MOSCOW, 19 December, 2020, (TON): Russia successfully launched its Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket on Friday, delivering 36 satellites from the U.K.-based OneWeb Company into space.

The rocket blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in the country's Far East at 3:26 p.m. Moscow time (1226 GMT), the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said in a statement.

The upper stage, which houses the satellites, separated from the third stage of the rocket normally, it said.

"Today's launch will be marked as the first fully commercial one from the Vostochny cosmodrome," Roscosmos noted.

The launch will expand OneWeb’s number of in-orbit satellites to 110, part of a low earth orbit fleet of 648 designed to establish a high-speed, low-latency global connectivity, the satellite operator said.

This was the first launch of OneWeb satellites from the Vostochny spaceport and the first purely commercial launch from this space centre.

The first six OneWeb satellites were launched by a Soyuz-ST carrier rocket from the Kourou space center in French Guiana on February 28, 2019 and put in orbit on the same day. Soyuz is the only orbital rocket that has launched from three different continents and countries.

NEW DELHI, 19 December 2020, (TON): Colonel Neeraj Gehlot allegedly raped his friend’s Russian wife after sedating him at the Officers’ Mess of Central Ordnance Depot in Cantonment area. “Colonel Gehlot has been on the run since the incident. He was arrested from Officers’ Mess on Tuesday evening,” said superintendent of police (East) Raj Kumar Agarwal

The Army officer was arrested on Tuesday evening while he was returning from work. the colonel was posted at Kanpur in Cantonment. “SP (East) Rajkumar Agarwal said the colonel’s superior officers had been informed about his arrest”. Colonel has been sent to jail.

The complainant is married to the Colonel Neeraj Gehlot childhood friend. She said Indian Army officer invited her and her husband to dinner to celebrate his recent promotion.

The couple arrived in Kanpur from Lucknow late night on 10 December, and around midnight was allegedly served drinks laced with sedatives. The victim said that after her husband fell unconscious, the Colonel Neeraj Gehlot forced himself on her and sexually assaulted her while she was heavily intoxicated. The woman is of Russian origin and has been living in India for almost 10 years. The police registered an FIR based on her complaint on 12 December but recorded her statement two days later.

Police authorities are saying they are under tremendous pressure to change the direction of the case as there is a network of India military officers engaged in gang that are committed in such activities to please their superiors for goof reports and promotions.  

NEW DELHI, 18 December 2020, (TON): Indian troops on Friday (today) targeted vehicle of UN military mission in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) from across the line of control in what is referred to as a ‘‘new low’’ in their behaviour.

The incident of ‘’unprovoked firing’’ of Indian border troops occurred at about 10:45 am in the Chirikrot sector of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The UN officers were on their way to polas village to meet with the victims of Indian shelling across the LOC when they targeted by Indian troop. They inflicted damage to UN vehicle however, the officers remain safe, FO spokesperson told during a weekly press briefing.

Pakistan Army immediately evacuated the officers and brought them to the UNMOIP field station in Rawalakot.

"The reprehensible act of unprovoked firing by India on the UNMOGIP officers is indicative of a new low in the conduct of Indian occupation troops," Chaudhri said.

ISPR, in a series of tweet said, ‘’Indian Army resorted to unprovoked fire in Chirikot Sector of #LOC. Indian troops deliberately targeted a United Nations vehicle with 2 Military Observers on board, enroute to interact with CFV victims in Polas Village in Chirikot Sector.

‘’While the vehicle was damaged, the two UNMOs luckily remained unharmed. They were safely rescued & evacuated by Pakistan Army to Rawalakot,’’ the ISPR said.

‘‘Such illegal and unlawful acts against all established international norms, signify mal-intent of Indian Army to target not only innocent civilians residing along the Line of Control but #UN Peace Keepers as well. This act only goes to show Indian Army’s complete disregard to principles enshrined in UN Charter. It is indeed a new low for Indian Army. Pakistan Army stands in solidarity with #UNMOGIP officials and appreciates the selfless services rendered by all members of UNMOGIP in discharge of their UN mandated duties,’’

The FO spokesperson, while press briefing said, Pakistan "strongly condemns the continuing CFVs by India in clear violation of international law; the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding; and against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct".

He noted that India had committed 2,992 ceasefire violations so far this year alone, resulting in 27 deaths and serious injuries to 249 civilians, including 92 women and 68 children.

He called upon India to respect the 2003 Ceasefire Understanding, investigate the incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations, and maintain peace along the LoC and the Working Boundary (WB).

"Pakistan also urges India to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions," Chaudhri said.

