Today's news: partial IDF withdrawal from Gaza after a week-long offensive; Kathmandu towards new coalition government following parliamentary no-confidence vote for K.P. Sharma Oli; Thailand increases visa-free countries to 93 to boost tourism (and trade); 'Wandering' monk Thich Minh Tue reappears after a month.
One of the most important festivals in Armenian Christianity recalls in its name the ancient custom of washing oneself with rosewater. This is why - in the hottest time of the year - everyone is allowed the playful gesture of bathing each other that children eagerly await. A gesture of purification, feeling part of a single family, a sentiment yearned for in this time of great conflict in the country.
According to Russian political scientist Dmitry Trenin, with a change in leadership Armenia would no longer find allies in the West; the US would step aside, and Azerbaijan and Turkey would be free to deal with an insurgent Armenian government on their own. The important thing for Moscow is that "another unfriendly front is not formed".
This morning, the pontiff received the members of ROACO in Rome for their plenary assembly. The pontiff spoke about the various areas torn by violence in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. He also referred to the demographic decline of Christians and expressed concern for the pastoral care for diasporic communities. War is a “senseless and inconclusive venture,” he bemoaned. “There is urgent need for a ceasefire,” he said, since in war, “no one emerges a winner.”
Today's headlines: Israeli protests Armenian recognition of the Palestinian state, continues to attack Rafah, killing 45. China wants to execute supporters of Taiwanese independence. Five Pakistani soldiers are killed in a TTP attack near the Afghan border. Russia’s parliament further restricts immigration.
Archbishop Galstanyan is not just haranguing the crowds, but urging them to storm the palaces of power. According to many, Patriarch Karekin II himself is behind the escalation, denouncing the "continuous policy of unilateral surrender" in relations with Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Pašinyan, on the other hand, calls the bishops "agents provocateurs" who want to lead to war "as in the days of Byzantium".
