Europe's identity crisis is not confined to the ceaseless squabbles by Europeans over the EU, Brexit, or football. It goes much deeper, reaching sensitive and dangerous territory, including that of culture and religion. Moreover, once again, Muslims stand at the heart of the continent's identity debate. Anti-Muslim sentiments are...

Israel's SpaceIL, a non-profit organisation, said yesterday that it will be collaborating with a company in the UAE as part of its lunar mission, Beresheet 2. According to a statement, SpaceIL chairman and founder Morris Kahn said the Israeli government-funded organisation will be working with G42, an Abu Dhabi-based...

Greek police stripped a Turkish woman and migrant Afghan women naked and searched them before sexually assaulting them as they attempted to make their way from Turkey to mainland Europe, it has been reported. According to Euronews, the woman's husband had been prosecuted by a Turkish court for allegedly...

Daniel Jadue, mayor of Recoleta in Chile's capital Santiago and grandson of a Palestinian immigrant, yesterday lost in his bid to be a major contender in November's presidential election. Presidential primaries left 35-year-old leftist former student leader Gabriel Boric with 60 per cent of the vote pushing Jadue out of the running. On...

US authorities today returned Abdul Latif Nasser to Morocco after releasing him from Guantanamo Bay, 19 years after holding him there without charge or trial, rights group Reprieve has said. "Abdul Latif is the first person released from Guantánamo in over three years," Reprieve added. "Abdul Latif was locked up for...

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi has tightened his grip on the military establishment through a package of parliamentary and government decrees. The process dates from mid-2013 when he took power with a military coup and is being extended. Last Thursday, the Official Gazette published a new law, No. 134...

Sudan's annual inflation rate rose to 412.75 per cent in June, up from 378.79 per cent in May, according to state news agency SUNA. The latest spike was as a result of price hikes including on food, it added. Since the April 2019 ousting of President Omar Al-Bashir following mass protests against his...

Afghans are paying people smugglers to take them to Turkey as foreign troops withdraw from the country and the Taliban continues to gain ground, media reports have claimed. According to the Turkish news site, many Afghans have been forced to flee violence, some of them making the decision to...

Israel's Foreign Minister has asked Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to postpone the demolition of a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank. Yair Lapid warned that the destruction of Khan Al-Ahmar near Jerusalem will harm Israel's diplomatic relations. The village apparently stands in the way of the expansion of...

Turkey's main opposition leader has vowed to deport 3.5 million Syrian refugees and rebuild ties with the regime of Bashar Al-Assad if he beats President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the next election. In a video posted on his Twitter account on Friday, the leader of the Republican People's Party...

The notorious Israeli spyware developed by the NSO Group, Pegasus, is at the centre of an international scandal involving the alleged phone hacking of more than 180 journalists, lawyers, and human rights activists from across the world, targeted for the purpose of snooping by authoritarian regimes including the UAE...

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune pardoned nearly 14,000 prisoners on Sunday who are not accused of "terrorism crimes, vandalism, corruption or conspiracy against the state," Anadolu has reported. According to a statement on Facebook, Tebboune signed two decrees, the first of which grants amnesty for imprisoned and non-imprisoned persons sentenced...

The EU border agency Frontex has failed to protect the human rights of asylum seekers, according to a European Parliament report, according to the Guardian. The report's author, Tineke Strik told the Guardian that Frontex "did not fulfil its human rights obligations and therefore did not prevent future violations." Strik, a...

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett today backpedaled on earlier statements he made which he said Israel will preserve freedom of worship for Jews at Al-Aqsa Mosque. In a statement, his office said "There is no change in the status quo," adding that he had intended to say he would ensure...

Social media has played a major role in spreading awareness of the Palestinian cause, providing a voice to those marginalised by the mainstream. Now, though, social media outlets are excluding Palestinian voices from their platforms in order to silence them. Dozens of Palestinian pages and accounts have been removed,...

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas categorically rejected statements by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in which he said Israel will preserve freedom of worship for Jews at Al-Aqsa Mosque. Abbas stated that Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of Islam's holiest sites located in occupied Jerusalem's Old City which has...

The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, reiterated on Sunday that access to and the use of Al-Aqsa Mosque "is an exclusive right" for Muslims. "Any aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque or on the Muslims who pray in it is considered aggression against the freedom of worship guaranteed by...

