The pontiff will be in the UAE between 3 and 5 February 2019 for the first official papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula. Local Catholics welcome the announcement. The visit will provide an opportunity for an exchange with Islam. For Bishop Hinder, this is an "Important step" on the path of dialogue with the Muslim world. The UAE is stable but with a dark side.
The clergymen were defended by an association that provides legal aid to persecuted Christians. The Allahbad High Court orders the State of Uttar Pradesh to stop arbitrary arrests. For activist, “It is the duty of the state to ensure that its citizens are not stopped from worshipping the faith they believe in.”
According to a Swiss bank, the richest 1 per cent of the population controls 66.9 per cent of nation’s wealth. The poorest 50 per cent owns 1.7 per cent, whilst the bottom 70 per cent has 5 per cent. Government spokesman says report is based on "outdated information” and is incomplete and unreliable.
They are "fascinating symbols of Christmas, they can bring a reflection of the light and tenderness of God, to families and places of encounter, to help everyone to experience the feast of the birth of Jesus. Contemplating the Child God who radiates light in the humility of the nativity scene , we can also become witnesses of humility, tenderness and goodness ".
The Indonesian government has been in "structural communication" with China for the past year. Jakarta refuses any government-to-government loan. For Indonesian minister, Chinese investment must include Indonesian workers and the most advanced, environmentally friendly technology.
State-owned Global Times writes that "Washington is resorting to a despicable rogue’s approach as it cannot stop Huawei’s 5G advance in the market.” Chinese media, whilst attacking Washington, do not seem to believe that the fragile truce in in the trade war reached in the recent meeting between Trump and Xi Jinping will be affected.
