Haifa

Olympiakos and PAOK, Greece's representatives in the Europa Conference League, have a mountain to climb if they are to qualify from their round-of-16 ties, following their defeats in Thursday's first-leg games.

Israel has authorized further discussions to pursue a new ceasefire in Gaza, as reported by AFP citing local sources. Talks are set to continue in Qatar following recent discussions in Paris, focusing on a ceasefire deal in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The Israeli army has announced that it has destroyed the command structure of the radical movement Hamas in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Army spokesman Daniel Hagari said Palestinian militants now operate in the area only sporadically and "without commanders."

Riot police officers (MAT) protested on Thursday by initially refusing to take their positions outside the Panathenaic Stadium for the Panathinaikos soccer match against the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Haifa. Updated information, however, indicates that they will be present outside the stadium during the match.

BELGRADE - Israeli coach Barak Bakhar signed a three-year contract with Serbian football powerhouse Red Star Belgrade on Friday.

In a statement published on its website, the club said it was delighted to announce that Bakhar was its new head coach and added that it hoped to achieve "great results" under his stewardship.

MSC Cruises announced in Piraeus on Sunday that it is basing a new ship in Greece's main port for this summer season.

MSC Musica will for the first time homeport in Greece and operate 26 seven-night voyages between May and October from Piraeus to Santorini, Kusadasi, Haifa, Limassol, Cyprus and Mykonos.

BELGRADE - Israeli football coach Barak Bakhar will take over at Red Star Belgrade in the summer to lead the Serbian club in the UEFA Champions League next season, Tanjug learns.

With his current club, Maccabi Haifa, Bakhar defeated Red Star in the Champions League play-offs in August.

The situation in Israel is getting more and more complicated. There will be no flights from Ben Gurion International Airport until further notice as part of a large-scale strike announced by the Labor Union on Monday morning to protest judicial reform. This was announced by the chairman of the Committee of Airport Authorities of Israel, Pinchas Idan, quoted by the Jerusalem Post.

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday night to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government to overhaul the judicial system, measures that opponents say imperil the country's democratic foundation.

Israeli media, citing police, said some 100,000 people were out protesting.

A Turkish warship docked in Israel over the weekend for the first time since 2010, amid improving ties between the two countries, officials and witnesses said on Sept. 4. 

The TCG Kemalreis frigate was docked Sunday in the northern port of Haifa, headquarters of the Israeli navy, AFP reporters said.