Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Jordanian capital on Friday to condemn Israel’s latest security measures at a highly sensitive holy site in annexed east Jerusalem. A crowd estimated to number more than 8,000 turned out for a demonstration called by Islamist movements and leftist parties in Jordan, which has a 2004 … Read more
Justin Bieber is not welcome to perform in China because of his “bad behaviour”, Beijing authorities have said, after the pop idol angered many Chinese in 2014 by visiting a controversial Japanese war shrine The Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture revealed it is not a “Belieber” when it said the 23-year-old Canadian, who last played … Read more
A Palestinian died after being shot in the head in an east Jerusalem neighbourhood near the Old City on Friday, the Palestinian health ministry said, as clashes broke out in the area. The ministry however did not specify who was behind the shooting in the Ras al-Amud neighbourhood. Clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians … Read more
The Indian army opened fire on a group of stone-throwing protesters Friday, killing one youth and injuring another in Indian-administered Kashmir, police said. The demonstrators had gathered in the town of Beerwah after senior separatist leaders called for a strike against Indian rule. Soldiers opened fire after mistaking a firecracker for a grenade explosion, police … Read more
Shanghai sweltered under a new record high of 40.9 degrees Centigrade (105 F) on Friday, authorities said as they issued a weather “red alert” over a stubborn heat wave that has plagued much of the country. Hospitals in the city have reported increased numbers of patients suffering from heat-related illnesses, according to state media, and … Read more
Israeli police barred men under 50 from entering Jerusalem’s Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose and protests erupted over new security measures at a highly sensitive holy site. The rare ban came after Israeli ministers decided not to order the removal of metal detectors erected at entrances to the Haram al-Sharif mosque … Read more
Israeli police said they were barring men under 50 from entering Jerusalem’s Old City for Friday Muslim prayers as tensions rose over new security measures at a supersensitive holy site. “Entry to the Old City and Temple Mount will be limited to men aged 50 and over. Women of all ages will be permitted,” a … Read more
Qatar announced on Thursday changes to its anti-terror legislation, one of the controversial issues at the core of the crisis between Doha and its neighbours who accuse it of backing extremists. The decree from Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani establishes two national lists for individuals and terrorist entities and sets out the requirements for … Read more
Deep under Shanghai, workers on a flood-lit construction rig carefully install massive concrete wall sections for a new subway tunnel, adding metre-by-metre to the world’s longest metro system. The Shanghai metro’s future Line 14 is part of plans to extend the already sprawling network another 35 percent by 2020 to 830 kilometres (515 miles) — … Read more
Qatar on Thursday accused the United Arab Emirates of being behind the “hacking” of its national news agency that triggered one of the worst Gulf crises in years. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5 and imposed a slew of sanctions on the emirate, including the closure … Read more
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday urged his Israeli counterpart Reuven Rivlin to swiftly remove metal detectors that have outraged Muslim Palestinian worshippers at a sensitive holy site in annexed east Jerusalem. Palestinians have been refusing to enter the Haram al-Sharif compound in annexed east Jerusalem since Sunday, when Israel began installing metal detectors … Read more
Iran threatened to reciprocate Kuwait’s decision to expel most of its diplomats on Thursday, saying the accusations that Tehran was behind a terrorist cell in the country were “baseless”. “Iran’s strong objection has been communicated to Kuwait’s charge d’affaires. It was reiterated that Iran reserves the right to a reciprocal measure,” said foreign ministry spokesman … Read more
Saudi Arabia said Thursday that Qataris wanting to perform this year’s hajj will be authorised to enter the kingdom for the pilgrimage, despite a diplomatic spat between the two countries. In a statement, the Saudi hajj ministry said Qataris and residents of the Gulf emirate could join the pilgrimage as they were already “electronically registered … Read more
Israel’s army boosted security Thursday and braced for possibile unrest on the eve of the main weekly Muslim prayers after security measures imposed at a sensitive Jerusalem site angered Palestinians. Officials were reportedly in talks to defuse the crisis, which followed a deadly attack last Friday on police near the site that includes the Al-Aqsa … Read more
A Saudi prince was arrested Thursday on King Salman’s order, a state-run broadcaster reported, as outrage grew on social media over videos appearing to show him abusing members of the public. Salman issued a warrant for “the immediate arrest … and imprisonment” of Prince Saud, a descendent of Saudi Arabia’s founder, along with a group … Read more
Turkey on Thursday accused Cyprus of taking “dangerous” steps in its search for energy resources in the Mediterranean, two weeks after crunch talks aimed at reunifying the divided island collapsed. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim visited the Turkish-controlled breakaway statelet of northern Cyprus to mark the 43rd anniversary of Turkey’s July 20 invasion that led … Read more
Kuwait on Thursday ordered the expulsion of about 15 Iranian diplomats after the emirate’s top court convicted a “terror” cell of links to the Islamic republic, a government source told AFP. Kuwait also ordered the closure of the Iranian “military, cultural and trade” missions, said the government official, who asked not to be named. The … Read more
India’s stand in its border dispute with China is supported by other countries, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj said Thursday as she praised tiny Bhutan for standing up to China in the row. Swaraj reaffirmed that India’s security could be jeopardised if China takes over the zone where the frontiers of India, China and Bhutan meet. … Read more
At least 28 people were killed Thursday after a bus plunged into a deep gorge in a Himalayan region of northern India popular with tourists, police said. The accident occurred around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the hill resort of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh state, said police superintendent Soumiya Sambasivan. “28 people have died and … Read more
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is debating whether to remove new metal detectors at the centre of a dispute with Palestinians over access to a religious site in annexed east Jerusalem, Israeli media said Wednesday. The reports came as thousands of Muslim worshippers prayed for a fourth night in a row outside the Haram al-Sharif compound, … Read more