In a news release, the NGO denounces the conditions of the Muslim refugees from Myanmar’s Rakhine State. More than 5,000 are held in migrant detention centres. Since Malaysia never ratified the refugee convention, it does not formally recognise their status.
The war that Israel and the United States launched against Iran is resulting in a shortage of gas supplies in India, higher food prices, and even rising costs for drinking water. This situation could get worse if fertiliser shortages are added; as a result, India has asked China for help. Once again, Washington is bringing the two Asian giants closer together.
Despite growing fears, people are refusing to leave their homes as requested by the State of Israel. The Bishop of Batroun criticises (without naming it) Hezbollah for deliberately ‘drawing’ Israeli fire onto homes and fields now at risk of invasion. Criticism is also levelled at the Beirut government for an overly servile and passive stance. An activist tells AsiaNews: “If we leave, the South is lost”.
The city of Milan has officially added to the list of the Righteous who stood against genocide the name of a PIME missionary who aided Jews during the Nazi persecution, before departing for the Chinese metropolis where he went on to serve the local community for 60 years, until his death in 2007. Father Gianni Criveller, editorial director of AsiaNews, commemorates him.
Today's headlines: new Israeli attacks on Iran, missiles from the Islamic Republic strike the Jewish state, causing several casualties. ASEAN foreign ministers meet today to discuss the Gulf crisis, markets and energy concerns. Islamabad bombs a fuel depot near Kandahar airport. In Indonesia, there has been a sharp increase in measles cases due to the collapse of post-COVID vaccinations.
In a country where women still face deeply rooted patriarchal traditions, we hear the stories of a singer who mixes languages to convey a message of peace and freedom, a lawyer at the forefront of defending human rights, and a poet who denounces the “spiritual void” of a society that publicly glorifies men in power.
