02/08/2010ISLAM - EUROPE An anti-burqa law to renew Islam in Europe by Samir Khalil Samir Wearing the all-enveloping outer garment is not a religious requirement, but a cultural tradition from Saudi Arabia. It is the symbol of an attack by extremist Islam on Europe, and this has generated contempt for a certain retrograde form of Islam. A law is needed against wearing full-face veil in public spaces, but what is even more needed is a broad dialogue between East and West that would allow Islam to be modernised and integrated into European culture, and thus have an opportunity to contribute to world civilisation.
Beirut (AsiaNews) – The practice of wearing the veil has spread across the Islamic world in recent years. Hundreds of articles have been written about it in the Arab-Muslim world. Among Muslims, the practice has been...
02/07/2010VATICAN Pope: Priests, men, poor and weak, transformed into fearless preachers of salvation In the Year for Priests we must pray for priests and for those who are called to the vocation of total consecration. He recalls the Day for Life in Italy and for the "Week of life and family" in Rome. On 11 February, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, the pope will celebrate Mass with the sick in the Basilica of St. Peter.
02/04/2010IRAQ Baghdad: appeal panel unbans Baa‘thist candidates Excluded candidates can run in the 7 March elections. They had originally been excluded because of their alleged ties to the former regime of Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi government calls the decision “illegal and unconstitutional”. The final decision is up to the Supreme Court.
01/30/2010ASIA - VATICAN Vatican: 210 thousand new cases of leprosy every year, ignored by the world And yet the disease is easily treatable. An appeal to the international community and the commitment of the missionaries and associations. The Message of Msgr. Zygmunt Zimowski, president of the Pontifical Council for health professionals.
01/30/2010ASIA The spread of leprosy in the world (overview) Each year approximately 700 thousand cases reported in Asia, Africa and South America. Over 160 thousand just in Asia in 2008. In India 70% of the world population suffering from leprosy.
01/30/2010ASIA Indian Christians at the forefront in the fight against leprosy by CT Nilesh Leprosy, a disease that has always been feared, has also generated a continuing disregard for the sick. Yet for 2000 years Christians have made it one of the fields of their mission. The example of Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi, Fr Father Damien de Veuster, the Apostle of Molokai. Gandhi made the treatment of leprosy one of the pillars of his commitment. The testimony of Fr Vijay Rayarala, PIME, in his ashram Swarga dwar (Gate of Heaven) for the rehabilitation of lepers.
01/29/2010ASIA – UNITED STATES Ben Bernanke gets second term at Fed, but also many opponents Top central banker gets 70 votes against 30, an unprecedented no-confidence vote in US history. Obama is gratified by the decision but many senators accuse the chairman of putting Wall Street before Main Street.
01/29/2010CHINA Beijing joins the naval forces against Somali pirates The Chinese navy to take its place alongside those of NATO and EU, U.S. and the Arab League. Leadership rotates. China plans to establish permanent bases overseas. The concerns of the countries of South-East Asia.
01/28/2010USA - IRAN - NORTH KOREA Obama: Warning to North Korea and Iran over nuclear threats In his State of the Union address, the American president stressed that "the greatest danger to the American people" is that nuclear weapons fall into the hands of terrorists. Isolate Pyongyang and Tehran, with even harsher penalties. Obama promises exit of U.S. troops from Iraq by August 2010 and from Afghanistan by 2011. But the bulk of his speech was related to the internal problems of the U.S., especially the economy. In 2010 the need to create jobs.
01/26/2010IRAQ Young man wounded in new anti-Christian attack in Mosul Sources tell AsiaNews that the anti-Christian “persecution continues amid general indifference”. They say, “Christians live in panic” and want to leave the city, convinced that the attackers “are not ordinary criminals”. For them, the attacks hide “clear political plans”.
01/25/2010IRAQ - IRAN Shadow of Tehran and Washington hangs over Iraqi elections by Layla Yousif Rahema The elections held on 7 March. Al-Maliki approved the exclusion of 511 candidates linked to the Ba'ath Party. Among those excluded are Sunni, Shiite moderates and members of non-confessional parties. Tension between President Talabani (a Kurd) and Premier (Shia).
Books
La Cina di Mao processa la Chiesa di Angelo S.Lazzarotto pp. 528
Il rovescio dellemedaglie di Bernardo Cervellera pp. 240