South Asia

by Melani Manel Perera | SRI LANKA

Transparency International expressed “serious concern” over Kapila Chandrasena’s death. The investigation into the aircraft procurement is ongoing “without obstruction or delay”. The airline’s former CEO died on 8 May in Kollupitiya, after a new arrest warrant was issued against him. The 61-year-old was accused of receiving millions of dollars in bribes. Police view his death as suspicious.

by Arundathie Abeysinghe

The island is becoming a new hotspot for foreign-operated online scam operations. Local authorities are concerned over their negative impact on the country’s image and economy, especially tourism. Police have arrested people from Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Madagascar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as seized laptops and mobile phones.

 

| 06/05/2026
| SRI LANKA

The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party won 108 of 234 seats, falling short of an absolute majority, while the BJP won only one seat, remaining weak in southern India. The success of Vijay, a Tamil Christian, appears to be linked to growing discontent with the duopoly of local parties and his strong capacity for popular mobilisation, but building alliances will be a challenge.

| 05/05/2026
| INDIA

Nepal has sent diplomatic notes to India and China protesting the reopening of the Lipulekh corridor for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. It claims sovereignty over the area, whose borders date back to colonial times. The Nepali government claims it was not consulted and accuses India of unilateral actions, while China, although remaining on the sidelines, has so far effectively backed India's position.

| 04/05/2026
| NEPAL
by Shafique Khokhar

The church organisation set up such centres in St. Michael's Parish. An estimated 400 to 500 out-of-school students between the ages of 6 and 14 are not going to school in the area. Among the causes are poverty, child labour, and climate change. For Father Nobert Nazir, they are “a sign of hope. Education is not a privilege”.

| 04/05/2026
| PAKISTAN

Between 2021 and 2025, 37,740 Indian workers died abroad, over 86% of them in Gulf countries, and reports of abuse and exploitation are also on the rise. However, migration flows remain central to the Indian economy, due to remittances. The crisis in the Middle East is putting pressure on an already fragile system, including from an energy perspective, and in the long term risks causing a domestic economic shock.

| 01/05/2026
| INDIAN MANDALA

FIFA has decided to allow Afghan players to represent their country in international women’s competitions, despite the Taliban's failure to recognise them. At the same time, Afghan men are expelled from Europe under controversial agreements, while the country is still in the grips of a serious humanitarian crisis. Al-Qaeda backs the Taliban against the Pakistani government.

 

| 30/04/2026
| AFGHANISTAN
Editor's choices
 
One year on from the lightning war of May 2025, India and Pakistan continue to celebrate the conflict as a national victory. But behind the patriotic rhetoric, new military vulnerabilities are emerging, along with a growing arms race and unresolved tensions ...
| 11/05/2026
| INDIA - PAKISTAN
 
A new report by Human Rights Watch denounces the systems used by the People's Republic to promote Han Chinese identity starting in kindergarten. Tibetan is no longer used in teaching, while parents are forced to send videos to schools to prove Chinese ...
| 05/05/2026
| TIBET - CHINA
 
The pro-democracy leader has no direct access to her family or lawyers, even after she was moved to a specially built residence. Myanmar’s opposition and human rights groups are calling it yet another sham operation by General Min Aung Hlaing to ...
| 05/05/2026
| MYANMAR
 
by Giorgio Bernardelli
The Latin patriarch released a long pastoral letter on how to live as Christians in light of the "paradigm shift" that followed 7 October 2023, and the war in Gaza. Like the "New Jerusalem" in Revelation, the city could offer a way of being together ...
| 27/04/2026
| HOLY LAND
 
The initiative was launched in Washington with the support of UNCTAD, whilst the global problem continues to grow, with as many as 54 countries spending more on debt interest payments than on healthcare and education for their citizens. Caritas Internationalis: ...
| 17/04/2026
| ASIA - WORLD
 
In light of the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, Singapore has drawn attention to ‘chokepoints’, starting with the Strait of Malacca, through which nearly a third of the world’s oil and the majority of global trade passes. The “Malacca ...
| 16/04/2026
| SINGAPORE
 
by Dario Salvi
From Beirut, Oumayma Farah describes a country at risk of being overwhelmed by the conflict. The displacement crisis is a priority, with only a small fraction of people being accommodated in shelters. Schools are being used as makeshift shelters, putting ...
| 14/04/2026
| GATEWAY TO THE EAST
 
The President of the National Assembly in Hanoi presented the Pope with a letter from the President, who is now firmly at the helm of power in Vietnam. It was precisely internal disagreements over the local political balance of power that had slowed ...
| 13/04/2026
| VIETNAM - VATICAN
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”