07/29/2014IRAQ Patriarch Sako: In the end, peace, not war, will win in Mosul The Patriarch, together with a delegation of French prelates in Erbil, came to be among the families of Christians expelled by jihadists. "I bring Pope Francis' solidarity and love," he said. Shias are persecuted in Mosul as well. Their shrines and places of worship have been destroyed as well. The city is suffering from fuel and power shortages. Erbil (AsiaNews) - In the end, peace, not
war, will win, said Mar Louis Sako, patriarch of the Chaldeans, in the message he brought yesterday to the
Christians who fled Mosul for Erbil in Kurdistan.
At St Joseph...
07/29/2014ISRAEL - PALESTINE Gaza: as airstrikes and rocket attack resume, Netanyahu "ready for a long operation" Death toll reaches 1,113. Gaza's only power plant is hit. Diplomatic efforts continue. French presidency says Western leaders agree "to redouble their efforts". According to Al-Arabiya, a delegation of various Palestinian factions arrived today in Cairo for talks on Egyptian cease-fire proposal.
07/29/2014VATICAN - SRI LANKA - PHILIPPI Pope's apostolic visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines confirmed Francis will travel to the former Ceylon on 12-15 January and the Philippines on 15-19 January 2015. Last May, the bishop of Mannar had already told AsiaNews that the visit was "more than a hope." In June the Archbishop of Manila, Card Tagle, stressed "Pope Francis' great love for Asia and the Philippines."
07/29/2014CHINA Beijing: Xi Jinping "almost as popular as Mao," but only in party press
A survey by researchers from the University of Hong Kong's China Media Project shows that in his first 18 months of his rule, the Chinese president was mentioned in the People's Daily more than any of his predecessor, except for Mao who was involved in the Cultural Revolution. Outside official media, the pope is more popular than the premier, and the Bible is mentioned more than the Red Book.
07/29/2014RUSSIA - UKRAINE As US and EU prepare sanctions against Russia, Moscow gets ready to respond New sanctions will affect defence, finance and energy. Moscow is set to boycott US chickens and EU fruit. Fighting continues for a third day near the MH17 flight crash site. Australian and Dutch experts are unable to recover the remains of the victims.
07/29/2014NEPAL Kathmandu, interfaith prayer "to close Ramadan in harmony" by Christopher Sharma The main mosque in the Nepalese capital calls on the leaders of other religions to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr, the feast that ends the Muslim month of fasting. The new Apostolic Vicar, Msgr. Paul Simick also present. Prayers for peace between Israel and Palestine, in Ukraine and Iraq. An appeal also to the government to "protect religious minorities in Nepal".
07/29/2014VIETNAM Fried cat and cold beer, Vietnam's favourite new snack The consumption of cat meat is up exponentially: fried in garlic and served as a snack before meals. A medium-to-large adult cat can fetch up to US$ 70. A veterinarian explains that it is not cruelty. "The country was once very poor, and we had a long war". Eating anything "became a habit".
07/29/2014CHINA Wenzhou, more crosses torn down. Ningbo Cathedral burned The faithful of the Longgang Huai En church try to bar police and to save their cross, but are put aside. Some protest with banners: "Anti-graft, anti-corruption, protect religion". Instead the fire that destroyed the interior of Jiangbei cathedral, one of the oldest Catholic churches in all of China is judged accidental.
07/29/2014SOUTH KOREA Korea, Sewol survivors: Crew and Coast Guard abandoned us Hearing opens in Ansan to gather the testimonies of those who have managed to escape after the disaster, which killed more than 300 people. Heavy accusations against those in charge, who fled instead of helping passengers. The Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace: "Now we need a special law to shed light on the incident."
07/29/2014INDIA - LIBYA Libya, 65 Indian nurses caught up in Tripoli inferno: Bring us home The women fear for their lives, with the resurgence of violence between the army and Islamists. In the last week in the capital, 97 people died and 404 were injured. More than 1,000 Indian nationals working in Libya.
07/28/2014JAPAN Shock in Nagasaki after 15-year-old student kills and dismembers best friend The terrible story echoes a similar incident ten years ago when an 11-year-old girl killed a 12-year-old friend. For PIME missionary in Japan, "Such upsetting extreme cases stem perhaps from marginalisation and social alienation. We should not generalise but strive to help kids grow up in a healthy way."
07/28/2014BANGLADESH Bangladeshi Christians celebrate the end of Ramadan with "Muslim brothers" by Sumon Corraya The president of the Episcopal Commission for Christian Unity and Interreligious Dialogue releases a message for the feast of Eid al-Fitr. As "selfishness grows in the world," we need to create a "harmonious society" in which we can behave as "brothers and sisters of one family."
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