In a village in the district of Banswara, four Catholics were arrested on charges of “conversion” for organising a Marian prayer in a private garden. At St Teresa’s Academy in Modinagar, a dispute with a teacher has become a “cause” for nationalists. Orissa human rights group: “Police and authorities complicit in violence against Christian Adivasis and Dalits”.
The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) party won 108 of 234 seats, falling short of an absolute majority, while the BJP won only one seat, remaining weak in southern India. The success of Vijay, a Tamil Christian, appears to be linked to growing discontent with the duopoly of local parties and his strong capacity for popular mobilisation, but building alliances will be a challenge.
Nepal has sent diplomatic notes to India and China protesting the reopening of the Lipulekh corridor for the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage. It claims sovereignty over the area, whose borders date back to colonial times. The Nepali government claims it was not consulted and accuses India of unilateral actions, while China, although remaining on the sidelines, has so far effectively backed India's position.
In a story that has sadly gone viral in India in recent days, a villager exhumed his sister’s remains to “prove” her death to officials who were preventing him from withdrawing money from her account. The community where he now lives wants him to perform a ritual bath and a series of other public acts to atone for the desecration. Otherwise, he will be banished.
Over 200 delegates, including bishops, priests and laypeople from all the Latin Rite dioceses in India, have gathered in Bangalore for the event entitled ‘Synodal Pilgrims of Hope’. The proceedings focused on four of the priorities outlined in the CCBI’s pastoral programme: accompanying young people and children, poverty and integral ecology, inclusion, interreligious dialogue and peace-building.
Between 2021 and 2025, 37,740 Indian workers died abroad, over 86% of them in Gulf countries, and reports of abuse and exploitation are also on the rise. However, migration flows remain central to the Indian economy, due to remittances. The crisis in the Middle East is putting pressure on an already fragile system, including from an energy perspective, and in the long term risks causing a domestic economic shock.
