Vatican confirms dates for Pope’s second trip to AsiaJuly 29, 2014 - 15:51 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The Vatican has confirmed the dates for Pope Francis' second trip to Asia, a weeklong visit Jan 12-19 to Sri Lanka and the Philippines, according to the Associated Press. Francis had already announced his intention to visit Sri Lanka and meet with victims of Typhoon Haiyan, which killed some 6,300 people, left another 1,060 missing and devastated parts of the central Philippines last year. The Vatican press office said Tuesday, July 29, that Francis would visit Sri Lanka Jan. 12-15, and spend the remainder of the trip in the Philippines. The full program will be released later. Francis will become the first pope in nearly two decades to visit the Far East when he travels to South Korea Aug 14-18. He has said he wants to visit Asia since Pope Benedict XVI never got there. Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. U.S. reacts to Russia’s criticism of upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting Matthew Miller has weighed in on Russia’s criticism of an upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. |