Anthropic has documented the use of Claude to track Catholic and Tibetan Buddhist leaders, Christians in Taiwan, and the Falun Gong. A religious affairs intelligence unit that once employed many teams has been reduced to a single office, yet this is enough to produce thousands of investigations per month.
Today's headlines: ChatGPT lands in Protestant churches in South Korea; Japanese municipalities are in favour of more foreign labour; A woman accused of kidnapping and trafficking children is sentenced to death in China; India beats Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup cricket final; The Mufti of Uzbekistan speaks out against the burqa.
The new prelate will work alongside Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi, who was recently elected president of Caritas Internationalis. In the Japanese capital since 2009, the 49-year-old heads he Shinsei-Kaikan Catholic cultural centre in Tokyo. His ministry is especially dedicated to young Japanese. He talked recently to AsiaNews about his predecessor, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Paul Kazuhiro Mori, who passed away earlier this month.
Some 300 Korean pilgrims visited the Vatican on the day of the blessing of a statue of the first priest and martyr of the Korean Church, now placed in a niche outside St Peter's Basilica. “Let us entrust to Saint Andrew Kim the dream of peace of the Korean Peninsula, which is always in my thoughts and prayers,” Francis said. The pope also urged young people to prepare for WYD in Seoul in 2027. They should be heard to prevent them from being “seduced by the false myths” when in fact their hearts “seek something else.”
China has drawn up a 21-point strategic blueprint to encourage greater interaction with the rebellious island. The plan includes a "demonstration zone" in Fujian to act as a bridge with Taiwan and attract investments and Taiwanese. The tenth point calls for greater technological integration. Released a few days ago, it is meant to influence Taiwanese elections in January 2024. For Taiwanese leaders, it is bound to fail.
Today's news: Afghan Taliban have arrested 18 members of an NGO. Japan has a record number of centenarians, 73.74 per 100,000 people. Five Indonesians in six prefer democracy to strongman rule. Not seen for weeks, China’s Defence minister is thought to be under investigation for corruption. Ignoring warnings, hundreds of devout Jews, many with young children, are on pilgrimage to the Ukrainian city of Uman. Turkey and Russia resume talks over building a natural gas hub in Turkey.
The leader of the Kremlin welcomed the dictator of Pyongyang to discuss low-level weapons and technology. Xi Jinping kept himself far from the two "thugs" while the Russian president used "underworld" jargon in the meeting. Patriarch Kirill renewed his "material and spiritual" support for the holy war.
On a peace mission for Ukraine entrusted to him by Pope Francis, the Italian cardinal met with his Chinese "counterpart" Li Hui. The Holy See's statement said talks also addressed the problem of food safety, “with the hope that the export of grain can soon be guaranteed, especially to the countries most at risk.” No statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry. But from Moscow Lavrov announces possibility of the cardinal going to Russia.
Today's headlines: Emirates, maxi seizure of 13 tonnes of Captagon worth over a billion dollars; A 10-year-old boy in Hong Kong arrested for armed robbery, luxury watches worth nearly 650,000 euros in the loot; Tharman Shanmugaratnam sworn in as Singapore's ninth president; Border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened, but tension remains between the parties; Lavrov: 'Russia and China withdraw from UN sanctions on Pyongyang over nuclear programme'.
Founded in 1996 by a US US Christian activist and his wife, the NGO sends food, medicine and necessities to poor North Koreans. Via an “underground route”, it gets escapees out to safety in neighbouring countries. Its Christian ethic attracts volunteers, including non-believers.
Many changes have occurred since 2013, University of Nottingham Professor Hongyi Lai told AsiaNews. The “New Silk Road" has expanded to new sectors but several infrastructure projects are being implemented at a slower pace. China’s economic woes will not end soon.
Today's headlines: Devastating fire destroys hundreds of stalls in Dhaka market; Kerala closes schools, offices and stops public transport to counter the spread of the Nipah virus; Hong Kong police indict 38-year-old for importing children's books praising 2019 protests; Netanyahu clashes over Palestinian prisoners: Ben Gvir 'freezes' support for government; Indonesia's first high-speed train operating in October, linking Jakarta to Bandung.
The long-anticipated summit is held in Vostochny, while North Korea tests more rockets. Moscow needs ammunition for its war in Ukraine, while Pyongyang wants satellite technology. But the real urgency is food for a hungry country. For Kim, it is vital that Moscow resume its wheat exports after he closed the borders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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