The first meetings between prefects and apostolic vicars took place in 1924, when the country was still a Dutch colony. On the anniversary an extraordinary assembly and the inauguration of the new office building. The government representative for relations with Catholics: ‘Let us work together for the most neglected areas of the country’.
The murder of a headmaster at the hands of a minor sparks controversy. The shooter was a student who wanted ‘revenge’ for his expulsion. Pro-government unions (also) go on strike. Fr. Monge: education is only the ‘tip of the iceberg’. The four Akp reforms have overturned secular and scientific education. Erdogan's ‘nemesis’ and the rise of Imamoglu.
The Muftiat's condemnation of Ajnura Sagynbaeva's statements on sexual relations outside marriage: ‘an open distortion of the precepts of Islam’ that contradicts ‘the moral values of the entire Kyrgyz society’. But there are those who argue that by allowing themselves to be dragged into the media controversy they risk producing the opposite effect, giving her only great publicity.
Zhang Zhan, 40, was a leading human rights advocate in Shanghai. The Christian woman was supposed to be freed today after four years in prison, but her fate remains unknown while her family has been forced into silence. Activist groups following her case fear that, as in other cases, she might be detained under a different form.
Outgoing Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, 72, is stepping down two years later than planned because of COVID-19. His successor, who will be sworn in on Wednesday, now has to tackle some of the city-state’s toughest issues, like housing, an aging population, and an inadequate welfare system.
The University of Santo Tomas announced a new course on the 58th World Communications Day, to start with the next academic year. For Prof Felipe Salvosa II, it will provide the tools to assess “the impact of misinformation and disinformation on various fields of study and the democratic system”. The course "Digital Literacy, Fact-Checking, and Verification" is a response to Pope Francis' message on the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
