Hundreds of Tibetans staged protests outside the Derge (Chinese: Dege) county government’s office in the Kardze (Ganzi) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, on Feb. 14, 2024, calling for halt to a proposed hydropower station construction in their area, and to withdraw the order for relocation of Tibetans from the surrounding area because of this. Videos of the Tibetans’ protest were being circulated in the social media. A large group of Tibetans are seen peacefully protesting in front of a government office building and officials (mostly in civilian clothes) can be seen stopping the crowd from moving forward. Voice of America Tibetan reported that the Derge county officials informed the protesting Tibetans that nothing could be done on this at their level. According to a source in exile, who is from Derge, the Tibetans who were protesting were from Wento town (Wentuo Zhen) in Derge county who were being asked to relocate to another place near Moshoe bridge in the same county. The exact location of Moshoe bridge could not be ascertained, but the source said some houses have already been built there to house the people. Voice of America Tibetan service reported that the hydropower station was the Kamtok (Gangtuo) Hydropower Station. A posting about the protest on Chinese social media outlet Weibo also identified it as being Kamtok. ICT could not get independent confirmation, but this particular station is located over the Drichu River in the nearby Kamtok Township, Jomda (Jiangda) County, Chamdo (Changdu) City, TAR. Following the protest, one social media posting said the authorities have taken down the video circulating on Weibo. Radio Free Asia Tibetan reports that following the protests, Chinese authorities increased security measures and have been trying to identify protest organizers and participants, two sources inside Tibet said. Several monasteries and dozens of villages in two townships in the county face the threat of relocation, according to Tibetan language media reports. The International Campaign for Tibet is deeply concerned about the apparent disregard of local Tibetan’s rights and the threat of relocation, connected to the construction of the hydropower station. ICT is calling on the Chinese authorities to respect the rights of peaceful protesters and to refrain from using violence or resort to arbitrary detention of those involved. Moreover, ICT is urging the international community to press on the Chinese government to respect international human rights standards. The Chinese government continues to pursue blind and commercial infrastructure projects in Tibet that are designed and implemented without regard for environmental impacts or local community concerns. These projects, which include rail roads, highways, and power grids, combined with resource extraction projects such as hydropower dams and mining create economic and environmental costs that disproportionally impact Tibetans, ICT said. Tibetan water security Tibet is home to one-fifth of the world’s freshwater supply. Glacial runoff from it forms rivers in almost every country across South and Southeast Asia, with an estimated 1.8 billion people dependent on this water’s healthy, unimpeded flow. The integrity of Tibet’s ecology is critical to the Tibetan’ people’s way of life and directly contributes to the stability and economic wellbeing of downstream countries in South and Southeast Asia. However, large-scale water diversion projects and hydropower development are having dramatic downstream consequences, including lack of access to freshwater, economic disruption, and negative impacts on downstream ecosystems.   Source: savetibet.org

State television has reported that suspected militants from a separatist group attacked a police station in Sistan-Baluchistan province, killing at least 11 officers and injuring several others. Militants from a separatist group attacked a police station in southeastern Iran, killing 11 officers and injuring several others on Friday, officials told state media. "In the terrorist attack on the police headquarters in the town of Rask, 11 policemen were killed, and others were wounded," Alireza Marhamati, deputy governor of the Sistan-Baluchistan province, told state television. "The officers at the targeted police station defended themselves bravely and wounded and killed some of the assailants," Marhemati said. Seven police officers were wounded, with some in critical condition, official news agency IRNA reported authorities saying.   What Iranian media reported about the attack Marhamati said senior police officers and soldiers were among those killed and injured in the attack that commenced at around 2 a.m. local time. Local media reports said authorities are investigating the attack, with footage being released showing a helicopter searching for the attackers over the mountains along the Iran-Pakistan border. According to state TV, the attack was carried out by the separatist group Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice). Formed in 2012, the Sunni jihadist group is blacklisted by Iran as a "terrorist" organization. The militant group, which advocates for rights and better conditions for theethnic Baluchi minority, was involved in the 2019 suicide bombing that killed 27 members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard force, as well as other attacks. State media added that several members of the militant group were also killed in ensuing shootout with security forces. Rask is located approximately 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) southwest of Tehran in an impoverished province, which borders Afghanistan and Pakistan and has a history of conflicts involving security forces and Sunni militants, as well as drug smugglers.    

