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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi Arabia unveiled a bold reform plan on Monday aimed at weaning the country off its "addiction" to oil in a bid to prepare the next generation of Saudi leaders for the domestic pressures of youth unemployment and revenues eroded by lower oil prices....
HANNOVER, Germany (AP) -- Evoking history and appealing for solidarity, President Barack Obama on Monday cast his decision to send 250 more troops to Syria as a bid to keep up "momentum" in the campaign to dislodge Islamic State extremists. He pressed European allies to match the U.S. with new contributions of their own....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump needs another big night Tuesday to stay on track to clinch the Republican presidential nomination by the end of the primaries....
BORDEN, Ind. (AP) -- Declaring the Republican presidential contest at "a fork in the road," Ted Cruz and John Kasich defended their extraordinary new alliance on Monday as the party's last, best chance to stop Donald Trump, even as the New York billionaire surged toward another big delegate haul....
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Latest on the presidential nomination race (all times local):...
(Vatican Radio) The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh territory again made headlines, following an outbreak of violence on the front line.Earlier this month, the first major show of violence for more than a decade occurred since the 1994 ceasefire, established at the end of the Karabakh war, which saw more than 30,000 people killed. At least 200 people, including civilians, have been killed this month, with tensions continuing to mount. Azerbaijan views the region as having formed part of a very Muslim space despite the local Armenian majority.Georgia Gogarty spoke to Laurence Broers, an associate fellow at the Russia Eurasia program at Chatham House, the Royal Institute for International Affairs, to find out more about the current situation and what caused the violence to occur.Listen: When asked about why the violence has started again, Broers explained that since the end of the war in 1994, there has never been an enforced peace treaty b...
(Vatican Radio) The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh territory again made headlines, following an outbreak of violence on the front line.
Earlier this month, the first major show of violence for more than a decade occurred since the 1994 ceasefire, established at the end of the Karabakh war, which saw more than 30,000 people killed. At least 200 people, including civilians, have been killed this month, with tensions continuing to mount. Azerbaijan views the region as having formed part of a very Muslim space despite the local Armenian majority.
Georgia Gogarty spoke to Laurence Broers, an associate fellow at the Russia Eurasia program at Chatham House, the Royal Institute for International Affairs, to find out more about the current situation and what caused the violence to occur.
Listen:
When asked about why the violence has started again, Broers explained that since the end of the war in 1994, there has never been an enforced peace treaty but rather a ceasefire mandate. During the end of the 1990s and into the mid-2000s there have been several attempts at peace under the Minsk group however they haven’t “delivered any tangible results”. The ceasefire is unusual in itself as it is “self-regulated and there are no peace keepers on the ground”.
The situation is “increasingly unstable” according to Broers. Over the last few years violations of the ceasefire have been getting a lot worse and more substantial in terms of scale. There are 40,000 soldiers on the frontline with heavier and more sophisticated weaponry. Since the mid-2000s, Azerbaijan has become an oil rich republic, and Broers suggests the state is using this “oil wind force” to “rearm itself”, subsequently creating a “more combustible situation on the ground”. He says that there “is nothing surprising about the recent escalation” in violence.
Broers expressed his concern at the lack of “energized peace process” saying that there needs to be more international attention and focus on the situation in order to resolve the situation. The conflict can be viewed as a sign of Azerbaijan’s “exasperation with a dysfunctional peace process”. The recent increase in violence is a message that “this isn’t and shouldn’t be a frozen conflict”.
Broers says that the recent violence acts as a reminder of the “terrible massacres in the earlier war that have never been dealt with”. He suggests that as long as the situation is not resolved both sides “are living with a fear of more massacres of ethnic cleansing”.
