10 Thursday, December 20, 2018 Asia / world

Indian journalist Bulandshahr violence: Ex-Indian bureaucrats slam CM, PM Modi jailed for a year IANS and thuggery have been main- even-handed in their approach over anti-Modi post New Delhi/Lucknow streamed into governance”. to minority communities, they The letter signed by 83 said. “The pace of erosion has AFP A group of former bureaucrats former civil servants includ- been frightening and with each New Delhi came down heavily on the Ut- ing former Foreign Secretaries slip, we seem to sink further tar Pradesh BJP regime and An open letter signed by Shiv Shankar Menon, Shayam into a lawless abyss. An Indian journalist has Prime Minister Narendra Modi 83 former civil servants Saran and Sujata Singh and Turning their attention to been jailed for a year af- over the Bulandshahr mob including ex-foreign former Ambassador and DGP Modi, the former civil serv- ter he criticised Prime violence saying “politics of hate secretaries Shiv Shankar Julio Ribeiro, called for the ants said: “Our Prime Minister, Minister Narendra Modi has taken the most dangerous resignation of Adityanath and who is so voluble in his election on Facebook, in the latest turn” even as Chief Minister Menon, Shayam Saran and urged the Allahabad High campaigns and who never tires example of what critics Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday Sujata Singh demands the Court to initiate a judicial en- of telling us how the Constitu- claim is a clampdown on said his government should be resignation of UP CM quiry taking suo-motu cogni- (File photo) A police inspector and a civilian were killed during mob tion of India is the only holy free speech. “thanked” for defeating a “po- Adityanath and a judicial sance of the violence and the violence over rumours of illegal cow slaughter. book he worships, maintains a Kishorechandra Wang- litical conspiracy” to spread inquiry into the violence “cold blooded murder” of In- stony silence even as he sees a khem was arrested last anarchy through communal spector Subodh Kumar Singh. principles of governance, of thing else,” they said. Chief Minister handpicked by month in the remote violence in the state. Question- and ‘cold blooded murder’ “The Bulandshahr mob constitutional ethics and of Under Adityanath, hoo- him treat the same Constitu- northeastern state of Ma- ing Modi’s “stony silence” over of a police inspector violence instigated and engi- humane social conduct stand liganism and thuggery have tion with sheer contempt. nipur under a draconian the December 3 mob violence neered with malicious intent, perverted. The Chief Minister been mainstreamed into gov- “It is evident that for the law that allows authorities in which a police officer was marks the most dangerous turn of the state acts as high priest ernance, not just to intimidate Sangh Parivar, constitutional to detain anyone for up to killed, the former bureaucrats fundamental principles of yet in the direction taken by the of the agenda of bigotry and minorities but to teach a les- morality is of no value, and a year without trial. and diplomats, in an open let- governance and constitutional politics of hate in recent times. majoritarian supremacy –an son to anyone, including police is necessarily subordinate to The 39-year-old tel- ter, said the Bulandshahr in- ethics of the Yogi government “It shows that in India’s most agenda which now seems to personnel and others in the ad- the ideals of majoritarian su- evision journalist is ac- cident showed the “perverted” under which, “hooliganism populous state, fundamental take precedence over every- ministration, who dared to be premacy” cused of posting an “in- flammatory” social media video in November, in which he accused Modi and state chief minister China warns US against Biren Singh’s government of promoting rightwing Hindu ideology in the Maoist rebels abduct ‘weaponising’ of space region. Local media said he called Singh a “pup- AFP pet” of Modi and of the Beijing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a hardline China said Wednesday it op- Hindu group and ideo- 2 Philippine soldiers, posed the “weaponisation” of logical mentor of Modi’s space as it criticised US Presi- ruling party. dent Donald Trump’s orders to create a new command centre for controlling military space operations. 