Germany slams Eurovision boycott threats over Gaza

Germany slams Eurovision boycott threats over Gaza
Protesters hold posters at a concert to commemorate the Palestinian children who have died during the war in Gaza, as Germany mark World Children’s Day, in Berlin, Sept. 20, 2025. (AP)
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Updated 12 sec ago

Germany slams Eurovision boycott threats over Gaza

Germany slams Eurovision boycott threats over Gaza
  • Spain said this week it would boycott the world’s largest live televised music event in May if Israel participated
  • Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have made similar threats

BERLIN: Germany’s culture minister on Saturday slammed threats by several European countries to boycott next year’s Eurovision song contest if Israel took part as politicizing a cultural event.
Spain said this week it would boycott the world’s largest live televised music event in May if Israel participated, and Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland and the Netherlands have made similar threats.
“Eurovision was founded to bring nations together through music. Excluding Israel today goes against this fundamental idea and turns a celebration of understanding between peoples into a tribunal,” said Wolfram Weimer in a statement.
“It’s precisely because Eurovision was born on the ruins of war that it should not become a scene of exclusion.”
Austria, which is hosting the next Eurovision, had on Friday expressed regret over the threats.
Other countries like Belgium, Sweden, and Finland are also considering a boycott and have time till December to decide.
“Eurovision is based on the principle that artists are judged on their art and not on their nationality. The culture of cancelation is not the solution — the solution is diversity and cohesion,” Weimer said.
“It’s precisely because Eurovision was born on the ruins of war that it should not become a scene of exclusion,” he added.
The European Broadcasting Union, the organizer of Eurovision, is set to decide whether Israel will take part in the 2026 edition at its general assembly in December.
This year’s edition in Basel in Switzerland drew in 166 million viewers across 37 countries.
Pro-Palestinian activists protested in Malmo, Sweden in 2024 and in Basel in May over Israel’s participation amid its devastating offensive in Gaza.
The war was sparked by Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally of official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 65,174 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.


Firefighters battle blazes in northwestern Spain

Updated 13 sec ago

Firefighters battle blazes in northwestern Spain

Firefighters battle blazes in northwestern Spain
In the province of Lugo in Galicia, 82 brigades and 25 waterbombing aircraft were tackling a fire
Dozens of people were evacuated overnight on Friday, though most have since returned home

MADRID: Firefighters, supported by troops, battled two wildfires on Saturday in northwestern Spain, fuelled by dry conditions and high temperatures.
In the province of Lugo in Galicia, 82 brigades and 25 waterbombing aircraft were tackling a fire that erupted on Thursday, which has so far destroyed around 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres), the regional government said in a statement.
Meanwhile, 34 brigades and 17 aircraft were fighting a separate blaze in neighbouring Ourense province, also ignited on Thursday, which has consumed around 240 hectares.
Both fires have been classified as "status two", signalling a threat to built-up areas. Dozens of people were evacuated overnight on Friday, though most have since returned home.
The fires come as Spain experiences warmer-than-usual temperatures, with parts of Galicia exceeding 30C in recent days.
Temperatures are expected to fall later on Saturday, with rain forecast to aid firefighting efforts.
Western and northwestern Spain, along with neighbouring Portugal, were hit by devastating wildfires this summer.
Four people died in each country, with nearly 330,000 hectares burned in Spain and almost 250,000 hectares in Portugal in just a few weeks, according to the European Forest Fires Information System.

Zelensky says will meet Trump at UN next week

Zelensky says will meet Trump at UN next week
Updated 20 September 2025

Zelensky says will meet Trump at UN next week

Zelensky says will meet Trump at UN next week
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would meet his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week in comments released on Saturday

KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would meet his US counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly next week in comments released on Saturday.
Zelensky said he would hold “a meeting with the President of the United States,” adding he would discuss security guarantees for Ukraine and sanctions on Russia during the talks with Trump.


Trump hits H-1B visas, a tech industry favorite, with $100,000 fee

Trump hits H-1B visas, a tech industry favorite, with $100,000 fee
Updated 20 September 2025

Trump hits H-1B visas, a tech industry favorite, with $100,000 fee

Trump hits H-1B visas, a tech industry favorite, with $100,000 fee
  • H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills, such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers
  • The new measure, likely face legal challenges, was announced alongside the introduction of a $1 million ‘gold card’ residency program

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday ordered an annual $100,000 fee be added to H-1B skilled worker visas, creating potentially major repercussions for the tech industry where such permits are prolific.

The new measure, which could likely face legal challenges, was announced alongside the introduction of a $1 million “gold card” residency program that Trump had previewed months earlier.

“The main thing is, we’re going to have great people coming in, and they’re going to be paying,” Trump told reporters as he signed the orders in the Oval Office.

H-1B visas allow companies to sponsor foreign workers with specialized skills — such as scientists, engineers, and computer programmers — to work in the United States, initially for three years, but extendable to six years.

The United States awards 85,000 H-1B visas per year on a lottery system, with India accounting for around three-quarters of the recipients.

Large technology firms rely on Indian workers who either relocate to the United States or come and go between the two countries.

