Today’s headlines: Magnitude 7 earthquake hits Tibet, at least 16 dead; Indonesian authorities seize 1.16 tonnes of ketamine; Foreign ministers from France, Germany and the UK are in Istanbul to discuss Middle East crisis; Kuki-Zo groups are calling for the reintroduction of the presidential state of emergency.
Next week, the final plenum before the 2027 Congress is set to further tighten internal controls over officials, this despite the tenfold increase in anti-corruption probes since Xi Jinping came to power. One of every four members of the Party’s governing body are expected to be present. The fate of the Central Military Commission is a paradox.
Settler violence in the West Bank continues unabated during this year’s olive harvest. Rabbis for Human Rights reported that Israeli and international volunteers detained yesterday by the army were released and expelled, and are now banned from approaching olive groves for up to 30 days. For The New Israel Fund group, harvesting is “not a crime,” while the authorities’ actions are “outrageous”.
The diplomatic crisis involving Ukraine is getting tangled up with President Lee Jae-myung’s overtures towards Russia. South Korea hopes that the Kremlin might facilitate fresh talks with the North; however, contacts with Moscow are fuelling suspicions in Washington and risk jeopardising relations with Kyiv and South Korea’s European partners.
Today’s headlines: Doctors say ‘no further treatment is required’ for Leon XIV following surgery; The Philippines and Taiwan consider close cooperation to protect undersea cables; Houthi attack on Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd Airport leaves one dead and eight injured; Turkey, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia sign agreement to strengthen defence capabilities.
Father Benedict Barla, principal of St Michael Middle School in the Diocese of Khunti, was found in his office lying in a pool of blood. He has been rushed to Ranchi. Security camera footage shows three masked men entering the school premises. “We will wait for the administration and police to investigate. We do not want rumours to spread and create divisions in society,” said the vicar general.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi wants regional energy networks and transport infrastructure to make his country a transit hub between the Persian Gulf, Turkey and European markets. While the ‘Development Road’ project, linking the port of Al Faw to the Turkish border, also presents a new opportunity for Azerbaijan.
The Prefect of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue took part in a meeting in London organised jointly with leaders of the local Hindu community. Following in the footsteps of Cardinal Tauran, he visited the Neasden Temple in the north-west of the British capital. “Let us not give up when progress towards peace is slow.”
Starting today, groups can register on the organising committee’s website to participate in the global gathering of young people in Seoul, on 3-8 August. Addressing a congress on school-based pastoral care, the pope said that, “Beneath the armour that many teenagers build for themselves to avoid suffering lies a deep desire to love and to be loved.”
Minister Nanayakkara told parliament that 1,454 people are behind bars because they are unable to pay court-imposed fines of up to 100,000 rupees (around 268 euros). There are 60 prisons in the country, with overcrowding reaching 400 per cent of capacity.
The Meduza website interviewed political scientist Margarita Zavadskaya, one of the co-founders of the OutRush project, which, based in Finland, studies Russian emigration, how emigrants adapt abroad, and the conflict between ‘those who have left’ and ‘those who have stayed’. It also examines the differences between the various waves of migration.
Today’s headlines: China deploys forces off the Spratly Islands to monitor a US vessel; Jordan designates site of Jesus’ baptism protected natural area; Millions in India celebrate the Hindu festival of Dussehra; Indonesia's Bangka slow loris, a primate declared extinct in the 1930s, is rediscovered.
Vietnam is holding Hiep Tran, an Australian activist, after he went missing in Cambodia a month ago along with two other dissidents. Human Rights Watch reports that Vietnam has shown no progress in labour rights, despite trade agreements with European nations, agreements aimed at securing access to rare earth elements to reduce dependence on China.
From reforestation in China to sustainable coffee in Indonesia, and free-diving fisherwomen in South Korea: the FAO has selected 100 women who are contributing to food security, environmental protection and the development of rural communities. However, the sector is still marked by significant gender inequalities.
Ignatius Ding Zuyao, a priest born in 1986, was consecrated this morning in Jiangsu province under the terms of the agreement with the Holy See. This diocese saw Bishop Shen Bin moved (by the Communist Party) to Shanghai. Ding becomes the youngest bishop in the world, confirming a clear trend in episcopal appointments in China.
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.
Bishop Ri Iong-Hoon, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Korea, spoke to AsiaNews from Rome, where he is taking part in a gathering convened by Pope Leo XIV, about the challenges facing families in his country. In his view, “the Church should not simply tell young people to marry and have children. We must first listen to their hopes, fears,” while the family and children should be seen “as a subject of evangelization.”
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