In 2010, Mary Jane Veloso was stopped at Yogyakarta airport because a suitcase she was given to carry contained heroin. Then Philippine President Benigno Aquino III obtained a reprieve 11 hours before the execution was set to take place. Since then, the two countries have been working to bring the 39-year-old woman home.
Coinciding with the UN's Day of Prayer and Action for Children, 20 November is also the Day of Prayer and Action for Children, an initiative born in Japan to harness the potential of religious communities to protect the welfare of the youngest children. In its sixth year, religious leaders, intergovernmental representatives and NGOs gathered in the United Arab Emirates to call for concrete action against violations of the rights enshrined in the UN Convention.
In the separatist region of Georgia that has been under Moscow's control for 15 years, thousands of people rose up against the government's agreements with Russian oligarchs. Bžanija announced the step back ‘to preserve stability and constitutional order’. These are not unprecedented events for Sukhumi, which is nevertheless destined to remain firmly in the hands of the Kremlin.
Today's news: Pope Francis' letter on Ukraine for the thousand days since the beginning of the Russian invasion. Dozens of parliamentarians from around the world call for the immediate release of Jimmi Lai, whose trial resumes today in Hong Kong. Thailand's ‘stimulus’ programme for the economy brought 2.8% growth in 2024. Inditex, owner of Zara, increased flights from India to Spain to avoid shipping delays.
The population survey, a crucial appointment to establish relations between the different communities, is scheduled for today and tomorrow. It had not been held since 1997 because of the wars. In launching the appeal, the cardinal recalls the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis ‘who live in neighbouring countries’ and that ‘diversity is a strength’. Fears among the Kurds of a ‘politicisation’ of the process.
Of the 21 newly elected members, 19 are from the National People's Power (NPP); some also come from Tamil plantation communities. This is a record for female representation in a country that in 1960 elected the first woman head of government in the world, Sirimavo Bandaranaike. Current Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya was re-elected in the capital with a record number of votes.
