by Dario Salvi | GATEWAY TO THE EAST

Iran claims that the situation is relatively calm, but reports about protests are still coming from the country. Some estimates put the death toll as high as 12,000, while Iranian authorities report around 2,000 deaths. Speaking to AsiaNews, a Jordanian scholar notes that Iran’s crisis is not just a domestic problem related to the economy and society, but touches the entire Middle East and reflects the collapse of Iran’s allies.

by Vladimir Rozanskij

For the moment, Russia tends to downplay the scope of US Coast Guard operations against its ghost tankers, which are withdrawing from the Caribbean seas to circumvent sanctions, limiting themselves to circumnavigating Eurasian territories. But advocates of war view the abandonment of “friendly countries” with concern, fearing the risk of being left with only North Korea at its side.

| 13/01/2026
| RUSSIA

An app that suddenly shot to the top of the download charts has lifted the veil on the anxiety of many Chinese people, not just the elderly, who find themselves living alone in large cities. If no one responds within 48 hours, their smartphone sends a notification to a contact. By 2030, China will have 200 million single-person households.

| 12/01/2026
| CHINA

The SDF accepts a ceasefire, leaves the city after days of fierce fighting with scores dead, more than a hundred wounded, and 140,000 displaced. Father Karakach asks for prayers, solidarity, and support so that "the voice of Aleppo will not be forgotten." Marist Blues “are traumatised and distressed".

| 12/01/2026
| SYRIA

The case of alleged genocide by Myanmar’s military against the Rohingya in 2017 has opened at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. The case, initiated by Gambia, comes after years of international inertia, in a context currently marked by deep political and military upheavals in Myanmar. The 2021 coup, the ongoing civil war, and shifting alliances on the ground are making the trial increasingly disconnected from current reality.

 

| 12/01/2026
| MYANMAR

With 4.62 births per thousand people and a fertility rate set to fall below 0.8, Taiwan reported the worst demographic figures in the world in 2025. Births have dropped by half in 10 years, and today more than 20 per cent of the population is over 65. In response, the government has proposed reforms in healthcare, welfare, and social assistance.

| 12/01/2026
| TAIWAN
by Santosh Digal

Between 31 December and 10 January, the rites of the novena and the Traslación, the procession of the venerated statue in the Quiapo district of Manila. It was the longest procession ever, lasting over 30 hours. Devotee tells AsiaNews: ‘The huge crowd strengthens my faith.’ Bishop Rufino Sescon Jr. against corruption: ‘Humble yourselves for the sake of mercy.’

| 12/01/2026
| PHILIPPINES
Editor's choices
 
The 'Yesterday’ project, which reports from abroad on protests in China, selected the 10 most significant collective initiatives of the past year, offering a snapshot of activism in China. It features “unsung heroes” who together ...
| 08/01/2026
| RED LANTERNS
 
The year begins with elections in Bangladesh, Thailand and Nepal, but also with the Vietnamese Communist Party Congress. The Philippines will hold the rotating presidency of ASEAN, while Shenzhen will host the APEC summit. Japan will host the 20th edition ...
| 01/01/2026
| ASIA
 
The list includes Japan's first female prime minister, Nepal's Generation Z, and Field Marshal Munir in Pakistan. We also have Zohran Mamdani, who today speaks to India from his post as mayor of New York; Ekrem İmamoğlu, the mayor of Istanbul, ...
| 31/12/2025
| THE YEAR THAT IS ENDING
 
by Gianni Criveller
The editorial director of AsiaNews offers his best wishes to “those who oppose war and division, who pay with prison for their fidelity to their ideals, who dedicate themselves for the least. Even in the huge continent where His disciples are few, ...
| 24/12/2025
| ASIANEWS
 
This is a time to see the lights everywhere in the city and hear questions from young Chinese about the "exotic festival" from the West. Local Catholics show a surprising ability to combine mass culture and evangelisation. “I like to think it is ...
| 23/12/2025
| CHINA
 
by fr. Gabriel Romanelli
The parish priest of the Holy Family shares a video testimony of these days of Advent with AsiaNews. Life has ‘slightly improved’ after the ceasefire, but the war ‘continues’. The humanitarian emergency remains current in a climate ...
| 17/12/2025
| ISRAEL - PALESTINE
 
After five years in prison and a one-sided trial lasting 156 hearings, the “exemplary” sentence was handed down today to the Catholic entrepreneur, publisher of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily. The sentence has yet to be determined, ...
| 15/12/2025
| HONG KONG
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”