Irish public broadcaster RTE has announced a second consecutive year-long boycott of the Eurovision Song Contest, citing concerns over Israel's participation and the humanitarian situation in Gaza. This decision follows a similar boycott by the Netherlands and comes after Eurovision organizers stated they would exclude nations involved in armed conflict from hosting the event.

Anadolu reports that Ireland’s public broadcaster, RTE, has stated it will not participate in or broadcast the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest, marking a second consecutive year of non-participation. In its statement, RTE attributed this decision to the ongoing conflict in Gaza and cited concerns over restricted access for international journalists to the region.

NFL team owner Robert Kraft stated that Ed Sheeran requested he match a $2 million donation for Gaza prior to Macklemore’s recent $1 million pledge, though the timeline of these commitments requires verification given the public statements made on Wednesday.

Kraft, who also cited his long-standing efforts to foster Palestinian-Israeli business relations, made these remarks amidst controversy following Macklemore’s removal from the Loop tour due to his pro-Palestinian comments.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, stated that millions of Afghan refugees have been expelled from neighboring countries, while conditions for women and girls in Afghanistan have reportedly worsened under Taliban rule. He alleged that aid organizations are operating with insufficient funding, leading to staff reductions, and claimed that the United States provided no funding to humanitarian groups in Afghanistan this year.