Palestinian weightlifter from Gaza, Mohammad Hamada, will be making history by being the first such athlete to compete at the Olympic Games in Tokyo this month. Hamada secured his place after participating in six international qualifying contests since 2019. Reuters reported today that the 19-year-old left Gaza several weeks ago for...

Palestinian resistance movement Hamas said today that the "vicious cycle" experienced by Palestinians under Israeli occupation "must be broken". In a tweet member of Hamas' Political Bureau, Mousa Abu Marzouq, commented on the regional and international interest in bolstering the Palestinian Authority (PA) in order to save it from collapsing...

Algeria has recalled its ambassador from Morocco for consultation purposes, Anadolu has reported. The government in Algiers has not ruled out "taking other measures" in protest against statements made by Morocco's representative to the UN, which it described as "aggressive" and supportive of a local separatist movement classified as...

The Sudanese Ministry of Irrigation yesterday called on residents living on the banks of the Blue Nile to take precautions due to an expected rise in the river's water levels as a result of heavy rains on the Ethiopian plateau, Anadolu reported. The ministry said in a statement that "there will...

Pro-government commentators in Saudi Arabia are publicly criticising the United Arab Emirates' role in Yemen, a rare move that reflects political and economic tensions between the two Gulf allies that also led to an open standoff over oil policy, Reuters reports. Saudi Arabia is trying to contain a power struggle in southern...

Palestinian resistance movement Islamic Jihad yesterday called on the Palestinian people to carry out "public mobilisation" efforts to defend Al-Aqsa Mosque from attacks by Israeli Jewish settlers, Anadolu reported. Islamic Jihad spokesman Tariq Selmi said: "What happened in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday was terrorism and aggression on all Arabs...

The Palestinian National and Islamic Forces said yesterday that they would not accept the continued imposition of the Israeli siege on Gaza, Quds Press reported. Speaking at a press conference, Islamic Jihad leader Khalid Al-Batch said: "The siege and closure of crossings are no longer acceptable. Therefore, we call on the...

The Egyptian Public Prosecution issued orders to imprison Abdel Nasser Salama, the former editor-in-chief of Al-Ahram newspaper, for 15 days pending an investigation into claims he financed terrorism. Salama was charged with financing terrorism and joining a terrorist group established in violation of the provisions of the law; in reference to...

The United Nations yesterday called on the Israeli authorities to halt the demolition of Palestinian homes. "Our humanitarian colleagues in the occupied Palestinian Territory tell us that on Wednesday, in the community of Ras Al-Tin in Ramallah governorate, 84 Palestinians lost their homes when Israeli forces confiscated at least...

Israeli occupation forces yesterday imposed tight restrictions, closed Palestinian shops, and stopped Palestinians at checkpoints to secure raids by illegal Jewish settlers to an archaeological site in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron, Anadolu reported. A local activist told the news wire that the Israeli occupation forces accompanied groups...

Egypt yesterday condemned "renewed Israeli violations against Al-Aqsa Mosque under the protection of the Israeli forces." "Egypt categorically rejects these violations," the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement, warning against "breaching the sanctity of the holy site, which is revered as the third holiest site in Islam by...

A family of four sons, two daughters, and both their parents has been homeless since 12 May when their apartment was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike on their six-storey residential tower block in Al Naser neighbourhood north of Gaza City. Raed Subaih, 45, is the head of the family....

Israel rejected Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's request to mediate with Ethiopia over its Renaissance Dam, Israeli Maariv newspaper reported. Jacky Hugi added that although every now and then someone in Egypt claims that Israel is secretly mediating between Cairo and Addis Ababa over the dam issue, this is a tactic...

Muslim pilgrims vaccinated against COVID-19 gathered on Sunday for the annual haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, which has barred worshippers from abroad for a second year running due to the pandemic and has also restricted entry from inside the kingdom, reports Reuters. Clad in white and carrying umbrellas against...

The Turkish Navy rescued at least 80 irregular migrants off the coast of Libya, the National Defense Ministry said on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency. The Turkish frigate TCG Gediz was on patrol off the coast of the North African nation when it learned that a boat carrying irregular migrants...

Greece should give up its maximalist claims and conceive ways to benefit from regional resources together with Turkey, said Turkey's communications director. Turkey wants good relations with all neighbors, including Greece, and expects the same attitude from them, Fahrettin Altun told Kathimerini, a pro-government daily in Greece. Turkey is...

