South Asia

Maharashtra's deputy chief minister was 66 when the plane crashed after taking off from Mumbai. Everybody on board, Pawar’s staff and the crew, perished. The cause of the crash is not yet known. The nephew of Sharad Pawar and a key figure in the Nationalist Congress Party's split, Ajit Pawar led his party in an alliance with Narendra Modi's BJP. Condolences are being expressed by political leaders. The Catholic Church also expressed its closeness to the family and the people of Maharashtra.

Some officers were detained and suspended after Father Milan Priyadarshana was beaten while returning home from an evening service. This morning, the Archdiocese of Colombo organised a silent demonstration against police violence and abuse.

After years of negotiations, the conclusion of a comprehensive trade agreement has been announced, which reduces tariffs, facilitates trade and investment, and strengthens strategic cooperation, including in the areas of security and defence. The deal follows increased tensions with the United States and competition with China. For New Delhi, the move reinforces the idea of ​​India at the centre of the economic and geopolitical balance between the West and the Global South.

One of India's highest honours was bestowed upon the Mumbai neonatologist who drastically cut infant mortality. Founder of India's first milk bank, she also put her work in the service of women in the city slums. Many times, “I have felt God holding my hands,” she said, and “‘This is what you have to do’.”

During the UN periodic review, the Maldivian government defended its proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 12, arguing that it is necessary to combat the recruitment of minors by gangs. UN experts and the country's human rights commission, however, expressed serious concerns about the risk of criminalising children and the child protection system’s shortcomings.

Lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari was arrested along with her husband while on her way to court. Both are involved in a series of proceedings related to social media posts and demonstrations in front of judicial institutions. The arrest has sparked strikes by bar associations. Some observers speak of yet another worrying sign for the rule of law and freedom of expression in Pakistan.

Activists from the extremist group Vishwa Hindu Parishad demonstrated in front of Holy Cross Convent School in Dharmanagar, demanding that a Hindu puja be celebrated on campus, forcing the school administration to call the police and suspend classes. The principal denounces a climate of growing intimidation. The bishop of Agartala tells AsiaNews: “These kinds of requests and accusations are unfounded and are a way to create divisions.”

Tribal leaders slam the authorities for pressuring them to sign “surrender certificates” and lose their ancestral lands hit by the 2004 tsunami. At the heart of the dispute is the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, a plan of nearly US$ 9 billion that includes a port, an airport, and a power plant. The Nicobarese and Shompen peoples are demanding to right to return to their original villages, while environmentalists and scientists warn that the plan poses risks to biodiversity and is threatened by seismic activity.

Bangladesh will not participate in the Men's T20 World Cup, scheduled to start in India in February, citing concerns over players’ safety, a result of tensions between the two countries following former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's flight to India and attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority. Dhaka unsuccessfully asked for matches to be moved to Sri Lanka. For Murel Gomes, a Catholic and a former captain of the Bangladesh women's national football team, “cricket should never be held hostage to political tensions.”

For three years, waste has been accumulating in the municipality of the Southern Province, causing a “strong and unpleasant odor.” Residents are calling for a “permanent and sustainable” solution, while the government and opposition trade accusations. Last week, three newborns in the area were hospitalized for respiratory problems, including a six-month-old baby in serious condition.

A report by the humanitarian organisation Fortify Rights denounces prisonlike living conditions on the island, where the Bangladeshi government relocated tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar. Created to relieve pressure on the Cox's Bazar camps after the 2017 exodus, the island has become a de facto penal colony, where people are denied freedom of movement and employment opportunities.

India is celebrating the Week of Christian Unity from 18 to 25 January. As religious intolerance and hate speech rises, especially in states governed by the BJP, ecumenism is becoming a concrete sign of solidarity. Celebrations were held in Karnataka, with the faithful of various denominations participating.