East Asia

Today's headlines: Israel is on maximum alert for an expected attack from Iran and its allies in response to Haniyeh’s killing. China hits an historic low in the number of marriages in the first six months of 2024. At the Torkham border crossing, Pakistan denies entry to Afghan drivers without passport or visa. Thailand draws up a ten-year plan in response to healthcare crisis.

Kunihiko Iida was three years old when he was seriously injured in the blast. He feels an urgency to speak not only to fellow Japanese, but also to foreign visitors. “It will be tough to abolish nuclear weapons without spreading awareness of the reality of what happened,” he said. About 107,000 survivors (Hibakusha) are still alive today, their existence marked forever by the two US bombs.

The editor-in-chief of AsiaNews recounts his trip back to the Chinese capital, which he had to forcibly leave in 2011 when his visa was cancelled in one of the moments of friction between China and the Holy See. The tale of "a great modern metropolis which, like it or not, shares the uncertainty of a generation struggling to survive with many other cities in the world. A social and existential emergency that transcends the boundaries of political systems and ideologies".

The meeting of the economic ministers of the body that brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa was held in Moscow and recently expanded to include Egypt, Iran, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates. Common criticism of "green protectionism" while talks continue on "an inclusive system of faster and cheaper interstate payments".

China condemns the raid that led to the death in Tehran of the Hamas leader. Only a few days ago, Beijing brokered a deal among Palestinian factions. Caught between Israel and Iran, India has remained silent. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was harsh, saying that such a crime was only possible “in an environment of utter impunity.”

The Paris Olympics opened with some confusion over South Korea’s name, annoying the East Asian country’s officials. Mixed Doubles Table Tennis instead took a group photo on the podium with a Samsung.

In large language models, the censorship axe examines chatbot responses to ‘adapt’ them to ‘fundamental socialist values’. Also blocked is the use of Hugging Face, a popular open source platform used by AI developers around the world to share models and datasets. And despite the large number of indigenous algorithms developed, doubts about the effectiveness of the so-called ‘war of a hundred models’ are emerging in China's own high-tech circles.

At the Guangzhou headquarters of the e-commerce giant for made-in-China products, hundreds of shopkeepers staged a protest that led the company to request police intervention. At the root of the discontent are trade policies that impose heavy penalties for products criticised by consumers and the policy of refunds without returns that passes the entire cost on to suppliers.

In May 2025, Taiwan could become the first East Asian country with no nuclear energy, upholding a pledge made after Fukushima. However, tensions with Beijing have raised concerns about supplies. Opposition parties are pressing to reopen the issue. Meanwhile, the People's Republic of China has started work on two new reactors, for a total of 26 under construction.

After two days of competition, Asian fencers take home three out of four gold medals. This sport is increasingly popular in South Korea and Japan, while it is set to become Hong Kong’s national sport. Vivian Kong Mai-wai's victory in the women's epee follows that of Edgar Cheung Ka-long, who emerged as Hong Kong’s star with gold in the men's foil at Tokyo 2020.

Gathered the Myeongdong Cathedral, the local community officially began the preparation for the event that in three years will see young people from all over the world converge on South Korea for the meeting with the Pope. Among the 900 present were also young exiles from Pyongyang. Archbishop Peter Chung Soon-taek: ‘The Church wants a place for young people where they can be protagonists in giving direction to society as well’. In September, the theme chosen by Francis.

The verdict of the Unesco World Heritage Committee (WHC) body was released today from New Delhi. The decision comes after a heated debate between Japan and South Korea. Seoul's accusation of misreading modern history: Sado is a symbol of the forced labour of Koreans after the Edo period (1603-1868).