The President of the National Assembly in Hanoi presented the Pope with a letter from the President, who is now firmly at the helm of power in Vietnam. It was precisely internal disagreements over the local political balance of power that had slowed down the preparations for the visit, which is so eagerly awaited by the Catholic community. Cardinal Parolin is due to visit soon to establish full diplomatic relations. The possibility of 2027, when the Pope is already expected in Seoul for World Youth Day.

For four years now, the forty-year-old Serdar Berdymukhamedov has held the office of president in Ashgabat, but his father, Gurbanguly, continues to present himself at every opportunity – both at home and abroad – as the true ‘national leader of the Turkmen people’. The son may well be better prepared than his father in the fields of politics and diplomacy, but he confines himself to chairing government meetings for the benefit of the cameras.

At the Regina Caeli, Leo XIV invoked the "principle of humanity" to "protect the civilian population" from war. He mentioned the peoples of Ukraine, Lebanon, and Sudan. Yesterday, at the vigil in St Peter's, he appealed to political leaders to “Sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, not at the table where rearmament is planned”. He stressed that praying is a “transformative response to death”.

Elected by the synod underway in Rome after the resignation on 10 March of his predecessor, Louis Sako, the new primate chose the name Paul III. The 58-year-old, originally from Alqosh, led the community in Mosul during difficult years and accompanied the communities in exile after the Islamic State takeover. He must now implement the mandate of unity among Iraqi Catholics Leo XIV entrusted to the synod.

Studies by the University of Peradeniya show that atmospheric nitrogen can be fixed into the soil and rapidly improve it thanks to sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea), reducing the need for chemical fertilisers, which are in short supply following the Strait of Hormuz blockade. Experts are urging the various stakeholders, including farmers, to leverage its potential to boost the country's food security.

Talks between the United States and Iran to firm up a still shaky ceasefire began in the Pakistani capital today. However, the United Arab Emirates is withdrawing US$ 3.5 billion (over a fifth of Pakistan's reserves) to put political pressure on the South Asian country. For Archbishop Joseph Arshad of Islamabad-Rawalpindi, “war and conflict cause immense suffering” and this needs “solutions to problems through wisdom, tolerance and dialogue.”