Author: Gulf News Week

Alaa Abd El-Fattah is considered among the most high-profile political prisoners held in Egypt’s prisons.Prominent Egyptian-British human rights activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been freed after spending most of the past 12 years in prison, his family said, a day after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pardoned him and five other prisoners.“I can’t even describe what I feel,” Abd El-Fattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, said from her house in Giza early on Tuesday as she stood next to her son, surrounded by jubilant family and friends.“We’re happy, of course. But our greatest joy will come when there are no [political] prisoners…

European protests are forcing leaders to act on Israel, but is this real change or just a pressure valve?From Madrid to Brussels, protesters are turning sport, culture and trade into flashpoints over Israel’s war on Gaza. Europe’s leaders are proposing sanctions on Israel and recognition of Palestinian statehood. Is this momentum strong enough to shift power? Or are governments offering small steps to manage unrest while avoiding deeper change?Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2The Take: ‘Take it down’ – the fight for the White House Peace Vigillist 2 of 2The Take: What is the future of US…

Dr Saya Aziz, working at al-Shifa Hospital, says she has lost count of the number of amputations she has had to perform.An Australian medic working at Gaza City’s al-Shifa Hospital says she has lost count of the number of amputations she has had to perform, as two more hospitals were shut down amid Israel’s relentless bombardment of the enclave.“On the first day, I started off thinking I’ve never seen anything like this, and then in the following days I’ve seen … more. I’ve lost count of the number of amputations I’ve done,” Dr Saya Aziz, an anaesthesiologist, told media.Recommended Stories…

President Ahmed al-Sharaa meets US secretary of state in New York as he prepares to attend UN General Assembly meetings.Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has renewed his call to the United States to formally lift sanctions imposed on his country while visiting New York to attend the first United Nations General Assembly by a Syrian leader in nearly six decades.Al-Sharaa led opposition fighters who overthrew President Bashar al-Assad’s government in December.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israeli army carries out its latest ground incursion in southern Syrialist 2 of 3Talks with Israel could lead to results ‘in days’, says…

Hebron, occupied West Bank – When the headlines started dropping that Canada, then the United Kingdom, then Australia, then Portugal, then France had formally recognised Palestinian statehood, Palestinian reactions ranged from joy to dread that Israel would take this as a cue to target them more violently.More than 150 countries now recognise the State of Palestine.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3‘Time has come’: France recognises state of Palestine at UN summitlist 2 of 3Palestinian flag raised outside embassy in London after UK recognitionlist 3 of 3Israel-Palestine two-state solution summit to be held as recognitions surgeend of listmedia…

The announcement by President Emmanuel Macron comes as world leaders meet to revive the long-stalled two-state solution.The leaders of six countries, including France, have moved to recognise Palestinian statehood, at a high-level summit ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting in New York.Alongside France, which co-convened the meeting with Saudi Arabia on Monday in New York, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Monaco said they were recognising a Palestinian state.Recommended Stories list of 2 itemslist 1 of 2Palestinian flag raised outside embassy in London after UK recognitionlist 2 of 2French towns fly Palestinian flag despite gov’t ban before…

A loss in the match on Tuesday will put both teams on the brink of elimination from the Asia Cup 2025 tournament.Who: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka What: T20 Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours When: Tuesday, September 23 at 6:30pm (14:30 GMT) Where: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) How to follow: media Sport will have live build-up from 11:00 GMT ahead of our comprehensive text commentary stream of the match.Pakistan and Sri Lanka meet in their Super Fours match at the T20 Asia Cup 2025 knowing that a loss in Abu Dhabi could jeopardise their place in…

Unconditional US support for Israel will come to an end but this policy shift may take years.The Zionist narrative has been a dominating force in the United States for more than seven decades. Promoted by powerful lobbies, nurtured by Christian evangelicals, and echoed by mainstream media, it remained largely unchallenged until the outbreak of the genocide in Gaza.In nearly two years, the unyielding images of horror, the scale of devastation, and the shocking loss of human lives have created an indomitable record of horror that has challenged the Zionist narrative. Poll after poll is registering a shift in public opinion…

Seventy members of parliament sign a letter calling for a ‘change in the defence doctrine’ of the nation.Tehran, Iran – Hardline lawmakers in Iran have once again demanded the country start building a nuclear bomb as Western powers are days away from reimposing United Nations sanctions amid concerns war could restart with Israel.Led by a lawmaker from the ultraconservative holy Shia city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, 70 members of parliament signed onto a letter calling for a “change in the defence doctrine” of the theocratic establishment.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Palestinian flag raised outside embassy in London…

He was arrested in 2019 in Egypt and sentenced in 2021 to five years in jail for “spreading false news”.The Egyptian-British human rights activist and writer Alaa Abd el-Fattah has been pardoned after almost six years in jail in Egypt and hunger strikes by Abd el-Fattah and his mother.The announcement was made on Monday in Egypt’s official gazette and followed an appeal from the National Council for Human Rights, the television channel Al Qahera News reported.In a post on X, Abd el-Fattah’s sister, Mona Seif, said: “My heart is going to stop.”Abd el-Fattah was arrested in September 2019 and was…