The project aims to turn 20.6 million hectares of forests in Papua’s Merauke region into rice and corn fields. For the Minister of Forestry, the goal is not to deforest, but to improve land productivity. The Indonesian Environment Forum calls for transparency. For Greenpeace Indonesia, the project is nearly impossible.
In the diocese on the island of Java, the ordination of the new prelate at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral. During the homily the invitation to give attention to the “crisis of love” identified by Benedict XVI: “The smile in the Jubilee is a Holy Door,” he said. Also present at the rite was his friend Fr. Pat Min Seong, a deaf-mute priest from South Korea.
The event took place yesterday in the city of Pekalongan. Rescuers are looking for missing people and survivors but rescue operations are hampered by adverse weather conditions. The authorities have warned residents that the rains will continue in the coming days.
Hambali, who masterminded the attacks in Bali and against Christians, is currently held in Guantanamo. A s part of a policy of repatriating Indonesians incarcerated abroad, Indonesian authorities envisage bringing him home after his group said it was disbanding. Activists argue that helping jailed migrant workers come home and leniency towards a convicted terrorist are not the same.
Strong stance by Archbishop Msgr. Paulus Budi Kleven in defense of pristine lands that the Jakarta government wants to turn into a hub for new nationally significant “development projects” on the predominantly Catholic island. Local farmers' concerns.
Manufacturers in ASEAN countries are concerned about what might happen if a trade war with China breaks out once the US president takes office in a few days. The fear that Chinese products that no longer take the road to the West could be dumped in their markets, already grappling with tough competition from the “Made in China”.