by Maria Casadei | INDIA

With a fertility rate of 1.5 children per woman, the southern state has introduced new incentives for a third and fourth child. Experts warn that childcare and women's employment need improvement. Although a declining birthrate affects all of India, the southern states fear losing political influence as well.

by Fady Noun

While the parties work towards a ceasefire, the pro-Iranian party remains opposed to "direct negotiations" with the Jewish state. Lebanon’s capital is experiencing hours of relative calm, but tensions remain in the south. The Druze House hosts a summit of religious leaders. Among the population, a growing consensus calls for peace with the Israelis and normalisation of relations.

| 02/06/2026
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
by Gregory

Stored gelignite reportedly caused a massive explosion that killed at least 55 people in a village in Shan State. The catastrophe has put the spotlight on the TNLA, a controversial militia that struck a deal with China. Meanwhile, according to the United Nations, more than 16 million people in Myanmar are currently suffering from acute food insecurity. International organisations are appealing for help for one of the world's least-funded emergencies.

| 02/06/2026
| MYANMAR
by Nirmala Carvalho

After decades, the Catholic community in Vallakkunnu can now bury its own in a two-storey mausoleum with nearly 400 burial cells. For Bishop Kannookadan of Irinjalakuda, such an innovative and eco-friendly solution avoids communal tensions and conveys a message of faith.

| 02/06/2026
| INDIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Despite a ban under Islamic law and doctrine, amulets and exorcism performed by mullahs or shaman are widespread in Tajikistan. According to a well-known legend, 40 inseparable spirits rule the world, believed to be able to ward off all human misfortunes.

| 02/06/2026
| TAJIKISTAN

Today's news: Cambodia seeks UN conciliation process on its maritime borders with Thailand. In Los Angeles, vandals damage a museum dedicated to the horrors of the Tiananmen massacre. Philippine Senator Estrada was arrested in a billion-dollar corruption scandal. The founder of an online protest movement in India that mocks the ruling party has called for mass action. In Iran, prison authorities continue to deny medical care to a jailed Iranian Christian convert.

| 02/06/2026
| ASIA TODAY

Leo XIV met in the Vatican with the heads of mission societies from more than a hundred countries, brought together by the Dicastery for Evangelisation for their assembly in the year of the centenary of World Mission Day. “In a world increasingly marked by division, war and conflict among nations and peoples,” let us proclaim “the Prince of Peace and the incarnate revelation of Divine Love for humanity,” Leo said.

| 01/06/2026
| VATICAN
Editor's choices
 
by Gregory
Stored gelignite reportedly caused a massive explosion that killed at least 55 people in a village in Shan State. The catastrophe has put the spotlight on the TNLA, a controversial militia that struck a deal with China. Meanwhile, according to the United ...
| 02/06/2026
| MYANMAR
 
by Chow Hang-tung *
In a message written from prison, the lawyer on trial alongside Lee Cheuk-yan and Albert Ho for the 4 June vigils in Victoria Park speaks of the importance of resilience in remembering the 1989 massacre in Beijing, whilst the Hong Kong authorities cover ...
| 01/06/2026
| HONG KONG - CHINA
 
by Shafique Khokhar
In his encyclical, Pope Leo XIV singles out Pakistan's first female prime minister as a public figure who promoted the greatness of humanity. A Muslim, she was assassinated in 2007 in Rawalpindi. Pakistani Catholics expressed gratitude towards her ...
| 28/05/2026
| PAKISTAN – VATICAN
 
by Alessandra De Poli
In May 1956, the hospital near the factory reported an “unknown illness” that was later found to be caused by mercury discharges from the Chisso Corporation. Decades later, the wound remains open in this Japanese city. PIME missionary Fr. ...
| 27/05/2026
| JAPAN
 
by A priest in China
A priest living in the People's Republic of China writes a letter on the "administrative regulations" that prevent people under 18 from participating in religious activities. China’s constitution protects religious freedom, with no reference ...
| 26/05/2026
| CHINA
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
Pope Leo XIV's first encyclical letter, presented today at the Vatican, represents a comprehensive reflection on the "new paradigm" that technological transformations are bringing to today's world. For the pontiff, it is not enough to dictate ...
| 25/05/2026
| VATICAN
 
The unexpected success of "Dear You”, a film produced on a small budget and in a local dialect, is reviving interest in China about the important role played by letter writing, which for over a century migrants used to send money and news to their ...
| 22/05/2026
| CHINA
 
by Andrea Ferrario
Data on the performance in the first quarter of 2026 confirm the difficulties of China’s southern coastal province, which was the laboratory of the reforms initiated by Deng Xiaoping but is now suffering from the downsizing of Hong Kong and the ...
| 21/05/2026
| RED LANTERNS
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”