A regional summit on environmental policies is currently taking place in the capital of Kazakhstan, alongside a meeting of the countries participating in the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. With the Bishkek government aiming to link the issue of Kyrgyzstan’s melting glaciers to the delicate environmental balance of the whole of Central Asia.
In Mongomo, Leo XIV marked 170 years of evangelisation, inviting all the baptised to be "witnesses to a new humanity." He quoted Paul VI's appeal to Africans to be “missionaries to yourselves.” May "natural riches" be "a blessing for all." He slammed “the gap between the privileged and the disadvantaged." In the afternoon, he visited Bata prison.
The Aqaba Port Rail Project is a cornerstone of the economic and logistical transformation of the transportation corridor between the Gulf and Europe. The project is set to begin in 2027 with a five-year construction timeframe. Concerns remain over regional instability, financial sustainability, and coordination among the various stakeholders involved. The construction of a dry port in Jordan’s southern region of Ma'an is also under consideration.
This year, the award went to six women activists for their work defending ecosystems and local communities. Among them, Papuan Theonila Roka Matbob, who played a crucial role in the long struggle for the cleanup of the Panguna mine, and South Korean Borim Kim, who led a legal battle over climate that culminated in a constitutional ruling in favour of future generations.
AsiaNews reports the heart-wrenching story of survival and the struggle for freedom of a young father of two. For months, the factory owner kept him in conditions of slavery to exploit his labour without paying his wages. Freed thanks to the intervention of an NGO and a court ruling. Azhar Saeed: this is not an isolated tragedy, but part of a much wider injustice.
Various memorial events were held in Colombo yesterday for the 269 people killed in attacks on churches and hotels on 21 April 2019. The former head of Sri Lanka’s intelligence service was detained last February, accused of complicity with Islamist bombers. For the cardinal, some politicians and officials are afraid and nervous about the investigation and are trying to sabotage it.
