Dario Salvi

The Pontifical Council for the New Evangelisation will organise the Jubilee. In a letter to Archbishop Fisichella, Francis praises the men and women of science who found an “initial remedy” for a return to regular life. He noted that everyone should “have access to scientific breakthroughs and the necessary medicines,” adding that healing from the pandemic needs a “sense of universal fraternity”.

A low-key celebration due to restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. In the "red" cities, only parades aboard cars and motorbikes, while in the country the number of Omicron-related infections grows. The US is cautiously optimistic about an agreement "in sight". But Iranian President Raisi puts a damper on enthusiasm: "No hope".

Today's headlines : the Chinese Communist Party orders local officials to monitor and prevent abortions among young people and singles; Gulf monarchies pay homage to the Arabian leopard; possible entry of Kabul into the economic corridor between China and Pakistan; new hotbeds of tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Greenpeace releases scathing report. Plastic from the EU is poisoning the ground in southern Turkey. In 2020 Turkey imported 660,000 tonnes of waste, up by 13 per cent compared to the previous year. For experts, this is causing “irreversible damage” to the environment.

The function was attended by the highest offices of the State, including President Aoun and Prime Minister Mikati. In his homily, the cardinal listed five priorities, including the elections in May and the truth about the incident at Beirut port. The country must not be transformed into an arena of regional conflict, and a model of coexistence must be found.

Today's headlines: Hong Kong reports its first Covid-19-related fatality in five months; Pakistan hunts for a healer who drove a nail into a pregnant woman's head to give her a son; Baghdad completes payment of 46 billion euros in compensation for the invasion of Kuwait; Beijing suspends the award ceremony for Russian skaters due to suspected use of banned substances (traces of marijuana).

AB InBev, whose brands include Budweiser, is one of the event’s main sponsors and wants Qatar’s alcohol ban eased. In 2016, the government said it would impose a total ban, but now it seems moving towards making some concessions.

Jihadist tensions and threats along the Iraq-Syria border watched carefully, but the goal is to rebuild. Mgr Moussa: life "is taking its course again", the pope's visit last March still a path to fraternity. Bishop of Kurdistan: the main problem is "the political vacuum".

Today's news: Chinese scientists carry out rapid Covid test as reliable as molecular; Tokyo and 20 other governments condemn Hong Kong for press freedom violations; joint military exercises between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia get underway; Israeli raids on Syria, one soldier killed; Putin and Macron agree on de-escalation in Ukraine.

New talks to reinstate the JCPOA, cancelled by Trump, open today in the Austrian capital. A pact to restore stability in a crescendo of tensions. The outcome of the negotiations will have an impact on oil prices on international markets. In the background, Israel is watching carefully, ready to strike at the atomic sites in the Islamic Republic.

Today's headlines: China's second-hand goods market booms; Hong Kong stockpiling food for fear of Covid restrictions; the US offers millions of euros for information on the Isis leader in Afghanistan; Iraq's parliament postpones Presidential elections; a high school teacher in St Petersburg is fired for reading dissident poets to students.

The former prime minister’s son and some of his close advisers were targeted. The list of people spied upon without a court order include journalists, businessmen, and government officials. Israel’s president and government are outraged at the practice. “It’s an earthquake,” says Israel’s Interior minister.