Chelsea FC Women's Threads account has drawn criticism for reneging on a promise tied to a viral fan poll. The club had told followers it would change its bio to match whichever reply drew the most likes, but when a "Free Palestine" comment surged past the rest, gathering roughly 136,000 likes, the team scrapped the plan and deleted the post entirely rather than follow through.
A few years ago, studying how to build a career on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube at university would have seemed unusual. The expansion of the global creator economy has changed that picture, with universities in the UK and US now developing degree programmes aimed at turning social media skills into structured professional training.
Jared Kushner's private equity firm, Affinity Partners, is the largest shareholder in an Israeli financial group that invests in companies supplying Israel's military, even as he served as a key US negotiator on the Gaza Strip, CNN reported Thursday. Affinity Partners doubled its stake in Tel Aviv-based Phoenix Financial in January 2025, shortly before Trump’s inauguration, becoming the company’s largest shareholder. Kushner later described Phoenix as Affinity’s “best investment,” according to the report. Phoenix Financial has invested at least $456 million in nine military-linked companies involved in Israel's war machine, including $265.1 million in Elbit Systems, Israel's largest arms manufacturer, it reported. Affinity Partners, owned solely by Kushner, sold a quarter of its Phoenix stake in July for more than $340 million, more than five times its initial stock purchase, and still holds a stake worth more than $1 billion, it added. Kushner has served as a key US negotiator on Gaza while maintaining no formal government position, working as a volunteer adviser to Trump. As a volunteer envoy, Kushner is not required to disclose his finances. Kushner's attorney told CNN that he never directed Phoenix's investment decisions and had no role in its holdings in the nine companies. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Kushner's "personal business activities have nothing to do with his diplomatic engagements, which he conducts on a volunteer basis at the president’s request." CNN said it found no indication that Kushner's diplomatic actions directly affected the investments it reviewed. The Israeli army launched a genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, killing more than 74,000 people, injuring over 175,000 and causing massive destruction. A ceasefire agreement was reached in October 2025, though Israel continued its attacks and maintained restrictions on the entry of food, medicine and shelter materials into Gaza, where almost the entire population faces dire humanitarian conditions.
Türkiye and Syria on Thursday rejected claims that Syrian government officials and representatives of the Lebanese group Hezbollah had met in Türkiye, describing the reports as false. In a statement, the Turkish Communications Directorate’s Center for Combating Disinformation said claims that “Syrian government officials and Hezbollah officials met in Türkiye, hosted by the National Intelligence Organization (MIT)” were entirely unfounded. It said allegations concerning the date, venue, content and participants of the purported meeting “do not reflect any reality and are entirely fabricated and speculative.” The center urged the public to rely only on statements issued by official authorities and warned against claims circulating through unofficial channels. The Syrian government also denied that the meeting took place. “These claims are false, and no such meeting took place,” said the Syrian Information Ministry’s Foreign Media Directorate, according to state-run Alikhbariah TV.
The International Union of Islamic Book Publishers has launched an Islamic Publishing Observatory to collect data and publish reports on translation, rights, distribution and digital transformation across the industry, marking a key outcome of its founding conference in Istanbul. The two-day event at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University drew more than 250 representatives from 72 countries, including publishers, universities, distributors and authors' organizations. Union president Prof. Mehmet Bulut said the initiative aims to recover and share centuries of Islamic intellectual heritage, stating: "In this era of propaganda, we must tell the world that Islam is peace." Alongside the observatory, organizers plan an international database mapping publishers, catalogues and rights, plus a digital platform meant to keep collaboration active between conferences and book fairs. The gathering closed with the Istanbul Declaration for Cooperation Among Islamic Book Publishers, adopted September 26, setting a three-year plan addressing translation, copyright piracy, international distribution and the responsible use of artificial intelligence in publishing. Formally established in January 2026 after five years of preparation, IUIBP is headquartered in Istanbul and now has 247 member publishers across 72 countries.
