South Asia

The death toll of the two attacks on the Hamid Karzai International Airport, claimed by the Afghan branch of Isis, has risen to 90. A drama that comes from afar: for years Afghanistan has been plaugued by bomb attacks. In 2020 Afghanistan was the country with the most civilian casualties in the world, in 2019 the worst year with over 4 thousand deaths.

Along with five nuns and Father Giovanni Scalese, the head of the missio sui iuris in Afghanistan, the kids landed yesterday in Rome. Italy’s airlift also brought out 15 associates of the Pro Bambini di Kabul charity and their families, whose lives were at risk. As for the others left behind, “we do not know how to help” them, said the association’s president Father Matteo Sanavio.

According to a Ukrainian website - later taken down by Kiev - several aircraft and individual seats were "rented" by some wealthy refugees to escape to Iran. A group of Afghans who were in Moscow asked for political asylum but according to current Russian rules they could not be accepted.

This was announced by the Japanese Health Minister after "foreign substances" were found in some batches. In the rest of Asia, the rate of vaccinated population remains low. India, which may have reached the endemic stage, plans to return to exporting vaccines in 2022.

Three copies of the Guru Granth Sahib arrived in the Indian capital along with Afghan Sikhs. Despite the emergency situation, a special religious ritual was followed to get them out. Each book of sacred hymns is a "living guru". Concern is growing for Afghanistan’s cultural and religious heritage now in the hands of those who destroyed the Buddhas of Bamiyan.

In 2013, Australia closed its doors to refugees and diverted their boats to the Melanesian islands. The bishops of Papua New Guinea have been calling for a permanent solution for them and for those arriving from Afghanistan in the coming months. A similar call was also made by the Archbishop of Melbourne Mark Coleridge.

Iraqi public opinion is critical of the United States, which, as in Afghanistan, has achieved the same poor results in building a state after years of occupation. Baghdad's silence and Isis' "contempt" for the rise of the Taliban. Saad Salloum: Iraq's 'neutrality and stability' essential for the region's future. The litmus test of elections in October.

The nun was returning to the convent. The man who stole her bag injured her eye. The episode adds to discrimination and violence against Bangladeshi Christians.

The Vatican dicastery for integral human development will provide support for the people of Vietnam, severely tried by the pandemic. This deed joins the Vietnamese Church's commitment to the sick. “Here Jesus is waiting for me to give his love to others,” said a nun in Xuân Lộc who contracted the virus in hospital. Francis also offers aid to cyclone Yaas victims in Bangladesh.

In addition to internal opposition, Islamist militants will have to face and manage rapid population growth. More than four children per woman in the country. Every month about 600 pregnant women and 4 thousand Afghan children lose their lives at birth or soon after. Continuous violence and Covid-19 exacerbate the problem.

A village chief led a mob of 250 against Christians who refused to give up their faith in Christ. During a prayer meeting, Hindu nationalists broke into a house-church accusing the Pentecostal pastor of engaging in conversion activities. The Global Council of Indian Christians asks: “Are we second-class citizens?”

Many young Afghans, including girls, used to attend Nur Sultan universities thanks to a cooperation agreement. Now they are unable to return to Kazakhstan to resume their courses and are worried about their future.