President Lee Jae-myung wants to provide all of South Korea's 51 million people with free, unlimited access to an AI assistant powered by domestic models. The initiative aligns with the state-business collaboration model that has underpinned the country’s development, but it has to contend with the massive costs of the necessary infrastructure.
Activists and environmentalists blame infrastructural and natural resource development. The latter enriches the country’s leadership at the expense of the people. In Karen State, thousands of families are homeless because of a road. Mytisone (Kachin) dam will cause serious damages; the Chinese company that is building it wants seven more.
Food shipments are acceptable to the South Korean government following northern attacks against South Korean posts. Flour will go directly to residents who have nothing to eat.
The canceled visa of Fr. Mella, a PIME priest, is not an isolated incident. AsiaNews sources report "several similar cases” in recent weeks. The crackdown the result of tensions between China and the Vatican over illicit ordinations. It could "go on for some time" and is a source of regret to the faithful who desire "unity with the Pope."
Municipal guards in Anshun (Guizhou) beat a street vendor to death. Quickly, thousands of people take to the streets to protest, clashes with police follow. News of the incident goes viral online.
The clashes broke out after the local government assigned lands to a Han businessman who kills livestock to drive the Mongols herders out. Dozens of wounded. But Beijing is looking for a solution to avoid protests in the region, a major source of coal.
Enhao Shi was arrested weeks ago for practicing his faith even against the prohibitions of the law. He was sentenced without trial or defence. China has in place a harsh crackdown on all "unofficial" Christians, who refuse to sign up to State church.
Charges fly around the internet after the authorities are quick to clean up the scene of the accident. So far, they have not yet explained why safety procedures failed. Victims’ relatives protest, angry they do not have any answers yet.
The retired bishop of Hong Kong comments on the recent statement by the Office of Religious Affairs. Non-believing authorities want to lead evangelization and pastoral care. They want to create a schism, they need to find a Luther or Henry VIII. But the harsh winter will end.
Two high-speed trains collide, 35 people die in crash. Manager of the Shanghai railway, his deputy and the head of the local Communist Party fired. Shares of companies in sector plummet. Nation-wide safety checks on 58 other trains.
Asian nations believe Washington will overcome the current impasse between President Obama and Congress, but are still afraid that US debt will be downgraded. US treasury bills have always been safe investments for Asia. European shares are down as well.
After a two-year deadlock, US Secretary of State Clinton invites North Korea’s deputy foreign minister to New York for talks on restarting stalled denuclearisation talks. However, “we do not intend to reward the North just for returning to the table” or “give them anything new for actions they have agreed to take,” she said. A ruined Communist regime must accept.
The State Administration for Religious Affairs defends the integrity of the two excommunicated bishops (Leshan and Shantou) and mimics the Vatican saying that the Holy See’s gesture inflicts "wounds" and "sadness" among Catholics in China. It reaffirms the decision to go ahead with the ordinations without papal mandate, but the "resistance" to their dominance of the faithful, priests and bishops is growing. Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao should tackle the violation of the "harmonious society" and corruption of representatives responsible for religious politics.
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