Kashmir, a small Himalayan region claimed by India and Pakistan, is the protagonist of a frozen conflict that arose between Islamabad and New Delhi. The rivalry gave birth to four wars interspersed with political tensions. It all started in 1947, when the United Kingdom granted independence to the nations of the Indian subcontinent and each…
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The young Yazidi Janan Shaker Elias has opened a bookshop in a village on the Nineveh Plain that suffered the invasion of Isis: “When we returned, I decided that reading was among the essential necessities”. On the white shelves are volumes of fiction and nonfiction, history books and biographies of famous people, philosophical texts, and…
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The many challenges of Monsignor Pablo Virgilio David, bishop of the diocese of Kalookan, on the outskirts of Manila, and also president of the Philippine Bishops’ Conference. His pastoral and charitable commitment led him to take sides against all forms of injustice and violence to the extent that, during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, he…
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Q-pop is the Kazakh-language musical genre that is becoming widespread. A mix of western pop, electronic dance, rhythm’n’blues and hip-hop. A land where the Silk Road passes, Kazakhstan gained independence in 1990 after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. A complex and multi-ethnic land – in addition to the Russians and Kazakhs, there are Uzbeks,…
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An outgoing church that experiences the presence of the Holy Spirit. The synodal journey of the ecclesial community. The challenge of young people. The desire for reconciliation with North Korea. It is perhaps the metropolis of Asia on which the spotlight has focused most in recent years. From the rhythms of K-pop to the success…
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Sister Nancy Thomas recounts her experience at Nirmala Bhavan, an institution for blind girls in the Indian state of Karnataka. The school where Sister Nancy Thomas, missionary of the Immaculate in India, has been working for twenty years is special: it is called Nirmala Bhavan and welcomes blind girls and young ladies aged 10 to…
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The father of the Chinese Church has been declared venerable by Pope Francis. The great Jesuit from Macerata (Italy) brought the Gospel to China through friendship and cultural and scientific dialogue. “For me, China has always been a benchmark of greatness. A great country. But more than a country, a great culture with inexhaustible wisdom.…
Read moreThe two countries are preparing to increase cooperation in the military and strategic fields. Both countries share the same concerns about China and have unresolved territorial disputes with Beijing. For the first time since 1945, the Japanese Air Force participated in the military exercises of the Army of the Philippines which were held from November…
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Religion, philosophy, legends, imperial politics, and folklore – these are the ingredients of one of the most popular celebrations in China associated with the New Year of the Asian giant. The Lantern Festival. This year’s Chinese New Year begins on Sunday, January 22 with the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit. It will continue…
Read moreIn 2023, Asia will be a continent of global uncertainties, regional trends and attempts at recovery. Four general elections. It will be the year of India. The first elections are scheduled in Thailand on 18 June which will design the new National Assembly, or rather the bicameral Parliament. In fact, only the 500-member House of…
Read moreProtests in Iran continue but, despite the brutal repression by the state, the determination of young people in the streets could mark a definitive break between the population and the ruling class which, after having arrested and imprisoned activists who have been demanding gradual reforms for years appears to be paying the price of its…
Read moreThe latest census of India, that of 2011, indicates that 79.9 per cent of Indians identify themselves as Hindu, 14.2 per cent as Muslims and 2.3 per cent as Christians (about 30 million, divided almost equally between Catholics and those belonging to other Churches or denominations). However, while Muslims and Christians seek in their identity…
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Activists Nonhle Mbuthuma and Sinegugu Zukulu have stopped destructive seismic testing for oil and gas off South Africa’s Eastern Cape, in an area known as…
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Kaya was the most beautiful girl in the village. All the boys courted her, each bringing her small gifts. There were so many invitations from her…
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While the country is in the grip of a serious economic crisis, in the oasis city of Tozeur, the OxyJeunes youth Centre focuses on schooling and…
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