While Assam, led by the BJP, has passed a bill banning the practice but not applying it in tribal areas, Kerala has taken a different approach. A landmark ruling by the local High Court has ruled that no second marriage can be registered without informing the first wife, reaffirming the primacy of constitutional rights over religious law.

A research team from the Sri Lanka Blue Resources Trust found a new ridge linking the Yakampita and Gingiripita reefs. The discovery reveals the surprising richness of the marine ecosystem near the capital, where some areas show over 50 per cent hard coral cover. But researchers warn that the reefs remain outside protected areas and are threatened by pollution and illegal fishing.

An explosion outside a district court in the Pakistani capital killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. The attack comes at a time of growing internal instability and heightened tensions with India and Afghanistan. While the army is busy fighting the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) in the border regions, the Senate yesterday approved the 27th constitutional amendment, which expands the army chief's powers and creates a new Federal Constitutional Court.

The family of Manish Nishad, 50, moved his body from village to village for three days because residents refused to allow his burial on private land after he “abandoned” his original religion. This is the latest in a series of cases in tribal areas. “Kanker has become the hotbed of Hindu fanaticism,” International Christian Concern reports.

Two improvised explosive devices were thrown at the country's main Catholic cathedral; one landed inside but did not explode. Police have opened an investigation, but the motive behind the attack is still unknown. The attack came on the eve of an important meeting with approximately 600 worshippers. Worshippers and residents living near the cathedral are very concerned.

The decision not to recruit music and phys ed teachers comes in for harsh criticism. For a choir director, it “is like removing a part of our humanity.” Human Rights Forum Bangladesh urges politicians to resist “unreasonable demands." Youth protests at the capital's university. Student told AsiaNews that “an entire generation” is “at risk of cultural impoverishment.”