For years, a mother suffering from health problems and her son lived in conditions of slavery in a brick kiln in Pakistan. A debt contracted with the owner after the husband’s death turned out to be a trap. Their freedom was regained thanks to the intervention of a Christian activist. Now they face the challenge of rebuilding their lives from scratch — without a home, savings, or a stable source of income.
At least nine people have died in two separate incidents in just a few days. For local sources, “it will take time” to recover some of the bodies due to weather conditions. Weather phenomena like cyclones are increasing the risk of avalanches. Changes in snowpack stability, greater precipitation, and accelerated glacier melting are the main dangers.
The prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development on a five-day pastoral visit to the country. In Narayanganj, he shared a meal with 600 displaced Christians. One of them said: ‘He testified that we can turn to God despite the difficulties.’ Meetings with the Rohingya community in Cox's Bazar, street children and leaders of other religions are planned.
The President of Sri Lanka launches the national campaign “A Nation United” in Colombo against drug dealing, consumption and crime. He denounced the presence of a “shadow state” infiltrating institutions. Substantial funds for rehabilitation and prevention were announced, as well as the creation of a National Operations Centre. The involvement of religious and civil communities is hoped for.
The Indian government wants to introduce strict rules on content generated by artificial intelligence, such as deepfakes. The measure aims to combat abuse and disinformation, but raises serious concerns about privacy and freedom of expression. Critics and legal experts warn that the obligation to label and track content could turn into a tool for digital surveillance.
A group of Christian community leaders met with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) - widely favoured with the exclusion of the Awami League - calling for inclusive and fair lists. Secretary Alamgir reassures them about a ‘non-sectarian’ country and reforms to protect minorities. Civil society calls for reserved seats for indigenous communities and gender parity. The European Union pledges €4 million for a transparent democratic process.
