Eurovision organisers have addressed recent reports in the press suggesting that Israel could leave the competition in the near future to compete in an upcoming version specifically for countries in Asia.

Current Eurovision rules state that any country whose national broadcaster is part of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) can compete in the annual song contest, which is why Israel has been part of it since 1973, despite not being in Europe.

Back in March, the EBU announced it was putting together the Eurovision Song Contest Asia, which is due to take place in Thailand towards the end of 2026.

Following the announcement, the Israeli outlet Ynet claimed on Monday that discussions had recently taken place at the EBU about Israel being removed from its currently-held place in the competition moving forward, so that it can take part in Eurovision Asia instead.

The article cited “two sources” who claimed that after the idea was “raised and discussed”, it was met with “partial opposition” from countries who’ve already agreed to take part in Eurovision Asia.

An EBU spokesperson said: “Discussions are ongoing with other broadcasters on joining the inaugural event in November.

“No broadcaster that takes part in the Eurovision Song Contest will be taking part in Eurovision Song Contest Asia.

“The event, like the Eurovision Song Contest, will be inclusive and celebrate being United by Music. Decisions on participation are taken by the organisers.”

Countries currently confirmed to be competing in Eurovision Asia in November are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

Last year, the rival competition Intervision was revived by Russia, which has been excluded from Eurovision since 2022 following its invasion of Ukraine, with 22 competing nations from around the world taking part, including China, Cuba, Egypt, Qatar, South Africa and the eventual winners, Vietnam.

Although controversy around Israel’s presence at Eurovision is nothing new, the competition has faced renewed scrutiny in recent years due to the country’s continued involvement.

Back in December, discussions took place among EBU members about whether Israel should be allowed to remain as part of Eurovision, with five nations withdrawing from this year’s contest after it was decided that Israel would be invited back in 2026.

Israeli representative Noam Bettan will perform in the first of the contest’s semi-finals in Basel, Austria on Tuesday night.

The Labour Party has descended into open warfare as Keir Starmer comes under enormous pressure to quit as prime minister after less than two years in the job.

Supporters of rival candidates turned their fire on health secretary Wes Streeting, who is expected to throw his hat into the ring if the PM announces his resignation.

Starmer will chair his regular weekly meeting of the cabinet this morning, a day after four of them – Shabana Mahmood, Yvette Cooper, John Healey and David Lammy – told him he has to go following Labour’s drubbing in last week’s elections.

Energy secretary Ed Miliband is also understood to have communicated to No.10 that the PM should go.

But loyalists including Steve Reed, Pat McFadden and Richard Hermer have urged the PM not to give in, despite the fact that nearly 80 Labour MPs have also called on him to set out a timetable for his departure from No.10.

Starmer insisted in a make-or-break speech on Monday that he would not “walk away” from Downing Street.

He is understood to have spent last night discussing with key supporters whether he should battle on.

But one Labour source told HuffPost UK: “The game is up. It’ll happen today.”

Soft-left MPs want any contest to be delayed until later in the year to give Andy Burnham the chance to be re-elected and MP so he can take part in it.

They believe that a quick contest benefits Streeting, who they accuse of manufacturing the current crisis.

One told HuffPost UK: “It would be utterly shameless for Wes to plunge the party into chaos. It would prove to the whole country that the only person he is interested in is himself. Now is not the time for a contest.”

Another senior Labour figure said: “Wes has spent six months doing every thing he could to bring down the Labour government while publicly denying it. Now everyone can see him for what he is: a self interested lizard.”

Another Labour source warned that any new prime minister would have to call a general election within months.

They said: “These turkeys are literally voting for a Christmas election. Good luck winning your seat in December Shabana, John, Yvette and Ed.”

A government insider added: “Message to rebels – if you break it you own it. Whatever comes next is their responsibility.”

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister and one of Starmer’s key lieutenants, this morning dodged questions about whether he will quit.

He told Times Radio: “As any leader would, he’s talking and listening to those colleagues. I can’t get ahead of what the prime minister may or may not decide.”

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Sir Ian McKellen has said that his decision to speak out on issues surrounding LGBTQ+ community rights wasn’t always met with the most positive of reactions from his peers in the entertainment industry.

During a recent interview with The Guardian, Sir Ian was asked about the “worst piece of advice” that he’d ever been given, and recalled a time around the late 1980s or early 1990s when the late Star Wars actor Sir Alec Guinness invited him out for dinner.

“We chatted about this and that until he brought up the real reason for his invitation,” the Lord Of The Rings star explained.

“He had heard about my work to establish Stonewall – a lobby group to present to the government and the world at large the case for treating UK lesbians and gays equally under the law with the rest of the population.”

Sir Ian continued: “He thought it somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs and advised me, sort of pleaded with me, to withdraw. Advice from an older generation, which I didn’t follow.”

Following his death in August 2000, three different biographies alleged that Sir Alec was bisexual, but chose not to come out publicly in his lifetime.

