Thousands of Christians marked Orthodox Easter on Saturday with the Holy Fire ceremony in Jerusalem, after church leaders slammed Israeli authorities for restricting the annual celebration.
Flames lit up the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after clergymen brought the Holy Fire out of Jesus’ tomb, which Christians believe is sparked miraculously each year.
Pilgrims cheered, sang and wept at the ceremony, as they passed the flame with candles, before it was carried out into the Old City.
Firefighters were stationed throughout the holy site, as the flames raised the temperature and smoke billowed upwards into the dome.
“It was so beautiful, I saw how the light arrives,” said Liliana Anechietei, 60, on a pilgrimage from Italy.
Carrying candles, Ms Anechietei remarked how many police checks there were and “a lot of shoving” as Christians tried to access the church.
“It’s terrible, I’ve never seen so many police officers in my life like here. Ever,” she said.
Israel has policed the Old City since its occupation of East Jerusalem started in 1967, following the Arab-Israeli war.
This year the force imposed a limit of 1,7000 worshippers at the Holy Fire ceremony, church leaders said, a move which has sparked a weeks-long quarrel.
“The police’s argument that restricting the number of worshippers due to ‘public safety’ concerns lacks any logical basis,” the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem said this week, dismissing any attendance limits.
The police did not immediately confirm how many of the faithful were allowed to attend the event, which often attracts more than 10,000 pilgrims.
The restrictions come a year after 45 Jewish worshippers were crushed to death at a religious event in Mount Meron, northern Israel.
Israeli officials rejected a request by the Orthodox Patriarchate to not put up barriers in the alleys of the Old City. Many pilgrims who arrived hours ahead of the ceremony were not permitted by police to enter the church.
“It’s worse. Every year is worse than the last one,” said Edmond Attallah, a Christian resident of the Old City, criticising the restrictions by Israeli security forces.
“This is really catastrophic,” said the 39-year-old, carrying a wooden cross. “They are stronger than us. But Our Lord is stronger than everyone, so we give him all our passion.”
Following the Jerusalem ceremony, the Holy Fire is traditionally taken to Orthodox communities throughout the Holy Land and internationally.
A priest from the Orthodox Patriarchate said he was certain the fire would reach Ukraine, two months after Russia invaded the eastern European nation, without giving details of its journey.
Scuffles briefly broke out between worshippers inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, after a Russian and a Ukrainian flag were raised in the crowd.
Six Christian denominations have shared the church for hundreds of years and must take joint decisions on any changes at the holy site.
They include yielding to a police request to open doors during this year’s Holy Fire ceremony, in case of an emergency.
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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THE SPECS
Jaguar F-Pace SVR
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THE SPECS
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Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
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Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Results
5pm: Warsan Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 2,200m; Winner: Dhaw Al Reef, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Abdallah Al Hammadi (trainer)
5.30pm: Al Quadra Lake – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Mrouwah Al Gharbia, Sando Paiva, Abubakar Daud
6pm: Hatta Lake – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Yatroq, George Buckell, Ernst Oertel
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Adries de Vries, Ibrahim Aseel
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship – Listed (PA) Dh180,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Zakher Lake – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Alfareeq, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
THE LOWDOWN
Romeo Akbar Walter
Rating: 2/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Robby Grewal
Cast: John Abraham, Mouni Roy, Jackie Shroff and Sikandar Kher
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
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Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taron Egerton, Richard Madden, Jamie Bell
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
RESULTS
5pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Tathoor, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 1,000m
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Winner: ES Nahawand, Fernando Jara, Mohammed Daggash
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Winner: Winked, Connor Beasley, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Al Ain Mile Group 3 (PA) Dh350,000 1,600m
Winner: Somoud, Connor Beasley, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
8pm: Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Al Jazi, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
