Dario Salvi

Renovation work on the Gaza School in Al-Sakhour lasted five weeks. The roof was restored, bathrooms, classrooms and rainwater pipes were fixed. The aim is to ensure a suitable educational atmosphere and safe environments for the primary school students. Catholic volunteers have also distributed hundreds of backpacks and school materials.

A report shows that temperatures in the region and the eastern Mediterranean are set rise twice as fast as global average. Models project a 5-degree increase by the end of the century, putting the lives of 400 million people at risk. “Unprecedented” heatwaves will compromise water and food security.

The diplomatic representation in Doha would have a limited duration to assist the 10,000 Israeli fans expected for the World Cup. But the 'direct talks' have stalled around the issue of the Palestinians. To date, entry into Qatar is linked to the use of a "non-Israeli" passport.

For Prime Minister Edi Rama, “incontrovertible evidence” proves Iran’s involvement in a July attack that targeted Albania’s public services, administration, and an Iranian exiled group. Before leaving, embassy staff burnt documents.

In a reflection sent to AsiaNews on the 25th anniversary of the death of the foundress of the Missionaries of Charity, Msgr. Martinelli recalls the nuns killed in Aden in 2016 by a jihadist commando. With their lives, and their deaths, they bore witness to "the love and presence of Christ". Even today, Yemen is marked by "war and suffering, especially for children". The sisters "have stayed" to continue their work in favour of the "poor, disabled".

The government has announced that it is using the technology against girls and women who break the hijab law, but its first use dates back to before 2020. Over 300 people have been arrested for protesting against the law. Women can be denied their civil rights and lose their job if their social media profile is inconsistent with Islamic rules. Meanwhile two LGBTQ+ activists are sentenced to death.

From Syria to Lebanon, from Iraq to Egypt, moments of prayer, awareness-raising meetings and activities dedicated to ecological themes are planned. The desire to 'recover our ability to listen to the voice of creation'. Initiatives aimed at young people and reforestation projects are planned.

In recent weeks, Israel struck the airports of Damascus and Aleppo. According to Ynet News, contacts are centred on military rather than political issues. Israel’s aim is to weaken Iran’s presence and block attacks against its territory. For Syrian President Assad, the goal is to protect the areas under his direct control and neutralise rebel strongholds.

Saad Salloum says the political system "does not work" because diverse factions pursue "their own interest" with the support of "militias, banks, televisions". A 'mafia' paralyses the country and fuels the spiral of violence that follows every election. The Sadrist bloc is also boycotting the second round of talks promoted by the premier to overcome the institutional stalemate.

Activists and parties rallied in several Turkish cities, subjected to a harsh crackdown by security forces. Advocacy group calls police action an "arbitrary and illegal attack". A female journalist was harassed by a plainclothes agent. President Erdogan attacks protesting, calling them “vandals”.

Violence between rival Shia factions spreads from the capital to the country’s main oil-producing region, in the south. In Baghdad, a rocket hits a mosque east of Baghdad, causing material damage but not casualties.

The project, launched last year and now strengthened, aims to foster relations between the communities, especially among young people. A total of 30 schools are expected to join, taught by Arab academics from the eastern sector. In Tel Aviv, a school map showing the "Green Line" became a source of controversy between the municipality and the Ministry of Education.