North Asia

by Vladimir Rozanskij | RUSSIA

The Kremlin would like to create a traditionalist far-right party, led by special military operation veterans, to be merged with the heirs of Vladimir Zirinovskij to spur the same deputies of United Russia into more convinced patriotic activism. But the move is viewed with nervousness by Zyuganov's communists, who represent the traditional ‘popular and leftist’ Russian soul.

by Vladimir Rozanskij

In March 1944, accused of collaborating with the Nazis, tens of thousands of people from the Caucasus were forcibly transferred to Central Asia and Siberia. It was only 13 years later that they were able to return to the present-day republic of Kabardino-Balkaria. Official commemorations avoided mentioning Stalin and the Soviet oppressors. But local historians invite reflection on the relationship between the Russians and the ‘minor peoples’.

| 14/03/2025
| RUSSIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Clashes with Russia over northern territories is a constant in the history of the past centuries. But today there is no rush of Heilongjiang province residents to seek a home in Siberia at all. Rather, Beijing's advance is happening through the yuan, which is replacing the ruble in trade transactions. Natural resources the real issue at stake

| 20/01/2025
| RUSSIA - CHINA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

According to research by the Modifiers agency, Russians are turning to both psychologists and representatives of the esoteric arts in their fight against stress in these war years. While traffic on astrology, fortune-telling and numerology sites has increased by 38% in the past year, the Moscow Duma is seeking to ban the advertising of fortune-tellers.

| 14/01/2025
| RUSSIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

At Moscow's Mgu University, the Metropolitan of Crimea - believed to be the cleric closest to Putin - discussed his thesis linking the collapse of the tsars' empire not so much to economic factors but to a Western-inspired split in the elites. A reinterpretation that has at its core the ‘defence of Russia's values’ and declaredly aims to ‘avoid similar crises in the country's future’.

| 03/01/2025
| RUSSIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Trump is reported to have asked Russian President Putin to meet him as soon as possible, while there is increasing talk of an end to the conflict even if it is not clear on what basis. The analysis for Radio Svoboda by Vitalij Portnikov, one of the most important Ukrainian commentators: the important thing is that the West does not allow Moscow to ‘politically swallow’ Kiev anyway.

| 23/12/2024
| RUSSIA - UKRAINE
by Stefano Caprio

At the end-of-year press conference, Putin wanted to show the face of a winner, not only because of the additional bits of territory conquered in the Donbass, but also to convey the sense of Russia's superiority against the many uncertainties of the West. The war itself has "sovereignty" as its main purpose, not so much to defend the country’s borders as to assert its independence and greatness in front of the whole world.

| 21/12/2024
| RUSSIAN WORLD
Editor's choices
 
by Gianni Criveller
AsiaNews director spoke today in Rome at the conference “The Spirit knows where he takes us” organised by the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute. The “triple dialogue” refers to the path of interiority, the commitment ...
| 01/04/2025
| VATICAN - ASIA
 
Some rural areas have been as badly affected as cities. Almost 100 people have reportedly died and 3,000 homes destroyed in a well-known tourist destination. Residents were already hard at work recovering from the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi in September ...
| 01/04/2025
| MYANMAR
 
Pope Francis has approved his canonisation, together with that of Archbishop Ignatius Maloyan, killed in the Armenian genocide. A lay catechist, To Rot was killed in 1945 for defending marriage against the Japanese who, in order to ingratiate themselves ...
| 31/03/2025
| VATICAN – OCEANIA
 
by Daniele Frison
The former Minister of Justice was unjustly detained for 2,454 days for her opposition to the former president's drug war methods. The families of the victims had hoped for a mandate from the International Criminal Court. Today Duterte supporters ...
| 28/03/2025
| PHILIPPINES
 
by Dario Salvi
Khalil Sayegh, originally from Gaza and co-founder of Agora Initiative, talks about a population tired of war and the domination of the extremist movement. Today the protests are more evident because Hamas is weakened and cannot ‘repress them with ...
| 28/03/2025
| ISRAEL - PALESTINE
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
The Israeli academic and scholar of “intractable conflicts” talked to AsiaNews about the way the Gaza war is going and its consequences for Israeli society. Talking about peace today is considered a threat. Seventeen-year-olds “don't ...
| 18/03/2025
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
 
by Giorgio Licini *
The parliament of Papua New Guinea has approved an amendment that identifies the nation as an ‘independent Christian state’. Fr Giorgio Licini (Caritas Papua New Guinea): it risks being an empty statement, without resolving the ...
| 18/03/2025
| PAPUA NEW GUINEA
 
by A Voice from Shanghai
A Catholic voice from Shanghai reminds AsiaNews of the case of the auxiliary bishop who resigned from the Patriotic Association when he was ordained and has been living in seclusion ever since. It was hoped that the tormented appointment of Mgr Shen ...
| 18/03/2025
| CHINA
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”