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Filipino Cardinal, The ‘Asian Francis’, Is Papal Contender

Published

3 months ago

April 30, 2025

Asia’s front-runner for the papacy, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of the Philippines is a charismatic moderate often dubbed the “Asian Francis”.

Tagle, 67, who shares with Pope Francis a history of advocating for the poor, migrants and other marginalised people, is known for his missionary spirit and pastoral focus.

Wearing glasses with a youthful air and ready smile, the cardinal nicknamed “Chito” is a popular figure among the fervently religious country’s more than 90 million Catholics.

Born into a working-class family near Manila, Tagle was ordained as a priest in 1982 and became archbishop of the nation’s capital in 2011, a politically influential post in one of the largest dioceses in Asia, where Catholicism is growing.

He was made cardinal by former pope Benedict XVI in 2012.

A fluent English speaker, Tagle has been mentioned as a possible papal contender since the last conclave in 2013, when Francis was elected, and his name is on everybody’s lips this time around.

Underscoring the close ties between the late Argentine pontiff and Asia’s most prominent bishop, Tagle was appointed in 2019 head of a key Vatican department, the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples.

After Francis reformed the department, he named Tagle “pro-prefect” in 2022, leading the section for “First Evangelisation and New Particular Churches”, with responsibility over new dioceses.

– ‘Trust God’s knowledge’ –

As a bishop, Tagle was known for chatting with the faithful after mass and even inviting beggars to dine with him at his residence.

The adjustment to life in Rome and the formalities of the Vatican was not easy — he told theology graduates soon after arriving in 2020 that he “makes the Italians suffer” when he speaks their language.

He also once forgot to wear his clerical collar to a meeting.

An eloquent speaker with a soothing voice, Tagle giggles at his own jokes and injects self-deprecating humour into his homilies.

But he is also known for being outspoken.

As archbishop of Manila, Tagle criticised the bloody war on drugs waged by Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ president at the time.

“We cannot allow the destruction of lives to become normal. We cannot govern the nation by killing,” Tagle said in a pastoral letter in 2017.

Tagle has called for a humbler Church more open to the concerns of its members, and at a 2019 Vatican summit on fighting child sex abuse he pointed the finger at the Church’s top ranks.

“Wounds have been inflicted by us bishops on victims and in fact the entire body of Christ,” he told the delegation.

“Our lack of response to the suffering of victims, and yes even to the point of rejecting them and covering up the scandal to protect perpetrators and the institution, has injured our people, leaving a deep wound in our relationship with those we are sent to serve,” Tagle said.

However, he has been accused of failing to tackle the issue sufficiently in the Philippines.

Questions have also been raised over what he knew about the employment in the Central African Republic of a Belgian priest, Luk Delft, by the Vatican’s Caritas Internationalis charity.

Delft had previously been convicted of child sexual abuse and banned from contact with children for 10 years.

Tagle served as president of Caritas Internationalis, the world’s second-largest charitable association, from 2015 until 2022.

In 2022, Tagle and the rest of the leadership team were removed by Francis after a Vatican-led audit found “deficiencies” in management and procedures.

In June 2023, the pope appointed Tagle as his special envoy to the National Eucharistic Congress of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He carried out a similar role for the pontiff at the General Conference of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) in Bangkok in October 2022.

The cardinal has said he never saw himself as a high-ranking man of the cloth.

“If I were God, I would not choose me to be a bishop or a cardinal,” he said in a 2018 interview.

“But since I’m not God, God sees something in me probably that I don’t see in myself and I just have to trust God’s knowledge of me.”

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‘Top Boy’ Star, Micheal Ward, Charged With Rape, Sexual Assault

Published

2 hours ago

July 26, 2025

Editor

Bafta-winning British actor, Micheal Ward, has been formally charged with multiple sexual offences, including rape and assault.

The charges were confirmed by the Metropolitan Police on Thursday.

Ward, 27, who rose to fame for his role in the critically acclaimed drama Blue Story and later starred in Top Boy and Small Axe, is facing two counts of rape and three counts of sexual assault.

The alleged offences are said to have occurred in January 2023.

He said: “I deny the charges against me entirely,” and added that he had co-operated with police fully throughout their investigation and had full faith it would lead to his name being cleared.

Ward’s alleged offences relate to one woman and are reported to have taken place in January 2023, according to the police force.

The actor made his name as one of the stars of cult hit Blue Story in 2019, and won the Rising Star prize at the Bafta Film Awards the following year.

He played Jamie in Netflix hit Top Boy from 2019 to 22, and was nominated for best supporting actor at the Bafta TV Awards for Small Axe in 2021.

The Jamaican-born actor also starred in the acclaimed 2022 drama Empire of Light, and will be seen in the forthcoming US pandemic-era Western movie Eddington, which is due to be released in the UK on 22 August.

Ward is due to appear at Thames Magistrates’ Court in London on 28 August.

Metropolitan Police Det Supt Scott Ware said: “Our specialist officers continue to support the woman who has come forward, we know investigations of this nature can have a significant impact on those who make reports.”

