With a fertility rate of 1.5 children per woman, the southern state has introduced new incentives for a third and fourth child. Experts warn that childcare and women's employment need improvement. Although a declining birthrate affects all of India, the southern states fear losing political influence as well.

The provincial government has postponed the decision to restore names from the colonial era following criticism on social media and from conservative circles. For some, it is merely an effort to preserve history; for others, it raises sensitive issues regarding national identity and the significance of Pakistan’s post-1947 narrative. Behind the controversy lies a broader clash over governance.

Over the past five months, Nepal has reported new outbreaks in nine districts, at least 300 cases since the outbreak began. The government has launched a vaccination campaign with 200,000 doses, but shortages, past natural disasters, and the difficulty of reaching rural communities are weighing heavily.

The case of Pallegama Hemarathana Thero, 71, one of the most influential Buddhist monks, has shaken the country. Arrested on 9 May and later released, he was suspended from all his functions until the end of legal proceedings. Protests have taken place in several districts with participants demanding equal law for all, a thorough investigation, and protection for the victim. Sri Lanka’s child protection authority has reported that some 300 monks have been accused of abuse over the past three years.

Following decades of rivalry between the political leaderships of the towns of Leh and Kargil, the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019 had fostered a historic alliance calling for greater constitutional safeguards and the protection of tribal lands. Now, the establishment of new administrative units in the Himalayan region has reignited accusations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of seeking to divide the population along ethnic and religious lines and to facilitate direct control from Delhi.

The Swedish government has singled out the Sri Lankan Catholic activist for his work on behalf of the victims of enforced disappearances during the civil war and previous periods of political violence in Sri Lanka. Founder of Families of the Disappeared, he has been seeking truth and justice for more than 30 years despite intimidation and threats.