It is the 70th edition of the competition, and is taking place in Vienna, Austria, after it won last year’s contest with the song “Wasted Love” by JJ.

There are 35 countries taking part, which is two fewer than in 2025 and the smallest number of participants since 2003, before the introduction of semi-finals.

Five countries opted not to participate this year, including one of the “big five”. Here are which ones and why they pulled out.

What are the 5 countries boycotting Eurovision 2026 and why?

The five countries that are boycotting Eurovision 2026 are:

• Iceland
• Ireland
• The Netherlands
• Slovenia
• Spain

It marks the largest number of boycotting countries in the contest’s history since 1970.

The countries’ omission from Eurovision is Israel’s participation and the Gaza war, which began in 2023.

Calls for the country to be excluded and demonstrations against its participation happened at both the 2024 and 2025 Eurovision events.

Performers at both competitions were put under pressure by fans to pull out, with viewing figures also dipping over the last two years.

Despite Austria winning the contest last year, Israel’s entry, Yuval Raphael, won the public vote.

Several participating broadcasters called for a rework of the televoting system and an independent audit of individual countries’ televoting results following the 2025 final.

Ahead of the 2026 contest, broadcasters from Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain announced their intention to boycott if Israel was allowed to compete.

When they were granted permission to take part on December 4, broadcasters from the four countries announced they would go ahead with their boycott, followed by Iceland on December 10.

Eurovision director Martin Green said at the time: “We respect the decision of all broadcasters who have chosen not to participate in next year’s Eurovision Song Contest and hope to welcome them back soon.”

Recommended reading:

When is Eurovision 2026?

The Eurovision 2026 semi-finals will be broadcast on May 12 and 14, with the grand final taking place on May 16 at Vienna’s Wiener Stadthalle.

UK viewers can watch all shows live on BBC One and iPlayer, or listen on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, with the coverage beginning on TV at 8pm.

Will you be watching Eurovision this year? Let us know in the comments.

Gary Neville believes Arsenal defender Ben White was ‘asking for trouble’ by making a ‘weak’ challenge that led to a worrying injury that could rule him out for the rest of the season.

White went down in pain following a clash with West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville in the first half of Arsenal’s huge win at the London Stadium on Sunday.

The 28-year-old, who has regained his place in the team in recent weeks following a frustrating season, immediately looked concerned and soon hobbled off assisted by of one of Arsenal’s medical staff.

Mikel Arteta was unable to give a clear update on White’s injury after the game but suggested he was a doubt for Arsenal’s final two Premier League fixtures and the Champions League final at the end of the month.

‘We don’t know, but he doesn’t look good at all,’ a concerned Arteta said. ‘So he needs some further testing tomorrow probably and I know a bit more.’

If serious, the injury could even rule White out of this summer’s World Cup just weeks after his England recall under Thomas Tuchel.

Neville said he ‘hopes’ it does not come to that but suggested White had to shoulder some of the blame for the injury given his ‘pretty weak’ challenge.

Speaking on Sky Sports commentary after White’s injury, Neville said: ‘Ben White just hangs his leg there. It’s poor from the right-back.

‘He’s up against Summerville; he’s got to be stronger than that. He’s hurt himself there.

‘That’s easily prevented if you go in strong and with a real sturdy block. He’s hung his leg out in pretty weak fashion, you’re asking for trouble.’

Speaking after the game, Neville revealed he had suffered a similar injury in training during his Manchester United career.

‘Ben White hangs his leg out and I’ve actually done what he did,’ he said on The Gary Neville podcast.

‘I did it in training, I went out for a drink on the Saturday night, which I never did but we didn’t have a game for ten days. I actually did my medial ligament in training on the Monday morning.

‘I went in for a challenge like how Ben White did. If you go in for a tackle and just hang your leg out away from your body like that, you will get that rock of your knee.

‘You have to go in strong and really block with power because if you just hang your leg out you’ve got a good chance of doing your medial ligament.

‘Ben White will regret that because that could see him out of the World Cup. We don’t know, we haven’t got the diagnosis yet, but they can be four to six-week injuries which would obviously be a big problem for Ben White in terms of the World Cup and the Champions League final.

‘Let’s hope it’s not that bad but that type of injury comes from that challenge.’

White’s injury was the only real blemish from an Arsenal point of view as they clinched a dramatic 1-0 win over West Ham to move a step closer to winning the Premier League.

Leandro Trossard’s late goal broke the deadlock at the London Stadium and West Ham had an injury-time equaliser ruled out following a VAR check.

Arsenal are five points clear of second-placed Manchester City while West Ham’s defeat means they sunk ever closer to relegation.

