Today's headlines: emergency landing in Nepal for a Shree Airlines plane; for Women's Day, the Pyongyang regime calls for more children for the army; three more Palestinian victims today in the West Bank from an Israeli raid. More than 14,000 Protestant Christians attend Spring Love Festival in Vietnam; more and more Japanese companies leave Russia.
IRAQ
A church in Baghdad, Iraq has been targeted by extremist groups. On the evening of 7 March, some people, currently unidentified, threw Molotov bombs at the entrance doors of the Assyrian cathedral of Mar Giwargis, in the Dora district. The two main doors of the place of worship were damaged, but the fire fortunately did not spread to the building.
NEPAL
A Shree Airlines plane made an emergency landing this morning when a warning light came on indicating a 'fire' in one of the engines. The memory of last January's disaster, possibly due to human error, with dozens of deaths, is still alive in the country. This time the vehicle - bound for Bhairahawa - returned regularly to Kathmandu and there were no signs of fire.
NORTH KOREA
On International Women's Day, the regime authorities called on fellow citizens to give birth to more children so that they could be drafted into the army. For Pyongyang, this is 'the greatest act of patriotism' that can be performed. The message was conveyed at ideology sessions for housewives, where the 'fertility' of North Korean women was also extolled.
ISRAEL - PALESTINE
Another night of bloodshed in the West Bank. Israeli security forces killed three Palestinians near a village not far from Jenin. The military also reportedly carried out a raid in the southern village of Jaba, engaging in a shootout and arresting one person before withdrawing. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Givr applauded the "precise action".
VIETNAM
Over 14,000 believers gathered in Ho Chi Minh City in the past few days for the Spring Love Festival, promoted by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. It was a historic event (900 pastors from 60 denominations were involved) for the evangelicals, who for the first time obtained permission from the Communist authorities to have a foreign speaker outside of a commanded festival.
RUSSIA - JAPAN
The Japanese are also leaving Russia: the company Yanmar Holdings will cease its activities on the Russian market from April, where it sold diesel generators, pumping technology and melting equipment. Over 60 per cent of the Japanese companies have stopped all or part of their activities in Russia, while 35 per cent continue to operate 'as before'.
KAZAKHSTAN
Despite the lack of approval by the local authorities, a public demonstration was held in Almaty in Kazakhstan on 8 March in defence of women's rights. The event gathered more than a thousand people in Gandhi Park, displaying banners and placards calling for the passing of laws in defence of rights and strengthening punishment for violence against women.