Asia
Farmers' protests brew into a political crisis in India's largest state
A major crisis is brewing in India's largest and politically important state of Uttar Pradesh, with assembly polls barely a few months away.
The crisis stems from the violence that broke out in the northern Indian state's Lakhimpur Kheri district on Sunday after a federal Minister's motorcade ploughed into some farmers protesting agricultural reforms that they fear could hurt their livelihoods.
While four of the protesters were killed after being run over by a car allegedly driven by junior Indian home minister Ajay Mishra's son Ashish, four others died in the clashes that followed. The farmers were attempting to prevent the Minister from visiting the district.
To pacify the protesters, Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday booked the Minister's son for murder while the state government promised to pay a compensation of Indian rupees 45 lakh to the families of the deceased amd Indian rupees 10 lakh to each of the injured.
The federal Minister has, however, denied that his son was present on the spot. "There were miscreants who had attacked workers with sticks and swords. The farmers died when a car in my convoy overturned."
However, India's opposition parties supporting the farmers' agitation have already managed to cash in on the crisis.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi's daughter Priyanka courted arrest in the early hours of the day after she was prevented from going to the district. She alleged she was manhandled by the cops, in a video released by her supporters.
Politicians from other opposition parties have also been stopped from visiting the families of the victims.
State's main opposition Samajwadi Party's leader, Akhilesh Yadav, claimed he was not allowed to leave his residence in Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow. "Farmers, who are the backbone of our economy, cannot be treated like this."
"Their fears are legitimate about private players hurting their income and they should be heard. We need to strengthen our farming systems and not weaken them," the former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh added.
Sunday's violence in Lakhimpur Kheri is just an aggressive manifestation of the nearly year-long protest by tens of thousands of farmers who have been camping on the outskirts of the national capital in protest against three contentious agricultural laws.
While the Indian government has said that the reforms will help farmers get better prices by allowing them to sell their produce at markets and prices of their choice, the protesters fear the laws will favour private players at their expense.
Experts say the violence clearly shows that things are gradually going out of control of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which also governs the state of Uttar Pradesh.
"It is said that the road to Delhi passes through Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. And the party that wins the majority of seats in assembly polls in the state stands a fair chance to form the federal government," said Prof RK Sinha, a retired Delhi University professor.
"It's high time that the government pacified the farmers, who make up 60 percent of India's population," he added.
Japan's Parliament elects former diplomat Kishida as new PM
Japan's parliament on Monday elected Fumio Kishida, a former moderate turned hawk, as prime minister. He'll face an economy battered by the pandemic, security threats from China and North Korea and leadership of a political party whose popularity is sagging ahead of a fast-approaching crucial national election.
With his party and its coalition partner holding a majority in both houses, Kishida won by a comfortable margin against Yukio Edano, head of the largest opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Kishida and his new Cabinet will be sworn in at a palace ceremony later in the day.
He replaces Yoshihide Suga, who resigned after only one year in office as his support plunged over his government's handling of the pandemic and insistence on holding the Tokyo Olympics as the virus spread.
Kishida is expected to make a policy speech in Parliament on Friday but is looking to dissolve the lower house to hold elections on Oct. 31, Japanese media reported. Observers see the early date as a move to take advantage of his government's fresh image to rally support.
Read: Japan's Parliament set to formally choose Kishida as new PM
Jun Azumi, senior Constitutional Democratic Party lawmaker, criticized Kishida over his plan to dissolve the lower house in just over a week. “It's like a delicatessen that forces customers to buy without a chance to try samples."
A former foreign minister, Kishida, 64, used to be known as a moderate but turned hawkish on security and more conservative on gender equality and other issues, apparently to show loyalty to influential conservatives in the Liberal Democratic Party and win their support. He is firmly entrenched in the conservative establishment, and his victory in last week's vote to replace Suga as the party's leader was a choice for continuity and stability over change.
Kishida replaced all but two of Suga's 20 Cabinet members and 13 will hold ministerial posts for the first time, according to the lineup announced by new Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno. Most of the posts went to powerful factions that voted for Kishida in the party election. Only three women are included, up from two in Suga’s government.
