Nirmala Carvalho

Fr. George Joshua was arrested in 2006 by the religious police, for celebrating Mass in a private residence. In 2007, he founded a group that has been joined by more than 500 people. They are praying for the well-being of the kingdom, and for freedom of religion. The priest invites Christians in India to make a "positive contribution to Saudi society."

The two parties had been in league for eleven years. The split arose from disagreement over the division of seats in the upcoming April elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party could risk losing control of the state. Christians are skeptical: the fanatics have already been put in key administrative posts. The situation of the refugees is becoming more grave.

Pro-Tibet activist tells AsiaNews about massive deployment of troops in Tibet, on the ready to crackdown on any protest, even if only verbal. But Tibetans are showing no sign of fear. The danger of a catastrophe is great if the world community does not intervene.

The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India urges voting for "a party that will ensure the sovereign democratic and secular credentials of our beloved motherland." Religious freedom, inclusion of minorities and Dalits in the life of society, attention to women and to the young generations are the Church's concerns for the elections in April.

Chinese authorities ban religious festival. Tibetan monks break the ban, praying in the streets. Now police have surrounded their monastery. Tibet’s prime minister-in-exile says Tibetans should not respond to the provocations of Chinese authorities.

After a group of Muslims from North Africa and the Middle East, young converts from Kashmir join in the prayers for the pope launched by AsiaNews for this Lent. The three converts are offering their suffering and marginalization, together with the sacrifice of their father Bashir, murdered by Muslim extremists because he had converted to Christianity. There is also participation from Italy, where the humiliations suffered by John Paul II are also being remembered.

The church was about to be turned into a Hindu temple. The authorities have stopped construction, but they are not permitting the Catholics to rebuild the edifice, for "legal" reasons.

The demonstrators are calling for an end to the "killings," and are reiterating their intention to "not celebrate the Tibetan new year." Beijing continues its repression in the region in view of the 50th anniversary of the anti-Chinese revolt. Women's rights activists denounce forced abortion and discrimination.

The documentary Smile Pinki gets best award telling the story of a child who is ostracised for a cleft lip. Indian minorities hope that these successes will put the spotlight on the violence endured by Muslims, Christians and the marginalised.

Hrudayananda Nayak, 40, disappeared Wednesday evening. His lifeless body was found in the forest near the village of Rudangia whose residents are predominantly Christian. Eyewitnesses say that a group of Hindu extremists stopped him on his way home. This is the third murder since October after widespread anti-Christian violence in August and September of last year.

The Buddhist Association of China, an instrument of the Party, approves norms ordering Tibetan Buddhists to give their primary allegiance to the state. But the initiative to boycott New Year's is gaining momentum. The poet Tenzin Tsundue explains Tibetan nonviolence.

Golyat Pradhan, 22, was abducted on 11 February and has not been heard ever since. His mother filed a statement of disappearance, but for police he is wanted man after fundamentalists accused him of being a “Maoist” and a rapist. Meanwhile anti-Christian violence continues.