South Asia

The money was transferred abroad between 2023 and 2026 through fraudulent transactions while no imports arrived. Investigators reveal links to international money laundering and drug trafficking networks. The government was slow to respond despite being alerted as early as 2021.

The mobilisation led by the Cockroach Janta Party has forced the Modi government to make its first concessions. For Jesuit and activist Father Cedric Prakash, the Education minister's resignation represents just "the tip of the iceberg" of a protest movement bound to have an impact on national politics.

In Sri Lanka, on the day UNESCO dedicated to these plants, essential to local ecosystems, saw planting in some of the wetlands of the Western Province. Environmentalist Dinusha Nanayakkara, who works to protect this environment, talks about it.

He tendered his resignation to Modi following demonstrations led by the Cockroach Janta Party over irregularities in public examinations. The news comes the day after talks between the CJP and the government. Party leader Abhijeet Dipke said: “This is just the beginning”. Bishop Savio Fernandes tells AsiaNews: “A victory for the people of India”.

In Pakistan-administered Kashmir, protests during local elections have left at least 40 dead. On the Indian side, New Delhi has stepped up arrests and security operations following the killing of a police officer. These two crises confirm that the region remains the flashpoint between India and Pakistan.

The police have cleared the protest camp set up by tribal communities who had been protesting for weeks against India’s first major river interconnection project. Whilst the government defends the project, which is intended to provide irrigation and energy to arid areas, environmentalists and local residents are denouncing forced evictions and environmental risks.

In 2026 alone, there have been over 76,000 cases, with numbers rising following the south-west monsoon. Fifty-six deaths linked to the disease – first recorded in 1962 – have been reported. The country is using military drones to identify mosquito breeding sites. Experts tell AsiaNews: “Peaks show a clear seasonal pattern”.

Following police violence against Cockroach Janta Party protesters, the auxiliary bishop of Bombay calls for an independent inquiry and accountability from the Narendra Modi-led government. For him, “democracies are not weakened by peaceful dissent.”

The movement born on social media after the public exam scandal continues to bring thousands of young people to the streets despite clashes with the police. Calls for reform of a system perceived as increasingly less meritocratic and the support of various figures now mark a new phase of protest.

The memorandum of understanding is part of a post-cyclone reconstruction aid package. Some 600 million rupees (about US$ 1.8 million) will go to Deniyaya Hospital for cutting-edge equipment in several critical areas. Healthcare cooperation is a fundamental pillar of the partnership between the two countries.

The national football team’s victory in the final against Argentina in New York provided an opportunity for many parishes to rediscover the Iberian missionary tradition, which has given rise to numerous educational institutions in India and still maintains a significant presence there. It is no coincidence that Kerala is the football capital of India.

  For the first time since 2021, an armed group seized a district administration, albeit for a few hours. The attack also had to do with control over precious mineral resources, internal tensions within the Taliban, and growing discontent in northeastern Afghanistan.