Dario Salvi

Palestinians are going to the polls in some 90 municipal councils and more than 280 villages. Elections are also taking place in Deir el-Balah, the only place in Gaza taking part in the vote. For the Catholic leader, today's election is of local rather national importance. The high cost of living and socioeconomic problems exacerbated by war and occupation are the main issues. A conference on the future of Fatah is scheduled for May.

This year, the major pilgrimage to Makkah is set for 24-29 May. The desire to participate outweighs the fear of war, although concerns remain about rising prices, last-minute cancellations, and delayed return journeys. Saudi Arabia is using artificial intelligence to manage security and monitor pilgrims. Two million people are expected to participate.

After weeks of deadlock, Nizar Mohammed Saeed Amidi has been appointed President of the Republic. Political scientist Saad Salloum tells AsiaNews: this choice is a sign of “Kurdish fragmentation” and greater centralisation of power. For the Iraqi scholar, “pragmatism, institutional continuity and conflict management” will be the guiding principles of his four-year term.

The Israeli activist, who has fought for years in Jerusalem against religious intolerance, spoke about the action of an IDF soldier who tore down and smashed a cross in southern Lebanon. Israel’s military and foreign minister have apologised. Harani calls for education, even in the religious sector. She hopes to see an exemplary sentence.

Some 83 arrest warrants have been issued and 93 Telegram groups blocked following attacks on two schools. Yesterday, nine people were killed (including the attacker) and 13 wounded in Kahramanmaras province. The previous day, a high school in Urfa was attacked. The Ministry of Justice's 2025 report notes that 16.7 million people were under investigation.

From Beirut, Oumayma Farah describes a country at risk of being overwhelmed by the conflict. The displacement crisis is a priority, with only a small fraction of people being accommodated in shelters. Schools are being used as makeshift shelters, putting the education of thousands of students at risk. The Order’s mission: “To serve all without distinction of race, colour or religion, but focusing on needs and suffering”.

Elected by the synod underway in Rome after the resignation on 10 March of his predecessor, Louis Sako, the new primate chose the name Paul III. The 58-year-old, originally from Alqosh, led the community in Mosul during difficult years and accompanied the communities in exile after the Islamic State takeover. He must now implement the mandate of unity among Iraqi Catholics Leo XIV entrusted to the synod.

The government gave its green light recently, without much fanfare, just as settler violence was escalating. Since the start of the current legislative session, 103 settlements were approved, on top of 127 already existing settlements. Settlement procedures have also changed, showing a desire to accelerate the process of seizing land. Polls show Likud decline, but the country's majority opposes the ceasefire with Iran.

In a reflection sent to AsiaNews on the eve of the prayer vigil for peace called for tomorrow by the Pope – which coincides with the anticipated start of talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan – the cardinal recalls that peace is not an “external matter”, but “arises from within” and becomes “word, gesture and way of life”. If conscience “is silenced, aggression grows”. The cross “shows that true power is not that which crushes, but that which remains faithful to the truth”.

Today’s headlines: renewed exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah, whilst Trump accuses Tehran of manipulating the situation in the Strait of Hormuz on the eve of talks in Pakistan. Tokyo wants to outlaw human genome ‘editing’ in the context of fertilisation. Singapore and Cambodia sign an agreement to strengthen food security. Dhaka sentences two police officers to death for the killing of the first protester during the 2024 anti-government riots.

The secretary general of Catholic schools spoke to AsiaNews about the climate of fear and mourning in his country a day after Israeli’s devastating attack. “We have never experienced anything so strong, serious, and sudden,” he said, speaking on the eve of peace talks in Pakistan. Meanwhile, he remains committed to keeping teaching alive, online and in person.

Today’s headlines: the Chinese Foreign Minister’s two-day visit to Pyongyang, the first since 2019; Arrest warrant issued for corruption against Nepal’s former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba (and his wife): Jakarta plans to ban vapes and e-cigarettes; The Moscow Academy of Sciences revives the idea of ‘reversing the flow’ of Siberian rivers.