Category: 2. Middle East

Spain’s public broadcaster said on Friday it has called for a “debate” over Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Switzerland due to “concerns” over the situation in war-torn Gaza.

RTVE has sent a letter to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which manages the event, “requesting a debate on the participation of Israeli public television (KAN)” in the contest, the Spanish public broadcaster said in a statement.

The Swiss city of Basel will host the glitzy annual…

The trial of dozens of Tunisian opposition figures resumed on Tuesday under tight security, with six detained defendants on hunger strike after they were barred from attending court in person.

Foreign diplomats were in court to monitor the trial of around 40 high-profile accused. They include activists, politicians, lawyers and media figures, some of whom have been vocal critics of President Kais Saied.

Saied, elected after Tunisia emerged as the only democracy from the Arab Spring, staged a…

A living legend in Liverpool, Mohamed Salah has two more years to burnish his astonishing legacy at Anfield after extending his contract on Friday.

In the midst of constant speculation over his future, the 32-year-old has produced one of the great all-time individual seasons to take the Reds to the brink of the Premier League title.

The Egyptian has scored 27 goals and provided 17 assists in 31 league appearances to help Arne Slot’s men open up an 11-point lead for with seven games to go.

A…

Dozens of Israeli air strikes on Gaza have killed “only women and children” after a ceasefire collapsed, the UN said, as an Israeli attack in the territory’s south on Friday killed a family of 10.

A UN rights office report also warned that expanding Israeli evacuation orders were resulting in the “forcible transfer” of people into ever-shrinking areas, raising “real concern as to the future viability of Palestinians as a group in Gaza”.

Israel’s military said it was looking into the attack…

Gaza’s civil defence agency said a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on Friday killed 10 members of the same family, including seven children, in the southern city of Khan Yunis.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the attack, adding in a separate statement that it had struck approximately 40 “terror targets” across Gaza over the past day.

Israel resumed intense strikes on the Gaza Strip on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas.

Efforts to restore the truce have so far…

Iran is seeking a “real and fair” agreement with the United States on its nuclear programme, a senior aide to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Friday, setting the stage for a diplomatic showdown this weekend in Oman.

Longtime adversaries Iran and the US are set to hold talks on Saturday in Muscat, aimed at reaching a potential nuclear deal. US President Donald Trump last month sent a letter to Khamenei urging negotiations and warning of possible military action if Tehran…

Gaza rescuers said a pre-dawn Israeli air strike Friday killed 10 members of the same family, as the UN said dozens of recent attacks on the Palestinian territory had killed only women and children.

A UN rights office report also warned that expanding Israeli evacuation orders were resulting in the “forcible transfer” of people into ever-shrinking spaces, which “raise real concern as to the future viability of Palestinians as a group in Gaza”.

Israel’s military said it was looking into the…

When US and Iranian negotiators meet in Oman on Saturday they will be just the latest to turn to crisis mediation in the Gulf Arab states, whose wealthy rulers are increasingly seeking out the role.

Oman is a long-established venue for Iranian talks, while promoting peace is a pillar of Qatar’s foreign policy and even enshrined in its constitution.

More recently Saudi Arabia has caught on, hosting Ukraine ceasefire talks including the latest round in a lavish hotel in Riyadh last month.

The…

The Tesla electric vehicle company owned by billionaire Elon Musk on Thursday opened its first showrooms in oil-rich Saudi Arabia — where hybrid cars remain a rare sight.

The opening of showrooms in the capital Riyadh, Jeddah and Damam comes as Tesla global sales fall.

Showrooms in the United States have been attacked, reportedly because of links between Musk, the world’s richest person, and US President Donald Trump. The company’s share price has slumped since Musk started working with the…