Today's news: Three killed overnight in Gaza as Israeli police arrest dozens after al-Aqsa prayer; In Taiwan over 600 earthquake victims still waiting to be rescued; In India, consumer confidence is at its highest level since 2019; Hundreds of arrests in a joint police operation against child pornography in Singapore, South Korea and Hong Kong.
In a telegram signed by Card Parolin, the pontiff assures "heartfelt solidarity and spiritual closeness" to the affected population. The latest death toll now stands at 12, but more could be added in the coming days. Rescuers found most of the missing and displaced, including 400 people stuck in a luxury hotel in the Taroko Gorges National Park.
Bishop Philip Huang Chao-ming of Hualien, near the epicentre of the 7+ quake, offers words of comfort. Some buildings are partially collapsed. Nine people are confirmed dead, while more than a hundred are still missing. For Fr Matteucig, a Taipei-based missionary, “A lot has really changed since 1999 in terms of prevention”, thus limiting damages and casualties. Mainland China has offered to help, but Taiwan said there is no need.
Today's news: At least 15 Palestinians killed in Israeli raid on Nuseirat refugee camP; In India, water reservoirs are at their lowest levels in five years; Pyongyang launches "super-large" rockets capable of hitting Seoul; Villagers in Laos accuse Chinese company of polluting the Mekong.
The latest data on international arms transfers over the past five years come from Sweden-based SIPRI. India is the world's top importer, while the United States, for the first time in 25 years, is Asia’s largest supplier. Driving rearmament, experts explain, is the perception of a Chinese threat (which continues to boost its war production).
Today's news: Imran Khan appeals to the International Monetary Fund demanding independent verification of the vote before negotiations; Taiwan's TSMC opened its first microchip factory in Japan; Egyptian economy collapses as tourism, gas and Suez Canal hit by war in Gaza; In Russia more victims of the repression of crimes of opinion under Putin than in the thirty years from Kruschev to Andropov.
