Starting today, every Monday, AsiaNews will feature voices, stories, and in-depth reports to explore, step by step, the South Korea that will welcome young people for World Youth Day (WYD) next August. The perspective will be one of “memory and hope” focused on the mission, an approach suggested today by Pope Leo XIV to South Korean priests and religious sisters living in Rome.
More than 5,000 people linked to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have set out from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province following the breakdown of negotiations with the central government. The points of contention concern security in the province and the conditions of their leader, who has been in prison since 2023.
On 7 October in Milan, an evening event with Father Franco Mella will explore the parable of a metropolis deprived of its freedom in the name of “national security”. Meanwhile, following his conviction for organising vigils in memory of Tiananmen, trade unionist Lee Cheuk-yan has been transferred to the isolated Hei Ling Chau prison, with restrictions on visits.
Today’s headlines: 11 people arrested on suspicion of terrorist links in Indonesia; App used by young people to protest the government disappears from Indian App Store; Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi seeks to reassure the markets; Plague outbreak in Siberia.
Leo XIV reiterated the call to pray the Rosary in October, following the example of children. Meeting marking the 10th anniversary of *Amoris laetitia* with the heads of the Eastern Churches: “Identifying ways to proclaim the Gospel to families and young people”. 800th anniversary of St Francis: “Building harmony among peoples”.
From the historic church in Goa to the cathedral in Xi’an, there are many places across Asia that commemorate the message of the saint from Assisi, on the 800th anniversary of his death. Among the most recent is the chapel built in the image of the Porziuncola near the heavily fortified border between the two Koreas.
Marking the 800th anniversary of the saint's passing, two African tortoises became unexpected guests at a blessing of the animals in Malaysia. The Franciscan message continues to inspire communities across Asia, from Borneo to Pakistan, where the commitment to interfaith dialogue is being renewed.
In his message for the harvest festival Agera, Archbishop Rodrigues urged people to show solidarity with communities in Maharashtra who are grappling with the consequences of insufficient rainfall. Severe problems are affecting 75 per cent of the region. He called for support measures and an agricultural system that does not leave farmers behind.
Speaking to AsiaNews, Father Bashar raises the alarm regarding yesterday's attacks on Christian-owned property. Police arrested three individuals today. In his homily, the parish priest addressed young people, urging them to stay and not be afraid. Protecting a crop safeguards the land.
Baku wants the development of the route linking China to Europe to encompass transport, energy, digital infrastructure, investment and human capital. The volume of goods transported in the first half of 2026 has already reached almost 2 million tonnes. And in August, the laying of a fibre-optic cable on the seabed of the Caspian Sea was completed.
Fiji, Tuvalu and Australia are organising the pre-COP31 meeting, dedicated to the Pacific’s climate challenges. Attendance by international leaders is low. The meeting aims to give a voice to island nations threatened by rising sea levels and to place the region at the centre of global diplomacy.
Maysa and Mary were among the five victims of yet another Israeli drone strike that was reportedly intended to target a Hamas leader. Condolences from Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Holy Family community. Some 1,150 people have been killed since the ‘ceasefire’ that was supposed to end the war; 62 Christians in Gaza have died since the start of the conflict.
The Little Flower Minor Seminary, the oldest in the country, is celebrating its centenary. Archbishop D’Cruze: “May it never stand empty.” Former seminarian: “It helped us find our way in life.” Since 1925, 5,000 young men have been trained to serve the Church and society, including around 200 priests.
Grappling with collapsing real estate revenues, local governments are delaying payments to businesses, which is reverberating along the supply chain to small suppliers. Beijing is trying to contain the problem but, without new resources, there is a risk of simply shifting losses from one entity to another.
For this year's World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Pope Leo XIV focused on the situation of migrant children. A South Korean Catholic weekly heeded the call, focusing on the issue of children unregistered at birth because they are foreign, consequently deprived of essential rights like healthcare and education.
Each summer the French Dominican friar and official at the Dicastery for Christian Unity completes a new stage of an uninterrupted pilgrimage on foot that has now taken him from Rome all the way to Antioch. He reflects on the pilgrimage as a synthesis of life, the hospitality received in monasteries and mosques, and the encounters along the way. “Patriarch Bartholomew told me: ‘Go all the way to Jerusalem’.”
Education Minister Ja Htoi Pan spoke to AsiaNews. Five years after the 2021 coup, 6.3 million young people lack access to a basic education. There is an urgent need for safety. “We provide schools with safety drills and air-raid shelters." Aung San Suu Kyi remains a beacon of “hope for the people”.
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