South Asia

Court accepts to hear a complaint by some Catholic families in Tamil Nadu over caste segregation in burials for Dalits in the village of Kottapalayam. The diocese has until 15 April to respond. Fr Devasagayaraj told AsiaNews that such situations, unfortunately, persist in southern India. For him, “Christ and Caste can’t go together.”

The Darul Uloom Haqqania madrasa was attacked today, eve of Ramadan, in a town some 60 kilometres from Peshawar. The target of the attack was its leader, Hamid ul Haq Haqqani, a key figure in the ongoing dialogue between Pakistani Islamists and the current Afghan government. The Islamic State-Khorasan Province is probably behind the attack.

While world attention is focused on the synthetic drug from China, a market for illegally produced opioids in India is fuelling a health emergency in Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast. Indian authorities have launched searches and imposed restrictions on the production and export of certain drugs, while the WHO reports that counterfeit medicines pose a growing threat.

An initiative in railway stations across the country to celebrate the birthday of the founder of the movement, educating people to respect public property. Their leaders tell AsiaNews: ‘We want to be an example through action. Showing that if the Scouts can do it, everyone else can too’.

Robert Naorem presented his collection, which uses the local tradition of hand-weaving to promote indigenous embroidery. He also offered a message of peace for the Indian state shaken by violence between Meitei and Kukis in the past two years. He calls for an end to clashes, and for everyone to get involved in development.

In June Beijing allocated over 5 million dollars in aid, equipment and assistance. India had previously invested billions of rupees in development projects. The accusation against Indian fishermen who use trawl nets: ‘If this practice continues, there will be no more fish left in our areas in the future’.

In a video that went viral in the state of Chhattisgarh, Aadesh Soni calls on thousands of Hindu nationalists to target Christian women and ‘erase all traces of their faith from the region’. The bishop of Raipur tells AsiaNews: ‘The local government is silent, if anything happens we will hold them responsible’.

Wanted in India for money laundering, he now can preach in public after a ban imposed five years ago for making incendiary sermons. Malaysian political leaders and human rights activists urge the government to reconsider the decision. His attacks against the believers of other religions risk undermining harmony and coexistence.

The episcopal ordination of the new shepherd of the diocese in the north of the country took place in the national sanctuary of Madhu. The diocese has grown from the seed sown four centuries ago by its martyrs. The president of the Bishops' Conference, Monsignor Perera, expressed his hope that the new bishop “will walk with this people still so harshly marked by the consequences of the war”.

“Brave Business in a Bus” is a new project by OTB Foundation and She Works for Peace to help Afghan women build a future of independence and dignity through entrepreneurship. The aim is to provide training, support and concrete tools, despite the extremely precarious and poor conditions in Afghanistan today.

To avoid new tariffs from the US, India has promised to buy more US weapons, oil and gas, as well as crack down on illegal immigration. New Delhi is, however, in a delicate position due to a slowing economy and delicate relations with other countries. Meanwhile, hundreds of Indian migrants have been deported from the US, something the Modi government has not yet commented on.

A prominent local crime boss shot in the courtroom where he had been taken from prison for a hearing. The killer disguised himself as a lawyer. The Minister of Justice has ordered armed escorts and fingerprinting for court depositions.