In a pastoral statement on peace, signed by Archbishop Garcera, the bishops’ conference calls for “mutual respect” and “dialogue” between cultures and religions, amid conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere. The prelates encourage Catholic communities to hope and show solidarity towards vulnerable people. The statement mentions overseas Philippine workers and the environmental damage caused by war, stressing that “every human life is sacred.”
President Prabowo wants to centralise all exports of coal, palm oil and other strategic raw materials through Danantara Indonesia. The measure, justified as an application of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution, aims to halt capital flight and price manipulation, according to the former general, but has already sparked serious concerns among business leaders and financial markets.
The private sector’s main body has accused 10 public agencies of extortionist practices against businesses and ordinary Thais. The growing importance of foreign investment in the country's southern tourist resort areas may have played a role, but the corruption system has long been considered structural and involves bureaucracy, law enforcement, and politics.
A new report highlights coordinated online campaigns against voices critical of the government, whether media outlets or NGOs, following Prabowo Subianto’s accession to the presidency. Accounts linked to the military have spread accusations of being “foreign agents”, with consequences including violence, whilst major social media platforms have refrained from intervening.
The blast occurred in the courtyard of St Paul's Church, Intan Jaya Regency, shortly after Sunday Mass. The injured are all civilians from the local community. Indonesian authorities have not yet clarified the origin of the device, delivered by a drone, nor identified those responsible. Meanwhile, fighting between separatists and Indonesian forces intensifies.
An incentive plan has been launched to encourage residents to move from densely populated areas to new developments connected to metro stations. Some of the targeted areas are currently undergoing redevelopment. The capital's new master plan envisions development along a multipolar and multicentric structure, with the Red River as the main ecological and cultural axis.
