Maddalena Tomassini

Caught between the Taliban and the Islamic State, Afghanistan faces violence on an almost daily basis. Rebels and Afghan forces fight in the capital of Farah province. Few Afghans trust things will change. “In the past years, people who cast their votes lost fingers, hands, lives. But the outcome of the vote was actually zero,” says one observer.

Trump’s threat: otherwise, the Libyan model is "very likely". Xi Jinping accused of trying to influence Kim Jong-un. North Korea reiterates that it will not resume talks with Seoul until the issues are resolved. Today, the commission of the Revolutionary Army of North Korea has met to "strengthen" national defence.

Amnesty International and Pen America launch a campaign. Artists and writers read poems by Liu Xiaobo's wife. As her mental health worsens, “there seems to be nothing left in her”.

Condolences to the Palestinian President Abbas and to the families of the victims. The international community must put pressure on Israel to demand respect for UN resolutions. No more violence on the Palestinians of Gaza: "A people that only invokes the right to return". Criticism of the US for the transfer of the embassy to Jerusalem: decision to be taken in negotiations.

Mgr Pierbattista Pizzaballa issues a letter calling for prayer. In it, he acknowledges the pain for the blood-soaked Holy Land and slams “all forms of violence, any cynical use of human lives and disproportionate violence.” For Fr Ibrahim, a Palestinian priest, "At this time, our hope rests only in the Lord God, to bring about a change in the hearts of political leaders, so that this bloodshed can end."

The funeral procession replaced planned action. In Bethlehem protesters burn tyres whilst Israeli soldiers fire live bullets wounding 45 people. Palestinians pray and sing in Tel Aviv. For Israel, Hamas alone is to blame. The latter’s goal was to put the Strip in the spotlight.

The current rules prohibit foreigners preaching, teaching and meeting without authorization. Chinese and foreigners cannot participate in joint expressions of faith. With the new rules foreign participants will have to provide the government with personal details such as passport number and place of residence in China. Xi Jinping: guard against "the hostile forces of the West".

Jarah Alhawamdeh lost his right leg to cancer at the age of 15, but this did not stop him from becoming a mountain climber, first the Kilimanjaro and now Mount Everest. His goal is to save the school in the Amman refugee camp where he grew up. "I do believe that we, as Palestinians, should show the world that we are educated, successful and that we deserve to have a good life as any human being,” he said.

About 30 bishops have visited Gaza in the last two months. The meeting with the young people, who leave because "they do not see a future". The situation is the "worst" in recent years: no work, water, electricity.