Zayn Malik resurfaced a decade-old "Free Palestine" post to his nearly 51 million Instagram followers, responding to recent criticism that he had failed to take a clear position on the issue. The former One Direction member shared a screenshot of the original message to his Instagram Story, writing: "This is for any confused individuals.. check the date ;)" Malik first posted "#FreePalestine" on July 27, 2014, during that summer's escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. The message was retweeted and favorited roughly 220,000 times among his then-13 million followers, drawing intense backlash, including reported death threats, though Malik never deleted it. The resurfaced post comes amid heightened scrutiny of celebrities' positions on Palestine following the controversy surrounding Macklemore's removal from Ed Sheeran's Loop Tour, with Malik's decade-old stance now being cited as predating the current wave of celebrity activism on the issue.
🇬🇧 Britain's Green Party formally adopted a policy declaring "Zionism is racism" after a majority of members voted in favor of a motion Sunday. The motion, which calls for Zionism to be "treated as any other form of racism," passed by 1,022 votes to 813 at the party's annual conference in Brighton. The vote makes the motion formal policy for the Green Party in England and Wales. In 2024, the Green Party became the first political party in England and Wales to vote to recognize the Israeli government as an "apartheid" state. The party cited international treaties, including the International Convention on Apartheid of 1973 and the Rome Statute of 1998. Following the vote, a Green Party spokesperson said: "The motion sets out the Party's opposition to Zionism, defined as an ethnonationalist political project, and states that anti-Zionism should not be equated with antisemitism." "The motion reasserts the Party's commitment to Palestinian liberation, the right of return, Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), and a full arms embargo against Israel," the spokesperson added. The spokesperson said the Green Party is an "anti-racist party" and reiterated that it has consistently opposed what the party describes as the illegal occupation of Palestinian and Syrian land. The primary motion, titled "Zionism is racism," was pushed by a group called Greens for Palestine, The Guardian newspaper reported. The group encouraged non-party members to join the party to ensure the policy was debated and adopted, according to The Guardian. The motion argues that Zionism is necessarily racist because it "privileges one ethnic group on the basis of the subjugation of others." "This motion is aimed at the political ideology and practice of Zionism, as defined, and not at the religious or ethnic background of those who may identify as Zionists," it said. "Not all Jews are Zionists and not all Zionists are Jews," the motion added.
Actor and former UNHCR special envoy Angelina Jolie on Saturday directed her Instagram followers to Google Earth to witness the extent of destruction across the Gaza Strip, sharing before-and-after satellite imagery comparing areas prior to the war with their current devastated state. "You can now open Google Earth and see what was done to Gaza," Jolie wrote alongside images showing vast rubble fields where dense urban neighborhoods once stood near the Al-Qadisiyah School in Rafah, Khan Younis in southern Gaza, and Omar Mukhtar Street in Gaza City. Citing United Nations satellite analysis from June, she stated that 82% of structures in the enclave had sustained damage, with roughly two-thirds assessed as completely destroyed. "Whole neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble," she said, noting that the destruction encompassed homes, schools, universities, hospitals, roads, water systems and sanitation infrastructure. Jolie cited humanitarian data indicating that 1.98 million people, 94% of Gaza's population, require shelter assistance and essential items as winter approaches. "Aid and shelter materials continue to face restrictions and delays," she said, adding that the satellite images reveal physical devastation but cannot capture the human toll. "What it cannot show is what it means to live among it, what happened to the families who were killed, and what life is like for those who survived," she stated. She called for immediate access for shelter materials, humanitarian assistance and medical supplies, urging conditions be established to allow Palestinians to rebuild. "The destruction is visible. The needs are known. What matters now is whether they are met," Jolie said. Jolie served as a UN Goodwill Ambassador and then Special Envoy for UNHCR for over two decades until 2022. Since October 2023, Israel's war in Gaza, which has drawn international condemnation over its civilian toll has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians and injured over 175,000 others, while also destroying about 90% of the enclave's infrastructure, according to Palestinian figures.
Two Pakistanis were killed and another injured by gunfire from India's Border Security Force near the international frontier dividing the two countries, Pakistan's Foriegn Ministry said. In a statement on Saturday, the ministry said the Indian chargé d'affaires was summoned to lodge a "strong protest" for the deadly incident Friday. The border personnel resorted to "unprovoked lethal force against unarmed civilians," said the statement, calling the use of force "wholly unjustified and grossly disproportionate."
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.