Latest news with #Avrotros
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Eurovision Bosses Stand Their Ground Amid Backlash Over New Pride Flag Rule
Eurovision bosses are not budging on the issue of Pride flags ahead of this year's live event. It was revealed last week that fans at the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest would be able to bring any flag they like with them into the arena (including the flag of Palestine and the Pride flags of underrepresented groups within the LGBTQ+ community), so long as they don't break any laws. This was in contrast to last year's event, where only the flags of competing countries and the standard six-stripe rainbow Pride flag were permitted. However, these rules have not been extended to the competing acts, who are only allowed to wave the flag of the country they're representing, both on stage at Eurovision and in other 'official spaces'. The decision for Pride flags to not be allowed on stage at Eurovision 2025 was a controversial one, given the contest's strong LGBTQ+ fanbase, with The Netherlands' national broadcaster Avrotros appealing to organisers to relax this rule in the run-up to this year's live final. However, according to Eurovoix, bosses have insisted their decision is not one that will be reversed. A statement from Avrotros said: 'Although we think this is a missed opportunity, we – like the other 36 countries – respect the rules that now apply for this year. 'We are now focusing on the connecting power of music, in the conviction that the dialogue about visibility and representation is best conducted together and with a long-term view.' HuffPost UK has contacted Eurovision's organisers, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) for comment. The upcoming Eurovision Song Contest is once again at the centre of controversy due to the continued presence of Israel in the competition. In the last few weeks, the EBU has also responded to questions from three countries' national broadcasters about Israel's involvement, as well as an open letter from more than 70 artists and musicians who have been involved in Eurovision in the past calling for Israel's national broadcaster to be banned from competing, in solidarity with Palestine. Have Flags Actually Been Banned At This Year's Eurovision? Here's What's Really Going On Eurovision Bosses Respond To Former Contestants' Calls For Israel To Be Removed From Contest Olly Alexander Has Some Very Blunt Advice For This Year's UK Eurovision Act
The Herald Scotland
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Eurovision organisers still hope Celine Dion might take to the stage
Dion, 57, won in Dublin 1988 with Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, and there has been speculation that since there has been no Swiss entry triumph until Nemo clinched victory with The Code last year at Malmo, she would return to the stage. The Canadian singer has stepped away from touring in recent years, because of increasing health issues while living with stiff-person syndrome (SPS), but made an emotional come back at the 2024 Paris Olympics singing Edith Piaf's classic Hymne A L'Amour while in the Eiffel Tower. It was reported that Dion sent in a video message for the first semi-final rehearsals wishing the contestants luck, appearing to rule out her return, but this appeared to be dismissed by Swiss broadcaster SRG SSR. An SRG SSR spokesman said: 'All elements of the first semi-final show were played through and rehearsed intensively. 'There are currently no changes regarding Celine Dion – we are still in close contact with her.' The Dutch have placed their hopes on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors – Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Claude Kiambe said he hopes that the organisers have 'listened', after his country's disqualification in 2024 (Tim Buiting/AVROTROS/PA) Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, 'doing great and doing the best', after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification 'unnecessary and disproportionate', while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help 'protect' the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have 'listened to everything what happened'. However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBT+ flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags, after controversy last year on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. Shkodra Elektronike from Albania performs Zjerm during the dress rehearsal for the first semi-final (Martin Meissner/AP) After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the 'big five' and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semi-final. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1,000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday on the BBC from 8pm UK time, and the final at the same time on Saturday.
Irish Examiner
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Dutch hope to make Eurovision final after last year's disqualification
The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the final last year. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors – Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Claude Kiambe said he hopes that the organisers have 'listened', after his country's disqualification in 2024 (Tim Buiting/AVROTROS/PA) Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, 'doing great and doing the best', after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification 'unnecessary and disproportionate', while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help 'protect' the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have 'listened to everything what happened'. However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBT+ flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags – after controversy last year on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. Shkodra Elektronike from Albania performs Zjerm during the dress rehearsal for the first semi-final (Martin Meissner/AP) After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the 'big five' and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen, the UK's girl group Remember Monday, and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semi-final. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1,000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday on RTÉ from 8pm Irish time, and the final at the same time on Saturday.
