The devastating fire that destroyed much of a public housing complex in Tai Po has exposed the fragility of Hong Kong's housing system, characterised by overcrowding, negligently managed construction sites, and thousands of senior citizens and domestic workers trapped in hard-to-evacuate high-rise buildings. PIME missionary Fr Franco Mella slams the authorities for the way they manage the real needs of the population. Meanwhile, fears are growing that the tragedy could reignite tensions with Beijing on the eve of the 7 December local elections.
For the authorities, Zulfikar Shariff, currently in Australia, used TikTok and Meta to stoke racial tensions, undermine secular governance, and influence local politics. Among his calls were the introduction of Sharia law in the city-state. Three citizens were radicalised to fight in Gaza and other conflict zones in the Middle East.
For the local elections on 9 and 11 December, the party led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has presented an unprecedented number of Christian candidates. The Syro-Malabar Church, after a meeting with the prime minister, has invited the faithful to collaborate in the electoral review, signalling a possible rapprochement.
On the day of Pope Leo XIV's arrival in Turkey, AsiaNews publishes a reflection by Metropolitan Job. The theological dialogue between Orthodox and Catholics does not seek compromise. On the contrary, it produces fruits and agreements on the path towards visible Christian unity. The common condemnation of Uniatism as a method and the interdependence of primacy and synodality.
Today's headlines: South Korea has recorded its highest birth rate in 18 years. Pakistan has criticised a ceremony at the Ram temple in Ayodhya attended by Indian Prime Minister Modi. A gas field in Iraqi Kurdistan has been hit. In the Chinese city of Kunming, a train hit a group of railway workers. Russia's industrial development is lower than before the pandemic.
Around one million people moved there after the 2014 annexation from the northern regions, as well as Moscow and St Petersburg. Over time, difficulties in adapting have emerged, and many have decided to return. The cost of property and the lack of infrastructure, combined with the ‘Crimean mentality’, weigh heavily. Of the 10 Russians who have arrived in recent years, only two on average stay.
