Favourites Finland made it through the first Eurovision semi-final on Tuesday alongside Israel, whose participation saw five countries boycott the world's biggest live televised music event.

With blasts of dry ice and jets of flame, the Eurovision party got started inside the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, where 11,200 revved-up fans saw 15 acts battle for 10 places in Saturday's grand final.

Belgium upset the odds to make it through, with Croatia, Greece, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Serbia and Sweden also progressing.

By Joanna Plucinska, Elissa Darwish and Corina Pons

LONDON/PARIS/MADRID, May 12 (Reuters) - Greg Abbott is planning his summer holiday with half an eye on the Iran war. He intends to stay closer to home in Europe and is lining up a plan B, wary of rising air fares and cancellations.

The 54-year-old Britain-based Australian is planning a cycling trip with friends in Austria, a festival in Barcelona and possibly a yoga retreat in France. But he doesn't want to go too far and is keeping travel options open.

The baby bouncing on Nesma's lap has his mother's smile and her curious eyes, but nothing she says of the three paramilitary fighters who gang raped her two years ago in Sudan's capital.

"I saw their faces. I remember them," the 26-year-old university graduate told AFP.

Baby Yasser is one of thousands of children born to rape survivors in the three years of fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

By Dedi Hayun

JERUSALEM, May 12 (Reuters) - Israel's parliament passed a law late on Monday establishing a military tribunal to try hundreds of Palestinian militants who took part in the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, a step lawmakers said would help heal national trauma.

The surprise attack, led by elite "Nukhba" force fighters from the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was Israel's deadliest single day and the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust. At least 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians.

By Kanishka Singh

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate calls with his Australian and British counterparts on Monday to discuss Iran and the Strait of Hormuz, the State Department said.

Here are some details:

• Rubio discussed "Iran and ongoing efforts to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," the State Department said in separate statements after his calls with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.

By Nandita Bose and Nayera Abdallah

WASHINGTON/DUBAI, May 12 (Reuters) - Hopes for a peace deal on Iran faded on Tuesday after Donald Trump said a ceasefire with Iran was "on life support" as Tehran rejected a U.S. proposal to end the conflict and stuck to a list of demands the U.S. president described as "garbage".

By Mei Mei Chu, Antoni Slodkowski and Trevor Hunnicutt

BEIJING, May 12 (Reuters) - A year ago, U.S. President Donald Trump predicted that towering trade tariffs would bring America's main economic rival to heel.

He heads to China this week with that ambition blunted by court rulings, narrowing his goals to a few deals on beans, beef and Boeing jets, and enlisting China's help to resolve his unpopular Iran war, political analysts say.

By Lais Morais

SAO PAULO, May 11 (Reuters) - Brazilian activist Thiago Avila returned to Sao Paulo on Monday following his detention and deportation from Israel, where he alleged he was tortured and witnessed abuses of Palestinian prisoners during 10 days in custody.

PARIS, May 11 (Reuters) - A 27-year-old man suspected of plotting a violent attack and of planning to join Islamic State in Syria or Mozambique had sought to target a Parisian museum and the Jewish community, though no specific target was identified, a source close to the investigation said on Monday.

French newspaper Le Monde reported that the man, who was arrested on Thursday, had attempted to target the Louvre and the Jewish community in Paris' 16th arrondissement.

WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Monday announced sanctions against three people and nine companies, including four based in Hong Kong and four in the United Arab Emirates, for aiding Iran's shipment of oil to China. The ninth company is based in Oman.

The Treasury move follows sanctions announced on Friday on individuals and companies aiding Iranian purchases of weapons and components used to make drones and ballistic missiles.