Odisha train tragedy: World leaders extend support to India, condole loss of lives



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The accident, involving three trains, is one of the worst in the country and took place in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday night. It injured 803 people.

World leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emanuel Macron, expressed their condolences to the families and the Government of India on Saturday over one of the country's worst train accidents that killed at least 288 people.

The accident, involving three trains, is one of the worst in the country and took place in Odisha's Balasore district on Friday night. The accident also injured 803 people.

Russian President Putin expressed his condolences in a telegram to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Please accept our deep condolences over the tragic aftermath of the train collision in Odisha. We share the grief of those who lost their relatives and close ones in this catastrophe and we hope for a speedy recovery to everyone injured," says the telegram, published on the Kremlin’s website.

UK Prime Minister Sunak extended his heartfelt support and admiration to the survivors and those working tirelessly in the rescue operations.

“My thoughts and prayers are with @narendramodi and with all affected by the tragic events in Odisha. My deepest condolences to the family and friends of those killed, and my heartfelt support and admiration to the survivors and those working tirelessly to respond,” Sunak tweeted.

President Macron said France stands in solidarity with India.

“My deepest condolences to President Murmu, Prime Minister Modi and the people of India after the tragic train accident in Odisha. France stands in solidarity with you. My thoughts are with the families of the victims,” Macron tweeted.

Chinese President Xi sent separate condolence messages to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Modi over the train accident, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In his message, Xi said he was shocked to learn of the accident which caused heavy casualties.

On behalf of the Chinese government and people, he expressed deep condolences to the victims, offered sincere sympathies to the bereaved families and the injured, and wished the injured a speedy recovery.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang also sent a message of condolence to Prime Minister Modi.

Japan's Prime Minister Kishida sent a condolence message to Prime Minister Modi following the train accident.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of the loss of many precious lives and the injuries in the train accident in the State of Odisha. On behalf of the Government of Japan and its people, I would like to express our heartfelt condolences to those who lost their lives and their bereaved families. I also pray for the speedy recovery of those who were injured," Kishida said in a statement.

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi also sent a condolence message to Foreign Minister S Jaishankar.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of the loss of many precious lives in the train accident in the State of Odisha. I pray for the souls of the victims and extend my deepest condolences to the bereaved families. I also sincerely hope that those who were injured will recover swiftly," Hayashi said.

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau said at this difficult time, Canadians are standing with the people of India.

"The images and reports of the train crash in Odisha, India break my heart. I’m sending my deepest condolences to those who lost loved ones, and I’m keeping the injured in my thoughts. At this difficult time, Canadians are standing with the people of India,” Trudeau tweeted.

Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', who is on a four-day visit to India, tweeted, “I’m saddened by the loss of dozens of lives in a train accident in Odisha, India today. I extend deep condolences to Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji, Government, and the bereaved families in this hour of grief.”

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended condolences to the families of the victims and wished speedy recovery to those injured in the accident.

“Deeply saddened by the loss of hundreds of lives in a train accident in India. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in this tragedy. Prayers for a speedy recovery of the injured,” Sharif tweeted.

"Saddened to learn of the high death toll in the tragic train accident in Odisha, India. Our condolences for the families of the victims. Wish speedy recovery to the injured," Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari tweeted.

Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said that he is “deeply saddened” to learn about the train accident in Odisha. He wished for a speedy recovery for all those affected in the accident.

“Deeply saddened to learn of the tragic train accident in Odisha. My thoughts & prayers are with the families of the victims & those injured. I hope for a speedy recovery for all those affected. Sri Lanka stands with India in this time of grief,” Ali Sabry tweeted.

Bhutan's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering tweeted, "Sending prayers to @narendramodi and the people of India as we hear developments of the tragic train crash in Odisha. May the loved ones find strength, as they come to terms with the loss and horror. We share your pain and pray for quick healing."

The Deputy Prime Minister of Italy and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani also expressed condolences on the train tragedy.

"The Italian Government expresses deep condolences to #India for the tragic train accident that occurred today in Balasore. A prayer for the victims and the injured, I hope that those still trapped will be rescued," Tajani tweeted.

UN General Assembly president Csaba Korosi too expressed his deepest condolences to the families over the tragic train accident.

“I’m deeply saddened to hear the news of the train crash in Odisha, India. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and with the emergency services. Heartfelt condolences to the people and the Government of India,” Korosi, the President of the 77th session of the General Assembly tweeted.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen also extended heartfelt condolences to the victims.

"Taiwan Praying for everyone affected by the train accident in India. I extend my heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families, and hope that rescue operations can save all those in need," she tweeted.

Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid on Friday condoled the loss of lives in the accident.

“Deeply saddened to hear the news of the tragic train accident in Odisha, #India, leading to loss of lives and injuries to many. My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and praying for a speedy recovery to the injured,” he said in a tweet.

Source: Hindustan Times

   

Hamas says 'yes' to Gaza ceasefire



International Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal brokered by Qatar and Egypt. But so far nothing has been reported from Israel in this regard. They are looking into the matter.

On Monday (May 6), Qatar-based media Al Jazeera reported this information.

According to a statement by Hamas leader Ismail Haniya, the head of Hamas' political wing, Ismail Haniya, called Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and informed him that Hamas had approved the proposal for a ceasefire agreement. Ismail Hania also said the same thing to the Minister of Intelligence of Egypt, Abbas Kamal.

Meanwhile, the residents of Gaza expressed joy at the news of Hamas agreeing to a ceasefire.