People gathered Sunday at the remains of a historic tower in Nepal's capital that collapsed in a devastating earthquake a year ago, as Nepalese held memorial services to mark the anniversary of a disaster that killed nearly 9,000 people and left millions homeless. Minor protests were also held, with demonstrators angry at the slow rate of reconstruction in the wake of the magnitude-7.8 quake that ravaged vast areas of Nepal. Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli laid a wreath at the ruins of the Dharahara tower in the heart of Kathmandu. The iconic structure collapsed in the quake, killing 132 people. In all, 8,856 people died in the April 25, 2015, disaster. Participating in the memorial ceremonies were people who lost loved ones in the quake, and others who simply came to pray for those killed. About 100 protesters scuffled with riot police outside the prime minister's office demonstrating against the slow reconstruction of the homes. ...
People gathered Sunday at the remains of a historic tower in Nepal's capital that collapsed in a devastating earthquake a year ago, as Nepalese held memorial services to mark the anniversary of a disaster that killed nearly 9,000 people and left millions homeless. Minor protests were also held, with demonstrators angry at the slow rate of reconstruction in the wake of the magnitude-7.8 quake that ravaged vast areas of Nepal.
Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli laid a wreath at the ruins of the Dharahara tower in the heart of Kathmandu. The iconic structure collapsed in the quake, killing 132 people. In all, 8,856 people died in the April 25, 2015, disaster. Participating in the memorial ceremonies were people who lost loved ones in the quake, and others who simply came to pray for those killed. About 100 protesters scuffled with riot police outside the prime minister's office demonstrating against the slow reconstruction of the homes. More than 600,000 homes were destroyed and around 185,000 damaged in the quake.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, an estimated 4 million people are still living in sub-standard temporary shelters in conditions that pose a threat to their health and well-being. Only 661 families have received the first installment of a 200,000-rupee ($1,868) government grant, getting 50,000 rupees ($467) so far. The international anti-poverty organization Oxfam noted last week that a year after the deadly earthquake, thousands of Nepalese, especially women, are being deprived of funds to rebuild because they do not own land or cannot prove they owned the land where they lived. Nepal's government requires proof of ownership, but many victims have lost documents and others did not formally own the land where they lived. Oxfam said that in post-earthquake surveys, more than 90 percent of people claimed to own their own land before the disaster. Save the Children, CARE International and other agencies say taht some 3 million people are living in temporary shelters with tarpaulin roofs ahead of Nepal's monsoon season.
Nepal has made almost no progress in rebuilding from the quake despite foreign donors pledging more than $4 billion in aid during a donor's conference last year. The government, in disarray for nearly a decade, has not regrouped enough to be a strong force for reconstruction. Out of the $4.1 billion pledged, Nepal has so far received just $1.28 billion. The delay in getting the money has been blamed on the government taking months to set up the National Reconstruction Authority, which was done only in December. Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel said the delay was because it was necessary to conduct a detailed survey of the damaged houses before reconstruction could begin.
Leading a prayer service in front of China's Hong Kong liaison office, Hong Kong’s retired bishop, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun called on Beijing on Sunday to end the persecution of Christians and allow religious freedom. “Facing all this persecution, we cannot take it for granted. We cannot stand idly. If we keep silent, we are accomplices," Cardinal Zen told a group of about 100 people who attended the April 24 service. The same day Hong Kong's diocesan Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) announced the conclusion of a petition campaign to ask Pope Francis to pray for religious freedom and an end to religious persecution in China. The campaign garnered 800 signatures from across the diocese. The petition is asking the pope to urge the Chinese government to stop removing crosses from churches and to pray for two missing bishops. Or Yan-yan, project officer at JPC spoke to UCANEWS saying they hope the Pope can include the cross-re...
Leading a prayer service in front of China's Hong Kong liaison office, Hong Kong’s retired bishop, Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun called on Beijing on Sunday to end the persecution of Christians and allow religious freedom. “Facing all this persecution, we cannot take it for granted. We cannot stand idly. If we keep silent, we are accomplices," Cardinal Zen told a group of about 100 people who attended the April 24 service.