12 militiamen in South “China has consistently News proposed the peaceful usage of space, and opposes the weap- in brief The guerillas have also seized firearms from troops in the town of Sibagat onisation of space and a space China’s President Xi Jinping. arms race,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Trump said he wanted to create S Africa issues Chunying at a press briefing. “Space Force”, an entirely new arrest warrant for “We oppose even further turn- branch of the military, alongside Grace Mugabe ing space into the new battle- the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, ground,” she added. Air Force and Coast Guard. Johannesburg: -South On Tuesday, Trump or- He insists such a move African police said Wednes- dered the creation of “Space is necessary to tackle vulner- day that an arrest warrant Command”, a new organisa- abilities in space and assert US had been issued for Grace tional structure within the dominance in orbit. Mugabe, wife of former Pentagon that will have over- But its creation is not a done Zimbabwean president all control of military space deal, as it needs to be approved Robert Mugabe, after she operations. by Congress, and the concept allegedly assaulted a model SpaceCom, as it will inevi- has met with some scepticism in Johannesburg in 2017. tably come to be known, will from lawmakers and defence The 53-year-old reportedly at- be on equal footing with other officials wary of the cost and tacked Gabrielle Engels using US military commands, such added bureaucracy. an electrical extension cord as Central Command in the China has also bolstered at an upmarket hotel in the Middle East or Indo-Pacific its space capabilities in recent business district of Sandton Command in Asia, and will years. Earlier this month, the where the Mugabes’ two require a new headquarters country launched a rover head- sons were staying. Engels, as well as a commander and ing to the far side of the moon, suffered cuts to her forehead deputy commander who will a global first that could boost and back of her head. (AFP) need Senate approval. Beijing’s ambitions to become a It is not the first military space superpower. In 2013, Chi- 5 Iranians held for space entity proposed by the na landed its first probe on the fake citizenship US president this year. In June, moon, Yutu or “Jade Rabbit”. papers in Pakistan : The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested five Iranian nation- Nawaz’s fate hangs in balance als for fraudulently acquiring Pakistani citizenship at the as court reserves graft verdict immigration counter of Turbat airport. Suspects, Muham- tribune.com.pk mad, Farooq, Abdul Wahid, ISLAMABAD Hassan and Abdul Hameed had obtained the Pakistani The Accountability Court CNICs and passports in (File photo) The CPP’s 48th anniversary celebration in December 2016. Wednesday reserved its judg- connivance with officials ment in graft references per- of National Database and Agencies he added. Troops have been fication of the BOL will be held taining to Flagship Invest- Registration Authority and the manila dispatched to track down the Outnumbered on January 21 and Feb. 6, 2019. ment and Al-Azizia Steel Mills passport office. Ministries of guerrillas and rescue the hos- About 80 rebels swooped “If the BOL is not passed, against and de- foreign, internal affairs had Suspected Maoist rebels tages, he added. they will again capitalize on its cided to announce it on De- issued an alert to FIA & intel- on Wednesday abducted two The attack occurred ahead down on the detachment failure in order to campaign, cember 24, (Monday). ligence. (tribune.com.pk) soldiers and 12 government of a unilateral holiday ceasefire, before dawn, outnumbering [be] more adherent in their The court reserved the militiamen in an attack on an declared by communist rebels, the soldiers and militiamen campaign,” MIlF Chairman Al judgment after the conclusion Nawaz Sharif. India puts into army detachment in the south- that was due to take effect on assigned to the outpost, a Haj Murad Ebrahim said in an of cross questioning and an- orbit military ern Philippines, police and the December 24-26 and from De- police report said interview on ANC’s “Headstart” swering session between de- ments in his favor which satellite military said. cember 31 to January 1, 2019. Wednesday. fense and prosecution on cer- mean that he had also other The guerillas also seized The government has not Major General Ronald Murad noted that Abu tain points related to the case. relevant material that also Sriharikota : Rounding off two dozens of firearms from the declared a reciprocal ceasefire, Villanueva, an army infantry Sayyaf Group, Bangsamoro The court also rejected could be presented. the year 2018, the Indian troops in the town of Sibagat in and President Rodrigo Duterte Islamic Freedom Fighters and the request of Nawaz’s lawyer He said the joint inves- Space Research Organisa- Agusan del Sur province, 812 has vowed to defeat the insur- division commander, said the ISIS-inspired Maute group Khawaja Haris to grant time to tigation team (JIT) was not tion (ISRO) on Wednesday kilometres south of Manila. gency before his term ends in government forces did not were formed after failures of submit more documents. constituted to investigate any successfully launched a About 80 rebels swooped 2022. fight back during the raid peace processes. Accountability Court crime rather its responsibil- military communication down on the detachment be- Duterte officially terminat- “If you look at it, it’s all tied Judge Arshad Malik resumed ity was to find the answers of satellite GSAT-7A, primarily fore dawn, outnumbering the ed negotiations with the com- up with the peace process. If hearing on graft