International News
Deadly Stampede At Hindu Festival In India Leaves 15 Dead
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A devastating pre-dawn stampede at the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest religious gathering, left at least 15 people dead and dozens more injured early Wednesday.
The tragedy has been traced to a surging crowd breaking through police barriers, trampling bystanders in a chaotic manner.
The tragic incident occurred around 1:00 am local time (1930 GMT Tuesday) as millions of Hindu pilgrims rushed to participate in a sacred ritual bathing at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers.
Many of the victims were people resting on the ground when the crowd surged forward in the darkness.
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“I was sitting near a barricade, and during the pushing and shoving, the entire crowd fell on top of me, trampling me as it moved forward,” said 48-year-old pilgrim Renu Devi. “When the crowd surged, elderly people and women were crushed, and no one came forward to help.”
Emergency teams quickly responded, carrying victims away on stretchers as discarded shoes, clothing, and personal belongings littered the area.
Authorities have yet to release an official death toll, but a doctor treating survivors at a nearby hospital confirmed “at least 15 people” had died, with many more injured.
The doctor spoke on condition of anonymity, as they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the tragedy as “extremely sad” and extended his “deepest condolences” to the families of the victims. “I wish for the speedy recovery of all injured,” he added.
Meanwhile, political opposition leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the authorities, blaming the disaster on poor crowd control.
“Mismanagement and the administration’s special focus on VIP movement instead of common devotees are responsible for this tragic incident,” he wrote on social media.
The six-week Kumbh Mela is one of the holiest events in the Hindu calendar, drawing tens of millions of devotees.
Wednesday was a particularly significant bathing day, with saffron-clad holy men leading mass rituals.
However, in the aftermath of the stampede, festival officials patrolled the grounds with loudspeakers, urging pilgrims to stay away from the main bathing area.
“We humbly request all devotees do not come to the main bathing spot,” one official announced over a megaphone. “Please cooperate with security personnel.”
Despite the warnings, state officials reported that millions of pilgrims had already taken their ritual baths between midnight and early morning.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath stated that medical workers were treating the seriously injured and assured the public that the situation was “under control.”
The Kumbh Mela is a logistical challenge of enormous scale.
Organizers had likened this year’s event to the size of a temporary nation, with an estimated 400 million pilgrims expected by the festival’s end on February 26.
To manage the crowds, authorities installed hundreds of surveillance cameras and drones to monitor congestion.
However, stampedes at religious events remain a deadly risk in India. In 1954, over 400 people died in a single day at the Kumbh Mela, marking one of the deadliest crowd disasters in history.
More recently, in 2013, another 36 pilgrims lost their lives in a similar tragedy in Prayagraj.
Despite the security measures in place, Wednesday’s stampede has once again raised concerns about crowd management at massive religious gatherings.
As frightened devotees began leaving Prayagraj, railway official Manish Kumar reported that several special train services had been halted due to excessive crowding.
“I heard the news and saw the bathing site,” said festival attendee Sanjay Nishad. “My family got scared, so we’re leaving.”
International News
Ex-Mauritius PM, Pravind Jugnauth Arrested For Money-Laundering
Former Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth has been arrested in connection with a money-laundering investigation, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
The 63-year-old politician, who led the country from 2017 to 2024, was detained alongside his wife, Kobita Jugnauth, as police conducted searches at multiple locations, uncovering large sums of cash, luxury watches, and incriminating documents.
The arrests followed a directive from the island’s Financial Crimes Commission, which had issued a notice barring the Jugnauths and two other suspects from leaving the country.
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Police sources told AFP that the couple was questioned for several hours on Saturday before Kobita Jugnauth was released, while Pravind Jugnauth was placed under formal arrest in the early hours of Sunday.
Jugnauth’s lawyer, Raouf Gulbul, maintained his client’s innocence, stating, “He gave his version of events and denied the allegations made against him.” The former prime minister is expected to appear before a judge later on Sunday.
Meanwhile, raids on the homes of other suspects led to significant discoveries.
A local leisure company employee was found in possession of documents bearing the Jugnauths’ names, stacks of various currencies, and high-end timepieces.
Another suspect, a real estate executive, reportedly had suitcases filled with cash.
Jugnauth’s arrest comes just months after his Militant Socialist Movement (MSM) suffered a major defeat in the November elections, ceding power to centre-left rival Navin Ramgoolam, who became prime minister for the third time.
