Off the coast of Adrasan, in Anatolia, over 6,500 ceramic artefacts have been recovered from a ship that sank in the 1st century BC. The cargo bears witness to trade between the East and Rome and echoes the letters in which Cicero recalled the vases from ancient Rhosus.
The attack marred the opening ceremony of Hagia Sophia Church in Suqaylabiyah, a replica of Istanbul’s ancient Byzantine Basilica recently repurposed as a mosque. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an anti-Assad terror group still in control of a large area of northern Syria, was blamed. The incident comes a few days after Erdoğan, Putin, and Raisi meet to de-escalate the Syrian conflict.
After the Zakho massacre that cost the lives of 9 tourists the testimony of a parish priest who lives in the mountains of the region where the raids take place. "Every week there are people dying from these bombings, I too have been in danger of being hit. Ankara must be stopped."
Outrage throughout Iraq at the massacre caused by artillery strikes on a park. Blame laid at Turkey's door over raids on Iraqi territory against the Kurds of the PKK. Baghdad recalls the chargé d'affaires in Ankara and will take the matter to the UN Security Council.
The past few days have seen the first direct contact between the Turkish president and the Armenian prime minister. A phone call in a complex attempt to normalise diplomatic, and commercial, relations between the two countries. Baku and Moscow are interested spectators of the evolution of the framework. The resistance of the Armenian diaspora, which primarily wants recognition of the genocide.
Today's headlines: Cambodian Church celebrates ordination of first Phnong priest; monsoon death toll rises to 77 in Pakistan, more rain on the way; Chinese Christian activist Cheng Yuan in solitary confinement and tortured in prison; opposition Chp party overtakes Erdogan's Akp in polls ahead of 2023 elections.
AsiaNews source: "Difficult" to establish the "matrix" of the attack, but it represents a sign of "intolerance"; important to catch those responsible. The cemetery vandalised on the feast of Saint Peter and Paul, Assyrian tombs over a thousand years old damaged. Bones of the dead and sacred objects thrown outside, the local community express grief and despair.
Bishop Bizzeti: the emergency related to immigration has "increased" in the last period and cannot fall "only on the shoulders of Ankara." The need to give birth to a true local Church, with Turkish clergy and religious. Commemorating Msgr. Padovese 12 years after his murder, to give new life to his mission.
Ankara lifts its veto on the entry of Sweden and Finland into the Atlantic Alliance. In return it gets maximum cooperation in the fight against Kurdish groups, from the PKK to the Ypg. The domestic press celebrates the West's surrender to the president's demands as he continues to negotiate with the Kremlin to operate in Syria. For the sultan, a diplomatic victory ahead of the 2023 presidential election.
The country is once again experiencing devastating fires. According to the Ministry of Forestry, 88 percent are arson attacks. Visiting the area of the latest blaze, the president called for "intimidating" punishments. Justice holder announces start of process to "reconsider" 2004 abolition. Fears over later extension of use.
The president behind the country's international name change. A desire to erase the association with the Christmas bird and "offensive" parodies. But Turkish authorities themselves are victims of confusion and contradictions. The airline is also targeted, but the change could cause billions in losses. And some are launching petitions to mock the sultan.
Local Christians had just celebrated the first religious service in the historic church of Mor Gevargis, following its restauration after a century of neglect. The Yilmaz family is the only Christian family left in the area. The crowd attacked with sticks and stones, then set fire to the family’s fields. Opposing claims to land are at the root of the dispute.
On a state visit to Iran, Tajik President Rahmon met with Iran’s Khamenei and Raisi. The delicate situation in neighbouring Afghanistan and the search for an ally to replace Russia in the border dispute with Turkey-backed Kyrgyzstan are speeding up the thaw in relations that began in the summer 2019.
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