India begins troop withdrawal from the Maldives.

Today's news: a Japanese satellite rocket explodes; In China, the number of foreclosed homes increases; Seafarers in the Philippines may avoid taking jobs in high-risk areas; Indonesian presidential candidate Anies Baswedan will appeal election results to the Constitutional Court; After a month on bail for Fr. Pinto arrested on charges of "conversions" in Uttar Pradesh.

MALDIVES – INDIA

India has started withdrawing military personnel stationed in the Maldives. Yesterday the Mihaaru newspaper wrote that 25 of the 89 Indian soldiers deployed in the archipelago had left one of the atolls as part of a withdrawal agreement between the two countries, which provides for the end of the Indian military presence by May 10, after the election in October by pro-Chinese president Mohamed Muizzu.

INDIA

In Uttar Pradesh, after more than a month, the district judge granted bail to Father Dominic Pinto and 10 other people who had been arrested with him on charges of forced conversions. The 11 had been in judicial custody since February 6, a day after they were arrested after a prayer meeting that a group of evangelicals had held in a facility in the diocese of Lucknow. The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is one of those with the highest number of arrests due to the infamous anti-conversion laws.

CHINA

The number of foreclosed homes in China increased 43% year-on-year in 2023 to 389,000, says the China Index Academy, a major independent real estate research firm. More than 50,000 additional units were foreclosed in January, up 64.4% year over year, the company noted. The increase in mortgage defaults could have negative repercussions on both property prices and consumer confidence, analysts say.

JAPAN

A Space One rocket exploded shortly after takeoff, dashing the private company's hopes of being the first in Japan to successfully launch a satellite into orbit. Space One, founded in 2018, is dedicated to commercializing space delivery services while reducing costs, with the goal of sending 30 rockets into space per year by 2030.

PHILIPPINES

Just over 10 Filipino seafarers have returned home after surviving a Houthi missile attack while aboard the cargo ship True Confidence. Three crew members died in the attack, including two Filipinos. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said yesterday that the Philippine government has also reached an agreement with the International Transport Workers' Federation that Filipino seafarers have the right to refuse employment in high-risk areas.

INDONESIA

Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan today said he intends to appeal to the Constitutional Court over last month's election results. The national electoral commission is expected to announce the official winner by March 20, but the unofficial results indicated a clear victory for Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who obtained more than 60% of the vote. “We intend to file for sure, but the content is not something we can reveal,” Anies told reporters.

RUSSIA

The Russian Orthodox Church has started special courses for priests who preach on the internet and maintain their own blogs, under the responsibility of the member of the missionary department of the Moscow patriarchate Evfimij Lukhovitsky, according to whom "it is important that priests do not contradict official positions of patriarchy, on issues such as bioethics or war".

TURKMENISTAN

In two cities of the Balkan velayat in Turkmenistan, Turkmenbashi and Balkanabad, spontaneous markets for day laborers, popularly known as Gul Bazars or "slave markets", have recently appeared on the streets, with sudden gatherings around the cars of those offers occasional jobs to deal with the crisis and unemployment.

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