Utilities have been suspended for non-payment of bills, yet another consequence of the economic crisis that has gripped Sri Lanka for three years. To cope with the situation, demand for solar panels has also increased, but the authorities have been forced to issue a warning to prevent fraud by unauthorised companies.
A climate of relative stability in preparation for the Lebanese Parliament's election of a new head of state on 9 January. A framework that remains fragile, given Hezbollah's determination to reorganise its forces, Iranian influence and the IDF troops still present. Elements that undermine institutions, border security and economic recovery.
The fallout of the Trump presidency on the region's balances, the return of opportunities for Gazprom and Rosatom in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, the stalemate in negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the political clash in Georgia: analysts' predictions on the most important issues of 2025 in Central Asia and the Caucasus.
On the first day of the year, Pope Francis urges the faithful to protect life "from conception to natural death,” so that everyone “may look with hope to the future’.” In Mary’s name, the pontiff mentioned mothers with hearts “full of pain” because of war.
The year that starts today will be full of events, anniversaries and major issues: from Expo Osaka to the midterm elections in the Philippines. In May, Francis and Bartholomew might make an ecumenical visit to Nicaea to mark the 1,700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed. The contribution of cooperatives to development and the melting of glaciers are topics of International Years organised by the United Nations.
Political breakthroughs in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka with Yunus and Dissanayake, Han Kang the first Asian woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Istiqlal Declaration signed by Pope Francis and the Imam in Jakarta. The most important events of the last 12 months in Asia through selected personalities from AsiaNews.