Read: Japan's next leader: Higher wages cure for pandemic doldrums
Veteran female lawmaker Seiko Noda, one of four candidates who vied for the party leadership race, is becoming the minister in charge of the nation's declining birthrate and local revitalization. Another woman, Noriko Horiuchi, became vaccinations minister, replacing Taro Kono, the runner-up in the party leadership race.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, who is former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's younger brother, were retained, ensuring continuity of Japan’s diplomacy and security policies as the country seeks to closely work with Washington under the bilateral security pact in the face of China’s rise and growing tensions in the region, including around Taiwan.
Kishida supports stronger Japan-U.S. security ties and partnerships with other like-minded democracies in Asia, Europe and Britain, in part to counter China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
Kishida created a new Cabinet post aimed at tackling the economic dimensions of Japan's national security, appointing 46-year-old Takayuki Kobayashi, who is relatively new to parliament.
Finance Minister Taro Aso was shifted to a top party post and replaced by his 68-year-old relative, Shunichi Suzuki.
Japan faces growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, which last month test-fired ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in Japan. Kishida also faces worsening ties with fellow U.S. ally South Korea over history issues even after he struck a 2015 agreement with Seoul to resolve a row over the issue of women who were sexually abused by Japan's military during World War II.
Read:Japan ex-diplomat Kishida wins party vote, to become new PM
An urgent task at home will be turning around his party’s sagging popularity, hurt by Suga’s perceived high-handedness on the pandemic and other issues. Kishida is expected to make a policy speech later this week before dissolving the lower house of Parliament ahead of the general election that must be held by late November.
He'll also have to ensure Japan's health care systems, vaccination campaign and other virus measures are ready for a possible resurgence of COVID-19 in winter, while gradually normalizing social and economic activity.
Kishida said last week that his top priority would be the economy. Kishida’s “new capitalism” is largely a continuation of Abe’s economic policies. He aims to raise income of more people and create a cycle of growth and distribution.
A third-generation politician, Kishida was first elected to Parliament in 1993 representing Hiroshima and is an advocate for nuclear disarmament. He escorted former President Barack Obama during his 2016 visit to the city that, along with Nagasaki, was destroyed in U.S. atomic bombings in the closing days of World War II.
Taliban raid suspected IS hideout after bombing in capital
Taliban forces raided an Islamic State affiliate's hideout in the Afghan capital and killed several insurgents, hours after a deadly bombing outside a mosque in Kabul, the Taliban said Monday.
Sunday's bombing outside the Eid Gah mosque killed five civilians, and while no claim of responsibility was made, suspicion quickly fell on the Islamic State group, which has ramped up attacks against its Taliban enemy since their takeover of Kabul in mid-August.
Read:Life in a madrasa as Afghanistan enters new era
Taliban officials had gathered at the mosque to mourn the passing of Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid's mother.
In a statement Monday, Mujahid said Taliban forces raided an Islamic State operations center in the northern Kabul neighborhood of Khair Khana. It did not say how many IS insurgents killed or whether any Taliban were injured in the operation.
Sunday's bombing was the deadliest attack since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan with the chaotic departure of the last U.S. troops on Aug. 31.
The Islamic State group had claimed responsibility for the horrific bombing on Aug. 26 that killed more than 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. military personnel outside the Kabul airport, where thousands of people were trying to reach the airport to escape Taliban rule.
Read: Taliban issue no-shave order to barbers in Afghan province
The Islamic State reemerged in Afghanistan in 2020 after being weakened by a heavy U.S. bombing campaign directed against them in the eastern part of the country in 2019. They were blamed for a horrific attack in 2020 on a maternity hospital that killed 24 people, including newborn babies. Earlier this year, they were held responsible for a brutal attack on a school in Afghanistan's mostly Shiite neighborhood of Dasht-e-Barchi that killed more than 80 students.
Sunday's bombing underscores the growing challenges for the Taliban. The group carried out frequent attacks during their 20-year insurgency, but are now faced with trying to contain rival militants who have used the same methods. And they are doing so during a national economic meltdown without the massive foreign aid given to U.S.-backed government they toppled.
Japan's Parliament set to formally choose Kishida as new PM
Japan's Cabinet and leader Yoshihide Suga resigned Monday, paving the way for Parliament to elect Fumio Kishida as the new prime minister, who will tasked with quickly tackling the pandemic and security challenges before an imminent national election.
