Eurovision final marred by protests as five countries boycott over Israel
Spain, Ireland, Iceland, Slovenia and Netherlands all withdrew in protest against Israel’s participation amid Gaza war.
![A developer from the occupied West Bank is turning a 75-year-old Palestinian folk tale into a video game, and the fight to make it mirrors the story inside it. [Global News Insight]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/image-1778780451.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
![Matthew Collings [Screengrab]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-13-at-11.56.17-AM-1-1778663848.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
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From: NewsFeed
New Banksy sculpture appears to show politician blinded by his own flag
Banksy has unveiled a new sculpture of a man stepping off a stone base with his face obscured by a flag.
Published On 1 May 2026
‘I have to protect them’: The man guarding Mauritania’s rare Islamic books
Chinguetti was once a popular desert library town attracting scholars from the Muslim world to its precious collections.
![Librarian el-Habot, one of the last few in Chinguetti [Shola Lawal/Global News Insight]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/DohaP1040442-1776727773-2-1777302627.jpeg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Raghu Rai, legendary Indian photographer, dies at 83
A Magnum Photos icon, Rai’s photos preserved India’s memory through some of its pathbreaking events spanning decades.
After years of avoidance, Trump to attend first White House press dinner
Professional organisations call on attendees to ‘speak forcefully’ at annual event, which will not feature a comedian.
From: NewsFeed
Iranians bring music to sites devastated by US-Israeli attacks
Iranian musicians perform on city streets and venture to sites devastated in US-Israeli attacks.
Published On 24 Apr 2026
Mohammed Rashid, alias "Rambo", a pigeon keeper, feeds his birds as he trains them, on the rooftop of a restaurant in the old quarters of Delhi, India. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
A pigeon keeper sits under a net as he feeds and trains his pigeons on the rooftop of his house, in the old quarters of Delhi. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
Azhar Udeen, 30, prepares a mixture of pearl millets to feed his pigeons at his home. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
A pigeon sits on a rooftop in the old quarters of Delhi. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
A pigeon keeper calls his birds back to the rooftop using distinctive sounds as he trains the flock at his house. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
Azhar Udeen shows a pigeon marked with pink colouring on its feathers to differentiate it from other flocks. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
Pigeon keepers and spectators watch the birds in flight as the flocks are tested for distance and their ability to return against the wind, as part of pigeon flying competitions, which, according to the keepers, are held annually. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
A pigeon keeper scares away birds as he trains them on the rooftop of a restaurant. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
A kabootarbaaz stands with a handmade racket used to scare away pigeons while training. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
Abdul Wahid, a pigeon keeper, looks up while searching for pigeons flying overhead outside a house. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
Azhar Udeen covers his terrace with a net before he lets out his new flock of pigeons to train and familiarise them with their new home. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
Pigeons fly over the rooftops of buildings in Old Delhi, India. [Bhawika Chhabra/Reuters]
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‘Take up space’: Young models on mission to showcase South Sudanese talent
Longing to stride down international runways often collides with reality of conservatism and lack of structural support.
‘Vengeance for all’: How Iran’s Lego videos won narrative war against Trump
The viral videos by Iranian creators, say analysts, are high-quality though cheap, and hit fissures in US politics.
Could the US oil blockade snuff out the Cuban cigar?
Since January, the Trump administration has blocked foreign oil to Cuba. Will the island’s cigars survive the crisis?
![A Havana local smokes a cigar on the Malecón - the city’s waterfront area. Both domestically and abroad, Cuban cigars are becoming an increasingly rare luxury. [Euan Wallace/ Global News Insight]](https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/DSC02741-1775944580.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
Kafat Abdulhakem loops a bundle of thread used in making aso-oke, a handwoven fabric indigenous to the Yoruba ethnic group, in her home workshop in Iseyin, Nigeria. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Waliu Fransisco separates tangled thread used for aso-oke, a handwoven fabric indigenous to the Yoruba ethnic group. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
While many weavers in Iseyin are middle-aged men, younger artisans like Fransisco are joining the trade, introducing fresh ideas and skills. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Some collaborate with graphic artists to develop innovative designs. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
A man dips thread into a starch gel to bind and strengthen fabric while making aso-oke. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Despite increasing demand, the craft remains rooted in traditional methods. Attempts to mechanise production have been limited or unsuccessful. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
"If you use a machine to weave aso-oke, it won't come out as nice as if it was handwoven," explains Kareem Adeola while working on a yellow-and-olive piece. "People have tried it before, and it did not work. It is meant by God to be handwoven." [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Adhering to traditional weaving techniques causes physical strain and health risks from prolonged sitting, but weavers insist this painstaking process defines the fabric's authenticity. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Once worn exclusively by Nigeria's wealthy and ruling class for special occasions, aso-oke now appears in designer studios across major cities, on London and Paris runways, and transformed into shoes, bags, and purses. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
"It is no longer reserved for special occasions," notes Isiaq Yahaya, a 45-year-old mathematician. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Kareem Adeola creates aso-oke at a weaving workshop in Iseyin. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
"There is nothing wrong with your culture being worn by other people," says Ayomitide Okungbaye, the 31-year-old creative director of Lagos-based Tide Chen, who has exhibited aso-oke designs in London. "Where we start to have a problem is when there's misappropriation or people start to claim ownership." [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Designers acknowledge that aso-oke's growing international exposure has elevated it to global status but also raised concerns about cultural ownership. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
Meanwhile, adire, another Yoruba fabric produced using tie-dye techniques, already faces challenges from Chinese counterfeiting. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
People arrange finished aso-oke in a store in Iseyin. [Toyin Adedokun/AFP]
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