| IRAQ

Iran accuses Prime Minister-designate al-Zaidi of being too close to US positions. Iraqi officials say Tehran is trying to exercise a veto and pressure Iraqi Shias. A visit by US officials is expected to oversee the formation of the new Iraqi cabinet. Israel is rumoured to have set up a secret base in the west of the country.

 


One year on from the lightning war of May 2025, India and Pakistan continue to celebrate the conflict as a national victory. But behind the patriotic rhetoric, new military vulnerabilities are emerging, along with a growing arms race and unresolved tensions over Kashmir, terrorism and water resources, whilst diplomatic channels between the two nuclear powers remain virtually frozen.

| 11/05/2026
| INDIA - PAKISTAN
by Mathias Hariyadi

Directed by two young filmmakers, the documentary reveals how slogans such as “food security” and “energy transition” mask colonial exploitation, against which local indigenous communities have already erected hundreds of crosses in protest. Screenings and debates have been forcibly disrupted even in various Indonesian cultural institutions. But ‘the case’ is sparking growing public interest.

| 11/05/2026
| INDONESIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Behind Putin’s remarks at the Victory Day parade regarding the “possible end of the war” (albeit at an unspecified time) lie the risks that a further prolongation of the conflict would now pose to the stability of Russian society. Thus, despite the deadlock in negotiations, Moscow is attempting to revise its propaganda narrative to give the impression that it has nonetheless achieved its objectives in the ‘special operation’ in Ukraine.

| 11/05/2026
| RUSSIA

At the Regina Caeli, Leo called for an end to the violence in the Sahel region. He thanked the people of the Canary Islands for letting passengers on the cruise ship with the hantavirus outbreak to disembark. The pontiff also sent his greetings to Tawadros II and the Coptic Church on the Day of Coptic-Catholic Friendship. On Mother's Day, he urged prayers “for every mother, particularly those living in very difficult circumstances.”

| 10/05/2026
| VATICAN

Located in the Ulaanbaatar Cathedral compound, the centre is meant to foster the inculturation of foreign missionaries and volunteers engaged in pastoral and social activities, deepening their knowledge of the local language, history, and society. The inauguration coincided with Pastoral Week, which saw the small Catholic community reflect on the theme, “Grace and Mission”.

| 10/05/2026
| ECCLESIA IN ASIA
by Stefano Caprio

The resignation of Archbishop Paolo Pezzi of the Archdiocese of the Mother of God at Moscow marks a delicate transition for Russia’s Catholic community, a process that will also affect relations with Russian authorities and the Orthodox Patriarchate. Citing health reasons that currently make it impossible for him to administer the large diocese, the prelate, who has led the local Church since 2007, calls for unity. Now succession becomes a major issue.

| 09/05/2026
| RUSSIAN WORLD
Editor's choices
 
One year on from the lightning war of May 2025, India and Pakistan continue to celebrate the conflict as a national victory. But behind the patriotic rhetoric, new military vulnerabilities are emerging, along with a growing arms race and unresolved tensions ...
| 11/05/2026
| INDIA - PAKISTAN
 
A new report by Human Rights Watch denounces the systems used by the People's Republic to promote Han Chinese identity starting in kindergarten. Tibetan is no longer used in teaching, while parents are forced to send videos to schools to prove Chinese ...
| 05/05/2026
| TIBET - CHINA
 
The pro-democracy leader has no direct access to her family or lawyers, even after she was moved to a specially built residence. Myanmar’s opposition and human rights groups are calling it yet another sham operation by General Min Aung Hlaing to ...
| 05/05/2026
| MYANMAR
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
The Latin patriarch released a long pastoral letter on how to live as Christians in light of the "paradigm shift" that followed 7 October 2023, and the war in Gaza. Like the "New Jerusalem" in Revelation, the city could offer a way of being together ...
| 27/04/2026
| HOLY LAND
 
The initiative was launched in Washington with the support of UNCTAD, whilst the global problem continues to grow, with as many as 54 countries spending more on debt interest payments than on healthcare and education for their citizens. Caritas Internationalis: ...
| 17/04/2026
| ASIA - WORLD
 
In light of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, Singapore has drawn attention to ‘chokepoints’, starting with the Strait of Malacca, through which nearly a third of the world’s oil and the majority of global trade passes. The “Malacca ...
| 16/04/2026
| SINGAPORE
 
by Dario Salvi
From Beirut, Oumayma Farah describes a country at risk of being overwhelmed by the conflict. The displacement crisis is a priority, with only a small fraction of people being accommodated in shelters. Schools are being used as makeshift shelters, putting ...
| 14/04/2026
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
 
The President of the National Assembly in Hanoi presented the Pope with a letter from the President, who is now firmly at the helm of power in Vietnam. It was precisely internal disagreements over the local political balance of power that had slowed ...
| 13/04/2026
| VIETNAM - VATICAN
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”