Kuwaiti authorities released five Iraqi fishermen who had mistakenly entered its regional waters, reported Iraqi media on Monday.

They were released after being investigated and their identities verified, they added.

The Kuwaiti Coast Guard had arrested the men in the Ras al-Qayd region, where they were fishing, in late April

The incident had sparked tensions with Baghdad, with Iraqi lawmaker Alaa al-Haidari alleging that the Coast Guard had assaulted and tortured the fishermen in the al-Faw region.

He even claimed that one of them had been killed.

Kuwait had condemned his claims, saying they do not reflect the strength of relations between their countries.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Majdi Al-Dhafiri had met Iraqi Ambassador to Kuwait Al-Manhal Al-Safi to protest the remarks.

Al-Dhafiri refuted the Iraqi allegations and underscored the highly trusted integrity of the procedures followed by the Kuwaiti Coast Guard.

He praised the continuous cooperation between the Kuwaiti Coast Guard and Iraqi Navy in dealing with the violations of Iraqi fishermen, who sail in Kuwaiti territorial waters./agencies

Istanbul’s Grand Camlica Mosque, which houses the Museum of Islamic Civilizations, has hosted 25 million people since its inauguration three years ago. 

Apart from being a grand place of worship, the mosque is the most modern complex in Turkiye with its art gallery, library, conference hall, art workshop, and the newly launched Museum of Islamic Civilizations.

The gigantic mosque, whose idea belongs to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and whose foundation was laid on Aug. 7, 2013, on Istanbul’s iconic Camlica Hill, has a combination of Ottoman and Seljuk architecture, and is located on Istanbul's Asian side.

It has become one of the symbols of the city.

Four of the mosque’s minarets stand 107.1 meters (352 feet) tall, an acknowledgment of the Seljuk Turks' victory in Malazgirt (Manzikert), eastern Turkiye, in 1071 against the Byzantine army which opened Anatolia to Turkish settlement.

The central dome hangs 72 meters (236 feet) above the ground, representing the 72 nations living in the city. The second dome has a diameter of 34 meters (112 feet) – Istanbul's official license number.

Its main gate – which weighs 6 ton, stands as high as 6.5 meters (21 foot) and has a 5-meter width – is one of the largest ones around the world.

There are eight art workshops, an art gallery of 3,500 square meters (37,670 square feet), a library of 3,000 sq. mt. (32,290 sq. ft.), a conference hall with a capacity of 1,071 seats, and an indoor parking lot for 3,500 vehicles in the mosque complex. 

Mosque among Istanbul’s must-see attractions

Ergin Kulunk, head of the Istanbul Mosque and Culture Service Units Construction and Sustenance Association, told Anadolu Agency that the mosque met worshippers on March 7, 2019, and it was officially launched on May 3 in the same year.

The project of the mosque was prepared and completed in 60 months, he said, and it received more-than-expected attention.

Despite a limited number of visitors during the COVID-19 pandemic, the mosque welcomed more visitors with the drop in the coronavirus cases in Turkiye, Kulunk said.

“The most recent example of this was Laylat al-Qadr,” he said referring to the Night of Power, which represents the first revelation of the Quran to Prophet Muhammad.

“We had a very good crowd. I guess around 25,000 people came to the mosque,” he added.

“Our visitors and people who prefer our mosque to worship come from almost all parts of Turkiye,” he said.

The mosque hosted people from many countries after the official opening, Kulunk said, adding: “The Grand Camlica Mosque has entered the list of places to visit in Istanbul.”  

Over 50,000 books at library

Kulunk also recalled that the Museum of Islamic Civilizations opened at the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Since its opening last month, the museum has been visited by more than 150,000 people, he said.

The library at the mosque offers 50,000 books as it is open till midnight.

Nezih Ertug, the director of the Museum of Islamic Civilizations, said that the museum opened at the beginning of the Ramadan.

“One of the features that make our museum different is that artifacts that have never been in any museum or exhibition before are exhibited for the first time,” he said.

With nearly 800 pieces reflecting the development of Islamic art from the 7th to the 19th centuries, the museum includes 15 thematic sections such as woven Turkish art, works attributed to Prophet Muhammad, and architectural and decorative elements in Islamic art.

Visitors to the museum have the opportunity to see many more works such as representative footprints of Prophet Muhammad, the curtain of Mecca’s holy Kaaba, sultan's caftans, the childhood notebook of Mehmed the Conqueror, and Ottoman era coins.

Ertug also said that one of the important works of the museum is the sword of Suleiman the Magnificent, which was brought from the Topkapi Palace.

History books mention that the first Ottoman coin was issued during the Orhangazi period, Ertug said, but further said: “According to the latest research, the first coin was found to be issued by Osmangazi, not Orhangazi. We brought this coin, which is the only example in the world, to our museum.”

The coin was brought from Istanbul’s Archaeological Museums, he added./aa

German authorities identified at least 262 suspected cases of right-wing extremism in the armed forces last year, local media reported on Tuesday.

The Defense Ministry released the figures in response to a parliamentary question by the opposition Left Party, according to Die Welt newspaper.

The incidents investigated by the authorities included some soldiers making the Nazi salute, using Nazi slogans, listening extreme-right music, and committing racist behavior, especially towards soldiers with migration background.

Some 75 soldiers were suspended from the military last year due to such incidents of racism, extremism and anti-Semitism, according to the report.

German authorities have long been under criticism for the poor oversight within the army, an alleged culture of tolerance towards right-wing extremists, and downplaying issues of racism and discrimination.

Recent efforts by the German military to stem the rising tide of right-wing extremists among its ranks coincide with mounting cases of far-right terrorism in the country in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right groups and political parties./aa

Nearly 700 families have left Sinjar in northern Iraq following Monday's clashes between the Iraqi army and a PKK-affiliated militia called Sinjar Resistance Units, Iraqi Kurdish authorities said on Tuesday. 

The families fleeing the Sinjar district arrived at various safe zones across the region, according to Interior Ministry officials of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq.

An Iraqi soldier was killed during Monday's clash between the PKK group and the army in Sinjar.

Iraqi Chief of General Staff Abdel Emir Yarallah, accompanied by high-level military officials, visited the region early Tuesday to evaluate the situation.

Meanwhile, the Iraqi Defense Ministry announced that the situation is completely under control following the clashes.

The local people played an important role in securing the area, the ministry added.

Sinjar was captured by the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in 2014 and the PKK terror organization managed to establish a foothold in the area in 2015.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US and the European Union – has been responsible for the deaths of over 40,000 people, including women, children and infants./aa

An investigation has been launched after a man shouted racist slurs and threatened to kill two Syrian children in the western German city of Kassel, authorities said on Tuesday.

The unidentified suspect approached the children, a 13-year-old girl and her 3-year-old brother, while they were walking on a street near the allotment gardens in Frasenweg, the police said in a statement.

Shouting at the kids for getting too noisy, he further yelled racial slurs, insulted the two minors, repeatedly threatened them, and even made death threats, according to the police.

Authorities asked for the public’s help to identify the suspect and said witnesses should contact the police.

Germany witnessed growing racism and xenophobia in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right groups and parties, including the main opposition party Alternative for Germany, or the AfD.

The police recorded nearly 21,500 crimes by right-wing extremists in 2021, including verbal and physical assaults, threatening letters, and arson attacks./aa