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The airport was closed for 98 minutes on Monday, May 11 after a fire broke out in the aircraft’s right main landing gear and passengers were evacuated using slides

Flight operations had to be halted after a major airport was closed following an incident involving a Turkish Airlines aircraft.

The Tribhuvan International Airport was closed for 98 minutes, between 6.34am and 8.12am on Monday, May 11, according to Gyanendra Bhul, assistant spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. It is understood that a fire broke out in the aircraft’s right main landing gear.

Part of the airline’s wide-body aircraft became stranded on Taxiway Bravo, while the rest of the aircraft remained on the runway. Authorities were forced to halt all domestic and international flights.

A total of 288 people, including 11 crew members, were on board the aircraft, The Kathmandu Post reported.

Preliminary information showed that a tyre on the aircraft’s right main landing gear had caught fire. Possible causes could include a hard landing, tyre pressure issues or other technical problems, officials said.

Passengers were evacuated using evacuation slides. Two passengers sustained minor injuries to their fingers, according to Turkish Airlines.

The aircraft has been grounded while technical inspections continue and hotel arrangements have been made for passengers scheduled to depart from Kathmandu. Authorities are also preparing to send urgent travellers to their destinations on alternative flights.

A maintenance, repair and overhaul team will investigate at the airport, while the Civil Aviation Authority’s Flight Safety Standard Department will also carry out a detailed inquiry.

The county’s police force has deployed officers to patrol Fairburn, Brotherton and South Milford, near Selby, in response to ongoing reports of motorbikes causing nuisance in those areas.

A force spokesperson said three traffic offences were identified by Sherburn-in-Elmet neighbourhood policing teams and a motorbike was seized.

North Yorkshire Police said patrols will continue in the area and further action will be taken where offences are identified.

President Donald Trump announced Sunday that Republicans plan to dispense a large “Election Integrity Army” to every single state for the 2026 midterms – invoking his debunked claims that the United States does not have fair elections.

In a message on his Truth Social platform the president appeared to attribute his “Historic Election in 2024” to the fact that the Republican National Committee sent thousands of volunteers across the country to poll watch or assist with election litigation through a volunteer program.

“During my Historic Election in 2024, when I won every single Swing State, and decisively won both the Electoral and Popular votes by wide margins, the Republicans had an Election Integrity Army in every single State to preserve the sanctity of each legal vote. We will be doing the same again in 2026, but it will be much bigger and stronger,” Trump wrote.

Trump did not elaborate on who would be part of the “Election Integrity Army” or how large it would be.

But his announcement is reminiscent of familiar claims he made in the run-up to the 2024 presidential race in which he planted seeds of doubt on the validity of U.S. election – seemingly dependent on the outcome.

Trump’s post was in response to Democrats forming an election integrity task force aimed at identifying and mitigating threats to U.S. elections.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said last month Democrats would partner with former Attorney General Eric Holder and election lawyer Marc Elias, who helped the Democratic Party counter Trump’s lawsuit in 2020, to assist in the effort.

“Donald Trump knows, his party knows, that they’re at risk of losing this election in 2026, which is why they’re working round the clock to tilt the scales unfairly in their favor,” Schumer said.

The president asserted the Democratic-led task force “will no doubt try to suppress Republican voters, and interfere with our Elections.”

The president’s latest Truth Social post about election integrity is part of his long-standing efforts to implement more regulations on voting and attempt to investigate debunked claims of ballot fraud.

Since returning to office, the president signed an executive order attempting to restrict mail-in ballot voting and directing the government to create a list of eligible voters, he’s demanded Congress pass federal voter ID laws and sought to have Republican-led states redraw congressional maps in their party’s favor.

The U.S. Constitution largely gives states the power to administer elections and create rules.

Trump’s election denialism stems from his claims that the 2020 was rigged to favor Democrats, despite election infrastructure experts, state audits, federal judges and members of his own administration concluding there was no widespread evidence of voter fraud in the election he lost.

Election experts had consistently assured voters that U.S. elections have been and are secure.

In the 2024 election, the RNC created a “Protect the Vote” program in which average citizens could sign up to be poll watchers on Election Day to make note or report signs of suspicious activity. They also recruited lawyers to assist on election-related litigation. The RNC said more than 160,000 volunteers participated in the last election cycle.

Cambridge South station, located next to Europe’s largest medical research facility, is set to open in June with direct services to London, Birmingham, Brighton and both Gatwick and Stansted airports.

A new railway station serving Cambridge Biomedical Campus will open next month, the Department for Transport (DfT) has confirmed.

Trains will start stopping at Cambridge South station – situated beside what is Europe’s largest medical research facility – from June 28.

It will welcome up to nine trains per hour from Cambridge, alongside direct services to destinations including London King’s Cross, London Liverpool Street, Birmingham New Street, Brighton, Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport.

