Egypt’s Public Prosecutor on Thursday decided to free prominent labour activist Haitham Mohammadein and 45 other pre-trial detainees, according to members of the presidential pardon committee. Activist and labour rights lawyer Mohammadein was arrested …
‘Ex-IS member’ allegedly rapes, murders Iraqi child in Syria
A suspected former Islamic State group militant has been arrested for the alleged tortured, rape and murder of a seven-year-old orphan boy in the north-eastern Syrian city of Ras al-Ain, according to Syria-focused media outlets and monitoring groups. T…
Ethiopia’s return to war: Is there a truce on the horizon?
For the third week in a row, military confrontations between Ethiopian government forces and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have continued unabated, ending a five-month humanitarian truce and opening a new chapter in the conflict. Battles …
Moroccan blogger sentenced to jail over ‘attacking Islam’
A Moroccan court of appeal confirmed Tuesday evening a heavy prison sentence against a Moroccan blogger over “undermining the Islamic religion” through online posts, reported AFP Wednesday. Last month, Fatima Karim, a 39-year-old Moroccan blogger, was …
Taliban accuse US of seizing Afghanistan’s frozen assets
Taliban authorities accused the United States on Thursday of having “usurped” Afghan assets, after Washington revealed plans to set up an external fund to manage $3.5 billion of its seized national reserves. When the Taliban stormed back to power in Au…
Glossed customs: Gender and sexual diversity in Islamic art
No artistic discipline is more neglected in Islamic civilisation than its figurative art, which involves the depiction of humans and animals on any surface. While the Jewish ban on this form of art has influenced the Islamic doctrines and cultures up t…
Giant refugee puppet Little Amal arrives in New York
A giant puppet of a ten-year-old Syrian refugee girl arrived in New York City on Wednesday morning in “search” of her Uncle Samir. Little Amal \- a three-meter-tall figure who represents an unaccompanied child refugee – arrived at JFK Airport after boa…
US wants firm security ties between Israel and PA: official
The US is working to boost security ties between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA), a senior US official said on Wednesday, following an uptick in violence in the occupied West Bank caused by Israeli raids. US Assistant Secretary for Near Easte…
Anger as Hamas ‘normalises ties’ with brutal Assad regime
Palestinian group Hamas announced on Thursday that it will “go ahead” with normalising ties with the brutal Syrian regime, led by dictator Bashar Al-Assad. The group released a statement which opened with a message of support for the Syrian regime afte…
Tunisia faces dire food shortage, economic crisis
Tunisia’s shops and supermarkets are facing a shortage of goods, from dairy to bottled water, as the cash-strapped country grapples with a mounting economic crisis. For weeks now, several supermarkets in Tunis have been displaying half-empty shelves wi…