Around 100 Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in the West Bank town of Hebron today over an Israeli plan to renovate two deeply contested holy sites in the occupied territory.
Young men hurled rocks at soldiers who fired tear gas and rubber bullets in running clashes near the disputed Ibrahimi mosque (Tomb of the Patriarchs), according to an AFP correspondent who saw four Palestinians detained by soldiers.
An Israeli military spokeswoman said "several illegal riots are taking place in a number of places around Hebron."
"The protesters are burning tyres and throwing firebombs and rocks at Israeli security forces, who are responding with crowd-dispersal means," she said.
There were no immediate reports of anyone hurt on either side.
It was the fourth day of clashes in the town following Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's announcement that the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Bilal Ibn Ribah mosque/Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem would be included in a heritage restoration plan.
The decision infuriated Palestinians, with senior officials in the West Bank saying it could prevent the resumption of US-led peace talks and the Islamist Hamas in Gaza calling on Palestinians to "rise up" against Israel.
The Hebron site, revered by Jews and Muslims as the burial place of the biblical patriarch Abraham, has frequently been the scene of violent tensions.
A few hundred hardline Jewish settlers live under heavy Israeli military protection near the site in the heart of the town of 160,000 Palestinians.
Israelis worship in a part of the Ibrahimi mosque above the tomb which has been converted into a synagogue.
The mosque was the site of the infamous 1994 shooting massacre of 29 Palestinian worshippers by the US-born Jewish extremist Baruch Goldstein.
* AFP
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
Mobile phone packages comparison
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
