Many Filipinos in the crowd are waiting for the smoke that will announce the end of the conclave. Many hope for Tagle, but “let the Holy Spirit do its work.” An Asian pope would represent great hope for the continent. Indian nuns pray for peace with Pakistan, like Pope Francis did.
The fate of six teenagers from Rakhine State in Myanmar is unknown since 21 March. They were detained last December after traffickers brought them to Thailand. This case highlights Bangkok's failure to protect underage asylum seekers. For Fortify Rights, “every refugee child” should be “protected – not punished – for seeking safety.”
In the era of tariffs, stimulating domestic demand is vital for Beijing. But consumption is growing slowly—and it is no longer the megacities driving it, but smaller cities, where wages and confidence in the economy are rising. These shifts may also bring about broader social changes.
Behind the demonstrations is the mysterious fall of a young woman from a building in the capital. According to some sources, politicians and prominent figures are involved. The incident allegedly took place during a party with drugs and alcohol in the Muslim-majority nation, and the police are accused of covering it up. Close associates of the president are also under scrutiny.
Since the collapse of the USSR, the five former Soviet republics of Central Asia have been debating whether to abandon the Cyrillic alphabet in favour of Latin script. Some argue it more closely reflects the phonetics of Turkic languages, but the issue is entangled with broader calls for “de-Russification” in the context of the war in Ukraine. Even in Kazakhstan—where Nazarbayev launched the transition with the aim of completing it by 2031—serious doubts remain.
Today's news: New missile tests from Pyongyang. According to a study published in The Lancet, at least 30% of girls (and 13% of boys) in India are victims of sexual abuse before the age of 18; Vietnamese environmentalist back on trial for writing "down with communism"; Tehran welcomes the end of US strikes against the Houthis; Riyadh ready to sign a deal with the United States on mineral exploitation.
