Data on the performance in the first quarter of 2026 confirm the difficulties of China’s southern coastal province, which was the laboratory of the reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping but is now suffering from the downsizing of Hong Kong and the crisis of the manufacturing sector. Jiangsu and Zhejiang are currently leading the country, with Hangzhou emerging as China's artificial intelligence hub. Meanwhile, differences between the various parts of the country are growing.
Myanmar’s military has launched a new recruitment drive targeting high schools, with new military training centres for young people aged 16 to 19. According to analysts and human rights activists, this is yet another move to address the serious man power crisis in the armed forces, which are increasingly engaged on multiple fronts.
In his message for Hari Raya Aidiladha, the Festival of Sacrifice celebrated on 27 May, Sharafuddin Idris Shah issued an appeal against hatreds and divisions in response to tensions in his state, Malaysia's most populous territory. The sultan urges his compatriots to close ranks and avoid divisions that could weaken the community.
In a pastoral statement on peace, signed by Archbishop Garcera, the bishops’ conference calls for “mutual respect” and “dialogue” between cultures and religions, amid conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. The prelates encourage Catholic communities to hope and show solidarity towards vulnerable people. The statement mentions overseas Philippine workers and the environmental damage caused by war, stressing that “every human life is sacred.”
President Prabowo wants to centralise all exports of coal, palm oil and other strategic raw materials through Danantara Indonesia. The measure, justified as an application of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, aims to halt capital flight and price manipulation, according to the former general, but has already sparked serious concerns among business leaders and financial markets.
The new primate, who will take office on 29 May in Baghdad, outlines to AsiaNews the priorities of his mission at the helm of one of the oldest Churches in the East. The years spent among the diaspora communities in Australia and the tragedy of ISIS during his time as bishop in Mosul are the two cornerstones of his episcopate. His relationship with the Muslim world and his commitment to stemming the exodus, ensuring a future for Christians in the Middle East.
