Geographical areas In the spotlight

Migrants

 
Lebanon and the impossible mission of repatriating Syrian refugees
by Fady Noun

The economic and human burden of displaced Syrians in Lebanon has become unbearable. The government is trying to do its utmost to identify and repatriate some two million refugees, knowing that their presence risks altering the country’s ethno-demographic balance. Yet, the prospect of return is opposed by Syrians who fled Assad and do not believe in his reassurances.

| 03/05/2023
| LEBANON - SYRIA
 
Thailand’s 'little ghosts' are back in South Korea
by Steve Suwannarat

With pandemic restrictions lifted, undocumented Thai migrants are back in South Korea, the result of a tight labour market under a legal regime that limits immigration and favours illegality and abuses.

| 03/05/2023
| SOUTH KOREA
Editor's choices
 
On eve of Osaka Expo: rethinking the future with technological innovation
The metropolis will host the universal exposition from 13th April to 13th October, with the theme ‘Designing tomorrow's society for our lives’. Osaka had already hosted the event in 1970, the first in Asia, and today it retains the ...
| 08/04/2025
| JAPAN
 
New Humanity brings hope through youth in quake cripled Myanmar
The NGO, supported by the PIME Foundation, is bringing aid to the areas most affected by the earthquake of 28 March, aggravated by four years of civil war. In Mandalay and on Inle Lake thousands of houses have been destroyed, as the aid workers report. The ...
| 04/04/2025
| MYANMAR
 
Trump's tariffs, Cambodia’s 'record'
by Steve Suwannarat
The highest US tariff announced last night is 49 per cent, which will affect imports from Cambodia. The Southeast Asian country fears serious consequences for growth and jobs. According to several observers, the real goal of the Trump administration ...
| 03/04/2025
| CAMBODIA - UNITED STATES
 
China adds new restrictions on foreigners' religious activities
by Giorgio Bernardelli
The authorities have announced “Detailed Rules” coming into effect on 1 May. Non-Chinese are asked to "respect independence and self-government" and obey the Party's instructions. Foreigners and Chinese are not allowed to take part in ...
| 02/04/2025
| CHINA
 
How the Council walked the roads of Asia
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
 
Earthquake devastates fishermen's stilt houses on Inle Lake
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
 
Peter To Rot, the first saint of Papua New Guinea
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
 
Leila de Lima: After Duterte's arrest, the Philippines must recover its soul
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
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”