Deadly stampede at India cricket celebrations leaves 11 dead

Packed crowds in India celebrating their cricket team’s victory ended in a deadly stampede on Wednesday with 11 mainly young fans crushed to death, the local state’s chief minister said.Joyous cricket fans had come out to celebrate and welcome home their heroes, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after they beat Punjab Kings in a roller-coaster Indian Premier League cricket final on Tuesday night.But the euphoria of the vast crowds in the southern tech city of Bengaluru ended in disaster, with Prime Minister Narendra calling it “absolutely heartrending”.Karnataka state Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said most of the deceased are young, with 11 dead and 47 injured in the crush.In one Bengaluru hospital, a stream of injured came for treatment. “I was standing near the entrance, there was a huge crowd and they stamped on me”, one lady told AFP, being taken in a wheelchair, who did not give her name. “I was not able to breathe. I fell unconscious.”Siddaramaiah told reporters said that “no one expected such a huge crowd.” But he added that the entire police force of the city had been deployed.”The stadium has a capacity of only 35,000 people, but 200,000-300,000 people came,” the minister said.He said a victory street parade by the winning team was called off as authorities had anticipated an uncontrollable crowd.”The pain of this tragedy has even erased the joy of victory,” said Siddaramaiah, who has ordered an inquiry in the deaths.”I don’t want to defend the incident, the tragedy… our government is not going to play politics on this,” he added.”This tragedy should not have happened. We are with the victims.”- ‘Distressing’ -The IPL winning team said it was “deeply anguished” by the incident. “The safety and well-being of everyone is of utmost importance to us,” Royal Challengers Bengaluru said late Wednesday. Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said hundreds of thousands of people had flocked onto the streets and that police had been “finding it very difficult.”An AFP photographer saw vast crowds as a sea of people crammed the streets and police waved sticks.Broadcasters showed police rushing away from crowds carrying young children in their arms, who had seemingly fainted.One unattended young man was sitting in an ambulance struggling to breathe.India cricket great Sachin Tendulkar called the deaths “beyond tragic”, in a post on social media. “My heart goes out to every affected family,” he said. “Wishing peace and strength to all.”Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who attended the final match with his wife on Tuesday, expressed sorrow over the stampede. “We celebrated with you yesterday and we mourn with you today,” he said in a post on X. Where the crush took place, abandoned shoes lay scattered around.Mallikarjun Kharge, a senior Congress party leader, said the deaths were “profoundly distressing”, adding that “the joy of victory should never come at the cost of lives”.- ‘Heartfelt condolences -Organisers pressed ahead with the ceremony, with the team’s social media account posting a video of cheering crowds as the bus full of the players — including batting legend Virat Kohli — waved back.”This welcome is what pure love looks like,” the club said in a post on X, which it later deleted. But IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, speaking to NDTV, said organisers in the stadium had not been told about the stampede until later.”At the time of the celebrations inside the stadium officials there did not know what had happened… I would like to send my heartfelt condolences,” Dhumal said. Shivakumar said cricket organisers had “shortened the programme”.Bengaluru had erupted in midnight celebrations after their team RCB, who scored 190-9, restricted Punjab to 184-7.India’s IPL mega-tournament wrapped up on Tuesday night watched by 91,000 fans packed into the stadium in Ahmedabad — and many millions more on television.Bengaluru fans celebrated wildly after their hero Kohli and RCB clinched victory for the first time in the 18 years of the IPL, their three previous finals having all ended in defeat. Deadly crowd incidents are a frequent occurrence at Indian mass events such as religious festivals due to poor crowd management and safety lapses.A stampede at India’s Kumbh Mela religious fair in January this year killed 30 people and injured several others.In July last year, 121 people were killed in northern Uttar Pradesh state during a Hindu religious gathering.

