Austria’s public broadcaster ORF, which is hosting the Eurovision Song Contest next year, has said it will not block Palestinian flags in the audience or suppress crowd reactions during Israel’s performance.
Speaking in Vienna on Tuesday, executives from ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk) said that the network would present events as they happen, even if Israel’s performance is met with boos.
ORF’s director of programming, Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz, said artificial applause would not be used to mask audience reactions, while executive producer Michael Kroen confirmed that all official flags would be allowed, provided they meet local legal and security requirements.
In previous Eurovision contests, audience boos during Israel’s performance were often minimised or drowned out in the television broadcast, a practice criticised by viewers and broadcasters
The 70th edition of Eurovision, due to take place in Vienna in May, will feature 35 countries — the lowest number since 2003 — after five broadcasters, including those from Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands, announced a boycott in protest at Israel’s participation.
Critics say taking part would be inappropriate given the scale of civilian deaths in Gaza following Israel’s military response to the Hamas attacks of 7 October, 2023.
Eurovision organisers say their aim is to provide an accurate reflection of events inside the arena. Last year’s contest drew about 166 million viewers worldwide, according to the European Broadcasting Union.
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Türkiye is increasingly becoming one of the world’s new geopolitical power hubs, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said on Thursday during a joint news conference with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.
Iran’s armed forces are prepared to “immediately and powerfully” respond to any U.S. attack, Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, as American military assets arrived in the Middle East amid renewed tensions over Tehran’s nuclear program.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for one week, citing extreme cold weather across Ukraine.
The European Union has added Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to its list of terrorist organisations, citing the group’s role in recent deadly crackdowns on protesters. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called it a “decisive step” to ensure that “repression cannot go unanswered.”
The S&P 500 edged to a record closing high on Tuesday, marking its fifth consecutive day of gains, as strong advances in technology stocks offset a sharp selloff in healthcare shares and a mixed batch of corporate earnings.
Liverpool confirmed direct qualification to the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a 6-0 win over Qarabağ at Anfield in their final league-phase match. Despite the setback, Qarabağ secured a play-off spot, with results elsewhere going in the Azerbaijani champions’ favour on the final matchday.
Iraq's former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki said on Wednesday that he rejects U.S. interference in Iraq's internal affairs, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to cut off support to the country if Maliki was picked as prime minister.
China is supplying key industrial equipment that has enabled Russia to speed up production of its newest nuclear-capable hypersonic missile, an investigation by The Telegraph has found, heightening concerns in Europe over Moscow’s ability to threaten the West despite international sanctions.
Storm Kristin has killed at least five people and left more than 850,000 residents of central and northern Portugal without electricity on Wednesday (28 January), as it toppled trees, damaged homes, and disrupted road and rail traffic before moving inland to Spain.
Bangladesh and Pakistan on Thursday resumed direct flight services after 14 years, marking a milestone in the revival of relations between the two Muslim-majority nations.
American Airlines said on Thursday it plans to resume daily service to Venezuela once regulators approve and security assessments are complete, marking the carrier's return just weeks after the U.S. military operation that removed Nicolás Maduro from power.
Spain’s transport minister Oscar Puente said on Thursday that the government has stepped up investment across the railway network after years of underfunding, a point he underlined while senators pressed him over two recent train accidents.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to halt attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities for one week, citing extreme cold weather across Ukraine.
Gaza families are watching the Rafah crossing closely as expectations build for a phased reopening under the peace plan, though no timetable has been confirmed.
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