CAIRO: Al-Azhar Al-Sharif — Sunni Islam’s oldest and foremost seat of learning — strongly condemned the burning of the Holy Qur’an by Swedish extremists.

It said on Sunday that the Qur’an will “remain in its glory” as a “guiding book for all humanity, guiding them to the values of goodness, truth and beauty.”

The repeated incident “indicates the complicity of Swedish authorities” with far-right figures in an attempt to “repeatedly and deliberately offend religious sanctities and provoke Muslims around the world,” it said.

CAIRO: Egyptian authorities have released prominent businessman Safwan Thabet and his son, held in pre-trial detention for more than two years during a probe into possible terrorism-related charges.

Thabet’s daughter Mariam announced the news about her father and brother Seif El-Din’s release from prison in a post on Facebook.

The Public Prosecution agreed to free Thabet, founder and former chief executive officer of dairy products and juices producer Juhayna Food Industries, and his son on a guarantee of their place of residence.

ANKARA: Sweden’s bid for NATO membership is facing a dead end, according to analysts.

A protest by Swedish-Danish right-wing extremist leader Rasmus Paludan in front of the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm has further strained relations.

Following the demonstration, in which Paludan burnt a copy of the Holy Qur’an, eyes are now focused on potential steps Ankara might take to torpedo NATO’s expansion to Nordic countries.

RIYADH: Houthi allegations of shelling on the Saadah districts of Shada and Munabbih are “baseless,” the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said on Sunday.

“What is being circulated comes within the context of ongoing Houthi allegations in areas under its control that represent hotspots for disputes,” the coalition said.

The statement also said that crime was rife in areas managed by the Houthis.

CAIRO: The sugarcane harvesting season has begun in Egypt, with the governorate of Upper Egypt in the country’s south a key cultivation site.

“The target is to receive approximately 7.7 million tons of sugarcane during the current harvest season to produce about 850,000 tons of sugar,” Maj. Gen. Essam El-Din El-Budaiwi, head of the Sugar and Integrated Industries Co., told Arab News.

He added that the company has eight factories in five governorates across Egypt — Aswan, Luxor, Qena, Sohag, Minya — to produce sugar from cane and beets.