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 »
Source: Al Jazeera Families of the deceased recount their ordeal, sceptical that justice for slain loved ones will ever be delivered. Shopian, Indian-administered Kashmir – When darkness descends on the quiet villages of Shopian, everything falls silent. But Sunday evening was different. A quick rattle of gunfire echoed through Pahnoo village in Shopian, a southern Kashmir district that has witnessed increasing violence in… Read more »
Source: BBC The Sri Lankan government says more troops have been deployed to the central district of Kandy, to try to end days of violence against Muslims. Police used tear gas to disperse Buddhist rioters who have attacked mosques and Muslim-owned businesses. They are defying a curfew imposed after a Buddhist youth died during an altercation with a group of… Read more »
Source: Al Jazeera Despite help from Supreme Court decisions, members of sexual minority say, on the ground, progress often feels distant. Lahore, Pakistan – In her twenties, Jannat Ali dreamt of walking outside as a woman. Society, however, wanted her to live in one of two gender boxes. But she never fully identified with either. “I always felt uncomfortable sitting with… Read more »
Source: BBC Sri Lanka has declared a state of emergency after several attacks against mosques and All PostsMuslim-owned businesses. A curfew is in place in the central district of Kandy, where crowds from the Buddhist Sinhala majority attacked a mosque, Muslim-owned shops and homes. The authorities fear retaliation after a young Muslim man’s body was found in a burnt-out building… Read more »
Since the Partition of India in 1947, India, Pakistan, and China have contested each other for control over the Kashmir region in the northernmost corner of the Indian subcontinent, with the region itself being divided up between the three powers. India and Pakistan have fought multiple wars over the region during the 20th century, and even to this day there… Read more »
Source: Al Jazeera The recent constitutional crisis in the Maldives put the cozy relationship between the archipelago and China to test. On a cold December day in 2017, China’s President Xi Jinping welcomed a special guest at the Great Hall of the People: Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom. The President of the Maldives walked along the red carpet with the swagger of a… Read more »