Turkey’s ruling party spokesman on Sunday strongly condemned police violence against a Turkish citizen in Germany’s Frankfurt, describing it as a "racist attack".

“This is a racist and fascist attack. It has nothing to do with public order,” Omer Celik, spokesman for the Justice and Development (AK) Party, said on Twitter, sharing the video of the police using violence against the Turkish citizen.

Earlier in the day, Selim Ciftci, 35, suffering from a mental disorder, was subjected to police violence in the middle of the street in Frankfurt. He was treated at the hospital.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hatice Goturmen, sister of Ciftci said her brother's kidneys were severely damaged due to police brutality. She said her brother could have ended up remaining on dialysis if the urgent intervention had not been provided.

Turkey's Communications Director Fahrettin Altun had also taken to Twitter to condemn "the use of disproportionate force" by the German police.

“The footage from Germany must alarm anyone with a conscience and respect for human rights. It also proves that xenophobia is rapidly rising in Europe,” Altun had said.

Yavuz Selim Kiran, Turkey’s deputy foreign minister, also condemned the violence and said the incident would be closely followed by relevant authorities at all levels./aa

Turkey’s communications director on Sunday condemned German police for using violence against a Turkish citizen.

“I condemn in the strongest possible terms the German police’s use of disproportionate force against a disabled Turkish citizen,” Fahrettin Altun said on Twitter.

“The footage from Germany must alarm anyone with a conscience and respect for human rights. It also proves that xenophobia is rapidly rising in Europe,” he added.

Selim Ciftci, 35, who has a psychological illness, was subjected to police violence in the middle of the street in Frankfurt. He was treated at the hospital.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Hatice Goturmen, Ciftci’s sister said that her brother's kidneys were severely damaged due to the violence of the police. She said her brother could have ended up remaining on dialysis if the urgent intervention had not been provided.

Palestinian foreign minister says normalization with “Israel” without liberation of Arab lands means supporting apartheid regime

More than 10,000 civilians have been displaced in the Gaza Strip due to “Israeli” attacks, said Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki at an extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on Sunday.

Maliki stated that Israel has committed crimes and used violence against the people in the Gaza Strip, which is under blockade.

"Ongoing barbaric bombardments on Gaza has led to the displacement of more than 10,000 Palestinian citizens and the destruction of hundreds of homes across the region," he said.

Maliki stated that “Israel” focused on the attacks with all their means, including the colonialists, who raided the homes of the Palestinians and shouted slogans "Death to the Arabs."

Calling on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the UN General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council, and international courts to act, Maliki asked the OIC to form an international front to strongly prevent [Israel's] crimes and dangerous escalation.

He emphasized that normalization with Israel means supporting the “racist system”, adding that normalizing with the racist, colonist administration without ending [Israel's] occupation in Arab and Palestinian lands means to support the apartheid regime and being party to its crimes.

The virtual extraordinary meeting of the OIC executive committee was held to discuss [Israel’s] attacks on Palestine.

“Israel” has pounded the Gaza Strip in airstrikes since May 10, killing at least 197 people, including 34 women and 58 children, as well as injuring 1,235 more people.

The tensions spread from East Jerusalem to Gaza after Palestinian resistance groups there vowed to retaliate against “Israeli” assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Sheikh Jarrah if they were not halted.

“Israel” occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 [Arab-Israeli] war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan on Monday urged the UN Security Council (UNSC) to immediately initiate steps to hold ‘Israel’ accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity as Israel violated the council resolutions.

Speaking at the UNSC open debate on the situation in the Middle East, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Munir Akram, welcomed the council open meeting and said the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory and Jerusalem was "extremely grave."

"In the grim backdrop of the deteriorating situation in the region, we urge the Security Council to fulfill its Charter obligations, to call for an immediate halt to (Israel’s) use of disproportionate and arbitrary force; to offer protections to the Palestinian civilians who are bearing the brunt of the ‘Israeli’ attacks," said Akram.

Akram urged the council to initiate steps to hold Israel accountable for its war crimes and crimes against humanity as ‘Israel’ violated the council resolutions.

"Pakistan condemns (Israel’s) use of indiscriminate and disproportionate force, including aerial bombing, resulting in the deaths of nearly 200 Palestinians, including dozens of women and children, as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure," he said.

"These (Israel’s) actions are unacceptable and are in contravention of the norms of international law. They violate UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions and have grave implications for the maintenance of peace and security in the region and beyond."

The Pakistani envoy while welcoming the open debate in the UNSC on the current situation in the Middle East also expressed his disappointment over the council for its failure to take action and halt Israeli aggression for so long.

"It is regrettable that despite the daily loss of lives due to Israel’s aggressive actions, the Security Council has failed to demand that ‘Israel’ halt its indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force against the defenseless and beleaguered Palestinian people in Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank and in the besieged Gaza," he said, adding: "It is regrettable that such actions by the Council have been prevented by those who proclaim their strong adherence to the principles of human rights and the international rule of law."

Akram also urged the council to ask ‘Israel’ to stop all unilateral and illegal steps, including settlements and attempts to change the status of Jerusalem.