A fight between the pilots of a passenger plane flying from Dubai to Tel Aviv reportedly triggered a hijacking code before the aircraft landed in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, according to Israeli daily Ynet. Ynet said the aircraft had been scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport. According to the report, the code indicating a possible hijacking was activated during the cockpit altercation. The aircraft subsequently landed at Tabuk Airport in Saudi Arabia.
Houston Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair continued his tributes to Palestinian children killed in Gaza on Sunday, wearing the names of sisters Lana and Bana Ahmad on his eye black during an NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts. Al-Shaair took the field with “Lana/Bana Ahmad” written on the black strips beneath his eyes, continuing a series of tributes despite previous fines and warnings from the NFL. Lana, 12, and Bana, 8, were killed along with members of their family in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza earlier this month. The latest tribute follows several instances in which Al-Shaair has used his equipment to draw attention to Palestinian children killed in Gaza. During the 2024 season, Al-Shaair wore custom “Free Palestine” cleats supporting the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund as part of the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” initiative. In January, during the Texans’ wild-card playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Al-Shaair wore eye black bearing the message “Stop the Genocide.” The NFL fined him $11,593 for violating its uniform and equipment rules. He wore the message again during warmups before Houston’s divisional playoff game against the New England Patriots but removed it before kickoff after being told he would not be permitted to play if he continued wearing it. On Sept. 13, Al-Shaair wore eye black bearing the name “Hind Rajab,” a 5-year-old Palestinian girl killed in Gaza in January 2024. The NFL fined him $11,941 for the unauthorized message. A week later, Al-Shaair wore the name of 8-year-old Wafaa Akila, who was killed with her father in an Israeli strike in Gaza. During the game, Al-Shaair was told to remove the eye black or he would not be permitted to continue playing. He complied and was not fined. On Sunday, he returned to the field with the names of Lana and Bana Ahmad on his eye black, continuing the series of tributes despite the league’s previous penalties and warnings.
Actress Cristin Milioti has shared a cartoon on Instagram that questions Cornell University’s handling of pro-Palestine activism compared with allegations involving members of the Chi Phi fraternity. The illustration by cartoonist Jesse Duquette depicts a “Free Palestine” protester marked “Expelled” alongside a fraternity reference marked “Excused,” reflecting criticism that the university has treated the two situations differently. The post comes as Cornell faces renewed scrutiny over a civil lawsuit filed in September 2026 by a former student who alleges she was sexually assaulted by seven Chi Phi members at the fraternity house on October 19, 2024, after being pressured to consume alcohol, marijuana and ketamine. Cornell conducted an internal investigation and barred the Chi Phi chapter from campus, while no criminal charges were initially brought. The controversy has also drawn comparisons with Cornell’s disciplinary response to pro-Palestine demonstrations. Following a September 2024 disruption of a career fair involving defense contractors Boeing and L3Harris, the university referred numerous students for disciplinary action, with some receiving suspensions and multi-year campus bans.
🇵🇸🇮🇪 Heimir Hallgrímsson, the Icelandic manager of the Irish national team, has drawn criticism from the Israel Football Association following comments he made to The 42 ahead of the matches against Israel. 📌 While maintaining his criticism of Israel’s participation in UEFA competitions, Hallgrímsson said no one had been able to explain to him why Israel had not faced sanctions similar to those imposed on Russia, which was banned from UEFA competitions. 📌 Amid public calls in Ireland to cancel the matches against Israel, Hallgrímsson said his team was obliged to take the field. Expressing his opposition to Israel’s status in international football, he said: “We aren't playing against a genocide; we are playing against Israel.” 📌 Hallgrímsson’s comments regarding Israel’s atrocities in Gaza drew a strong response from the Israel Football Association. Rather than directly addressing the genocide allegations, the association pointed to Nobel Prizes awarded to Israelis and cited what it described as Israel’s contributions to the world and humanity. The association also accused Hallgrímsson of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy.”