Pope Francis calls for nuclear disarmament after arriving in Japan for first visit as pontiff
As he arrived on a long-awaited trip to Japan on Saturday, Pope Francis issued a call for nuclear disarmament ahead of his visits to the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, targets of the "catastrophic" atomic bomb. Shortly after touching down at Tokyo's Haneda airport, the ...
Rome will return relics of Jesus' supposed manger to Bethlehem before Christmas
Wooden relics said to be from the manger that held the infant Jesus will be returned from Rome to Bethlehem in time for the Christmas season, Palestinian officials said on Friday. Bethlehem's mayor, Anton Salman, told the Palestinian news agency WAFA the move followed President ...
Christianity's long history in Nagasaki puts it first on pope's agenda for Japan visit
As he gets set for his first visit to Japan as pontiff, one city sits on top of Pope Francis' list of places to visit. "Nagasaki is the place the pope wants to visit foremost," said a Vatican source about the pope's visit, which begins ...
Hopes shattered for Myanmar's Rohingya refugees who fled to Malaysia
Before he flew to Thailand on a fake Bangladeshi passport and then crossed into Malaysia, Mohammed Imran was one of the most influential Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. He headed an 18,000-strong camp and represented them on the big stage. In late 2017, at the peak ...
Japan's aging 'Hidden Christians' fear they may be their religion's last generation
His face weathered from years at sea, kimono-clad fisherman Masaichi Kawasaki kneels before an altar adorned with images of the Virgin Mary, crossing himself as he softly intones chants handed down through centuries. Kawasaki, 69, is one of a dwindling number of Japan's "Kakure Kirishitan," ...
Leaked China documents reveal 'no mercy' in Xinjiang: report
A rare and huge leak of Chinese government documents has shed new light on a security crackdown on Muslims in China's Xinjiang region, where President Xi Jinping ordered officials to act with "absolutely no mercy" against separatism and extremism, The New York Times reported ...
'Grand Hindu temple' waits to move into Indian holy city of Ayodhya
Huge slabs of pink Rajasthan stone, carved pillars and bricks from across India are already waiting to form a Hindu temple to be built on the site of a demolished mosque at the center of decades of deadly turbulence. Enough stone to build a small ...
U.S. wants U.N. to address Dalai Lama succession issue, build global support for religious freedom
The United States wants the United Nations to take up the Dalai Lama's succession to stop China from trying to handpick his successor, an envoy said after meeting the Tibetan spiritual leader. Sam Brownback, the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, said he spoke at ...
India's top court to rule on Ayodhya land at center of bitter Hindu-Muslim dispute
The most contested plot of land in India has unleashed deadly riots and set Hindu against Muslim. Now the nation's top court will decide who owns it. In dispute is a scrap of land in Ayodhya, a sleepy northern temple town that is a holy ...
Malay Muslim militants kill 15 in southern Thailand, army says
At least fifteen people were killed in attacks by suspected Muslim militants in Thailand's violence-racked south, an army spokesman said on Wednesday, the latest incident in the 15-year bloody insurgency. Thailand's three southernmost provinces have been in the grip of a conflict that has killed ...
China warns U.S. that criticism over Uighurs not 'helpful' for trade talks
The United States and 22 other countries at the United Nations pushed China on Tuesday to stop detaining ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims, prompting China's U.N. envoy to warn it was not "helpful" for trade talks between Beijing and Washington. China has been widely condemned ...
Indian business sags as Diwali prospects dim
For Indian executive Bibhas Chakraborty, Diwali used to mean shiny expensive gifts from business associates keen to use the auspicious — and spectacular — Hindu festival to deepen ties. Now he mostly gets sweets and nuts. As Asia's third-largest economy battles waning consumer demand, extravagant ...
