Syria

For Transparency International, Ankara records the worst figure in the last decade. It has risen from 50 points in 2013 to 38 in 2022. In the region, Syria the most corrupt country, UAE the least corrupt. Without Netanyahu in power Israel improves by four points and ranks 31st.

A blockade and isolation from the Arab world were put in place since the start of Syria’s civil war more than a decade ago. Sugar and petrochemicals from Saudi Arabia will now be able to enter Syria. Rumours of a resumption of diplomatic relations are intensifying, but so far there is no official confirmation. At present, bypassing Western sanctions is the main goal.

The pope has approved the election of two new archbishops designated by the Sindo of the Patriarchate of Antioch of the Syrians: Fr. Jacques Mourad in 2015 in Syria was in the hands of jihadists for five months; in Iraq Fr. Qusay Mubarak Abdullah Hano was born and raised in the Nineveh Plain and was an exile among exiles in Erbil. The challenges of reconstruction.

Today's headlines: Marcos in China to 'open a new chapter' in relations with Beijing; Seoul threatens to torpedo military pact with Pyongyang; to save money, Islamabad orders early closure of markets and shopping centres; no deal but 'positive' talks in first high-level summit between Ankara and Damascus.

A report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) tallies human casualties. Almost half a million people have died in more than a decade of fighting. The 2022 death toll includes 1,627 civilians, among them 321 children, while some 209 died from landmines or unexploded ordnance. For SOHR director Rami Abdel Rahman, the deaths are largely linked to the country’s chaotic situation and lack of security.

Fr Bahjat Karakach, pastor at St Francis of Assisi church, compares houses, “chilly, dark places”, to the manger where Jesus was born, where children suffer and parents are helpless. The "light of faith" can breathe new life into a dying nation. Christian NGO holds tombola for children and the poor.

Message pronounced during urbi et orbi blessing: "Let us overcome the torpor of false images that make people forget the feast day, and as we look at Bethlehem let us fix our gaze on the child victims of World War III." In Myanmar and Iran "cease all bloodshed." Appeal for reconciliation in Ukraine, Syria, Holy Land, Lebanon, Yemen and for Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa plagued by hunger and famine.

Photojournalist Omar Sanadiki took a picture that has become a symbol of the poverty in which the population finds itself, especially the youngest. He tells AsiaNews how the photo came about and the prospects of a country that will not emerge from the tunnel of war and poverty anytime soon. Children rummaging through rubbish for survival is a growing phenomenon, exploited by traffickers.

The memory of the saint from Calcutta at the heart of a gesture the pontiff will make tomorrow to mark the Pope's 86th birthday: with the Missionaries of Charity he will deliver a token of gratitude to three people - a Syrian Franciscan, a homeless man and an Italian industrialist - who dedicate their lives to helping the least. Mother Teresa's sisters: "We are delighted that he has chosen our home and our Mother".

The Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan made a pastoral visit to north-east Syria in recent days. A reality of "sadness, anguish, but also of challenges and hope". War, economic crisis and fears of a Turkish attack have emptied the region. From 100,000 the faithful now number 20,000, with an average income of 30 euros per month. Sanctions and international neglect.

The government closes government offices and agencies for two days, 11 and 18 December. Syrian authorities blame Western sanctions and the disruption of supplies. In the southern province of Sweida, two people die in a protest related to the energy crisis. Iran is boosting oil supplies, from one to three million barrels per month.

Abu al-Hassan al-Hashemi al-Quraishi and a comrade blew themselves up during an operation by the Free Syrian Army in Daraa province. The Pentagon says no US forces took part in the operation. The new leader is Abu al-Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi. For expert, the movement has been weakened.