The 85-year-old entrepreneur had transformed the Djarum cigarette factory he inherited from his father into an economic giant with operations in various sectors, including the country’s leading private bank. A Catholic, he was known for his extremely simple lifestyle. Through his foundation, he always showed great commitment to humanitarian causes.
Even on Max – the messaging system imposed by the Moscow authorities as a ‘secure’ alternative to Western apps – a virus is circulating that steals users’ payment details. According to official figures, there are 100 million user profiles registered on the patriotic chat app, which is mandatory for dealing with public administration. However, knowing that conversations are monitored, many Russians use it on a separate phone.
The conflict with Iran has disrupted gas supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, doubling prices in Asia. From Bangladesh to Japan, governments are reopening coal-fired power plants to contain costs, postponing, at least for now, the energy transition.
The activist and former trade unionist spoke at his subversion trial regarding his role in the Hong Kong Alliance, which organised vigils in memory of the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre. He faces up to 10 years in prison. In his defence, he quoted Mao Zedong and former Chinese Premier Zhao Ziyang opposing one-party rule.
The Cambodian part of the process for the beatification of Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas and 11 other victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide ended today. Since 2015, dozens of testimonies have been collected from people who witnessed their faithfulness to the Gospel during a time of horror. Among the candidates are two nuns and four lay people. If recognised by the Vatican, they will be the first blessed of this small Church reborn in the 1990s.
Some 25,000 faithful welcomed Pope Leo XIV in St Peter's Square for today’s general audience. In his catechesis on the Constitution Lumen Gentium, the pope said that, “every baptized person is an active agent of evangelization”. The Church “cannot err in matters of faith”. May “true peace prevail among all peoples,” the pontiff said in his greetings to Arabic-speaking faithful from the Middle East.
