| ISRAEL – PALESTINE – VATICAN

In a strong oecumenical gesture, the Latin and Greek Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem visited the Holy Family parish bringing some 500 tonnes of aid. Answering a phone call from Netanyahu, Leo XIV reiterated his call for an end to “this slaughter”. A BBC report documents the scale of the systematic destruction with bulldozers of entire areas in Gaza carried out by Israel since last March.


With a decree that the Legislative Council will be called upon to ratify, the authorities have decided to remove the 10-year limit on the storage of eggs and gametes from couples for assisted reproduction. The aim is to “better achieve reproductive autonomy”. But the causes of the decline in births are much deeper.

| 18/07/2025
| HONG KONG
by Gregory

The Nug has handed down a 20-year prison sentence to members of the group responsible for the murder in Sagaing. The priest was killed in a targeted and premeditated attack. AsiaNews source: the sentence is positive, but "we do not see transparency in the case. We hope that the resistance will not behave like the oppressor."

| 18/07/2025
| MYANMAR
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The 12th annual session of the Dialogue between the European Union and Central Asian countries was held in Dushanbe. During the summit, Tajikistan agreed to conclude a wide-ranging partnership agreement with the EU, joining the processes underway in various forms in other countries in the region.

| 18/07/2025
| CENTRAL ASIA - EU
by Fady Noun

The fighting is over thanks largely to the intervention of US Secretary of State Rubio. The interim Syrian president has "transferred" responsibility for maintaining security to the Druze. He reiterated his desire to avoid "open war" with Israel. The provisional toll from the fighting stands at 350 dead. For Jumblatt, “Israel has no protégés, only instruments”.

 

| 17/07/2025
| LEBANON – SYRIA – ISRAEL
by Sumon Corraya

At least four people were killed during a demonstration by the youth student party that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Hasina. The incident comes amid growing sectarian violence that has claimed more than 140 lives in the past ten months. Religious minorities and human rights defenders complain about a climate of terror and call for quick elections to overcome the weaknesses of the current caretaker government.

| 17/07/2025
| BANGLADESH
by Nirmala Carvalho

The woman had given birth on the vehicle during a trip in the interior. This extreme act is one of 160 cases of newborns dangerously abandoned every year in the garbage or on streetlights in the large state that includes the metropolis of Mumbai. The Church remains committed to welcoming life.

| 17/07/2025
| INDIA
Editor's choices
 
by Dario Salvi
An attack this morning hit the Church of the Holy Family, leaving at least six people seriously injured and causing damage to the building. Among those hit was the parish priest, Fr Romanelli. The Patriarchal Vicar for Israel and Palestine: “They ...
| 17/07/2025
| ISRAEL - PALESTINE
 
A new report accuses Chinese state-owned companies of supporting the Burmese junta's arms production for over a decade, particularly at the DI 21 military plant, where aerial bombs used against the population are manufactured. This ongoing support ...
| 17/07/2025
| RED LANTERNS
 
by Vladimir Rozanskij
Cotton remains one of the country's main exports, but earnings are steadily declining. The problem stems from the large increase in cotton production in other countries, such as the United States and India, where stocks are at historic highs. And ...
| 16/07/2025
| TAJIKISTAN
 
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
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”