South Asia

by Melani Manel Perera | SRI LANKA

For more than a year, a shipment of Tamil translations of the Islamic holy text from a Saudi foundation has been blocked in a container. The detention was reportedly requested by an official from the Ministry of Defence. Muslim MPs: ‘Discrimination on religious and linguistic grounds’.

by Sumon Corraya

The national pass rate has fallen to 58.83%, the lowest in 21 years. Over half a million students failed, while 77,000 fewer than last year achieved the highest marks (GPA-5). Scholars and educators are questioning the reasons for the crisis. Catholic schools are spared, although they too have recorded a (minimal) decline in results.

| 20/10/2025
| BANGLADESH
by Melani Manel Perera

Originally from southern India, the ethnic Malaiyaha Makkal families, risk losing their home. "We have nowhere to go,” they told AsiaNews. After decades of working without social security protections, the new owner, a resident of the United States, announced the sale of the land and ordered the residents to leave within three months. For the NGO Voice of Plantation People, it is a question of humanity.

| 20/10/2025
| SRI LANKA
by Nirmala Carvalho

The controversy over the Islamic veil at St. Rita's Public School in Palluruthy continues: the student has finally left the school. The family: ‘Great psychological distress’. The Catholic newspaper Deepika defended the management's position on the dress code. Minister Sivankutty: ‘Kerala supports secular values. No institution violates constitutional rights’.

| 18/10/2025
| INDIA
by Maria Casadei

The northern Indian state has arbitrarily denied land rights granted under the Forest Rights Act of 2006. The legal process has reached a stalemate, but the case of the village of Kajaria has reignited the debate over the slow implementation of the regulations and the broken promises to indigenous peoples, for whom forests are not only a source of subsistence but also the basis of their identity.

| 17/10/2025
| INDIAN MANDALA
by Arundathie Abeysinghe

Seven out of every 100 couples on the island are related by blood. The figure drops to 4% among Sinhalese and Muslims, but reaches almost 25% among Tamils. Among the most sensitive diseases is thalassaemia, present in 50% of children born to blood relatives among the Tamils. The defence of the land and ancestral traditions fuel marriages within the family.

| 17/10/2025
| SRI LANKA

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire, but tensions remain over the TTP’s presence in Afghanistan, which could soon spark renewed violence. Humanitarian groups have spoken out against yesterday's Pakistani airstrikes, which caused scores of civilian casualties. Pakistan’s decision to keep the border closed and expel Afghan refugees are worsening the humanitarian crisis.

| 16/10/2025
| PAKISTAN - AFGHANISTAN
Editor's choices
 
Sebastien Lai spoke to AsiaNews about his father’s ordeal. The 78-year-old Catholic businessman, who fought for democracy in Hong Kong, has been in prison since 2020. Given his poor health as a diabetic, “the fear for his life is very real.” ...
| 25/10/2025
| HONG KONG – ITALY
 
Following Pope Francis's outreach with popular movements, his successor spoke about the new poverty of the digital age. The creativity generated by artificial intelligence and robotics has brought "great progress in many areas,” but “it ...
| 24/10/2025
| VATICAN
 
by Lisa Bongiovanni
A new report by the Asia Centre highlights how fake news and phoney arguments have turned Thai public opinion against Indigenous groups (most of whom are not officially recognised by the Thai government), leading to the belief that their traditional ...
| 21/10/2025
| THAILAND
 
by Card Dominique Joseph Mathieu*
Work has been completed on the Maryam-e Moghaddas metro station, located near the Armenian Church of Saint Sarkis. In addition to ornamental elements evoking Christian symbolism and connecting it to Muslim tradition, there will also be a 2.5-metre statue ...
| 20/10/2025
| IRAN
 
After scaling NEOM and other infrastructure, Saudi authorities plan to develop Islam's holy city. The King Salman Gate project was unveiled this week, covering 12 million square metres and provide 300,000 jobs over 10 years. Commercial, cultural, ...
| 17/10/2025
| SAUDI ARABIA
 
by A Voice from Shanghai
A local Catholic offers their thoughts about yesterday's ordination of Auxiliary Bishop Wu Jianlin. The unresolved situation of Bishop Ma Daqin, who is still barred from exercising his ministry, is a source of sorrow that encourages “those ...
| 16/10/2025
| CHINA - VATICAN
 
by Mathias Hariyadi
Indonesian authorities have declared a state of emergency in Cikande after unprecedented levels of Cesium-137 were detected at the Modern Cikande Industrial Estate. Nine workers were exposed to the radioactive isotope, while scores have families have ...
| 15/10/2025
| INDONESIA
 
by Andrew Law
The diocese has sent official notice for Fr Wu Jianlin’s ordination ceremony, calling on all priests and nuns to be present without exception. Ordinary Bishop Shen Bin reportedly supported the choice, stressing that Wu is a member of the Party ...
| 10/10/2025
| CHINA – VATICAN
“L’Asia: ecco il nostro comune compito per il terzo millennio!” - Giovanni Paolo II, da “Alzatevi, andiamo”