East Asia

Father Claudio Gazzard (PIME) celebrates 60 years of priesthood dedicated to concrete inculturation, the result of study, understanding and encountering people. Nursery schools and games of football every morning.

The roads of a new north-south corridor will bring goods and people from China to South-East Asia. Social problems will come with the new transportation routes.

Beijing provides Islamabad with investments and trade breaks that the EU and the US are not willing to offer at a time of economic crisis. Pakistan needs to address its trade deficit.

The new bishop, Mgr Shen Bin, 41, was ordained two months ago. Clergy and nuns meet in prayer to mark the end of the Year for Priests, pray for Church unity in China and strengthen the faith. The diocese is preparing to launch its first summer youth camp, which is open to non-Catholics.

In the Middle East, Lebanon’s pluralism is an exception. In Egypt, Christians are seen as “god-less”. In Pakistan, they cannot talk about Islam for fear of being accused of blasphemy. In France, secularism is stifling every religious dimension of society.

116 thousand more than 2008. Since 1999 there has been an annual increase of 2-3%. In 2008 the number exceeded 5 million. Ordination of priests also increases, around 4913: one for every 1,171 faithful.

The civilians from a sub district of Namling threw stones against ten police vehicles. Their reaction provoked by a Chinese company that is polluting the waterways, thereby jeopardizing drinking water.

Yuan has small swing back. Its initial rise at the start of the day ends when Chinese banks buy up dollars. Experts say only time will tell how much Beijing is willing to let its currency appreciate. Meanwhile, it can face criticism more easily at this week’s G20 summit.

The standoff continues at the International Whaling Commission in Agadir as accusations are made against Japan and other pro-whaling nations. However, a consensus appears to in the making, as more IWC members tend towards a compromise that would maintain the moratorium, whilst allowing limited commercial whaling.

For Hong Kong’s bishop emeritus, the government’s decision to adopt a revised package of constitutional reforms without a public debate “changes everything”. It proves the government does not respect the people.

Currently over one million people evacuated in the regions of Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Henan, and Guangxi. According to the National Meteorological Centre in the coming days, the rainfall could reach 200 mm, worsening the effect of flooding. Expected damages up to 1.7 billion euros.

Two days after the China’s central bank announces greater flexibility, yuan rises significantly. Chinese shares gain immediately, pulled by airliners and property shares. Everyone is now waiting for tomorrow to see if the trend will last and what the PBOC will do.