Fr Paul Thekkanath, vicar of Puthukkad, filed a complaint over a video by the ruling National Democratic Alliance. Supporters of Suresh Gopi used portions of a speech by the clergyman to suggest that he was backing their candidate. Christian voters are an important electorate in the southern Indian state.
Reconstruction work lasted over a year. The entire Christian community, from Greek Melkites to the Evangelicals, gathered for a day of celebration. The service was led by Primate Youssef Absi. Caught between warrying Armenians and Azerbaijanis, the historic church of St John the Baptist in Shushi has been destroyed.
The Christian lawyer turned 60 on 20 April, but Chinese authorities have refused to provide any information about his fate. Repeated appeals from his wife, human rights NGOs, and UN agencies have been ignored. He is among the many victims of enforced disappearances by China’s communist regime.
Today's headlines: Qatar and Bangladesh sign a memorandum on migrant workers. Myanmar’s military retakes a village on the Mon-Karen border. Taiwan denounces Chinese military activities after Blinken's departure. Syrian woman gets seven life sentences over the Istanbul attack of November 2022. Russia has lost its dominant position as India’s main arms supplier.
A group of NGOs released a report noting that Indonesia's state-owned power company might use development funds to expand the Suralaya plant. Pollution from this plant costs already the country a billion dollars a year.
As voters in the southern Indian state go to the polls, the local Church is struggling to carry out its outreach programmes. The issue dates back to 2022, following protests over port construction by the Adani group.