Catherine Baccas, deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS London South, said: “Having carefully reviewed a file of evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Micheal Ward, 27, with two counts of rape, two counts of assault by penetration, and one count of sexual assault against a woman in January 2023.”

She added: “We remind all concerned that proceedings against the suspect are active and he has a right to a fair trial.

“It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in anyway prejudice these proceedings.”

Headline

9 Most-requested Documents For Work Visas

Published

14 hours ago

July 25, 2025

Editor

Planning to work abroad? Whether you’re heading to Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia, or the UAE, securing a work visa is a critical step and the process often comes with a long list of required documents.

While specifics vary by country, most immigration offices demand a core set of paperwork before granting a work visa. Here’s a breakdown of the most commonly requested documents:

1. Valid Passport

Your passport must typically have at least six months’ validity beyond your intended stay. Some countries require blank visa pages as well, so double-check the requirements.

2. Job Offer Letter

This is one of the most important documents in your visa application. It must come from a verified employer or government-approved sponsor. The letter should include details such as your job title, salary, and terms of employment.

3. Educational Certificates

These include your university degrees, diplomas, and any vocational qualifications relevant to the job you’re applying for. In some cases, you may need to have these credentials assessed or authenticated.

4. Proof of Work Experience

Most countries will want to see evidence of your past employment. This could include:

Reference letters from previous employers
Employment contracts
Payslips

5. Language Proficiency Test Results

If you’re going to an English-speaking country like the UK, Canada, or Australia, proof of English proficiency is often required. Commonly accepted tests include:

IELTS
TOEFL
PTE Academic

Some non-English-speaking countries may ask for proof of proficiency in their official language.

6. Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)

This is a document issued by law enforcement to confirm that you have no criminal record. It’s essential to prove your good character and legal standing in your home country.

7. Medical Certificate

Many countries require a medical exam to ensure you’re fit to work and free from contagious diseases. The test is usually conducted by a panel physician authorized by the destination country’s immigration authority.

8. Proof of Funds

You may need to show bank statements or other financial documents to prove you can support yourself (and your dependents, if applicable) until you start earning.

9. Professional Accreditation or Licensing

If you’re applying for jobs in regulated sectors like healthcare, education, or engineering, you may need proof of accreditation or registration with a professional body in the destination country.
(VANGUARD)

Headline

Over 1.3 Million Return To Homes In Sudan – UN

Published

14 hours ago

July 25, 2025

Editor

More than 1.3 million people who fled the fighting in Sudan have headed home, the United Nations said Friday, pleading for greater international aid to help returnees rebuild shattered lives.

Over a million internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their homes in recent months, UN agencies said.

A further 320,000 refugees have crossed back into Sudan this year, mainly from neighbouring Egypt and South Sudan.

While fighting has subsided in the “pockets of relative safety” that people are beginning to return to, the situation remains highly precarious, the UN said.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been torn apart by a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The fighting has killed tens of thousands.

The RSF lost control of the capital, Khartoum, in March and the regular army now controls Sudan’s centre, north and east.

In a joint statement, the UN’s IOM migration agency, UNHCR refugee agency and UNDP development agency called for an urgent increase in financial support to pay for the recovery as people begin to return, with humanitarian operations “massively underfunded”.

Sudan has 10 million IDPs, including 7.7 million forced from their homes by the current conflict, they said.

More than four million have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

– ‘Living nightmare’ –

Sudan is “the largest humanitarian catastrophe facing our world and also the least remembered”, the IOM’s regional director Othman Belbeisi, speaking from Port Sudan, told a media briefing in Geneva.

He said 71 percent of returns had been to Al-Jazira state, with eight percent to Khartoum.

Other returnees were mostly heading for Sennar state.

Both Al-Jazira and Sennar are located southeast of the capital.

“We expect 2.1 million to return to Khartoum by the end of this year but this will depend on many factors, especially the security situation and the ability to restore services,” Belbeisi said.

With the RSF holding nearly all of the western Darfur region, Kordofan in the south has become the war’s main battleground in recent weeks.

He said the “vicious, horrifying civil war continues to take lives with impunity”, imploring the warring factions to put down their guns.

“The war has unleashed hell for millions and millions of ordinary people,” he said.

“Sudan is a living nightmare. The violence needs to stop.”

– ‘Massive’ UXO contamination –

After visiting Khartoum and the Egyptian border, Mamadou Dian Balde, the UNHCR’s regional refugee coordinator for the Sudan crisis, said people were coming back to destroyed public infrastructure, making rebuilding their lives extremely challenging.

Those returning from Egypt were typically coming back “empty handed”, he said, speaking from Nairobi.

Luca Renda, UNDP’s resident representative in Sudan, warned of further cholera outbreaks in Khartoum if broken services were not restored.

“What we need is for the international community to support us,” he said.

Renda said around 1,700 wells needed rehabilitating, while at least six Khartoum hospitals and at least 35 schools needed urgent repairs.

He also sounded the alarm on the “massive” amount of unexploded ordnance littering the city and the need for decontamination.

He said anti-personnel mines had also been found in at least five locations in Khartoum.

“It will take years to fully decontaminate the city,” he said, speaking from Port Sudan.