Dario Salvi

At least ten soldiers and officers were killed or wounded in a blast that hit a military vehicle. In response, the army killed two jihadis. Egypt’s Catholic Church stands in "full solidarity" with the government against “such evil terrorism".

The novel coronavirus pandemic has worsened the situation of hundreds of thousands of refugees in Turkey. Up to 1.7 million survive on humanitarian aid of about US$25 a month. Many work in the informal economy, stuck in informal camps and unsanitary conditions.

In case of victory, Trump's presumptive challenger will not move the US embassy back to Tel Aviv; however, he would reopen the US consulate in East Jerusalem. For Rabbi Milgrom, Biden does not want to lose Jewish votes. The embassy is a secondary issue; annexation of the territories is the heart of the matter.

There are at least five official cases in the southern port city, as authorities declare three days of curfew. The mosques closed until further notice; two week closure of restaurants and shopping centers. The Houthi, who control Sana'a, deny the presence of the virus. For experts, the disease is circulating undercurrent.

Since restrictions were imposed to contain the COVID-19, acts of violence against Palestinians have increased, 23 in the first weeks of April, with axes, electroshock weapons, stones and assault dogs. Homes have been targeted, cars torched, and olive trees uprooted. For a Palestinian Catholic official, Israel, through its army, backs such actions, which are part of a political agenda aiming for expropriation.

The ceremony will take place on 13 May, anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady in Fatima. Each prelate will lead the service in his own cathedral. The president of the Bishops’ conference calls it a “wonderful initiative". So far, almost 8,000 coronavirus cases have been reported in the Philippines with 530 deaths.

Turkey’s Defence Ministry blamed the Kurdish YPG militia for the explosion, which the latter deny. The attack took place near government buildings, in a city market crowded with shoppers stocking up for the Iftar, the evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fasting.

For the court, Israel’s security agency cannot extend its reach without new legislation. The use of special powers cannot go beyond 30 April as it raises obvious privacy issues and can have harmful consequences. Initially, tracking might have been done “in good faith” but in a situation of political turmoil it is a risk, source tells AsiaNews.

Since January there have been raids from Vietnam against Chinese government sites. The Ministry of Emergency Management and Wuhan Municipality are targeted. A group known as APT32, active since 2012, behind the cyberattack. Experts believe there are links to the Hanoi government or the Vietnamese Communist Party.

Despite anti-coronavirus measures, anti-government protesters are back in the streets, setting up road blocks. Meanwhile, the prime minister and the governor of the central bank are at loggerheads. For the Maronite patriarch, the PM’s attack against the governor is "unacceptable”. The government should instead tackle the country’s "many problems".

No capital punishment for those under the age of 18 when they commit a crime. Instead, up to a maximum of 10 years in a juvenile prison. Last year 184 people were put to death; over 800 since the rise to power of King Salman. A prominent human rights activist dies in prison.

In the northwest desert, on the Red Sea, the crown prince wants to build a megacity 30 times the size of New York. FAs a fee zone, it would allow for the consumption of alcohol and travel on flying taxis. The opposition of 20 thousand villagers, who would be expropriated. The hero of the anti-expropriation fight killed by the security forces. Covid-19 and oil crisis threaten the project.