Over 1.5 million pilgrims begin hajj under blazing sun

More than 1.5 million pilgrims joined Islam’s most important rite under a beating sun on Wednesday, as the hajj kicked off with the Saudi hosts scrambling to avoid last year’s 1,000-plus deaths in sweltering heat.With temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), robed pilgrims slowly circled the Kaaba, the black cube at the heart of Mecca’s Grand Mosque which is Islam’s holiest site.Others arrived en masse in the sprawling tent city of Mina on Mecca’s outskirts, where they will stay overnight before the hajj’s high-point Thursday — prayers on Mount Arafat, where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final sermon.”You feel like you’re not in this world,” Khitam, a 63-year-old pilgrim, told AFP by phone, saying that “before hajj, I used to watch the Grand Mosque on TV all day.”Before entering Mecca, pilgrims must first enter a state of purity, called ihram, which requires special dress and behaviour.Men don a seamless shroud-like white garment that emphasises unity among believers, regardless of their social status or nationality.Women, in turn, wear loose dresses exposing just their faces and hands.Authorities said over 1.5 million pilgrims had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam that must be performed at least once by all Muslims with the means.Officials have ratcheted up heat protection measures such as extra shade to avoid a repeat of last year, when 1,301 people died as temperatures hit 51.8C.”Last year, the heat was extremely intense, and people were lying on the streets, on the middle of the road and next to the walls,” Alaa Refai, a pilgrim from Iraq, told AFP, adding that he saw several dead people during the previous hajj.”This year the roads are empty,” he added.- Artificial intelligence -Following last year’s lethal heatwave, authorities have mobilised more than 40 government agencies and 250,000 officials to improve protection.Shaded areas have been enlarged by 50,000 square metres (12 acres), thousands of additional medics will be on standby and more than 400 cooling units will be deployed, Hajj Minister Tawfiq al-Rabiah told AFP last week.Artificial intelligence technology will help process the deluge of data, including video from a new fleet of drones, to better manage the massive crowds.”The scene in Mina this year was completely different. We noticed that most pilgrims kept to their… tents instead of exposing themselves to the sun,” Ibrahim bin Saleh Al-Mazni, from the Al-Furqan group for hajj tours, told AFP from Mina.”This reflects the success of the awareness campaign” of authorities he added, which have been striving to dissuade pilgrims from staying in the sun — with many faithful believing hardship was essential to hajj.Earlier this week, Saudi authorities called on pilgrims to stay inside their tents between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm on Thursday during the hajj’s climax at Mount Arafat, when the desert sun is at its harshest.There, pilgrims assemble on the high hill and its surrounding plain for hours of prayer and Koran recital, staying there until the evening.There is little to no shade on Mount Arafat, leaving pilgrims directly exposed to the blistering desert sun for hours.- ‘No hajj without permit’ -Authorities said most of the deaths last year were among unregistered pilgrims who lacked access to air-conditioned tents and buses.This year, they have cracked down on the unregistered, using frequent raids, drone surveillance and a barrage of text alerts.A billboard reading “No hajj without permit” greeted pilgrims as they arrived in Mecca.Hajj permits are allocated to countries on a quota basis and distributed to individuals by lottery.But even for those who can obtain them, the steep costs prompt many to attempt the hajj without a permit, even though they risk arrest and deportation if caught.Large crowds at the hajj have proved hazardous in the past, most notably in 2015 when a stampede during the “stoning the devil” ritual in Mina killed up to 2,300 people in the deadliest hajj disaster.Saudi Arabia earns billions of dollars a year from the hajj, and the lesser pilgrimage known as umrah, undertaken at other times of the year.

