South Asia

by Sumon Corraya | BANGLADESH - GULF

The Arab states in the Gulf region, which are home to millions of Asian workers, are the main targets of Iranian attacks. In Bangladesh some families are unable to contact their relatives, unable to leave because of flight cancellations, while Arab countries are trying to be flexible with visas and tax rules.

by Shafique Khokhar

Residents of the H-9 Rimsha Colony slum are protesting an order to vacate their homes and shops within two days. The community includes families who fled Mehrabadi in 2012 with the government's consent following the case of Rimsha Masih, a teenager wrongly accused of blasphemy and now living in exile in Canada. The eviction violates the 2001 National Housing Policy and a 2015 Supreme Court order.

| 13/03/2026
| PAKISTAN

Iran is blocking with missiles and mines the strait through which 20 per cent of global crude oil transits. After China, India and Bangladesh are trying to get Iran’s approval for their ships to avert a crisis. According to EIA data, up to 82 per cent of oil going through Hormuz reach Asian markets. Starting 16 March, Tokyo intends to release part of its oil reserves on its own.

| 12/03/2026
| GULF
by Nirmala Carvalho

The measure was made official on 9 March, a few days after a delegation met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The memorandum was also presented to opposition leader VD Satheesan. Now they will be able to enjoy benefits and concessions in line with those of other Christian groups. Local Catholic source of AsiaNews: a positive move, even if there are still some critical issues in these communities.

| 12/03/2026
| INDIA
by Nirmala Carvalho

Harish Rana, 32, has been in a vegetative state for more than 10 years after falling from a building. The court ruling follows his parents' request to end essential life-sustaining treatment. For Archbishop Thakur, the word euthanasia is not used, but the ruling opens the door to the “right to die”.

| 11/03/2026
| INDIA

According to the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, international arms transfers increased by 9.2 per cent between 2021 and 2025. Excluding the war in Ukraine, Asia remains the main source of global demand, driven by the rivalry between India and Pakistan and tensions with China. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Kuwait are in the top.

| 11/03/2026
| ASIA
by Shafique Khokhar

21-year-old Marcus Masih died on 4 March at the farm where he worked. The owners spoke of ‘suicide’, but there are clear signs of violence on the body. The community takes to the streets and demands justice, but the police report them for obstructing traffic. The family is under pressure to avoid trial and prison for the suspects.

| 10/03/2026
| PAKISTAN
Editor's choices
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
The Cambodian part of the process for the beatification of Bishop Joseph Chhmar Salas and 11 other victims of the Khmer Rouge genocide ended today. Since 2015, dozens of testimonies have been collected from people who witnessed their faithfulness to ...
| 18/03/2026
| CAMBODIA
 
by Giuseppe Caffulli
While the world’s attention is focused on the passage of ships through the Strait of Hormuz, there is another vital “economic resource” that the war is seriously jeopardizing: the labor of nearly 40 million foreign workers, who make ...
| 17/03/2026
| IRAN - UNITED STATES - GULF
 
Approved today by the National People's Congress, the legislation turns the president's views on the "sinicisation" of the 56 officially recognised groups into law. Han identity is defined as the "trunk”, while other cultures are compared ...
| 12/03/2026
| RED LANTERNS
 
by Chiara Zappa
For 57 years, the Sisters of Saint Jeanne Antide Thouret have taught Christian and Shia children and youth to live together in Dahye, a Hezbollah stronghold on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital. Since war broke out, a hundred families have ...
| 11/03/2026
| LEBANON
 
According to the latest report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, international arms transfers increased by 9.2 per cent between 2021 and 2025. Excluding the war in Ukraine, Asia remains the main source of global demand, driven ...
| 11/03/2026
| ASIA
 
by Santosh Digal
While former rapper and Kathmandu mayor Balendra “Balen” Shah seems destined to become the new prime minister, Apostolic Administrator Fr. Silas Krishna Bogati asks the future government to focus on fighting corruption, employment, and political ...
| 07/03/2026
| NEPAL
 
by Andrea Ferrario
Behind the lowest GDP target since 1991 lies the recognition that the growth model on which China built its rise has lost most of its momentum. Technology is replacing real estate as the driving sector. Behind the new Five-Year Plan lies a geopolitical ...
| 05/03/2026
| RED LANTERNS
 
by Alessandra De Poli
Pakistani rockets continue to strike Taliban political and military targets in Afghanistan, with the UN reporting at least 66,000 people displaced and dozens of civilians killed. Pakistan also faces anger from its own Shia community following the killing ...
| 05/03/2026
| PAKISTAN – MIDDLE EAST
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”