by Alessandra De Poli | INDIA

Four years after the death of the Jesuit who dedicated his life to defending the land rights of India’s indigenous peoples, the Bagaicha centre, which he founded in the State of Jharkhand, continues to fight for the poor. Despite threats and continuous mining, Jesuits and activists continue their mission to accompany tribal communities in claiming their rights, in the name of Father Stan Swamy, a symbol of justice for new generations too.


The Indian prime minister visited Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago before travelling to Argentina, Brazil (for the BRICS summit), and Namibia to boost ties with developing countries and challenge Chinese influence. Billions-dollar investments in Africa and South-South cooperation top the agenda, while at home the opposition accuses him of neglecting domestic crises.

| 04/07/2025
| INDIAN MANDALA

Taybeh’s parish priest raises the alarm about the increasing violence by pro-occupation groups, backed by Israeli authorities. For the clergyman, people live "without security or protection". Palestinians are being attacked, driven from their homes, their land seized. The last two extremists arrested in connection with the Kafr Malik raids and the attack on the IDF base have been released.

| 04/07/2025
| ISRAEL – PALESTINE

An investigation by Finance Uncovered has revealed that almost US$ 40 million from state development funds from the United Kingdom, Norway and Denmark have been invested in a company that operates digital surveillance infrastructure and technologies in Myanmar. The accusations involve software developed in China used to intercept communications, block VPNs, and monitor users. After the 2021 coup d'état, these systems have allowed the military to expand its control over the Internet.

| 04/07/2025
| MYANMAR

A special university course has been launched in collaboration with the Swami Vivekanda Cultural Centre. The first distance learning course in the Indian lingua franca was launched in January. The High Commissioner of Delhi for Sri Lanka: ‘A bridge of understanding and communication between our countries’.

| 04/07/2025
| SRI LANKA

At least 36 men between the ages of 25 and 35 have been arrested in a series of operations against the terrorist network launched in April in the country. The militants recruited new recruits via WhatsApp, with rituals and oaths.

| 04/07/2025
| MALAYSIA - BANGLADESH
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Two archbishops (including Galstanyan) are in prison after a police raid on the patriarchate in Echmiadzin. Pashinyan directly accuses Catholicos Karekin II and calls for his removal, while the Armenian clergy responds by invoking the excommunication of the prime minister. According to the government, Moscow is behind the Church's ‘manoeuvres’, but other voices denounce the use of branding all opposition with ‘the stamp of Kremlin spies’. In the background are geopolitical balances and negotiations with Azerbaijan.

| 04/07/2025
| ARMENIA
Editor's choices
 
by Alessandra De Poli
Four years after the death of the Jesuit who dedicated his life to defending the land rights of India’s indigenous peoples, the Bagaicha centre, which he founded in the State of Jharkhand, continues to fight for the poor. Despite threats and continuous ...
| 05/07/2025
| INDIA
 
In the anniversary of the former British colony's transition to the People's Republic, the Hong Kong Democracy Council takes stock of the repression. Of the 161 convicted, 102 are still serving prison sentences. On 14 August, Jimmy Lai's ...
| 01/07/2025
| HONG KONG
 
by mons. Pierre Suon Hang Ly *
The new coadjutor apostolic vicar of the Cambodian capital, appointed yesterday by Pope Leo, tells AsiaNews about the challenges facing the tiny local Church reborn after the persecution of the Khmer Rouge, who fifty years ago also killed Msgr. Samar, ...
| 29/06/2025
| ECCLESAI IN ASIA
 
by Lisa Bongiovanni
On World Drug Day, a well-known South Korean journalist and former addict, Huh Jae-hyun, spoke out against a short-sighted war on drugs that marginalises rather than reintegrate in society. While local media chase after celebrities accused of drug abuse, ...
| 26/06/2025
| SOUTH KOREA
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
The report drafted for the late pope by a group of economists led by Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz has been released. The study calls for a new global initiative for the most indebted poor countries but also lays out the rules for fairer finance ...
| 20/06/2025
| VATICAN
 
Maryam Marof Arwin, founder of the Purple Saturdays Movement, spoke to AsiaNews about often inhumane conditions of Afghan refugees in Iran, which got worse following Israel’s recent strikes. At least one Afghan has died so far from an airstrike. ...
| 20/06/2025
| IRAN - AFGHANISTAN
 
by Alessandra De Poli
On 19 June, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Burmese democratic leader will turn 80 in prison, where she has been held since the military coup in February 2021. Despite her enforced silence, her son Kim Aris tells AsiaNews how his mother ...
| 17/06/2025
| MYANMAR
 
by Dario Salvi
The Archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan of the Latins tells AsiaNews of his concern over the escalation in recent hours. The cardinal, who participated in the conclave that elected Pope Francis, was appointed by the Pope precisely to keep alive the Christian ...
| 13/06/2025
| IRAN - VATICAN
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”