11 h. ago As Israel is cleared to compete, Eurovision’s future hangs in the balance

The European Broadcasting Union will allow Israel to compete at next year’s contest, a decision that has prompted four countries to boycott the event. Roisin O’Connor asks whether Eurovision can ever get back to the joyful celebration it once was

Politics

29 h. ago Four countries pull out of Eurovision 2026 after Israel is allowed to compete

Multiple countries, including Ireland, have chosen to boycott Eurovision 2026 after the European Broadcasting Union decided to allow Israel to compete in the competition

Politics

30 h. ago Netherlands, Spain and Ireland among countries set to boycott Eurovision after Israel allowed to compete

Belgium and Iceland’s broadcasters are now reviewing their position and will make a decision in the coming days, it is understood

Politics

31 h. ago Four countries to boycott Eurovision 2026 as Israel cleared to compete

Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands pull out after decision not to hold vote on Israel’s participationIreland, Spain, Slovenia and the Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision after Israel was given the all-clear to compete in the 2026 song contest despite calls by several participating broadcasters for its exclusion over the war in Gaza.No vote on Israel’s participation was held on Thursday at the general assembly of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), the body that organises the competition. Continue reading...

Politics

32 h. ago Multiple countries boycott Eurovision 2026 after Israel allowed to compete

The announcements came after European Broadcasting Union met to discuss concerns about Israel’s role in the contest amid its conduct in Gaza

Politics

32 h. ago Eurovision 2026: Several countries WITHDRAW as Israel allowed to compete

Several broadcasters around Europe have said they will boycott Eurovision next year after Israel was given the go-ahead to take part in the competition

Politics

32 h. ago Multiple countries boycott Eurovision after Israel allowed to compete next year

The announcements came after European Broadcasting Union met to discuss concerns about Israel's role in the contest amid its conduct of the war in Gaza

Politics

37 h. ago Eurovision members facing major decision over Israel's future at contest as boycott threats loom

Countries including Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands have threatened to boycott Eurovision 2026 if Israel is allowed to remain in the competition.

Politics

40 h. ago Eurovision holds crisis meeting over Israel: Competition at risk as countries threaten to quit if Jewish state is allowed to enter while Germany says it may walk if they ARE banned

The meeting at the European Broadcasting Union headquarters in Geneva will take place to discuss Eurovision rule change

Events

49 h. ago It's making your mind up time: Eurovision bosses to decide today whether Israel will be allowed to compete

The Eurovision Song Contest faces a 'watershed moment' as it decides whether Israel can participate in next year's competition.

Politics

4 d. ago It's not just Gaza. From the West Bank to Syria and Lebanon, Israel's onslaught continues | Nesrine Malik

Broken ceasefires, bombing, ground incursions and mounting deaths: Israeli imperialism is now expanding across the regionIt is clear now that the ceasefire in Gaza is only a “reducefire”. The onslaught continues. There are near-daily attacks on the territory. On a single day at the end of October, almost 100 Palestinians were killed. On 19 November, 32 were killed. On 23 November, 21. And on it goes. Since the ceasefire, more than 300 have been killed and almost 1,000 injured. Those numbers will rise. The real shift is that the ceasefire has reduced global attention and scrutiny. Meanwhile, Israel’s emerging blueprint becomes clearer: bloody domination not only in Gaza, but across Palestine and the wider region.A “dangerous illusion that life in Gaza is returning to normal”, is how Amnesty International’s secretary general, Agnès Callamard, described this post-ceasefire period. Israeli authorities have reduced attacks and allowed some aid into Gaza, she said, but “the world must not...

Politics

8 d. ago Face transplants promised hope. Patients were put through the unthinkable

Twenty years after the first face transplant, patients are dying, data is missing, and the experimental procedure’s future hangs in the balanceIn the early hours of 28 May 2005, Isabelle Dinoire woke up in a pool of blood. After fighting with her family the night before, she turned to alcohol and sleeping tablets “to forget”, she later said.Reaching for a cigarette out of habit, she realized she couldn’t hold it between her lips. She understood something was wrong. Continue reading...

Science

3 w. ago UAE says it will not join Gaza stabilisation force without clear legal framework

Move reflects wider regional doubts about terms of US-drafted plan to disarm Hamas Plans for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force charged with disarming Hamas inside Gaza face growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates said it would not participate because it did not yet see a clear legal framework for the force.Israel has already ruled out Turkey joining the force, and King Abdullah of Jordan has said Jordanian troops will not join. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a contributor, did not attend a planning meeting in Turkey last week and said it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was in place. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago UAE refuses to join Gaza stabilisation force without clear legal framework

Decision reflects wider regional doubts about terms of US-drafted plan to disarm HamasPlans for a UN-mandated international stabilisation force charged with disarming Hamas inside Gaza face growing opposition after the United Arab Emirates said it would not participate because it did not yet see a clear legal framework for the force.Israel has already ruled out Turkey joining the force, and King Abdullah of Jordan has said Jordanian troops will not join. Azerbaijan, once mooted as a contributor, did not attend a planning meeting in Turkey last week and said it would not contribute unless a full ceasefire was in place. Continue reading...

Politics