It should be noted that at least 34 thousand 737 people have been killed and 78 thousand 108 people have been injured in the Israeli attack on Gaza since October 7. And the number of dead in Israel is 1 thousand 139 people.

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Campuses can be battlegrounds around graduation ceremonies in the United States



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Protests against the Israeli attack on Gaza have erupted in several US universities. The student protests there have entered their second week. Last Saturday (May 4), police arrested at least 25 more pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Virginia.

Al-Jazeera reported that more than two and a half thousand students have been arrested from campuses across the United States. In the meantime, graduation ceremony in universities is approaching.

It is feared that various university campuses in the United States may turn into battlefields around graduation ceremonies in the coming days.

At 47 US universities, students are protesting against Israeli aggression and genocide in Gaza. This protest has been going on since April 17. Since the beginning, the police have used excessive force to suppress this peaceful protest.

In this way, the rights activists protested the suppression of the protest and the arrest of the protesting students. They demanded to ensure the freedom of expression of the students.

Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for the end of this week at four universities hit by protests. The event is scheduled to take place this month or next June at several other universities, including New York's Columbia University, the epicenter of the protests.

The university authorities fear that the protesting students may disrupt the graduation ceremony. For this reason, the authorities are taking initiatives to strengthen the security system.

The protesting students have threatened that if their demands are not met, they are thinking of alternative programs including boycotting these events and walking out of the venue. In such circumstances, some universities have canceled these programs. Some are procrastinating.

The peaceful protests at the University of Virginia continued until Saturday morning. At that time a video spread among the students. In the video, police are seen detaining some protesting students from the campus lawn.

Apart from this, the police are using chemical sprays to quell the protests. After that the protest turned into a riot.

In a statement, University President Jim Ryan said that the protesters were detained when campus security informed the police that they would be protesting in tents last Friday night. However, it is not clear how many university students are among those detained.

Pro-Palestinians protest in front of the stage at the graduation ceremony at the University of Michigan. But this protest was peaceful. Campus police quickly surrounded the protesters and escorted them to the back of the stadium. But dozens of students dressed in flags, kaffiahs and graduation caps staged a university graduation ceremony.

A day later, Northeastern University and Ohio State University were supposed to hold the closing ceremony on Sunday, but the commencement ceremony was disrupted.

Meanwhile, apart from the United States, this protest has now spread to new countries. Students from France, UK, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, India, Lebanon, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland and Mexico have come to protest for the Palestinians.

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Israel launched a ground attack in Rafah amid ceasefire talks



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Israel launched a ground attack in Rafah in the midst of Israel-Hamas ceasefire talks in Gaza.

A delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas is in the Egyptian capital for ceasefire and prisoner-release talks. Sources said Ceasefire talks have progressed.

International media Al Jazeera reported in a report that despite the negotiations, Israel continued its ground attack on Rafah, the southernmost city of Gaza.

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday to meet with mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the United States to negotiate a 40-day ceasefire, according to reports published by the United Kingdom.

The talks are at a critical stage, sources told Al Jazeera, as a Qatari technical team is working out the details of a potential deal with the Egyptians.

As technical teams indicate, we are moving into the operational side of a deal. They are monitoring the issues in detail in this agreement.

A senior Hamas spokesman, Osama Hamdan, told Al Jazeera, "It is clear that we are moving forward. There are some good points.

"So far we are still talking about the main issue, which is a complete ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from Gaza," he said. We hope to find some good and positive answers today.

Israel said it will continue to attack Rafah despite talk of a possible deal with Hamas. UN agencies and aid groups have long warned that the ground operation would spell disaster for the 15 lakh people taking refuge there.

Hamdan said, "Unfortunately, Netanyahu has made a clear statement that no matter what happens, if there is a ceasefire or not, he will continue to attack." That means there will be no ceasefire, and that means that the offensive will continue.

Al Jazeera's Ahlbara said the talks were focused on convincing Hamas that it should refrain from demanding a permanent ceasefire from Israel during the first phase of the deal because it is unlikely to happen.

On October 7, Hamas fighters attacked southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people. During this time, more than 240 people were captured by Hamas.

Later, more than 34,600 Palestinians have died in Israel's attack on Gaza. More than 70 percent of Palestinian territory has been reduced to rubble, pushing the region toward famine.

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Attacks on environmental journalists are on the rise worldwide: UN



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According to a recently published report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO, 44 environmental journalists from 15 countries around the world lost their lives in violent attacks from 2009 to 2023; And 24 people managed to return alive.

This information was reported in the report of the news agency Reuters on Friday (May 3).

According to the report, attacks on environmental journalists are increasing around the world. UNESCO representatives interviewed 905 environmental journalists from 129 countries to prepare the report.

In the interview, 749 out of 905 journalists (more than 70 percent) said that they had to face physical attacks or intimidation, threats, and pressure at some point in their lives to perform their professional duties. Many have also had to deal with the legal problems of detention and defamation cases.

Analyzing the cases of assault-harassment, it has been found that the cases of physical assault have occurred more among male journalists. On the other hand, women journalists are more victims of harassment.

Journalists have been attacked and harassed while reporting on various environmental issues. These issues include various mining irregularities, land tenure conflicts, deforestation, extreme weather related disasters, pollution and environmental damage, fossil fuel sector and its trade etc.

All of these attacks and harassment have come from individuals and groups associated with the power structure of the state. In this context, the UNESCO report said, 'Police, army, government officials and employees, people of local government authorities are responsible for these attacks and harassment. 

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