Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS, Spain's RTVE, Ireland's RTE and Slovenia's RTV immediately issued statements saying they will not participate in the 2026 contest following the European Broadcasting Union's general assembly meeting on Thursday.

Members from 37 countries were asked to vote in a secret ballot on whether they were happy with tougher new rules announced last month, without going ahead with a vote on participation next year.

It followed criticism from some broadcasters of Israel's role in Eurovision amid the war in Gaza, and allegations that voting at this year's contest had been manipulated in favour of their contestant.

In a statement, the EBU, which organises Eurovision, said members had shown "clear support for reforms to reinforce trust and protect neutrality". Sky News understands 11 countries voted against only accepting the rule changes.

Golan Yochpaz, chief executive of Israel's public broadcaster KAN, said during the meeting that attempts to remove them from the contest could "only be understood as a cultural boycott", according to a statement shared by the organisation.

Israel's president Isaac Herzog posted on X following the announcement, saying: "Israel deserves to be represented on every stage around the world, a cause to which I am fully and actively committed... I hope that the competition will remain one that champions culture, music, friendship between nations, and cross-border cultural understanding."

Boycott announcements - what have broadcasters said?

The broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and the Netherlands had all said earlier in the year that they would not participate in 2026 should Israel be allowed to continue in the competition.

In a statement following the general assembly meeting, RTE confirmed Ireland's position.

"RTE feels that Ireland's participation remains unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk," the broadcaster said.

AVROTROS, broadcaster for the Netherlands, said that "under the current circumstances, participation cannot be reconciled with the public values that are fundamental to our organisation".

General director Taco Zimmerman said it had not been an easy decision, adding: "Culture unites, but not at any price. What has happened over the past year has tested the limits of what we can uphold."

Confirming its withdrawal, Spain's RTVE highlighted how its board of directors had agreed in September that the country would withdraw "if Israel was part of it".

This is a big deal for Eurovision, as Spain is one of the "Big Five" broadcasters - a group which also includes France, Germany, Italy and the UK. While the host broadcaster - as last year's winners, this is Austria this year - will often contribute the most towards the cost of staging the contest, the Big Five will also make up a significant amount.

Slovenian broadcaster RTV said it was pulling out of the competition "on behalf of the 20,000 children who died in Gaza".

In her address to members before the decision, Natalija Gorscak, RTV Slovenia board chairwoman, said: "For the third year in a row, the public has demanded that we say no to the participation of any country that attacks another country. We must follow European standards for peace and understanding.

"Eurovision has been a place for joy and happiness from the very beginning, performers and audiences have been united by music, and it should remain that way."

Eurovision 'is for broadcasters, not governments'

But Austria's broadcaster ORF said it was happy with the decision and is looking forward to hosting next year.

Roland Weissman, ORF director-general, said the contest "is a competition for broadcasters, not governments", and that he had personally advocated for Israel's participation.

"In the spirit of fostering cultural dialogue and supporting and strengthening the democratic role of public broadcasters, it was important not to burn any bridges," he said, adding that concerns raised by some members had been taken "very seriously".

"Naturally, I would regret it if broadcasters were to decide against participating," he added. "I see the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna as an opportunity to emphasise what unites us rather than what divides us - United by Music."

Politics has always played a part in Eurovision, despite the EBU's insistence that it remains politically neutral.

Countries have pulled out or been banned in previous years - most notably Russia in 2022, just days after the invasion of Ukraine.

But this exodus could be Eurovision's biggest political crisis yet, with suggestions that other broadcasters may follow suit.

Iceland's broadcaster RUV said its board would discuss participation at a meeting next Wednesday, after previously agreeing to a motion to recommend Israel be expelled.

The BBC, which broadcasts the competition in the UK, said it supported the decision for Israel to be allowed to take part. "This is about enforcing the rules of the EBU and being inclusive," it said in a statement.

Earlier this year, outgoing BBC director-general Tim Davie said the corporation was "aware of the concerns" raised, but the song contest had "never been about politics".

How have the rules changed?

In November, the EBU announced it was changing its voting system. This followed allegations of "interference" by Israel's government earlier this year.

The rule changes announced in November came after Israeli singer Yuval Raphael received the largest number of votes from the public at the 2025 event, held in Basel, Switzerland, in May - ultimately finishing as runner-up to Austria's entry after the jury votes were counted.

But a number of broadcasters raised concerns about Israel's result.

Key changes to next year's competition include:

• Clearer rules around promotion of artists and their songs
• Cap on audience voting halved
• The return of professional juries to semi-finals
• Enhanced security safeguards

It was these changes members were secretly balloted on at the general assembly. With a "large majority" voting that they were happy with these changes, the EBU said there was no need for a further vote on participation.

Speaking after the discussion, EBU president Delphine Ernotte Cunci said the result "demonstrates members' shared commitment to protecting transparency and trust in the Eurovision Song Contest, the world's largest live music event".

