On the anniversary of the barbaric killing of the four Missionaries of Charity on 4 March 2016, Bishop Martinelli presided over a Mass in Abu Dhabi. ‘At a time when the entire Gulf region is experiencing serious conflicts, their memory is a source of hope.’ Mother Teresa's sisters continue to serve the poor in Sana'a and Hodeidah, in the part of Yemen controlled by the Houthis, which is once again at risk of ending up on the front line of the conflict.

General Min Aung Hlaing announced the gesture for National Farmers' Day, but Aung San Suu Kyi is not among them and thousands of people remain in prison. The army also continued to carry out bombings against civilians. The initiative comes at a time of internal tensions within the junta and while ASEAN remains divided on how to handle the Burmese crisis.

The parties opposed to the pro-Russian Georgian Dream are trying to agree on a common platform with the aim of bringing about early and ‘legitimate’ parliamentary elections to overthrow the current government without conflict. However, the disagreements between the various forces are far from resolved.

No statement has come from Xi Jinping yet, while the condemnation of the attack on Iran has been entrusted to Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who spoke today with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Sa'ar. The evacuation of Chinese citizens from Tehran has been completed, with 200 choosing to stay. Trump's trip to China (31 March-2 April) is still on the agenda, for now, matching the "four weeks" the US leader gave yesterday as the timeframe for war.

The Lebanese government has outlawed the armed activities of the pro-Iranian party. A rift has emerged in the relationship between Hezbollah and the Shia Amal movement, which endorses the government's resolution. The Jewish state is hitting Lebanese territory hard again, putting pressure on the “buffer zone”. US mediation has "saved" the airport, which remains open. Hundreds of thousands of displaced people crowd the streets.

Renewed fighting between Pakistan and the Taliban is further exacerbating the precarious situation of families registered as refugees by the UNHCR but without a clear pathway to permanent resettlement. Often living incognito for security reasons, they fear repatriation to Afghanistan, under a government that persecutes them. One woman pleads: "I want my children to be able to grow up without fear.”