Dario Salvi

The imminent papal visit is generating great expectations and enthusiasm in the country, which is part of the Vicariate of Northern Arabia. Set at 8.30 am on 5 November, the papal Mass will pack the local stadium, with early arrivals at night. Some 2,000 visitors are expected from Saudi Arabia.

The meeting between the Syrian president and the Palestinian delegation is a "historic" moment that archives years of tensions. Relaunch of "axis of resistance" against Israel that includes Tehran, Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen. Hamas head of relations with the Arab world, Khalil al-Hayya, speaks of a "glorious and important day".

Exceptional find by a group of US and Iraqi archaeologists near al-Masqa, demolished by jihadists. Eight rock carvings with war scenes from the time of King Sennacherib, who led the people between 750 and 681 BC, have been found. Cultural heritage Iraq's real 'black gold', more than oil.

The event dates back to 2014 when the former basilica was still a museum before it was converted back into a mosque. Abdullah Basfar, who taught Islamic studies, has been in pre-trial custody for two years. Saudi-Turkish tensions partly explain his arrest.

In a letter to the UN Human Rights Council 42 associations call for an "urgent" investigation and the establishment of an "independent mechanism" to guarantee justice against the repression. Yet another child victim: Asra Panahi, 16, massacred for not singing the pro-Khamenei anthem at school. The fate of climber Elnaz Rekabi, who returned home, is uncertain.

For about ten days, rival anti-Assad factions have been facing each other. The death toll includes 28 HTS fighters and 20 among pro-Turkish rebels and a dozen civilians. The Turkish army did not intervene, leaving the field open to the two warring sides.

The Mahsa Amini affair raises the issue of the role and freedoms of women in the region and in the Muslim - Shiite and Sunni - world.Tehran's recent entry into the UN body for the protection of women, thanks to favorable vote of Western governments, has been passed over in silence. In the Saudi kingdom "success" stories conceal daily tales of violations and humiliation.

This is what the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue writes in its message to Hindus for the festivity that falls on 24 October this year. In it, the Council warns to be on guard against tensions fuelled by competitive and populist policies, divisions between majority and minority and the unscrupulous use of social media. Christians and Hindus can be promoters of conviviality and a spirit of co-responsibility among people. Interreligious dialogue is a "powerful instrument" for the common good.

In 2021, the year-on-year increase is 11.6 per cent, with the total number of inmates just under 300,000. Institutions are overcrowded, with 30 thousand fewer places available than the actual population. 96.1% of prisoners are male, 3.9% are female.

The new head of state is 78-year-old Kurdish Abdel Latif Rashid, who overcame rival (and outgoing) Bahram Salih by more than 160 votes to 99. As his first act, he entrusted the task of forming the new government to 52-year-old Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, an exponent of the pro-Tehran Shia faction. Yesterday's vote was marked by the launching of rockets in the Green Zone.

Women who take part in the Hajj or the Umrah will no longer need to be accompanied by a "mahram”, a Saudi minister said. This ends a contentious situation that saw past announcements unfulfilled. Now women from anywhere in the world can come. Meanwhile, the Great Mosque in Makkah is undergoing a US$ 53 billion facelift.

A 61-page report released by Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy found that defendants were denied access to evidence, legal counsel, and the possibility of cross-examining “secret" sources. In a decade, the use of capital punishment has increased by 600 per cent.