Beijing slams Rubio ‘attack’ on China after Tiananmen Square remarks

Beijing hit back Wednesday at US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for saying the world will “never forget” the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, describing his remarks as an “attack” on China.Troops and tanks forcibly cleared peaceful protesters from Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, after weeks-long demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms.The exact toll is unknown but hundreds died, with some estimates exceeding 1,000.China’s communist rulers have since sought to erase any public mention of the crackdown, with censors scrubbing all online references.Police were seen by AFP on Wednesday at the entrance to Wan’an Cemetery, a site in west Beijing where victims of the crackdown are known to be buried.Officers were also posted at several intersections leading into Tiananmen Square.On Wednesday evening, a line of buses and a cherry picker partially blocked screens at the German and Canadian embassies showing images of candles, a symbol commonly used to pay tribute to Tiananmen victims.- ‘Never forget’ -Rubio said in a statement the “world will never forget” what happened in Tiananmen Square, even as Beijing “actively tries to censor the facts”.”Today we commemorate the bravery of the Chinese people who were killed as they tried to exercise their fundamental freedoms, as well as those who continue to suffer persecution as they seek accountability and justice for the events of June 4, 1989,” Rubio said.Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian hit back during a briefing in the capital, saying Beijing had “lodged a solemn protest” over the top diplomat’s comments which “maliciously distort historical facts… and seriously interfere in China’s internal affairs”.Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te echoed Rubio’s remarks, vowing to preserve the memory of victims of the bloody crackdown.”Authoritarian governments often choose to be silent and forget history; democratic societies choose to preserve the truth and refuse to forget those who have contributed to the ideal of human rights and their dreams,” Lai said on Facebook.China claims Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to seize the democratically-run island by force.- ‘Reaffirm our commitment’ -In Hong Kong, jailed activist Chow Hang-tung began a 36-hour hunger strike Wednesday, a dogged attempt to individually commemorate the anniversary in a city that once hosted huge public remembrances.The former lawyer used to help organise an annual vigil that drew tens of thousands to Victoria Park.Hong Kong had been the only place under Chinese rule where commemoration of the crackdown was tolerated. Slogans at the candlelight vigil sometimes called for democracy in China and an end to one-party rule.But after huge and sometimes violent protests roiled the city in 2019, Beijing brought in a wide-ranging national security law that has quashed political dissent.The public memorial has effectively been banned and Chow imprisoned, facing a potential life sentence on subversion charges.On Wednesday, AFP journalists saw at least seven people taken away by police around Victoria Park, including two schoolgirls holding white flowers — which often signify mourning in Chinese culture — and a man standing in silent tribute.Some people were stopped and searched.Hong Kong police said 10 people were detained and suspected of “breach of the peace.” Seven of them were released soon thereafter.It was not clear if the seven seen by AFP being taken away were among those reported arrested.”It’s a shame that there’s no more (vigils)… In fact, no one will ever forget,” a man named Yuen, 49, who did not give his first name, told AFP.Over the last few years, activists have been detained for “offences in connection with seditious intention” around the anniversary.In a social media post, Chow said her hunger strike would “commemorate this day and reaffirm our commitment” and urged authorities to apologise over her “wrongful” imprisonment.”History tells us that (the apology) will likely take a very long time –- the Tiananmen Mothers have been waiting for 36 years and still have not received an apology,” she said, referring to an activist group made up of families of victims of the crackdown.A video featuring 87-year-old Zhang Xianling, whose 19-year-old son was killed in 1989, circulated online last week.”The lights in Victoria Park may have been blown out by the gales, but the sparks of justice will glow in the hearts of every conscientious person,” she added.At a vigil Wednesday on Taipei’s Liberty Square, 20-year-old American student Lara Waldron told AFP: “I feel like this June 4 is very close to me right now.”As a college student, I’m of the age of many organisers and participants — people (who) lost their lives in Tiananmen.”burs-tjx/mtp/aha/dw/mlm

Dati aurait perçu 299.000 euros d’honoraires de GDF Suez en 2010-2011, selon deux médias

Une enquête conjointe de deux médias met au jour des documents d’un cabinet d’avocats suggérant que Rachida Dati aurait perçu 299.000 euros d'”honoraires” non-déclarés de GDF Suez en 2010-2011 quand elle était eurodéputée et avocate, ce qu’elle réfute.Le magazine Complément d’enquête, qui sera diffusé jeudi soir sur France 2, et Le Nouvel Observateur mettent ces versements en regard de “prises de position favorables au secteur gazier” de Rachida Dati quand elle siégeait au Parlement européen(2009-2019). La ministre de la Culture, par ailleurs mise en examen pour corruption passive dans l’affaire Carlos Ghosn, a toujours récusé tout lien contractuel avec le groupe gazier français, rebaptisé Engie en 2015, et nié tout conflit d’intérêts. “Madame Dati a donné toutes ses explications et n’a jamais été l’avocate de GDF Suez”, ont insisté mercredi auprès de l’AFP ses avocats, Mes Olivier Baratelli et Olivier Pardo. Brossant le portrait de Mme Dati en “bulldozer” de la politique, le Complément d’enquête que l’AFP a visionné mercredi révèle l’existence de documents qui ne sont à l’heure actuelle pas aux mains de la justice et prouveraient que Mme Dati a été rémunérée par le géant français. Ces documents proviennent de la comptabilité d’un cabinet d’avocats liquidé en 2019 et font apparaître l’encaissement de deux virements de 149.500 euros chacun provenant de GDF Suez et datés de juillet 2010 et février 2011.A chaque fois, quelques semaines après ces opérations, ces mêmes sommes ont été décaissées par le cabinet au profit de Rachida Dati avec la mention “Dati honoraires GDF Suez”, selon les documents dévoilés par les deux médias.Contacté par l’AFP, Engie n’a pas donné suite dans l’immédiat. Mme Dati a plusieurs fois été questionnée sur ses liens avec GDF Suez, notamment par les juges en charge de l’affaire Ghosn.Fin 2013, l’eurodéputée centriste Corinne Lepage s’était étonnée du soutien apporté par Rachida Dati à la revendication de grands groupes énergétiques, dont GDF Suez, pour l’arrêt des subventions aux renouvelables.Interrogée dans Complément d’enquête, Mme Lepage confirme avoir été aussi surprise par les amendements déposés par Mme Dati à Strasbourg en faveur des groupes gaziers. Dans l’affaire Ghosn, l’ex-ministre de la Justice de Nicolas Sarkozy est mis en examen depuis 2021 en raison de 900.000 euros d’honoraires d’avocats qu’elle aurait perçus entre 2010 et 2012, d’une filiale néerlandaise de l’alliance Renault-Nissan. La justice cherche à savoir si ces revenus ont pu masquer des activités de lobbying, interdites aux eurodéputés. Mme Dati réfute toute irrégularité.

