AsiaNews met with residents of Kartarpur, in the district of Narowal, devastated by floods in recent months. For days, people found refuge on the roof of the church, one of the few buildings to have survived the fury of the waters. Thanks to international support and donations collected by a parish in Hong Kong, food, clothing and medicines arrived.
In a message to the faithful, the Archbishop of Colombo talks about a “very painful situation”, calling for holidays without excessive celebrations, extravagance, and waste. A Catholic NGO is leading the way in providing aid – food, drinking water, medical supplies, and cash – to various parishes.
Sunali Khatun, who is nine months pregnant, was deported with her family to Bangladesh where they were detained as "illegal immigrants”. India’s Supreme Court slams the central government for ignoring evidence proving her Indian citizenship. New Delhi ultimately accepted her return on humanitarian grounds. This is an aberrant example of arbitrary expulsions of ethnic Bengali Muslims, especially from the state of Assam.
The Punjab government has increased fines for traffic violations and introduced a penalty point system. For activist Zafar Iqbal, “the positive impact is already visible.” Decades of negligence have led to chaos, notes journalist Hamza Arshad. Unhappy, ordinary people want a review of priorities.
As severe weather continues to rage, more than a thousand people are dead, while millions are affected across vast swathes of Southeast Asia and South Asia. In Sri Lanka, all 25 districts have reported damage of varying degrees. In Indonesia, illegal logging has contributed to soil erosion, making the devastation worse.
The Indian government has denied a visa to evangelical preacher Franklin Graham, son of the well-known Billy Graham, who was expected to attend an event in Kohima on 30 November. The decision has provoked harsh reactions in Nagaland, where the Naga Students' Federation denounces a ‘selective and discriminatory’ policy, especially after the relaxation of special permits for visitors who want to participate in certain cultural festivals.