Powys County Times
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Dutch hope to make Eurovision final after last year's disqualification
The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the final last year. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors – Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, 'doing great and doing the best', after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification 'unnecessary and disproportionate', while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help 'protect' the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have 'listened to everything what happened'. However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBT+ flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags – after controversy last year on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the 'big five' and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semi-final. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1,000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision.
The Advertiser
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Pop phenomena warm up voices for Eurovision showdown
The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the 2024 final. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors - Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, "doing great and doing the best", after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification "unnecessary and disproportionate", while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have "listened to everything what happened". However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBTQI flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags - after controversy in 2024 on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the "big five" and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semifinal. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday, and the final at the same time on Saturday (European time). The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the 2024 final. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors - Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, "doing great and doing the best", after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification "unnecessary and disproportionate", while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have "listened to everything what happened". However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBTQI flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags - after controversy in 2024 on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the "big five" and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semifinal. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday, and the final at the same time on Saturday (European time). The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the 2024 final. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors - Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, "doing great and doing the best", after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification "unnecessary and disproportionate", while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have "listened to everything what happened". However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBTQI flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags - after controversy in 2024 on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the "big five" and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semifinal. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday, and the final at the same time on Saturday (European time). The Netherlands returns to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest after their act was kicked out of the competition shortly before the 2024 final. They have placed their hopes for Tuesday's first semi-final in Basel, Switzerland, on Claude Kiambe, 21, whose entry C'est La Vie reflects on his early musical aspirations and his mother's support. He will compete against Sweden representatives and contest favourites KAJ with the upbeat comical Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), inspired by the Nordic sauna culture, and Ukrainian group Ziferblat's dramatic track Bird Of Pray. Basel-born Zoe Me will perform French language song Voyage for the Swiss but is already through to the final, because Nemo won in Malmo 2024 with The Code, along with some of the big financial contributors - Italy with glam rocker Lucio Corsi's Volevo Essere Un Duro (I Wanted To Be A Tough Guy) and Spain with Melody Gutierrez's Esa Diva (That Diva). Kiambe is seen as among those in contention for the top prize on Saturday, and is already a star of the Dutch charts, with the release of his 2022 debut single Ladada (Mon Dernier Mot), which has had more than 60 million listens on Spotify and which prompted him to leave his restaurant job. Kiambe told the PA news agency that he hopes to see Joost Klein, who was disqualified by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, "doing great and doing the best", after his song Europapa went viral. Dutch broadcaster Avrotros called the disqualification "unnecessary and disproportionate", while the singer denied any wrongdoing, and Swedish prosecutors dropped the case against him. Avrotros also warned that it might not return to the competition, but after a meeting with the EBU to discuss the disqualification and backstage issues, it appears they have returned to the fold. The EBU conducted a review and pledged that a new code of conduct and a raft of new measures, would help "protect" the wellbeing of artists. Kiambe feels this means they have "listened to everything what happened". However, Avrotros did reportedly ask the EBU to rethink its policy on an on-stage LGBTQI flag ban for contestants, although fans are allowed to bring in these symbols along with pro-Palestinian flags - after controversy in 2024 on what could be brought into the arena. Also in the line-up for the first semi-final is Slovenia's Klemen with How Much Time Do We Have Left, electronic musician brothers Matthias Davio Matthiasson and Halfdan Helgi Matthiasson who formed Vaeb and are entering with the futuristic Roa, and Estonia's Tommy Cash with the absurd Espresso Macchiato. Others who are thought likely to make strong showing on Tuesday are San Marino's Gabry Ponte with the catchy beat heavy Tutta L'Italia, Poland's Justyna Steczkowska with her dramatic Gaja, Norway's Kyle Alessandro with the fiery Lighter, Cyprus' Theo Evan's blend of singing and spoken word in Shh and Albania's folksy Shkodra Elektronike with Zjerm. After the public voting, the top 10 countries going through to the final will be announced. They will join the "big five" and Switzerland on Saturday. On Thursday the UK's girl group Remember Monday, Ireland's Emmy Kristiansen and Israeli singer Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, will take to the stage in the second semifinal. There are expected to be protests throughout the week, and a pro-Palestinian group is planning a large gathering for Saturday amid the war in Gaza. More than 1000 police officers are on duty in Basel this week, and there has been an increase in security during Eurovision. Eurovision's semi-finals will air on Tuesday and Thursday, and the final at the same time on Saturday (European time).
