India wants China to open a flight corridor over Xinjiang, even though the area is highly militarised. Tensions with India have led Pakistan to close its airspace to Indian aircraft, causing Air India losses estimated at over US$ 450 million a year. Meanwhile, closures of land crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan are paralysing regional trade, leading Ariana Afghan Airlines to lower fares to Indian markets.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Thimphu marks a new chapter in Indo-Chinese strategic competition. New Delhi has announced a 40 billion rupee credit line and inaugurated the Punatsangchhu-II hydroelectric power station, intended to strengthen energy interdependence between the two countries. India's moves come as China intensifies border negotiations with Bhutan, in a process that could redefine highly sensitive areas such as the Doklam, Pasamlung and Jakarlung plateaus.
A court in Dhaka convicted the former prime minister of "crimes against humanity" for her role in the crackdown of student protests in July 2024. As a result, the capital was placed under lockdown, while clashes and protests erupted across the city. From her Indian exile, Hasina slammed the verdict as “politically motivated”, while her son Sajeeb Wazed threatened to boycott the upcoming February elections unless the ban on the Awami League is lifted.
The Nowgam barracks in Srinagar has been devastated. According to the authorities, it was an accident. But the incident comes amid an already tense climate following the attacks on the Red Fort in Delhi and Islamabad. And recent operations against militant cells in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led alliance won a landslide victory in the Bihar elections, largely outperforming the opposition Mahagathbandhan bloc. The Modi government’s cash transfer programmes for women and youth played a decisive role. Voter turnout among women exceeded that of men for the first time.
Tension is high in the capital of Bangladesh and other areas, with violence targeting vehicles and public spaces during the days of protests called by the Awami League against Yunus's ‘illegal government’. There have been about twenty attacks as of last night, with patrols and roadblocks. The leaders of the party excluded from the elections deny any involvement and speak of a government manoeuvre to discredit it. Offices and schools are closed today.