Services will be run by Greater Anglia, Great Northern, Thameslink, and CrossCountry. The scheme to construct Cambridge South, which is anticipated to serve 1.8 million passengers every year, was chiefly funded by a £250 million Government investment.

It secured a combined £5 million in contributions from pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority, and the Greater Cambridgeshire Partnership.

The station features a so-called green roof, incorporating solar panels and a rainwater collection system with a wildflower meadow environment.

The DfT stated Cambridge South will be the first new Great British Railways (GBR) branded station. GBR is an forthcoming public sector body that will supervise Britain’s railways.

Research undertaken at Cambridge Biomedical Campus tackles some of the most urgent global healthcare challenges, including developing methods for detecting cancer early and understanding dementia. The campus contributes £4.7 billion annually to the UK economy, a figure projected to reach £18.2 billion by 2050 while its 20,000-strong workforce is expected to double.

Rail minister Lord Hendy said: “Cambridge South will open up access to jobs, homes and world-class facilities for people across the region, boosting the growth of the Biomedical Campus as one of the most important engines of growth in the country.

“As the first new Great British Railways branded station, the opening is an important milestone for our railways and a sign of the real change public ownership will deliver.

“Faster connections supporting economic growth, thousands more jobs and homes, and a railway that works for the communities it serves.”

Network Rail chief executive Jeremy Westlake said: “Cambridge South station will significantly improve travel and connectivity for campus staff, visitors and the wider community for many years to come.

“Thousands of people have worked tirelessly on this fantastic project to build a modern, accessible and sustainable station that reflects the excellence of the work that is being undertaken in Europe’s largest biomedical facility.”

Imagine being in England’s position as the VAR in Stockley Park.

The pressure on the official must have been huge. He cannot hear the Sky commentary, he has no idea what public opinion is.

This is the referee who, in September 2023, was responsible for the biggest VAR mistake the Premier League has seen.

It was England who misinterpreted an on-field offside decision, causing a goal for Liverpool‘s Luis Diaz to be wrongly disallowed at Tottenham.

England had to fight his way back up to top-flight refereeing after that.

Today he was presented with a decision that could decide the fate of two clubs.

You can’t blame him for taking his time. He had to get this right.

England spent two minutes 41 seconds poring over every angle of the footage, checking the possible foul, the potential penalties.

We have seen pushing, shoving, grabbing and pulling on corners all season. Goalkeepers have been pressuring and harried too.

Is this different? Crucially, it was.

Arsenal have been the kings of it all season, crowding and surrounding goalkeepers at corners, finding ways to create space and score goals from set-pieces.

That they benefit from it in such a crucial way won’t be lost on some.

But it is hard to argue that the Spain international was not impeded. Without the foul contact by Pablo, Raya would surely have had a simple catch.

Pablo had his arm across Raya and he was holding on to the goalkeeper’s left arm too.

England checked the other possible fouls too, by Trossard on Pablo and Rice on Summerville.

Importantly, the first foul that had a direct impact on play was Pablo on Raya. You cannot give a penalty for a foul that may come after this.

England had to get that right – and he did.

Referee Kavanagh spent one minute 15 seconds at the monitor. He too would have known the consequences of his final decision.

In total, four minutes 11 seconds potentially deciding the title and the final relegation place.

If it takes that long, can it really be clear and obvious? That is the wrong way to look at it. With such a huge, season-defining call, take as long as necessary to make sure you are getting it right.

England will have spent the final few minutes of the game wondering if he’d made the right call.

There are no communications inside the VAR room, no mobile phones, no way of gauging if you’ve done the right thing.

Imagine the relief when he walks out of the room and is told he’s got it right, that Pablo has impacted Raya from playing the ball.

On Saturday, England will take charge of the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea.

That was unthinkable two and a half years ago. Now he’s got the landmark game on the football calendar – and he’s exorcised his VAR demons.

One of the 17 Americans evacuated from the MV Hondius cruise ship in Tenerife has tested positive for hantavirus but is not showing any symptoms, as Brits returning to the UK face a 45-day self-isolation period

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One of the 17 American passengers evacuated from a cruise ship in the Canary Islands has tested positive for the hantavirus, though is not showing any symptoms, U.S. health officials confirmed late on Sunday.

The charter flight carried 17 Americans rescued from the MV Hondius after it docked in Tenerife, the largest island in the Spanish archipelago situated off the West African coast. The aircraft was due to touch down in Omaha, Nebraska, in the early hours of Monday morning.

The Americans were initially due to be flown to the University of Nebraska, home to a federally funded quarantine facility, where assessments would determine whether they had been in close contact with any symptomatic individuals and their risk levels for transmitting the virus.

