According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), he world has entered a more dangerous period in the last twelve months, with increased tensions and conflict reshaping the global defence-industrial landscape. Data published in the new The IISS Military Balance 2024 shows how countries are reshaping their equipment and spending plans and how their…
The ancient capital of Guatemala, a baroque jewel among the mountains, is the scene of spectacular processions on carpets of flowers in the days before Easter. Holy Week is not just devotion, it combines faith, religiosity, art, gastronomy, life stories and mutual help. Evocative processions pass through the streets of the historic centre covered with…
A landlocked country with almost all its rivers navigable. The difficult road to independence. Lugo’s parenthesis. The world of the triple frontier. The landed oligarchies. Paraguay nestles in the heart of the southern Latin American cone between Bolivia, which surrounds it to the north and northwest, Brazil which it borders to the east, and Argentina…
Last January it recalled the 30th anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement signed between the United States, Canada and Mexico as well as the insurrection of the Zapatista movement. The indigenous movement that broke out at that time, led by the so-called “Subcomandante Marcos”, still exists in the Mexican state of Chiapas (bordering…
Africa’s most populated country and leading economy boasts the continent’s highest crime index and cumulates all superlatives as new forms of criminality are emerging. Nigeria which ranked sixth in the world and first in Africa with a population of 236 million in early 2024 and also boasts the largest GDP on the continent, alongside South…
A journey towards Beauty is also a journey to God. Fr Raul Tabaranza, a Comboni missionary from the Philippines is exploring this journey, making use of his artistic painting talents. Art says a lot; if you can read the message of a painting, the artist’s emotion is always there. Even though a work of art…
In the southern region of Chad, in Bodo, to be exact, an African fashion project is coming to life to offer women the opportunity to earn a living by working in a sewing atelier. Sister Paola Letizia who heads the project, tells us about it. Their names are Paterne, Brigitte, Priscilla, Janette, and Eliane and…
There is a trait that distinguishes the Congolese Episcopal Conference (CEC): its ability to intervene in the various sectors of society in which it is directly involved. And it does so with competence and determination by a widespread ecclesial presence in the territories. This does not mean a desire for political interference, but a desire…
In the northern districts of Marseille, a drug trafficking stronghold, people grow up surrounded by marginalization and violence. Here, some Catholic groups have chosen to share life with the residents, almost all of whom are Muslim, to create a brotherhood and promote development. To access the city of Campagne-Lévêque, with its ochre public housing blocks,…
Many years ago, peace reigned in the forest under the rule of the leopard, the ruler of all animals. But one day news spread that a monster was lurking in a corner of the forest, terrorizing all who ventured that way. A menacing voice came out from among the plants, shouting at every intruder: “Stop!…
The development of smart cities in ASEAN countries is of fundamental importance to respond to the challenges posed by the dizzying urbanization of South-East Asia. The need to develop more resilient, efficient and sustainable urban centres. The challenges posed by urbanization increasingly require the help of technology and artificial intelligence for the administration of public…
On 20 January, President Tshisekedi was sworn in for a second term. But electoral fraud has reached such proportions that the future looks rather bleak. Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as president on 20 January 2024 for a second mandate. On the last 31 December, the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Independent National Electoral Commission…
“What we would like to achieve when we talk about peace. Peace means self-determination. Peace means biological conservation. Peace means revitalization of our culture and…
“Young Africans are playing an active role in bringing social change in the continent. They are contributing daily to the benefit of their communities and nations…