Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger warned back in September that several countries, including Spain, were planning to boycott Eurovision due to Israel’s participation. The top diplomat of the host country tried to dissuade critics, reminding them that the contest “is not a tool for imposing sanctions.” But it was Austria itself that first resorted to a boycott: in 1969, it chose not to send a representative to Madrid. That year, Spain was hosting the event after Massiel’s victory in London with La, la, la. Vienna refused to take part to avoid helping legitimize the Franco regime in Europe, at a moment when Spain was under a state of emergency and curbing the modest press freedoms introduced by the Fraga law.

Seguir leyendo

Export’s performances scandalised Austria in the 1960s, but are now recognised for exposing the objectification of the female body

Valie Export, the Austrian performance artist and film-maker who inverted the male gaze in ways that were provocative, shocking and often outrageously fun, has died aged 85.

The artist’s own foundation announced on Thursday evening that Export died in Vienna earlier the same day, three days before her 86th birthday.

There was wind, there was fire, there was Goodrem’s remarkable upper-range – resulting in a refreshingly self-assured offering from Australia

• ‘Sung by a silver robot from 1984!’ The 11 biggest bangers in Eurovision 2026

• Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

Standing before a glistening crescent moon and adorned in more than 7,000 Swarovski crystals, Australia’s 2026 Eurovision hopeful Delta Goodrem delivered a powerful performance on the 70th anniversary of the global song contest – and become the first Australian act to qualify for the grand final since 2023.

Heading into the competition as an early favourite behind Eurovision heavy-hitters Denmark and Finland, Goodrem delivered a note-perfect rendition of her power-ballad entry, Eclipse. The track is impressive if a little formulaic – and of the 35 countries competing, 15 are represented by solo female performers, so Goodrem needed to find a way to stand out in a crowded field.

Bernhard Schlor posted a photo:

Austrian foreign minister says Russian diplomatic mission in Vienna was being used for illicit collection of data

Austria has expelled three Russian embassy staff on suspicion of spying after determining that a “forest of antennae” on the diplomatic mission in Vienna, Europe’s espionage capital since the cold war, was being be used for illicit data collection.

“It is unacceptable that diplomatic immunity be used to commit espionage,” Austria’s foreign minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger, said on Monday. She added that the three embassy staff – whose expulsions bring the number of Russian diplomats sent home by Vienna to 14 since 2020 – had already left the country.

For over six decades, the world has regarded the beautiful and peaceful city of Vienna with a certain apprehension. Austria, a country far removed from the fossil fuel imagery, is nonetheless the seat of power in the world’s largest commodities market. There, a stone’s throw from its imposing neo-Gothic City Hall, the energy ministers of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meet month after month to decide how much production to withhold from the market in order to keep prices high, effectively steering a marketplace that resembles a modern bazaar more than a free market.

Seguir leyendo