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[1/2] Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are covered with a white sheet as they arrive to appear at the High Court in Lahore, Pakistan, May 15, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin RazaISLAMABAD, May 16 (Reuters) - Bushra Khan, the wife of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, is facing corruption charges in the same case that led to his arrest on May 9. It was not clear when or how Khan met Bushra, but former aide Aun Chaudhry said Khan was very impressed with her spirituality. Khan and Bushra married in 2018, seven months before he was elected prime minister, in a secret ceremony. While prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events, and the couple are the sole trustees, according to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

We are experiencing the result of this marathon with you tonight," Erdogan, 69, told thousands of flag-waving supporters from the balcony of his party's headquarters. But Erdogan, a veteran of a dozen election victories, emerged comfortably ahead of Kilicdaroglu, though just short of the majority needed to win. The outcome reflects the strong support Erdogan still commands, especially in religiously conservative regions where voters long felt marginalised by a once-dominant secular elite. Over two decades, Erdogan has redrawn Turkey's domestic, economic, security and foreign policy, rivalling historic leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk who founded modern Turkey a century ago. Erdogan's government said the purge was justified by threats from coup supporters, as well as Islamic State and the PKK.

The son of a sea captain, Erdogan has faced stiff political headwinds ahead of Sunday's election: he was already facing blame over an economic crisis when a devastating earthquake hit in February. Critics accused his government of a slow response and lax enforcement of building rules, failures they said could have cost lives. Two days before the vote, Erdogan said he came to office through the ballot boxes and if he had to, would leave the same way. A veteran of more than a dozen election victories, the 69-year-old Erdogan has taken aim at his critics in typically combative fashion. "I swear, Erdogan can solve it with a flick of his wrist," she said at a market in central Istanbul.

☆ I left Miami for a remote village in Pakistan. I have no running hot water and limited electricity — but my quality of life here is infinitely better.
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Samantha Shea | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

She moved to Hunza Valley in Northern Pakistan in 2021, where she's lived ever since. I live in Hunza Valley, 8,500 feet above sea level on the border with Western China, where I work as a digital nomad. A drone shot of Hunza Valley in early May. A Hunza Valley local drying apricots. Though my solo journey to Pakistan started as a trip, Hunza Valley is now my home.

☆ Iran executes two people convicted of blasphemy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Iran hanged two people on Monday who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, according to the judiciary news agency Mizan. Authorities convicted both after they were found to be members of a Telegram channel titled “Critique of Superstition and Religion,” according to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. One member allegedly said that they set religious books on fire, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom claimed. The executions come days after the execution of a dual Swedish-Iranian national, Habib Chaab, who was convicted for leading a national Arab separatist group accused of attacks in Iran. The report found there was a “surge” of executions in Iran following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody in September.

☆ Iran hangs two men for blasphemy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, May 8 (Reuters) - Iran has executed two people who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy, the judiciary's news website Mizan reported on Monday. Yousef Mehrdad and Sadrollah Fazeli Zare were executed for crimes including blasphemy, insulting the religion of Islam, the prophet and other sanctities, Mizan reported. The two were running dozens of online anti-religion platforms dedicated to the hatred of Islam, the promotion of atheism and insults to sanctities, Mizan reported. U.N. experts have called on majority Shi'ite Muslim Iran to stop persecution and harassment of religious minorities pointing out an Iranian policy of targeting dissenting beliefs or religious practices, including Christian converts and atheists. Reporting by Elwely Elwelly; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/2] Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses his supporters during a rally ahead of the May 14 presidential and parliamentary elections, in Izmir, Turkey April 29, 2023. As he seeks to shore up his appeal among conservative voters, Erdogan has also spoken against homosexuality, describing LGBT rights as a "deviant" concept he would fight. 'BUILDING TURKEY TOGETHER'Polls suggest voting could go to a second round and some show Erdogan trailing. "I swear, Erdogan can solve it with a flick of his wrist," she said at a market in central Istanbul. The interventions won few allies, however, and faced with a struggling economy the countdown to the election, Erdogan sought rapprochement with rivals across the region.

Prince Albert of Monaco said in an interview with People magazine that he and his wife, Charlene, would be attending. King Felipe VI of Spain, who ascended to the throne in 2014 after his father’s abdication, will attend, according to the Spanish news media. Crown Prince Fumihito of Japan and Crown Princess Kiko, on behalf of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, will attend, according to the Japanese news media. Credit... Clodagh Kilcoyne/ReutersSeveral members of Britain’s government will attend, as will about 100 heads of state from around the world, according to Buckingham Palace. British RoyalsImage Prince Harry, center, will be present at the coronation, though his wife, Meghan, and their children, will remain in California.

