Kuwait

| KUWAIT

In his (first) inauguration speech, Sheikh Meshal attacks the institutions that have failed to bring about 'change or correction' in the course of the nation. He also targets decisions that 'do not meet' standards of 'fairness and justice'. The country still relies on crude oil revenues and has no plans for a post-oil era. The prospect of public spending cuts.


Today's headlines: Terry Gou to run in upcoming Taiwanese presidential elections; Taliban bans women from entering the most famous and oldest national park for non-compliance with hijab regulations; China still addicted to cigarettes, smokers one-third of world total; At least four killed in Vietnam quarry collapse; Pyongyang approves return of expats unable to return since 2020 Covid closures; in Novosibirsk new anti-migrant raid.

| 28/08/2023
| ASIA TODAY
by Vladimir Rozanskij

A summit between the Cooperation Council of the Gulf States and Central Asian countries was held in Jeddah. The aim: to broaden economic cooperation starting from religious commonality. Every year about 50,000 Saudi tourists visit the historical cities of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.

| 24/07/2023
| CENTRAL ASIA-SAUDIA ARABIA

Rising crude oil prices, linked to production cuts by the OPEC+ countries, had an impact. In Saudi Arabia, growth should drop to 3.2 per cent in 2023, down from 8.7 per cent last year. The UAE’s growth should also decline from 7.6 per cent to 3.7 per cent. Inflation also weighs in.

| 26/04/2023
| GULF

Another political twist follows last month’s ruling by the Constitutional Court annulling the September elections and reinstating the 2020 assembly. The vote is expected in the coming months. The decision was justified by saying that it was “the will of the people” to ensure greater stability to the country.

| 18/04/2023
| KUWAIT
by Dario Salvi

Speaking to AsiaNews Fr. Aldo Berardi, appointed Jan. 28 as vicar of the North, confesses his "surprise" at the choice, combined with the "awareness" of operating in a territory he knows. His years of mission in Bahrain and visits to the region. Respect for Christian rites, cultures and traditions. Pope Francis' recent apostolic trip was a "historic" occasion to bring together the faithful from across the vicariate. 

| 31/01/2023
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST

A group of 30 experts from various Muslim-majority countries visited China's far western region, praising its fight against terrorism. They said nothing about abuses. The World Uyghur Congress spoke out against the persecutions and criminalisation of ordinary things like wearing a headscarf and reading the Qurʾān.

| 12/01/2023
| MIDDLE EAST – CHINA
Editor's choices
 
On the ninth anniversary of his death, a Eucharistic celebration marked the end of the local investigation towards the beatification of the young man who died protecting others during a deadly Islamist attack in Youhanabad. “We pray for this grace ...
| 15/03/2024
| PAKISTAN
 
Baek Kwang-soon, 53, is being held on espionage charges. The Love Rice Sharing Foundation, a Protestant charity he works for, says that “all sorts of Russians, Thai and North Korean workers” are “in need, and we provide them with clothes, ...
| 13/03/2024
| RUSSIA - SOUTH KOREA
 
Inaugurated by Modi in the foothills of the Himalayas, it will facilitate connections in Arunachal Pradesh, including military links to the de facto border with the People's Republic of China. Claiming sovereignty over the region, Beijing issued ...
| 12/03/2024
| CHINA - INDIA
 
Hong Kong’s Legislative Council is set to fast track the approval of a national security bill tabled today that imposes unprecedented restrictions to all forms of freedom in the former British colony, including life in prison for “treason” ...
| 08/03/2024
| HONG KONG - CHINA
 
The worst case is Myanmar, where both the regular army and armed resistance make extensive use of landmines. Almost half of the countries that are not signatories to the UN treaty are in Asia or the Middle East. In Southeast Asia region, Cambodia has ...
| 01/03/2024
| ASIA
 
by Dario Salvi
The 2024 Niwano Peace Prize, the “Nobel Prize for Religions" was given to a Sufi Muslim, who teaches at the American University in Washington, for his "holistic contribution to the cause of peace”. After the Hamas attack sparked Israel's ...
| 27/02/2024
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
 
An image of Christ on the cross painted in Stanley Prison by the Catholic businessman on trial under the National Security Act is on display at the Catholic University of Washington. Meanwhile Agnes Chow from Canada recounts her imprisonment in Hong ...
| 27/02/2024
| HONG KONG - UNITED STATES
 
by Santosh Digal
The archbishop of Goa was elected today in Bangkok by the heads of the continent's Bishops' Conferences. Next January he will become the third Indian to head the collegial body, taking over from Card Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, who led the organisation ...
| 22/02/2024
| ASIA
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”