Today’s headlines: Indonesian police arrest the captain of sunk ferry, that left 78 dead and 57 missing; Independence Day in China: Xi Jinping reaffirms the “national rejuvenation”; Dengue alert in Bangladesh: deaths rise to 245 and 80,000 cases reported; Vietnam admits “divergent views” on Hanoi’s mega-urban development project.
The emergency landing of a Flydubai flight in Saudi Arabia, likely due to an attempted hijacking by a pilot (an Omani national), has drawn attention to the route that symbolises the new ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. This route has seen rapid growth, even amid Israel’s isolation caused by the war in Gaza.
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay announced that his government would adopt the Gross Ecosystem Product (GEP); in 2024, this metric valued the services provided by the country's ecosystems at US$ 6.2 billion. This new measure will sit alongside GDP and Gross National Happiness (GNH) in assessing the nation's development.
A Radio Svoboda journalist, she was sentenced in 2024 for “covert collaboration with a foreign organisation”. According to the UN, her detention violates several articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. From her cell, she writes: “We must learn to live in the present”.
Today’s headlines: Kuala Lumpur strengthens its regulatory framework on AI-related technologies; Over a hundred settlers attack a Palestinian family to prevent them from returning home; China has opened a military training centre in Laos; The death toll from the floods in Thailand rises to 23.
An airstrike yesterday by Myanmar’s military on a market in Kyauktaw killed at least 49 people and wounded 58. Fighting around the state capital, Sittwe, is causing fresh displacement. Meanwhile, defying recommendations from the UN and NGOs, Malaysia has begun repatriating Rohingya, who find themselves caught between the warring parties.
The account of Sister Lenita D’Souza, an Indian doctor with the Sisters of Maria Bambina, who has been on the front line alongside a driver and three nurses in helping the victims of the disaster that struck a month ago. ‘If we don’t get the children back to school, we will soon lose an entire generation. We must rebuild not only homes but also lives.’
Located a few kilometres from Dushanbe, the observatory – which was once at the forefront of research into the Earth’s atmosphere – is now a destination for school groups and tourists. The old telescope has been fitted with a digital camera that transmits images to a computer. But everything else has remained unchanged since the 1980s.
At today’s general audience, Pope Leo XIV spoke about the visit he just concluded. During the Mass with 800,000 people, "everyone was able to receive the Eucharist”. The rise in baptisms in the country was a “‘surprise’ from God." In Lourdes the pontiff said that every human life “deserves to be cared for.” In Metz, he noted that European fraternity owes “much to its Christian roots.”
The forum organised by seven UN agencies involved businesses and civil society groups, and provided an opportunity for dialogue in a region that is home to 66.9 million migrants (many of whom hail from the same region). Recruitment systems and difficulties in accessing protection mechanisms rank among the major challenges.
“Nurturing brotherhood, strengthening peace” is the theme of a gathering organised by the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference. Bishop Tri Harsono: “There are still intolerant people and acts, but the journey continues through brotherhood in our daily interactions.” The environmental crisis as common ground for commitment.
The meeting on 28 September between the nuncio and the Archbishop of Dhaka and the Minister of Education was deemed “extremely positive”. There are at least a thousand Catholic schools nationwide, often in remote areas. Guarantees were sought regarding their administration, and attention was drawn to the new registration requirements.
On display at the Anima Mundi Ethnological Museum, the carpets were presented to Pope Leo XIV by the government of Azerbaijan. A documentary titled Harmony, featuring three women from the three faiths, was also produced. For Azerbaijani Ambassador Mukhtarov, diversity creates richness, like interwoven threads.
The leader of the Early Rain Covenant Church is reportedly suffering from liver cancer. His family, who have long been denied prison visits, have received no official news. Despite summits between Trump and Xi, China is intensifying its crackdown on believers and prominent figures within Protestant communities.
Grappling with collapsing real estate revenues, local governments are delaying payments to businesses, which is reverberating along the supply chain to small suppliers. Beijing is trying to contain the problem but, without new resources, there is a risk of simply shifting losses from one entity to another.
For this year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo XIV focused on the situation of migrant children. A South Korean Catholic weekly heeded the call, focusing on the issue of children unregistered at birth because they are foreign, consequently deprived of essential rights like healthcare and education.
Each summer the French Dominican friar and official at the Dicastery for Christian Unity completes a new stage of an uninterrupted pilgrimage on foot that has now taken him from Rome all the way to Antioch. He reflects on the pilgrimage as a synthesis of life, the hospitality received in monasteries and mosques, and the encounters along the way. “Patriarch Bartholomew told me: ‘Go all the way to Jerusalem’.”
Education Minister Ja Htoi Pan spoke to AsiaNews. Five years after the 2021 coup, 6.3 million young people lack access to a basic education. There is an urgent need for safety. “We provide schools with safety drills and air-raid shelters." Aung San Suu Kyi remains a beacon of “hope for the people”.
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