05/19/2013VATICAN Pope to Movements: The action of the Spirit is newness, harmony, mission At Mass for Pentecost, along with movements and lay associations, Francis asks believers not close in on themselves for fear the 'God’s surprises', defending ourselves " barricaded in transient structures which have lost their capacity for openness." The harmony of the Spirit brings unity, not exclusivism or standardization. "The Holy Spirit ... saves us from the threat of a Church which is gnostic and self-referential, closed in on herself" and " drive us to the very outskirts of existence in order to proclaim life in Jesus Christ." The final thanks of the Pope: "You are a gift and a treasure for the Church." Vatican City
(AsiaNews) - The action of the Spirit is the bearer of the newness, not a "search for something new to relieve
our boredom," but for
"the surprises of God" of which we must not be afraid; his action creates
the diversity of gifts, but also the harmony and unity of the...
05/18/2013INDIA Orissa, two Hindu extremists linked to the murder of missionary Graham Staines arrested Arrest comes almost 14 years after the massacre of missionary and his two children. Ramjan Mahanta and Ghanshyam Mahanta were part of the group of dozens of Hindu extremists responsible for the massacre. They will be tried by a special tribunal. To date, only two of the authors of the massacre have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
05/18/2013CHINA Torrential rains in Guangdong and Fujian, more than 50 dead and thousands displaced The bad weather has hit the city located at the foot of mountains. So far there are 14 missing and over 900 thousand people affected. The most serious damage reported in Guangdong. Landslides have devastated the nine cities, including Guangzhou, the provincial capital.
05/18/2013VIETNAM - AUSTRALIA Vietnamese boat people return, fleeing regime and poverty, 40 years after the war In early 2013, at least 450 people have left the country on makeshift boats headed for Australia. A number greater than the total in the last five years, and a growing phenomenon. But Canberra rarley recognizes them as refugees and Hanoi does not want them.
05/18/2013PALESTINE Kentucky fried chicken, fast food without the 'fast', takes four hours to reach Gaza A distribution company supplying Gaza with meals from the American multinational uses the underground tunnels. A business born by chance that, in spite being triple the original cost, is extremely popular among the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. A customer: "It is also delicious cold."
05/17/2013SYRIA - UNITED STATES - TURKEY Washington: Obama talks to Erdogan, against shipping weapons to the rebels As talks get underway with Moscow, the US president speaks with Turkey’s PM, Syrian rebels’ main ally. The two leaders discuss Syria’s democratic future and Assad’s necessary departure. Ankara voices doubts about a peace conference between rebels and regime backed by Moscow and Washington. After decades, Russian Pacific fleet warships enter the Mediterranean.
05/17/2013VATICAN The life of the Church and of the Churches is the mission, pope says In meeting the national directors of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Francis focuses on the duty to bring the Gospel to the world, which includes "educating every Christian, from childhood, to have a genuinely universal and missionary spirit," and giving "special attention to the young Churches, which often operate in a climate of difficulty, discrimination, and persecution, so that they might be sustained and assisted in witnessing the Gospel in word and in deed."
05/17/2013EGYPT - ISLAM Islamist judges and blasphemy charges, new weapons against Christians and secularists The case of Dimyana Ubeid Abdel al-Nour, a Christian teacher accused of insulting Islam, is raising concerns across the country. Backed by Islamist Prosecutor General Talaat Abdhallah, more and more judges accept complaints for blasphemy and proselytising.
05/17/2013JAPAN PM Abe willing to meet Kim Jong-un Japan's prime minister does not rule out the possibility of direct diplomatic talks with the North Korean dictator. At the centre of his statement is the controversy over Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea in the 70s. Abe wants to know more about their fate.
05/17/2013MYANMAR Myanmar, least "transparent" country in the world's oil and gas sector A US-based institute reports the finding. Natural resource earnings are hard to trace because they are often hidden away by members of the military leadership. In terms of corruption, the Myanmar government is worst than those of nations like Turkmenistan and Zimbabwe. How money is spent and where it ends up remains a mystery.
05/17/2013SAUDI ARABIA First case of health care workers contracting new SARS from patients in Saudi hospital The World Health Organisation issues report. Since the new form of SARS was identified in September of 2012, the organisation has recorded 40 cases of infection worldwide, 20 of them fatal. Saudi Arabia is the most affected country, with 30 cases, half of them fatal.
05/17/2013INDIA Bishop John Rodrigues: "Building the Body of Christ in the Year of Faith" by Nirmala Carvalho The new auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mumbai speaks to AsiaNews: "My appointment by Pope Francis a joy and an honor. I will try to be an instrument of the divine ministry with ever greater strength”. Growing religious intolerance in India "witnessing to the values of the Gospel is not only a right but a necessity."
05/17/2013CHINA Chinese tourists "are uncivilized and damage the image of the Motherland" Vice Premier Wang Yang makes statement during a government meeting to prepare a new law on tourism. Over 80 million Chinese visited a foreign country in 2012: "They scream, spit and draw graffiti. We need to educate them to respect religions, and the customs of the places that host them".
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