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.
The measure, adopted a few days before the anniversary of the Pahalgam massacre, targets institutions run by the Islamist organisation banned in 2019. The move is part of a broader security strategy launched by Delhi following the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s autonomy, but has drawn criticism for its potential repercussions on the education system and for violations of minority rights.
By 2030, Tashkent plans to increase the share of the ‘creative economy’ in gross domestic product to 5%. In recent years, two new theatres, 19 cultural centres, 16 museums, 20 music and art schools, and five universities specialising in the sector have been opened. Mirziyoyev wants to restore the Uzbeks to their former glory, whilst also seeking to present a new face of the country.
Leo XIV told Equatoguinean authorities to “dismantle the obstacles to integral human development.” Citing Pope Francis a year after his death, he reiterated the Church’s opposition to “an economy of exclusion and inequality.” God “must never be invoked to justify choices and actions of death.” In a letter to the pontiff, Equatorial Guinea’s exiled political opposition laments that, "The country has been captured by the president’s family."
The BJP-led state government has renamed a 16th-century pillar to make it a symbol of Hindu victims of the Inquisition. For scholar Frazer Andrade, the new name is misleading, lacking any verifiable historical evidence. Meanwhile, a local nationalist leader lashed out at Saint Francis Xavier in a debate, calling him "a terrorist”. The archdiocese expressed outrage, saying that the saint is “revered not only in Goa but by millions of people across the globe,” an example of “peace and unity”.
On Sunday, a mob attacked Sanka Christian Para, a tribal village, injuring six. The raid stemmed from ongoing tensions over land claimed by Rezaul Islam. Catholics in the area, where PIME missionaries were the first to proclaim the Gospel in 1965, have appealed to the authorities for help and protection.
