The Globalist

We continue this week’s series on the Eurovision Song Contest with a look at Portugal. It has been competing for nearly half a century but still hasn't been able to snatch the much-revered top spot. Bets are high for this year’s entry: ‘Amar pelos dois’, by Salvador Sobral. But today, we take you to one of the most memorable songs ever. A song that took centre stage in toppling the Salazar regime and led the country into democracy. Here’s our own Carlota Rebelo.

Amid differing versions of how James Comey’s firing came about, the White House and Donald Trump’s presidency sinks further into crisis; we assess what might come next. Plus: the EU’s chief negotiator visits Ireland, an analysis of Vladimir Putin’s fondness for ice hockey, how the chief executive of a major British bank fell for an email prankster and why lizards are delaying a German rail project.

We assess the offer by the US to arm Kurds in a final push on Raqqa amid warnings from Turkey that it could amount to arming terrorists. Plus: the fallout over James Comey’s dismissal continues, how to save cultural landmarks in the Middle East, Finland’s journey to Eurovision and a visit to a fashion summit in Copenhagen.

We continue this week’s series on the Eurovision Song Contest with a look at the Finnish track record from the past 50 years. Monocle 24’s resident Finn Markus Hippi explains how Eurovision became a national obsession – and why he’s not too bothered that the Finnish entry did not get to the finals this year.

And now for the third instalment in our special Eurovision series. Sweden has won the Eurovision Song Contest six times, it just needs another win to tie with Ireland. Besides being the third-biggest music exporter in the world, the country also adores Eurovision. Monocle 24’s Fernando Augusto Pacheco, a lover of both Eurovision and Sweden, discusses some of his favorite Swedish winners of all time.

We analyse the extraordinary move by the US president to dismiss FBI director James Comey and ask what it means for the investigation into Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia. Plus: South Korea’s new president, Australia’s federal budget and the Venice Art Biennale.

As Barack Obama delivers a speech on climate change in Milan and France welcomes a new president we assess the state of the world’s moderate politics. Plus: South Korea heads to the polls, Germany searches its army barracks for Nazi memorabilia and our Eurovision series continues with a look at Serbia.

For the second instalment of our special Eurovision series this week, we look at the Western Balkans. The event might be a light-hearted matter in Britain and much of western Europe but in the East it’s a serious matter – an opportunity for countries to send out messages about who they are and, of course, who their friends and enemies are. A prime example is Serbia. The country won on its first appearance in the contest with ‘Molitva’ (‘Prayer’), by Marija Šerifović. And as our Belgrade correspondent, Guy de Launey, explains, the victory was as much about the singer as the song.

After Emmanuel Macron’s sweeping victory in the French election we assess what’s next for the nation’s new president and ask what it means for leftist politics. Plus: Madrid’s new supersize casino development with echoes of Donald Trump, Australia’s fascination with Eurovision and a look at the newspapers.

The countdown is on as Eurovision creeps ever closer. This Saturday, Kiev will host the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest, the annual music extravaganza. To get us into the mood, we’re inviting some of our contributors this week to review five special moments in Eurovision history. The focus of our first instalment is Australia – which is now an official competitor at the event. Monocle 24’s Andrew Mueller explains the Australian fascination with Eurovision.