WASHINGTON, 18 December 2020, (TON): The United States is planning to blacklist a dozen of Chinese companies including SMIC, the country’s top chipmakes company, sources familiar with the matter told media.

The Commerce Department is expected to add around 80 additional companies and affiliates to the so-called entity list, nearly all of them Chinese.

The designations are expected to name some Chinese companies that Washington alleges have ties to the Chinese military, including some allegedly helping it construct and militarize artificial islands in the South China Sea, as well as some involved in human rights violations, the sources said.

SMIC has already been in Washington’s watch however, it has repeatedly said that it has no relationship with the Chinese military.

China’s foreign ministry responded, saying it would evidence of US oppression of Chinese companies and reaffirmed the commencement of defensive measures.

“We urge the U.S. to cease its mistaken behavior of unwarranted oppression of foreign companies,” ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular news conference in Beijing on Friday.

NEW YORK, 18 December 2020, (TON): United Nation General Assembly on Wednesday adopts Pakistan-sponsored resolution on the right to self-determination for the people suffering from foreign, colonial and alien occupation.

The resolution, adopted by the 193-member body on December 16, titled "Universal realisation of the rights of peoples to self-determination", reaffirmed that self-determination is a fundamental condition for effective guarantee and observance, preservation and promotion of human rights for those under colonial, foreign and alien domination.

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Munir Akram told APP “This resolution empowers legitimate freedom movements and renews international commitment to help those living under occupation and subjugation.”

“Pakistan will continue to speak up for people who are suffering under foreign occupation,” he declared.

“This has been a corner stone of our foreign policy and we are proud to be a voice of the voiceless,” said Munir Akram.

The UNGA resolution called upon states to "cease immediately their military intervention in and occupation of foreign countries and territories and all acts of repression, discrimination, exploitation and maltreatment, in particular the brutal and inhuman methods reportedly employed in the execution of those acts against the peoples concerned".

The resolution stated that the UN deplores plight of millions of refugees and displaced persons who have been uprooted and reaffirmed their right to voluntary repatriation in "safety and with honour".

The UN Human Rights Council has been requested to continue giving special attention to violation of human rights especially right to self-determination, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres has been requested to report on this in the General Assembly at the 76th session next year.

NEW DELHI, 18 December, 2020, (TON): The ongoing farmers protest in India against deregulation of agriculture markets have taken an ugly turn, with the powerful international Sikh Diaspora in Canada, UK and the USA urging their governments to express concern over the rapidly deteriorating grave situation and to intercede with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Tens and thousands of farmers, mostly from the Sikh-dominated state of Punjab have camped near the border of New Delhi since November 27 to protest the new laws, blocking most of the entry points to the national capital, demanding Modi roll back the reforms intended to bring investment in the antiquated farm sector but which the farmers say will leave them at the mercy of big corporations.

Sikhs living overseas, most of whom have families at home tied to the farms, have picked up the thread in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia, demonstrating outside Indian embassies to draw attention.

On Thursday, 250 to 300 Sikhs and other overseas Indians took part in a rally in a Melbourne district to express their support for India’s farmers, said Rajbir Singh, who runs a small transport business in Melbourne, Reuters reported.

On Saturday, people of Indian origin plan to carry out similar protests near the state parliament of Victoria in Melbourne, said Siftnoor Singh, a data scientist.

Sikhs and other Indian Punjabis overseas are estimated at 12 million. They form a tightly knit group and are vociferous in articulating the concerns of the community back home.

36 members of the British Parliament have expressed solidarity with the ongoing farmers’ agitation in India and have written to UK’s Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab to raise the matter with New Delhi.

Since the farmers’ protest started more than two weeks ago in India, members of the diaspora have participated in protest marches in nearly 50 different cities. Sikh community in different parts of the world is supporting the farmers’ movement. Indian government has declined comment on the protests overseas.

ANKARA, 18 December, 2020, (TON): A China-Europe freight train from Turkey entered China Thursday via Horgos Port in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the local customs said.

The cargo train is Turkey's first for exports to China, which departed Istanbul on December 4 and is bound for the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an. It is scheduled to arrive at its final destination on Saturday. The train is carrying 1,383 refrigerators worth about 10.4 million yuan (about 1.59 million U.S. dollars).

While international shipping and air transport logistics have been held back by the COVID-19 epidemic, China-Europe freight trains have buttressed the stability of the global industrial and supply chains, according to Horgos customs on the China-Kazakhstan border.

It is also the first return China-Europe freight train that passed through the "southern corridor," a transport network that includes the trans-Caspian corridor and the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, said the customs.

"The successful launch of this train will bring more logistics and freight resources into the 'southern corridor,' turn the advantages of the route into market benefits, and inject new momentum into the joint construction of the Belt and Road and the building of an open economy," said Chen Fang with the customs.

