Final two UK cities in running to host Eurovision Song Contest 2023 announced
Glasgow or Liverpool have been announced as the final two UK cities in the running to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023.
The two remaining cities had “the strongest overall offer”, with a final decision to be made “within weeks”, the broadcaster said.
The BBC appeared to drop a strong hint earlier in the day, with BBC Breakfast presenter Sally Nugent telling viewers: “This morning – listen very carefully to what I’m saying – ahead of an expected update from our BBC entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson we’re going to be looking at the situation in Manchester.”
After taking a look at how Manchester is hoping to secure the contest, Nugent, 51, said: “As we said earlier, later on today we are expecting an update from the BBC.”
She added: “As soon as we know, you will know.”
Kalush Orchestra’s song Stephania has become an anthem in war-torn Ukraine. Pic: AP
Liverpool, which has been a Unesco City of Music since 2015, has a rich music heritage and of course is known worldwide as the birthplace of The Beatles.
Glasgow meanwhile is home to the OVO Hydro arena, which features in the Netflix film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga – with the city previously rumoured to be a favourite location to host the contest for the UK.
Ukraine won this year’s competition, with Kalush Orchestra taking the top spot.
However, the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU) ruled the event could not be held in the country next year as the risk of Russian air raids and mass casualties was too high.
The UK took second place in Eurovision 2022, with Sam Ryder’s Space Man.
Last month, Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield and Manchester were all shortlisted to host the international contest in 2023 on behalf of Ukraine.
Cities were initially judged on criteria including having a venue that can host at least 10,000 people, and access to an international airport.
Eurovision is the world’s biggest live music event – the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest reached a global audience of more than 180 million across TV and digital platforms.
The BBC will air the 2023 competition on behalf of Ukraine’s national broadcaster, UA:PBC.
As winners, Ukraine will get automatic entry into the final next year, alongside what are known as “the big five” nations (the UK, France, Italy, Spain and Germany), which contribute the most financially to the event.
Ukraine is expected to have a big part in putting the show together.
The 67th Eurovision Song Contest will be held in May 2023.
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Om Fahad: Iraqi social media influencer shot dead by gunman on motorbike who posed as food delivery rider – report
A well-known Iraqi social media influencer has reportedly been shot dead in her car by a gunman on a motorbike.
Om Fahad, whose real name is Ghufran Sawadi, was killed outside her home in Baghdad’s Zayouna district on Friday, according to the AFP news agency, citing security officials.
It appears the unidentified attacker pretended to be delivering food to the victim, one security source said.
Om Fahad, who has nearly half a million TikTok followers, became famous for posting light-hearted videos where she dances to Iraqi music.
Six days ago, she shared footage of herself driving in a car and also posing in front of a mirror. They have each been watched hundreds of thousands of times.
The influencer was sentenced to six months in prison in February last year for sharing videos that a court ruled contained “indecent speech that undermines modesty and public morality”.
A campaign was launched in 2023 by the Iraqi government to clamp down on social media content which broke the country’s “morals and traditions”.
The interior ministry set up a committee to look for “offensive” clips on platforms such as TikTok and YouTube, with several influencers being arrested.
“This type of content is no less dangerous than organised crime,” the ministry declared in a promotional video which asked the public to help by reporting such content.
“It is one of the causes of the destruction of the Iraqi family and society.”
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Speaking last year, interior ministry spokesman Saad Maan argued the morality campaign has “nothing to do with freedom of expression”.
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In 2018, gunmen in Baghdad shot dead Tara Fares, who was a model and influencer.
After years of war and sectarian conflict following the 2003 US invasion that overthrew dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has returned to some semblance of normality despite sporadic violence, political instability and corruption.
But civil liberties, particularly among women and sexual minorities, are still constrained in a conservative and male-dominated society.
R Kelly’s challenge against a 20-year sentence for child sex convictions has been quashed by an appeals court.
The singer was correctly sentenced to 20 years in prison, a Chicago court ruled on Friday.
He was convicted in 2022 on three charges of producing child sexual abuse images and three charges of enticement of minors for sex.
In his appeal, Kelly, 57, argued Illinois’ old statute of limitations – which required prosecution of child sex crime charges within 10 years – should have applied, rather than the current law permitting charges while an accuser is still alive.
The appeals court rejected this, labelling it an attempt by Kelly to elude the charges entirely after “employing a complex scheme to keep victims quiet”.
He also argued that charges involving one accuser should have been tried separately from the charges tied to three other accusers due to video evidence that became a focal point of the Chicago trial.
Prosecutors have said the video showed Kelly abusing a girl. The accuser, only identified as Jane, testified for the first time that she was 14 when the video was taken.
The three-judge panel from the appeals court noted jurors acquitted Kelly on seven of the 13 counts against him “even after viewing those abhorrent tapes”.
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In a written statement, Kelly’s attorney Jennifer Bonjean said they plan to seek a US Supreme Court review of the decision and “pursue all of his appellate remedies until we free R Kelly”.
“We are disappointed in the ruling, but our fight is far from over,” she said.
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