From today until Sunday, bishops, priests, religious and laypeople from all nine dioceses are gathered for the first time in Sibu to listen to one another and discern their common path in a country of a thousand faces. The Archbishop of Kuching, Msgr Simon Poh: “We are not looking for who has the best approach, but how to read the signs of the times”:
Myanmar’s military authorities brought forward the original court hearing and convicted Vicky Bowman and her husband Htein Lin of breaching immigration laws. In July, the British chargé d'affaires was expelled. General Min Aung Hlaing today starts a visit to Russia.
Najib was sent to jail last week after receiving a 12-year sentence for embezzling huge sums from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund. His wife could get 10 years if her conviction is upheld on appeal. In Malaysia, public opinion is wondering whether this is a real crackdown on long-tolerated malfeasance or a case of political revenge against a very popular but controversial couple.
A study ranks the Philippines as the fourth nation most affected by water-related disasters. It estimates an average annual GDP loss of 0.7% linked to climate change. Right now there is alarm over the combined effects of the tropical depression Gardo and the super-typhoon Hinnamnor.
Sotheara Chhim, 54, himself a survivor of the Maoist regime’s genocide, has been treating people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder for years. Other recipients of the Ramon Magsaysay Award include a Philippine doctor, a French environmentalist, and a Japanese ophthalmologist.
More than 2,000 people have been forced to flee to avoid the effects of aftershocks. The roof of a newly built church collapses from the 6.4 quake.
ASEACCU held its 28th annual conference from 23 to 27 August at the Saint Paul Institute. The Philippines-based group has 86 members. During the four-day event, participants visited one of the Khmer Rouges’ killing fields. For the apostolic vicar of Phnom Penh, “despite facing our different cultures, we must always remember our identities”.
Mostly unmarried women under 30. Lured with the prospect of employment, they end up in prostitution. Exploitation also affects other nations in the area, from Thailand to Vietnam. A business volume of millions for unscrupulous traffickers.
Today's headlines: food, showers, haircuts: Filipino Catholics in aid of Manila''s poor; rains and floods of "historic" magnitude in Pakistan, more than 900 victims since June; Tokyo approves 2.5 million fund for funeral of former PM Abe; in Iran, women attended a men's top league soccer match for the first time since 1979.
The country ranks second in the world in terms of production, but next year's harvests are also expected to decline. Raw material is scarce and stocks of the Robusta quality are on the verge of halving. On the other hand, the export value is on the rise: from EUR 2.24 billion in 2020 to over three billion last year.
The judges will review the opposition's petition seeking disqualification, as eight years have passed since he took office after the coup. Supporters are pressing to postpone the start of the count to the approval of the latest constitution, thus moving the term end to 2025. Provisional transfer of power to Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan, another former military man. Public opinion divided between the desire to turn over a new leaf and fear of a new season of instability.
General Conference opens with a celebration of 50 of the Fabc. Card. Bo: "Called to be prophets of peace and evangelizers amidst suffocating clouds of conflict, hunger, authoritarian leadership that become the norm". Pope Francis' message: "In the diversity of the continent, develop different ways of proclaiming the joy of the Gospel". Sr. Rekha Chennattu, an Indian nun, entrusted wuth the task of commenting on the Gospel passage of the Magi, chosen as a theme.
Today's headlines: at least four victims in the collapse of a Shia shrine in Kerbala; heavy rains and floods claim dozens of lives in India and Afghanistan; Tokyo is ready to deploy a thousand missiles as a deterrent to Beijing and Pyongyang; Singapore has cancelled a rule criminalising homosexuality; allegations over responsibility for Daria Dugina's death.
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