Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men rallied in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest against military conscription in their community, an issue that has caused a major strain in Israel's right-wing ruling coalition.

The vast crowd were demonstrating to demand a law guaranteeing their right to avoid Israel's mandatory military service -- long promised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Crowds of men set fire to pieces of tarpaulin as hundreds of police officers cordoned off several roads across the city, AFP correspondents reported.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters streamed to Jerusalem on Thursday in a show of force against military conscription, a hot-button issue placing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition under increasing political strain.

The debate over mandatory military service, and those who are exempt from it, has long caused tensions within Israel's deeply divided society.

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan slammed Germany over what he said was its ignorance of Israel's "genocide", famine and attacks in Gaza, at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ankara on Thursday.

Erdogan said Israel had nuclear and other weapons with which it was using and threatening Gaza, adding Palestinian militant group Hamas had none of those. He said Israel had once again attacked Gaza in recent days despite a ceasefire in the enclave.

ANKARA (Reuters) -German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sees Turkey as a close partner to the European Union and wants to develop bilateral economic relations, including in the transport sector, he said on his first visit to the country.

"I personally, and the German government, see Turkey as a close partner of the European Union. We want to continue smoothing the way to Europe," said Merz at a news conference with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.

He said the two had spoken about migration and wanted to make further progress on the repatriation of failed asylum seekers.

By Asif Shahzad

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Afghanistan and Pakistan have resumed peace talks in Istanbul, four sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday, a day after Islamabad said the discussions had ended in failure.

Three of the sources said the nations had recommenced talks at the request of mediators Turkey and Qatar, to ensure they do not resume border clashes that have killed dozens this month.

ANKARA (Reuters) -Turkey and Germany have high potential in the defence industry and must focus on joint projects, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Ankara.

"In light of the changing security conditions in Europe, we must leave behind problems in the procurement of defence industry products and focus on joint projects," Erdogan said.

Merz was making his inaugural visit to Turkey to discuss bilateral relations, foreign policy, and cooperation on economics, migration, and security.

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, dressed in black, rallied in Jerusalem on Thursday to protest against military conscription, an issue that has caused major strain in Israel's right-wing ruling coalition.

The vast crowd were protesting against the absence of a law guaranteeing their right to avoid Israel's mandatory military service -- a pledge long promised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Crowds of men, many wearing black hats, set fire to pieces of tarpaulin as hundreds of police officers cordoned off several roads across the city, AFP correspondents reported.

By Tilman Blasshofer

ASCHAFFENBURG, Germany (Reuters) -A German judge ordered an Afghan national to be sent into psychiatric care after he fatally stabbed two people, including a toddler, nine months ago in an attack that shocked the country.

Prosecutors had argued that the man, identified as Enamullah O. in line with German privacy laws, killed a German man and a two-year-old in January as he attacked a kindergarten group in the western city of Aschaffenburg.

By Hatem Maher

CAIRO (Reuters) -Egyptian officials are hoping the inauguration of a vast new museum on Saturday will accelerate the revival of a tourism industry hampered for more than a decade by internal upheaval, a pandemic and regional conflicts.

Officials believe the Grand Egyptian Museum, or GEM, alone could draw as many as 7 million additional visitors annually after it opens on Saturday, helping boost total visitors to around 30 million by 2030.

Families hid in trenches, bodies lay in the streets and children were killed in front of their parents as Sudanese paramilitaries advanced into the western city of El-Fasher, survivors told AFP.

More than 36,000 civilians have fled the city since Sunday, when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured the army's last stronghold in the Darfur region, triggering warnings from the UN and humanitarian groups of possible mass killings and ethnic cleansing.