Two bishops from mainland China, including the president of the Patriotic Association, Bishop Li Shan, took part in a symposium in Rome. In a video message, Pope Leo XIV said that, in a world torn by conflict, we must safeguard communion. For the Bishop of Beijing, the goal is not “to build a different kind of Catholicism.”
With 10 more years in prison, Joshua Wong – Demosisto’s former young leader who spearheaded the Umbrella Revolution – will remain behind bars until he is 40. His "crime"? Simply fighting for the very right that we are celebrating elsewhere, in the wake of the recent elections in Israel, Serbia, and the United States.
At the end of the month, Archbishop Nakamura will be in Los Alamos at the conference on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, accompanied by the statue that has become a symbol. He tells AsiaNews about his Church’s journey in the footsteps of the martyrs. A call to rediscover the “spirit of evangelisation” in Japan. Migrants are “an example of faith”.
Today’s headlines: Japanese birth rate rises for teh first time in 11 years; Despite measures New Delhi smog levels alarming; Syria and Saudi Arabia sign new agreements, whilst the Kurdish population protests against school curricula.
Bishop Paul Lay will lead the Apostolic Prefecture of Kompong Cham, whilst Bishop John Vimanephet Indavong will lead the Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang. The appointments were made by the Dicastery for Evangelisation with the Pope’s approval. These mark important new steps in the revival of these local Churches following periods of persecution.
The Jubilee Wing, a facility open to all in Palestine, was inaugurated in the presence of Patriarch Pizzaballa. For Shireen Khamis, this project is of crucial importance, given the lack of specialised facilities in Palestine. Meanwhile, Pope Leo XIV met today with members of L’Œuvre d’Orient and the Institut Chrétiens d’Orient to explore the conditions for “a just and lasting peace.”
While Israeli President Isaac Herzog conducts consultations for a new cabinet, the far right is trying to establish as many facts on the ground as possible with their settlement activity. Eight homes on the outskirts of Jericho have been seized. At the same time, NGOs report that Bedouins are being driven out as a result of a “significant” acceleration in the E1 project.
The East Container Terminal (ECT) was designed to accommodate the largest container ships, but is still non-operational despite significant public investment. Four out of five tenders for straddle carriers have been cancelled, while some cranes are currently in service. Losses are projected to reach as much as US$ 126.7 million by 2027.
Two of the five detainees have been released under an amnesty, but remain in an immigration detention centre. Beijing is demanding their return, whilst human rights organisations and the Thai opposition are calling on Bangkok to halt the process, as the men face the risk of persecution.
New funding from the World Bank for the Rogun hydroelectric power station, currently under construction in the narrow gorge of the Vakhsh River. With a planned height of 335 metres, it will double Tajikistan’s power generation capacity. The flooding of upstream areas will force the evacuation of over 50,000 people.
Ryoshin Takagi, 96, lost his mother and grandmother to cadmium poisoning in Toyama Prefecture. In 1971, he was a key figure in the first major legal victory against industrial polluters in Japan, a case that helped shape the country’s environmental legislation.
Armed men attacked staff protecting a vaccination team in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. A third officer is reported to have been injured. An investigation has been launched to identify those responsible, who remain unknown at present. New cases of polio; a critical phase for the eradication programme.
At today’s general audience, Leo XIV stressed that the social dimension is an "integral part" of faith in Jesus. Economic development, he noted, must be "at the service of humankind and under human control." Work should not be "distorted to the detriment of people, the common good, or creation." "I ask you to accompany me with your prayers,” the pope said regarding his upcoming trip to Latin America.
A study reveals that a sharp rise in construction along Nepal’s rivers, up 78 per cent since 2016, is threatening entire communities. Indigenous groups are often at the greatest risk, while experts warn that land-use planning and mapping remain inadequate.
The practice of wearing a costume depicting a character from manga, video games or films is now widespread amongst young Chinese people. And it often happens that they find themselves in front of churches to take their photos. An AsiaNews source living in China describes the reactions of the Christian community.
She was eight months old when the atomic bomb destroyed her city. Ten years later, she met the co-pilot of the Enola Gay and realised she no longer wanted revenge. In Milan, she told her story to over 300 young people from Sant’Egidio: “You must know what happened, so that it never happens again”.
For Masar Jadid leader Samer Sinijlawi, the turnout was crucial. Now the goal is to mobilise Palestinians for a Palestinian election in March. The high turnout in East Jerusalem is another sign of change. For Adel Misk, at the polls, the voiceless revived the Palestinian issue.
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