Maddalena Tomassini

The climate of detente between the two Koreas continues. The head of the South Korean Red Cross will go to the North: to cooperate on humanitarian issues. Positive signals also from Washington: Trump says he could meet again with Kim Jong-un.

During his lifetime, he was a journalist, a politician and an activist. In his youth, he was a member of the Irgun paramilitary group for three years, dropping out because of the latter’s anti-Arab policy. The war of 1948 convinced him of the need for a Palestinian state. For some, he was a brilliant mind, but for others he betrayed Israel.

89 South Koreans departed this morning. Most are over 80 years old. Many can only bring the memory of a beloved deceased to relatives. The first meeting today at 3 pm. In all, they will have 11 hours together. Since the meetings have begun, most of the people who have applied in South Korea have died without having the opportunity to embrace their families.

A program records the person's face, voice and habits. After death, a mask is reproduced to be placed on the robot.

Israeli sources mention a six-phase agreement, which Hamas denies. The Kerem Shalom crossing has reopened and Gaza’s fishing area has been extended. Still, life in the Strip remains appalling. People in need of medical have a hard time leaving, including children like Louay, a three-year-old cancer patient.

Mgr Lazarus You sees positive and hopeful signs of dialogue. Military communication lines are reopened. Railway links could be the cornerstone for Northeast Asian peace and prosperity. US Secretary Mike Pompeo could return to North Korea in the coming days.

They accuse the humanitarian organization of not caring for prisoners on hunger strike. The Red Cross maintains silence on the communiqué and states that it will seek direct dialogue with the Taliban. Fr. Moretti: a very precious body for the country. Violence continues: attack in progress at a training camp. Yesterday, suicide bombing in Kabul in a Shiite educational center. The long shadow of Isis.

The Japanese Minister of Education will also be present. The initiative involves a thousand students. Tokyo wants to confirm a summit with Xi in October. China and Japan mark 40 years since the signing of their peace and friendship treaty. Both want to counter US protectionism as the trade war escalates.

Ghazni is now a "ghost town". Water, electricity and communications cut off. The government assures: "The city will not fall". Military base in the north of the country also taken.

At the rally in Tel Aviv on Saturday, where Palestinian and Israeli flags were waved, those present felt hope. For the director of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel, “Israelis, Arabs, Jews and Palestinians” can work for “the same purpose and stand together”. Likewise, “The Jews and Arabs who participated [in the rally] saw the notion of state reflected in the event, a state that is inclusive of all its citizens,” said Bernard Sabella.

The Church calls for a Hiroshima’s decisive prophetic commitment to social justice. It expresses a deep desire for forgiveness and reconciliation for a new civilisation of love found in Nagasaki. The bomb dropped on the latter exploded on the city’s Catholic district, Urakami, killing tens of thousands.

The representatives of the two Koreas announce summit with a joint declaration. The high-level meeting today at the northern border: Apply the Panmunjom declaration.