Trending lifestyle news

14Aug

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Eurovision bars countries at war from hosting

Eurovision Song Contest organizers announced rule changes that would prevent countries involved in an armed conflict from hosting the event. Israel and Ukraine are among the countries the rule could affect, with both having enjoyed recent success in the competition. What did the Eurovision organizers say? Eurovision is typically staged by the broadcaster from the country that won the previous edition as part of a co-production involving members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Under the new rules, "the winning broadcaster will automatically be ineligible to host the Contest if an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region," the EBU said.Canada to join 2027 Eu...

France bans alcohol during Fete de la Musique amid heat wave

21Jun

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France bans alcohol during Fete de la Musique amid heat wave

France is soaking up the sun, with annual music festivities set to take over Paris and the rest of the country on Sunday, even as the national weather service warns of dangerous temperatures. The prime minister's office announced in a statement that it is banning the consumption of alcohol during nationwide Fete de la Musique (Music Day) festivities in regional departments placed under the red heat wave alert from noon on Sunday. "For all events organized by the state and its agencies, instructions have been given not to offer alcohol," the statement said following a crisis meeting called by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. Meteo France, the national weather forecaster, issued the highest-level warning, a red heatwave alert, for 35 regional departments for Sunday, including Paris. Fra...

France bans alcohol at festivals as heatwave raises risks

20Jun

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France bans alcohol at festivals as heatwave raises risks

Franceis soaking up the sun with annual music festivities set to take over Paris and the rest of the country on Sunday, even as the national weather service warns of dangerous temperatures. The Prime Minister's office said in a statement that it was banning the consumption of alcohol during nationwide Fete de la Musique ("festival of music") festivities in regional departments placed under the red heatwave alert from noon on Sunday. "For all events organized by the state and its agencies, instructions have been given not to offer alcohol," the statement said following a crisis meeting called by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. Meteo France, the national weather forecaster, issued the highest-level warning, a red heatwave alert, for 35 regional departments for Sunday, including Paris. ...

The feel-good German song taking over social media

18Jun

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The feel-good German song taking over social media

German is not the first language you'd expect to find behind a global TikTok hit, which is why the success of "Gut genug" is even more surprising. The track was a collaboration between Berlin-based producers KitschKrieg, indie duo Blumengarten and rapper Shirin David. Now, millions of social media users worldwide have featured the song in their videos — although many of them don't understand a word of German. Despite that fact — or perhaps because of it — the song has become a hit. The hook sticks in your head and is easy to sing along to. Blumengarten singer Rayan croons it in a high, expressive voice, and the melody carries a message that transcends language. It offers comfort, reassurance and the desire to simply be accepted; things that are felt all over the world. 'Doobie Scoot C...

New exhibitions for Anish Kapoor: Art on the edge

17Jun

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New exhibitions for Anish Kapoor: Art on the edge

Anish Kapoor can demand quite a lot from his audience. For some, gazing into dark whirlpools, into the blackest of black, may be unsettling, depending on one's state of mind. Added to that is dark red wax, one of his favorite materials: It symbolizes flesh and blood. Associations that cut straight to the core. And yet, the artist seems cheerful and relaxed talking about his work. At times, however, it makes even him feel a little uneasy. Take, for example, the major exhibition of his work currently on view at the Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg, Germany. In an interview with ARD, he walks around "First Body," a sculpture made of resin. "It is, if you like, fleshy. Sort of doing this rather strange thing," he laughs, as his shoulders shudder. Anish Kapoor's 'First Body' is currently on sho...

Artist JR’s wrapped bridge opens in Paris in nod to Christo

17Jun

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Artist JR’s wrapped bridge opens in Paris in nod to Christo

"La Caverne du Pont Neuf," an installation in Paris by French street artist and photographer JR, has opened on Monday after a delay because strong winds had damaged the artwork. It is on show until June 28. With the largest project of his career to date, JR has said that he aims to shift how people experience France's capital. It's an ode to late artist duo Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "The Pont Neuf Wrapped," which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2025. Images of rugged rock make up the installation titled "La Caverne du Pont-Neuf," rising above the river in black and white to cover the 232-meter-long (761-foot-long) bridge. The "cave" is made up of 80 canvas arches filled with air. JR also took inspiration from the quarries in the Paris basin from which the bridge's stones were ext...

17Jun

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Life Style

Anish Kapoor: Art on the edge

Anish Kapoor can demand quite a lot from his audience. For some, gazing into dark whirlpools, into the blackest of black, may be unsettling, depending on one's state of mind. Added to that is dark red wax, one of his favorite materials: It symbolizes flesh and blood. Associations that cut straight to the core. And yet, the artist seems cheerful and relaxed talking about his work. At times, however, it even makes him feel a little uneasy. Take, for example, the major exhibition of his work currently on view at the Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg. In an interview with ARD, he walks around "First Body," a sculpture made of resin, and says: "It is, if you like, fleshy. Sort of doing this rather strange thing," he laughs, as his shoulders shudder. Anish Kapoor's 'First Body' is currently on show...

Leipzig Bach festival: Encouraging dialog

17Jun

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Leipzig Bach festival: Encouraging dialog

Can the music of Johann Sebastian Bach encourage dialogue? Absolutely, says Burkhard Jung, lord mayor of Leipzig and former president of Eurocities, a network of major European cities. In his opening address at the 2026 Leipzig Bachfest, he cited the fast-paced nature of our modern lives, where so much happens simultaneously. "The world is full of voices, but they don't really talk to one another," Jung emphasized. Bach's music is polyphonic; layers of distinct voices with their own melodies, all given equal importance as part of the piece as a whole. Sometime these voices take turns in a kind of question-and-answer interplay; sometimes they follow one another at intervals — as in a fugue — or they go their own melodic ways, only to come together again at the end. "In Bach's works, one ca...

Russian artist critical of Putin shot dead in Poland

17Jun

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Russian artist critical of Putin shot dead in Poland

A Russian artist known for satirising President Vladimir Putin was shot dead in Poland, officials said on Tuesday. Local media identified the victim of Monday's attack as Robert Kuzovkov, also known under his artistic pseudonym as Semyon Skrepetsky. The district ⁠prosecutor in ⁠Lublin said three gunshots were fired at the victim on Monday. When the victim fell to the ground, he was approached by the assailant, who fired two more shots at close range. Two Belarusian nationals have been detained, but not charged, in connection with the case, the spokesperson added.Skrepetsky traveled to Berlin on Russia Day where he protested outside the Russian embassyImage: Vasily Krestyaninov/SOPA Images/ZUMA/picture alliance Who was Semyon Skrepetsky? Skrepetsky was a visual artist who made a nam...

25 years since Nazi forced labor compensation began

17Jun

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25 years since Nazi forced labor compensation began

Germany's Remembrance, Responsibility and Future (EVZ) Foundation is this month marking 25 years since it first paid compensation to the last survivors forced to work under the Nazi regime. But some have argued that those payments should have begun much sooner after the end of World War II in 1945, and should have been much larger. According to the EVZ, €4.4 billion ($5.1 billion) were paid to 1.66 million former forced laborers and their legal successors in around 100 countries between 2001 and 2007, when the final payments were made. Some 26 million people are believed to have been forced to work for the Nazi regime between 1933 and 1945, around half of them in occupied Europe outside Germany's borders during World War II. Historical studies have found that if the full amount of slave ...