Shiite Islam may be the official religion in Iran, but entering Tehran's brand-new Maryam Moghaddas metro station, you could be forgiven for feeling as if you're stepping inside a Christian church.
Maryam Moghaddas in Persian translates as "Holy Mary". And the station's vaulted and arched concourse, with a dome decorated with Persian motifs, features religious frescoes and artworks honouring Christianity's Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ.
(Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Gaza's Rafah crossing will remain closed until further notice, shortly after the Palestinian Embassy in Egypt announced that it would reopen on Monday.
"The crossing's opening will be considered based on the manner in which Hamas fulfils its part in returning the deceased hostages and implementing the agreed-upon framework," Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Saturday.
(Reporting by Hatem Maher and Ahmed Tolba; Editing by Alison Williams)
(Reuters) -Gaza's Rafah border crossing with Egypt will be reopened on Monday, the Palestinian embassy in Egypt said in a statement on Saturday.
The crossing, which has been largely closed since May 2024, will allow Palestinians residing in Egypt to return to Gaza, the embassy said.
(Reporting by Nidal Al-Mughrabi; Writing by Hatem Maher; Editing by Jan Harvey)
The Israeli government said on Sunday that Hamas has handed over more hostage remains, as delays in finding bodies buried under the rubble of Gaza threatened the fragile ceasefire.
The issue of hostage bodies still in Gaza has become a sticking point in the ceasefire implementation, with Israel linking the reopening of the main gateway into the territory to the recovery of all of the deceased.
Relief agencies have called for the Rafah border crossing from Egypt to be reopened to speed the flow of food, fuel and medicines.
KABUL (Reuters) -Afghanistan and Pakistan will hold peace talks in Doha on Saturday, an Afghan government spokesperson said, after the countries extended a ceasefire to their fierce fighting.
"As promised, negotiations with the Pakistani side will take place today in Doha," Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
A high-level delegation of the Islamic Emirate, led by the Minister of Defence Mullah Muhammad Yaqoob, has left for Doha, he said.
(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; Writing by Asif Shahzad; Editing by William Mallard)
A landmark 10-year deal world powers signed with Iran to rein in its nuclear programme officially ends Saturday.
But the deal began to fall apart years ago, and wide-ranging United Nations sanctions were reimposed last month on the Islamic republic, effectively burying the agreement but creating space for something new, according to experts.
- What does 'Termination Day' mean? -
The deal's "termination day" was set for October 18, 2025, exactly 10 years after the adoption of resolution 2231, with which the UN Security Council enshrined it.
A US judge on Friday granted an injunction barring Israeli spyware maker NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users but slashed a $168 million damages award at trial to just $4 million.
District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled that NSO Group's behavior fell short of a "particularly egregious" standard needed to support the jury's calculations on a financial penalty.
LONDON (Reuters) -The British government said on Friday it is working with police and looking at the additional resources needed so that fans of Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv can attend a match in Birmingham next month, after an earlier ban, which had sparked criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other politicians.
English soccer team Aston Villa said travelling Maccabi fans would be barred from the Europa League match on November 6 after West Midlands Police expressed concerns about public safety from potential protesters outside the stadium.
Thousands of worshippers returned on Friday to the Gaza Strip's few intact and many damaged mosques, where for the first time in months loudspeakers blared the Islamic call to prayer.
"God is the greatest, glory to God, Lord of worlds," echoed through mosques at roughly the same time Friday, one week after a ceasefire took place in the devoutly Muslim coastal Palestinian territory.
To be united for prayer again "is an indescribable feeling after two years of privation", Ghalid al-Nimra told AFP at Gaza City's Sayed Hachem mosque.
(Reuters) -Venezuelan opposition leader and newly crowned winner of the Nobel Peace Prize Maria Corina Machado voiced support for Israel in a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister's office said on Friday.
Machado welcomed the return of Israeli hostages under a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and voiced appreciation for Israel’s efforts against Iran, which she described as a threat to both countries, the statement said.
Netanyahu congratulated Machado on her Nobel win and commended her efforts to promote democracy and peace.
