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World Service,17 Oct 2026,23 mins

'Cockroach' protests over changes to India's voter rolls

From Our Own Correspondent

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Pascale Harter introduces stories from India, Saudi Arabia, Lithuania and Greenland. India witnessed another wave of demonstrations this week, led by the Cockroach Janata Party - a Gen-Z led protest movement. Previous protests led to the resignation of India’s education minister, and now the CJP's leaders have called on the country’s electoral commission chief to step down too after an overhaul of the national electoral register removed tens of millions of potential voters from the rolls. The protesters and opposition parties argue the changes benefit Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling BJP – a charge strongly rejected by both the BJP and the Election Commission. Azadeh Moshiri has been in Delhi. Saudi Arabia has insisted it will respond with force to recent attacks on the kingdom's airports and oil facilities by Yemen's Iran-backed Ansar Allah forces - also known as Houthis. But the Houthis in turn argue they launched the attacks in retaliation for 'brutal Saudi aggression' against Houthi-controlled in Yemen. Frank Gardner reflects on the growing challenge facing the Saudi military. Germany is permanently stationing an armoured tank brigade in Lithuania, creating a combat-ready deterrent on NATO’s northeastern flank. It’s the Bundeswehr’s first permanent military deployment outside Germany since the Second World War. Lucy Ash reports from Vilnius on where they'll be stationed - and what they are meant to do. The future of Greenland has often been in the news during the second Trump presidency, as the US pressed for more control over the vast, frozen territory. But for many Greenlanders, it’s the increasing presence of tourists that’s affecting their lives more directly. Lesley Curwen recently took a trip far north of the Arctic Circle, and saw many signs of change on the way. Producer: Polly Hope Editor: Richard Fenton-Smith Production co-ordinator: Katie Morrison (Image: Demonstrators rally alongside opposition party members during a protest over the revision of voter rolls, on October 12, 2026 in New Delhi, India. Credit: Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images)

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