All posts tagged: Grand Final

Australian singer Keli Holiday denied entry into US as girlfriend apologises for Trump post

Australian singer Keli Holiday denied entry into US as girlfriend apologises for Trump post

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Australian musician Keli Holiday has been forced to cut his tour short after being denied entry in the US – with his incident at the border being followed by an apology from his girlfriend over an old social media post about Donald Trump. Holiday, who performs solo and as one half of the electronic duo Peking Duk, said he was “detained” at the border while trying to travel from Canada back into the States for a concert in New York. He said in a post on social media on Tuesday (11 May): “Unfortunately I’m not going to make it to tonight’s show at Baby’s All Right in NYC. “I have spent all day detained at the Canadian border and denied entry back into the U.S. despite having the proper visa documentation in place. “I’m still trying to get clarity on the situation myself.” …

Eurovision 2026: Which countries have dropped out of the song contest and why?

Eurovision 2026: Which countries have dropped out of the song contest and why?

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Millions of fans across Europe (and Australia) will be tuning in to see if their nation’s act can bring home the Eurovision trophy this month – but five countries will be noticeably absent from this year’s song contest. Amid a continued furore over the decision to allow Israel to compete, a number of countries – including one of the “Big Five” – have announced that they will not be taking part. The event’s organisers, the Eurovision Broadcasting Union (EBU), came under pressure to ban Israel from entering the competition in both 2024 and 2025 amid the war in Gaza. Both contests went ahead as planned but not without controversy. Performers at each contest, including the UK’s 2025 entrant Olly Alexander, found themselves under pressure to pull out, while viewing figures have continued to dip as many longtime fans have boycotted the …