Politics
India’s cockroach swarm: youth anger and democracy’s warning signal
In May an unexpected political emblem emerged in India’s increasingly restless democratic landscape: the cockroach. An insect commonly associated with filth, nuisance and extermination was transformed into a symbol of resistance after the Chief Justice of India likened unemployed young activists and online critics to ‘cockroaches’ and ‘parasites’. What might have passed as an insensitive remark sparked an extraordinary act of political reclamation. Within hours, the insult was transformed into a rallying cry. Madhavi Ravikumar reports.
Alia’s story – it’s hard being a woman in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan
Understanding life in Afghanistan has been difficult since the Taliban came to power – for the second time – in August 2021. One of the few international journalists to have gained access to the country is BBC correspondent Yogita Limaye. Here she tells Alia’s story.
Life in an open-air prison camp
My family’s journey to the camp began in 1991, when Burma’s military launched an exclusionary operation known as Operation Pyi Thaya, or ‘Clean and Beautiful Nation’. They crossed into Bangladesh as refugees. In 1993, under an agreement involving UNHCR, Bangladesh and Burma, now known as Myanmar, a process called ‘Operation Hope’ promised protection and voluntary repatriation. More than three decades later, that hope remains unfulfilled. I am Forid Alam and this is my story.
Bangladesh’s Rohingya community: a crisis without an exit
When Bangladesh’s new BNP-led government assumed office, Rohingya refugees once again found themselves listening closely to the language of power in Dhaka. The familiar words had returned: repatriation, shortage of funds, national security, and international cooperation. Sushmita S Preetha reports from Dhaka.
Kyrgyzstan’s ruling tandem breaks amid new sanctions scrutiny
Kyrgyzstan kickstarted summer with a diplomatic triumph, becoming the second Central Asian state after Kazakhstan to win a non-permanent UN Security Council seat. But new European Union sanctions over trade with Russia and the collapse of the republic’s ruling ‘tandem’ have added a fresh dose of risk for a country where trouble is never far away, as Chris Rickleton reports.
The China-fication of Vietnam
From the history archives to the state media to the presidency, something is happening in Vietnam. New rules, new restrictions and new structures all point to a change in the political system, as Bill Hayton reports.
Cambodia cracks down, but scam networks move on
Cambodia wants to show the world it is finally cleaning up its multibillion-dollar scam economy. But locals and experts warn that the syndicates’ roots remain deep, and that the business is dispersing across Southeast Asia rather than disappearing. Nyein Chan Aye reports.
Remembering Tiananmen
In China, June 4th is a sensitive date. As the anniversary approaches, an old ritual unfolds: censors spring into action, social media posts disappear and searches for ‘Tiananmen’, ‘June Fourth’, ‘1989’ are scrubbed from the internet. Activists are placed under surveillance, while foreign journalists mark an event that officially never happened. For the writer and former factory worker Lijia Zhang, the date holds special significance.
Power lines across the Himalayas
For much of the past two decades, South Asia’s energy security has been defined by distance, particularly its dependence on oil and gas imports from the Gulf. Recent volatility in the Middle East has added urgency to a quieter, longer-term trend: the push to trade electricity across the region’s own borders. Udisha Saklani reports.
India and neighbours weather the Hormuz blockade
South Asian countries have been badly affected by the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Kavita Chowdhury reports on how fuel shortages are affecting people in India, Bangladesh and the Himalayan region.
Iran’s blackout state
Iran has been under an internet blackout since the war began at the end of February. This follows an earlier 21-day blackout in January during the nationwide uprising against the Islamic Republic. Together, the two shutdowns mean Iranians have been cut off from the global internet for roughly 72 per cent of the year so far. As Nazenin Ansari reports, this suggests that the core conflict in Iran may not be between Tehran and foreign adversaries, but between the Islamic Republic and Iranian society itself.
Pakistan and Afghanistan navigate the Hormuz blockade
The prolonged blockade through the Strait of Hormuz is raising costs and uncertainty across South and Central Asia. Few countries are as exposed as Pakistan and Afghanistan. Yet while the crisis threatens economic disruption, it has created an opportunity for Islamabad to reposition itself as an increasingly consequential diplomatic and logistical actor, as Iftikar Firdous reports.
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