To mark the New Year, Min Aung Hlaing has granted pardons to over 4,500 prisoners, including former President Win Myint and documentary filmmaker Shin Daewe. Only a minor reduction in sentence for Aung San Suu Kyi. A political charade to legitimise the junta following the sham elections. Whilst Yangon celebrates, the army continues to target civilians with air raids.
An Italian priest of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who died aged 83 in North Kalimantan, he dedicated almost 50 years to the local people, even taking the name Wan Abung. He used to say: “My mission is to cherish the history and the places of the people I serve, gathering the seeds of the Word already present and sowing further seeds of truth to contribute to human growth.”
A rare defeat for Modi in Parliament: Bill to reserve 33% of Lok Sabha seats for women in the 2029 elections rejected. The opposition, led by Rahul Gandhi, rejected the bill, denouncing ‘gerrymandering’: the increase in seats to 850 and the redrawing of constituencies based on 2011 census data would have favoured the North at the expense of southern states.Delhi: The constitutional amendment on women and political manoeuvring
Today’s headlines: some tankers appear to have crossed the Strait of Hormuz, but the situation remains unclear; Jordan calls for coordinated regional and international efforts to support the ceasefire in Lebanon. Bangkok encourages the recycling of water pistols during the Songkran celebrations; Japan has a new term for record-breaking heatwaves.
On extraordinary display in the Cathedral of the Holy Saviour, the icons of the Mother of God of Vladimir, also known as the ‘Madonna of Tenderness’ (Umilenije), and the one known as Donskaya are both symbols of Russian victories. They hark back to the great confrontation between East and West that gave rise to Rus’, and has continued to underpin the various ideologies in power in Russia to this day.
For Netanyahu, it's a "historic deal”. The Shia militia calls the truce a "victory" for Tehran. Warnings (and threats) are issued against the disorderly return of civilians to Israeli-occupied villages south of the Litani River. The Lebanese president refuses to meet with Netanyahu without the withdrawal of Israeli troops. Saudi Arabia is engaged in efforts to keep Lebanon from both Iranian hegemony and Israeli domination.