☆ King Charles' coronation to blend ancient ritual with modern Britain
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, May 6 (Reuters) - The coronation of King Charles will seek to blend the ancient ritual of a ceremony that dates back for almost 1,000 years with the modern, more diverse face of Britain and its many faiths, the Order of Service makes clear. Watched by about 100 heads of state and dignitaries, Charles will be crowned on Saturday at Westminster Abbey, which has staged all coronations since William the Conqueror back in 1066. According to the Order of Service, the king will pray for the first time at a Coronation "publicly for grace to be 'a blessing to all ... of every faith and belief'." The king's love of nature will also be reflected in the clothing of his wife, Queen Camilla, who will also be crowned. Reporting by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Saudi Arabia wants to be a bigger player in the Middle East — this time with diplomacy
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“And that can only reflect well on the Kingdom.”This new diplomacy comes as Saudi Arabia prioritizes economic growth at home, which requires regional stability to succeed. Saudi efforts at revamping its image as a peace-broker may face credibility challenges, however, given its near decade-long combative foreign policy and the bad press it attracted. That group is party to the Sudan conflict that Saudi Arabia is trying to help end. Despite its controversial past, Saudi Arabia may still carry enough influence to bring quarreling parties to the negotiating table, analysts say. “Saudi (Arabia) does not pretend to be an impartial mediator but its voice carries weight with many parties in the region,” Shihabi said, adding that where it can, Saudi Arabia wants to use that influence to reduce tensions.

☆ Iran says there were no school poisonings, blames foreign 'enemies'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 28 (Reuters) - Iran's intelligence ministry on Friday accused foreign "enemies" and dissidents of fomenting fears over suspected poisonings of schoolgirls, saying its investigation found no actual poisoning. The report accused unnamed dissidents of provoking fears to produce propaganda videos and warned of "prosecution of individuals, groups, media who accused the government ... and aligned themselves with enemies". Authorities have accused the Islamic Republic's "enemies" of using the suspected attacks to undermine the clerical establishment. The suspected poisonings began in November in the holy Shi'ite Muslim city of Qom and spread to 28 of Iran's 31 provinces, according to activist HRANA news agency, prompting some parents to take children out of school and protest. For the first time since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, schoolgirls have joined the protests that spiralled after Mahsa Amini's death in morality police custody.

The army and the paramilitary RSF, which are waging a deadly power struggle across the country, had both issued statements saying they would uphold a three-day ceasefire from Friday for Islam's Eid al-Fitr holiday. The army has air power but the RSF is widely embedded in urban areas including around key facilities in central Khartoum. Burhan said the army was providing safe pathways but that some airports including in Khartoum and Darfur's largest city Nyala were still problematic. [1/5] People gather to get bread during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, April 22, 2023. The army on Friday accused the RSF of raiding the prison, which the paramilitary force denied.

[1/5] People gather to get bread during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, April 22, 2023. The army and the paramilitary RSF, which are waging a deadly power struggle across the country, had both issued statements saying they would uphold a three-day ceasefire from Friday for Islam's Eid al-Fitr holiday. The army has air power but the RSF is widely embedded in urban areas including around key facilities in central Khartoum. The army said the United States, Britain, France and China would evacuate diplomats and other nationals from Khartoum "in the coming hours". The army on Friday accused the RSF of raiding the prison, which the paramilitary force denied.

☆ 'This is madness': Libya's bitter divisions split Eid holiday
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] People attend an Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan at a public square, in Benghazi, Libya April 21, 2023. Religious authorities in east Libya, aligned with the parliament which is based there, said they had sighted the crescent moon on Thursday, making it the last day of fasting and setting Friday as Eid. "This is madness and I pray it ends here," said Ahmed Mesbah, 50, in Tripoli, who has chosen to celebrate Eid on Friday. The country split in 2014 between warring factions in east and west, a rift that remains despite comparative peace since 2020. "The split between east and west on such a happy occasion is hurtful and makes me sad.

☆ Tunisian judge orders detention of opposition leader Ghannouchi
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Tarek Amara | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 81-year-old, head of the Islamist Ennahda party, was the speaker of the elected parliament, which was shut down in 2021 by President Kais Saied when he seized all powers. Ghannouchi, who was arrested on Monday, was ordered detained following an investigation by the judge that lasted eight hours, lawyer Monia Bouali added. His lawyer said the decision to hold Ghannouchi in custody was pre-planned because of his expressions of opinion. Tunisian authorities on Tuesday banned meetings at all Ennahda offices and police closed the headquarters of the Salvation Front, the main opposition coalition. Since Tunisia's 2011 revolution, Ghannouchi has been a major political player, leading his party to participate in successive coalition governments with secular parties.

☆ Al-Balad: Where Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry began
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But the beating heart of this city, Al-Balad, is more than a thousand years old, and it has been immaculately preserved as a reminder of Saudi Arabia’s history – specifically, Jeddah’s role as a key point of entry for religious pilgrims. He devoted city resources to the remaining Al Balad buildings and prevented some from being torn down, Parry says. The Al-Balad area was inscribed to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2014 as Historic Jeddah, the Gate to Mecca. This pale-blue color is one of the most popular for doors and windows in the old city. Over two nights, Al-Balad’s old buildings were lit up while acts like Busta Rhymes, Xzibit and Lupe Fiasco performed alongside some of the Arab world’s biggest musicians.

