Ramadan

Türkiye on Monday welcomes the U.N. Security Council's passage of a resolution for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, said the country's Foreign Ministry.

Ramadan is all about fasting, but also about feasting. Abstaining from eating during the day, from dawn to sunset, not even having a sip of water, the reward is often lavish tables with the best and the best of all the food available. Some of the most special dishes are prepared during Ramadan, there are always regional favorites for this holy month when the focus is always on food.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Özgür Özel has condemned Israel's ongoing attacks in Gaza, urging an immediate cessation during the holy month of Ramadan.

The first day of Ramadan came and went in Gaza, with residents marking a joyless iftar against a backdrop of famine, disease and displacement as the war in the besieged territory ground on more than five months after it began.

As the Muslim world welcomed the start of the holy month on Monday, Gazans faced continued Israeli bombardments and a spiralling humanitarian crisis.

Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) Chairman Devlet Bahçeli has warned Israel not to attack Rafah City and stop its massacres against the Palestinian civilians in Gaza if it does not want to pay heavier costs in the future.

Amin Aaser remembers as a child growing up in Minnesota that his Muslim faith often made him feel like an outsider, and being required to follow its practices and tenets "sometimes felt like going to the dentist."

With prices rapidly increasing in every sector in the country, wedding venue booking prices have also almost doubled compared to last year, adding to the troubles of couples planning to get married.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has spoken over the phone with his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, and discussed Israel's security forces' raid on Al-Aqsa Mosque, their attack on the Qibla Masjid and their harsh attitude towards people at sacred places, said the Presidential Communications Directorate on April 8.

A Catholic church in the Black Sea province of Samsun has an iftar event on April 22, with the priest reading the Ramadan message of Pope Francis.

"The more we, people from different religions, live together in peace, the more we will be protecting the human dignity," said Marcelo Cisneros, the priest of Mater Dolorosa Church.

Since Taliban fighters seized control of Afghanistan last year after ousting the US-backed government, the number of bombings has fallen but the jihadist and Sunni ISIL has continued with attacks -- often against Shiite targets.

Earlier this week, at least six people were killed in twin blasts that hit a boys' school in a Shiite neighbourhood of Kabul.