixed” in Finland’s favour spread widely in the days leading up to this year’s final in Vienna. The post, which initially circulated on TikTok, amassed more than 1 million views and presented itself as testimony from a Eurovision “security guard.” “I can freely say through a secret account that the winner is picked,” the viral post said, alleging that Finland had offered organisers of the competition around €16 million to secure victory. However, this claim later unravelled during the final itself when Finland — tipped as a favourite to…