Asia

• Israel: Arab voters may hold the key to election result 23 October 2026
  Arab citizens of Israel, representing approximately one fifth of the population, are preparing for a closely- contested general election in which their political parties could play an important parliamentary role. Opinion polls suggest that neither Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing alliance nor the main opposition bloc will secure sufficient support for a…
• North / South Korea: new military threats heighten border tensions 23 October 2026
  Tensions on the Korean peninsula have escalated after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, warned that new military firepower units had taken positions along the heavily fortified border with South Korea. Visiting frontline troops, she threatened retaliation if South Korean warning shots endangered North Korean personnel or…
• Myanmar: UN says many millions experiencing extreme poverty 15 October 2026
  More than 37 million people in Myanmar are experiencing multidimensional poverty or are at risk of falling into it, according to a UNDP report published on 8 October. About 17.9 million people currently experience such poverty, while another 19.5 million are vulnerable. The report explains that poverty involves overlapping disadvantages…
• India: proposal to introduce uniform Friday sermons in Kashmir draws huge backlash 15 October 2026
  A proposal to introduce uniform Friday sermons across mosques in Indian-administered Kashmir has provoked strong opposition from Muslim religious leaders and politicians concerned about religious freedom. The Jammu and Kashmir Waqf Board, headed by BJP-associated Darakshan Andrabi, initially said that a committee of scholars would prepare standardised sermons addressing social…
• Pakistan: at least 28 dead after school roof collapses in Peshawar 15 October 2026
  At least 27 pupils and a teacher have died, and more than fifty were injured, after a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, north-western Pakistan; it is feared that more children are still trapped beneath the rubble. The disaster occurred on 15 October at the private Al-Khair school, shortly after lessons…