United News of Bangladesh

India's defense minister Rajnath Singh Monday inducted the first batch of indigenously-built light combat helicopters, "Prachand," into the Indian Air Force (IAF), officials said. The induction was done at Air Force station Jodhpur in the western Indian state of Rajasthan. Primarily designed for deployment in high-altitude regions, the light combat helicopters are capable of firing a range of missiles and other weapons. Singh revealed that the helicopter has been named Prachand, which means fierce. Equipped with stealth features, the light combat helicopter is the attack helicopter in the world that can land and take off at an altitude of 5,000 meters with a considerable load of weapons and fuel, officials said.    

Panic and a chaotic run for exits after police fired tear gas at an Indonesian soccer match to drive away fans upset with their team's loss left at least 125 dead, most of whom were trampled upon or suffocated, making it one of the deadliest sports events in the world. Attention immediately focused on the police use of tear gas, and witnesses described police beat them with sticks and shields before shooting canisters directly into the crowds. The president of FIFA called the deaths at the stadium “a dark day for all involved in football and a tragedy beyond comprehension,” while President Joko Widodo ordered an investigation of security procedures. While FIFA has no control over domestic games, it has advised against the use of tear gas at soccer stadiums. Violence broke out after the game ended Saturday evening with host Arema FC of East Java’s Malang city losing to Persebaya of Surabaya 3-2. Disappointed with their team’s loss, thousands of supporters of Arema, known as “Aremania,” reacted by throwing bottles and other objects at players and soccer officials. Witnesses said fans flooded the Kanjuruhan Stadium pitch and demanded that Arema management explain why, after 23 years of undefeated home matches against Persebaya, this one ended in a loss. The violence spread outside the stadium where at least five police vehicles were toppled and set ablaze. Riot police responded by firing tear gas, including toward the stadium's stands, causing panic among the crowd. Spectator Ahmad Fatoni said police had started beating the fans with sticks and shields, and they fought back. “Officers fired tear gas directly at spectators in the stands, forcing us to run toward the exit,” he said. “Many victims fell because of shortness of breath and difficulty seeing due to tear gas and were trampled.” He said he climbed the roof of the stands and only came down when the situation calmed down. Others suffocated and were trampled as hundreds of people ran to the exit to avoid the tear gas. In the chaos, 34 died at the stadium, including two officers, and some reports include children among the casualties.   “We have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as (fans) began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles,” East Java police chief Nico Afinta said in a news conference early Sunday. More than 300 were rushed to hospitals but many died on the way and during a treatment, Afinta said. National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo said the death toll had been revised to 125 from 174, after authorities found some of the victims were counted twice. More than 100 were receiving intensive treatment in eight hospitals, 11 of them in critical condition. “The stadium turned into a smoke-filled battleground when police fired tear gas,” said Rizky, who came with his cousin to watch the game. “I felt hot and stinging in my eyes, I couldn’t see clearly while my head was dizzy and everything went dark ... I passed out,” he said. When he woke up, he was already in the emergency room. He said his cousin died because of head injuries. “We wanted to entertain ourselves by watching a football match, but we got disaster,” he said. Indonesia’s soccer association, known as PSSI, suspended the premier soccer league Liga 1 indefinitely in light of the tragedy and banned Arema from hosting soccer matches for the remainder of the season. Television reports showed police and rescuers evacuating the injured and carrying the dead to ambulances. Grieving relatives waited for information about their loved ones at Malang's Saiful Anwar General Hospital. Others tried to identify the bodies laid at a morgue while medical workers put identification tag on the bodies of the victims. “I deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this is the last soccer tragedy in this country, don’t let another human tragedy like this happen in the future,” Widodo said in a televised speech. “We must continue to maintain sportsmanship, humanity and a sense of brotherhood of the Indonesian nation.” He ordered the youth and sports minister, the national police chief and the PSSI chair to conduct a thorough evaluation of the country’s soccer and its security procedure. Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali also expressed his regrets that “this tragedy happened when we were preparing for soccer game activities, both national and international level.” At the Vatican, Pope Francis said he was praying for “all those who have lost their live and were injured in the clashes that erupted after a soccer game in Malang, Indonesia.” Indonesia is due to host the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup from May 20 to June 11, with 24 participating teams. As the host, the country automatically qualifies for the cup. “Unfortunately, this incident has certainly injured our soccer image,” Amali said. In a statement, FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed condolences on behalf of the global football community, saying “the football world is in a state of shock.” The statement did not mention the use of tear gas. Ferli Hidayat, local police chief of Malang, said there were some 42,000 spectators at the game Saturday, all of whom were Arema supporters because the organizer had banned Persebaya fans from entering the stadium in an effort to avoid brawls. The restriction was imposed after clashes between supporters of the two rival teams in East Java's Blitar stadium in February 2020 caused 250 million rupiah ($18,000) in damage. Brawls were reported outside the stadium during and after the semifinals of the East Java Governor’s Cup, which ended with Persebaya beating Arema 4-2. Rights groups responded to the tragedy by blaming the use of tear gas in the stadium by police. Citing FIFA’s stadium safety guidelines against the use of “crowd control gas” by pitch side stewards or police, Amnesty International called on Indonesian authorities to conduct a swift, thorough and independent investigation into the use of tear gas at Kanjuruhan stadium. “Those who are found to have committed violations are tried in open court and do not merely receive internal or administrative sanctions,” said Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia. He said tear gas should only be used to disperse crowds when widespread violence has occurred and when other methods have failed. People must be warned that tear gas will be used and allowed to disperse. “No one should lose their lives at a football match,” Hamid said. Despite Indonesia’s lack of international accolades in the sport, hooliganism is rife in the soccer-obsessed country where fanaticism often ends in violence, as in the 2018 death of a Persija Jakarta supporter who was killed by a mob of hardcore fans of rival club Persib Bandung in 2018. Saturday's game is already among the world's worst crowd disasters, including the 1996 World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica in Guatemala City where over 80 died and over 100 more were injured. In April 2001, more than 40 people are crushed to death during a soccer match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The death toll from panic at an Indonesian soccer match climbed to 174, most of whom trampled to death after police fired tear gas to dispel riots Saturday, making it one of the deadliest sports events in the world. Riots broke out after the game ended Saturday evening with host Arema FC of East Java’s Malang city losing to Persebaya of Surabaya 3-2. Disappointed after their team’s loss, thousands of supporters of Arema, known as “Aremania,” reacted by throwing bottles and other objects at players and soccer officials. Fans flooded the Kanjuruhan Stadium pitch in protest and demanded that Arema management explain why, after 23 years of undefeated home games, this match ended in a loss, witnesses said. The rioting spread outside the stadium where at least five police vehicles were toppled and set ablaze amid the chaos. Riot police responded by firing tear gas, including toward the stadium's stands, causing panic among the crowd. Tear gas is banned at soccer stadiums by FIFA. Some suffocated and others were trampled as hundreds of people ran to the exit in an effort to avoid the tear gas. In the chaos, 34 died at the stadium, including two officers, and some reports include children among the casualties. “We have already done a preventive action before finally firing the tear gas as (fans) began to attack the police, acting anarchically and burning vehicles,” said East Java Police chief Nico Afinta in a news conference early Sunday. More than 300 were rushed to nearby hospitals to treat injuries but many died on the way and during a treatment, Afinta said. East Java’s Vice Gov. Emil Dardak told Kompas TV in an interview Sunday the death toll has climbed to 174, while more than 100 injured people are receiving intensive treatment in eight hospitals without any charge, 11 of them in critical condition. Indonesia’s soccer association, known as PSSI, has suspended the premier soccer league Liga 1 indefinitely in light of the tragedy and banned Arema from hosting soccer matches for the remainder of the season. Television reports showed police and rescuers evacuating the injured and carrying the dead to ambulances. Grieving relatives waited for information about their loved ones at Malang's Saiful Anwar General Hospital. Others tried to identify the bodies laid at a morgue. Indonesia’s president Joko Widodo expressed his deep condolences for the dead in televised remarks Sunday. “I deeply regret this tragedy and I hope this is the last soccer tragedy in this country, don’t let another human tragedy like this happen in the future,” Widodo said. “We must continue to maintain sportsmanship, humanity and a sense of brotherhood of the Indonesian nation.” He ordered the Youth and Sports minister, the National Police chief and the PSSI chair to conduct a thorough evaluation of the country’s soccer match and its security procedure. He also ordered PSSI to temporarily suspend Liga 1 until it could be evaluated and security procedures improved. Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali also expressed his regret that “this tragedy happened when we were preparing for soccer game activities, both national and international level.” Indonesia is due to host the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup from May 20 to June 11, with 24 participating teams. As the host, the country automatically qualifies for the cup. “Unfortunately, this incident has certainly injured our soccer image,” Amali said. Ferli Hidayat, local police chief of Malang, said there were some 42,000 spectators at the game Saturday, all of whom were Aremanias because the organizer had banned Persebaya fans from entering the stadium in an effort to avoid brawls. The restriction was imposed after clashes between supporters of the two rival soccer teams in East Java's Blitar stadium in February 2020 caused a total of 250 million rupiah ($18,000) in material losses. Brawls were reported outside the stadium during and after the semifinal round match of the East Java Governor’s Cup, which ended with Persebaya beating Arema 4-2. Despite Indonesia’s lack of international accolades in the sport, hooliganism is rife in the soccer-obsessed country where fanaticism often ends in violence, as in the 2018 death of a Persija Jakarta supporter who was killed by a mob of hardcore fans of rival club Persib Bandung in 2018. Saturday's game is already among the world's worst crowd disasters, including the 1996 World Cup qualifier between Guatemala and Costa Rica in Guatemala City where over 80 died and over 100 more were injured. In April 2001, more than 40 people are crushed to death during a soccer match at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, South Africa.

 As many as 27 people, mostly women and children, were killed and 22 others injured after a tractor trolley carrying Hindu devotees veered off the road and plunged into a pond in India's Uttar Pradesh state on Saturday night. The accident occurred near Ghatampur village of Kanpur district, some 100 kms from the northern state capital Lucknow, when 50 Hindu devotees were returning home from a pilgrimage, police said. "The ill-fated tractor trolley fell into the pond after its driver lost control of the vehicle. Some 27 bodies have been fished out of the pond. The injured have been hospitalised. The condition of some is critical," a senior police officer told the local media. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to social media to offer his condolences to the families of the deceased as well as the injured and announce compensation for the accident victims. "Distressed by the tractor-trolley mishap in Kanpur. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. Prayers with the injured. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected," the PM's office tweeted. Read: 6 die in India road accident "A probe has also been ordered into the accident though it's now clear that the tractor trolley was overloaded," the police officer said. Road accidents are common in India, with one taking place every four minutes. These accidents are often blamed on poor roads, rash driving and scant regard for traffic laws.   The Indian government's implementation of stricter traffic laws in recent years has failed to rein in accidents, which claim over 100,000 lives every year.

At least 22 people died after a tractor trolley carrying a group of Hindu devotees veered off the road and plunged into a water body in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on Saturday. The accident occurred in Kanpur district, 100 kms from state capital Lucknow, when some 40 Hindu devotees were returning home from a pilgrimage, police said. "The ill-fated tractor trolley fell into the pond after its driver lost control of the vehicle. So far, 22 bodies have been fished out of the water body. The death toll is likely to go up," a senior police officer told the local media. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to offer his condolences to the families of the deceased. "Distressed by the tractor-trolley mishap in Kanpur. My thoughts are with all those who have lost their near and dear ones. Prayers with the injured. The local administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected," the PM's office tweeted. "Rescue operations are on," the police officer said. "A probe has also been ordered into the accident." Read: 6 die in India road accident Road accidents are common in India, with one taking place every four minutes. These accidents are often blamed on poor roads, rash driving and scant regard for traffic laws. The Indian government's implementation of stricter traffic laws in recent years has failed to rein in accidents, which claim over 100,000 lives every year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched 5G mobile internet services in India, a major milestone in the country's telecom history that paves the way for ultra high-speed downloads and aims to eliminate the menace of call drops. Describing the rollout as the "dawn of a new era" in India, Modi said that "5G is a gift from the telecom industry to 130 crore Indians". "This summit is global but the voice is local, " he said after unveiling the 5G services at the 6th edition of India Mobile Congress 2022 in the national capital. "India will play an important role in the technological revolution of the world. With 5G, India is leading and setting the global standard in telecom technology. 5G will open many opportunities for the youth. This is a big step towards our vision of a Viksit Bharat (Developed India)," he asserted. "The new India will not only remain a consumer of technology but rather, will play a significant role in the implementation of technology for the growth of the country," the Prime Minister said. Read: GP conducts 5G trial in Dhaka, Chattogram Though the 5G services were launched on Saturday, the same will be rolled out in 13 select Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad later this month. The services will be extended to other cities in phases over the next couple of years. And by 2030, India aims to bring all its major cities and towns under the ambit of 5G.  The  rollout of the fifth generation of high-speed mobile internet -- or 5G -- services is also pivotal to India's ambitious plans for a USD 1 trillion digital economy. The services support emerging technologies such as autonomous vehicles, robotic surgeries and artificial intelligence. It will also facilitate seamless coverage and increase energy efficiency.    

