Dear ST reader, 

The biggest news hogging the headlines this week is Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s shocking allegation accusing India of assassinating an India-born Canadian citizen who was promoting Sikh separatism from his adopted country. 

The diplomatic row isn’t just a bilateral issue; it puts the Indo-Pacific coalition – which includes the United States and Britain and is broadly aimed at countering China – in an awkward position. Britain itself has been struggling to chart a coherent path in its ties with Beijing, as a security crisis sparked by accusations of Chinese spying showed recently. 

Over in China, talk has it that Defence Minister Li Shangfu, who hasn’t been seen in public for weeks, has been put under probe. Meanwhile, a law could be in the making to prosecute those who “hurt the feelings of the Chinese nation”. 

In Sri Lanka a year after its popular uprising that forced the ouster of then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a new, devastating crisis – not evident on the streets but deeply entrenched in many households – has surfaced. 

India-Canada dispute

Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh, whose death is at the centre of India and Canada’s diplomatic row, was gunned down outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia in June. 

Read more: 
Why Canada’s assassination allegation is everyone’s problem 
What’s the Sikh separatist movement testing India-Canada ties? 

Coping with change

A fracturing world and China’s slowdown pose big new risks for Asia, but the region can learn to ride the waves of change. 

Read also: 
As America’s influence in Asia wanes, Asian economies are integrating 
China the top dog by 2030? That’s what a survey of 30 countries found 

Sri Lanka’s ‘invisible’ crisis

The tourists are back a year after Sri Lanka’s popular uprising, but an ‘invisible’ crisis is fast developing, hobbling the nation’s road to recovery. 

More from India correspondent Rohini Mohan: 
What’s behind India’s possible change of name to Bharat

UK’s problem with China

Britain has a problem with China, and a recent security crisis sparked by accusations of Chinese spying shows just that. 

Read more: 
UK PM Rishi Sunak accused of not taking China’s ‘threat’ seriously 

Message in a movie

In deeply polarised India, Bollywood megastar Shah Rukh Khan’s latest box-office hit has stirred debate on religion in politics. 

Another Indian movie in the spotlight: 
Indian film flags importance of sex education, but kids aren’t allowed to watch

China’s most liveable city

Relatively low property prices, a slower pace of life and tolerant attitudes have propelled this central city to the top of China’s liveability list. 

Other news from China this week: 
When wearing a kimono in public ‘hurts the feelings of the Chinese people’ 
Image of pigtailed Apple customer service employee upsets Chinese netizens