Armenia

by Vladimir Rozanskij | ARMENIA

For the first time since the ‘velvet revolution’ of 2018, the Armenian premier showed his face shaved of his beard. A gesture to wink at the need to ‘bring the country back to zero’, an expression he increasingly used to call for ‘looking at the real Armenia and not the land of dreams’.


Today's news: partial IDF withdrawal from Gaza after a week-long offensive; Kathmandu towards new coalition government following parliamentary no-confidence vote for K.P. Sharma Oli; Thailand increases visa-free countries to 93 to boost tourism (and trade); 'Wandering' monk Thich Minh Tue reappears after a month.

| 13/07/2024
| ASIA TODAY
by Vladimir Rozanskij

One of the most important festivals in Armenian Christianity recalls in its name the ancient custom of washing oneself with rosewater. This is why - in the hottest time of the year - everyone is allowed the playful gesture of bathing each other that children eagerly await. A gesture of purification, feeling part of a single family, a sentiment yearned for in this time of great conflict in the country.

| 10/07/2024
| ARMENIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

According to Russian political scientist Dmitry Trenin, with a change in leadership Armenia would no longer find allies in the West; the US would step aside, and Azerbaijan and Turkey would be free to deal with an insurgent Armenian government on their own. The important thing for Moscow is that "another unfriendly front is not formed".

| 28/06/2024
| ARMENIA

This morning, the pontiff received the members of ROACO in Rome for their plenary assembly. The pontiff spoke about the various areas torn by violence in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. He also referred to the demographic decline of Christians and expressed concern for the pastoral care for diasporic communities. War is a “senseless and inconclusive venture,” he bemoaned. “There is urgent need for a ceasefire,” he said, since in war, “no one emerges a winner.”

| 27/06/2024
| VATICAN – MIDEAST

Today's headlines: Israeli protests Armenian recognition of the Palestinian state, continues to attack Rafah, killing 45. China wants to execute supporters of Taiwanese independence. Five Pakistani soldiers are killed in a TTP attack near the Afghan border. Russia’s parliament further restricts immigration.

| 22/06/2024
| ASIA TODAY
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Archbishop Galstanyan is not just haranguing the crowds, but urging them to storm the palaces of power. According to many, Patriarch Karekin II himself is behind the escalation, denouncing the "continuous policy of unilateral surrender" in relations with Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Pašinyan, on the other hand, calls the bishops "agents provocateurs" who want to lead to war "as in the days of Byzantium".

| 21/06/2024
| ARMENIA
Editor's choices
 
by Gianni Criveller
Editor-in-chief Fr Gianni Criveller's wish to AsiaNews readers on the feast that opens this year's Jubilee. "We are close to the Christian communities of Asia who live this time as an occasion for evangelisation. Even in a world marked ...
| 24/12/2024
| ASIANEWS
 
by Dario Salvi
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| 24/12/2024
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
 
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In his address at the ceremony in Oslo, 92-year-old Terumi Tanaka warned: “[T]here are 4,000 nuclear warheads, ready to be launched immediately.” This means that, “Any one of you could become either a victim or a perpetrator, at any ...
| 10/12/2024
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After six months, the township of Maungdaw has fallen to the AA, while fighting continues in the south of the state. The ethnic Buddhist militia seems set to establish its own state and many fear that it might take revenge against Rohingya after some ...
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“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”