A suicide bomber struck an education center in a Shiite area of the Afghan capital on Friday, killing 19 people and wounding 27, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Kabul police chief said. The explosion inside the center in the Dashti Barchi neighborhood of Kabul — populated mostly by members of Afghanistan’s minority Shiite community — took place in the morning hours, said the spokesman, Khalid Zadran. The victims included high school graduates, both girls and boys, who were taking a practice university entrance exam when the blast went off, Zadran said. The center is known as the Kaaj Higher Educational Center and helps students prepare and study for college entrance exams, among its activities. Zadran said education centers in the area will need to ask the Taliban for additional security when they host events with big gatherings, such as the study prep on Friday. The suicide bombing was the latest in a steady stream of violence since the Taliban seized power. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack The Islamic State group — the chief rival of the Taliban since their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 — has in the past targeted the Hazara community, including in Dashti Barchi. “Our teams have dispatched at the site of the blast to find out more details,” Abdul Nafi Takor, a Taliban-appointed spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said earlier. The U.S. chargé d’affaires for Afghanistan, Karen Decker, condemned the attack in a tweet. “Targeting a room full of students taking exams is shameful; all students should be able to pursue an education in peace & without fear," she said. “We hope for a swift recovery for the victims & we grieve with the families of the deceased.” Afghanistan’s Hazaras, who are mostly Shiite Muslims, have been the target of a brutal campaign of violence for the past several years, blamed on the regional affiliate of the Islamic State group. Militants have carried out several deadly attacks in Dashti Barchi, including a horrific 2020 attack on a maternity hospital that killed 24 people, including newborn babies and mothers. The United Nations children's fund said it was appalled by Friday's horrific attack, adding that violence in or around educational establishments was never acceptable.   “This heinous act claimed the lives of dozens of adolescent girls and boys and severely injured many more," UNICEF tweeted. “Children and adolescents are not, and must never be, the target of violence.”

A court in military-ruled Myanmar convicted former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in another criminal case Thursday and sentenced Australian economist Sean Turnell to three years in prison for violating Myanmar’s official secrets act, a legal official said. Suu Kyi received a three-year sentence after being tried and convicted with Turnell under the secrets law, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information about the case. Three members of her Cabinet were also found guilty, each receiving sentences of three years. Turnell, an associate professor in economics at Sydney’s Macquarie University, had served as an adviser to Suu Kyi, who was detained in the capital Naypyitaw when her elected government was ousted by the army on Feb. 1, 2021. He has been in detention for almost 20 months. He was arrested five days after the military takeover by security forces at a hotel in Yangon, the country’s biggest city, while waiting for a car to take him to the city’s international airport. He had arrived back in Myanmar from Australia to take up a new position as a special consultant to Suu Kyi less than a month before he was detained. As director of the Myanmar Development Institute, he already had lived in Naypyitaw for several years. The day after the military’s takeover, he posted a message on Twitter that he was: “Safe for now but heartbroken for what all this means for the people of Myanmar. The bravest, kindest people I know. They deserve so much better.” He was charged along with Suu Kyi and the three former Cabinet ministers on the basis of documents seized from him. The exact details of their offense have not been made public, though state television said last year that Turnell had access to “secret state financial information” and had tried to flee the country. Turnell and Suu Kyi denied the allegations when they testified in their defense at the trial in August. Turnell was also charged with violating immigration law, but it was not immediately clear what sentence he received for that. Myanmar’s colonial-era official secrets act criminalizes the possession, collection, recording, publishing, or sharing of state information that is “directly or indirectly, useful to an enemy.” The charge carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison. All sessions of the trial, held in a purpose-built courtroom in Naypyitaw’s main prison, were closed to the media and the public. The defense lawyers were barred by a gag order from revealing details of the proceedings. The same restrictions have applied to all of Suu Kyi’s trials. The case that concluded Thursday is one of several faced by Suu Kyi and is widely seen as an effort to discredit her to prevent her return to politics. She had already been sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment after being convicted of illegally importing and possessing walkie-talkies, violating coronavirus restrictions, sedition, election