Two Chinese nationals are also among the victims of the earthquake in Venezuela

Today’s headlines: Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Rahman is visiting Beijing to meet Xi Jinping. Anglican Primate Mullally has appealed on behalf of Christians in the Holy Land following a peace pilgrimage to Jerusalem; A former rescue worker who took his own life due to trauma has been recognised as one of the victims of the Itaewon disaster in Seoul; In Myanmar, football fans are boycotting World Cup matches over TV rights sold to a company linked to the military junta.

CHINA-VENEZUELA

There are also two Chinese nationals among the confirmed dead from the devastating earthquake that struck Venezuela on 24 June. This was announced by the Chinese embassy in Caracas. The two powerful tremors, both measuring over magnitude 7, have caused at least 235 deaths, over 4,300 injuries and left thousands missing, but the death toll is set to rise further. Chinese rescue teams are also taking part in search and rescue operations in the capital, Caracas, which has been severely affected.

BANGLADESH-CHINA

The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Tarique Rahman, met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing today. Rahman asked China to increase imports of Bangladeshi products, including agricultural produce, fish, raw hides, jute goods and pharmaceuticals. In response, Beijing expressed its willingness to encourage investment by Chinese companies and to strengthen cooperation in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, the digital economy and artificial intelligence. The new government in Dhaka is seeking to strengthen ties with China, in contrast to Sheikh Hasina’s administration, which prioritised relations with India. China is also the main creditor of Bangladesh’s public debt, with loans totalling approximately .2 billion.

ANGLICANS – HOLY LAND

The Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally, Primate of the Anglican Church, has recently undertaken a pilgrimage for peace to the Holy Land, meeting with Christian, Israeli and Palestinian communities marked by war and suffering. Together with the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, Hosam Naoum, in a pastoral letter issued at the end of the visit, they expressed grave concern for the future of Palestinian Christians, who face threats of violence, displacement and instability. They denounced the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, called on the international community to intervene and reiterated that war cannot be a solution. They urge respect for international law, an end to the occupation and the revival of a two-state solution.

IRAN

The Iranian political activist and Christian convert Mohammad Nikbakht is reported to have been threatened with execution after his two brothers, Hadi and Fazlullah, were sentenced to death on charges of “corruption on Earth”. Mohammad has been detained since last March in Dastgerd Prison, in Isfahan, after being arrested during a large-scale operation by the security forces. According to human rights organisations, the charges against the brothers relate to their alleged role in organising protests against the regime. The three had also promoted a referendum on the future of the Islamic Republic, and Mohammad had previously been arrested and was the victim of an assassination attempt.

SOUTH KOREA

The South Korean government has officially recognised the owner of a bar, who took his own life after suffering severe psychological trauma following the 2022 disaster, as a victim of the Itaewon tragedy. The man, identified by his surname Park, had helped to rescue the injured and transport them to hospitals after the stampede that claimed the lives of 159 people in the Seoul neighbourhood. Since then, he had suffered from severe physical and mental health issues. Park was found dead in April 2025, aged 37, and his case is now recognised as a direct consequence of the tragedy.

MYANMAR

This year’s World Cup is not a time for collective celebration in Myanmar. Many citizens are in fact boycotting the official broadcasts because FIFA has awarded the television rights to Mytel, a telecommunications company partly controlled by the military, despite it having been sanctioned by the United States for human rights violations. In the past, fans and families would gather in bars and tea houses to watch the matches. Today, however, even football is becoming a symbol of lost freedoms and the deep wounds left by military repression in the country.

INDIA

The new Social Sciences textbook for Year 9 published by the NCERT introduces, for the first time, a section on the period of the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi, describing it as a phase in which democratic institutions and civil liberties were severely curtailed. At the same time, the text omits the Preamble to the Constitution and references to the concepts of ‘secularism’ and ‘laïcité’, which were present in the previous edition. The changes, adopted as part of the New Education Policy 2020, have sparked a political row: the government defends them as a necessary historical analysis, whilst the Congress Party regards them as an attack on constitutional values and an initiative driven by political motives.

KAZAKHSTAN

The Muslim Spiritual Administration of Kazakhstan has issued a fatwa against the child-free ideology. The Muftiat stated that “the deliberate abandonment of children is contrary to Sharia”, as is “the reluctance to spend money on raising a child, the denial of parental responsibility, and the priority given to personal freedom and one’s career”, and that “the abandonment of children out of fear of poverty cannot be condoned”. Any method that deprives a person of the ability to have children is considered haram.