February 26 – India
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act
Widespread and violent protests across India that later turned into communal violence between Hindu and Muslim mobs subside after several months. As a result of the riots, 50 people were killed, hundreds wounded, thousands detained, and public and private property destroyed. The protests were sparked by the Citizenship Amendment Act passed by India’s Parliament on 12 December 2019 and are seen as a major display of opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ruling nationalist BJP party that has long been accused of inciting communal hatred for political gains.[1]
Background: India’s new citizenship law
The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 amends the Citizenship Act of 1955 by providing a path to Indian citizenship for illegal migrants of Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian religious minorities, who had fled persecution from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014. Muslims, however, have been excluded from this list. The act is the first time religion had been overtly used as a criterion for citizenship under Indian law and has been widely criticized as undermining India’s historic ideals, such as pluralism and secular values.[2] The critics of the law also say that the nationalist BJP’s policies are meant to turn India’s Muslims into second-class citizens. Opponents of the law will challenge its legality in India’s Supreme Court.
February 29 – Afghanistan
Peace agreement
The United States signs a conditional peace agreement with Afghanistan’s Taliban to put an end to the conflict that has lasted 18 years and has cost tens of thousands of lives. Despite almost two decades of efforts to oust the Taliban, the group is back and in control of almost half of Afghanistan. The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist political movement and military organization in Afghanistan currently waging war with the Afghan government and other militant groups to dominate the country.
The main provisions of the deal: (1) the full withdrawal of American and coalition troops from Afghanistan within 14 months. Currently, there are about 13,000 U.S. troops there, who advise Afghan forces and carry out counterterrorism operations against Al Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) militant group; (2) the Taliban guarantees that Afghan territory will not harbor terrorists who aim to attack the U.S. or its allies; (3) the Taliban and the Afghan government will work to reduce violence. The UN has counted more than 100,000 civilians killed since it began documenting in 2009. In 2019 alone, almost 7,000 civilians were killed; (4) the U.S. pledges to work with both sides to secure the release of up to 5,000 prisoners held by the Afghan government and 1,000 prisoners held by the Taliban.
The agreement has been criticized as legitimizing the Taliban, which sends the wrong message to other terrorist groups. Also, because the Taliban does not control all of the Afghan territory, a complete withdrawal of the U.S. troops might strengthen other terrorist groups.[3]
Afghanistan: who controls what
March 24 – India
Global health – Coronavirus, Covid-19
In response to the global coronavirus epidemic, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, orders a three-week total lockdown for his country’ s 1.3 billion people, imposing curfews, halting domestic travel and suspending public transportation in many Indian states.[4]
History of Past Pandemics
How the Virus Got Out (graphic presentation)
How South Korea Flattened the Curve
April 24 – India / Pakistan / Sri Lanka
Global Health: Coronavirus, or Covid-19
India’s coronavirus cases have surged to almost 23,000. The country extended the nationwide lockdown until May 3.
(Apr 25): India and Pakistan ease lockdown restrictions for some businesses, allowing a limited reopening of small businesses in residential areas and some industrial and commercial activities to begin under safety guidelines.
(Apr 25): Sri Lanka re-imposes a countrywide 24-hour curfew after a surge of new infections, with total of 420 cases, including seven deaths.[5]
May 1 – South Asia
Global health – coronavirus, or COVID-19.
India mandates that all public and private sector employees use a government-backed Bluetooth tracing app and maintain social distancing in offices as part of easing some of its lockdown restrictions in lower-risk areas.
(May 8): Pakistan, with 26,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus so far, moves forward with its plans to relax lockdown restrictions despite a rapid increase in new cases, with approximately 1,000 of them per day in the last week.
(May 16): India’s Health Ministry reports a spike of coronavirus new cases to 85,940 total infections and 2,752 deaths.
– Pakistan resumes domestic flights between major cities for the first time in nearly two months. International flights will remain suspended till May 31.
– Sri Lanka re-imposes a strict 24-hour curfew over the weekend even though the government had begun easing the two-month coronavirus lockdown.[6]
June 6 – South Asia: India
Global Health: coronavirus, or COVID-19
India becomes the sixth worst hit country by the pandemic after another record-breaking daily spike in confirmed infections. The Indian Health Ministry reports total of 236,657 coronavirus cases. Despite this, India prepares to reopen shopping malls, hotels and religious places after a 10-week lockdown.[7]
Our new normal in pictures
July 21 – India
Global Health: Coronavirus, or Covid-19
India performs an antibody test on a random sample of people in New Delhi, which shows that nearly one in four of them have Covid-19 antibodies. This kind of test helps the authorities understand the spread of the virus and it will help provide better distribution of testing facilities and area-specific containment policies. Delhi has been one of the worst hit cities in India with coronavirus, but the situation has improved including the sharp fall of the number of new cases and fatalities. The change is due to increased testing, tracing, containment, and isolation.[8]
July 30 – Bangladesh
Environment
Torrential rains submerge at least a quarter of Bangladesh, flooding nearly a million homes and affecting 4.7 million people.[9] It happens just a few months after a widespread damage caused by Cyclone Amphan, one of the most powerful storms that hit the area in decades, forcing nearly three million people to evacuate, submerging villages along the coast, and washing away all their belongings. Experts say that as climate change increases, these kinds of disasters will become more severe and more frequent.[10]
Climate Change and Global Inequality
What’s the difference between hurricanes, cyclones and typhoons?
September 5 – India
Global Health: Coronavirus, or COVID-19
India has the fastest growing coronavirus crisis, with more than 80,000 new infections reported each day. The pandemic is also shrinking the economy, putting 200 million people at risk of falling back into poverty.[11]
More on the coronavirus-caused situation in India
October 9 – Nepal
Global Health: Coronavirus, or Covid-19
Nepal’s total number of coronavirus infections passes 100,000, with 600 deaths. Daily numbers of infections are rising at a faster rate than in any South Asian country, with an exception of India, putting an extreme stress on the country’s health care system. This increase in Covid-19 cases in Nepal started in June when the government downplayed the risks and began to ease restrictive measures imposed in March to prop up the economy. It also failed to enforce wearing masks, social distancing, and sanitation.[12]