Lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari was arrested along with her husband while on her way to court. Both are involved in a series of proceedings related to social media posts and demonstrations in front of judicial institutions. The arrest has sparked strikes by bar associations. Some observers speak of yet another worrying sign for the rule of law and freedom of expression in Pakistan.
The poet and translator Irina Jurčuk, a native of the city of Kharkov on the border between the two countries, the epicentre of the ongoing conflict, has published her book ‘The Overpass’ in Kiev, an anthology in which she combines texts by contemporary Russian and Ukrainian authors with translations and her own bilingual rhymes. It is a way to rediscover one's true identity, without being destroyed by abuse and claims.
The clergyman talked to AsiaNews about the challenges and issues facing schools in the Holy Land, starting with young people who “have lost their smiles” and “their confidence”. Talking and listening help defuse the desire for revenge and attacks. The dispute with Israel over teachers' permits has been almost resolved. Being a teacher is a “vocation”. Meanwhile, Christians continue to leave.
The 180-member Central Committee has unanimously re-elected Tô Lâm as party general secretary until 2031. The alliance with the military has been strengthened to support economic and administrative reforms. Both current Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính and President Lương Cường were left out of the Politburo. Making Tô Lâm head of state, like Xi Jinping in China, is in the works.
Tribal leaders slam the authorities for pressuring them to sign “surrender certificates” and lose their ancestral lands hit by the 2004 tsunami. At the heart of the dispute is the Great Nicobar Island Development Project, a plan of nearly US$ 9 billion that includes a port, an airport, and a power plant. The Nicobarese and Shompen peoples are demanding to right to return to their original villages, while environmentalists and scientists warn that the plan poses risks to biodiversity and is threatened by seismic activity.
Bangladesh will not participate in the Men's T20 World Cup, scheduled to start in India in February, citing concerns over players’ safety, a result of tensions between the two countries following former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's flight to India and attacks on Bangladesh’s Hindu minority. Dhaka unsuccessfully asked for matches to be moved to Sri Lanka. For Murel Gomes, a Catholic and a former captain of the Bangladesh women's national football team, “cricket should never be held hostage to political tensions.”
