Headlines

Palestinian symbol protest clouds Eurovision contest

Eurovision song contest organisers apologised after a Swedish singer breached a ban on political symbols by wearing a pro-Palestinian scarf as he performed. Eric Saade, one of the opening acts for the semi-final contest on Tuesday night, proved the most controversial act of the

Israel pounds Gaza as truce talks resume

Israel bombarded Rafah on Wednesday and the military said ground troops conducted "targeted raids" in the southern Gazan city, as negotiations to halt the seven-month war resumed in Cairo. Israel has defied international objections and sent tanks into Rafah, which is crowded

Israel pounds Gaza as Cairo truce talks resume

Israel bombarded the overcrowded Gaza city of Rafah, where it has launched a ground incursion, as talks resumed Wednesday in Cairo aimed at agreeing the terms of a truce in the seven-month war. Despite international objections, Israel sent tanks into Rafah on Tuesday and seized

'A blessing': Rains refill Iraq's drought-hit reservoirs

The reservoir behind the massive Darbandikhan dam, tucked between the rolling mountains of northeastern Iraq, is almost full again after four successive years of drought and severe water shortages. Iraqi officials say recent rainfall has refilled some of the water-scarce

US completes construction of Gaza aid pier

The US military has completed construction of its Gaza aid pier, but weather conditions mean it is currently unsafe to move the two-part facility into place, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The pier -- which the US military started building last month and which will cost at least

US brands Israel border closures 'unacceptable'

The White House said Tuesday that key ally Israel must reopen Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt, while expressing hope that a ceasefire deal with Hamas was within reach. Israel sent tanks into the southern Gaza city of Rafah and seized control of the crossing, a key aid