During a parliamentary debate in Damascus, criticism was levelled at the “excessive number of female teachers” and calls were made for corporal punishment (which the Minister of Education has, however, ruled out). Meanwhile, an estimated two million children have dropped out of school due to poverty. And the issue of safeguarding the identity of minorities remains unresolved.
In his first Angelus of 2013 Benedict XVI offers all the blessings of God, who is like the light and warmth of the sun on the earth. Christians must spread the gospel of peace to all nations. The various initiatives for the World Day of Peace. "The peacemakers are many, but they do not make noise. Like leaven in the dough, they raise humanity according to God's plan."
Parents full of love, loyalty, dedication and not the 'masters of their children, "but their guardians”. The personal example of communicating the faith. "Mary and Joseph’s concerns for Jesus is the same as every parent who educates a child, introducing them to life and understanding reality."
For the past week the main roads of the country have been blocked. In Ramadi, more than 100 thousand people have built barricades on the road leading to the Syrian border. Protests also in Fallujah, Tikrit, Mosul and Samarra. The Sunnis demand an end to anti-terrorism laws and accuse the Shiites of keeping them on the margins of society.
The data for trade cover a vast area from Afghanistan to the western Pacific and from Mongolia to the north of Australia. The technology is more advanced, but the prices are higher than other systems. Beijing has planned to invest 40 billion yuan over 10 years. An autonomous system is important in case of war.
Hamdeen Sabahi, Amr Moussa and Mohammed ElBaradei, founders of the National Salvation Front, are accused of incitement against the state and betraying the ideals of the Revolution because they led mass protests against the Islamist constitution. Controversial Morsi-appointed Public Prosecutor Talaat Ibrahim Abdallah orders the inquiry.
More and more officers and soldiers have deserted and cross over to strengthen the ranks of the armed opposition. The regular army has turned into "a gang of murderers and destroyers." After the massacre of Halfaya, more than 1,000 Syrians have fled to Turkey. The appeal of Benedict XVI for a political solution to the crisis.
For the scholar, following the example of Muhammad in Medina, the Constitution should be the result of negotiations and consensus among all groups of the population, not imposed by a referendum. For all this, Islam must apologize to the Christians. The risk of civil war in Egypt is a "Zionist plan" that will produce only contempt for Islam, branded as "backward" and "stupid."
Sister Donatella Lessio, from Bethlehem's Caritas Baby Hospital, talks to AsiaNews about Christmas in the town of Bethlehem. For the nun, lights decorating homes and religious buildings are far different from those of consumerism. They are a small sign of the immense light of God Almighty who gave us his son.
The ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople issues a vibrant appeal against religious and political excesses and economic abuses by the powerful against the weak. He calls on people to embrace the message from Bethlehem for true peace on Earth.
The first martyr shows the "newness of the Gospel" in his own life. This way "Jesus can act and speak through His envoy." Christians must "know how to give a convinced and courageous witness of the Lord Jesus." Persecuted Christians "are called to bear witness in difficult and dangerous circumstances will not be abandoned or left defenceless."
The conflicts in the world are in Benedict XVI’s the thought Christmas Eve and his Christmas Urbi et orbi message, in particular the Middle East. An appeal to the "new leaders" of China to enhance the contribution of religions. Contemporary culture tends to exclude the "question of God" and to accuse monotheistic religions of being the root cause of violence.
Opposition claim it was a government plane; Damascus say the attack is the work of terrorists. Halfaya was a zone "liberated" by the rebels. Brahimi is in Damascus for new peace talks. His task seems impossible.
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