India

Today's headlines: closed-door trial of a Chinese-born Australian journalist accused of "trafficking" state secrets; Syrian "Wagner" brigade mercenaries arrive in Ukraine to bolster Russian army after losses; Washington "warns" Delhi about buying Russian oil; Indonesian radical Islamic group blocked HKBP Protestant community functions; Iraqi parliament (still) lacks quorum for president election.

On a recent visit to Sri Lanka, India’s External Affairs minister signed several memoranda of understanding. Although not confirmed by either country, defence agreements have been criticised by the opposition.

Yalam Sankar, 50, was a well-known figure for his stance against Hindu nationalists. The Global Council of Indian Christians calls for a thorough investigation into this murder and the safety and security of the Christian community in central India.

Today's headlines: the Kremlin suspends publication of Novaya Gazeta, the country's last "independent" voice; isolated from the West, Moscow looks to China, forming a "Coordination Council" with Beijing; after 25 years, former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov "goes on holiday"; the debate on no-confidence for the Pakistani prime minister is underway; Aung San Suu Kyi in quarantine after contact with a Covid-19 positive.

Justices dismiss anti-conversion petition by Hindu nationalists, calling it a propaganda initiative that undermines communal harmony. India’s highest court allows Hindus to be granted minority rights in the 10 states where other religious groups are the majority.

Today's headlines: in Russia, student protests continue to call for an end to the war in Ukraine; the largest military exercise between the Philippines and the US is underway; Moscow relies on the Syrian army to recruit mercenaries; in Shanghai, lockdowns and mass swabbing to contain Covid-19; South Korean nuns on the border with the North open a reception centre for refugees; Manama closes an Indian restaurant for forbidding entry to a woman wearing a veil.

India’s best known food delivery company sparks online negative reaction over riders’ safety in a country that tops the world in road-related fatalities.

Originally from Bihar, the workers slept overnight at a timber yard where a fire broke out due to a short circuit. The tragedy highlights the living conditions of migrants. For Archbishop Machado, not only borders need security. Sr Fernandes saddened by the fact that the most vulnerable pay the price even in a hi-tech city.

Fighter jets and a frigate have been delivered,the possible arrival of eight submarines pending. In 10 years, China has sold almost US$ 6 billion worth of armaments to the Pakistanis. Beijing is exploiting the war in Ukraine, and the US distraction, to advance in South Asia. Border tensions with Delhi remain.

Another Indian state ruled by Hindu nationalists has approved legislation that fuels intercommunal tensions. The new law imposes the burden of proof on the accused to demonstrate that he or she was not converted by extorsion, force or deception. If Karnataka passes a bill currently before the state legislature, 11 Indian states will have this kind of law.

Pope Francis did not take into account Dalit demands for a Dalit prelate when he decided to appoint Bishop Francis Kalist of Meerut (Uttar Pradesh) to the archbishop’s see in Tamil Nadu, a state where Dalits are the majority of the local Catholic community. The main Dalit association now threatens to appeal to the Indian government. Apostolic Nuncio Girelli wrote to the group a month ago saying the choice would not be “based on ethnicity, caste, language or social status.”

The gesture against Major Archbishop Alencherry and Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches Sandri in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamaly, which does not want to accept the Synod's decision on the "unified" rite of the Holy Qurbana. Just a month ago Pope Francis warned about "liturgical disputes that play into the hands of those who are masters of division."