Sir Ian admitted during his Guardian interview that he was reminded of his dinner with the late Oscar winner while watching a production of the show Two Halves Of Guinness, which he described as “a solo show which hints at Sir Alec’s latent bisexuality in a way that would have upset him, I suppose – Zeb Soanes’ immaculate impersonation notwithstanding”.

The six-time Olivier recipient – currently on the promo trail for his new movie The Christophers – came out as gay in 1994, and has continued to speak out on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community since.

In 2024, he told HuffPost UK of the current issues facing transgender people: “When society disregards a minority – and, worse than that, imposes laws and restrictions on their behaviour, which is really unfair – then that’s when society is going off the rails, and we have to attend to it.”

A government minister has resigned and called on Keir Starmer to set out a timetable for his departure.

Miattah Fahnbulleh was the minister for devolution, faith and communities, and has now added to the growing calls for the prime minister to quit.

She told Starmer: “The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.”

More than 80 Labour MPs have now called on the prime minister to step down following the party’s drubbing at the elections in England, Scotland and Wales last week.

The prime minister has insisted he will not “walk away” from his job in No.10, and even claimed at the weekend he wants a decade in power.

However, Fahnbulleh has become the first government minister to officially give Starmer the push.

In a letter to the prime minister shared on social media, she said: “We have not acted with the vision, pace and ambition that our mandate for change demands of us. Nor have we governed as Labour Party clear about our values and strong in our convictions.”

She added: “Our country faces enormous challenges and people are crying out for the scale of change that this requires.

“The public does not believe that you can lead this change – and nor do I.

“Therefore I urge you to do the right thing for the country and the Party and set a timetable for an orderly transition so that a new team can deliver the change we promised the country.”

It comes after several senior cabinet ministers reportedly told Starmer to resign in private.

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A photo posted by Keir Starmer almost exactly 11 years ago has stunned political pundits after it was unearthed this week.

The prime minister’s job is hanging by a thread as more than 80 MPs call for him to quit following Labour’s drubbing at the elections in England, Scotland and Wales last week.

Catherine West, a former foreign office minister, helped to galvanise the campaign to push Starmer out.

She offered to be a “stalking horse” candidate in a leadership challenge to the prime minister, meaning she would stand against him just to tempt other rivals out of the blocks.

While her bid ultimately failed – as did her subsequent attempt at a no confidence letter – she helped get the ball rolling this week by encouraging MPs to publicly announce they had lost faith in Starmer.

Meanwhile, health secretary Wes Streeting is thought to be one of the frontrunners in the next potential leadership race.

He has made his ambitions to be the next prime minister clear over several months and many of his allies in the Commons have already urged Starmer to resign.

So social media users were stunned when they found a photo of Starmer, Streeting and West together on their first day in the Commons after winning their seats in the 2015 general election.

The now-prime minister shared an image of himself with West and Streeting along with the caption: “Taking our seats for the 1st time.”

The image attracted a huge amount of interest – with many noting just how cruel a game politics can clearly be…

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We’ve already heard Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary’s thoughts on the pre-flight pint (though he didn’t share any plans to stop selling booze on his airline).

But what about the food and drink you can bring on board yourself?

I love bringing a Diet Coke (which airline staff reportedly hate pouring mid-flight) and a duty-free sandwich on board if I can. But according to airlines like Jet2, TUI, and Ryanair, refreshments have to follow certain rules.

Here are five that some airlines have said they won’t permit on board:

easyJet said that as long as it’s not open, you can bring booze bought after security on board. But it can’t be 70% ABV or above, and the airline said, it’s “strictly forbidden to drink any alcohol that has not been purchased on board the aircraft”.

Ryanair also bans alcohol of more than 70% ABV on board, as do Jet2 (who allow drinks that “contain more than 24% but not more than 70% alcohol by volume”), British Airways (“Drinks above 70% alcohol volume are not permitted on board our aircraft in either checked baggage or hand baggage”), TUI, and more.

Airlines also routinely ban drinking your own alcohol on board.

easyJet said that they allow hot drinks on board if they were bought in the airport, if they have a lid on.

Jet 2 and Ryanair have banned bringing outside hot drinks on board altogether.

Jet2 said that “You can’t bring hot food or hot drinks onboard our planes for safety reasons” on their site.

And as we mentioned above, both they and Ryanair have banned hot drinks from the airport on board too.

Jet2 says on its site that it won’t allow items that “are fragile or perishable or which may affect the safety, health or comfort of other passengers or crew” on board, adding, “this may include hot or strong-smelling foods and drinks”.

In other words, it might be time to keep that tuna and onion sando at home.

easyJet said that though its 100ml limit doesn’t apply to baby food, milk, or sterilised water provided it doesn’t exceed two litres, for the rest, “There’s a 100ml limit for liquid food, like soup or custard. Different countries have different regulations about importing food and drink, so make sure you check the rules for your destination.”