The train, entering Georgia through eastern Kars province, is scheduled to stop at the southern town of Akhalkalaki, then traveling across Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan before delivering cargo to China’s Xi’an province.

The Iron Silk Road connectivity program, spanning 8,693 km and five countries, reduces freight duration between Turkey and China from a month to 12 days by following the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, also known as the Middle Corridor, via the BTK railway.

Turkish authorities consider BTK a vital segment of the "Iron Silk Road" stretching from China to Turkey and further into Europe.

MEXICO, 18 December, 2020, (TON): Nearly four years after Mexican journalist Miroslava Breach was shot dead outside her home, authorities have arrested the then-mayor of a town over suspected involvement.

A former mayor from northern Mexico's Chihuahua state was arrested Thursday for "complicity" in the 2017 murder of journalist Miroslava Breach, authorities said.

He has been accused of passing on information about the journalist to those who murdered her. According to authorities, the politician was the mayor of Chinipas in Chihuahua at the time. He belonged to the conservative National Action Party (PAN).

Breach was in her car outside her home in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua. Breach, a 54-year-old veteran crime and politics reporter, was shot eight times in the head on March 23, 2017, as she left her home to take her son to school.

A correspondent for the national newspaper La Jornada and the regional news website Norte de Ciudad Juárez, Breach covered the intersection of corruption and crime. A year before she was killed, she had reported on alleged links between politicians and the organized crime syndicate known as La Línea.

In 2018, the United Nations and AFP launched an award to honor journalists who risk their lives to cover human rights abuses in Mexico, in tribute to Breach and another slain journalist, Javier Valdez.

Mexico is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. This has been the most violent year for journalists in Mexico for at least 10 years, with 19 murdered just this year, Alejandro Encinas, deputy interior minister for human rights.

WASHINGTON, 18 December, 2020, (TON):  The US military has warned that its warships would be “more assertive” in responding to violations of international law, citing in particular Beijing, which it accused of having expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea.

A major new report signed by the heads of the US Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard warned the “rules-based international order is once again under assault”, and the security environment had dramatically changed since 2015.

The report said China and Russia were now “determined rivals” of the US, with China presenting “the most pressing long-term strategic threat”.

“China is the only rival with the combined economic and military potential to present a long term, comprehensive challenge to the US,” the report said.

“Our globally deployed naval forces interact with Chinese and Russian warships and aircraft daily,” the document said, noting their “growing aggressiveness” and calling China “the most pressing, long-term strategic threat”.

US ships would also “accept calculated tactical risks and adopt a more assertive posture in our day-to-day operations,” it said.

The US would also strengthen alliances and partnerships, saying the allies would “provide all-domain fires to help establish sea control and project power”.

The latest incident between the US and China naval forces took place in late August when Beijing said it had driven an American warship from the disputed Paracel archipelago.

China claims almost all of the islands of the South China Sea, territorial claims disputed by other countries in the region including Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei.

The Pentagon report predicted that in the event of a conflict, both China and Russia would likely attempt to seize territory before the US and its allies could effectively respond.

To maintain strategic advantage over the Chinese navy, the US plans to modernise its naval force with smaller, more agile and even remotely piloted ships.

The biggest impact downward spiral of the US-China relations has been the growing military exercises and deployments in the South China Sea. The US has also been hardening its posture and military presence in the South China Sea (SCS), besides openly calling out China for its actions in these disputed waters.

ABUJA, 18 December, 2020, (TON):  Hundreds of schoolboys who were kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria nearly a week ago have been released, a local official said late on Thursday, prompting joy and relief for families that had been praying for the boys’ safe return.

Gunmen raided the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara town, Katsina state, on motorbikes and carried off the boys in the biggest such incident in the region in recent years.

Governor Aminu Bello Masari said in a televised interview with state channel NTA that a total of 344 boys held in the Rugu Forest in neighboring Zamfara state had been freed.

"We have recovered most of the boys. It's not all of them," he said.

In the rescue operation, security forces had cordoned off the area where the boys were being held and had been given instructions not to fire a single shot.

The boys were on their way back to Katsina state and would be medically examined and reunited with their families on Friday, Masari said.

Earlier on Thursday, protesters marched in the northwestern city of Katsina under a banner reading #BringBackOurBoys as pressure mounted on the government to improve security.

Criminal gangs operating in the northwest have killed more than 1,100 people in the first half of 2020 alone, according to rights group Amnesty International.

In the northeast, Boko Haram and its offshoot, West Africa Province, have waged a decade-long insurgency estimated to have displaced about 2 million people and killed more than 30,000.