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.
Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia are organising the pre-COP31 meeting, dedicated to the Pacific’s climate challenges. Attendance by international leaders is low. The meeting aims to give a voice to island nations threatened by rising sea levels and to place the region at the centre of global diplomacy.
Maysa and Mary were among the five victims of yet another Israeli drone strike that was reportedly intended to target a Hamas leader. Condolences from Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Holy Family community. Some 1,150 people have been killed since the ‘ceasefire’ that was supposed to end the war; 62 Christians in Gaza have died since the start of the conflict.
The Little Flower Minor Seminary, the oldest in the country, is celebrating its centenary. Archbishop D’Cruze: “May it never stand empty.” Former seminarian: “It helped us find our way in life.” Since 1925, 5,000 young men have been trained to serve the Church and society, including around 200 priests.
Today’s hedlines: Israel – Supreme Court overturns exclusion of Arab parties from elections; Prabowo appoints billionaires and Islamic leaders to new advisory council; Call between Modi and Flydubai co-pilot: “I couldn’t let them die”; Report: China ranks in the top 100 global economies for gender equality.
President Lee Jae-myung wants to provide all of South Korea's 51 million people with free, unlimited access to an AI assistant powered by domestic models. The initiative aligns with the state-business collaboration model that has underpinned the country’s development, but it has to contend with the massive costs of the necessary infrastructure.
These days, it is hard to find a single person who has not had a row with their parents, siblings or closest friends over differences of opinion regarding the Russian-Ukrainian war. Ideologies encapsulate traumas within narratives, creating an emotional aura in which political opinions, values and interests align with the characteristics of one’s own psychological makeup.
The People’s Initiative Coalition Against Dynasty (Picad) has launched a petition and an online platform to support the measure called for by the Supreme Court itself. Today, 83 per cent of the country’s senators and around 80 per cent of the members of the House of Representatives come from political families. The target is 7 million signatures.
To mark World Children's Day, the government announced measures against child labour, alongside new steps to combat cyberbullying. Parents are also being urged to exercise greater caution when sharing images of their children on social media.
While 71.8 per cent of workers who moved to southern India report a better quality of life following migration, 73.3 per cent face obstacles in accessing social welfare benefits. Healthcare, employment contracts, and awareness of their rights remain key areas of vulnerability.
Government forces have launched heavy raids on rebel positions in Sana’a, Saada, and Taiz. Yesterday, Riyadh accused the Houthis of attacking Madinah, which they deny. The Wall Street Journal reports Beijing is helping the Houthis with dual-use (civilian and military) goods. Yemen’s healthcare system is at the point of collapse.
A government agency is exploring the possibility of opening a launch base for private companies’ satellites, whilst the first ‘made in Thailand’ experiment has taken place on the International Space Station. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s first astronaut is set to depart for the Chinese Tiangong space station in November.
After two wars in Chechnya, many have been forced to leave, creating a rift that is not merely geographical. Kadyrov and his loyalists accuse the emigrants of ‘having sold out to Europe’. The diaspora points the finger at repression and the war in Ukraine. A conflict that is also poisoning personal and family relationships.
Grappling with collapsing real estate revenues, local governments are delaying payments to businesses, which is reverberating along the supply chain to small suppliers. Beijing is trying to contain the problem but, without new resources, there is a risk of simply shifting losses from one entity to another.
For this year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo XIV focused on the situation of migrant children. A South Korean Catholic weekly heeded the call, focusing on the issue of children unregistered at birth because they are foreign, consequently deprived of essential rights like healthcare and education.
Each summer the French Dominican friar and official at the Dicastery for Christian Unity completes a new stage of an uninterrupted pilgrimage on foot that has now taken him from Rome all the way to Antioch. He reflects on the pilgrimage as a synthesis of life, the hospitality received in monasteries and mosques, and the encounters along the way. “Patriarch Bartholomew told me: ‘Go all the way to Jerusalem’.”
Education Minister Ja Htoi Pan spoke to AsiaNews. Five years after the 2021 coup, 6.3 million young people lack access to a basic education. There is an urgent need for safety. “We provide schools with safety drills and air-raid shelters." Aung San Suu Kyi remains a beacon of “hope for the people”.
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