Middle Eastern Politics Headlines at 10:43 a.m. GMT

A priest stabbed in the face during Mass is one of the most recent cases of a religion-based hate crime, which is one the rise around the globe, though Jews are most often victims of the attacks.

Israel's new defence minister, Israel Katz, has confirmed the conscription of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men planned by his predecessor. The Israeli defence ministry announced on Friday that 7,000 conscription notices will be sent out in stages starting on Sunday. Israeli media had previously reported that the military intended to issue the conscription orders. Former defence minister Yoav Gallant, who was dismissed ten days ago, had approved the measure before his dismissal. Katz emphasized th

A medieval statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, known as "The Virgin of Paris," returned to Notre Dame cathedral Friday evening, five years after surviving the devastating 2019 fire that engulfed the landmark. The nearly six-foot-tall stone sculpture, a symbol of hope and faith for Catholics in Paris and beyond, was relocated after the blaze on April 15, 2019. Hundreds of faithful and residents accompanied the statue along the Seine river to the cathedral's square, where Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris led a blessing ceremony.

Pope Francis on Friday called on the diocese of Rome to respond to a growing housing crisis in the Eternal City, wading into the debate about rising rental prices that has only grown more acute with Holy Year celebrations in 2025. Francis has written to the city's church leaders and religious order priests for any available church properties to be used for the homeless or residents facing possible eviction because of rising rents. The letter reflected something of the paradox facing the Vatican: Francis' yearlong jubilee is expected to bring more than 30 million pilgrims to Rome to celebrate the Holy Year.

Around the country, advocates for Christian education have been finding legal ways to tap taxpayer money used more typically for public schools. One new approach in Ohio is benefiting schools tied to a burgeoning conservative political group and facing objections from defenders of the separation of church and state. In President-elect Donald Trump, backers of school choice have gained an ally in their efforts to share taxpayer money with families to pay for things like private school tuition.

Rock band Linkin Park's new lead singer grew up in Scientology dorms for its most zealous followers' children before becoming a "hardcore" church member, the Daily Beast has learned. Emily Armstrong was unveiled by Linkin Park as its new frontwoman in September, after lead singer Chester Bennington died in 2017. Their first album featuring Armstrong was released Friday. Armstrong's history as a Scientologist has already proved controversial. Bennington's son Jaime slammed Linkin Park for embraci

The Israeli military issued call-up notices to more members of the ultra-Orthodox community on Sunday to bolster its forces as it fights on its southern and northern borders, a move that may further inflame tensions between religious and secular Israelis. The Supreme Court ruled in June that the defence ministry could no longer grant blanket exemptions to Jewish seminary students from the conscript military, an arrangement in place since around the time of Israel's establishment in 1948 when the number of ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, was tiny. As Israel fights wars against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israel's defense ministry said on Friday 7,000 members of the community would gradually receive notices, starting on Sunday.

Pete Hegseth, the Army National Guard veteran and Fox News host nominated by Donald Trump to lead the Department of Defense, was flagged as a possible "Insider Threat" by a fellow service member due to a tattoo on his bicep that's associated with white supremacist groups. Hegseth, who has downplayed the role of military members and veterans in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack and railed against the Pentagon's subsequent efforts to address extremism in the ranks, has said he was pulled by his District of Columbia National Guard unit from guarding Joe Biden's January 2021 inauguration.

Lions usually know better than to take on a massive white rhino. They are said to know their limitations. But that didn't stop a trio of lions at Kruger National Park in South Africa from trying. The end result was the male lion nearly getting gored by the rhino. Safari guide...

On the last night of their lives, Jagdish Patel, his wife and their two young children tried to slip into the U.S. across a near-empty stretch of the Canadian border. Wind chills reached minus 36 Fahrenheit (minus 38 Celsius) that night in January 2022 as the family from India set out on foot to meet a waiting van. Coordinating things in Canada, federal prosecutors say, was Harshkumar Patel, an experienced smuggler nicknamed "Dirty Harry."

Former Vice President Mike Pence is urging GOP senators to reject President-elect Trump's nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) because of his views on abortion. In a statement from his conservative nonprofit Advancing American Freedom on Friday, Pence said Kennedy's nomination "is an abrupt...

"My grandmother died last fall. As far as I know, she remained abusive to her last breath. I don't believe there is any way to honor her life as she chose to live it and, for this reason, no one in the family has written an obituary for her."

GREAT KILLS, Staten Island (PIX11) — Whoopi Goldberg claimed that a historic bakery on Staten Island wouldn't fill a dessert request that she'd made because the business didn't like her politics. The owner of the bakery, Holtermann's, said that a major maintenance issue at the business had prevented it from filling any large orders, like Goldberg's, [...]

It seems that even though Donald Trump is heading back to the White House, Melania Trump is continuing this controversial business venture, and isn't slowing down anytime soon. Earlier this week, Melania released a limited-edition photo series called "On the Move," which shows Melania in various professional settings. the 16 digital images show her on ...

From the moment the US election results rolled in, climate leaders knew Donald Trump would be a blow to the COP29 talks in Baku. What they didn't foresee was the demolition job Azerbaijan's own leader would do from the inside.

LONDON/VIENNA (Reuters) -Russia told Austria on Friday it will suspend gas deliveries via Ukraine on Saturday, in a development that signals a fast-approaching end of Moscow's last gas flows to Europe. Russia's oldest gas-export route to Europe, a pipeline dating back to Soviet days via Ukraine, is set to shut at the end of this year.

Over 20 teams can claim they have a path to the College Football Playoff with two weeks to go in the regular season.