references some questions raised by Su- for the Indian Air Force, in a soldiers and militiamen as- munist rebels last year as the ist insurgencies in Asia. there’s a fruit of the peace pro- filed by National Accountabil- preme Court during hearing text-book style. At 4.10 p.m. signed to the outpost, a police guerrillas’ attacks escalated. Meanwhile, The chair- cess which is acceptable to the ity Bureau (NAB) against Sha- of case. the GSLV-F11 rocket as- report said. Efforts to resume the nego- man of the Moro Islamic Lib- people, then these people will rif family. The former prime Earlier, Nawaz’s counsel cended into the sky from the Major General Ronald Vil- tiations were hampered by on- eration Front warned that ex- have no choice. minister also appeared before Khawaja Haris contended that second launch pad at Satish lanueva, an army infantry di- going attacks on civilians, sol- tremist groups may attempt “They have to accept; other- the court at judicial complex. his client never accepted the Dhawan Space Centre with vision commander, said the diers and policemen. Philippine to take advantage of the situ- wise, they will be isolated by the During the session, NAB allegation for receiving salary a long fiery orange flame at government forces did not fight communist rebels have been ation in Mindanao if the rati- people,” Murad said. prosecutor Sardar Muzafar from Capital FZE Company. its tail. The GSAT-7A will be back during the raid. fighting the government since fication of the Bangsamoro The MILF chair is confident Abbasi pleaded before the The apex court had de- pushed up further to its final Authorities were still in- the late 1960s, making them Organic Law fails. that the BOL can withstand trial court that the accused clared this non receiving sal- geostationary orbit firing its vestigating the circumstances, one of the longest-running left- The plebiscite for the rati- constitutional test. had submitted some docu- ary as an asset, he maintained. onboard motors in the days to come. (IANS) Gunmen kill former US envoy discusses Nigeria defence Nigeria sees sharp rise in unemployment ahead of polls Afghan peace process chief, says official with General Bajwa Lagos: Gunmen have shot AFP ruary, when Buhari and his All of agriculture”, he said. Yemi islamabad: US diplomat dead a former defence chief Lagos, Nigeria Progressives Congress (APC) Kale, the Statistician General and the Special Representa- on a main road outside party will compete with the Peo- at the NBS, denied the claim. tive for Afghanistan Reconcili- Nigeria’s capital Abuja, the Nigeria reported a sharp rise ple’s Democratic Party (PDP) “The unemployment computa- ation at the Department of air force said, in an attack in unemployment on Wednes- candidate Atiku Abubakar. tions does take into account all State Zalmay Khalilzad on that underscores worsen- day, an unwelcome develop- Abubakar has put jobs and sectors, age groups, and both Wednesday discussed the ing security in the vast west ment for President Muham- growth at the centre of his cam- rural and urban areas,” he said ongoing peace process of the African nation. “It is with a madu Buhari months before he paign agenda after Nigeria suf- on Twitter. war-torn country with army heavy heart that I regretfully runs for re-election. fered a 15-month recession be- Buhari came to power chief General Qamar Javed announce the unfortunate The National Bureau of Sta- tween 2016 and 2017. pledging to diversify the econo- Bajwa, a statement issued by demise of former Chief of tistics (NBS) said joblessness The new data came amid a my but four years into his term the Inter-Services Public Rela- Defence Staff, Air Chief Mar- rose by five milion people in the dispute between the Nigerian in office, Nigeria is still heavily tions (ISPR) said. General shal Alex Sabundu Badeh”, third quarter from the year-ear- presidency and the NBS over reliant on oil revenue. A report Qamar reiterated that peace air force spokesman Ibikunle lier period. This took the unem- the accuracy of unemployment Men sit as they wait for a prospective employer for the day in Abuja, in June by the World Poverty in Afghanistan is important Daramola said in a state- ployment rate to 23.1 percent, figures. On Monday the Presi- Nigeria, on Wednesday. (REUTERS) Clock and Brookings Institute for Pakistan and assured ment late Tuesday. Badeh, a full five percentage points up dent’s spokesperson, Garba found that in 2018 Nigeria over- continued efforts for bringing 61, died Tuesday “from from the third quarter of 2017. Shehu, claimed that the NBS vious jobs data concentrated “The data has been unfair to took India as the country with peace and stability in the gunshot wounds. (AFP) Nigeria is scheduled to hold chief had addressed the federal on white collar jobs, omitting this administration; they had the largest number of people region. (tribune.com.pk) a presidential election in Feb- cabinet and admitted that pre- job creation in in other sectors. ignored job creation in the area living in extreme poverty.