Tech entrepreneurs — including Trump’s former ally Elon Musk — have warned against targeting H-1B visas, saying that the United States does not have enough homegrown talent to fill important tech sector job vacancies.

“All the big companies are on board,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who joined Trump in the Oval Office.

Trump has had the H-1B program in his sights since his first term in office, but faced court challenges to his earlier approach, which targeted the types of jobs that qualify. The current iteration has become the latest move in the major immigration crackdown of his second term.

According to Trump’s order, the fee will be required for those seeking to enter the country beginning Sunday, with the Homeland Security secretary able to exempt individuals, entire companies, or entire industries.

The order expires in a year, though Trump can extend it.

The number of H-1B visa applications has risen sharply in recent years, with a peak in approvals in 2022 under Democratic president Joe Biden.

In contrast, the peak in rejections was recorded in 2018, during Trump’s first term in the White House.

The United States approved approximately 400,000 H-1B visas in 2024, two-thirds of which were renewals.

Trump also signed an order creating a new expedited pathway to US residency for people who pay $1 million, or for corporate sponsors to pay $2 million.

“I think it’s going to be tremendously successful,” Trump added.

South Korea’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday that officials would “comprehensively assess the impact of these measures on the advancement of (South Korean) companies and professional talents into the US market and engage in necessary communication with the US.”

Hundreds of South Koreans were detained during a US immigration raid on a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the state of Georgia earlier this month.


Passengers stranded at Heathrow, other European airports after cyberattack

Passengers stranded at Heathrow, other European airports after cyberattack
Updated 3 min ago

Passengers stranded at Heathrow, other European airports after cyberattack

Passengers stranded at Heathrow, other European airports after cyberattack
  • Collins Aerospace is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers, Heathrow Airport said
  • RTX said it had become aware of a “cyber-related disruption” to its software at selected airports

BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/LONDON: A cyberattack on a provider of check-in and boarding systems has disrupted operations at several major European airports including London’s Heathrow, the continent’s busiest, causing flight delays and cancelations on Saturday.
Collins Aerospace, which provides systems for several airlines at airports globally, is experiencing a technical issue that may cause delays for departing passengers, Heathrow Airport said, having warned of delays.
Brussels Airport and Berlin Airport were also affected by the attack, they said in separate statements.
RTX, Collins Aerospace’s parent company, said it had become aware of a “cyber-related disruption” to its software at selected airports, without naming them.

ELECTRONIC CHECK-IN AFFECTED
“The impact is limited to electronic customer check-in and baggage drop and can be mitigated with manual check-in operations,” RTX said in an emailed statement, adding that it was working to fix the issue as quickly as possible.
The attack has rendered automated systems inoperable, allowing only manual check-in and boarding procedures, Brussels Airport said on its website, adding the incident had occurred on Friday night.
“This has a large impact on the flight schedule and will unfortunately cause delays and cancelations,” it said.
The airport said that 10 flights had been canceled so far, with an average delay of one hour for all departing flights.

PASSENGERS LEFT IN THE DARK
Passengers with a flight scheduled for Saturday were advised by the affected airports to confirm their travel with airlines before heading to the airport.
Tereza Pultarova, a journalist, spoke to BBC News from inside Heathrow, where she was due to fly to Amsterdam at 6:30 a.m. for a connecting flight to Cape Town.
“Unfortunately, the airline I’m with...they don’t have a service desk here, so we’ve been left in the dark,” she said. “It’s been a great chaos, and it’s been quite...frustrating for most people here,” she said.
Berlin Airport said on its website that there were longer waiting times at check-in and it was working on a quick solution. Frankfurt Airport, Germany’s largest, was not affected, a spokesperson said.
At Berlin Airport, Kim Reisen was struggling with delays and a lack of clarity, telling Reuters they had only been told there was “a technical fault.”
Another traveler, Siegfried Schwarz, also from Berlin, said: “I ... find it inexplicable that, with today’s technology, there’s no way to defend yourself against something like that.”

EASYJET OPERATING AS NORMAL
EasyJet, among Europe’s biggest airlines, said it was currently operating as normal and did not expect the issue to impact its flights for the rest of the day.
Ryanair and British Airways owner IAG did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
US carrier Delta Air Lines said it expected minimal impact to flights departing from the three affected airports, adding it had implemented a workaround to minimize disruption.
There were no indications of threats to Polish airports, deputy prime minister and digital affairs minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said.
British transport minister Heidi Alexander said that she was receiving regular updates on the situation.


Russian missile and drone barrage kills 3, wounds dozens: Zelensky

Russian missile and drone barrage kills 3, wounds dozens: Zelensky
Updated 20 September 2025

Russian missile and drone barrage kills 3, wounds dozens: Zelensky

Russian missile and drone barrage kills 3, wounds dozens: Zelensky
  • Russia fired 40 missiles and around 580 drones at Ukraine in a “massive attack” that killed three and wounded dozens, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday

KYIV: Russia fired 40 missiles and around 580 drones at Ukraine in a “massive attack” that killed three and wounded dozens, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday.
“Every such strike is not a military necessity but a deliberate strategy by Russia to terrorize civilians and destroy our infrastructure,” Zelensky said on social media, urging Kyiv’s allies to provide more air defense systems and hit Moscow with extra sanctions.