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett ordered on Sunday Israeli occupation police to secure "orderly and safe" storming of Al-Aqsa Mosque by Jewish settlers, Israeli media reported. After a meeting with the Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Bar Lev and Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai to assess the settler raids on...

Parts of Turkey's Black Sea region hit by flooding and landslides will be officially declared a disaster area, the nation's president said on Saturday, reports Anadolu Agency. Speaking at a hospital opening in Eastern Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the formal declaration will be announced after the next Cabinet...

A former UK Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, has been appointed by the ambassadors to the UK from Bahrain, UAE and Israel to take up the position of Chair of the UK Abraham Accords Group. In 2020, the US-brokered a series of agreements between Israel and several Arab states,...

Six Syrian civilians, including two children, were killed Saturday in shelling from the Bashar al-Assad regime and Iran-affiliated terrorist groups, in breach of a truce in northwestern Idlib de-escalation zone. Regime forces stationed in the Al-Hamidiya base in southeast Idlib violated the cease-fire by shelling a village with surface-to-surface...

Palestinian resistance group Hamas has decried plans by Israeli settlers to storm the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem, reports Anadolu Agency. "These incursions by extremist settler groups under the protection of the occupation forces are an assault on our holy sites," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qasem said...

Iraqi forces shot down a drone in western Iraq, while two civilians were killed in the southern Dhi Qar province, according to local security officials on Sunday, reports Anadolu Agency. A police officer said the drone was shot down on Saturday while flying over the main police headquarters in...

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has announced an additional US contribution of $135.8 million to support its operations, reports Anadolu Agency. "The signing of the US-UNRWA Framework and additional support demonstrates we once again have an ongoing partner in the United States that understands the need to...

Protected by heavily armed Israeli occupation police, 1,371 Israeli Jewish settlers accompanied by Knesset members stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque and clashed with Palestinian Muslim worshipers inside the third Islamic holy site. Media sources and eyewitnesses reported that the Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque early on Sunday morning to celebrate their...

The Palestinian Football Association has welcomed the scrapping of a friendly football match between Spanish giants FC Barcelona and Israel's Beitar football team, which was scheduled to take place on August 4 in Jerusalem, reports Anadolu Agency. "We express our appreciation for the respect of the Catalan club [FC...

Three weeks after its formation, the new Israeli government has failed in its first real test. It has not been able to pass the annual extension of the law that denies the unification of Palestinian families across the Green Line. There was a tie: 59 Knesset members voted for...

On the North Bank of the River Thames stands London's most ancient monument. Older than the British capital itself, Cleopatra's Needle dates back nearly 3,500 years. It is one of three similarly named ancient Egyptian obelisks re-erected in the nineteenth century in Paris, London and New York. Despite the...

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Saturday the main impediment to investment in the country was money stuck in ailing Lebanese banks, reports Reuters. In a speech after being sworn in as president for a fourth term, Assad said estimates suggested the frozen funds were worth between $40 billion...

Iran insisted on Sunday that a prisoner swap deal has been agreed with the United States, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said, a day after Washington denied such an agreement had been reached, reports Reuters. "'Outrageous' = the US denying the simple fact that there IS an agreed deal...

Turkey on Sunday slammed a ruling by a top European Union court allowing the banning of headscarves under certain conditions as a "clear violation of religious freedoms", adding the move would exacerbate prejudices against Muslim women in Europe, reports Reuters. The Luxembourg-based EU Court of Justice (CJEU) ruled on...

Six civilians, including two children, were killed in regime shelling in Idlib province in northwestern Syria on Saturday, according to local sources, Anadolu Agency reported. The attack targeted Sarajah village southeast of Idlib, the sources said. Six other people, including three members of the Syria Civil Defense (White Helmets), were...

A young man was shot dead during a second night of protests over water shortages in southwest Iran, a local official said on Saturday, blaming armed protesters for the shooting, the state news agency IRNA reported. Reuters reports that Iran is facing its worst drought in 50 years, with...

Israeli forces have rounded up 5,426 Palestinians, including women and children, in the first half of 2021, according to Palestinian NGOs, Anadolu Agency reported. A total of 854 children and 107 women were among those detained since the beginning of this year, said a report by the Commission of Detainees' Affairs,...