Get out the glitter balls, sew on the sequins and prepare to party: The Eurovision Song Contest approaches.

The 69th annual musical extravaganza takes place in Basel, Switzerland in May. It will see acts from 37 countries vie for the continent's musical crown in a contest that has been likened to a pop Olympics, complete with triumph, tears and geopolitical rivalries.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar said Sunday they will pay Syria's outstanding debt to the World Bank, a move likely to make the international institution resume its support to the war-torn country.

A joint statement by the finance ministries of Saudi and Qatar said the decision to pay Syria's nearly $15 million debt to the World Bank was made during this month's meetings in Washington by the World Bank and IMF.

The United Nations' highest court opened hearings Monday into Israel's obligation to "ensure and facilitate" urgently needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in the occupied territories, bringing the ongoing conflict in Gaza back into focus in The Hague.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the hearings part of a "systematic persecution and delegitimization" of his country. Speaking in Jerusalem as the hearings began in The Hague, Saar said the court was "becoming completely politicized." He called the proceeding "shameful."

Israeli strikes on the northern Gaza Strip killed at least 17 Palestinians early Monday, according to local health officials.

Israel has carried out daily strikes on Gaza since ending its ceasefire with Hamas last month. It has cut off the territory's 2 million Palestinians from all imports, including food and medicine, since the beginning of March in what it says is an attempt to pressure the militant group to release hostages.

Yemen's Houthi rebels on Monday alleged a U.S. airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The U.S. military had no immediate comment.

The strike in Yemen's Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis, is the latest incident in the country's decadelong war to kill African migrants from Ethiopia and other nations who risk crossing the nation for a chance to work in neighboring Saudi Arabia.

Israeli jets struck a hangar in Beirut's southern suburbs Sunday after the Israeli army issued a warning about an hour earlier, marking the third Israeli strike on the area since a ceasefire took effect in late November.

A huge plume of smoke billowed over the area after the strike. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Hours after Pope Francis' death was announced, Israel's Foreign Ministry posted a short message on X: "Rest in peace, Pope Francis. May his memory be a blessing." Several hours later, it was deleted without explanation.

Coming at a time of effusive global mourning over Francis' death, the decision to delete the post appeared to reflect the tensions that have emerged between Israel and the Vatican over Francis' frequent criticism of Israel's conduct during the war in Gaza. The Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the deletion.

World dignitaries and Catholic faithful attended Pope Francis' funeral in St. Peter's Square on Saturday.

Despite the presence of presidents and princes, prisoners and migrants ushered him into the basilica where he will be buried, reflecting his priorities as pope, as hundreds of thousands have flocked to the funeral mass.

Iran and the United States began in-depth negotiations in Oman over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program on Saturday, talks that likely will hinge on the Islamic Republic's enrichment of uranium.

Iranian state television reported the talks had begun in Muscat, the mountain-wrapped capital of this sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula. However, neither Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi nor U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff offered any immediate specifics or details on the talks that they'll lead.

Behind the remains of a town scorched by fire, the foothills are lush with new green and filled with birdsong.

Wildlife is returning to the Eaton Fire burn area and scientists are closely tracking it four months after the Los Angeles area wildfires tore through the Angeles National Forest and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in Altadena.