Pressure is mounting to save Nimisha Priya, held in Sana'a awaiting execution on 16 July for killing a Yemeni man who allegedly held her prisoner. The Indian Supreme Court will hear a petition on 14 July to urge the government to intervene. The case shines a spotlight on thousands of Indian nationals currently imprisoned in 86 countries around the world.
The Indian prime minister visited Ghana and Trinidad and Tobago before travelling to Argentina, Brazil (for the BRICS summit), and Namibia to boost ties with developing countries and challenge Chinese influence. Billions-dollar investments in Africa and South-South cooperation top the agenda, while at home the opposition accuses him of neglecting domestic crises.
At Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2026, Prada presented leather sandals identical in design to the traditional Kolhapuri chappal of Maharashtra, without any acknowledgement of the Chamar artisans, one of India's indigenous and outcast tribes. The high price and the distribution of leather rings during the show to emphasise the sandal's distinctive detail sparked protests on Indian social media. Activists have long been calling on fashion houses to recognise cultural origins and share profits with local communities.
Son of anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, the 33-year-old democratic socialist won the Big Apple’s Democratic mayoral primary. A critic of Indian Prime Minister Modi and close to the Palestinian cause, if elected, he would become New York’s first Shia Muslim mayor. His political education was strongly influenced by his Indian parents.
The tragedy involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner yesterday, with over 200 victims, casts a long shadow on Air India’s growth plans. Once the national carrier, it was sold to the Tata Group a few years ago. The accident, the first with multiple deaths for this model, hits the company amid an ambitious expansion, while New Delhi wants India to become a global aviation hub. The investigation is focusing on the engine's thrust, but it will take time.
The state government wants to arm only indigenous people for self-defence. For BJP Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, such a step is justified on security grounds, while the opposition sees the attempt to provide weapons to some communities as exacerbating tensions with Bengali Muslims.
During a major anti-terror operation in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, security forces eliminated 27 Maoist rebels, including Nambala Keshava Rao, who had led the group since 2017. This marks a strategic victory for the Modi government, which aims to eradicate the threat by 2026. The insurgency, in decline for years, appears increasingly isolated and lacking support among the new generation of tribal youth.
Even during military operations against Pakistan-administered Kashmir, false reports had already begun to circulate in India. But the repressive measures have continued even after the violence subsided. The government has shut down thousands of accounts and banned Pakistani media. A university professor has been jailed over a critical post, and at least 11 citizens have been arrested on charges of espionage.
After years of disregarding opposition demands, the Indian government has changed course and decided to include caste classification in the next national census. Behind the political move lie electoral pressures and the growing influence of disadvantaged castes. No official date has been set, but according to local media, the census is expected to take place in 2026.
New Delhi has revoked the system that allowed Bangladeshi goods to be exported to third countries via Indian territory. Dhaka responded by suspending imports of cotton yarn from India through five border crossings, including Benapole and Bhomra. In the background are India's concerns after Yunus's overture to China.
Tension remains high between Delhi and Islamabad after the attack in Kashmir that left 26 dead. Airspace closed, agreement on rivers revoked, Hindu nationalists press for armed retaliation. The vice-president of the Bishops' Conference: “May our efforts for peace continue.”
A complaint was filed against Kunal Kamra after he made a joke about a local leader, while the club where he performed was vandalised and partly demolished. His case reflects a growing climate of repression against comedy that makes fun of politicians. This trend began with Prime Minister Narendra Modi coming to power and continues with complaints, threats and even with some artists arrested.
In the past month, protests calling for the restoration of the monarchy have broken out in the Himalayan country in which pictures of an Indian BJP leader have appeared. New Delhi has repeatedly expressed support for the king and for Nepal to return to being a Hindu state. But many believe the protests express dissatisfaction with traditional parties, which are not keeping their promises of prosperity.
A crowd stormed a Sufi shrine, replacing the green flag with a saffron flag, a symbol of Hindu nationalism. In Nagpur, clashes broke out on 17 March after extremist groups called for the removal of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb. In this tense climate, Prime Minister Modi is expected in the city. Once a symbol of harmony, it has become a stronghold of the RSS paramilitary organisation and the centre of religious and political tensions.
