ASIA TODAY Molotov cocktails hit Assyrian cathedral, damage to entrances

Other news of the day: a Shree Airlines plane made an emergency landing in Nepal; on Women’s Day, the Pyongyang regime called for them to have more children for the army; three other Palestinian victims today in the West Bank from an Israeli incursion; more than 14,000 Protestant Christians participate in the Spring Love Festival in Vietnam; more and more Japanese companies are leaving Russia.

IRAQ

A church in Baghdad was attacked by extremist groups. On the night of March 7, some people, still unidentified, threw Molotov cocktails at the entrance doors of the Assyrian Cathedral Of Mar Girgis, in the Dora neighborhood. The two main doors of the temple were damaged, but fortunately the fire did not spread inside the building.

NEPAL

A Shree Airlines plane made this morning a emergency landing because the warning light indicating “fire” had come on in one of the engines. The memory of the disaster last January is still alive in the country, probably due to human error, which left dozens dead. The ship, bound for Bhairahawa, returned to Kathmandu as normal and there were no signs of fire.

NORTH KOREA

On International Women’s Day, the authorities of the regime invited their compatriot women to give birth to more children, so that they can be recruited into the army. According to Pyongyang, this is “the greatest act of patriotism” that can be carried out. The message was delivered during ideology sessions for housewives, which also praised the “fertility” of North Korean women.

ISRAEL – PALESTINE

Other bloody night in the west bank. Israeli security forces killed three Palestinians in a town not far from Jenin. The military also reportedly carried out a raid on the southern town of Jaba, where a gunfight ensued and one person was arrested before withdrawing. Security Minister Itamar Ben-Givr applauded the “precisely carried out operation.”

VIETNAM

More than 14,000 believers gathered in Ho Chi Minh City in recent days to participate in the Spring Love Festival, promoted by the Billy Graham Evangelical Association. Historic event (involving 900 pastors from 60 denominations) for evangelicals, who for the first time obtained permission from the communist authorities for a foreign speaker to speak at a party not organized by the regime.

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 foundry equipment. More than 60% of Japanese companies have fully or partially suspended their activities in Russia, while 35% continue to operate “as before”.

KAZAKHSTAN

Despite not having the approval of the local authorities, a public demonstration in defense of women’s rights was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 8 March. The act brought together more than a thousand people in Gandhi Park, who displayed posters and banners calling for the approval of laws in defense of rights and tougher penalties for violence against women.