‘Erasing a part of history’ – What a double mosque demolition tells us about India ahead of crucial election (February 15, 2024, CNN Asia)
The demolition of two mosques in India within days of each other has highlighted the deep religious divide in the country, months before voters head to the polls for a nationwide election that is expected to hand Prime Minister Narendra Modi a rare third term in power.
Modi hails a new ‘divine India’ as he inaugurates controversial Hindu temple ahead of nationwide elections (January 22, 2024, CNN)
Millions tuned in across India to watch the opening of a vast Hindu temple on Monday, in a ceremony considered to be the crowning moment for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist ambitions months before he seeks to win a rare third term in elections.
Indian workers see Israel jobs as ‘opportunity of a lifetime’ despite Gaza war dangers (January 9, 2024, South China Morning Post) (Subscription Required)
Israel is recruiting at least 40,000 Indian workers to plug the acute labour shortage in its construction industry as a result of the Gaza war. Many hope working in Israel will enable them to provide for their families, and say they are confident the government will keep its citizens safe
We Asked a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, and Bahá’í Leader to Pick Their Favorite Bible Verses (December 21, 2023, Christianity Today) (Subscription required)
Indian religious leaders on what they admire about Christianity’s scriptures. India is marked by its “unity in diversity,” a term coined by its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. The nation is home to dozens of languages, cultures, traditions, and religions, and the founding leaders of the nation were careful to accentuate the celebration of this diversity.
Hundreds stranded as parts of India's Tamil Nadu flooded after heavy rain (December 19, 2023, Channel News Asia)
CHENNAI: Heavy rain has paralysed several parts of India's southern state of Tamil Nadu, inundating roads, affecting train services, and leaving authorities scrambling to rescue those stranded. The deluge occurred while the state was still recovering from the damage caused by Cyclone Michaung, which lashed the coast this month, killing at least 13 people.
Confessions from a Chinese censorship worker (October 16, 2023, Global Voices)
A censorship worker dubbed Blowfish Princess (河豚公主) from a major Chinese social media platform has recently revealed details of her everyday work in an interview with prominent Twitter whistle-blower Teacher Li on YouTube. Below is an English excerpt of the interview published on Global Voices with Teacher Li’s permission.
Glacial lake bursts in India leaving 100 missing and 19 dead (October 6, 2023, CNN)
A “sudden cloudburst” over Lhonak Lake, in the northern part of the state, sent fast-moving torrents of water surging down the Teesta River in Sikkim’s Lachen valley, raising water levels 15-20 feet higher than normal, the Indian Army said in a statement. A cloudburst is a very sudden and destructive rainstorm.
India-China feud keeps international planes out of Nepal airport (October 4, 2023, BBC)
But a hoped-for surge in tourist numbers has failed to materialise, blamed in part on tensions between Nepal's giant neighbours India and China. Lumbini saw close to a million visitors in 2022, according to the Lumbini Development Trust - and it was this number the government was betting on when it spent $76m (£61m) to build the Gautam Buddha International Airport, which opened in May last year.
India's BJP, the world's biggest party, plots election drive of epic scale (September 25, 2023, Reuters)
Indian activist Partha Chaudhury is on a war footing as he strides out of the ruling BJP's regional headquarters in Kolkata armed with passion and pages of voter lists. "We need to meet each and every BJP supporter, and all of this has to be done in less than 300 days," the 39-year-old tells a group of fellow activists advancing into the north of Kolkata, the teeming riverfront capital of West Bengal that's home to about 15 million people.
In India, Hindutva Schools Are Indoctrinating Poor Children (September 19, 2023, The Diplomat)
In rural India, private schools run by the Ekal Foundation provide access to education – but force children to imbibe divisive teachings that preach Hindu superiority.