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.

In a story that has sadly gone viral in India in recent days, a villager exhumed his sister’s remains to “prove” her death to officials who were preventing him from withdrawing money from her account. The community where he now lives wants him to perform a ritual bath and a series of other public acts to atone for the desecration. Otherwise, he will be banished.

Over 200 delegates, including bishops, priests and laypeople from all the Latin Rite dioceses in India, have gathered in Bangalore for the event entitled ‘Synodal Pilgrims of Hope’. The proceedings focused on four of the priorities outlined in the CCBI’s pastoral programme: accompanying young people and children, poverty and integral ecology, inclusion, interreligious dialogue and peace-building.

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.

As many as 55 Missionaries of Charity had been removed from the electoral roll, as had thousands of other people – mostly Bengalis – in the controversial revision imposed by the central government in New Delhi. Exit polls suggest the BJP is in the lead, but there are many doubts about their reliability as the controversy has driven turnout up to almost 93%. Official results on 4 May.

The government has given the green light to a railway corridor linking the bauxite deposits at Sijimali and Kutrumali. The decision comes after violent clashes with local communities, who denounce land expropriation, environmental damage and violations of their rights, which are also enshrined in law. The government defends the project in the name of development, but protests against mining expansion have been ongoing for three years.