Today's headlines: a state of emergency declared in Sri Lanka to stem protests; Covid-19, all of Shanghai in lockdown (to greater or lesser intensity), first difficulties in hospitals; the Council of Ulemas launches an appeal not to attack restaurants open during the day during Ramadan; in Russia a pensioner is attacked and robbed by other women for sugar; Tokyo media caught between Russian gas and condemnation of the war in Ukraine.
Nuns released a letter on the 11th anniversary of the country’s civil war. In Jihadi-held Idlib, “Christians are subjected to harsh conditions and deprivation.” Even in the Kurdish north-east, minorities live a tragic reality. Now “entire families who left the war in Syria and went as refugees to Ukraine [. . .] find themselves in a new exodus”. A recent conference in Damascus brings some hope.
Ali Erbas, head of the Diyanet, announces its return "for the first time in 88 years". The presence of the faithful is expected, after the restrictions of the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The rite of tarawih will take place every Friday, Saturday and every Sunday of the holy month of fasting and prayer that begins tomorrow.
ASIA TODAY Send to a friend Nazareth: Christians and ultra-Orthodox together at funeral of slain policeman Today's news: South Korean Constitutional Court upholds ban on tattoos; Manila asks Church for help with Taal volcano; Russia and India finalize procedures for an alternative platform for transactions; Laos fuel emergency worsens; Beijing hunts former number two Justice (and friend of Xi Jinping) from party.
After the Bnei Brak attack, two Palestinians die in a gunfight with security forces during a raid on a refugee camp near Jenin. A 28-year-old Israeli was stabbed on a bus, while the attacker was killed. Far-right Knesset member Ben-Gvir's visit to the Esplanade of Mosques risks sparking new violence on the eve of Ramadan.
Over the weekend, Bishop Hinder celebrated the country's first priestly ordination and imparted Confirmation to about 170 boys and girls. The challenge is to "respect" the needs in pastoral care, avoiding ethnic and nationalistic drifts. It is on the young seminarians to build the future of the local Church.
Today's headlines: closed-door trial of a Chinese-born Australian journalist accused of "trafficking" state secrets; Syrian "Wagner" brigade mercenaries arrive in Ukraine to bolster Russian army after losses; Washington "warns" Delhi about buying Russian oil; Indonesian radical Islamic group blocked HKBP Protestant community functions; Iraqi parliament (still) lacks quorum for president election.
Women were not allowed to attend the last World Cup qualifying match played yesterday in Mashhad. Out of 12,500 tickets sold online, at least 2,000 were reserved for women. Women stage a protest outside the stadium for a right won after a long struggle. For a local Islamic leader, women’s presence is a form of “vulgarity”.
An attacker from Jenin killed five people last night in a suburb of Tel Aviv, two are Ukrainians. This is the third attack in a week, at least 11 victims. Abu Mazen condemns the attack but the Hamas leader "proud" for the "heroic" gesture. Pacifist Rabbi: a test case for the government and its hold. Risk of new tensions ahead of annual Land Day.
Today's headlines: Pakistani president confers posthumous award on Iqbal Masih, who died in the fight against the exploitation of child labour; the famous Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo will be demolished; Jehovah's Witnesses in Russia arrested for praying for peace; humanitarian aid for Ukraine from Azerbaijan; Dengue fever alert in Singapore.
Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr’s new coalition does not have the numbers to pick president and prime minister, but new possibilities are opening up. Iran is trying to undermine the coalition. For Saad Salloum, this process could lead the country away from sectarianism and to a country based on the concepts of community, citizenship, and national identity.
Today's headlines: the Kremlin suspends publication of Novaya Gazeta, the country's last "independent" voice; isolated from the West, Moscow looks to China, forming a "Coordination Council" with Beijing; after 25 years, former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov "goes on holiday"; the debate on no-confidence for the Pakistani prime minister is underway; Aung San Suu Kyi in quarantine after contact with a Covid-19 positive.
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