Author: Gulf News Week
Like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest has arrived to dispel the gloom of a weary world.With 35 countries taking part, it’s the most compact competition since 2003 – due to a partial boycott over Israel’s presence.If you can put the politics aside (and many fans feel they can’t), the competition presents its usual mix of mayhem and spectacle.This year’s hopefuls include a man entirely covered in silver paint, a fake gorilla, an actual Boy George – and the longest high note in Eurovision history.Fandoms of the operaFrance TélévisionsFrench contestant MonroeAria paying attention?…
European airlines can use US-grade jet fuel to ease potential shortages caused by the US-Israel war with Iran, the EU and two major international airline bodies have suggested.The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has suggested that wider international acceptance of US-grade jet fuel could help to head off any supply problems.The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has drawn up safety guidance, setting out how US supplies could be introduced into the European market, as well as information on the risks involved. Meanwhile, the EU has said there are no “regulatory obstacles” stopping European airlines using US-grade fuel so long as…
Brent crude rises amid clashes in critical waterway. Oil prices have jumped after clashes between United States and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz pushed their tenuous ceasefire to the brink. Futures for Brent crude rose as much as 7.5 percent during a volatile trading session on Thursday, before easing as Asia’s markets opened on Friday morning. The international benchmark stood at $101.12 per barrel as of 03:00 GMT, down from the day’s high of $103.70. The latest rise came after the US and Iran exchanged fire in the critical strait, a conduit for about one-fifth of global oil and…
Examinations and international assessments will be conducted in-person, the Ministry of Education confirmed UAE’s Ministry of Education said that the model of learning for the upcoming period, whether in-person or remote, will be announced on May 10. The country’s Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research also said the learning model for higher educational institutions would be announced on Sunday evening. The decision will be taken after an “assessment of the current situation” in coordination with relevant authorities, authorities said. Examinations and international assessments will be conducted in-person “in accordance with the approved plans”, the authority confirmed. Dubai’s Knowledge and…
The South African expat said that a routine school morning turned emotional after his wife checked an email confirming he had won the UAE Lottery Anormal school morning at a home in Dubai suddenly turned into one of shock after a woman saw her husband’s email and realised he had just become a millionaire. Branden Tekram, a 39-year-old South African expat, casually asked his wife to take a look at an email while she was getting their son ready for school. The couple did not expect what came next. “She was stunned and asked, ‘Is this real? Did we win…
Despite the recent history of tension between Brazil and the United States, Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Donald Trump ended their meeting on Thursday at the White House exchanging public compliments.Trump said in a post on Truth Social that the meeting had been “very good” and called Lula “dynamic”, while the Brazilian president said he left the meeting “very satisfied”.Still, the absence of a joint Oval Office press appearance could be a a sign that important disagreements remain unresolved.The two governments still disagree on key issues such as crime, and Lula acknowledged they are especially far apart on…
Real Madrid in crisis – inside the conflict and chaos at the BernabeuBBC Sport examines a torrid week for Real Madrid with the iconic club on the brink of a second successive trophyless season.13 hrs agoEuropean Football
One California grandmother has been waiting for answers since she was a child and her mother spotted a UFO hovering while she hung clothes out to dry. A therapist in Texas has been an “experiencer” since childhood. And another Lone Star resident, a 36-year-old musician, has been delving into the extraterrestrial world since he learned about an incident not far from his hometown.All of them on Friday, like the rest of the “UFO community,” were waiting with bated breath for what was touted by the US government as a historic moment: The first release of never-before-seen files about unidentified anomalous…
As the MV Hondius cruise ship approaches Tenerife, the people of the Spanish island await it with a mixture of uncertainty and, in some cases, anger.The Spanish government has agreed with the World Health Organization (WHO) that the passengers of the vessel, which has seen an outbreak of the hantavirus, should be allowed to disembark there this weekend. It has travelled from Cape Verde, where three people were evacuated due to illness.On Friday, some Tenerife dock workers gathered outside the Canary Islands’ parliament building in the town of Santa Cruz, to voice concerns that the imminent arrival could pose a…
Hungary’s new prime minister, Péter Magyar, is set to be sworn in, almost a month after he steered his Tisza party to a landslide victory, sweeping away 16 years of rule by Viktor Orbán.Tisza holds 141 seats out of 199 in the new parliament – up from zero, a result of the party being founded just two years ago. A big “celebration of freedom and democracy” is planned on Saturday in front of parliament in Budapest, along the shores of the Danube. Magyar has told Hungarians to step through the “gateway of regime change”.Orbán’s Fidesz party crumbled from 135 to…