South Asia

The new law, titled Saluting Women Power Act, reserves a third of lower house seats to women, but it is still not clear whether it will really improve women’s representation in politics. Reservation for women and disadvantaged groups impinged upon each other. Women play a major role in local politics, but are far fewer in higher levels of government because of the amount of time and money needed, and the role played by family connections.

Today's headlines: clashes continue in Manipur, 10 injured yesterday; In Laos, the debt trap with China may be bigger than imagined; Dust and volcanic gases in the Philippines cause school closures; In South Korea, video game champions might get exemption from military service; Still no agreement for Nagorno-Karabakh after the capitulation of Armenian militias under fire from Azerbaijani army; African countries abandon the rouble for the Chinese yuan in purchases from Russia.

Relations between India and Canada have hit an all-time low after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that India might be behind the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who promoted the establishment of an independent Khalistan. The crisis has put the United States in a tough spot given India’s importance as a US ally in the Indo-Pacific region.

After the recent revelations of the Channel 4 documentary, the Minister of Public Security once again exonerates the police, whose top management includes the former head of the secret service, whom the Supreme Court has ordered to pay compensation to the victims. The spokesman for the archdiocese of Colombo: impossible to get to the truth without a new investigation with the supervision of foreign experts.

The appeal was made by the Sri Lankan president speaking of doctors leaving the country. Qualified professionals are in high demand and leave the island nation drained of human resources. About twice as many lecturers would be needed in the universities as currently remain.

Today's headlines: Monsoons hike vegetable costs in Malaysia; Two environmental activists released in the Philippines; India is proposing a bill to reserve some seats in Parliament for women; Saudi Arabia, the talks with the Houthi representatives for peace in Yemen were positive; In Russia, the Chinese yuan is increasingly used; Moldova is implementing a "war mobility" project.

Refugees fleeing the Taliban are detained or deported after police seized their papers. Pakistan shut down the Torkham crossing for nine days after clashes broke out at the border. It reopened it only after Afghan authorities pledged to stop acts of terrorism originating from their territory. Expert warns that Pakistani Taliban are the greatest threat to regional stability.

In a message for Ganesh Chaturthi, which begins today, the archbishop of Goa urged the faithful to share the joy and harmony among religious communities. His message comes in the wake of a controversy caused by a local priest whose remarks failed to uphold mutual respect. For the cardinal, “Catholics are called to acknowledge, preserve and promote the spiritual and moral values found” in “other religious traditions.”

Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 20, proved his talent during the Asian Cup. But in the meantime, some of his old posts in which he criticised mixed university environments and the freedom given to women have gone viral. The Bangladesh Cricket Board made no statement and the country's leading daily newspaper did not cover the story.

Today's headlines: prisoner exchange between the US and Iran; Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra could be granted parole at the end of February; Indonesia reassesses plans to relocate its citizens for Chinese industries; Beijing asks consulates in Hong Kong to share information on personnel; In South Korea, free therapy for teachers.

All family members were injured praying at home and were taken to hospital by police. Some 30 people stormed the house and are now on the run. According to the initial investigation, the head of the family was accused of singing and praying too loudly and engaging in religious propaganda.

According to a UNODC report, the drug trade is “changing illicit drug markets traditionally focused on the trafficking of opiates”. The basic ingredient comes from a plant, ephedra, which grows naturally in the country, but it is much more expensive than chemical precursors legally available. Small-scale Afghan poppy growers are the main losers.