Category: 2. Middle East

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday warned “the fate of free societies” was linked to their fight against anti-Semitism, at a conference in Jerusalem, where the attendance of far-right European politicians has divided the international Jewish community.

Guests at the symposium on combating anti-Semitism included the leader of France’s far right National Rally (RN), a party whose cofounder Jean-Marie Le Pen was known for his anti-Semitic comments.

Also in attendance were a…

Israel on Thursday kicked off a conference on fighting anti-Semitism, with the attendance of politicians from Europe’s far right driving division within the international Jewish community.

Among those invited to the symposium are a member of Hungary’s Fidesz party and France’s National Rally (RN), whose cofounder was known for his anti-Semitic comments.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar addressed the conference, decrying a “new anti-Semitism” stoked by “a disturbing alliance between the…

Turkey on Thursday stepped up a crackdown on media coverage of mass protests since the arrest of Istanbul’s popular mayor, deporting a BBC journalist and imposing a 10-day broadcast ban on an opposition TV channel.

The moves came after police detained 11 Turkish journalists, including an AFP photographer, who were covering the worst street protests to hit Turkey since 2013.

The protests erupted on March 19 after the arrest and subsequent jailing of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, President…

Mohammed Hussein Mohammedie was just 19 when he left Iraq and attempted the perilous English Channel crossing in November 2021.

He died alongside 26 others when their dinghy sank.

His family were refugees from Iran and suffered financial hardship, his father told a UK inquiry into the capsizing of the dinghy in the early hours of November 24, 2021.

“He wanted to be different. He wanted to be brave,” Hussein Mohammedie said of his son’s ambitions to leave Iraq, during the final days of the…

Sudan’s gold industry has become the lifeblood of its war, with nearly all of the trade channelled through the United Arab Emirates, enriching both the army and paramilitaries, according to official and NGO sources.

The two-year conflict has decimated Sudan’s economy, yet last month the army-backed government announced record gold production in 2024.

Demand for the country’s vast gold reserves was “a key factor in prolonging the war,” Sudanese economist Abdelazim al-Amawy told AFP.

“To solve…

The Iran-backed Huthis said Thursday they targeted an Israeli airport and army site as well as a US warship, soon after Israel reported intercepting missiles launched from Yemen.

The Huthis “targeted Ben Gurion airport… with a ballistic missile… and a military target” south of Tel Aviv, their military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

Earlier Thursday, the Israeli military said it intercepted two missiles launched from Yemen “prior to crossing into Israeli territory” after it activated air raid…

Six people died on Thursday when a tourist submarine sank off Egypt’s Red Sea coast, state media reported, with Russia’s consulate saying 45 Russian citizens were aboard.

Russia’s consulate in Hurghada, a town popular with tourists from the country, said the vessel was carrying “45 tourists, including minors”, and that four people had died.

“According to initial data, most of those on board were rescued and taken to their hotels and hospitals in Hurghada,” the consulate said.

The website of…