Several graves in the Christian cemetery in Harmota, a village in Koya District, were broken into and headstones smashed. Who carried out the attack and why remain unknown. Anger and indignation are high among the faithful. For Cardinal Sako, such an act is “morally and religiously unacceptable”. Missiles were fired at a gas field in late November.
In the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang, the episcopal ordination of Bishop Li Jainlin took place this morning, the second bishop elected during the recent sede vacante. The appointment was approved by Leo XIV in accordance with the Sino-Vatican accord, following the "resignation" of underground bishop Zhang Weizhu (who was arrested several times for refusing to join official bodies). Meanwhile, in Xuchang, the faithful found their church padlocked for allowing minors to enter it.
In his first visit to New Delhi since 2021, Vladimir Putin announced an economic cooperation plan with India between now and 2030. India has been trying to balance relations between the United States, which has imposed heavy tariffs, and Russia, which remains the country's leading arms supplier. No new defence contracts were signed, but the two sides inked energy, nuclear power, shipbuilding, and labour deals, to reach US$ 100 billion in bilateral trade a year.
Recent massive flooding carried huge quantities of timber into a lake that covers more than 100 square kilometres, threatening colonies of endemic bilih fish. The government is mapping the accumulations. Entire villages have disappeared, while evidence grows that the disaster is linked to illegal logging.
AsiaNews met with residents of Kartarpur, in the district of Narowal, devastated by floods in recent months. For days, people found refuge on the roof of the church, one of the few buildings to have survived the fury of the waters. Thanks to international support and donations collected by a parish in Hong Kong, food, clothing and medicines arrived.
According to the UNODC, poppy cultivation areas have increased by 17% in one year, especially in Shan State. Cannabis cultivation is also on the rise in Sagaing, now the epicentre of the resistance. While some areas are returning to junta control thanks to conscription and drones supplied by Russia and China, instability continues and international criticism of the elections announced by the military continues.