fraud and five corruption charges. The cases are widely seen as being concocted to keep the 77-year-old Suu Kyi from returning to active politics. Suu Kyi is still being tried on seven counts under the country’s anti-corruption law, with each count punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a fine. Defense lawyers are expected to file appeals in the secrets case in the coming days for Turnell, Suu Kyi and three former ministers: Soe Win and Kyaw Win, both former ministers for planning and finance, and Set Aung, a former deputy minister in the same ministry, the legal official said. About half-a-dozen foreigners are known to have been arrested on political charges since the army takeover, and they generally have been deported after their convictions. Australia has repeatedly demanded Turnell’s release. Last year, it suspended its defense cooperation with Myanmar and began redirecting humanitarian aid because of the military takeover and Turnell’s ongoing detention. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, when he visited Myanmar in January this year, asked for Turnell’s release in a meeting with the leader of ruling military council. Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing replied that he “would consider it positively.” The U.N. Special Envoy on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer said she conveyed a specific request from Australia for Turnell’s release when she met with Min Aung Hlaing in August. Myanmar’s government said the general replied that, should the Australian government take positive steps, “we will not need to take stern actions.” According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a rights monitoring organization, 15,683 people have been detained on political charges in Myanmar since the army takeover, with 12,540 of those remaining in detention. At least 2,324 civilians have been killed by security forces in the same period, the group says, though the number is thought to be far higher. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the takeover, which led to nationwide protests that the military government quashed with deadly force, triggering armed resistance that some U.N. experts now characterize as civil war.

India on Wednesday named a former Army general as the country's new military chief, putting an end to months of speculation about who would occupy the coveted post. Lt General Anil Chauhan superannuated from active military service as the Eastern Command chief in May 2021. He has also been named the military affairs secretary to the Indian government. The new Chief of Defence Staff will report directly to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The post of the Chief of Defence Staff fell vacant in December last year, following the death of India's first military chief General Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 12 other armed forces personnel in a chopper crash. Read: Indian Army Chief meets his Bangladesh counterpart The 63-year-old Chief of Defence Staff was on his way to deliver a lecture at Defence Services Staff College in the southern state of Tamil Nadu when the ill-fated Mi-17 V5 chopper crashed just before landing in a hilly terrain and burst into flames.   General Rawat had a chequered career in the armed forces spanning over 40 years, rising from the rank of a junior officer to the Indian Army chief and eventually the first head of the tri-services -- the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force.

India has banned the Popular Front of India (PFI), a controversial Muslim outfit, for five years, citing its alleged links with Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) among other terror groups.  The five-year ban against the PFI, its student wing Campus Front of India, and other frontal organisations comes after a week of intense crackdown against the controversial Muslim group that saw the arrests of over 250 people linked to the outfit, following pan-India raids by the country's anti-terror National Investigation Agency. Read: India cites “hate speech” for wanting to block 45 YouTube videos In its order, the Indian Home Ministry has declared the PFI as an "unlawful association" that is "prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country" because of its alleged links with banned domestic and foreign terror outfits like the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), JMB, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). "The PFI and its associates or affiliates or fronts operate openly as a socio-economic, educational and political organisation but they have been pursuing a secret agenda to radicalise a particular section of the society working towards undermining the concept of democracy," the Ministry has said in a statement. With funds and ideological support from outside, it has become a major threat to the internal security of the country, according to the Ministry. "Several criminal activities and brutal murders have been committed by PFI members over the past to create reign of terror in public mind." Read: India to hand over PK Halder to Bangladesh? Terming the ban "undemocratic" and "unconstitutional", the PFI has vowed to approach India's Supreme Court. The 2006-registered PFI describes itself "as a non-governmental social organisation whose stated objective is to work for the poor and disadvantaged people in the country and to oppose oppression and exploitation".