Several countries pull out of Eurovision over Israel’s participation

Several countries pull out of Eurovision over Israel’s participation

Public broadcasters in Ireland, the Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia have withdrawn from the Eurovision Song Contest after organizers confirmed Israel will be allowed to compete. More countries are said to be weighing similar decisions. The walkouts follow a meeting of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which consists broadcasters from 56 countries. According to NPR, the…

Read More

Are We Getting Stupider?

Are We Getting Stupider?

For nineteenth-century writers like Gustave Flaubert, the concept of stupidity came to encompass the lazy drivel of cliché and received opinion; one of Flaubert’s characters says that, in mass society, “the germs of stupidity . . . spread from person to person,” and we end up becoming lemming-like followers of leaders, trends, and fads. (This “modern stupidity,” Jeffries…

Read More

Building a State of Fear in “Extremist”

Building a State of Fear in “Extremist”

On November 16, 2023, Sasha Skochilenko, a thirty-three-year-old artist, poet, and musician, stood in court to give what is known in the Russian judicial system as the “last word”—final remarks of the accused before the judge delivers a verdict. Skochilenko, from inside a metal cage, where defendants are confined during courtroom hearings, said her case…

Read More

Ireland, Spain, and Others Withdraw from Eurovision As Israel Granted 2026 Entry

Ireland, Spain, and Others Withdraw from Eurovision As Israel Granted 2026 Entry

Photo illustration by Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Slovakia have all withdrawn from the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest after the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) declined to hold a vote on Israel’s participation in the competition during its general assembly meeting today (Thursday, December 4). The Eurovision organizer had postponed…

Read More

IDF, Border Police arrest terrorists, weapons dealers in Kalkilya counterterrorism op.

IDF, Border Police arrest terrorists, weapons dealers in Kalkilya counterterrorism op.

During the operation, soldiers also shot and killed a terrorist who “hurled a suspicious object” at them. The IDF, Israel Police, and Border Police officers arrested multiple terrorists, weapons dealers, and those suspected of “preparing explosive devices” as part of a large-scale counterterrorism operation in Kalkilya in the West Bank on Thursday, the military confirmed.…

Read More

The Composer Making a Hip-Hop Musical About Anne Frank

The Composer Making a Hip-Hop Musical About Anne Frank

A few years ago, Andrew Fox was struck by a transcendently bad idea. He would turn the story of Anne Frank into a satirical hip-hop musical: intersectional, inclusive, and inane. Fox was a theatre-loving composer who had grown dispirited by the industry in general, and by humorless and preachy productions in particular. His gloomy outlook…

Read More

Court administration warns of major hurdles in prosecution of October 7 attackers

Court administration warns of major hurdles in prosecution of October 7 attackers

The Court Administration issued an assessment cautioning lawmakers that, whether they choose a civilian court, a military court, or a special tribunal, legislative changes will be needed. The Court Administration on Wednesday issued its most detailed assessment to date of the legal and operational obstacles Israel faces in prosecuting perpetrators of the October 7 massacre,…

Read More

Amazon opens new Germany headquarters in Munich

Amazon opens new Germany headquarters in Munich

US online retail giant Amazon has opened a new and expanded headquarters in Germany, the company said on Thursday. After the company’s German headquarters were previously spread across four buildings, the new 45,000-square-metre location centralizes operations at one site in northern Munich, Amazon said. The new building is further proof of the company’s long-term commitment…

Read More