Dati aurait perçu 299.000 euros d’honoraires de GDF Suez en 2010-2011, selon deux médias

Une enquête conjointe de deux médias met au jour des documents d’un cabinet d’avocats suggérant que Rachida Dati aurait perçu 299.000 euros d'”honoraires” non-déclarés de GDF Suez en 2010-2011 quand elle était eurodéputée et avocate, ce qu’elle réfute.Le magazine Complément d’enquête, qui sera diffusé jeudi soir sur France 2, et Le Nouvel Observateur mettent ces versements en regard de “prises de position favorables au secteur gazier” de Rachida Dati quand elle siégeait au Parlement européen(2009-2019). La ministre de la Culture, par ailleurs mise en examen pour corruption passive dans l’affaire Carlos Ghosn, a toujours récusé tout lien contractuel avec le groupe gazier français, rebaptisé Engie en 2015, et nié tout conflit d’intérêts. “Madame Dati a donné toutes ses explications et n’a jamais été l’avocate de GDF Suez”, ont insisté mercredi auprès de l’AFP ses avocats, Mes Olivier Baratelli et Olivier Pardo. Brossant le portrait de Mme Dati en “bulldozer” de la politique, le Complément d’enquête que l’AFP a visionné mercredi révèle l’existence de documents qui ne sont à l’heure actuelle pas aux mains de la justice et prouveraient que Mme Dati a été rémunérée par le géant français. Ces documents proviennent de la comptabilité d’un cabinet d’avocats liquidé en 2019 et font apparaître l’encaissement de deux virements de 149.500 euros chacun provenant de GDF Suez et datés de juillet 2010 et février 2011.A chaque fois, quelques semaines après ces opérations, ces mêmes sommes ont été décaissées par le cabinet au profit de Rachida Dati avec la mention “Dati honoraires GDF Suez”, selon les documents dévoilés par les deux médias.Contacté par l’AFP, Engie n’a pas donné suite dans l’immédiat. Mme Dati a plusieurs fois été questionnée sur ses liens avec GDF Suez, notamment par les juges en charge de l’affaire Ghosn.Fin 2013, l’eurodéputée centriste Corinne Lepage s’était étonnée du soutien apporté par Rachida Dati à la revendication de grands groupes énergétiques, dont GDF Suez, pour l’arrêt des subventions aux renouvelables.Interrogée dans Complément d’enquête, Mme Lepage confirme avoir été aussi surprise par les amendements déposés par Mme Dati à Strasbourg en faveur des groupes gaziers. Dans l’affaire Ghosn, l’ex-ministre de la Justice de Nicolas Sarkozy est mis en examen depuis 2021 en raison de 900.000 euros d’honoraires d’avocats qu’elle aurait perçus entre 2010 et 2012, d’une filiale néerlandaise de l’alliance Renault-Nissan. La justice cherche à savoir si ces revenus ont pu masquer des activités de lobbying, interdites aux eurodéputés. Mme Dati réfute toute irrégularité.

