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Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi this week bolstered his image as a strong nationalist leader of the nation’s majority Hindus, when he led the consecration ceremony for the new Ram temple in Ayodhya.
It will take another four years before construction is completed, but analysts tell bureau chief Nirmala Ganapathy that the temple ceremony unofficially kicked off the 2024 election campaign for Mr Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party. The upcoming polls have also unleashed a wave of competitive religiosity amongst BJP’s rivals, notes associate editor Ravi Velloor.
In politics elsewhere, Thai opposition figure Pita Limjaroenrat was cleared to return as a Member of Parliament after a court ruled he had not contravened rules barring lawmakers from holding shares in a media company. His Move Forward party however faces another legal hurdle next week, when a court will decide if the party’s bid to amend the lese majeste law amounts to an attempt to overthrow the monarchy.
We also look at Myanmar this week – with Debarshi Dasgupta reporting on the controversy over India’s decision to fence up the border with its eastern neighbour, and Lim Min Zhang assessing China’s role and interests in maintaining peace in Myanmar.
For a change of pace, read Jonathan Pearlman’s piece on killing trees for a view, and Walter Sim’s story on the lengths people go to for a decent night’s shut-eye.
Temple consecration gives Modi campaign a boost
Can Taiwan party Kuomintang revive its fortunes?
Indonesia’s poll candidates use Israel-Hamas war to score points
High heels and new hairdo: Kim Jong Un’s daughter’s new look fuels succession talk
India’s move to fence Indo-Myanmar border draws opposition
It’s complicated: What’s behind the Iran-Pakistan strikes
Sleep-starved Japanese pursue quality slumber
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