At least five people, including four labourers and a policeman, were killed in a terror attack on a police station in the Nasirabad area of Balochistan's Turbat in Pakistan, reported Geo News. Authorities said that some unidentified assailants attacked the police station. According to an official, the labourers hailed from Punjab and were identified as Mohammad Uzair, Baqar Ali, Shehbaz Ahmed and Shehzad Ahmed, Geo News reported. The bodies of the victims were shifted to Teaching Hospital Turbat. Moreover, one labourer also suffered injuries during the fight, reported Geo News. Pakistan Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai confirmed that the firing was a terrorist incident, and condemned the attack on unarmed labourers. Meanwhile, interim Chief Minister Ali Mardan Khan Domki summoned a report from the Ministry of Home and Tribal Affairs. According to Geo News, he further vowed to hold the culprits of the attack accountable. Reportedly, this is the second incident that has occurred in Turbat this month, where particularly labourers from Punjab were targeted. Earlier this month, at least six labourers were killed while sleeping and two were wounded after gunmen targeted them in an overnight attack in Turbat city, reported Geo News. The police further said that the unidentified gunmen attacked the labourers who were sleeping in an under-construction house. Moreover, earlier this year, a police official was killed and two others were injured when a police van was targeted in a bomb blast at Chakar Azam Chowk by a female suicide attacker, Pakistan-based Dawn reported. Kech Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mohammad Baloch said that the suicide attack happened in Balochistan's Turbat and one of the injured police officers was a female. Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo, Balochistan's then Chief Minister condemned the blast and expressed regret at the news of the dead and injured police officials. He also extended his condolences to their families, as per Dawn. 

A woman has suffered "life-threatening injuries" after police fired at her for making threats at a Paris train station. The 38-year-old Muslim woman was completely veiled and shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is Greatest"). She reportedly made threats that she would "blow herself up" She also yelled "you are all going to die" to passengers on an RER train, according to Paris police chief Laurent Nunez. Nunez added that police had shot the woman after she refused to comply with police orders, and that she was not in possession of explosives at the time she was shot. Probe launched into woman's behavior, response of officers Two police officers then fired eight rounds at the woman, inflicting a life-threatening injury to her abdomen, the Paris prosecutor's office said. It had earlier said that one officer had fired only one shot. Police in Paris have launched two investigations. One will probe the woman's actions, while another will determine whether the police's use of a firearm was justified. A French government spokesman said that the woman had a previous conviction for threatening patrolling soldiers.

The spacecraft Shenzhou-17, or "Divine Vessel", lifted off at 11:13 a.m. local time (0313 UTC/GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre, on the edges of China's Gobi Desert. The crew is the youngest ever to depart for the orbiting Tiangong space station as part of a China's program to send its taikonauts to the lunar surface. The six-month mission is headed by Tang Hongbo, 48, a former air force pilot. He was on the first crewed mission to the space station in 2021. Accompanying him were first-time space travelers Tang Shengjie, 33, and Jiang Xinlin, 35.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been inaugurated new train service on Dhaka-Bhanga route through Padma Bridge today, October 10. Then, PM crossed the Padma Bridge by a special train as the train will be reached at Bhanga in Faridpur from Mawa Railway Station. According to UNB, The railway line is being constructed in three phases (plus a 3km link being built between Dhaka and Gandaria): 37km Gandaria-Mawa section, a 42km Mawa-Bhanga section, and an 87km Bhanga Junction-Jashore section. Some 43.2km of loops, siding and Y-connections bring the total track length to 215.2km. The entire railway project from Dhaka-Jashore is scheduled to be completed by June, 2024.

Water delivery in the city was hampered on Monday due to a power outage at Karachi's Dhabeji pumping station, ARY News reported. The Dhabeji pumping station, which is responsible for supplying water to all of Karachi, experienced a power outage, which means that Karachi's residents may face water scarcity. According to a Water Corporation spokesperson, the 72-inch diameter line, known as line number 5, is impacted by the power outage, according to ARY News. According to the spokesperson, representatives from the water corporation are on the scene and thoroughly inspecting the affected line in an effort to pinpoint the source of the issue. Bulkwater Corporation's chief engineer confirmed that actions are being taken to repair the damaged pipe in order to mitigate any potential inconvenience for city residents caused by the water supply outage, as reported by ARY News. The city's water supply has been switched to alternative lines, according to the chief engineer, while the damaged pipe is being repaired. Pakistan, which is already reeling from a power crisis, will now face a water crisis in parts of Karachi.