☆ Israeli police say two men shot near Jewish tomb in Jerusalem in suspected ‘terror attack’
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Two men have been wounded in what Israeli police say was a suspected “terror attack” that took place near the Shimon Hatzadik tomb in East Jerusalem early Tuesday local time. The Shimon Hatzadik tomb is a revered holy site in Judaism located in the largely Palestinian neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in East Jerusalem. In a follow-up statement, police said forces located a “Carlo” style submachine gun near the site of the shooting. Israeli security forces search for suspects following a shooting attack in Sheikh Jarrah on Tuesday. Israel captured it from Jordan in a 1967 war and considers both East and West Jerusalem as its united, “eternal capital.”

Postal Service for alleged religious discrimination is set for U.S. Supreme Court review on April 18, poses in an undated handout image taken at an unknown location. Postal Service over his refusal to work on Sundays gives the Supreme Court another chance to widen religious rights but also has led to a debate over whether religious people are more legally deserving than others to weekend days off from work. The court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, has a track record of expanding religious rights in recent years, often siding with Christian plaintiffs. The Postal Service in 2013, in a bid to remain profitable, contracted with Amazon.com to deliver packages, including on Sundays. His absences caused tension among other carriers who had to cover his shifts, the Postal Service said.

☆ Fake bomb causes evacuation of Dutch parliament building
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

AMSTERDAM, April 13 (Reuters) - The Dutch parliament building was evacuated for a short while on Thursday afternoon after a bomb alert that turned out to be false. Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders said a fake bomb addressed to him had been the cause of the evacuation. "A package with a teddy bear and wires addressed to me was delivered to the mail room of parliament", Wilders said in a post on Twitter. Wilders, whose far-right Freedom Party has become the Netherlands' second-largest, has been living under tight security measures for years due to death threats. Reporting by Bart Meijer Editing by Jon Boyle and Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

All agreed there was a marked increase in awareness among Indian Muslims about birth control and family planning. The 2021 census has been delayed but the United Nations has projected India's population will touch 1.42 billion this month. "There is a misconception among Muslims that Islam doesn’t allow the use of birth control measures," said Maulana Khalid Rasheed, the imam of the Lucknow Eidgah in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state. [1/5] FILE PHOTO-Members of a Muslim family sit down for a meal in an old quarter of Delhi, India March 3, 2023. Experts say the public health system is now unable to keep up with the demand for birth control services from people who are aware about their usefulness, also called an unmet need.

By Tuesday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced it would prohibit non-Muslims from entering the holy site for the rest of Ramadan. “I see these visits as a raid on our holy site,” he said. That status quo is slowly being chipped away, says Sheikh Rani Abusibr, an Imam of nearly twenty-years at Al-Aqsa. There was a heightened security presence at the holy site when Easter, Ramadan, and Passover celebrations overlapped. Without the status quo arrangement being enforced, there are fears that an already tumultuous region could spiral out of control.

☆ The GOP risks blowing its 2024 chances by enlisting fringe pols and pushing issues normal voters don't care about
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The New York Times reported Trump wanted to hire far-right xenophone Laura Loomer to his campaign. The potential hire shows how far the Republican Party has moved from the median voter. It's just another example of how out of touch the Republican Party has become with the average voter. The Republican Party has yet to win the popular vote in presidential elections since 2004. Should the party keep hiring oddballs and pursuing culture war issues while failing to address substantive issues affecting the country, it's unclear that will change.

[1/2] A military helicopter, operated by the Houthis, flies over Sanaa, Yemen September 21, 2022 for the first time since the Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen and controlled the country's airspace in 2015. The move signals that regional rifts are easing after rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore relations last month following years of hostility and backing opposite sides in Middle Eastern conflicts, including Yemen. Oman, which shares borders with Yemen, has been trying for years to bridge differences between Yemen's warring parties, and more broadly between Iran and Saudi Arabia and the United States. Saudi Arabia restarted its direct talks with the Houthi group last summer after both sides failed to renew a United Nations-brokered truce deal. Following years of a bitter rivalry and armed conflicts between Saudi Arabia and Iran, their biggest trade partner China recently stepped in to work with both sides and improve relations.

☆ Gaza militants fire rockets into Israel, military says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GAZA, April 6 (Reuters) - Palestinian militants fired rockets into southern Israel for a second day on Thursday, the Israeli military said, after a police raid at a Jerusalem flashpoint holy site triggered crossborder fire and stoked fears of further escalation. There were no casualties reported in the early morning rocket attack from the blockaded Gaza Strip, controlled by Islamist militant group Hamas. On Wednesday, Israeli police raided the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem, a tinderbox of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. At least 12 Palestinians were injured and images of officers beating worshippers inside Islam's third holiest site circulated on social media. Militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel soon after, drawing Israeli air strikes.

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