The lawyers want the facts and justice for the victims of the November protest over fuel price hikes. So far, no official death toll has been released. According to international NGOs, 208 people were killed. For US government, about a thousand were killed. Pro-reform lawmaker decides not to run again to protest against abuses.
At the general audience, Francis speaks of persecution "with white gloves, that is, left aside, marginalized ...". "There will always be martyrs among us: this is the signal that we are on the path of Jesus. It is a blessing from the Lord, whether there is in the people of God, some who are witnesses of martyrdom".
A PIME missionary writes an open letter for the Christmas holidays, noting that “in the areas most affected by years of conflict [. . .] some military and rebel leaders are learning to become peacemakers”. Protestants, members of tribal groups and Muslims are set to attend the "Misa del Gallo" novena.
Secretary General Antonio Guterres reports to a meeting at the Security Council. At the time bin Salman had spoken of Tehran's "act of war"; accusations confirmed by the USA and Europe. From the analysis of the fragments "it is not possible to say" that the rockets and drones used are of Iranian origin.
PM 2.5 reached 118 micrograms per cubic meter in Seoul, 106 in Gyeonggi province and 90 in Incheon. Experts, warn their concentration is "very bad" exceeding 76. Particles of fine dust can cause various disorders and undermine the immune system: the government invites the elderly, children and the sick not to go out.
The Civicus Monitor annual report shows that 95% of the population of Asia lives in a country where civic spaces are closed, repressed or blocked. The most used tools: censorship and the use of restrictive laws to strike democratic and political rights. The lie about "Confucian" nations that are "unfit for democracy".
The faithful are accused of insulting Hindu gods. For Sajan K George, "going from house to house, singing Christmas hymns and announcing the birth of the Son of God is not a conversion activity".
The National Statistics Office released latest economic data. Pork is China’s most widely consumed meat but an African swine fever outbreak cut local supply by 41.4 per cent. The consumer price Index was up 4.5 per cent compared to November 2018, the biggest jump since October 2011.
Caritas Colombo and the Negombo interreligious committee are behind the initiative. Sinhalese, Catholics and Buddhists remain suspicious of Muslims. Visit includes exams for blood pressure and breast cancer, as well as free medicines.
"How often do we complain, do we lament and think that our sins, our limits cannot be forgiven. And there, the voice of the Lord comes and says: "I console you, I am near you", and takes us with tenderness. The powerful God who created the heavens and the earth, the God-hero, to put it this way, our brother, who let himself be led to the cross to die for us, is able to caress us and say: "Don't cry".
The priest, who studied under the Jesuits, was baptised in secret. He covertly nurtured his vocation until a chance meeting on a plane with the Saint from Kolkata. He dreams of opening a facility for needy children and serve as an example for the vocation of other priests.
The faithful try to defend the sacred representation but three end up detained for inciting a “mass gathering to disrupt social order". In January, the local government deployed security forces and bulldozers to tear down local housing to seize land.
The aid worker and his staff were travelling in the eastern province of Nangarhar where they were ambushed on 4 December. Seven to eight assailants took part in the attack, three of them armed with automatic guns and other firearms. The attack had been planned for some time.
Msgr. Thomas Menamparamil, 83, is the emeritus of Guwahati, in Assam. Sr. Rose Tom is a gynecologist who has left a prominent place in a large Kerala hospital to serve the sick and the Church in Arunachal Pradesh. The prizes are for "the collaborators who work behind the scenes".
In the beginning, the demonstrations in the former British colony were against the extradition bill (now withdrawn); now they call for democracy and an independent investigation into police abuses. 4,474 men and 1,548 women were arrested, aged between 11 and 84 years. The Office for Internal Complaints Against the Police has received over 1,300 complaints.