By Kalinga Seneviratne

BUKHARA, Uzbekistan (IDN) – The city of Bukhara was a major trading hub of the ancient Silk Routes that connected Asia to the Arab world and Europe. With the Uzbekistan government’s lifting of restrictions on foreign tourists in 2016 and global interests on the ancient Silk Routes gathering momentum, this 2000-year-old city is poised to become a major tourist hub of Central Asia.

The city grew up nourished by the merchants that arrived from Persia, India, China and Russia and it was a popular and important resting point in the development of these routes between the 10th and 17th centuries. (P06) ARABIC | CHINESE | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | TURKISH
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By Sean Buchanan

NEW YORK (IDN) – Following a recent series of hate-fuelled attacks on places of worship around the world, a forum on intercultural dialogue was told May 2 that “in all these heinous and cowardly attacks… we see a common pattern: hatred of the ‘other’. These criminals are hijacking entire faith communities, pitting religions against each other.”

Miguel Angel Moratinos, High Representative for the Alliance of Civilisations (UNOAC), who was addressing the UN-backed 5th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in Baku, Azerbaijan, said that the problem is never faith, it is “those who manipulate the faithful and turn them against each other by their perverted interpretations of holy texts.” (P05) HINDI | INDONESIAN | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF
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By Kalinga Seneviratne

SUUSAMYR, Kyrgyzstan (IDN) – Travelling on the new Silk Roads recently upgraded by the Chinese, one drives up through stunning mountains that are still covered by snow even as summer approaches. The road from Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek climbs up to a peak of about 4.000 meters before descending over 1500 meters to a picturesque valley to reach one of the remotest communities in the country, the village of Suusamyr home to about 1,300 traditionally nomadic people. (P03) GERMAN |  JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | TURKISH
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By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – Many African countries are looking for profitable business, investment and trade rather than development aid. Now Angola, a south-central Africa, has announced corporate plans to diversify its state business away from purchasing to full-fledged manufacturing of Russian military equipment for the southern African market, and possibly other regions in Africa – impeding realization of the Sustainable Development Goal 16 calling for peace and justice. (P02) JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF | PORTUGUESE | SWAHILI
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By Ramesh Jaura

BERLIN | VATICAN CITY (IDN) – Much water has flown under the Tiber bridges since the Holy See declined an invitation in 1923 to join the League of Nations stating that its only competency was in matters of elucidation of questions of principle in morality and public international law.

Forty-one years later, the Holy See became a permanent observer state at the United Nations on April 6, 1964. Since then four Popes have addressed the UN General Assembly: Paul VI in 1965, John Paul II in 1979 and 1995, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in 2008, and Pope Francis in 2015.  JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF
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By Ramesh Jaura

VATICAN CITY (IDN) – Nearly six months before the heads of state and government convene to review the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the UN General Assembly’s ‘SDG Summit’ in September, the world religions have tasked themselves with elaborating “a road map or lines of action that can connect religious contributions to the implementation of the SDGs”.

“The idea is to work together on this joint ‘journey’ in order to raise ambition and forge a new global solidarity,” Cardinal Peter K. Turkson, a Ghanaian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, who heads the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, said in an interview with IDN. | JAPANESE TEXT VERSION PDF
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