The family of a prominent Palestinian activist is fighting Israel's arrest of the young woman, saying she is being punished for an online post she didn't write

By Markus Wacket and Andreas Rinke BERLIN (Reuters) -German Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Monday criticised sticking to what he

Pope Francis said he is “angry and disgusted” at the burning of the Quran, days after a man tore up and burned a copy of the scripture outside a mosque in Sweden. Iraqi national Salwan Momika was charged with “agitation against an ethnic or national group” after he tore up pages of a copy of the holy book of Islam, wiped them on his shoe and eventually set the book on fire on Wednesday – the first day of Eid – last week. “Any book considered holy should be respected to respect those who believe in it,” the Pope told the United Arab Emirates newspaper Al Ittihad, in an interview published on Monday. “I feel angry and disgusted at these actions.” “Freedom of speech should never be used as a means to despise others and allowing that is rejected and condemned,” the pontiff said. Mr Momika called his act a move to highlight the importance of freedom of speech in a democracy. “It is in danger if they tell us we can’t do this.” Nearly 200 onlookers in the Swedish capital Stockholm witnessed the act at an anti-Quran demonstration. The protest has risked sparking a fresh diplomatic row with Turkey, which has been holding up Sweden’s bid to join Nato. Some of those present at the site of the demonstration shouted “God is great” in Arabic to protest the burning. One man was detained by police after he attempted to throw a rock. Representatives of the mosque were disappointed by the police decision to grant permission for the latest protest on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, mosque director and imam Mahmoud Khalfi said on Wednesday. “The mosque suggested to the police to at least divert the demonstration to another location, which is possible by law, but they chose not to do so,” Mr Khalfi said in a statement. The Swedish police had cleared the anti-Quran demonstration despite rejecting several such applications recently. The country’s court has overruled those earlier police orders, calling them an infringement on freedom of speech. Swedish prime minister Ulf Kristersson said the protest was “legal but not appropriate” and said it was up to the police to permit it or not. On Sunday, a group of 57 Islamic countries called for collective measures to prevent acts of desecration of the Quran, and sought an international law to bring an end to religious hatred. Read More Biden will host Sweden's prime minister at the White House as the Nordic nation seeks to join NATO Thousands protest in Iraq for a second day over burning of Quran in Sweden Protesters briefly storm the Swedish Embassy in Baghdad in protest over Quran burning Man tears up and burns Quran in protest approved by Swedish police Ruins of Turkish city of Antakya tell story of a rich past

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has been accused of threatening colleagues with political blowback if they vote for his impeachment. State Representative Charlie Geren, who like Mr Paxton is a member of the Republican Party, said that “several members of this House while on the floor of this House, doing the state business, received telephone calls from general Paxton personally, threatening them with political consequences in their next election,” according to The Texas Tribune. Mr Geren made the claim during the opening remarks in the impeachment hearing in the Texas statehouse. The 73-year-old rejected Mr Paxton’s claims that the impeachment is a witch hunt and that the whistleblowers behind a lawsuit against him are “political” appointees. Mr Geren, who sits on the House General Investigative Committee, repeated what the panel said in the articles of impeachment filed against Mr Paxton, that the committee wouldn’t have probed the issue if he hadn’t made the request that the legislature greenlight a settlement worth $3.3m to the former members of staff. “We are here today because the attorney general asked the state Legislature to fund a multimillion-dollar settlement,” Mr Geren said. “There was no investigation prior to this time. We wanted to look further into the reasons behind that.” Mr Geren went on to say that the settlement was Mr Paxton trying to hide the possibility of wrongdoing. “This settlement served to stave off a trial, including a discovery process that could have brought new info to light,” he said. Mr Paxton has long been accused of violating the standards of his office, which he has held since 2015, before which he served in the Texas state senate between 2013 and 2015 and before that the Texas Statehouse from 2003 until 2013. On Saturday, members of the GOP in the Texas House started to present their case for impeaching Mr Paxton, arguing that he used his role to benefit himself and a donor to his campaign and that he should be put on trial in the state Senate for a range of violations. It’s the first vote on the impeachment of a statewide officeholder in Texas since 1917, The New York Times noted. Former President Donald Trump issued a statement of support for Mr Paxton on Truth Social, writing that “the RINO Speaker of the House of Texas, Dade Phelan, who is barely a Republican at all and failed the test on voter integrity, wants to impeach one of the most hard working and effective Attorney Generals in the United States, Ken Paxton, who just won re-election with a large number of American Patriots strongly voting for him”. “You would think that any issue would have been fully adjudicated by the voters of Texas, especially when that vote was so conclusive,” Mr Trump added. The Republican-controlled bipartisan statehouse committee that advanced the process against Mr Paxton filed 20 articles of impeachment this week, with the panel unanimously finding him unfit to hold office, sending the issue on to the full statehouse. Republican Representative David Spiller said that Mr Paxton used his office to help the donor, an Austin real estate investor, to his campaign as well as himself. “Attorney General Paxton continuously and blatantly violated laws and procedures,” Mr Spiller said, according to The New York Times. “Today is a very grim and difficult day for this House and for the State of Texas.” For the issue to head to a trial in the state Senate, 75 of the statehouse’s 85 Republicans and 64 Democrats would have to vote for impeachment, according to the House Speaker’s office. Mr Paxton, 60, has rejected all allegations of wrongdoing. He has been a vocal supporter of conservative legal issues and a main combatant of the Biden administration on issues such as the Affordable Care Act and immigration. He won a third term last year after beating George P Bush, the son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush and the nephew of former President George W Bush, in a Republican primary in May 2022. The allegations against him became a part of the campaign, and Mr Paxton accused the Republican House leadership of working with Democrats to remove him from office. If the impeachment vote succeeds, Mr Paxton would be temporarily removed from his office as the issue head to the state Senate for a trial, where a number of his main allies, such as his wife, state Senator Angela Paxton, will be jurors. Read More Texas' GOP-held House set for impeachment proceedings against Attorney General Ken Paxton Texas’ extraordinary move to impeach scandal-plagued GOP Attorney General Ken Paxton A look at the 20 articles of impeachment against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton

A judge has blocked New York City's minimum wage law for food delivery workers from going into effect on July 12 after DoorDash and Grubhub filed a lawsuit against the city.

Logan Paul has shared sweet footage from his proposal to Nina Agdal, and admitted that he knew he was going to marry her '12 hours' after they first met. "Since the moment we met, I've been the happiest I've ever been in my life", he says, showing off the dazzling ring and serene garden location in Lake Como, Italy, where he popped the question. "I didn't know a human could be that incredible. She's shifted my entire perspective on what a partner could be to me. The pair have been dating since 2021. Click here to sign up for our newsletters

Rookie Reese Olson won for the third time in his last four starts, combining with two relievers on a three-hitter to help the Detroit Tigers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-2 and avoid a sweep in the three-game series

She is experiencing mild symptoms, the White House says, while President Joe Biden tested negative.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels had NFL Twitter in an uproar with his mindboggling late-game decision-making in a loss to the Steelers.

(Reuters) -Chinese authorities have asked Ping An Insurance Group to take a controlling stake in embattled Country Garden, the nation's

The Oklahoma City Thunder are knocking on the door of contention in the West. Here's what Mark Daigneault is working with as OKC looks to take the next step.The Oklahoma City Thunder don't tend to draw a national audience, but that could change in the near future. Mark Daigneault has e...

A woman with whom Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s staff say he carried on extramarital affair is expected to be called to testify in the Republican’s impeachment trial Wednesday