RAMALLAH: The far-right Israeli government was on Thursday accused of taking advantage of the Jewish holidays to turn the Palestinian crisis into a religious conflict.
Palestinian National Council President Rawhi Fattouh made the remarks to Arab News as Israeli authorities closed the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings with the Gaza Strip from Thursday until Sunday, citing the Jewish holidays.

ADDIS ABABA: Africa must not become a “geostrategic battleground” for global powers, as it grapples with several threats to its own peace and security, African Union leaders warned Thursday.
The continent of 1.3 billion people has found itself at the center of a tussle for influence among the major powers, which has redoubled since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 15 months ago.
And just as the AU marked the anniversary of the creation of its forerunner, the Organization of African Unity, on this day in 1963, Ukraine itself announced it wanted to boost ties with Africa.

DUBAI: The UAE has announced the establishment of a fund to support world heritage, document conservation, and capacity building projects at a number of sites across Africa, Emirates News Agency reported on Thursday.

The announcement was made during an event held by the Africa Group at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. The fund will be established in partnership with the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas and the African World Heritage Fund.

PARIS: An Emirati ruling family member has called on tech firms and governments to include more women in policymaking to maximize the benefits and limit the dangers of new technology.
Sheikha Bodour Al-Qasimi, President of Sharjah Research, Technology and Innovation Park, told the 2nd Women in Tech Global Summit in Paris that offering leadership opportunities to women and including their perspectives in decision and policy-making would have a positive effect.

JEDDAH: The head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said on Wednesday that Israeli violations in occupied Jerusalem coincided with a steep rise in the frequency of crimes against the Palestinian people.

Speaking at an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee in Jeddah to discuss the recent attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque, Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said it was “inconceivable” that Israel always acted as a state above the law, committing crimes against the Palestinian people, their land and holy sites.