State funeral for Lata Mangeshkar, the Bollywood singer who died from Covid

Today's headlines: athletes at the Winter Olympics accuse Beijing of human rights violations; in Myanmar, more and more families are "repudiating" relatives who oppose the military dictatorship; Pyongyang's cyber attacks have earned 45 million euros, used for the missile programme; Russian schools must submit collaboration with foreign institutes for government approval. 

INDIA

A nation in mourning paid its last respects yesterday to Lata Mangeshkar, better known as 'the Indian Nightingale', who died at the age of 92 from complications related to Covid-19. The artist lent her voice to cinema for over 70 years and her fame earned her a state funeral. The government has declared two days of national mourning and the flag will fly at half-mast.

CHINA

A growing number of athletes at the Beijing Winter Olympics are accusing China of violating human rights amid growing complaints about the application of strict Covid protocols for positives . The latest is the coach of the Finnish men's hockey team, who complains that athletes are under stress and food is not up to scratch. One player is kept in quarantine, although no longer infected. 

AFGHANISTAN - PAKISTAN

A terrorist attack launched "from inside Afghanistan" yesterday led to the killing of five Pakistani soldiers. Islamabad, the operation took place in the Kurram district and is only the latest in a series of attacks by the Taliban across the border. The fear is of a resurgence of terrorism in the Asian nation.

MYANMAR

Over the past three months,  seven families per day have publicly disowned a relative according to declarations published in state owned newspapers for their opposition to the military junta. Ties were broken with sons, daughters, grandchildren and great-grandchildren for their struggle for rights and democracy. There have reportedly been at least 570 cases so far. The practice had emerged during dictatorships in 1980 and 2007, but never as frequently as today. 

NORTH KOREA

North Korean cyber attacks have led to the theft of millions of euros worth of cryptocurrency, used by Pyongyang to finance its missile programme. A UN report claims that between 2020 and 2021, almost 45 million euros in digital currency were stolen. Foreign exchange agencies in North America, Europe and Asia were targeted. 

TURKEY

Thousands of people took to the streets in Mardin, south-eastern Turkey, to protest against soaring prices, especially for electricity. Citizens chanted slogans against the government and the president, including "Tayyip [Erdogan], resign!" and burned bills. Police responded with lightening charges, pepper gas and water cannons. 

RUSSIA

The Russian Ministry of Education has prepared a circular committing the country's schools, colleges and universities to submit to the government any plans to collaborate with foreign institutions. Failure to do so will result in inclusion in the register of 'foreign agents'.

TURKMENISTAN

In the Mari velayat (region) in Turkmenistan, officials from the Ministry of National Security have intensified their checks on believers, according to Radio Azatlyk. There have been more and more searches of the flats of people suspected of possessing religious literature and summonses for questioning about homilies in mosques.

• Asia
• Today