Thanking members for their "thoughtful, respectful and constructive contributions" during the session and throughout the year, she said these discussions had led to "meaningful changes" to the rules, ensuring the contest "remains a place for unity and cultural exchange".

The chairman, Lord Hughes, found there were "failings" in the management of Sergei Skripal, 74, who was a member of Russian military intelligence, the GRU, before coming to the UK in 2010 on a prisoner exchange after being convicted of spying for Britain.

But he found the assessment that he wasn't at "significant risk" of assassination was not "unreasonable" at the time of the attack in Salisbury on 4 March 2018, which could only have been avoided by hiding him with a completely new identity.

Mr Skripal and his daughter Yulia, 41, who was also poisoned, were left seriously ill, along with then police officer Nick Bailey, who was sent to search their home, but they all survived.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, died on 8 July, just over a week after unwittingly spraying herself with novichok given to her by her partner, Charlie Rowley, 52, in a perfume bottle in nearby Amesbury on 30 June 2018. Mr Rowley was left seriously ill but survived.

In his 174-page report, following last year's seven-week inquiry, costing more than £8m, former Supreme Court judge Lord Hughes said she received "entirely appropriate" medical care but her condition was "unsurvivable" from a very early stage.

The inquiry found GRU officers using the aliases Alexander Petrov, 46, and Ruslan Boshirov, 47, had brought the Nina Ricci bottle containing the novichok to Salisbury after arriving in London from Moscow with a third agent known as Sergey Fedotov to kill Mr Skripal on 2 March.

The report said it was likely the same bottle Petrov and Boshirov used to apply the military-grade nerve agent to the handle of Mr Skripal's front door before it was "recklessly discarded".

"They can have had no regard to the hazard thus created, of the death of, or serious injury to, an uncountable number of innocent people," it said.

It is "impossible to say" where Mr Rowley found the bottle, but was likely within a few days of it being abandoned on 4 March, meaning there is "clear causative link" with the death of mother-of-three Ms Sturgess.

Lord Hughes said he was sure the three GRU agents "were acting on instructions", adding: "I have concluded that the operation to assassinate Sergei Skripal must have been authorised at the highest level, by President Putin.

"I therefore conclude that those involved in the assassination attempt (not only Petrov, Boshirov and Fedotov, but also those who sent them, and anyone else giving authorisation or knowing assistance in Russia or elsewhere) were morally responsible for Dawn Sturgess's death," he said.

Russian ambassador summonsed

After the publication of the report, the government announced the GRU has been sanctioned in its entirety, and the Russian Ambassador has been summonsed to the Foreign Office to answer for Russia's ongoing campaign of alleged hostile activity against the UK.

Sir Keir Starmer said the findings "are a grave reminder of the Kremlin's disregard for innocent lives" and that Ms Sturgess's "needless" death was a tragedy that "will forever be a reminder of Russia's reckless aggression".

"The UK will always stand up to Putin's brutal regime and call out his murderous machine for what it is," the prime minister said.

He said deploying the "highly toxic nerve agent in a busy city centre was an astonishingly reckless act" with an "entirely foreseeable" risk that others beyond the intended target would be killed or injured.

The inquiry heard a total of 87 people presented at A&E.

Lord Hughes said there was a decision taken not to issue advice to the public not to pick anything up which they hadn't dropped, which was a "reasonable conclusion" at the time, so as not to cause "widespread panic".

He also said there had been no need for training beyond specialist medics before the "completely unexpected use of a nerve agent in an English city".

After the initial attack, wider training was "appropriate" and was given but should have been more widely circulated.

In a statement following the publication of his report, Lord Hughes said Ms Sturgess's death was "needless and arbitrary", while the circumstances are "clear but quite extraordinary".

"She was the entirely innocent victim of the cruel and cynical acts of others," he said.

'We can have Dawn back now'

Speaking after the report was published, Ms Sturgess's father, Stanley Sturgess, said: "We can have Dawn back now. She's been public for seven years. We can finally put her to peace."

In a statement, her family said they felt "vindicated" by the report, which recognised how Wiltshire police wrongly characterised Ms Sturgess as a drug user.

But they said: "Today's report has left us with some answers, but also a number of unanswered questions.

"We have always wanted to ensure that what happened to Dawn will not happen to others; that lessons should be learned and that meaningful changes should be made.

"The report contains no recommendations. That is a matter of real concern. There should, there must, be reflection and real change."

Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Catherine Roper admitted the pain of Ms Sturgess's family was "compounded by mistakes made" by the force, adding: "For this, I am truly sorry."

Russia has denied involvement

The Russian Embassy has firmly denied any connection between Russia and the attack on the Skripals.

But the chairman dismissed Russia's explanation that the Salisbury and Amesbury poisonings were the result of a scheme devised by the UK authorities to blame Russia, and the claims of Petrov and Borisov in a television interview that they were sightseeing.

The inquiry chairman said the evidence of a Russian state attack was "overwhelming" and was designed not only as a revenge attack against Mr Skripal, but amounted to a "public statement" that Russia "will act decisively in its own interests".

