Cardinal Tagle read the homily prepared by Leo XIV this morning for the tenth anniversary of Amoris Laetitia. Charity in the home is the "first school of human affection”. Addressing the Chaldean patriarch, he said that communion is “not a mere formality, but a living reality.” The pontiff spent a quiet night at Gemelli Hospital following the removal of a lung tumour yesterday.
Fires burning for weeks have worsened air pollution in Malaysia and Singapore. While Malaysia has called for greater regional coordination, ASEAN agreements remain contingent on the willingness of individual states to cooperate.
Loudspeakers urging women to cover up, universities excluding female applicants, restrictions are multiplying. Talent and opportunity: slogans trumpeted but ignored. Yet a country rebuilding itself after years of dictatorship and civil war must not exclude young women or deny them opportunities.
Today’s headlines: Oil industry in the firing line of escalation between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia; After 12 year delay, a new bridge between China and North Korea opens tomorrow; Beijing contests the Indian government’s decision to rename 28 places in Ladakh; Riyadh overturns the death sentence handed down to a Sri Lankan worker.
The vicar of Northern Arabia is closely monitoring the situation of the more than one million Catholics in the kingdom. Houthi attacks have disrupted community life, but no one has been hurt so far. There are concerns regarding the labour market and the economic outlook. Most casualties are migrants or pilgrims bound for Makkah and Madinah.
Following the introduction of the state of emergency and ‘governor’s rule’, schools and universities have been closed and exams postponed until further notice. Amnesty International highlights the risks to human rights following arbitrary arrests and the suspension of internet access. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Taliban are seeking to capitalise on the discontent over Islamabad’s intervention.
The International Monetary Fund projects a 10.7 per cent rise in the island's GDP for 2026, the highest rate in the world. While demand for hardware and data centre investments are bolstering various Asian economies, uncertainties regarding youth employment and the risk of less-prepared country falling behind remain.
The goal by 2030 is to integrate the sector into the international market, making it more modern and scientific. Plans include facilities with hundreds of beds and support for medical tourism. Known as southern herbal medicine, it traditionally stands in contrast to the Chinese variety.
The High Court has quashed proceedings against four Christians from Amravati accused of attempting to ‘illegally convert’ a Hindu couple. The judges ruled that inviting others to join one’s own faith does not offend the religious feelings of others. This is an important ruling in a state where an anti-conversion law has been in force since August.
A renowned scholar of Sorokin and a Canadian citizen, he returned to his home village in the summer of 2025 and was arrested. He has now been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for collaborating with foreign powers and promoting nationalist movements amongst the Finno-Ugric peoples. He had warned: “We risk disappearing under Putin”.
About 1.55 million Japanese hold loans with at least three creditors, the greatest number in 12 years. The rising cost of living and wages that fail to keep pace are driving more and more people to go into debt for daily expenses. Online loans are making access to credit easier, while requests for assistance are also on the rise.
Following a summary trial, 24-year-old Anojan Sivarasa was sentenced to death for a social media comment deemed offensive to Islam. Neither deleting the post nor apologising availed him. Saudi and Sri Lankan lawyers have filed an appeal with the kingdom‘s supreme court. For his parents, he is the sole breadwinner.
The Don Bosco Institute, located in a rapidly expanding suburb of Dhaka, has inaugurated a new six-story building with the support of the Italian Church. The facility was blessed by Bishop Gomes in the presence of Father Fabio Attard, the Rector Major’s representative. Established in 2022 with 51 students in makeshift premises, the school now has 227 pupils, the majority of whom are Muslim.
From the historic church in Goa to the cathedral in Xi’an, there are many places across Asia that commemorate the message of the saint from Assisi, on the 800th anniversary of his death. Among the most recent is the chapel built in the image of the Porziuncola near the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas.
Retail sales are not growing as much as Beijing would like. Employees currently work an average of 48.2 hours a week, but without a significant increase in income. So, during the recent public holidays, a call not to use days off for shopping went viral on Weibo before being censored.
In today’s session of the Vatican meeting marking the tenth anniversary of Amoris Laetitia, the Indian cardinal and FABC president described the transformations the continent is facing amid economic instability and religious polarisation. For the prelate, “we ask not what families are missing, but what God is already doing in their midst.”
Starting today, every Monday, AsiaNews will feature voices, stories, and in-depth reports to explore, step by step, the South Korea that will welcome young people for World Youth Day (WYD) next August. The perspective will be one of “memory and hope” focused on the mission, an approach suggested today by Pope Leo XIV to South Korean priests and religious sisters living in Rome.
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