Kishida replaced Suga as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party last week and is certain to win the parliamentary vote for prime minister later Monday because the party and its coalition partner control both houses. He and his Cabinet will then be sworn in at a palace ceremony, replacing Suga's.
Read:Japan's ex-top diplomat Kishida to become new PM
Suga leaves after only one year in office after seeing his support plunge over his government's handling of the pandemic and insistence on holding the Olympics as the virus spread.
A former foreign minister, Kishida, 64, used to be known as a dovish moderate but turned hawkish apparently to win over influential conservatives in the party. He is firmly entrenched in the conservative establishment and his victory in the party election was a choice for continuity and stability over change.
All but two of 20 Cabinet posts under Suga will be replaced, 13 them appointed to ministerial posts for the first time, Japanese media reported. Most of the posts went to powerful factions that voted for Kishida in the party election. Only three women are reportedly included, up from two in Suga’s government.
Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi are to be retained, ensuring continuity of Japan’s diplomacy and security policies as the country seeks to closely work with Washington under the bilateral security pact in the face of China’s rise and growing tensions in the region, including around Taiwan.
Kishida supports stronger Japan-U.S. security ties and partnerships with other like-minded democracies in Asia, Europe and Britain, in part to counter China and nuclear-armed North Korea.
Kishida is to create a new Cabinet post aimed at tackling economic dimensions of Japan's national security, appointing 46-year-old Takayuki Kobayashi, who is relatively new to parliament.
Japan faces growing nuclear and missile threats from North Korea, which last month test-fired ballistic missiles capable of hitting targets in Japan. Kishida also faces worsening ties with fellow U.S. ally South Korea over history issues even after he struck a 2015 agreement with Seoul to resolve a row over the issue of women who were sexually abused by Japan's military during World War II.
An urgent task at home will be turning around his party’s sagging popularity, hurt by Suga’s perceived high-handedness on the pandemic and other issues. Kishida is expected to make a policy speech later this week before dissolving the lower house of Parliament ahead of the general election expected by mid-November.
He'll also have to ensure Japan's health care systems, vaccination campaign and other virus measures are ready for a possible resurgence of COVID-19 in winter, while gradually normalizing social and economic activity.
Kishida said last week that his top priority would be the economy. Kishida’s “new capitalism” is largely a continuation of Abe’s economic policies. He aims to raise income of more people and create a cycle of growth and distribution.
A third-generation politician, Kishida was first elected to Parliament in 1993 representing Hiroshima and is an advocate for nuclear disarmament. He escorted former President Barack Obama during his 2016 visit to the city that, along with Nagasaki, was destroyed in U.S. atomic bombings in the closing days of World War II.
Mamata wins crucial Bengal bypoll
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday scripted an astounding victory in the crucial bypoll in the eastern state to cement her position as the biggest opposition leader in India.
The 66-year-old won the by-election for the assembly constituency of Bhawanipur in state capital Kolkata by a whopping margin of 59,000 votes over her main rival, a little-known lawyer from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Read: Mamata all set to win crucial Bengal bypoll
"I have won the Bhawanipur assembly bypoll with a margin of 58,832 votes and have registered the victory in every ward of the constituency," Mamata said, addressing the media in Kolkata.
The firebrand politician had to contest in the bypoll as she was defeated in Nandigram by her protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari in April-May's assembly elections though her ruling Trinamool Congress party swept back to power in Bengal.
India's main opposition Congress, on the other hand, did not fielded any candidate against Mamata. The party's decision was announced by West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury earlier last month.
On May 2, Mamata single-handedly pulled off a landslide victory in the assembly election for the third time in a row, bucking anti-incumbency and staving off a massive challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.
Read: Crucial bypoll begins in Bengal to decide Mamata's fate
In June this year, Mamata moved the high court to declare Suvendu's election win "null and void' on the grounds that he had indulged in corrupt practices and sought votes on the basis of religion.
Bengal had witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state polls. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and development" after 50 years of Communist and Trinamool rule.
