Malaysian PM criticizes caning

Anger, misconceptions and a lack of trust in the government are behind vaccine hesitancy among Muslims in parts of northern Uttar Pradesh that have been ravaged by the coronavirus.

The charges come after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the murders "a terrorist attack motivated by hatred."

A French court has handed down suspended prison sentences of between four to six months to 11 people who were found guilty of harassing a teen online over her anti-Islam videos on social media. The prosecutions came after the teen, known as Mila, was forced to change schools and accept police protection due to threats to her life. "We won and we'll win again," Mila said as she left the courtroom.

Shiite leader Ibrahim Zakzaky and his wife have been in jail since 2015. On Wednesday, a Nigerian court acquitted the couple and ordered their release.

Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi son's hopes of running for president are dashed, as the country’s electoral commission disqualifies him.

DW's Biresh Banerjee spoke to Nalin Kohli, spokesperson for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), about coronavirus-related Islamophobia in India and allegations that the Indian government is exploiting the crisis to ramp up suppression of Muslims.

Pakistan hosted a conference of Muslim countries pledging financial assistance to stave off "chaos" in Afghanistan. They vowed to unlock frozen aid funds and set up a humanitarian trust.

The Indian state of Karnataka has seen major tensions after the regional government approved of a decision by schools to ban the hijab. Amid those tensions, some old videos have been doing the rounds. Also, on Saint Valentine's Day, heart-shaped icons and landscapes are being shared... but not all of them are real.

Government critics accuse the ruling Hindu nationalist BJP of using so-called demolition drives to intimidate the country's Muslim minority. But authorities say they are only targeting illegal structures.

In India, derogatory comments about the Prophet Mohammed made two officials from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party have sparked a mixture of deadly protests and diplomatic spats. Countries like Oman, Qatar, Malaysia and Indonesia have lodged complaints with India's ambassadors. We take a closer look and get analysis from Subir Sinha, a lecturer in development studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London.

We look at reactions in the French press to the verdict of the "trial for the history books" – that of the November 2015 Paris terror attacks. Also, Indian papers react after the brutal murder of a tailor sparks Hindu-Muslim tensions. Finally, Californian authorities restitute beachfront land to the descendants of a Black couple, a century after it was seized.

Find these stories and much more when you grab a copy of The Guardian on Saturday.⁣