Just like all Christians in Islamabad, 45-year-old Akram and his family celebrate "the night of the new moon" also known as "chand raat", every year on 24 December.
A young Senegalese writer unknown to the general public was on Wednesday awarded the Prix Goncourt, France's leading literature prize, with a novel exploring the destiny of a cursed African author.
The Vatican has been holding secret talks with the Saudi Arabian authorities on building churches in Muhammad's homeland, according to one of Pope Benedict's most senior Middle East representatives.
Under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Germany is expected to double down on its support for Israel, even if it means sidelining international law. Domestically, repression of Israel's critics is set to intensify.
Protests in Sudan continue, despite promises from the new head of the country's military council, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Burhan, following this week's coup. He has vowed to "uproot the old regime". But demonstrators remain unimpressed.
Tens of thousands of Sudanese have taken to the streets to protest last month’s military coup. With support from its Middle Eastern and European allies, Washington can help them in their fight for democracy, argues Alex de Waal.
The Qiyan were a specific group of enslaved and freed women performers in Islamic Spain (al-Andalus). The qiyan constituted a public and, often, prominent class of women, especially those individuals associated with the caliphal court.
A look at the street art from Sudanese youth during the uprising against former president Omar Hassan Al Bashir.