The same day Hong Kong's diocesan Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) announced the conclusion of a petition campaign to ask Pope Francis to pray for religious freedom and an end to religious persecution in China. The campaign garnered 800 signatures from across the diocese. The petition is asking the pope to urge the Chinese government to stop removing crosses from churches and to pray for two missing bishops. Or Yan-yan, project officer at JPC spoke to UCANEWS saying they hope the Pope can include the cross-removal campaign and two missing bishops in his prayers on the May 24 World Day of Prayer for the Church in China, established by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007.
Zhejiang province authorities have been carrying out a large-scale cross-removal campaign, with at least 1,700 crosses being demolished since late 2013. Catholics are also very concerned about the fate of Bishop James Su Zhimin, 84, of Baoding, and Bishop Cosmas Shi Enxiang, 95, of Yixian, who the petition says “have been imprisoned for over half of their lives.” “They have been forcibly disappeared for 18 and 15 years." (Source: UCAN)
(Vatican Radio) Marking the 1st anniversary of the powerful earthquake in Nepal that killed nearly 9,000 people and left millions homeless, Cardinal Luis Tagle, President of Caritas Internationalis, has travelled to Kathmandu to be with the people and to participate in a 3-day Caritas meeting.Having been in the forefront of the emergency, responding to the disaster as it unfolded, and having lent continued support to the stricken population, Caritas Nepal is now involved in reconstruction efforts and is planning long-term development with the help of other Caritas members. In the past 12 months the helping hand of the Church has offered aid to over a million people, but there is still much left to do and reconstruction work has been slow to get off the ground due to the fact that the government, in disarray for nearly a decade, has not regrouped enough to be a strong force for reconstruction.Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni managed to reach Cardinal Tagle via the te...
(Vatican Radio) Marking the 1st anniversary of the powerful earthquake in Nepal that killed nearly 9,000 people and left millions homeless, Cardinal Luis Tagle, President of Caritas Internationalis, has travelled to Kathmandu to be with the people and to participate in a 3-day Caritas meeting.
Having been in the forefront of the emergency, responding to the disaster as it unfolded, and having lent continued support to the stricken population, Caritas Nepal is now involved in reconstruction efforts and is planning long-term development with the help of other Caritas members.
In the past 12 months the helping hand of the Church has offered aid to over a million people, but there is still much left to do and reconstruction work has been slow to get off the ground due to the fact that the government, in disarray for nearly a decade, has not regrouped enough to be a strong force for reconstruction.
Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni managed to reach Cardinal Tagle via the telephone in Kathmandu:
Listen:
“We are here as Caritas Confederation to commemorate the first anniversary of the devastating and deadly earthquake that hit this beautiful country a year ago” he said.
This visit – Cardinal Tagle explained - is centered on solidarity: “It really consoles your heart; it edifies you to see the different Caritas member organizations that are present here showing our love, our concern. They are the visible manifestation of love in action which really gives hope”.
Cardinal Tagle, who had only just landed in the Nepalese capital, said that even along the road from the airport to the site of the meeting, signs of the earthquake are still very visible and the people are still struggling “to rebuild their lives and their dreams”.
As regards the work of the Caritas organizations which are linked together in a confederation to serve the world’s poor according to the mission of the Church, Cardinal Tagle said it is truly inspiring to see them putting ‘love into action’: “To have people who are from different parts of the world offering not only aid and emergency assistance, but also their passion, their general concern – speaks not only to the Church in Nepal but to humanity itself”.
The Cardinal also spoke of the incredible resilience of the Nepalese people notwithstanding the fact an estimated 4 million people are still living in sub-standard temporary shelters in conditions that pose a threat to their very health and well-being.
He said that although so many continue to struggle every day, their trust in the future is tangible:
“Yes, you can see it in the smiles on the faces of the people here in Nepal. You can see they have had their share of suffering but you can see humanity, you can see sincere joy, you can see the resilience that marks these people”.
