Iraqi Cardinal Louis Raphaël Sako issued a bold proposal Monday for the establishment of a secular state in Iraq, separating religion from government “as the Christian West has done for a long time.”
Only people “immunized” against coronavirus will be allowed to perform the Islamic Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca.
Jordanian public prosecutor Hassan al-Abdallat issued an order Tuesday banning all Jordanian media outlets from reporting on the rift between King Abdullah II and his half-brother, former Crown Prince Hamza, ostensibly because any coverage of the royal dispute would jeopardize investigations of a seditious plot with which Hamza was supposedly involved.
The government of Iran denied it would engage the United States in talks on Tuesday after the administration of President Joe Biden confirmed on Monday that it would send an envoy to Vienna, Austria, where the remaining signatories of the Iran nuclear deal are scheduled to discuss a path forward.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin on Tuesday handed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the mandate to form a government but cautioned it was not likely the premier would be successful because he lacked support.
Pope Francis has sent an “urgent” invitation to Lebanese Prime Minister-Designate Saad Hariri to meet with him in the Vatican, local media reported late Monday.
