Turkey's Little Hagia Sophia, a church which was converted into a mosque, received thousands of tourists every year prior to the pandemic.

The architectural marvel situated in the Guzelyurt district of central Aksaray province was built by Roman Emperor Theodosius I for Saint Gregorius Theologos in 385 CE.

Following a population exchange agreement, Roman Greeks living in the district migrated to Greece in 1924. The Muslim population of Greece migrated to this region paving the way for the church to be converted into a mosque.

The garden of the mosque has an underground spring which can be reached by a flight of stairs.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Governor Nurullah Cemil Erciyas said the "church mosque" was built 200 years before the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

"It was actively used as a place of worship during Saint Gregorius' era. The guesthouse next to the building was used as a consultation council where important state affairs were discussed and weddings were held," Erciyas said.

Noting that the spring water at the site is considered holy by Greeks, he said many local and foreign tourists use this water to treat skin conditions.

"One of the most important features of this place is that it is where the first church choir was established and the first audible ritual was held," he added.

Stating that the mosque received 150,000 tourists every year before the pandemic, he said: "The place is currently open to visitors. We think more tourists will arrive once COVID-19 measures end."

A Polish tourist, Thomas Tulak, said it is his first time visiting the region with his family.

"I was very impressed when I entered, it is a very ancient and historical building. I was very surprised to learn that it is older than Hagia Sophia," he told Anadolu Agency./aa

Mexico's president on Monday said that he will not receive a coronavirus vaccine after taking a second medical opinion which reversed last week's decision.

"They reviewed my studies and came to the conclusion that I have enough antibodies and that it is not essential that I get vaccinated for now," Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said during his daily briefing.

The president announced on Jan. 24 that he had been infected and was experiencing mild symptoms of the disease with no further complications.

The vaccination of Mexicans aged 60 and older began last month across the country, and the country aims to administer at least one shot to most of the elders until the end of April.

On Wednesday, Lopez, 67, announced that he would be vaccinated next week and he was waiting his turn as recommended by the first group of medicals.

"I get vaccinated next week," he said. "I’m not going to tell you [where] because I don’t want to make a spectacle."/aa

Turkey rescued at least 109 asylum seekers aboard a faulty boat set to sail from a bay in Turkey’s Aegean Izmir province.

Local gendarmerie teams learned that migrant smugglers were preparing to take asylum seekers to Italy by boat attached to a fishing port in the Karaburun district of Izmir.

As part of an investigation carried out by local prosecutors, the provincial gendarmerie command, the Turkish Coast Guard teams, and the national intelligence service initiated a joint operation and busted the boat just as it was about to set sail from the Merdivenli Bay in the Urla district.

Turkish security forces rescued 109 asylum seekers, Afghan and Iranian nationals, including a pregnant woman and children, on the boat.
Four suspects were arrested for allegedly organizing the illegal crossing.

The asylum seekers were taken to the provincial migration office after health checks and routine procedures.

According to sources, a malfunction was detected in the engine of the boat carrying the asylum seekers, and under bad weather conditions, it was likely to sink.

The asylum seekers, who said that they paid a lot of money to the organizers of the trip to reach Europe, stated that the boat they boarded was very crowded.
In the footage shared by the gendarmerie, a suspect is seen arrested after Turkish security teams do a body search.

Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially for those fleeing war and persecution./aa

In an overnight anti-terror operation, five women belonging to the same family were arrested in France for planning an attack on Easter Day, authorities said on Sunday.

The Directorate General for Internal Security and the Montpellier police, took the female suspects, including a minor, in custody in the commune of Beziers, Herault department in southern France, according to the information shared by the National Police and Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Twitter.

No further official information on the arrests has been shared by authorities. However, local media reported that the national anti-terror prosecutor's office opened an investigation against the suspects for "terrorist criminal association."

The main suspect, under surveillance of specialized services for 48 hours, was planning to commit a violent action in Montpellier which prompted the police to arrest her, according to Le Figaro newspaper. The action was allegedly planned against a religious site on the occasion of the Easter holidays.

The main suspect, her mother, and three sisters were arrested from their home, the report added. Police seized household chemicals sold in shops, which could be used for making explosives, Le Point news magazine reported, quoting sources investigating the case.

The suspects had no criminal record but were known to be radicalized, Le point informed./aa

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce a series of measures on Monday to reopen society, including trials of domestic vaccine passports.

