VATICAN CITY: The Vatican newspaper has criticized French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo for blasphemous cover, saying it was “woeful” and disrespectful to true believers of all faiths.
The cover was an anniversary edition, commemorating the attacks a year ago when militants killed 12 during an assault on the Charlie Hebdo newsroom in Paris.
The Vatican daily newspaper L’Osservatore Romano accused Charlie Hebdo of looking to “manipulate” faith.
“Behind the deceptive flag of an uncompromising secularism, the French weekly once again forgets what religious leaders of every faith have been urging for ages — to reject violence in the name of religion ...,” it wrote in a short commentary.
“Charlie Hebdo’s move shows the sad paradox of a world which is increasingly sensitive about being politically correct to the point of being ridiculous ... but does not want to recognize or respect believers’ faith in God, regardless of their religion.”
Charlie Hebdo, known for its satirical covers lampooning political and religious leaders, lost many of its top editorial staff when militants broke into an editorial meeting on Jan. 7, 2015, and opened fire.
After that attack, Pope Francis took issue with Charlie Hebdo’s anti-religious stance.
“You can’t provoke, you can’t insult the faith of others, you can’t make fun of faith,” he told reporters during an Asian tour. The Vatican later issued a statement that said the pope’s comments were not intended as a justification for the attacks.
An editorial released before publication of Wednesday’s special edition said the magazine would continue despite religious extremists who wanted to muzzle it. “They won’t be the ones to see Charlie die — Charlie will see them kick the bucket,” it said.
Vatican newspaper denounces ‘woeful’ Charlie Hebdo cover
Vatican newspaper denounces ‘woeful’ Charlie Hebdo cover
Japan to test mine rare-earth mud from deep seabed
TOKYO: Japan will conduct test mining of rare-earth-rich mud from the deep seabed off Minamitori Island, some 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) southeast of Tokyo, from January 11 to February 14, the head of the government-backed project said on Tuesday.
The operation will mark the world’s first attempt to continuously lift rare-earth mud from a depth of around 6,000 meters on to a vessel.
Tokyo, like its Western allies, is seeking to secure stable supplies of critical minerals as China, the dominant supplier of rare earths, tightens export controls.
“One of our missions is to build a supply chain for domestically produced rare earths to ensure stable supply of minerals essential to industry,” Shoichi Ishii, program director of the Cabinet Office’s national platform for innovative ocean developments, told reporters.
The Japanese government is pressing ahead with a national project as part of broader efforts to strengthen maritime and economic security.
The January test will focus on connecting the deep-sea mining system and confirming its ability to lift 350 metric tons of rare-earth mud per day. Environmental impacts will be monitored both on board and on the seabed throughout the operation.
No production target has been set, but if successful, a full-scale mining trial will be conducted in February 2027.
The government-funded project has spent about 40 billion yen ($256 million) since 2018, Ishii said, though estimated reserves have not been disclosed.
Ishii also said that while their research vessel was conducting rare-earth surveys within Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around Minamitori Island from May 27 to June 25, a Chinese naval fleet entered the waters on June 7.
“We feel a strong sense of crisis that such intimidating actions were taken, despite our activities being limited to seabed resource surveys within our EEZ,” he said.
China’s foreign ministry said the activities of its military vessels are in line with international law and international conventions, and called on Japan to “refrain from hyping up threats and provoking confrontation,” in a reply to Reuters’ request for comment.
