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.
The Supreme Court has ended Anwar Kenneth’s ordeal. Sentenced in 2002, the 72-year-old has suffered from obvious mental issues. In early 2025, lawyer Rana Abdul Hameed filed an appeal, with the support of Jubilee Campaign. The NGO’s advocacy director urges Pakistan to undertake immediate “comprehensive legislative reform”. The case had also been raised in the European Parliament as part of the ongoing human rights dispute between the EU and Pakistan.
The HALO Trust has completed demining in a large area of Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, which was fought over by Sri Lanka’s army and the Tamil Tigers for years. The local population was fundamental in removing the mines. Now locals will be able to get back the lands that had been taken from them during the long civil war.
On 11 June, Rashid, a Muslim, raped Fatima (not her real name) in her home, after harassing her for months. “I'm afraid to step outside,” said the victim; he was “trying to force me to convert”. For Joseph Janssen, president of Voice for Justice, this is a systemic emergency in “a society dominated by patriarchal” structures. The victim is receiving legal assistance and psychological support.
During a visit in August, India and Japan will ink the deal for the E10 series of high-speed trains. But investments in semiconductors and strategic cooperation are also on the agenda ahead of the Quad summit next fall.
Seven Christians were hospitalised after being attacked by a mob incited by Hindu nationalists as they were returning home from church in their village. Threats and intimidation have been on the rise since the BJP came to power in the local government in Bhubaneswar. Bishop Aplinar Senapati told AsiaNews: ‘People are being persecuted for their faith.’
