On 19 June, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Burmese democratic leader will turn 80 in prison, where she has been held since the military coup in February 2021. Despite her enforced silence, her son Kim Aris tells AsiaNews how his mother continues to be a source of hope for her people. In recent months, he has organised solidarity initiatives to raise funds and keep attention focused on the crisis.
Appellate panel upholds High Court’s earlier ruling rejecting application. The identity law allows for a name change, but not a return to the original name due to public order concerns. The change had caused the man problems with immigration (upon his return to India) and property rights.
Vietnam’s National Assembly voted a resolution in favour of an administrative reform that strengthens the power of the country’s current leadership, which emerged victorious from the “blazing furnace" anti-corruption campaign inside the party. The country of 101 million will be divided between 28 provinces and six centrally run cities.
The NYD is underway centred on the theme "Youth Empowerment for Nation Building". Local families are hosting young people from all Philippine dioceses and 22 Catholic organisations. This is a first step towards WYD Seoul 2027. Meanwhile, in today's Consistory, Leo XIV announced that Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis will be proclaimed saints on 7 September, Peter to Rot on 19 October, Missionary Day.
While the eyes of the world are on the negotiations between China and the United States, Chinese-backed ethnic militias control new unregulated rare earth deposits. Beijing's priority is clear: to secure control over strategic resources, including through growing interventionism that is fuelling the country’s civil war and causing serious environmental damage.
New data from the International Labour Organisation and UNICEF indicate a drop of 22 million child workers in four years. However, 138 million children remain trapped in this scourge, particularly in agriculture and the informal economy. Expert Insaf Nizam, who spoke to AsiaNews, highlighted the role of economic growth, warning of the dangers of inequality and family responsibilities.
