World Cup fans in Qatar say the atmosphere is different without alcohol -- but they are divided over whether that is good or not.

Some say the absence of booze in stadiums and its limited availability elsewhere in the Arab nation has detracted from the atmosphere inside and outside stadiums.

Others say it has made no difference or even improved it, making it more family-friendly and less aggressive, and want it replicated at future World Cups.

Proudly Muslim Qatar has taken advantage of the World Cup to reach out to the hundreds of thousands of visiting fans to change minds about Islam or even make conversions.

The Gulf emirate is the first Muslim nation to stage a football World Cup and its gas riches have endowed it with an array of grand mosques to pique the curiosity of visitors.

Canadian couple Dorinel and Clara Popa listened to the call to prayer at an Ottoman-style mosque in Doha's Katara cultural district.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited Bahrain on Sunday on the first trip by an Israeli head of state to the small Gulf kingdom, following the normalisation of relations in 2020.

Herzog, whose role is largely ceremonial, met with King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa and Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa.

They discussed issues including regional security and "ways to encourage communication between the representatives of the private sector in the two countries", the official Bahrain News Agency (BNA) said.

Iran has scrapped its morality police after more than two months of protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini following her arrest for allegedly violating the country's strict female dress code, an official said Sunday.

Women-led protests, labelled "riots" by the authorities, have swept Iran since the 22-year-old Iranian of Kurdish origin died on September 16, three days after her arrest by the morality police in Tehran.

In Jerusalem's Old City there are dozens of churches, but as Christmas beckons there is just one Santa Claus -- a towering Palestinian former basketball player.

Each December, the streets sparkle green and red as Christian pilgrims and others arrive to celebrate Christmas in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem.

Seven years ago one resident, Issa Kassissieh, transformed the ground floor of his 700-year-old home into a grotto, complete with candy, mulled wine and a chance to sit on Santa's lap.

Syria's grinding conflict has already uprooted Ahmed Yassin and his family several times, but now they fear a threatened Turkish offensive will force them to flee the muddy camp they call home.

The 34-year-old, his wife and two children live in Sandaf in Syria's Aleppo province -- just south of the border with Turkey, and under the control of Turkish-backed rebels.

"Making a living is hard," the labourer told AFP in the impoverished camp, as sheep grazed on the roadside nearby.

The Israeli air force said it had carried out overnight air strikes against sites of the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip after a rocket was fired from the Palestinian enclave towards Israeli territory.

The Israeli army reported on Saturday evening a rocket had been fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, the first in a month.

The attack came as one of Gaza's larger armed factions, Islamic Jihad, threatened to retaliate after Israeli troops killed two of its leaders in the West Bank town of Jenin on Thursday.

Major oil-producing countries led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed Sunday to maintain their current output levels in a climate of uncertainty and ahead of fresh sanctions against Moscow coming into force next week.

The representatives of the thirteen members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) led by Riyadh, and their 10 allies headed by Moscow, decided to stick to their course agreed in October of a production cut of two million barrels per day until the end of 2023.

French fashion house Dior on Saturday held its first show at Egypt's ancient Giza pyramids, presenting its 2023 fall men's collection in the shadow of the millennia-old tombs.

Dwarfed by the vast Giza necropolis -- their imposing ridges illuminated by white light for the show -- models showcased the collection titled "Celestial".

Saturday's show was the second by a European fashion house to use Ancient Egyptian heritage sites as a backdrop this year.

In October, Italian designer Stefano Ricci showcased his most recent collection at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor.

Palestinian militants fired a rocket from Gaza into Israel Saturday without causing any casualties, the army said, as a surge in violence grips the occupied West Bank.

There was no immediate claim for the attack, the first in a month according to the army.

However, one of Gaza's larger armed factions, Islamic Jihad, had threatened to retaliate after Israeli troops killed two of its leaders in the West Bank town of Jenin on Thursday.