South Asia

China’s economy grew by 3 per cent compared to India’s 7 per cent because of Xi Jinping's zero-Covid policy and the decline in global demand. India relies more on domestic consumption. China is aiming for recovery this year, but a super boom will be hard to achieve. US companies operating in the Chinese market are pessimistic.

According to UN statements yesterday, Afghanistan's humanitarian needs exceed those of Syria and Turkey after the earthquakes. The Taliban urge people not to use illegal migration channels, but there are 28 million (out of a population of 42 million) people in need of assistance.

The recent shipwreck off Crotone put the spotlight on the eastern route into the European Union. Last year, Turkey expelled 120,000 people, including 12,000 Pakistanis. In Afghanistan, the situation has worsened since the Taliban came back in August 2021. Despite ongoing funding from the European Union, Turkey has failed to process asylum applications by Afghan refugees who arrive via Iran.

Anwar Kenneth was sentenced to death in Lahore in 2002 for defending Christianity against Islam in the weeks following the 9/11 attacks. After five court-appointed lawyers refused to defend him, one agreed to take up his case at the next hearing. For human rights advocates, defending one’s faith cannot be considered blasphemy.

The proposal was put forward by the Fisheries Minister as a solution to illegal activities. Trawling by fishermen in Tamil Nadu has a strong environmental impact on fish stocks. Sri Lankan fishermen feel that the government is buckling under Indian pressure.

Telugu speakers were brought to Dhaka by the British in the 19th century from Andhra Pradesh to work as sanitation workers, which they still do. But in Bangladesh they have always been marginalised. A few days ago, the Dhaka South City Corporation began tearing down their homes and settlement deemed “illegal”. Two Evangelical churches were also demolished.

According to the opposition, the government of President Ranil Wickremesinghe is attempting to postpone the vote to prevent the difference between the executive and popular preferences from emerging. Yesterday, agents used tear gas and water cannons, at least 30 people ended up in hospital.

This year’s edition of the Ekusha Boi Mela (21-28 February) at the Bangla Academy includes Christian stands. Some Muslim visitors have had negative comments, while others have taken the opportunity to buy the Bible and learn about the life of Jesus. Members of the Bangladesh Christian Writers Forum are present.

In the country shaken for months by political and economic tensions, the polls are set for 9 April in the provinces of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. The Justice and Peace Commission of the Pakistani Church: "A denial of the right to vote. The date should be changed as soon as possible."

Unlike the West, India cannot afford to see Russia crumble because it would mean giving China carte blanche, this according to Rahul Roy-Chaudhury of the International Institute for Strategic Studies speaking to AsiaNews. If there is little talk about India's role in this war, it is because this is what it wants. Prime Minister Modi wants to bring the world's most important leaders at the same table.

Yesterday, a group of young people attended the mass presided over by Archbishop Travas. In his homily he called for "penance and acts of sacrifice" such as fasting to draw closer to Christ. But new elements of tension emerge in political world: in protest, some allies of former premier Imran Khan purposely handed themselves over to the police to be arrested.

Upon learning of the matter, the local archdiocese sent a message to the Election Commission of Karnataka, the BJP-led southern state where elections are scheduled in May. Out of over 9,000 names, at least 8,000 have disappeared in constituencies where mostly minorities vote. For spokesman Kanthraj, this is clear political tampering.