“One passenger will be transported to the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit upon arrival, while other passengers will go to the National Quarantine Unit for assessment and monitoring. The passenger who is going to the Biocontainment Unit tested positive for the virus but does not have symptoms,” said Kayla Thomas, a spokesperson for The Nebraska Medical Center.

The MV Hondius arrived in Tenerife on Sunday morning, with Spanish authorities beginning evacuations of the cruise liner organised by nationality and transporting passengers to port via small boat. The World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed its aim was to complete the vessel’s evacuation, with the exception of 30 crew members remaining on board, by 7pm on Monday. Travellers were instructed to leave their belongings on board the vessel and were permitted to take only a small bag containing essential items, such as their mobile phone and passport.

Late last night, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, confirmed on X: “Most passengers and crew of the MV Hondius cruise ship successfully disembarked today.”

British nationals returning to the UK will be required to self-isolate for 45 days and will be prohibited from using public transport to travel to their homes. Following the isolation period, public health specialists will determine whether passengers are able to self-isolate at home or at an alternative suitable location, depending on their living circumstances.

In a post on X, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper stated: “Thank you to all those who worked around the clock to get passengers from MV Hondius back to the UK by special flight this evening with public health protections in place. The UK has worked with Spain, South Africa, the Netherlands and the WHO to coordinate safe returns.”

Anthony Adams became Dr Anthony Brennan and created various bogus personas, including targeting an Under 10s football team and a bereaved family.

The relentless deceptions of Anthony Brennan have been chronicled in the Daily Record for eight years. Cases have ranged from amusing to deeply sinister – and several have involved innocent victims being duped out of money and the Walter Mitty passing himself off as a doctor.

The latest court conviction for the schemer came at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, where he admitted defrauding blind army veteran Bill Mackie, taking medals and cash from trusting Bill and sending him on a wild goose chase to Tanzania.

Our barely believable revelations chart how Bill, 72, and wife Heather, 67, bought plane tickets for Tanzania and turned up for a meeting with the African nation’s foreign minister in the capital of Dogdoma in 2023.

Bill and Heather were humiliated when the politician was not available – and had never heard of any meeting.

He was so furious at the wasted 9,000 mile round trip that he reported Brennan, 32, to the police – presenting officers with Daily Record stories that documented the scammer’s previous deception antics.

He also told how Brennan made his own fake Interpol card, telling Bill he had the power to arrest international gangsters. It is believed that there are many more victims of Brennan that have not yet come to light.

The delusions of grandeur that have motivated the bogus doctor have been in place for many years but we caught up with him in 2018, when he recruited trainee first aiders, who thought they were employed by a bona-fide private ambulance company.

First aiders have accused a Walter Mitty employer of using them to “chase ambulances” and failing to pay wages.

Then aged just 23 and going by the name Anthony Adams, the scammer held open days to recruit staff – including doctors, nurses, medics, and drivers – for National Events Medical Services, claiming he would be covering major sporting events.

But staff told how he charged them £250 for training and uniforms – then refused to cough up for work they did.

The work involved waiting for alerts via an electronic alert system then trying to beat the Scottish Ambulance Service to the job.

Here are just some of the other outrageous deceptions concocted by Anthony Brennan/Adams:

In April 2022 we told how Adams had paid £60 for a fake doctorate from a bogus university – and changed his name to Dr Anthony Brennan. These deceptions allowed him to be accepted as a member of the Royal Society for Arts.

After signing up for the academia.edu website, which gathers the achievements of bona-fide academics, the Walter Mitty character passed off award-winning work by world-famous US scientist Professor Anthony Brennan as his own.

The Record later spoke to the real Dr Brennan, who furiously denounced the ginger impersonator.

Those revelations followed more alarming news in 2022 on the fraudster, who’d been passing himself off as a Celtic scout.

Brennan was reported to police after approaching the Under-10 boys’ coach and saying he’d been sent by the giant Glasgow club.

He was convicted at Ayr Sheriff Court and given a Community Payback Order for 18 months.

Adams had earlier been accused of stealing North Ayrshire Council ID badges and clothing and impersonating a council employee. A not guilty plea to this charge was accepted.

In January, 2024, Brennan was finally jailed for six months after he pretended to be a surgeon and gained entry to restricted areas at Ayrshire’s Crosshouse Hospital between July 3 and October 2021.

Cruel Brennan befriended the family of a man who died in a motorcycle accident – and spun a web of lies that led to him having a key role at the man’s funeral.

He also told the dead man’s sister the dead man had become a dad before he died – and falsely claimed to have heard his dying words.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court heard that NHS chiefs had re-examined their security measures at Crosshouse after Adams’ deception raised “significant concerns”.

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