Russia warns Turkey against attack On northern Syria

In today's headlines: Wells are drying up in India; the US backs the Philippines in the South China Sea dispute against China; Indonesia uses Serbian weapons against Papua; new divisions in the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.

TURKEY - SYRIA - RUSSIA

Russia urged Turkey not to launch another offensive in northern Syria. "We hope Ankara will refrain from actions that could lead to a dangerous deterioration of the already difficult situation in Syria," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said yesterday. Erdogan had announced yet another operation against the People's Protection Units (YPG) composed of Syrian Kurds whom Turkey considers 'terrorists'.

INDIA

A video of an Indian woman going down a well without a rope or harness to retrieve water has gone viral. In several areas of India, wells and ponds have dried up and the population is forced into these extreme measures. The government had promised running water in all villages by 2024 but millions of people still have no access to drinking water.

NORTH KOREA

In the coming weeks the Conference on Disarmament will be chaired by North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons: a decision that has generated perplexity and indignation. The chairmanship follows the alphabetical order in English of the countries that are members of the organisation: in recent days some NGOs have exported members to leave the assembly in protest.

PHILIPPINES - USA

The United States reiterated its support for the Philippines in its dispute with China over the South China Sea: every year in the summer season Beijing imposes a unilateral fishing ban on areas it considers under its jurisdiction, but Washington recalled the 2016 Hague ruling rejecting Chinese claims.

INDONESIA

Almost 2,500 mortar shells from Serbia, purchased last year by the Indonesian spy agency (Bin), were converted to be launched from the air, and some were used in attacks against eight villages in Papua. According to the monitoring agency Conflict Armament Research, clashes in the separatist region have intensified in recent years. A parliamentary hearing could be convened on the issue.

RUSSIA - UKRAINE

After the decision by the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to detach itself from Moscow, new divisions have begun: in the diocese of Rovenkov, in the Lugansk region, the assembly of clergy with Archbishop Arkadij (Taranov) took the decision to no longer appoint the Kiev Metropolitan Onufryj (Berezovskij) during liturgies.

TURKMENISTAN

Turkmenistan's President Serdar Berdymukhamedov approved the proposal of the regional muftis, supported by the civil administrations, to collect "voluntary offerings from the population" for the construction of new mosques and Islamic school buildings. Four new mosques have been built in recent years, and the 'voluntary' contributions are in fact compulsory.

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