The last of five seats for the Asia-Pacific region went to the Marshall Islands by seven votes. For Saudi Arabia, this is a second defeat after that of 2020, while Qatar won its second consecutive term. In the first 10 months of 2024, the kingdom carried out a record 213 death sentences.
A first group of 175 teachers has completed their training and will start teaching in the Saudi kingdom by the end of August. The goal is to send at least 800 teachers to the Arab country. This is another sign of Beijing's growing economic and educational involvement in the Middle East.
Today's headlines: North Korea punishes students and officials for watching a film about the Korean War. Telephone and Internet restrictions leave large parts of Myanmar without information from abroad. In Bangladesh, garment factories reopen after forced closure due protests. War in Gaza hinders polio vaccination amid WHO warning of a possible epidemic.
An AsiaNews source recounts the life of Catholics. One million people, mostly economic migrants, celebrate their faith "in private". The bond with the universal Church and the hope of one day being able to gather and pray in a church. The Internet has strengthened community relations and facilitated attendance at services. A "long history" of "discreet" presence in the region.
More than half of the victims were not registered, arriving via "irregular" channels. The highest number of deaths was reported among Egyptians, but fatalities include people from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan. In the future, global warming will likely make things worse.
Over one and a half million Muslim faithful have already arrived at the holy places of Islam. From Riyadh an absolute ban on protests over the war in the Strip or the "politicisation" of the event that must remain religious. The health of the participants is a hot topic. For the first time in a decade, and since the beginning of the conflict, thousands of Syrians have returned.
