Category: 2. Middle East

Tears mixed with smiles as a dense crowd flocked to the requiem mass for the pope at Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Wednesday.

“He gave us hope, and we will keep that hope with us forever even in this situation in Palestine”, said Na’ma Tarsha, a retiree from the Mount of Olives in east Jerusalem, a part of the city occupied and annexed by Israel in 1967.

Dressed entirely in black, the 75-year-old woman said she was determined to take part in the mass for Pope Francis, who died…

Jordan outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, the country’s most vocal opposition group, on Wednesday and confiscated its assets, after members of the group were found to be linked to a sabotage plot, Interior Minister, Mazen Fraya, said.

There was no immediate comment from the movement, which has operated legally in Jordan for decades and has widespread grass-roots support in major urban centres and scores of offices across the country.

Fraya said all the activities…

Christians from around the world prayed for Pope Francis at a solemn Mass on Wednesday at Jerusalem’s centuries-old Church of the Holy Sepulchre, following the Pontiff’s passing this week, Reuters reports.

Some worshippers shed tears under the rotunda as prayers echoed, while others lit candles and knelt at the Stone of the Anointing, the stone slab where it is believed Jesus’ body was prepared for burial.

Among those who had gathered to honour Pope…

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister, Bezalel Smotrich, threatened Wednesday to topple the government of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, if the army does not occupy the Gaza Strip and rule it militarily, Anadolu Agency reports.

In a statement, Smotrich said that the Israeli Premier “is ultimately responsible” for handling the Israeli war on Gaza.

“Launch a campaign to defeat Hamas, occupy Gaza and implement a temporary military government until another…

The Jordanian government banned the Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday, just over a week after alleging affiliates of the organization were planning a plot against the kingdom.

Interior Minister Mazin Al-Farrayeh said that the group’s activities are banned and that membership in the organization as well as promoting its ideas are prohibited. He added that their offices would be closed and belongings confiscated, state media outlet Al-Mamlaka reported.

The move follows Jordan announcing the arrest…

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake hit the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul on Wednesday, with the impact felt across Turkey’s largest city where people rushed onto the streets.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, officials said, but the quake was followed by at least eight others, Turkey’s AFAD disaster management agency said.

“An earthquake of 6.2 magnitude occurred in Silivri, Sea of Marmara, Istanbul,” Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said on X, adding that it was felt in the…

Egyptian authorities have demolished the historic Mahmoud Pasha al-Falaky Mosque and are accelerating the destruction of Old Cairo’s cemeteries under the banner of urban development—sparking outrage among heritage advocates and locals.

According to Mada Masr, in the early hours last Wednesday, bulldozers flattened the mosque’s dome and minaret, part of the 19th-century funerary complex within the Imam al-Shafei cemetery. “There were no scaffolds. How…

Oman and Russia have signed a landmark mutual visa exemption agreement for ordinary passport holders, marking a significant step in strengthening bilateral ties. The deal was announced yesterday during Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s official visit to Moscow, which also commemorated 40 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

The visa waiver—one of ten key agreements inked during the visit—will allow citizens from both countries to enter…

ANKARA — A powerful earthquake measuring 6.2 struck Istanbul, Turkey’s largest metropolis and financial center, on Wednesday, sending shockwaves through the city of more than 15 million people and prompting widespread panic.

Turkish officials urged citizens to avoid entering damaged buildings.

Turkey’s disaster management agency, AFAD, reported that the epicenter of the quake, which struck the province at 12:50 p.m. local Turkey time, was located in the Marmara Sea, about 4.2 miles…