After weeks of deadlock, Nizar Mohammed Saeed Amidi has been appointed President of the Republic. Political scientist Saad Salloum tells AsiaNews: this choice is a sign of “Kurdish fragmentation” and greater centralisation of power. For the Iraqi scholar, “pragmatism, institutional continuity and conflict management” will be the guiding principles of his four-year term.
Over the course of nearly twenty years, a project led by Orthodox volunteers has restored more than 200 churches and chapels built entirely of wood in the characteristic style of traditional rural communities. Among them is the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in the village of Pijala in the Arkhangelsk region, founded in 1654 and standing a full 45 metres tall.
On his third day in Angola, Leo XIV spoke in the diamond-rich city where people’s “hope” is "exploited by the overbearing and defrauded by the rich.” The pontiff slammed the injustice that makes bread "the possession of a few." Violence and exploitation deny "the resurrection,” while the faithful are urged to embrace "the meaning" of Christ's words, and reject “superstitious practices”.
Bangladesh’s energy crisis, caused by the war in the Middle East and heavy dependence on imported oil and gas, is jeopardising the operation of data centres, which are crucial to the local telecommunications network. Fuel supplies are low, and operators warn that potential blackouts could disrupt calls, Internet, and text messaging across much of the country.
The Israeli activist, who has fought for years in Jerusalem against religious intolerance, spoke about the action of an IDF soldier who tore down and smashed a cross in southern Lebanon. Israel’s military and foreign minister have apologised. Harani calls for education, even in the religious sector. She hopes to see an exemplary sentence.
The second part of a reflection by an AsiaNews source with first-hand knowledge of the Church’s journey in China, marking the year since the death of Francis and the start of the pontificate of Leo XIV. “Silence on the Pope; political study activities dominate. Controls and regulations stifle missionary work”.
