Cardinal Ranjith and the country's Buddhist leaders marked the New Year, calling on people to overcome ethnic and political divisions to heal the wounds caused by Cyclone Ditwah. More than 270,000 people remain displaced by the natural disaster, which left 643 dead and 183 missing.
On the night of 31 December, Mohamed Massat stopped an ISIS terrorist who wanted to attack a church, paying for his gesture with his life. Six months ago, there was an attack against Mar Elias in Damascus. Many today praise his courage, pointing to him as an example for Syria today.
A reflection by the auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Mumbai on the growing contrast between images of the Indian prime minister in churches at Christmas and his silence on attacks against these same places by people ideologically close to him. ‘Calling violence an act of violence is not an act of enmity: it is a gesture of hope.’
The country's first female prime minister, a long-time protagonist in Bangladeshi political life, has died at the age of 80. An unprecedented crowd gathered at her funeral. Bishop Bejoy D'Cruze: ‘Despite differences of opinion, she loved the nation deeply’. The Church's appeal for peace and unity in a moment of profound grief.
The comedy ‘Ruyn kim’ (meaning ‘What family are you from?’) sought to poke fun at the prejudices that remain widespread in Kazakh society. But even the last-minute removal of explicit references to the Žalairy (Tokaev's ethnic group) or the Šapiyrašty (that of former president Nazarbaev) was not enough to avoid the wrath of some politicians who claim that it ‘undermines national unity from within’. In the end, the production company itself suspended screenings.
Today's news: Trump postpones tariff increase on furniture until 2027; Contaminated water in India leaves nine people dead and hundreds hospitalised; In Malaysia, strict measures against littering on New Year's Eve; Israel confirms ban on 37 NGOs from Gaza for violating “security standards”.
