Today’s news: at least nine dead in Bangladesh from Cyclone Sitrang, which has left hundreds of thousands displaced; Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop of Chinese origin Savio Hon as nuncio to Malta; dozens of victims in Kachin state after an airstrike by the Burmese army; the controversy over the veil breaks into the campaign for the 2023 presidential elections in Turkey; the Russian armed forces began to withdraw from the Kherson region.
CHINA
Beijing censors internet searches for “Hu Jintao”the former Chinese president who was expelled abruptly and unexpectedly during the final phase of the Communist Party Congress. Netizens are left with few keywords to refer to the aging leader, who was in power for a decade before Xi Jinping. Commenting on the matter on social media is not allowed and browsers are blocked.
BANGLADESH
The cyclone sitrang arrived this morning off the coast of Bangladesh, sowing death and destruction. The first balance shows at least nine victims, but this figure will increase in the coming hours. The rains and strong winds swept away homes, uprooted trees and damaged roads. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, including tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
MYANMAR
At least 50 victims are counted (some sources speak of 100 dead) after a air attack of the Burmese army in the northern state of Kachin condemned by the UN and the West. The target of the bombing was a concert organized by a group of ethnic minorities on the night of October 23. Among the dead are musicians, civilians and Kachin Army (KIA) officers. The military junta has made no statement in this regard.
VATICAN – ASIA
Pope Francis appointed Monsignor Savio Hon Tai-Fai, SDB., Titular Archbishop of Sila -and until now Apostolic Nuncio in Greece- as Apostolic Nuncio in Malta. The prelate, of Chinese origin, was born in Hong Kong in 1950 and was secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (Propaganda Fide).
TURKEY
The controversy over the hijab is not limited to Iran. Now the controversy over the veil it also explodes in Turkey, where Recep Tayyip Erdogan, ahead of the 2023 presidential elections, wants to hold a referendum to include in the Constitution the right to wear the hijab in public buildings. In the name of secularism, the country has always banned the veil and the AKP has only partially changed the law. Now the issue is once again at the center of the electoral campaign.
RUSSIA – UKRAINE
The Russian armed forces began to withdraw from the Kherson region, which was annexed to Moscow through a bogus referendum. The Russian army is moving ammunition, war technology and troops from the west bank of the Dnieper to the east, and the occupation authorities are constantly evacuating the population. In practice, a mass deportation to Russia is being organized.
KYRGYZSTAN – UZBEKISTAN
In Bishkek, raids and arrests of members of the committee for the defense of the Kempir-Abad reservoir, which will be handed over to Uzbekistan, are taking place. The decision provoked protests from the inhabitants of the area, who are now trying to organize themselves to oppose the transfer operations. Among those detained there is even a judge of the Supreme Court.