Things are far from over – Cardinal Tagle says: “but what continues to shine through is their hope – not so much for themselves but for their children and the future”.
IMAGE: CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano via ReutersBy Junno Arocho EstevesVATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Happiness "is not an 'app' thatyou can download on your phones nor will the latest update help you become freeand great in loving," Pope Francis told thousands of teenagers. Youth from around the world flocked to Rome for a specialYear of Mercy event for teens aged 13-16. The celebrations began April 23 withconfessions in St. Peter's Square.The pope caught many off guard as he made an unannouncedvisit to the square. After greeting several people, he placed a purple stoleover his shoulders and sat down, joining more than 150 priests offering thesacrament of reconciliation.Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said thepope "listened to the confessions of 16 boys and girls," spendingmore than an hour in the square.Celebrating Mass with the young people April 24, the popetold them true freedom is priceless and comes from making the courageousdecision to do good and not from the m...
IMAGE: CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters
By Junno Arocho Esteves
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Happiness "is not an 'app' that you can download on your phones nor will the latest update help you become free and great in loving," Pope Francis told thousands of teenagers.
Youth from around the world flocked to Rome for a special Year of Mercy event for teens aged 13-16. The celebrations began April 23 with confessions in St. Peter's Square.
The pope caught many off guard as he made an unannounced visit to the square. After greeting several people, he placed a purple stole over his shoulders and sat down, joining more than 150 priests offering the sacrament of reconciliation.
Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said the pope "listened to the confessions of 16 boys and girls," spending more than an hour in the square.
Celebrating Mass with the young people April 24, the pope told them true freedom is priceless and comes from making the courageous decision to do good and not from the mediocre belief that happiness can be easily obtained through worldly possessions and fashion.
A person's happiness has "has no price and cannot be bought," the pope told them during the Mass in St. Peter's Square.
Gray clouds looming over St. Peter's Square did little to deter an estimated 100,000 young teens and pilgrims from attending the final Mass of the jubilee celebration.
In his homily, the pope encouraged the youths to carry out the "enormous responsibility" entrusted to the disciples by Jesus in the Sunday Gospel reading: "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Love, he said, is the "only valid 'document' identifying us as Christians" and the only path to happiness.
True love is free "without being possessive" of people or worldly things, he said. "There is always a temptation to let our affections be tainted by an instinctive desire to take, to have what we find pleasing; our consumerist culture reinforces this tendency. Yet when we hold on too tightly to something, it fades, it dies and then we feel confused, empty inside," he said.
The freedom that comes from love, he continued, does not come from "doing whatever you want," which only makes people "self-centered and aloof," but is a gift that comes from "being able to choose good."
"Be skeptical about people who want to make you believe that you are only important if you act tough like the heroes in films or if you wear the latest fashions. Your happiness has no price; it cannot be bought," the pope stressed.
The first day of the celebration ended late April 23 with music and testimonies at Rome's Olympic Stadium for an estimated 70,000 youth. In a video message played at the rally, Pope Francis compared the absence of Jesus in one's life to being somewhere without a cellphone signal so it is impossible to connect with each other.
"Just remember that if Jesus is not in your life, it is as though there was no signal," he said. "Let's always place ourselves where we have the signal: the family, the parish, the school, because in this world we will always have something to say that is good and true."
The youths had made a pilgrimage to the Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica, and the pope told them, "Do not forget that the door is the encounter with Christ, who introduces us to the Father who asks us to be merciful as he is merciful."
Reminding them of the importance of simple gestures in carrying out works of mercy, the pope said that to be merciful with others, one must first be able to forgive. Resentments or the desire for revenge are like a worm that "eats away at the soul and does not allow us to be happy," he said.
"Let us forgive and forget the wrong done to us; in this way we can understand the teaching of Jesus and be his disciples and witnesses of mercy," he said.
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Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju.
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