India

The archbishop of Bangalore and other Christian groups filed a plea, accepted by the Supreme Court, noting that in May alone, 57 attacks were reported on places of worship and other Church-related facilities. The “government machinery [. . .] can control the fringe elements,” Archbishop Peter Machado told AsiaNews.

On the day the Supreme Court ruling in the United States marked a turning point on the right to life, seven fetuses were being found near a bus stop in Belagavi, India. According to doctors, they were around five months gestation and were presumably killed after sex detection. The slaughter of baby girls the dark side of pregnancy terminations in India.

The ban takes effect on 1 October 2022 until the end of February 2023. Lorry drivers expect losses of millions of dollars. In winter, Delhi’s air becomes unbreathable; in 2019 alone, 1.67 million Indians died from air pollution-related diseases.

Annual meeting of the group formed by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The unifying trait is the desire to increase trade cooperation and promote a multipolar world. The final communiqué makes no mention of Putin's proposals to weaken the role of the dollar. Sino-Indian disagreements hinder the strengthening of the partnership between the five countries.

Archbishop Pamplany joined a protest against a Supreme Court order that risks evicting 1.2 million people from land bordering protected forests in Kerala. “Today, the irony is that snakes and wild boars have protection, not human beings,” he said.

On the summer solstice for the past eight years, the Indian government has publicly celebrated the practice as a form of natural medicine. But on the domestic front it continues to delay the adoption of a national law defining who is really entitled to teach it.

The north-eastern Indian state is home to a large Christian community. Local authorities in a Buddhist-dominated district have prevented the construction of a church for years. They claim that it is “illegal” and want it removed, yet have also not issued permits for it to be built elsewhere.

U.S., Japan, India and Australia ready to intervene to prevent Sri Lanka's economic implosion and a humanitarian crisis of regional impact. Under indictment are the policies of President Rajapaksa, who is too bent on Chinese positions. For China, the Quad's commitment to Colombo will "dissipate."

Francis met in audience with members of the Indian diaspora, marking 1,950 years since the martyrdom of the Apostle Thomas. “Don’t be afraid to rebel against the growing tendency to reduce love to something banal, without beauty or genuine sharing, lacking in fidelity and responsibility,” Francis said. “Christianity consists not in a series of prohibitions,” he added, “but in a life project capable of bringing fulfilment to every human heart.”

Protesters attack railway stations and set trains on fire following the unveiling of the Agnipath programme to limit military tenure to four years rather than the typical 17. For the Modi government, this will allow defence modernisation. Reducing job prospects by one of India’s main public sector employers has put the spotlight on youth unemployment, which tops 20 per cent in Indian cities.

Thomas Dabre spoke to AsiaNews after some Christians reacted negatively to his address at an event organised by right-wing Hindu nationalists who are increasingly accused of intolerance towards other religions. Jesus “loved the Jewish people,” the bishop said. “On that basis I made the point that Jesus was a patriot”. A meeting point can be found since Catholics and Hindu nationalist share the same love for their land and culture.

Today's headlines: Pyongyang launches artillery strikes; Seoul approves strengthening of defence capabilities with the US and Japan; fresh Covid outbreak in Beijing; one of the earliest Islamic burial sites, dating to mid 7th century, discovered in Syria; Duma bans use of 'anglicisms' in public.