Israeli arms exports reached a record US$ 19.2 billion in 2025, with purchases nearly doubling in the Asia-Pacific. Vietnam is one of Israel’s main partners, making it, its the second-largest supplier after Russia. Nguyễn Thị Thanh Nhàn, a businesswoman who fell out of favour with the authorities and was sentenced in absentia to 30 years in prison, played a key role in this. India, Thailand, and Singapore are also nurturing military ties with the Jewish state in order to develop their own capabilities.
From the FIFA Peace Prize to Trump to short-term visas for Iranian players, the 2026 edition will be the biggest with 48 teams and 104 matches, but also very controversial. Nine Asian teams will take part, with two newcomers: Jordan and Uzbekistan. The hopes of a continent rest with South Korea and Japan. Despite billions invested in football, China failed to qualify.
The eleven victims, who disappeared between 2008 and 2009, belonged to various communities, including Tamils and Muslims. According to investigators, they were abducted by a secret naval intelligence unit and detained at the “Gun Site” on the Trincomalee base before being killed. The parents of Dillan, one of the victims, told AsiaNews: “A case deliberately covered up for many years to protect senior officers. Now the government must press ahead with justice”:
Just the day after the release of the Kuki hostages, the discovery of a new massacre has further inflamed the conflict between the two ethnic groups. Among the victims were two Christian pastors. Protests have erupted around the Imphal mortuary where the bodies were taken, with militants calling for the ceasefire to be suspended. The archbishop emeritous Lumon tells AsiaNews: “There are historical wounds, but violence is never the way to heal them”
The Sogdiana Historical Museum has survived relocations, reconstructions and political upheavals, and has literally saved thousands of artefacts from Tajik history and culture from being scattered amongst private homes or sold in bazaars. Today, it is no longer just an exhibition space but also an educational centre.
Today’s headlines:More missile exchanges between the United States and Iran; In Thailand, 50 tonnes of chemical precursors used in the production of amphetamines seized; In Indonesia, fuel prices rise by almost a third, with eknock-on effect on subsidies; In Papua New Guinea, pumice is blocking the passage of fishing boats; A further 15 deaths in the unrest in Pakistani Kashmir.
