South Asia

All family members were injured praying at home and were taken to hospital by police. Some 30 people stormed the house and are now on the run. According to the initial investigation, the head of the family was accused of singing and praying too loudly and engaging in religious propaganda.

According to a UNODC report, the drug trade is “changing illicit drug markets traditionally focused on the trafficking of opiates”. The basic ingredient comes from a plant, ephedra, which grows naturally in the country, but it is much more expensive than chemical precursors legally available. Small-scale Afghan poppy growers are the main losers.

A procession remembering a minority leader who died in 1987 on a hunger strike stopped with violence. The accusations of a Tamil MP: 'It was the military that instigated them'. The distance between words on reconciliation after the civil war and the still open wounds.

Today's headlines: ChatGPT lands in Protestant churches in South Korea; Japanese municipalities are in favour of more foreign labour; A woman accused of kidnapping and trafficking children is sentenced to death in China; India beats Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup cricket final; The Mufti of Uzbekistan speaks out against the burqa.

Today's news: Afghan Taliban have arrested 18 members of an NGO. Japan has a record number of centenarians, 73.74 per 100,000 people. Five Indonesians in six prefer democracy to strongman rule. Not seen for weeks, China’s Defence minister is thought to be under investigation for corruption. Ignoring warnings, hundreds of devout Jews, many with young children, are on pilgrimage to the Ukrainian city of Uman. Turkey and Russia resume talks over building a natural gas hub in Turkey.

At a rally, a minister in the Modi government threatened to tear out the tongue and gouge out the eyes of those who threaten the Hindu order. He was reacting to the call by an opposition politician to eradicate it like dengue to overcome caste distinctions. Fr Joseph told AsiaNews that hyper-Hinduism is politically bankrupt; India’s true tradition is pluralism. Meanwhile, India’s parliament will start a special session of parliament to hold general and local elections together.

The death toll from last week’s devastating floods in Libya is estimated at 20,000, but it could rise. At least six Bangladesh migrants are among the dead. Meanwhile, a Bangladeshi cargo plane loaded with medicines, food and basic necessities left for the North African country. Bangladeshi authorities have asked their Libyan counterpart to authorise their embassy staff to search for the missing.

Today's headlines: Emirates, maxi seizure of 13 tonnes of Captagon worth over a billion dollars; A 10-year-old boy in Hong Kong arrested for armed robbery, luxury watches worth nearly 650,000 euros in the loot; Tharman Shanmugaratnam sworn in as Singapore's ninth president; Border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan reopened, but tension remains between the parties; Lavrov: 'Russia and China withdraw from UN sanctions on Pyongyang over nuclear programme'.

Despite its diplomatic success, the New Delhi summit has proven controversial domestically because of cost overruns, with a price tag far higher than previous summits. The opposition Aam Aadmi Party, which is in power in Delhi, is leading the attacks against the government. In its defence, the authorities say that the works paid for will be permanent.

Today's headlines: Devastating fire destroys hundreds of stalls in Dhaka market; Kerala closes schools, offices and stops public transport to counter the spread of the Nipah virus; Hong Kong police indict 38-year-old for importing children's books praising 2019 protests; Netanyahu clashes over Palestinian prisoners: Ben Gvir 'freezes' support for government; Indonesia's first high-speed train operating in October, linking Jakarta to Bandung.

With entire neighbourhoods flooded, traffic has been halted for at least three hours. The drainage system is the main factor, as clogging in smaller channels impacts the entire system. Loss of natural habitat, illegal settlements, and poor maintenance are the main culprits.

Today's headlines: Tehran blocks internet to obscure pro-Mahsa Amini protests; Japanese government ready for reshuffle, more women; There has been no news of the Chinese Defence Minister for a fortnight; Jakarta wants to ban business transactions on social media; Hindu leader instigator of violence against Muslims in Haryana state arrested; Russian Minister of Economic Development proposes visa facilitation for Middle Eastern countries to encourage tourism.