Karnataka assembly passes controversial anti-conversion law

In Hong Kong, two more universities remove statues in memory of Tiananmen; Hun Sen prepares ground for his son's succession to power in Cambodia; Moon Jae-in grants a pardon to former president Park Geun-hye; at least 30 dead and 100 injured in Bangladesh after a fire on board a ferry. 

INDIA

Two days before Christmas, the Karnataka assembly passed an anti-conversion bill without opposition resistance. Enacted in Orissa in 1967, the laws - contested by the Catholic leadership - are now in force in six other Indian states. The law casts new shadows on religious freedom in India, in a context of growing attacks that also affect Churches.

HONG KONG

After the University of Hong Kong, two other universities have torn down monuments in memory of the Tiananmen Square massacre. The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Cuhk) removed a statue of the Goddess of Democracy and Lingnan University removed a sculpture. The removals confirm the harsh repression of political dissent imposed by Beijing. 

BANGLADESH

At least 30 people were killed and about 100 injured in a fire that broke out on board a ferry boat in Bangladesh. The boat, which left from Dhaka for Barguna, caught fire near Jhalakathi. Some of the victims drowned after jumping into the water. The number is likely to rise due to the severe burns suffered by several of the injured.

SOUTH KOREA

Moon Jae-in has pardoned former South Korean President Park Geun-hye, who is serving a 22-year sentence for corruption and abuse of power. She is the first democratically elected leader to leave office, after being impeached in 2017. She has been hospitalised three times this year for health reasons, among the reasons that prompted Moon to pardon her. 

CAMBODIA

Cambodia's ruling party voted to approve the succession the eldest son of current PM Hun Sen as the country's "future prime minister" after 36 years of his father's leadership. The timing of the generation change is currently unknown. The central committee of the Cambodian People's Party unanimously named 44-year-old Hun Munet as the future leader.

SAUDI ARABIA- CHINA

Riyadh has begun importing sensitive military missile technology from China for the domestic production of ballistic launchers. The renewed arms race by the Saudis is a source of great concern throughout the Middle East. Satellite imagery also suggests that the kingdom's top leadership is currently manufacturing the weapons in at least one known location. 

RUSSIA

In his end-of-year press address, Russian President Vladimir Putin complained that "foreign states have not presented any evidence of the poisoning of that person". The reference is to opposition leader Aleksej Naval'nyj, whom he never wanted to name. In response to a question from the BBC, Putin said to "turn the page on this issue, once and for all".

TURKMENISTAN

In a letter to President Ursula Von Der Leyen, the international Cotton Campaign called on the European Commission to ban the import of cotton from Turkmenistan. Local cotton production, the note explains, "is tainted by the forced labour of tens of thousands of people, the confiscation of land and the forced taking of money from citizens for expenses".