Led by the heads of various Churches, pilgrims have returned to the 5th-century monastery built around the column on which Saint Simeon lived for 40 years. One of the most important monuments of early Christianity, it still bears the scars of bombing and looting. Yet it bears witness to a faith stronger than any adversity.
Today's headlines: Chinese evangelical Christian under police control for over a fortnight; Pyongyang has fired two more ballistic missiles; a new shipping route connects Pakistan with Oman via Qatar; Burmese and Thai Catholic volunteers to help displaced people in the border area; several Russian oligarchs under sanctions allegedly saved hundreds of millions in capital abroad.
The shrine attack has claimed so far 15 lives and 19 wounded. Some groups say the Iranian regime is behind the attack to justify further repression. At least 10,000 people gathered at the Saghez cemetery to honour the slain young Kurdish woman. Local sources say security forces fired live rounds and tear gas against protesters. The country's prisons can no longer accommodate inmates.
A book by Monsignor Bizzeti and the Prior of Bose, Sabino Chialà, to describe the churches, monasteries and places of the Syriac Christian tradition to pilgrims and educated people. A "precious" reality, from texts to monasteries, which has remained "more in touch with Semitic culture". A 'spiritual' dimension able to fascinate young people. A meeting in Milan.
Today's headlines: Israel starts extractions from Karish, expected to sign maritime border with Lebanon today; Asean summit on Myanmar opens; with 'honorary citizenship', Vientiane aims at rich foreigners to boost economy; Japan's coast guard uses sophisticated drones to patrol coasts; in Russia, cases of racial and religious hatred in the Armed Forces are on the rise.
The family of the Palestinian journalist slain by an Israeli soldier met the pontiff on the sidelines of today’s general audience. Her brother told AsiaNews that the meeting is a source of strength for seeking justice, which is "the least we can do” to “honour her memory". A sense of impunity surrounds the Israeli army. Shireen "was a “voice for peace" who was silenced intentionally. For the Custody’s Fr Ibrahim Faltas, the current “situation is very serious”.
With only a few days to go before Aoun's mandate expires, a fourth vote has failed. Cross vetoes between the two blocs, the pro-Iranian one and the opponents, weigh heavily. The parties' game to make the quorum fail. An issue at the heart of the meeting between Macron and Pope Francis. Fears of a drift "towards the unknown".
Today's headlines: Chinese police continue to maintain restrictions against activists and dissidents imposed during the party congress; in Iran 'the world's dirtiest man' died at 94, almost 60 years without ever washing; Hanoi imposes a travel ban on a Redemptorist priest from the former Saigon; Russia's war in Ukraine blocks international studies on the melting of Arctic glaciers.
The Chaldean primate spoke at a conference promoted by the Community of Sant'Egidio in Rome, which is set to end today at the Colosseum with an interfaith prayer in the presence of Pope Francis. The cardinal urges us to work for a “civic and democratic model" of the state based on "citizenship, not on a sectarian system that divides”.
On the eve of the elections scheduled for 1 November, Gadi Baltiansky, director general of the Geneva Initiative, applauds Lapid's speech at the UN that revived the central issue of the Palestinian question. The status quo is "negative", the ruling class seems to be "waking up slowly" to the issues raised by the outgoing premier. Doubts about the participation of the Arab electorate. New violence in the West Bank, more victims and injuries.
Today's headlines: at least nine dead in Bangladesh from cyclone Sitrang, hundreds of thousands displaced; Pope Francis appoints Chinese-born Archbishop Savio Hon as nuncio to Malta; dozens of casualties in Kachin State from an air raid by the Burmese army; the headscarf controversy erupts in Turkey's 2023 presidential campaign; Russian armed forces have begun withdrawing from the Kherson region.
The Islamist group is exploiting lax security measures and the hostility of some conservative tribes towards Kurdish hegemony. Attacks by lone wolves and targeted operations are increasing, not direct offensives. Religious levies are IS’s main source of funding.
The Iranians come to Putin's rescue with Shahed kamikaze drones. Used mainly against the Ukrainian energy network, they also mow down the civilian population. Russia and the Islamic Republic see the US as a common enemy. An internal collapse of the ayatollahs' regime would also have repercussions for the Kremlin.
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