While military imports fell by 9 per cent thanks to the growth of local industry, India remains the second buyer after Ukraine with Russia as its main supplier. Now it is increasingly looking to France, Israel and the United States, and building up domestic capacity.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an “enhanced strategic partnership” with Mauritius during a state visit to the Indian Ocean nation, with investments, maritime security agreements, and Indian support for Mauritian sovereignty over the UK-administered Chagos Islands. The visit is part of India’s competition with China for influence in the Indian Ocean.
Tamil Nadu rejects New Delhi’s three-language policy imposing Hindi in schools. As a result, the Union government blocked educational funding for the state, fuelling tensions. For his part, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin is offering US$ 1 million to anyone who can decipher the Indus Valley script, which would boost his state’s Dravidian identity.
While world attention is focused on the synthetic drug from China, a market for illegally produced opioids in India is fuelling a health emergency in Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Indian authorities have launched searches and imposed restrictions on the production and export of certain drugs, while the WHO reports that counterfeit medicines pose a growing threat.
To avoid new tariffs from the US, India has promised to buy more US weapons, oil and gas, as well as crack down on illegal immigration. New Delhi is, however, in a delicate position due to a slowing economy and delicate relations with other countries. Meanwhile, hundreds of Indian migrants have been deported from the US, something the Modi government has not yet commented on.
While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in the United States, President’s Rule was imposed on the northeastern state, shaken by almost two years of interethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki. Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh, a BJP member, quits, worsening the political crisis. Peace must be restored and the needs of the population must be met, the archbishop of Imphal tells AsiaNews.
Released today, “Sanatani: Karma Hi Dharma" is yet another picture that risks fuelling religious tensions. According to Christian activists, the meaning of baptism is misrepresented in the film. Several communities joined the protest, remembering that violence already out broke for the same reasons in the tribal-majority state in 2008.
The two main parties are using the same tactic of handing out subsidies to attract the poorest voters. In recent years, support for Prime Minister Modi's party has grown, but several uncertainties remain. Voting takes place on 5 February with results on 8 February.
A racket involving doctors from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu was uncovered in Rangareddy district, with widows among those exploited. At least 200,000 patients in India are in need of a kidney transplant but only 7,500 ‘legal’ operations are carried out in a year due to the low number of donations.
Trump, who takes office on 20 January, opposed visas for highly skilled jobs, but changed his mind after comments from Elon Musk, whose companies rely on Indian labour. Yet, many US companies have cut job offers, while others have warned their foreign employees against travelling outside the United States to avoid not being able to return.
India’s foreign secretary met Afghanistan’s acting foreign minister in Dubai. In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs stressed the importance of humanitarian aid to the Afghan people, but it is also in New Delhi's interest to develop trade through the Iranian port of Chabahar to bypass the ports of Karachi and Gwadar, in rival Pakistan.
In the past few days, two proposals for constitutional amendments to merge elections had been tabled but did not receive parliamentary approval. The plan was to hold the general consultations and those of the individual states at the same time. For the supporters, including the BJP, this system would obscure the role of regional parties.
Another tragedy yesterday claimed seven lives in Dindigul in Tamil Nadu, last month the case of ten newborn babies killed by flames in Utaar Pradesh. At least 11 serious accidents with more than 100 deaths in the last five years. The causes are always the same: poorly designed emergency exits, failure to check the electrical load, carelessness in storing combustible materials. And justice is slow to prosecute those responsible.
The Indian government has adopted infrastructure development policies for the country’s north-eastern state to increase connections with Bangladesh, but political and religious tensions now risk complicating the situation. Despite calls for diplomacy in New Delhi and Dhaka, Tripura hotels and hospitals say they do not want Bangladeshis.
Local councils forced about a hundred Christians to leave or renounce their faith. The police did not intervene immediately and at least 40 people were forced to take refuge in churches after their property was destroyed. According to some oraganizations, there has been an increase in violence against the Christian community in this Indian State this year.
According to the US Attorney for New York’s eastern district, the businessman close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi lied about investigations into his activities and the transparency of his companies in order to secure US investments. The case highlights the shortcomings of the Securities and Exchange Board of India, the country’s regulatory body for securities and commodity markets.
