Two Chinese companies are awarded the contracts. Over the next two years, Power China will build 679 schools while Sino Tech will build 321. For UNICEF, decades of wars and violence have brought one of the best education systems in the region to its knees. In the first six months of 2021, Sino-Iraqi trade reached US$ 16.3 billion.
On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Msgr. Massimiliano Palinuro celebrated the inaugural Mass for the beginning of his pastoral ministry. He recalled his predecessor, Msgr. Tierrablanca one year after his death. St. John XXIII an example of mission on Turkish soil. A religion "without love" becomes "dangerous ideology".
Today's headlines:High school students in India refuse canteen food cooked by a dalit; in Fukushima an underwater tunnel is being studied to pour radioactive water into the sea; one person is dead and dozens are missing in a jade mine accident in Myanmar; in China a 66 million years old dinosaur embryo has been discovered.
Major General Tamir Hayman admitted that Israel played a role in the Iranian general’s death. Taking out the head of the Qods force was one of two “significant and important” assassinations during his tenure. Israel has conducted “multiple operations” against its “main enemy” Iran.
The initiative is now in its ninth year and is of particular importance this year, amid the grave economic crisis. In the past, the association promoting the event has helped the victims of the port explosion and families in difficulty for Covid. Dalia Dagher: We need to "save lives".
Today's headlines:Rise of Taliban heavily impacts news from Afghanistan; 82% of female journalists have lost their jobs; Beijing sends aid for typhoon victims in the Philippines; Turkish citizens' distrust of the country's economic prospects grows; Pyongyang commemorates 10 years since Kim Jong-il's death.
Ali Abu Luhum, 38, was convicted of using two anonymous twitter accounts to reject religion and promote atheism. This included denying God and posting content that endangered public order. The Saudis allegedly used Pegasus software to influence a UN panel investigating the kingdom’s involvement in Yemen.
Patriarch Sako invites people of "good will", Christians and Muslims, to observe the day tomorrow and "wisely" for "peace and stability" and the construction of "a true democratic state". The Archdiocese of Baghdad distributes basic necessities and a sum of money to a thousand needy families.
Today's headlines: the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa returned to Earth after 12 days on the space station; new protests in Iran against the execution of a 48-year-old Kurd; the Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai retracts abuse charges against the former vice-premier, amid fears she is being manipulated; Islamic states gathered in Pakistan pledge fund for the Afghan crisis; in India a man lynched for sacrilege.
The UN agency reports that 141 million people, or 32.3% of the total in the region, experience "food insecurity". The level of hunger since 2000 has increased by 91.1%. The Covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation, but it is still too early to assess the effects. Childhood obesity is also on the rise.
Sixty-four out of 65 reporters kidnapped this year were in the Mideast. The one exception is a French reporter who went missing in Mali in April. At least 44 kidnappings took place in Syria, 11 in Iraq, and nine in Yemen. This is an all-time high; however, 2021 saw the lowest number of killings in 25 years (46).
In his Christmas message, the Maronite archbishop recalls 11 years of war, sanctions, misery and migration. The commitment of the people to live "with dignity" despite the many problems, austerity and long isolation. Families "poor and cold" like in the manger of Bethlehem remain "firm in the faith".
Subscribe to the newsletter to receive verified news, analysis and insights from Asian countries every week.
Subscribeto the newsletter