Lord Hughes found "some features of the management" of Mr Skripal "could and should have been improved", including insufficient regular written risk assessments.

But although there was "inevitably" some risk of harm at Russia's hands, the analysis that it was not likely was "reasonable", he said.

"There is no sufficient basis for concluding that there ought to have been assessed to be an enhanced risk to him of lethal attack on British soil, such as to call for security measures," such as living under a new identity or at a secret address, the chairman said.

He added that CCTV cameras, alarms or hidden bugs inside Mr Skripal's house might have been possible but wouldn't have prevented the "professionally mounted attack with a nerve agent".

Sky News has approached the Russian Embassy for comment on the report.

Officers carried out a warrant in Vulcan Street and arrested two Polish nationals - one in his 40s and another in his 50s. They remain in custody.

The Army's explosive ordinance division have carried out a controlled explosion, but the incident is not being treated as a terrorism-related.

Residents won't be allowed to return home tonight but can get access briefly if it's urgent, for instance to collect medication.

"The work to ensure the safe return of those who have been displaced continues by colleagues from the Army but, unfortunately, that will have to be paused overnight and resumed in the morning," said Superintendent Becky Webster.

"The safety of everyone in the area is our number one priority and we are doing all we can to bring this incident to a conclusion as quickly, and safely, as possible."

The evacuation area covers:

Shaftsbury Crescent - in its entirety
Vulcan Street - in its entirety
Reeves Road - in its entirety
Shaftesbury Crescent - in its entirety
Harrington Street - from Holcombe Street to Vulcan Street
Baseball Drive - to Colombo Street
Cambridge Street - at Reeves Road and Shaftesbury Crescent

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Police earlier went to door to door to enforced the evacuation.

Anyone already away from their property is asked to contact Derbyshire Police via Facebook Messenger on the force's website, or by calling 101.

A rest centre has been set up at the Salvation Army centre on Osmaston Road and there's also an assembly point at the Pakistani Community Centre on Harrington Street.

Authorities will give an update after a meeting scheduled for 8am on Friday.

The plague killed between a third and half of the European population in the mid-14th century. But it's unknown what triggered the pandemic.

Now scientists in Cambridge and Germany have pieced together an extraordinary sequence of events from environmental clues and historical records that they believe solves the mystery.

They say sooty particles trapped deep in the ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland suggest there was at least one eruption by an as-yet-unknown volcano in the tropics, around the year 1345, that shrouded the planet in a thick haze of ash and sulphur.

That fits with written evidence from the time, which reports unusually cloudy conditions and dark lunar eclipses, according to the study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.

New analysis of tree rings from around the time shows there were three years of stunted growth, suggesting the volcanic haze resulted in cool, wet conditions that would have led to a series of crop failures, according to a team in Cambridge.

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Dr Martin Bauch, one of the study authors and a historian of medieval climate and epidemiology at the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe, told Sky News that the eruption's impact on food supply was the key first stage in the sequence of events building up to the pandemic.

"In the years before the Black Death arrives, there is very unusual weather from England, across the Mediterranean to the Levant," he said.

"That large-scale pattern can only have a climatic explanation and the volcano is a good one because the impact would last two or three years. It all fits together."

The researchers say the subsequent famine explains why the Italian maritime cities of Venice, Genoa and Pisa reached out to the Mongols of the Golden Horde around the Black Sea in 1347 and began to import grain.

Previous research has concluded that ships carrying the grain also brought fleas infected with the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis, most probably from wild gerbils somewhere in central Asia.

Once in Italy, the fleas jumped onto rats and other mammals - and spread devastation around Europe.

"These powerful Italian city states had established long-distance trade routes across the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, allowing them to activate a highly efficient system to prevent starvation," said Dr Bauch.

"But ultimately, these would inadvertently lead to a far bigger catastrophe."

Professor Ulf Buentgen from Cambridge University's Department of Geography, another of the study authors, said the perfect storm of climate, agricultural, societal and economic factors that led to the Black Death were an early example of the consequences of globalisation.

"Although the coincidence of factors that contributed to the Black Death seem rare, the probability of zoonotic diseases (which jump from animals to humans) emerging under climate change and translating into pandemics is likely to increase in a globalised world," he said.

"This is especially relevant given our recent experiences with Covid-19."

The arrests were carried out by specialist officers in Eastbourne and Brighton.

Police said a 27-year-old woman from Hailsham and three men from Eastbourne, aged 33, 36 and 41, were arrested.

Images show at least seven armed police with a battering ram raiding one house and handcuffing a man in a grey hoody. Sussex news site The Argus reported the location as Langney Rise.

The suspects are being held under the Terrorism Act while searches take place.

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Assistant Chief Constable Steve Rayland it was "part of a planned operation" by Counter Terrorism Policing South East supported by Sussex Police.

"People living in the local area may notice an increased police presence while search activity takes place, which is routine in cases of this nature," said Mr Rayland.