Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja was sentenced today for making donations to former first lady Kim Keon Hee. Yun Young-ho, former head of the Unification Church’s global headquarters, was also given six months. Critics slam the political nature of the sentence and call for religious freedom.
China’s special envoy Deng Xijun visits Phnom Penh to revive ceasefire efforts. Cambodian opposition leader Sam Rainsy attacks Hun Sen and the Cambodian government for fanning the flames of conflict to mask a "personal conflict" with Thaksin Shinawatra. More than 30 Thai and Cambodian NGOs issue an appeal for a truce, stressing that mostly ordinary people are affected by war.
At least three people were killed and five wounded at the city's main station in an attack whose motives are still unclear. The perpetrator, a 27-year-old Taiwanese man known to law enforcement, was killed in a scuffle with police. President Lai Ching-te said that security was tightened across the island.
In just 40 years since joining UNESCO, the People's Republic already ranks first in terms of the number of “intangible cultural heritage” sites, with 60 recognised sites. Hundreds of new museums open every year across the country, and in 2024 alone, 179,000 new operators were hired. Chinese “confidence in culture” is a cornerstone of Xi Jinping's soft power. And with the United States' withdrawal from UNESCO, its influence on global cultural policies is set to grow even further.
The Indonesian consortium that controls 60% of the route inaugurated two years ago recorded losses of over $250 million in 2024. This year, losses are expected to increase further. The project is part of the Belt and Road Initiative, but from the outset it appeared to be economically unsustainable. It is not the only case among the major railway projects in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, Prabowo is intensifying his embrace of Beijing.
The two giants of the Asian continent have always been close, but they have never communicated as intensely and amicably as they have in recent times. China's position continues to strengthen despite all the mistrust surrounding Russian projects. The scenario of a ‘reverse colonisation’ compared to the times when Moscow was the ‘big brother’.
After five years in prison and a one-sided trial lasting 156 hearings, the “exemplary” sentence was handed down today to the Catholic entrepreneur, publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. The sentence has yet to be determined, but the two offences carry a life sentence. At 78, he will spend his fifth consecutive Christmas in prison. Chief Executive John Lee rejoices. The International Press Association: “Independent information repressed”.
After focusing on the opportunities opened up by the US withdrawal, China now has to contend with the new winds of war between Kabul and Islamabad, which are also affecting the thousands of Chinese working on one of the most important routes of the Belt and Road Initiative. Meanwhile, the Taliban are recruiting contingents from the Uighur diaspora.
In recent years, Beijing has moved from mass production of generic drugs to investing in advanced biomedical research. Thanks to a growth model very similar to that adopted for electric cars, it now controls 80% of global active ingredients. The Fentanyl case has shown the importance of this card, described as a “nuclear option” in trade wars. But China still needs the West to hold its own in this market.
A voice from China comments on three attention-grabbing cases involving fellow Chinese abroad caught up in extremely serious transnational crimes related to fraud, drugs, and human trafficking. “In our textbooks, the Opium War of two centuries ago is presented as a national tragedy,” so why when “we are rich and strong,” are we “installing slot machines in the poorest areas of Africa”?
Nepal's anti-corruption commission has indicted 55 former politicians and officials and the state-owned China CAMC Engineering of inflating the costs of Pokhara International Airport, built with a Chinese loan as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, but currently without regular international flights. The investigation is testing the new caretaker government, which does not want to jeopardise ties with Beijing.
Yesterday's episcopal ordination in Henan is opening new wounds rather than healing old ones. The underground bishop whose resignation Rome accepted is still under strict surveillance, unable to attend "his" ceremony, and not even his family can see him. A priest commented: Beijing is violating “the spirit of the Agreement.” “This is not the first time” that the Church “finds herself forced into silence, humiliation”. Ultimately, she “is not sustained by power, but by faith”.
In the Apostolic Prefecture of Xinxiang, the episcopal ordination of Bishop Li Jainlin took place this morning, the second bishop elected during the recent sede vacante. The appointment was approved by Leo XIV in accordance with the Sino-Vatican accord, following the "resignation" of underground bishop Zhang Weizhu (who was arrested several times for refusing to join official bodies). Meanwhile, in Xuchang, the faithful found their church padlocked for allowing minors to enter it.
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