Saudi authorities under fire as death-marred hajj draws to a close

As the hajj religious pilgrimage entered its final day Saturday, officials in Saudi Arabia continued to grapple with the aftermath of a collision of pedestrian crowds that killed at least 769 people from various nationalities.

Indian Muslims Mull End to Cow Sacrifices

Some Islamic scholars and Muslim groups in India have called on Muslims to refrain from sacrificing cows this Eid al-Adha, to avoid hurting the religious sentiments of the country’s Hindu majority that considers the animal holy.

Pilgrims ‘stone devil’ in last major Hajj ritual

Pilgrims began heading back to Mina and the Grand Mosque to perform further rites and rituals on the third day of their Hajj pilgrimage and first day of Eid al-Adha on Thursday.

Around 2 mln Muslims begin Hajj pilgrimage

Pilgrims from around the world have begun moving from the tent city of Mina to the holy site of Kaaba in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, one of the biggest gatherings on the planet.

Mecca crane collapse 'act of God' (Engineer)

The collapse of a construction crane that killed 107 people at Mecca's Grand Mosque was "an act of God" and not due to a technical fault, an engineer for the developer said Saturday.

India allows Bangladeshi, Pakistani minorities overstay

The Indian government has decided to allow Hindus and other minority groups from neighboring Pakistan and Bangladesh to stay in the country without documentation.

Amid mounting tension, Israel seals off Al-Aqsa compound

Israeli police on Sunday sealed the gates of occupied East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound amid calls by Jewish extremist groups to storm the holy site.

Nepal temple bans animal sacrifice

In a significant move that will save millions of animals, Nepal's Gadhimai temple trust on Tuesday announced a ban on animal sacrifice at the Gadhimai festival, the world's biggest animal sacrifice event held every five years.

Hagia Sophia is a church

As cruel as barbarity is, civilization resists and in the end it always wins. Hagia Sophia which is also a monument of world heritage is a church, whether they want it or not. And it is not the systems that change something. Since the sixth century thanks to Anthemius and Isidore it has seen a little of everything.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson’s response to statements from Turkish officials regarding the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque.(Hellenic MoFA)

Hellenic MFA, Monday, 18 November 2013:

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Konstantinos Koutras stated the following in response to a question on statements from Turkish officials regarding the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque: