RAMALLAH: Azerbaijan’s decision on Friday to open an embassy in Tel Aviv sparked astonishment and condemnation among Palestinians.
Azerbaijan shares a long border with Iran and is a major buyer of Israeli weapons systems. It is now set to become the first country with a Shiite majority and government to have a mission in Israel.
While some former Palestinian diplomats and political analysts sought to play down the move at a time of intense diplomatic struggles between Palestinians and Israel, others saw it as a victory for Israeli diplomacy.

DUBAI: A large anti-government protest erupted in Iran on Friday at the funeral of a child killed in a shooting that his mother blamed on security forces. It’s the latest in a wave of demonstrations that have flared across the country over the past two months.
Videos circulating on social media showed hundreds of protesters at the funeral for 9-year-old Kian Pirfalak in the southwestern city of Izeh. Protests also erupted in the eastern city of Zahedan, which has seen the deadliest violence since the nationwide demonstrations began.

GAZA CITY: Crowds on Friday mourned the deaths of 21 Palestinians who perished in a tragic fire in their apartment in Jabalia refugee camp on Thursday evening.

Tens of thousands on Friday took part in the funeral of the victims — most of whom were women and children — of the house fire that struck the Abu Raya family in the northern Gaza Strip.

The Jabalia camp is the largest of eight camps in the Gaza Strip, with a population of more than 2 million Palestinians living in harsh economic conditions.

ISTANBUL: A Turkish court has ordered 17 suspects jailed pending trial in connection with a deadly street bombing in Istanbul, accusing them of attempts against the unity of the state, deliberate killings and attempts to kill, Turkiye’s state-run news agency reported Friday.
The court released three other suspects from custody pending trial, Anadolu Agency reported. It also ordered the deportation from Turkiye of 29 people who were rounded up by police in connection with the attack.

TEHRAN: The UN nuclear watchdog is aware of all of Iran’s activities, the head of country’s atomic energy organization said on Friday, a day after the atomic agency’s Board of Governors demanded explanation for traces of uranium at three undeclared sites.
The resolution, which was drafted on Thursday by the United States, Britain, France and Germany, said it was “essential and urgent” that Iran explain the origin of the uranium particles and more generally give the International Atomic Energy Agency all the answers it requires.