Category: 2. Middle East

Pilgrims were set to perform the last major ritual of the hajj — the “stoning of the devil” — on Friday, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

Starting at dawn, the more than 1.6 million Muslims taking part in the pilgrimage will throw seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca.

The ritual commemorates Abraham’s stoning of the devil at the three spots where it is…

Pilgrims were performing the last major ritual of the hajj — the “stoning of the devil” — on Friday, as Muslims around the globe celebrated the beginning of the Eid al-Adha holiday.

From before day break, the 1.6 million-plus pilgrims began throwing seven stones at each of three concrete walls symbolising the devil in the Mina valley, on the outskirts of the holy city of Mecca.

Droves of pilgrims had already set out from their accommodation in the sprawling tent city in Mina before dawn,…

The suspect in a Molotov cocktail attack on a Jewish protest march in Colorado appeared in court Thursday facing more than 100 charges over an incident that injured 15 people.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman is alleged to have thrown firebombs and sprayed burning gasoline at a group of people who had gathered Sunday in support of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Prosecutors now say 15 people — eight women and seven men — were hurt in the attack in the city of Boulder. Three are still hospitalized.

The…

A series of Israeli air strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Thursday night, after the military said it would target underground Hezbollah drone factories.

Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the Lebanese capital, shortly after huge numbers of people had fled the area, clogging the roads with traffic.

Lebanese news agency ANI said it counted nearly a dozen strikes, including two which were “very violent”. AFP journalists in the city heard at least two strong detonations.

“The IDF…

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on four judges at the International Criminal Court including over an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ramping up pressure on The Hague-based court of last resort.

The four judges, all women, will be barred entry to the United States and any property or other interests in the world’s largest economy will be blocked — measures more often taken against policymakers from US adversaries than against judicial…

Uzbekistan are heading to next year’s World Cup for the first time in the country’s history, a feat that caps years of progress in a part of the world not known for its footballing prowess.

The Central Asian nation qualified for football’s premier international tournament on Thursday thanks to a 0-0 draw with the United Arab Emirates — enough to seal the achievement with one game to spare.

“I cannot convey my feelings. I am very, very happy — for the first time in 34 years the Uzbekistan…

For the first time in his short life, Imad Dib, orphaned by the Gaza war, was preparing to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha without his parents.

“Dad would buy us a sheep, but now we are alone,” the 11-year-old said.

Before the war, he said, “I loved Eid so much, I was excited for it each year, to be able to celebrate and wear new clothes,” he said of the Eid tradition, looking weary in his patched-up shoes.

Every day, the boy returns to the ashes and charred tarp, which are all…

A CNN investigation found that Israeli troops opened fire on crowds of Palestinians near an aid distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, leaving dozens of casualties, Anadolu reports.

Citing more than a dozen witnesses, CNN said Israeli troops shot at crowds in volleys of gunfire that occurred sporadically.

Dozens were shot dead in Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire on multiple occasions on Palestinians seeking aid brought in by the Gaza…