Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday he had told his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas that he condemned Israeli “intervention on worshippers” at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque and threats to its “status or spirit”. Erdogan’s comments …
Bella Hadid says Instagram ‘restricted’ her Al-Aqsa posts
Supermodel Bella Hadid has claimed that the photo-sharing app Instagram is “shadow-banning” her, following posts she made on Friday about Israeli violence at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied East Jerusalem. Hadid, who is of Palestinian and Dutch heritage…
French elections: Le Pen backs down on hijab ban proposal
Banning the Islamic headscarf in the street is “no longer a priority” for the French far-right leader and presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, her campaign team told French media on Sunday. Banning the hijab “comes after fighting Islamism, closing Sal…
Iraq summons Swedish envoy after Quran burning rally
Iraq’s foreign ministry summoned the Swedish envoy to Baghdad on Sunday to protest Quran-burning rallies held by a far-right extremist group days prior. Baghdad denounced the Quran-burning incident as “a provocation to the feelings of Muslims and an ex…
Direct flights start between Tel Aviv & Sharm el-Sheikh
The first direct flight between the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv and Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh took off on Sunday, Israeli national airline El-Al said. Flight 5193, operated by El-Al subsidiary Sun d’Or, departed Ben Gurion Internat…
Yemen’s new leaders say focused on peace path
Yemen’s new leaders are “ready for war” should the latest push for peace with Houthi rebels fail, but a senior official told AFP they genuinely want the years-long conflict to end soon. “Our first option is peace, but we are ready for war,” Abdullah al…
New clashes over anti-immigration rally in Sweden
Plans by a far-right group to publicly burn copies of the Qur’an sparked violent clashes with counter-demonstrators for the third day running in Sweden, police said on Sunday. Litter bins, a bus and a car were all set on fire in a series of incidents i…
UAE could soon host its first ‘Jewish neighbourhood’
The United Arab Emirates is to establish a neighbourhood for its fast-growing Jewish population, Israeli outlet The Jerusalem Post reported the UAE’s senior-most rabbi as saying. “What we need is a Jewish neighbourhood, and I have been speaking with a …
UK archbishop slams plan to send migrants to Rwanda
The leader of the Church of England, Justin Welby, on Sunday criticised the British government’s plans to send asylum seekers to Rwanda to process their claims. The scheme has sparked outrage and widespread criticism from human rights organisations and…
Libya halts operations at oilfields due to protests
Libya halted oil production from its El Feel oilfield on Sunday and two sources at Zueitina oil port said exports there had been suspended after protesters calling for Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah to resign took over the sites. Ha…