Dati aurait perçu 299.000 euros d’honoraires de GDF Suez en 2010-2011, selon deux médias

Une enquête conjointe de deux médias met au jour des documents d’un cabinet d’avocats suggérant que Rachida Dati aurait perçu 299.000 euros d'”honoraires” non-déclarés de GDF Suez en 2010-2011 quand elle était eurodéputée et avocate, ce qu’elle réfute.Le magazine Complément d’enquête, qui sera diffusé jeudi soir sur France 2, et Le Nouvel Observateur mettent ces versements en regard de “prises de position favorables au secteur gazier” de Rachida Dati quand elle siégeait au Parlement européen(2009-2019). La ministre de la Culture, par ailleurs mise en examen pour corruption passive dans l’affaire Carlos Ghosn, a toujours récusé tout lien contractuel avec le groupe gazier français, rebaptisé Engie en 2015, et nié tout conflit d’intérêts. “Madame Dati a donné toutes ses explications et n’a jamais été l’avocate de GDF Suez”, ont insisté mercredi auprès de l’AFP ses avocats, Mes Olivier Baratelli et Olivier Pardo. Brossant le portrait de Mme Dati en “bulldozer” de la politique, le Complément d’enquête que l’AFP a visionné mercredi révèle l’existence de documents qui ne sont à l’heure actuelle pas aux mains de la justice et prouveraient que Mme Dati a été rémunérée par le géant français. Ces documents proviennent de la comptabilité d’un cabinet d’avocats liquidé en 2019 et font apparaître l’encaissement de deux virements de 149.500 euros chacun provenant de GDF Suez et datés de juillet 2010 et février 2011.A chaque fois, quelques semaines après ces opérations, ces mêmes sommes ont été décaissées par le cabinet au profit de Rachida Dati avec la mention “Dati honoraires GDF Suez”, selon les documents dévoilés par les deux médias.Contacté par l’AFP, Engie n’a pas donné suite dans l’immédiat. Mme Dati a plusieurs fois été questionnée sur ses liens avec GDF Suez, notamment par les juges en charge de l’affaire Ghosn.Fin 2013, l’eurodéputée centriste Corinne Lepage s’était étonnée du soutien apporté par Rachida Dati à la revendication de grands groupes énergétiques, dont GDF Suez, pour l’arrêt des subventions aux renouvelables.Interrogée dans Complément d’enquête, Mme Lepage confirme avoir été aussi surprise par les amendements déposés par Mme Dati à Strasbourg en faveur des groupes gaziers. Dans l’affaire Ghosn, l’ex-ministre de la Justice de Nicolas Sarkozy est mis en examen depuis 2021 en raison de 900.000 euros d’honoraires d’avocats qu’elle aurait perçus entre 2010 et 2012, d’une filiale néerlandaise de l’alliance Renault-Nissan. La justice cherche à savoir si ces revenus ont pu masquer des activités de lobbying, interdites aux eurodéputés. Mme Dati réfute toute irrégularité.

Trump talks with Putin on Ukraine, Iran

US President Donald Trump said he spoke to Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Wednesday about Ukraine and Iran, warning that the Kremlin leader had “very strongly” pledged to respond to Kyiv’s stunning drone attack on Russian bombers.Trump said that there was no “immediate peace” on the horizon in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in 2022 — following what he described as a one hour and 15 minute call with the Russian president.On Iran, Trump said that Putin had offered to “participate” in talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, as Trump accused the Islamic republic of “slowwalking” its response to Washington’s offer of a deal.The call came three days after Ukraine conducted a massive, daring drone attack against Russian military airbases, saying it had destroyed several Russian nuclear-capable bombers worth billions of dollars.Trump said that he and Putin had “discussed the attack on Russia’s docked airplanes, by Ukraine and also various other attacks that have been taking place by both sides.” “It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate Peace. President Putin did say, and very strongly, that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields,” Trump said in his post.Trump did not say whether he had warned Putin off any such retaliation against Ukraine, which Washington has supported to the tune of billions of dollars in its fight against Russia.- ‘Definitive answer’ -The Republican has repeatedly alarmed Kyiv and Western allies by appearing to side with Putin over the war, and had a blazing Oval Office row with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.But Trump has also showed growing frustration with Putin as Russia has so far derailed the US president’s efforts to honor a campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours — even if he never explained how this could be achieved.The call between Trump and Putin did however show that Washington and Moscow may be eying cooperation on another key global issue — Iran.Trump said he believed they were both “in agreement” that Iran could not have a nuclear weapon, and that time was running out for Tehran to respond to US offers of a deal.”President Putin suggested that he will participate in the discussions with Iran and that he could, perhaps, be helpful in getting this brought to a rapid conclusion,” Trump said.The US president added: “It is my opinion that Iran has been slowwalking their decision on this very important matter, and we will need a definitive answer in a very short period of time!”Putin told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Moscow was ready to help advance talks on a nuclear deal, the Kremlin said on Tuesday.But Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said earlier Wednesday that Washington’s proposal was against Tehran’s national interest, amid sharp differences over whether Tehran can continue to enrich uranium.