The Archbishop Emeritus of Bangkok has led the Thai Catholic Church with a focus on mission and inter-religious dialogue. He had promoted the foundation of the Thai Missionary Society - supported by PIME missionary Fr. Adriano Pelosin - closeness to the poor and openness to the Buddhist majority. He will be among the cardinal electors at the next Conclave.

The former labour minister will challenge the favourite candidate, the liberal Lee Jae-myung, in the elections on 3 June. In his acceptance speech, he promised ‘a strong alliance with anyone’ to defeat his rivals. Among his priorities are support for businesses and a hard line against North Korea. However, polls still give Lee a clear lead.

From Turkey and Iran to the Philippines and Japan, International Workers’ Day saw thousands of people take to the streets for workers' rights, often faced with violent clampdowns. Key demands include higher wages, social equity, and peace as well as criticism of global economic policies, especially Trump's tariffs. In Istanbul, hundreds are arrested; in Iran, teachers are beaten, while in Hong Kong, labour protest is now a fading memory.

This is the estimate by the government-funded Korea Institute for Defense Analysis for North Korea’s shipment of weapons, men and technology to Russia. The supplies include 21,000 containers of weapons sent by sea. Between late 2024 and the start of 2025, North Korea sent almost 127,000 phishing emails to South Korean officials, journalists and researchers.

The incident took place on 23 March in the Diocese of Lüliang, but the authorities tried to hush it up. The intervention of special forces attracted other Catholics from the nearby village of Xinli, home to an old Catholic community. An officer was also wounded in the incident. The parish priest and some parishioners were arrested. The community was forced to engage in "self-criticism", but the increasingly inflexible rules on religions are the real problem.

According to the 2025 Global Happiness Index, happiness and satisfaction vary greatly among Asian countries. In India, 88 per cent say they are happy, while only 60 per cent say the same in Japan. In Southeast Asia, too, happiness and positive attitude towards the future are higher than in the more advanced economies of East Asia. Economic difficulties remain the first cause of unhappiness everywhere.