No to the expulsion of the Moscow Patriarchate

Other news of the day: a 6.8 magnitude earthquake shakes China. Japanese Prime Minister Kishida’s disapproval rating is above 40%. Israel publishes new rules for foreigners visiting Palestine. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib requests royal clemency. Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have reached an agreement on the laying of cables across the Caspian.

RUSSIA

The Assembly of the Ecumenical Council of Churches, meeting in Karlsruhe (Germany), refused to vote the exclusion of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow. The measure had been requested by three participating churches and several high-ranking personalities. The room welcomed this decision with a long applause.

CHINA

A earthquake 6.8-degree intensity shook Sichuan province at lunchtime. The epicenter was 180 km from the provincial capital, Chengdu. So far no casualties have been reported. In 2013, more than 100 people died from an earthquake in the area.

JAPAN

The rate of disapproval of the Prime Minister fumio kishida it rose to 41%, the highest since he took office. His image is affected by public condemnation of his party’s (Liberal Democrats) ties to the Unification Church and the decision to hold a state funeral for former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

ISRAEL-PALESTINE

The Israeli military body in charge of civil affairs in Palestine published last night a list of restrictions for foreigners who visit the Palestinian areas of the West Bank. The new rules will take effect on October 20; they include limits on entry for reasons of marriage, work, volunteering, studies and teaching.

MALAYSIA

former prime minister najib razak He asked for a royal pardon after his 12-year prison sentence for corruption in the 1MDB case was confirmed. Until King Abdullah of Pahang makes a decision, Najib will retain his seat in Parliament.

BANGLADESH

According to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country will end up in a economic crisis similar to that suffered by Sri Lanka. Like Colombo, Bangladesh has borrowed from international organizations to cope with collapsing foreign exchange reserves and high import costs.

AZERBAIJAN-KAZAKHSTAN

Baku and Nur-Sultan have agreed to lay new fiber optic Internet cables across the Caspian Sea. This was revealed by the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development. It is a project valued at 40 million dollars that covers some 400 kilometers of works and in which the telephone company AzerTelecom participates.