Religion

On January 1 Bulgarians Celebrate Saint Basil's Day

On January 1, Bulgaria's Orthodox Church celebrates the Circumcision of the Lord. Circumcision is an Old Testament sacrament that began at the beginning of the second millennium before Christ. It was introduced by the forefather Abraham as a sign of the covenant between God and God's chosen people, but it also appears as a type of Holy Baptism.

Five centuries old Swiss graffiti found in Jerusalem

Graffiti with the name of a 15th-century Swiss knight has been discovered in Jerusalem, carved into the walls of a building where pilgrims stayed, the Israel Antiquities Authority said on Oct. 20.

The knight Adrian von Bubenberg is believed to have visited the holy city in 1466, when researchers say he may have marked his name alongside his family emblem on a stone ceiling.

Former Turkish footballer arrested over FETÖ links

Former footballer Zafer Biryol, who was wanted for "being a member of an armed terrorist organization," has been caught in an operation against FETÖ's "football structure" in Istanbul's Büyükçekmece district.

He was found to attend the FETÖ's meetings, visit Fethullah Gülen, the ringleader of the organization, in 2006 and have an account in Bank Asya, a FETÖ-linked bank.

Nearly 550 FETÖ suspects detained across country: Minister

A total of 543 people with ties to FETÖ have been detained in operations in 59 provinces across the country, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu has announced.

In the investigation launched by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor's Office, the suspects were found to be providing financial assistance to FETÖ/PDY members and their families.

Call to prayer recited for first time in Cologne

The first "adhan," the Islamic call to prayer, was recited in a Turkish mosque on Oct. 14, following Germany's Cologne Municipality's decision to allow the recitation of a call to prayer on Fridays from mosque loudspeakers.

The recital of the adhan from loudspeakers is now allowed in Düren and Raunheim provinces, while the practice took place for the first time in Cologne.

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