Middle East

Activists and parties rallied in several Turkish cities, subjected to a harsh crackdown by security forces. Advocacy group calls police action an "arbitrary and illegal attack". A female journalist was harassed by a plainclothes agent. President Erdogan attacks protesting, calling them “vandals”.

The apostolic nuncio, freshly appointed to Mexico, bids farewll to the Land of the Cedars where he has worked since 2018. The diplomat cites coexistence as basis of nation's greatness, stubborn persistence in error greatest limitation. The loss of trust of the international community. The knot of neutrality and the sovereignist parties.

Violence between rival Shia factions spreads from the capital to the country’s main oil-producing region, in the south. In Baghdad, a rocket hits a mosque east of Baghdad, causing material damage but not casualties.

The project, launched last year and now strengthened, aims to foster relations between the communities, especially among young people. A total of 30 schools are expected to join, taught by Arab academics from the eastern sector. In Tel Aviv, a school map showing the "Green Line" became a source of controversy between the municipality and the Ministry of Education.

A report released today by Amnesty International notes that scores of refugees have been shot to death or injured. Women and children have also been targeted. Some unarmed people have been shot in the back trying to climb over border walls.

In Rome for the cardinals' meeting with the pope, the prelate followed the violence of recent days with "deep concern". At the audience, the pontiff also called for "dialogue and fraternity" for the country and its people. President Saleh also calls for a return to the polls.

At least 30 people have died in violent clashes over the past two days with almost 800 wounded. To avoid further violence, Shia cleric al-Sadr tells his supports to stop and end the shedding of “Iraqi blood". Nevertheless, tensions are still running high while the political stalemate continues. Source tells AsiaNews that a “situation of confusion has persisted for some time”.

After two years of closures and virtual learning, a new chapter opens for the Christian institutes in the Strip. Most of their students are Muslim, with respect for 'values and identity'. Palestinians cling to education as the path to redemption. The lockdown has resulted in increased agressivity and violence among young people, which can only be countered by rebuilding socialisation.

Tensions remain high between Christian Michel Aoun and Sunni Najib Mikati. In the background are the contrasts between the pro-Iranian faction and the Western bloc. General Jospeh Aoun's approach a conciliatory factor. The coming weeks will tell whether Lebanon is moving towards confrontation or appeasement.

Jeunesse étudiante chrétienne (Jec), Middle East section, sponsored a two-day seminar, the first post-Covid in presence event. The focus of the work was the "Brothers All" encyclical and the Abu Dhabi Document on fraternity. Beirut port explosion and Palestinian journalist's murder occasions for unity and "fusion" among diverse communities.

Today's headlines: food, showers, haircuts: Filipino Catholics in aid of Manila''s poor; rains and floods of "historic" magnitude in Pakistan, more than 900 victims since June; Tokyo approves 2.5 million fund for funeral of former PM Abe; in Iran, women attended a men's top league soccer match for the first time since 1979.

The heavy rains of recent weeks have claimed dozens of victims, including children. Thirty-five thousand families have been affected, many of them already internally displaced. Diseases such as cholera, dengue and malaria are on the rise. UN special envoy in search of a lasting cease-fire, but diplomacy remains fragile. The drama of school drop-outs.