US Says China, Iran, Russia Are ‘Forces for Instability’

Photographer Documents Rohingya Arrivals in Bangladesh

"I like to take pictures of the people because they don't have any voice of their own. Through my photographs I can share their stories, their words to the world," Renowned Bangladeshi photographer Abir Abdullah told VOA's Satarupa Barua. Abdullah documented the Rohingya arrivals in December 2017. By year's end, more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees had arrived in Bangladesh.

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Indian Opposition Parties Seek Impeachment of Chief Justice

NEW DELHI — 

India's main opposition parties are seeking to impeach the country's top judge, accusing him of misuse of authority and acting under government pressure.

Opposition leaders presented a notice to the chairman of Parliament's upper house on Friday seeking an inquiry into Chief Justice Deepak Misra's conduct, to be followed by a vote on impeachment.

They also accused Misra of providing false information when he bought land before becoming chief justice.

Misra did not immediately respond to the opposition accusations.

It is the first time that political parties have sought to impeach a chief justice. The chairman of the upper house, Venkaiah Naidu, will determine whether there are sufficient grounds for a vote by lawmakers on Misra's removal.

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Roadside Bomb Kills 5 Afghan Civilians

ISLAMABAD — 

A roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province Friday killed at least five civilians and wounded more than 10 others.

The victims were traveling to the Haska Meena district from the provincial capital of Jalalabad when their passenger vehicle struck the bomb, a local government spokesman told VOA.

Attaullah Khogyani said four children and two women were among those wounded. He added the attack occurred in a remote village named Khataki, which is not under the control of the Afghan government.

There were no immediate claims of responsibility.

Taliban insurgents and militants linked to the Afghan branch of the Islamic State terrorist group operate in Haska Meena and several other districts in Nangarhar. The volatile province borders Pakistan.

The United Nations recently said conflict-related civilian casualties have already risen to record levels this year.

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, which documents civilian casualties, says the armed conflict has caused 2,260 civilian casualties, including more than 700 deaths, in the first three months of 2018.

Last year, UNAMA recorded more than 10,000 civilian casualties, including around 3,500 fatalities.

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China's Reform Pledges Fail to Impress

Indonesia’s Aceh Canes Couples for Affection in Public

BANDA ACEH, INDONESIA — 

Indonesia’s deeply conservative Aceh province on Friday caned several unmarried couples for showing affection in public and two women for prostitution before an enthusiastic audience of hundreds.

The canings were possibly the last to be done before large crowds in Aceh after the province’s governor announced earlier this month that the punishments would be moved indoors.

The caning last year of two men for gay sex before a baying mob drew international attention to Aceh’s increasingly harsh implementation of Shariah law and a wave of condemnation.

The women accused of prostitution were caned 11 times each. One of the women held up her hand after the fifth lash, signaling the pain was too intense. She was given a drink and the strokes resumed despite her evident discomfort.

The six young people accused of flirtatious behavior received between 11 and 22 strokes. Shariah police wanted to convict them of “zina,” unlawful sexual intercourse that includes sex outside marriage and adultery. That would’ve resulted in a greater number of lashes, but they lacked enough witnesses.

Some residents of Aceh, the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia to impose Shariah law, are opposed to having the canings performed inside prisons. About a thousand people protested outside the Banda Aceh mayor’s office Thursday. They say hiding the canings will reduce the deterrent effect.

Historically, Aceh, located at the tip of the island of Sumatra, was the first region of the Indonesian archipelago to adopt Islam after contacts with Arab traders from as early as the 8th century. Its implementation of Shariah law was a concession made by the central government in 2001 as part of efforts to end a decades-long war for independence.

Human Rights Watch has dismissed the change to indoor whipping as cosmetic and called for Aceh to abolish caning and the laws that allow it. It says caning remains a form of torture whether it is done in public or not.

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Japan Volcano Erupts for 1st Time in 250 Years

TOKYO — 

A volcano in southern Japan has erupted for the first time in 250 years, and authorities set up a no-go zone around the mountain.

Mount Io spewed smoke and ash high into the sky Thursday in its first eruption since 1768. Japan’s Meteorological Agency on Friday expanded a no-go zone to the entire mountain from previously just around the volcano’s crater.

Explosions have briefly subsided Friday, but officials cautioned residents in nearby towns against falling volcanic rocks and ash.

The volcano is part of the Kirishima mountain range on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu. The area is about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) southwest of Tokyo.

Another volcano nearby also erupted violently in March for the first time in seven years.

Japan sits on the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and has 110 active volcanoes.

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