COLU @ CONCEPTS

Image copyright GETTY IMAGES Image caption The post that caused the alert has now been deleted Israeli police arrested a Palestinian man last week after a Facebook post he made saying "good morning" in Arabic was mistranslated to read "attack them" in Hebrew, local media have reported. Police confirmed that the construction worker was briefly held under suspicion of incitement but was released as soon as the mistake was realised. The post showed a photo of the worker next to a bulldozer in the West Bank. Such vehicles  have been used to attack Israelis  in the past. There is only one difference in lettering between the colloquial Arabic phrase for "good morning to you all" and "hurt them",  pointed out The Times of Israel . No Arabic-speaking officer was consulted before the arrest was carried out, say reports, with officers wholly dependent on Facebook's automatic translation. The post in question has now been deleted. There ...

Image copyright AFP Image caption "Yes" posters in the Veneto region Two of Italy's richest northern regions are holding referendums to ask voters if they want more autonomy. Lombardy, which is home to Italy's financial capital Milan, and the Veneto region around Venice together account for about 30% of national wealth. The governors of both regions belong to the Northern League, which has long argued that the north is subsidising the country's poorer south. A "Yes" win is expected in both polls but the results are not binding. The central government in Rome says the polls are unnecessary although they are permitted under the Italian constitution. They contrast sharply with  the crisis in Spain  where one of the richest regions, Catalonia, held an referendum on independence on 1 October, despite the country's constitutional court ruling it illegal. In response, Spain's government plans to impose direct rule. Reality Check: Do refe...

Image copyright EPA Image caption PMU forces were involved in last week's Iraq government push into Kirkuk US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said Iran-backed militias who have been fighting the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq should go home as the battle is nearing its end. Mr Tillerson said all foreign fighters should leave and let Iraqis rebuild. He was speaking during a visit to Saudi Arabia partly aimed at curbing Iran's influence in the region. His trip follows President Donald Trump's announcement of a more confrontational approach to Tehran. The US and its allies have been fighting the same enemy as the Iranians in the same theatre of war, despite Washington's opposition to their presence. Iraq's minorities fear for their future The rise and fall of 'Islamic State' Shia militias' show of force US-backed Iraqi government forces have been fighting IS alongside Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU), a coalition of mostl...

Image copyright DETAINED IN DUBAI/GETTY Image caption Jamie Harron was convicted of public indecency over the incident in a Dubai bar A Scottish man has been sentenced to three months in jail for touching a man's hip in a Dubai bar. Jamie Harron, from Stirling, was arrested in July and charged with public indecency. He claimed he had simply been trying to avoid spilling his drink when he touched the man. The 27-year-old electrician had already been sentenced to  a month in jail for drinking beer  and still faces further court proceedings. The businessman who made the complaint against Mr Harron later withdrew it, but prosecutors in Dubai continued with the case. News of the three-month sentence was released by campaign group Detained in Dubai, which has been supporting Mr Herron. Image copyright DETAINED IN DUBAI Image caption Mr Harron was on a stopover break in the United Arab Emirates when the incident happened The group said lawyers acting for him would appea...

Image copyright AFP Image caption Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has been in London for medical treatment since May The presidents of Nigeria, Angola, Zimbabwe, Benin and Algeria all have something in common - an apparent lack of faith in the health systems at home. In terms of time spent abroad getting medical help, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari, 74, is the first among equals, but in the past year all these heads of state have travelled overseas for health reasons. In many cases they are leaving behind poorly funded health services, which most of their citizens have to rely on. In 2010, the average amount spent on health in African countries per person was $135 (£100) compared to $3,150 in high-income countries, the UN's  World Health Organization  said. In Zimbabwe, for example, state-run hospitals and clinics often run out of basic medicines like painkillers and antibiotics, according to health watchdog  Citizens Health Watch . It says that t...