Source: Al Jazeera Activists fear amendment to electoral law will make Indian politics opaque and vulnerable to foreign influence. New Delhi, India – Political parties in India are now exempt from scrutiny of their past foreign fundings. They can now receive political donations from Indians living abroad as well as foreign companies with subsidiaries in India. A controversial amendment to a law… Read more »
Source: Al Jazeera Prime Minister Shahid Abbasi urges Taliban to avail the Afghan government’s latest offer of direct talks without delay. Islamabad – Pakistan and Afghanistan have called upon the Afghan Taliban to join a new peace process in the war-torn country, after a visit by the Pakistani prime minister to his country’s northwestern neighbour, a statement said. Pakistani Prime Minister… Read more »
Source: Al Jazeera Dozens of protesters who came out in support of the rebels are wounded in clashes with Indian security forces. Srinagar, Indian-administered Kashmir – Four civilians and an Indian soldier were killed in a gun battle in southern Kashmir, sparking mass protests across the region in which dozens were wounded during clashes with security forces. Inspector General of Police Swayam… Read more »
Source: BBC Seven Myanmar soldiers have been sentenced to prison for their involvement in the killings of 10 Rohingya Muslim men last year. The military said in a statement the soldiers will serve 10 years with hard labour for “contributing and participating in murder”. The army admitted for the first time earlier this year that its soldiers were involved in… Read more »
ri Lanka needs a platform for genuine and objective discussion in the hope of moving forward and achieving reconciliation. In Sri Lanka, the start of February was about celebration for the past 70 years of independence, but its end was about reflective contemplation over an uncertain future. Following a wave of anti-Muslim violence in the central district of Kandy, a nationwide state of emergency was declared on March… Read more »
fghanistan has seen a spate of terror attacks over the past two weeks, with some 130 people killed. Both major militant groups, the Taliban and ISIS, have been blamed for the carnage. The Taliban has a long history in Afghanistan, while ISIS militants, who are equally assertive, are newcomers. While the Taliban operates exclusively within the country’s borders, ISIS also focuses on… Read more »
The Indian government has scrapped a plan to blacklist journalists judged to be writing “fake news” less than a day after it was announced to widespread criticism. India’s information and broadcasting ministry said late on Monday that journalists or agencies accused of creating or spreading fake news would be referred to the Press Council of India and another statutory body for broadcast… Read more »
DHAKA, Bangladesh – Bangladesh has begun relocating 100,000 Rohingya refugees to safer ground before the monsoon season for fear of deadly landslides and floods in the congested camps, an official said Sunday, April 1. The United Nations says about 150,000 refugees in Bangladesh’s southeast – where nearly one million Rohingya in total live in shanties on hillsides – are extremely vulnerable… Read more »
Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a member of the Taliban for being an advocate for girls education in 2012. Last week was the first time in four years that she had returned to her home country of Pakistan since the incident. At the age of 14 being able to speak out in your country about the flaws… Read more »
A four-storey rickety hotel building collapsed in central India, killing at least 10 people and injuring another three, police said Sunday. Rescuers working through the night with sledgehammers and chainsaws pulled alive 10 people from the debris of the building that came crashing down in Indore, a city in Madhya Pradesh state, on Saturday night, said police officer Sanju Kamle. Up… Read more »