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The row between South Korea and Ukraine over the transfer of two North Korean soldiers captured in January 2025 is intensifying. For Seoul confidentiality was breached, which Kyiv strongly denies. In the background, Seoul is trying to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

During a parliamentary debate in Damascus, criticism was levelled at the “excessive number of female teachers” and calls were made for corporal punishment (which the Minister of Education has, however, ruled out). Meanwhile, an estimated two million children have dropped out of school due to poverty. And the issue of safeguarding the identity of minorities remains unresolved.

Following the controversy in Britain that led the Archbishop of Canterbury to withdraw a peace award given to the president of the Pakistan Ulema Council, the Church of Pakistan has awarded him its own prize, defending his commitment to minorities. But alongside his comments on Bin Laden and 9/11, new allegations have also emerged

The Kremlin has lowered its oil production forecasts to their lowest level in over a decade, whilst it has already drawn 15,000 billion roubles from the reserve fund since 2019. Meanwhile, companies are calling for the costs of private defence systems purchased to protect themselves from Ukrainian drones to be written off.

At the Institut Catholique de Paris, the pope spoke of the wonder of faith in adulthood in a “secularized” French society. Meeting migrants at the Maison Bakhita, he bemoaned “a culture that tears communities apart and leaves cities sick with loneliness.” In the afternoon, he led Mass at the Place de la Concorde.

The archbishop of Shillong and president of the NEIRBC spoke to AsiaNews about the recent escalation in the northeastern state. The prelate laments the loss of numerous lives, families broken, homes abandoned, and places of worship reduced to ashes. At least 41 homes and several churches were destroyed in Makui.

Today's news: Xi and Trump: US-China dialogue channel on AI risks and benefits. Pakistan thwarts an Afghan Taliban attack in Gulistan. Hanoi and Pyongyang plan to strengthen defence cooperation. Singapore's population hits a new record high.