Water delivery in the city was hampered on Monday due to a power outage at Karachi's Dhabeji pumping station, ARY News reported. The Dhabeji pumping station, which is responsible for supplying water to all of Karachi, experienced a power outage, which means that Karachi's residents may face water scarcity. According to a Water Corporation spokesperson, the 72-inch diameter line, known as line number 5, is impacted by the power outage, according to ARY News. According to the spokesperson, representatives from the water corporation are on the scene and thoroughly inspecting the affected line in an effort to pinpoint the source of the issue. Bulkwater Corporation's chief engineer confirmed that actions are being taken to repair the damaged pipe in order to mitigate any potential inconvenience for city residents caused by the water supply outage, as reported by ARY News. The city's water supply has been switched to alternative lines, according to the chief engineer, while the damaged pipe is being repaired. Pakistan, which is already reeling from a power crisis, will now face a water crisis in parts of Karachi.

Railway workers have been blocked rail line on Sunday for demanding their permanent employment. As a result train communication with Dhaka has been stopped since the morning. Dhaka Railway Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Ferdous Ahmed said, "around 10 am we got the news of rail line blockade at Malibagh. After going to the spot, I learned that the temporary workers of Bangladesh Railway have blocked the railway line to demand permanent employment."  Ferdous Ahmed Biswas, officer-in-charge of Kamalapur Railway Police Station, confirmed the development, saying that the workers are staged in their demand and are blocking the rail track. Railways Minister Nurul Islam Sujan said in a media that, there is no chance of making their jobs permanent as they work on the basis of daily wage.  

India and the US are collaborating to send an Indian astronaut to the International Space Station in 2024, US President Joe Biden said here on Thursday after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing the media after bilateral talks with PM Modi, Biden said India and the US were collaborating in nearly every human endeavour in delivering progress across the board. "From designing new ways to diagnosing and treating new illnesses like cancer and diabetes to collaboration on human space flight, including on sending an Indian astronaut to the international space station in 2024…," Biden said with PM Modi by his side. PM Modi also said that India has decided to sign the Artemis Accords and taken a great leap forward. "We have decided to join the Artemis Accords. We have taken a giant leap in our space cooperation. In short, I would say even the sky is not the limit for cooperation with the US," PM Modi said. Grounded in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 (OST), the Artemis Accords are a non-binding set of principles designed to guide civil space exploration and use in the 21st century.  It is an American-led effort to return humans to the moon by 2025, with the ultimate goal of expanding space exploration to Mars and beyond. India is planning to send its maiden human space flight – Gaganyaan – into a low earth orbit by the end of 2024 or early 2025. If an Indian astronaut travels to the international space station, it could be before the Gaganyaan project. Earlier, a senior White House official said that NASA and the ISRO were developing a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation this year. On semiconductors, US companies are partnering with India to build a semiconductor ecosystem that promotes supply chain diversification. Micron Technology with support from the Indian National Semiconductor Mission announced an investment of more than USD 800 million that together with additional financial support from Indian authorities will amount to a USD 2.75 billion semiconductor assembly and test facility in India. In addition, US Applied Materials announced the new semiconductor centre for commercialisation and innovation in India and Lamb Research, another semiconductor manufacturing equipment company is going to announce a training programme for 60,000 Indian engineers through its semi-verse solution to accelerate India's semiconductor workforce development goals. On critical minerals and mineral security, the United States will announce its support for India becoming a member of the Mineral Security Partnership which is led by the US State Department and strengthens critical minerals supply chain and ensures that our respective markets are well supplied with essential critical minerals that are needed for climate, economic and strategic technology goals, the official said. On advanced computing, artificial intelligence and quantum information science, India and the United States have first established a joint Indo-US quantum coordination mechanism that will facilitate more collaboration between our industries, academia, and government, said the official. They have also signed a new implementation arrangement on artificial intelligence advanced wireless and quantum technologies.  The US on an Economic Development Consortium is now welcoming into its membership, Indian Quantum universities and entities as well. In advanced telecommunications, the two countries are working together on 5G and 6G technologies, including Open Radio Access Network (RAN) systems. Here we'll be announcing partnerships on open ran, field trials and rollouts, including scale deployments in both countries with operators and vendors of both markets. This will involve backing from the US International Development Finance, for cooperation and to promote the deployments in India, the official said. India's 5G and 6G and the US Next G alliance will be leading a new public-private Cooperation forum as well.  The US will also be welcoming Indian participation in the US rip and replace programme that removes telecommunications equipment made by untrusted vendors. On people-to-people ties and higher education, leveraging the enormous talent, particularly in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields in both countries and coming out of a task force.  It would be chaired by the Association of American Universities and counterparts at the Indian Institute of Technologies would like to welcome the launch for the university network with Indo US global challenges to federal Spark, new research partnerships and exchanges in fields including agriculture, energy and health, said the official. Source: ndtv.com