Israel is “dictating who can be Palestinian”, according to human rights activists who have criticised the new Israeli “rules of movement%20(%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A4%D7%99).pdf)” imposed on foreigners and on Palestinians who do not have a residency permit in …
Yemen: UN urge Houthi rebels to release staff held hostage
The United Nations on Wednesday demanded the immediate release of two staff members held by Houthi rebels in Yemen since November, saying their whereabouts remained unknown. “As families across Yemen gathered to mark Eid al-Fitr this year, UNESCO Direc…
French footballer Benzema sends Arabic Eid greetings to fans
French football star Karim Benzema sent Eid al-Fitr greetings to his Twitter followers in Arabic on Monday, two days after his club Real Madrid was crowned champion of Spain. “Eid Mubarak to all the muslims all around the world 🌎,” he tweeted. “May All…
Ten peacekeepers killed in Somalia attack, says Burundi
Burundi’s military said on Wednesday that 10 of its African Union (AU) peacekeepers were killed in an attack on their base in Somalia, while a security source in the region and a Mogadishu-based source said dozens were dead. Burundi state television qu…
Pope wants to meet Putin, compares Ukraine war to Rwanda
Pope Francis said in an interview published Tuesday that he requested a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, while comparing the scale of the bloodshed to Rwanda’s genocide. The pontiff told Italy’s Corriere Della Sera newspaper …
Yazidis, displaced again, fear more strife in Iraqi homeland
Iraqis in a northern town still traumatised by memories of the Islamic State group feared more violence Tuesday after hostilities between the military and a local militia erupted, people internally displaced by the fighting said. Tensions reached a fev…
8 dead in Iran after drinking bootleg alcohol: report
At least eight people have died in southern Iran after drinking toxic homemade alcohol, a medical official in Hormozgan province has said. “Eight people have died after drinking adulterated homemade alcohol in Bandar Abbas,” the provincial capital, sai…
Top German court reject’s Syrian’s appeal in torture case
Germany’s top court said Tuesday that it has rejected the appeal of a former member of Syria’s secret police who was convicted last year of facilitating the torture of prisoners in his home country. In a landmark ruling, a court in the western German c…
Al-Shabaab attacks AU base in Somalia, casualties reported
Heavily armed Al-Shabaab militants stormed an African Union (AU) base in Somalia on Tuesday, triggering a fierce firefight that caused an unknown number of casualties, a local military commander and witnesses said. AU forces dispatched helicopter gunsh…
Ukrainian prosecutor says Russia uses rape as a war tactic, calls Putin a war criminal
Ukraine’s prosecutor general accused Russia on Tuesday of using rape as a tactic of war and described Russian President Vladimir Putin as “the main war criminal of the 21st century”. Russia has previously denied targeting civilians and has rejected all…