| INDIA

Introduced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, it provides for up to life imprisonment for anyone who intentionally destroys a sacred text of any religion. Punjab, the only Indian state with a Sikh majority, had previously passed a similar law, but it was rejected by the Union government because it was limited to the Guru Granth Sahib, the book revered by the majority faith. The new bill, which will be examined by a select committee before it is voted on, also penalises abetment to commit sacrilege.

by Shafique Khokhar

Arosa Azam, 26, an electronic engineering graduate, is inspired by diplomat Samuel Martin Burke. Success after four attempts and seven years of study. Her story has been celebrated by the Archdiocese of Karachi as a symbol of hope for young people from minority groups, reaffirming the importance of representation in government institutions.

| 15/07/2025
| PAKISTAN
by Lisa Bongiovanni

A new system is now in operation in the People's Republic that allows users to authenticate themselves to online services with a single code provided by the Ministry of Public Security. Although currently optional, it is being encouraged by several websites. The Beijing authorities describe it as a tool “to protect privacy” and combat identity theft. However, many suspect that it will make it even easier to monitor all online activity.

| 15/07/2025
| CHINA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

An alternative to the Kerch Bridge, which is constantly under attack by Ukrainian drones, the road and rail link between the peninsula and the Donetsk region is taking on an increasingly strategic role. This opens up not only immediate prospects, but also long-term ones.

| 15/07/2025
| RUSSIA - UKRAINE
by Dario Salvi

This morning, a delegation led by Cardinal Pizzaballa and Patriarch Theophilus III visited the community that has come to symbolise settler violence. They slammed Israel’s pro-occupation policy, which affects Christians and Muslims alike. Marie-Armelle Beaulieu, a Christian journalist who has been in Jerusalem for 30 years, stressed the "exceptional" nature of an "ecumenical" event outside the Holy City.

 

| 14/07/2025
| ISRAEL – PALESTINE

Scientists at the Institute for High Energy Physics (HIHP) have announced that they have obtained sharp 150 GHz images of the Moon and Jupiter, the first step in the quest for "primordial gravitational waves." This project on the "roof of the world" is part of a network with similar observatories in Chile and Antarctica that seeks to gain insights into the earliest moments of the universe as we know it.

| 14/07/2025
| CHINA - TIBET

The small Himalayan kingdom is focusing on virtual currencies to modernise its economy and attract digital nomads. The government is generating its reserves (the sixth largest in the world) with hydroelectric power, an abundant and sustainable resource in the country. However, challenges remain, related to digital market volatility, the need for training, and fraud.

| 14/07/2025
| BHUTAN
Editor's choices
 
by Dario Salvi
The founder of the Religious Freedom Data Center views settler attacks as a “disturbing development”. Israeli ministers and police legitimising it is worrying. A Judeo-centric ideology has “taken root”, but minority rights are ...
| 10/07/2025
| ISRAEL – PALESTINE
 
In the Upper House elections scheduled for 20 July, the ultra-nationalist party founded by Kamiya Sohei is trailing just behind the Liberal Democrats in the polls, who are at risk of losing their majority. Anti-globalists, opposed to LGBTQ+ rights and ...
| 10/07/2025
| JAPAN
 
According to anonymous sources, the dissident who publicly challenged "dictator Xi Jinping" in October 2022 and inspired the "blank paper" protest against the zero-COVID policy has been tried and convicted. Human rights groups are calling on Beijing ...
| 09/07/2025
| CHINA
 
The 62-year-old missionary in Bangladesh was elected this morning by the General Assembly underway in Rome. For the next six years, he will lead the institute founded by Bishop Angelo Ramazzotti, now present with 400 missionaries in 20 countries around ...
| 07/07/2025
| ITALY
 
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
 
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 ...
| 04/07/2025
| MYANMAR
 
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
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”