After a public consultation that ended on 4 April, the government is preparing to approve the new mining law that replaces the 1992 regulations. The risks of offshore mining and the call for a permanent moratorium. The church organisation also calls for specific regulations to prevent the ‘manipulation’ of remote and poorly educated communities. The controversial issue of land ownership.

Pope Francis has approved his canonisation, together with that of Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan, killed in the Armenian genocide. A lay catechist, To Rot was killed in 1945 for defending marriage against the Japanese who, in order to ingratiate themselves with local tribes, promoted polygamy.

The parliament of Papua New Guinea has approved an amendment that identifies the nation as an ‘independent Christian state’. Fr Giorgio Licini (Caritas Papua New Guinea): it risks being an empty statement, without resolving the real challenges facing the country.

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake, which hit yesterday, caused heavy damage, especially in the capital. Several aftershocks were recorded overnight. Rescuers are racing against time to save survivors trapped in collapsed buildings. Two Chinese nationals are among the dead. The Pacific island nation has close relations with China.

The island, which has been seeking independence from Papua New Guinea since the late 1980s, is looking for funds to start mining activities in Panguna, with the approval of Port Moresby. But a recent report points out that water sources and soil still contain metals and toxic substances, 30 years after the mine shut down due to civil war.

The proposal was supported by island nations such as Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Samoa and Tonga, which are still experiencing the consequences of atomic tests in the region. Russia, France and the United Kingdom voted against. According to experts, a clear picture on the consequences of a nuclear conflict could favour new disarmament agreements.