The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) is confident that it can maintain its current level of operations over Iraq and Syria "for years" if needs be, a senior service official said on 30 March.
Read more: UK RAF set for the 'long-haul' against the Islamic State
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Rights Group Calls on Egypt to Reverse Blasphemy Conviction
- By HAMZA HENDAWI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Human Rights Watch on Monday called on Egypt to drop prison sentences against four Coptic Christian teenagers convicted of blasphemy, an appeal made one day after the justice minister was sacked for saying he would imprison the Prophet Muhammad if he committed a crime, remarks widely seen as blasphemous.
The teenagers' Feb. 25 conviction was based on a video in which they intended to mock the extremist Islamic State group after its Libyan affiliate beheaded a group of Egyptian Christians last year.
Read more: Rights Group Calls on Egypt to Reverse Blasphemy Conviction
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House panel OKs bill to call Muslim Brotherhood terror group
WASHINGTON – The Republican-led House Judiciary Committee has approved legislation calling on the State Department to label the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization.
Lawmakers voted Wednesday along party lines, 17-10.
Supporters say if the measure is signed into law, the U.S. would have to deny admittance to individuals who are tied to the Brotherhood but aren't U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals.
Individuals who provide material support to the group would face criminal penalties.
Read more: House panel OKs bill to call Muslim Brotherhood terror group
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New breath test tackles growing rates of oesophageal cancer
Professor George Hanna Imperial College, London
Oesophageal cancer affects the pipe that connects the mouth to the top of the stomach. It’s the ninth most common type of cancer in the UK and 8,500 new cases are diagnosed every year. Professor George Hanna is an upper gastrointestinal consultant surgeon at St Mary’s Hospital. He and his team devised a breath test which can diagnose oesophageal cancer quickly and effectively, without the need for an endoscopy. In this, Oesophageal Cancer Awareness Month, Professor Hanna explains why the condition is on the rise and how a simple breath test could help save lives.
Read more: New breath test tackles growing rates of oesophageal cancer
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Egyptian four-year-old's life sentence a mistake, military says
Media captionThe child was convicted of participating in a Muslim Brotherhood protest in early 2014
An Egyptian military court made a mistake by sentencing a four-year-old boy to life in prison for murder last week, the military has acknowledged.
Spokesman Col Mohammed Samir said the court should have sentenced a 16-year-old with a similar name instead.
Ahmed Mansour Qurani Ali was convicted along with 115 others in connection with riots by Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Fayoum province in 2014.
His lawyer had submitted documents proving that he was one at the time.
Read more: Egyptian four-year-old's life sentence a mistake, military says
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Egyptian columnist delivers stinging attack against el-Sissi
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CAIRO (AP) — A prominent columnist on Sunday delivered the harshest attack to date against Egypt's president in the local media, saying that Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi presided over a "theocracy" that is no different from the Islamist-led government he overthrew in 2013.
In a front-page column in the al-Maqal daily, Ibrahim Eissa expressed outrage over a two-year prison sentence issued Saturday against author Ahmed Naji for publishing a sexually explicit excerpt of his novel that prosecutors said violated "public modesty."
Read more: Egyptian columnist delivers stinging attack against el-Sissi
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Egypt’s elite bid farewell to ex-U.N. chief Boutros Ghali
Egypt’s political and religious elite turned out Thursday for the funeral of former U.N. secretary-general Boutros Ghali, who steered the world body through several global conflicts during one of its toughest periods.
Read more: Egypt’s elite bid farewell to ex-U.N. chief Boutros Ghali
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Egypt writer sentenced to three years imprisonment
Fatima Naaot, a prominent Egyptian writer, poet and broadcaster, was found guilty of "insulting Islam" and sentenced to three years imprisonment for “contempt of religion” on 26 January.
Fatima Naaot was sentenced for comments she made online in relation to the festival of Eid Al-Adha, an important celebration in the Muslim calendar involving the public “sacrificing” of a sheep or goat to commemorate Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. In an October 2015 post on her Facebook page, Ms Naaot described the annual tradition as the "greatest massacre committed by human beings” and also wrote "Happy massacre, everybody".
Read more: Egypt writer sentenced to three years imprisonment
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Anti-Islam groups launch Europe-wide coalition pledging to defend 'Western civilisation'
ANTI-ISLAMISATION groups from across Europe have joined forces to form a single mass movement today with a pledge to protect "the thousand-year history of Western Civilisation".
Anti-Islamisation groups across Europe have joined forces pledging to defend Western Civilisation
The British branch of the far-right PEGIDA movement will join colleagues from across the continent as part of the Fortress Europe coalition, which says it will "never surrender to our enemies" amid concerns about mass Muslim migration.
The new alliance brings together tens of thousands of campaigners from across Europe and has been announced in response to the escalating migrant crisis and alleged refugee sex attacks in Germany and Sweden.
It will feature veteran activists from all corners of Europe including Tommy Robinson - the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL) who is now fronting PEGIDA UK.
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Former EDL leader Tommy Robinson is fronting PEGIDA UK
The groups met near Prague last week to thrash out a common mission statement with eight bullet points in which the campaigners pledge to "risk our lives" to oppose "political Islam, extreme Islamic regimes and their European collaborators".
Read more: Anti-Islam groups launch Europe-wide coalition pledging to defend 'Western civilisation'
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Saudis Shut Down Camel Urine Shop – Owner Was Selling His Own Urine
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Camel urine is believed to provide healing powers by Muslims.
A Saudi camel urine shop was closed after authorities discovered the owner was selling his own urine.
Mail Online reported, via Jihad Watch:
Saudi authorities have closed down a shop selling traditional camel urine drinks after discovering the owner had been filling the bottles with his own bodily waste.
Read more: Saudis Shut Down Camel Urine Shop – Owner Was Selling His Own Urine
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Muslim Brotherhood will legally challenge UK government report
Organisation says long-awaited inquiry into political Islam has been unduly influenced by Britain’s allies that are hostile to democracy in the Middle East
Thursday 17 December 2015 06.00 GMT Last modified on Thursday 17 December 2015 07.52 GMT
A critical report calling for greater oversight of the Muslim Brotherhood is expected to be subject to a legal challenge by the Islamist movement after it is published on Thursday by the government.
The long-awaited inquiry, ordered by David Cameron, into the Brotherhood’s operation in the UK is expected to include new curbs on the group and its associates in a move that will be presented by ministers as a crackdown on Islamism.
Read more: Muslim Brotherhood will legally challenge UK government report