Dubai's Expo 2020 reveals 3 worker deaths from COVID-19
Dubai's Expo 2020 acknowledged for the first time on Sunday that three workers had died from the coronavirus over the course of building the world's fair during the pandemic, as the prestigious event draws scrutiny of labor conditions in the United Arab Emirates.
When asked at a press conference about deaths among Expo's vast foreign labor force, spokesperson Sconaid McGeachin said three workers had died from the virus in addition to three from construction incidents, without specifying when. She declined to describe the extent of the coronavirus outbreak among workers on site.
Read: New report offers global startups, investors insights on Dubai’s entrepreneurial ecosystem
McGeachin again claimed the information about worker casualties was previously available, without elaborating. However, authorities in the run-up to the $7 billion fair had not offered any overall statistics on worker fatalities, injuries or coronavirus infections despite repeated requests from The Associated Press and other journalists.
The statement comes a day after Expo offered conflicting reports about how many workers had died in industrial incidents on site, before settling on three.
The UAE long has faced criticism from human rights activists over poor treatment of the legions of low-paid migrant laborers from Africa, Asia and the Middle East who power the country's economy. Dubai has gambled billions on its elaborate World Expo, hoping to make it a huge tourist attraction and a symbol of the country’s allure.
But problems have emerged. The European Parliament last month urged nations not to take part in Expo, citing the UAE’s “inhumane practices against foreign workers” that it said worsened during the pandemic.
To pay tribute to the thousands of workers who toiled to build the fairgrounds from scratch, the site features a somber worker's monument — stone columns wrapped with an engraved roll call of laborers' names at Expo's Jubilee Park, nestled between a performance stage and a popular Dubai bar chain.
The massive global event has also renewed criticism from human rights groups of the UAE's suppression of dissent and restrictions on free expression.
At a press conference Saturday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian answered a question about the European Parliament's concerns over labor abuses in the UAE, saying that France would not join in its call for an Expo boycott and instead raise any potential issues with Emirati authorities “behind closed doors.” However, the sensitive exchange was inexplicably missing from the official Expo transcript of the news conference, raising concerns about transparency at the site.
“I will look into that,” said McGeachin when asked about the omission. “I would like to say that this is an oversight.”
Read: Dubai consolidates its position as ‘FDI Global City of the Future'
Meanwhile, Uganda’s long-serving President Yoweri Museveni arrived to visit his nation’s pavilion at Expo. He called the site and the Emirati effort to build the small city “a challenge to the Africans” as they had “turned a desert into a center of affluence.”
“Yesterday when I arrived, they took me for COVID test,” he said. “In Africa, sometimes we say, ‘Big people should not be checked.’”
Mamata all set to win crucial Bengal bypoll
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is all set to win the crucial Bengal bypoll, with Sunday morning trends showing she is well ahead of her main rival from India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The 66-year-old firebrand woman politician is leading by more than 30,000 votes in the by-election for the assembly constituency of Bhawanipur in state capital Kolkata, the Election Commission of India has said.
Read: Crucial bypoll begins in Bengal to decide Mamata's fate
In Bhawanipur, Mamata has to pull off a win to continue as Bengal Chief Minister. BJP has pitted a little-known woman lawyer against Mamata.
Though her ruling Trinamool Congress party swept back to power in Bengal in April-May assembly polls, Mamata lost her own seat in Nandigram to her protege-turned-rival Suvendu Adhikari by nearly 2,000 votes.
India's main opposition Congress, on the other hand, did not fielded any candidate against Mamata. The party's decision was announced by West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury earlier last month.
On May 2, Mamata single-handedly pulled off a landslide victory in the assembly election for the third time in a row, bucking anti-incumbency and staving off a massive challenge from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's BJP.
Read: Mamata to kickstart campaign for Bengal bypoll today
In June this year, Mamata moved the high court to declare Suvendu's election win "null and void' on the grounds that he had indulged in corrupt practices and sought votes on the basis of religion.
Bengal had witnessed the most high-profile contest in India's recently held state polls. While Mamata harped on being Bengal’s daughter, the BJP asked people to vote for "change and development" after 50 years of Communist and Trinamool rule.
14 Myanmar nationals arrested in India
Authorities in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur have apprehended as many as 14 Myanmar nationals for allegedly entering the country using fake identity cards.