Pakistani foreign minister meets Palestinian envoy

Meanwhile, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday has received Ambassador of Palestine Ahmed Jawad A.A. Rabaei at his office in the capital Islamabad and strongly condemned violence by the Israeli forces "against innocent worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque" during the holy month of Ramadan.

In a statement, issued by the Foreign Ministry, Qureshi conveyed his deepest sorrow and condolences for the innocent victims of lethal attacks by the ‘Israeli’ Defense Forces (IDF) in Gaza and the West Bank.

"He (Qureshi) categorically condemned IDF’s continuous and indiscriminate attacks that had resulted in the martyrdom of more than 140 Palestinians, including 39 children, and 22 women, and injured more than 1,000," the statement added.

Qureshi also briefed Rabaei over his outreach to foreign ministers of important regional partners and reassured him of his country’s ongoing efforts.

The Palestinian ambassador expressed his gratitude for Pakistan’s unwavering support and steadfast policy on Palestine and apprised Qureshi about the latest situation on the ground, which was already dreadful due to COVID-19, and the ensuing humanitarian suffering./aa

The British health secretary said that the Indian variant of coronavirus could “spread like wildfire” among the unvaccinated.

In an interview with Sky News on Sunday, Matt Hancock said there is a “high degree of confidence” that existing vaccines work well against the new variant, but those who are eligible for vaccination have to take up that offer to protect themselves and the country.

England is further loosening up its coronavirus restrictions on Monday, but the final phase of lockdown easing on June 21 is being put at risk by the spread of the Indian variant inside the UK.

Hancock said the new variant can “spread even faster” than the Kent variant – known as the UK variant outside Britain – which caused the UK’s second wave during winter.

He added that the Indian variant is already “becoming the dominant strain in some parts of the country."

Bolton and Blackburn, towns in the northwest of England, are where the Indian variant is taking the deepest hold.

Hancock said that in Bolton, the “vast majority” of those hospitalized with the variant are people eligible for the vaccine but have not taken it up.

In London, surge testing is taking place in the boroughs of Kensington, Chelsea, Hounslow, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, and Hillingdon. The situation in London is still not as severe as it is in the northwest of England, however.

“We need to be cautious, we need to be careful, we need to be vigilant and we’ve said – at each step – we will look at the four tests that we have,” Hancock said. “Because of the speed of transmission of this one, it can really spread like wildfire among the unvaccinated groups – hence we need to get as many people vaccinated as possible, particularly among those who are most vulnerable to ending up in hospital.”

Over the past 24 hours, there were 1,926 more positive cases of COVID-19 across the UK, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to over 4.4 million. There were also four new deaths, bringing the tally to 127,679.

Over 36.5 million first doses of vaccine have been administered, while over 20.1 million people are fully inoculated./aa

At least 20 people in Indian-administered Kashmir have been arrested for taking part in a "solidarity protest for Palestine" which has come under heavy assault by Israel.

The Kashmir range Police Chief Vijay Kumar on Saturday confirmed the arrests of those who had taken part in a pro-Palestine protest.

On Friday, people in the region had taken to the streets to show solidarity with the Palestinians. A video that went viral on social media platforms showed graffiti of a Palestinian woman with the caption "We are Palestine".

Local sources told Anadolu Agency that police has also arrested a local artist, Mudasir Gul, a resident of the Capital City, Srinagar for painting the woman graffiti on a bridge.

“The police raided our home and took Mudasir out asking him to climb the bridge again. He was asked to deface the graffiti with black paint,” his brother Badr-ul-Islam told Anadolu Agency.

He added that his brother has not done anything wrong. “If showing solidarity or raising your voice for people who are being killed for no reason is a crime, then we cease to be humans.”

On Saturday in a press statement, the police chief said they are “keeping a very close watch on elements who are attempting to leverage the unfortunate situation in Palestine to disturb public peace and order in the Kashmir valley.”

“We are a professional force and are sensitive to public anguish. But regional police has a legal responsibility to ensure law and order as well. It, however, wouldn’t allow cynical encashment of the public anger to trigger violence, lawlessness and disorder on Kashmir streets,” said Kumar, adding, “Expressing opinion is a freedom but engineering and inciting violence on streets is unlawful."

However, he cautioned the social media users for legal action if they post comments that results in actual violence and breaking of Law including COVID-19 Protocols.

Disputed region

Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965 and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence, or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989./aa

Turkey's presidential spokesman on Saturday condemned an “Israeli” attack on a building that houses news organizations in Gaza, Palestine.

"(Israel) targets int’l press building in Gaza, adding to its war crimes in the Palestinian territories. We condemn this “Israeli” aggression, which knows no boundaries," said Ibrahim Kalin on Twitter.

"Our fight against this malignant power will continue until the occupation is over & Palestine is liberated," he wrote.

On Saturday, “Israeli” warplanes destroyed a building in Gaza City with offices of various media groups, including Al Jazeera and the Associated Press.

“Israel” has pounded the Gaza Strip in airstrikes since May 10, killing at least 139 people, including 39 children and 22 women, and injuring 950 more people./

At least five multi-story buildings have also been destroyed in the air raids on the besieged Palestinian territory.