In a statement on Monday, Sophie Richardson, the group’s former China director, slammed UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk for failing to raise strong voice against China’s crimes against humanity.
Head of the Chinese Mission to the UN in Geneva Chen Xu (right) gestures prior to the review of China’s rights record by the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, on Jan. 23.(Photo: AFP)
Richardson said that Türk’s address to the Human Rights Council in Geneva was “completely unmotivated by the agony and the pressure and the abuses that people across China are enduring.”
Earlier on the same day, Türk had urged China to implement the recommendations made by his office and other human rights bodies concerning laws, policies, and practices that violate fundamental rights, including in the Xinjiang and Tibet regions. Rights activists say Türk’s call was not enough to hold China accountable for its atrocities.
South Korea’s Methodist Church has excommunicated a pastor for advocating gay rights. More than 25 percent of South Korea’s estimated 51 million people are Christians who hold significant political sway.
Many evangelical Christians staunchly oppose gay rights. Gay marriage is banned in South Korea and social pressures force many to keep their sexual identity secret. Vicious Christian-led opposition to annual Pride celebration in Seoul is common.
This picture taken on March 4 shows South Korean pastor Lee Dong-hwan (center) speaking during a rally against the ruling of the Korean Methodist Church to excommunicate him for having engaged in activities in support of gay rights, in front of the church in Seoul. (Photo: AFP)
More than a dozen attempts to pass broad anti-discrimination laws have failed over the past 16 years in the face of strong opposition from conservative churches and civic groups. Critics say the law will pave the way for legalization of gay marriage.
Globally, many religious groups have taken steps to embrace LGBTQI rights, with the Vatican recently approving pastoral blessings for same-sex couples. However, Korea’s Methodist Church upheld a lower church ruling to excommunicate pastor Lee Dong-hwan for having engaged in activities in support of gay rights.
Angry Muslims in Malaysia have demanded the resignation of the country’s tourism minister after a traditional herbal pork rib soup was listed among national heritage food items.
Tourism minister Tiong King Sing, an ethnic Chinese, faced criticism in the parliament last Thursday, a week after the listing was announced. The objection to the traditional Chinese recipe, known as Bak kut teh, stems from the concern that it is based on pork, which is forbidden for Muslims.
Malaysia’s Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing. His political opponents are calling for his resignation after the listing of Bak kut teh, a traditional Chinese pork rib soup boiled with herbs and spices, as one of Malaysia’s heritage foods has angered the country’s Muslims. (Photo: Twitter)
Rosol Wahid, a parliamentarian from the Malaysian Islamic Party said considering the pork soup as a national heritage touches on “religious sensitivities.” Others called on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to fire the minister. About 60 percent of Malaysians identify as Muslims.
In recent years, the country has seen an upsurge of Islamic groups and Islamic political parties who want Malaysia to assert a strict Islamic identity.
A top Vietnamese government official said Vietnam-Vatican relations will develop further in the coming days and there is a plan for a papal visit to the Southeast Asian nation.
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Vu Chien Thang made the remarks in a report published in a newspaper run by the Communist Party of Vietnam on Wednesday. Vatican and Vietnam have recently signed a landmark agreement to allow a resident papal envoy in the country.
Archbishop Marek Zalewski, first resident papal representative to Vietnam, blesses children at a function in the country on Feb. 16. (Photo: giaophanhunghoa.org)
The diplomatic ties were cut off following the communist takeover of Vietnam in 1975.
Vietnam is the only communist country where the Holy See has a resident pontifical representative. Other communist countries – China, Laos and North Korea have no papal envoys. Catholic Church in Vietnam has about seven million members.
Japan’s employment uncertainty created by Covid-19 is being blamed for growing disinterest in marriage among youth, which experts say exacerbated the record decline in marriage in 2023.
The number of marriages in Japan has fallen below the 500,000 mark for the first time since the end of World War II. Only 489,281 registrations were recorded in 2023.
A father holds up his baby under carp streamers fluttering in a riverside park in Sagamihara, suburban Tokyo, on April 29, 2016, ahead of May 5 Children’s Day in Japan. (Photo: Toru Yamanaka/AFP/Getty Images)
The dwindling numbers trigger more concerns for Japan as it is struggling to tackle a demographic crisis fueled by low birth rate.
The number of newborn babies in the country was at 758,631 in 2023 compared to 799,728 in 2022, down by 5.4 percent.
The figure has remained below the 800,000 mark since 2022.
The number of births has been on a downward trend after hitting a peak in 1973 at around 2.09 million babies.
It fell below one million in 2016. The rapid decline in the number of newborns has been attributed to late marriages and people staying single.
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