- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as Asian markets rally
- Nearly 90, but opera legend Kabaivanska is still calling tune
- With inflation down, ECB eyes faster tempo of rate cuts
- Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate
- Ex-Stasi officer faces verdict over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- In a first, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Bangladeshi Hindus shrug off attack worries to celebrate festival
- Ubisoft fears assassin's hit over falling sales
- Vietnam, China hold talks on calming South China Sea tensions
- SpaceX will try to 'catch' giant Starship rocket shortly before landing
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgery: reports
- Japan's former empress Michiko discharged after surgey: reports
- 'Little Gregory' murder haunts France 40 years on
- Tariffs, tax cuts, energy: What is in Trump's economic plan?
- Amazon wants to be everything to everyone
- Jewish school in Canada hit by gunfire for second time
- With medical report Harris seeks to play health card against Trump
- China-EU EV tariff talks in Brussels end with 'major differences': Beijing
- Buried Nazi past haunts Athens on liberation anniversary
- Harris to release medical report confirming fitness for presidency: campaign
- Nobel prize a timely reminder, Hiroshima locals say
- China offers $325 bn in fiscal stimulus for ailing economy
- Small Quebec company dominates one part of NHL hockey: jerseys
- Boeing to cut 10% of workforce as it sees big Q3 loss
- Want to film in Paris? No sexism allowed
- US, European markets rise as investors weigh rates, earnings
- In Colombia, children trade plastic waste for school supplies
- JPMorgan Chase profits top estimates, bank sees 'resilient' US economy
- Little progress at key meet ahead of COP29 climate summit
- 'Party atmosphere': Skygazers treated to another aurora show
- Kyrgyzstan opens rare probe into glacier destruction
- European Mediterranean states discuss Middle East, migration
- Thunberg leads pro-Palestinian, climate protest in Milan
- Stock markets diverge before China weekend briefing
- EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
- Han Kang's books sell out in South Korea after Nobel win
- Shanghai markets sink ahead of briefing on mixed day for Asia
- Investors, analysts eye bigger China stimulus at Saturday briefing
- Musk unveils robotaxi, pledges it 'before 2027'
- At least 11 dead in Florida but Hurricane Milton not as bad as feared
- Asian markets mixed after Wall St drop, Shanghai dips before briefing
- Automaker Stellantis says CEO will retire in 2026
- Musk's promised robotaxi unveil delayed
- On US coast, wind power foes embrace 'Save the Whales' argument
- At least 10 dead in Florida after Hurricane Milton spawns tornadoes
- Internet Archive reels from 'catastrophic' cyberattack, data breach
- Wall Street stocks retreat from records on US inflation data
- Israel strikes central Beirut, killing 22
Thousands of Israelis join Jerusalem Pride parade
Thousands of Israelis joined Jerusalem's Pride parade Thursday, a high-security event in the conservative city where critics of LGBTQ rights held a counter-demonstration nearby.
The annual march is being held for the first time under the hard-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which includes multiple cabinet members who have expressed homophobic views in the past.
"We're expecting a beautiful protest that represents the diversity of the LGBTQ community in Jerusalem," said Jonathan Valfer, executive committee chairman of parade organiser Jerusalem Open House.
AFP journalists saw participants with painted faces, waving rainbow flags and carrying balloons.
Opponents gathered nearby held banners against the event, including one that read: "God -- Judaism rejects this gay abomination!"
Valfer said he trusted police to secure the march.
"We want the police to do its job in the best way they can and make sure everyone comes back home safely. And we don't want political provocation," he told AFP.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich were among the organisers of a "beast march" in 2006, which saw opponents of the Pride parade walk alongside donkeys in Jerusalem.
Speaking ahead of this year's event, Ben-Gvir said the police force was responsible for safeguarding the parade.
"Even if the minister has a problem with the march, the most important thing is the safety of the marchers," he said Wednesday.
"At the same time, there needs to be maximal freedom of expression and right to protest... of course it's my policy that people can protest the Pride March," added Ben-Gvir, who appeared briefly on Thursday between the two demonstration sites.
- Politician 'calling us animals' -
Around 2,000 officers have been brought in to secure the march, a police spokesman said.
Parade participant Oshrit Assaf, 28, said the march is "particularly important this year, as the minister in charge of our security, Ben-Gvir, is the one who protested for years against us, calling us animals."
Jerusalem Open House estimated 30,000 people attended the Pride parade, which the organisers said was the highest figure for seven years.
The annual event has been held under tight security since 2015, when an ultra-Orthodox Jew stabbed to death teenager Shira Banki and wounded six others.
Months before the deadly attack, Smotrich described himself as a "proud homophobe" in comments he later retracted.
Ben-Gvir and Smotrich were handed key government roles in December, despite Netanyahu having a broadly progressive record on LGBTQ policy issues.
The premier's other coalition partners, ultra-Orthodox parties, have a long record of voting against LGBTQ rights.
Despite this, Israel is more progressive than many of its Middle East neighbours and recognises the marriages of same-sex couples who wed abroad.
The previous administration passed legislation banning so-called "gay conversion therapy" and granting surrogacy rights to all.
Y.Tengku--CPN