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King Charles III told the nation in a pre-recorded message released on Maundy Thursday, ahead of Easter Sunday, that we “need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need.”
Audio of His Majesty’s message was broadcast at Worcester Cathedral on Thursday, where his wife Queen Camilla was presiding in his stead over the annual Royal Maundy service, during which the sovereign or their deputy hands out money to local people honored for their community contributions.
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The King, who announced in February he had been diagnosed with cancer and has stepped back from public-facing duties while he’s undergoing treatment, said in his message that it was “a great sadness that I cannot be with you all today.” He read a passage from the Bible about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples and said “in doing so, he deliberately gave to them and to us all an example of how we should serve and care for each other.”
“In this country, we are blessed by all the different services that exist for our welfare, but over and above these organizations and their selfless staff, we need and benefit greatly from those who extend the hand of friendship to us, especially in a time of need,” the King said.
The King expressed that the 150 Maundy money recipients are “wonderful examples of such kindness, of going way beyond the call of duty and of giving so much of their lives to the service of others in their communities.”
King Charles added that Thursday’s act of worship reminded him of his pledge at the start of his coronation service “to follow Christ’s example—not to be served but to serve.
Bus drivers in South Korea’s capital launched their first strike in more than a decade, which halted almost all city buses Thursday morning, after wage negotiations with management failed to narrow gaps.
Commuters looked for alternatives after some 7,000 buses among 7,382 registered with the city were out of service due to the strike, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.
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Back in January, the International Court of Justice responded to a petition asking it to rule that Israel’s campaign in Gaza amounted to genocide. To the disappointment of the petitioner, South Africa, the court appeared to conclude that Israel’s campaign was not inherently genocidal, essentially affirming the principle of Israel’s right to military engagement for aims such as self-defense, the pursuit of terrorists, and hostage rescue.
A new study from the World Inequality Lab finds that the present-day golden era of Indian billionaires has produced soaring income inequality in India—now among the highest in the world and starker than in the U. S., Brazil, and South Africa. The gap between India’s rich and poor is now so wide that by some measures, the distribution of income in India was more equitable under British colonial rule than it is now, according to the group of economists who co-authored the study, including the renowned French economist Thomas Piketty.
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The current total number of billionaires in India is peaking at 271, with 94 new billionaires added in 2023 alone, according to Hurun Research Institute’s 2024 global rich list published Tuesday.
Thailand’s lawmakers passed a legislation to recognize same-sex marriage, paving the way for the country to become the first in Southeast Asia to guarantee marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples.
The 500-member House of Representatives voted to pass the so-called “marriage equality” bill, technically an amendment to the Civil and Commercial Code, in a final reading on Wednesday.
For years, China has been testing the limits of its aggression in the South China Sea to see how much it can push before someone, meaningfully, pushes back. It’s a dangerous game that recently left three Philippine Navy personnel injured after their resupply ship to the Second Thomas Shoal—an atoll at the center of disputes over rival territorial claims of the all-important waterway through which a third of the world’s trade passes—was surrounded and fired upon with a water cannon by Chinese coast guard and militia vessels.
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In video of the March 23 incident, crew members could be heard shouting as jets of water pummeled the Philippine ship, which sustained heavy damage.
CAUGHT ON CAM: A GMA Integrated News Exclusive: “Tama na, Lord!” Horror as China Coast water cannons Philippine resupply ship @24OrasGMA @gmanews pic.twitter.com/rUIKi8ws8O— Joseph Morong 🇵🇭 (@Joseph_Morong) March 25, 2024
It’s not the first such attack by Chinese forces on Philippine sailors, nor is it likely to be the last.