News in Brief

Date: 16 October 2018 - 21:24

News ID: ۵۸۵۸۸

MOSCOW (IANS) -- Russian and Pakistani troops will hold joint military drills in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from October 21 to November 4, a statement said here on Tuesday.
According to Vadim Astafyev, head of the press service of the Russian Southern Military District, the "Friendship 2018" drills will be held at a training range in Pabbi town, reports Xinhua news agency.
The servicemen from the two countries' armed forces will perform tasks at an altitude of 1,400 meters above sea level, Astafyev said.
Russia and Pakistan have been holding the "Friendship" drills since 2016.
In 2017, over 200 servicemen took part in the drills, which were held in the North Caucasus at an altitude of 2,300 metres above sea level.

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SEOUL (Reuters) -- North Korea released a South Korean who illegally crossed the border into the North, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on Tuesday, as relations between the two sides show a steady thaw.
A 60-year-old man who entered North Korea last month was repatriated through the truce village of Panmunjom in the demilitarized zone, the ministry said.
All South Korean nationals are required to seek approval from the ministry before contacting North Koreans or traveling to the North.
The ministry said it was investigating how and why the man reached the North, thanking Pyongyang for returning him "from a humanitarian standpoint”.
North and South Korea are technically still at war because their 1950-53 conflict ended in a truce, not a peace treaty, but relations have warmed with a third summit last month and North Korea’s pledge to denuclearize.
The two sides held their first three-way talks with the United Nations Command on Tuesday to discuss ways to demilitarize the border as they push for peace.

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BEIJING (Dispatches) — China on Tuesday characterized its mass internment of Muslims as a push to bring into the "modern, civilized" world a destitute people who are easily led astray.
China's resistance to Western pressure over the camps highlights its growing confidence under President Xi Jinping, who has offered Beijing's system as a model for other countries.
The report by the official Xinhua News Agency indicated that key to the party's vision in Xinjiang is the assimilation of the indigenous Central Asian ethnic minorities into Han Chinese society — and in turn, a "modern" lifestyle.
Xinjiang Gov. Shohrat Zakir said the authorities were providing people with lessons on Mandarin, Chinese history and laws. Such training would steer them away from extremism and onto the path toward a "modern life" in which they would feel "confident about the future," he said.
"It's become a general trend for them to expect and pursue a modern, civilized life," Zakir said, referring to the trainees. He said the measures are part of a broader policy to build a "foundation for completely solving the deeply-rooted problems" in the region.

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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Archdiocese of Washington has released the names of more than two dozen clergy members it says have been "credibly accused" of sexually abusing minors.
The archdiocese posted the list of priests on its website late Monday. All of the 31 priests were employed by the archdiocese, and many have already died. Three of the listed priests were religious order or nondiocesan priests who served in archdiocese parishes or schools.
The list includes several priests who were accused of abuse and convicted, and some who were accused, "treated" and returned to work only to be accused again. Some were removed from their clerical positions or the ministry at some point.
The archdiocese website says the list will be updated if warranted. The list comes days after Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Washington Cardinal Donald Wuerl after he became entangled in two major sexual abuse and cover-up scandals.

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BUDAPEST (Dispatches) -- A tough new law that bans homeless people from sleeping on Hungary’s streets came into force, prompting criticism from rights groups who say it is inhumane.
The law, which follows a constitutional amendment approved in June that brands rough sleeping a crime, empowers police to order homeless people to move into shelters. If they disobey three times within a 90-day period, the police can detain them and destroy their personal belongings.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing government has said the new law aims to provide proper living conditions for the homeless and has set aside money to help them.
An estimated 11,000 places exist in state-run shelters but experts say at least 20,000 people are homeless nationwide.
Gabor Ivanyi, who leads the group Oltalom (Shelter) which operates homeless shelters with 600 beds in Budapest, said the government had failed to conduct a proper dialogue with charity organizations before it passed the legislation.
"This law serves the aim of scaring the homeless to prompt them to flee (the streets),” Ivanyi said. "They are scared and don’t know what to do now. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow.”