India shares a long land border of more than 1,600 km with Myanmar as well as a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. Four northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram -- share an international boundary with Myanmar.
"The 14 Myanmar nationals were detained by security personnel deployed at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Manipur's capital Imphal as they were attempting to board a flight to Delhi, using fake Indian identity cards on Friday," an official told the local media on Saturday.
"All of them were subsequently handed over to the local police, who formally arrested them. The 14 foreign nationals were produced in a court that remanded 11 of them in police custody for interrogation," the official added.
Read: India tightens border security after 20 from Myanmar cross over
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh tweeted to say that his government will take stern action against anyone entering India illegally, in an apparent reference to those trying to escape the turmoil in Myanmar in the wake of the military coup earlier this year.
"The state govt. takes this matter very seriously. Stringent actions will be taken up against those people who enter the country without proper documents," Singh tweeted.
In February, India expressed “deep concern” at the military coup. “India has always been steadfast in its support to the process of democratic transition in Myanmar. We believe that the rule of law and the democratic process must be upheld,” the Foreign Ministry had said.
Life in a madrasa as Afghanistan enters new era
In a school in a remote corner of the Afghan capital, a cacophony of children’s voices recite Islam’s holiest book.
Sunshine streams through the windows of the Khatamul Anbiya madrasa, where a dozen young boys sit in a circle under the tutelage of their teacher, Ismatullah Mudaqiq.
The students are awake by 4:30 a.m. and start the day with prayers. They spend class time memorizing the Quran, chanting verses until the words are ingrained. At any moment, Mudaqiq might test them by asking that a verse be recited from memory.
Attention is turning to the future of education in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, with calls among urban educated Afghans and the international community for equal access to education for girls and women. The madrasas -- Islamic religious schools for elementary and higher learning, attended only by boys -- represent another segment of Afghan society, poorer and more conservative.
Read: Asian TT Championships: Bangladesh men beat Afghanistan, women Nepal
And they too are uncertain what the future will hold under the Taliban.
Trains packed with commuters as Japan fully ends emergency
Japan fully came out of a coronavirus state of emergency for the first time in more than six months as the country starts to gradually ease virus measures to help rejuvenate the pandemic-hit economy as the infections slowed.
At Tokyo’s busy Shinagawa train station, a sea of mask-wearing commuters rushed to their work despite an approaching typhoon, with some returning to their offices after months of remote work.
The emergency measures, in place for more than half of the country including Tokyo, ended Thursday following a steady fall in new caseloads over the past few weeks, helping to ease pressure on Japanese health care systems.
Read:Japan's next leader: Higher wages cure for pandemic doldrums
Outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga thanked the people for their patience and cooperation, and asked them to stick to their basic anti-virus measures.
“Once again, I seek your cooperation so that we can return to our daily lives feeling safe,” he said.
The lifting of the emergency marked a fresh start for some people.
Office worker Akifumi Sugihara, 46, said he is back to the train station for the first time in about a year. “I had been working from home for more than a year, and I came to the office in Tokyo as (the emergency) was lifted today,” he said. “It’s really been a while. I feel it’s a new start.”
Another office worker, Kaori Hayashi, 37, said it was an ordinary Friday. “In my mind nothing really has changed,” she said. “We still need to be careful. I will stay vigilant and carry on my life as usual.”
Japan is eager to expand social and economic activities while balancing the need to prevent another wave of infections as the weather turns cooler. Officials say the government still needs time to create more temporary COVID-19 treatment facilities and continue vaccinations to prepare for any future resurgence.
Read:Japan ex-diplomat Kishida wins party vote, to become new PM
The emergency measures have mainly involved requests for eateries to curb alcohol and hours. They can now serve alcohol and operate an hour longer but still have to close at 9 p.m.
Daily reported cases have fallen to below 1,600 as of Wednesday nationwide — less than one-tenth of the mid-August peak of around 25,000. Experts attributed the declining numbers to the progress of vaccinations and to people increased their social distancing efforts after being alarmed by the collapse of medical systems during the summer.
Nearly more than 59% of Japanese people have been fully vaccinated. Japan has had about 1.69 million cases and 17,641 deaths from COVID-19.