On the Feast of Corpus Christi, the small community of the Holy Family performed the Eucharistic blessing towards the four cardinal points from the church square. The parish priest said: “From here we also blessed the towns that no longer exist: Rafah, Deir el Balah, Jabalia, Beit Lahia and the whole world. We blessed every single person, asking for a change of heart and peace for all.”
New technologies promise to increase trade and productivity, but also risk exacerbating economic disparities, this according to a report by the United Nations and the Asian Development Bank. The study highlights the growing gap between East Asia's digital powers and other countries in the region, which lack digital infrastructure and skills.
With technical support from the United Arab Emirates, the government in Astana is the first in Central Asia to trial cloud-seeding systems, designed to provide moisture to agricultural land even during dry seasons. But former Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Zaparov has sounded the alarm: artificially induced rainfall in one region could have a negative impact on the climate of another.
The US president warns the parties to respect the ceasefire. Netanyahu fans the conflict and continues to attack Lebanon. Aoun wants to free the country from Iran’s intolerable hold. Addressing the Israelis, he asked them whether they are fed up with a war that has been going on since 1948.
Illegal online activities are thriving in Cambodia despite a government crackdown. A report by the human rights organisation documents abuse, torture, and violence based on dozens of interviews with survivors, who, even when they manage to escape, are treated as irregular migrants, not victims of trafficking. Meanwhile, the government continues to issue new licences to casinos linked to these centres.
The death toll now stands at 32, with 12 missing, following this morning's 7.8-magnitude earthquake, with its epicentre at sea. The tsunami warning has been lifted. Damage has been reported at the Divine Mercy Shrine, Lake Sebu, and several parish churches. The Conference of Major Superiors of the Philippines calls for prayers and solidarity with displaced families.