The Wembley Stadium will be used to test vaccine passports, and a number of night-time venues in Liverpool will be used to trial a before and after coronavirus testing.

The football games where the vaccine passport scheme will be trialed are the Leicester City vs Southampton FA Cup semifinal on April 18, the Manchester City vs Tottenham Hotspur Carabao Cup final on April 25, and the FA Cup final on 15 May.

The before and after testing in Liverpool will take place at the Hot Water Comedy Club on April 16, the Luna Cinema from April 23-25, a business event at the ACC conference center on April 28, and the Circus Nightclub from April 30 to May 1.

As regards to foreign travel, the government will also unveil a “traffic light” system of rules. Green destinations will not require quarantine, but red and amber countries will. Foreign countries will be classified in these groups depending on their infection and vaccination levels.

Johnson was quoted by local media as saying: “We have made huge strides over the past few months with our vaccine programme and everyone in the country has made huge sacrifices to get us to this stage in our recovery from COVID-19.”

“We are doing everything we can to enable the reopening of our country so people can return to the events, travel and other things they love as safely as possible, and these reviews will play an important role in allowing this to happen,” he added.

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove wrote in the Sunday Telegraph: “Vaccination is a hugely powerful tool, but it can never provide 100% protection. That is why we need to look at every option potentially available to ensure the fastest, safest and most sustainable road back to normality.”

“Given the hit the night-time economy and the entertainment sector has taken over the last year, anything which might help businesses reopen sooner must be worth considering,” Gove added. “The Israeli approach involves a smartphone app and the NHS app could serve a similar purpose here.”

The system being tested by the government is not just for vaccinations, but also recent negative tests or natural immunity due to testing positive in the previous six months. Exemptions will be included for those who are advised not to vaccinate, such as those with certain allergies, and for whom repeat testing would be difficult.

People will be able to prove their coronavirus status both digitally and through non-digital, paper means.

The government said the scheme should not be used for either public transport or pubs, restaurants, and non-essential retail. The last three of these will reopen on April 12.

The scheme has prompted a parliamentary backlash, with 72 MPs publicly saying they oppose it as “divisive and discriminatory.” Most of these dissenters come from the backbenches of Johnson’s ruling Conservative Party.

In his Easter Sunday message, Johnson said the UK could look forward to “brighter days ahead.”

Despite a “very tough” year, Johnson said, “this year more than ever, it brings the promise of brighter days ahead for us all.”

“I’ve lost count of the number of church leaders and congregations that have stepped up to support us all in these very challenging times,” he said.

“Millions of Good Samaritans, each of them showing what loving thy neighbor as thyself really looks like in the 21st century Britain.”

“And having done all that during the darkest days of the pandemic, churches across the UK are now helping us light the path out of it by opening their doors as vaccination centers. It’s really, very moving to see it,” he said.

On Saturday, the UK recorded 3,423 positive tests over the previous 24 hours, bringing the total number of positive cases to 4,357,091. The UK also recorded 10 daily deaths, bringing the total to 126,826.

Up to and including April 2, some 31.4 million people have received their first doses of vaccine, and over 5.2 million their second doses./aa

During an illegal excavation project carried out by two suspects in the Aliağa district of Turkey's western Izmir province, a monastery built in the Roman period and a nearly 1500-year-old mosaic were discovered.

Turkish Gendarmerie teams, acting on a tipoff, launched an operation in the mountainous area of the Aliağa district which has no vehicular access. The suspects were nabbed trying to remove the historical remains from about 2 meters (6.5 feet) below the ground.

Later, experts from the Izmir Archeology Museum investigated the region and the area was put under protection.

Two experts from the Izmir Archeology Museum investigate the area where the mosaic and monastery unearthed, Izmir, western Turkey, April 3, 2021. (AA Photo)

The mosaic will be taken to a museum after initial studies are performed.

Hünkar Keser, the director of the Izmir Archeology Museum told Anadolu Agency (AA) that the team came to the region following the Turkish Gendarmerie's notification. "We discovered the floor mosaic. This place was used as a monastery and has a basilica," said Keser.

Explaining that the team estimates that the monastery was used between the fourth and 14th century, Keser said the mosaic was very valuable archaeologically.

"It is located at a point where it can be reached by tractor from the pathways. This is a universal cultural asset and a rare artifact," he said./aa