South West Asia

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’.


The place of worship, dating from the 4th century AD, was found in Artaxata. The discovery is the result of joint work of archaeologists from the University of Münster and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. For experts, it is also a "significant" find because the kingdom was the first in history "to adopt Christianity as its official religion”.

| 26/10/2024
| ARMENIA – TURKEY
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Nagorno-Karabakh NGOs in the streets against the closure of the Minsk Group, the only institution with an international mandate for the conflict with Azebaijan. A year after the military campaign in Baku, Armenian exiles are still living in precarious conditions in Yerevan or in camps and areas near the border, hoping to return to their native homeland.

| 23/10/2024
| ARMENIA-AZERBAIGIAN
by Vladimir Rozanskij

As Tbilisi prepares to vote in the parliamentary elections on 26 October, President Salome Zurabišvili is more and more openly presenting herself as the antagonist to the Georgian Dream, the pro-Russian force that has led the country for 12 years. He has demanded from his European partners the immediate resumption of EU integration talks in the event of an opposition victory. While Prime Minister Iraklij Kobakhidze is calling for his resignation in the event of his party's victory.

| 08/10/2024
| GEORGIA
by Vladimir Rozanskij

The visit to Armenia by Stéphane Séjourné, outgoing French government minister and candidate for European commissioner, was viewed with suspicion in Moscow, which seeks to keep its historical ties strong. While in Yerevan, the ‘minor partners’ of Pašinyan's coalition are collecting signatures for a referendum on the country's entry into the EU.

| 20/09/2024
| ARMENIA

Today's news: Defying CPI arrest warrant, Putin visiting Mongolia to strengthen economic and industrial relations; 1School bus crashes into a group of parents and children outside a school in Shandong, 11 dead; Explosion on the south-western outskirts of Kabul, six dead and 13 injured; Flooding and mudslides caused by Typhoon Yagi killed 13 people in the Philippines.

| 03/09/2024
| ASIA TODAY
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Political clash heats up in Georgia in the run-up to the October parliamentary elections. The opposition is looking to Europe, while the ruling leadership is aiming for control of the country (and a new balancing act between Russia and the EU, on the Hungarian model). In the background is Ivanišvili's role between the public sphere and private interests.

| 27/08/2024
| GEORGIA
Editor's choices
 
The territory’s High Court convicted 45 activists for organising primary elections for the opposition in 2020. They include well-known people, like legal scholar Benny Tai and umbrella movement leader Joshua Wong. Many pleaded guilty to obtain ...
| 19/11/2024
| HONG KONG
 
by Nirmala Carvalho
After six bodies were found over the weekend, protesters stormed the homes of local BJP lawmakers. The Union government is sending thousands of special forces, while the Union Home Affairs minister tries to resolve the situation peacefully. For the archbishop ...
| 18/11/2024
| INDIA
 
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| 13/11/2024
| ASIA – UNITED STATES
 
by John Ai
At the start of the month, groups of students begun cycling at night along the road that links Henan’s capital to Kaifeng, a place known for its steamed dumplings. For young people, affected by the crisis, this is a way to travel cheap. However, ...
| 11/11/2024
| CHINA
 
Caritas and the Social Commission of the Bishops' Conference released a statement today denouncing the fact that families are being forced to fend for themselves. Some disabled people have died after the facility where they lived was closed. President ...
| 08/11/2024
| SOUTH KOREA
 
by Mathias Hariyadi
Around midnight, large boulders ejected from Lewotobi Laki-laki, hitting buildings up to 6 kilometres away. The victims - among them Sr Nikolin Padjo, Missionary Servant of the Holy Spirit - were caught in their sleep by the fiery lapilli. In ...
| 04/11/2024
| INDONESIA
 
The government is cutting red tape to boost the economy. Many new Thais have been waiting for their papers for years and now will finally have access to several rights. Without this amnesty, children born to parents from ethnic minorities would have ...
| 31/10/2024
| THAILAND
 
The annual document for Pope Francis on initiatives for the prevention of child abuse was presented today. The Commission calls on local Churches to overcome a “culture of silence, a reluctance to report abuse, and a general lack of education and ...
| 29/10/2024
| VATICAN – ASIA
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”