His administration has since reopened negotiations with Britain regarding the Chagos Islands, aiming for greater financial compensation and revised lease terms for the joint UK-US military base on Diego Garcia.
The case has sent shockwaves through Mauritius, where political dynasties like Jugnauth’s have long dominated the country’s leadership.
While the island nation boasts strong economic growth, the new government faces mounting pressure to address the rising cost of living.
International News
HIV-Positive Ugandans Protest USAID Closure Amid Trump-Era Purge
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Thousands of Ugandans living with HIV are protesting the abrupt suspension of USAID programs in the country, calling it a “death sentence” for those dependent on the agency’s support.
The move follows a controversial decision by the Trump administration to place USAID’s global staff on leave as part of a broader political purge.
For Mike Elvis Tusubira, a Ugandan taxi driver who has lived with HIV since 2022, the USAID shutdown is devastating.
READ MORE: How Democrats Used USAID To Ferment Crisis, Sponsor Terrorists – Congressman, Perry
“The suspension of all USAID activities has affected me deeply. I don’t know what to do next. What will happen to me?” Tusubira lamented.
“My doctor told me he left the hospital I was going to. What will happen to my child and my partner?”
His wife, who remains HIV-negative thanks to preventative medication, is now at risk due to the disruption in care.
Since the USAID program’s suspension, they have been unable to access critical treatment, condoms, or counseling services—leading to rising anxiety and tension in their relationship.
Uganda receives 70% of its HIV treatment from foreign aid, making the loss of USAID’s support particularly catastrophic.
The country is among the top ten African nations that rely on USAID funding, with $295 million allocated for health programs in 2023.
The agency plays a crucial role in supporting HIV treatment, malaria prevention, tuberculosis care, and maternal and child health programs.
However, with its withdrawal, healthcare services are crumbling.
“The health sector in Uganda is highly dependent on aid,” said a senior official at the Ministry of Health, who requested anonymity. “Without USAID, we are looking at a catastrophic increase in HIV infections and deaths.”
Activists argue that the U.S. decision to suspend USAID’s work will reverse decades of progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS in Uganda.
Some have taken to the streets, demanding the reinstatement of funding and warning that thousands of lives hang in the balance.
With no clear resolution in sight, people like Tusubira face an uncertain future. “There’s no medicine, no shelters, no condoms—nothing,” he said. “I’m worried. And there’s no future in reality.”
International News
How Democrats Used USAID To Ferment Crisis, Sponsor Terrorists – Congressman, Perry
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Facts are beginning to emerge on why the President Donald Trump administration is working hard to unravel and fix the US aid agency, United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
A US Congressman, Scott Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, on Thursday revealed that the USAID was funding several terror groups across the world including, but not limited to, “Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps”.
The lawmaker made the assertions at the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, in Washington.
Perry spoke at a session, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” with a view to unearthing perceived misappropriations of public funds.
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He said, “Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding.”
The subcommittee’s website, asserted that it is mandated to “actively work with President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste, shore up vulnerable payment systems, and fully investigate schemes to defraud taxpayers.”
To drive home his assertions on terror-funding, Perry cited the USAID’s reported funding of $136 million for building 120 schools in Pakistan, for which there was “zero evidence” of the schools’ construction.
Perry pointed out, ” If you think that the programme under Operation Enduring Sentinel entitled Women’s Scholarship Endowment, which receives $60 million annually, or the Young Women Lead, which gets about $5 million annually, is going to women who, by the way, if you read the Inspector General’s report, is telling you that the Taliban does not allow women to speak in public, yet somehow you’re believing, and American people are supposed to believe, that this money is going for the betterment of the women in Afghanistan. It is not.
“You are funding terrorism, and it’s coming through USAID. And it’s not just Afghanistan, because Pakistan’s right next door.
“USAID spent $840 million in the last year, the last 20 years, on Pakistan’s education-related programme. It includes $136 million to build 120 schools, of which there is zero evidence that any of them were built. Why would there be any evidence? The Inspector General can’t get in to see them.
“But you know what? We doubled down and spent $20 million from USAID to create educational television programs for children unable to attend the physical school. Yeah, they can’t attend it, because it doesn’t exist. You paid for it.
“Somebody else got the money. You are paying for terrorism. This has got to end.”
Recall that President Trump had called for the shutting down of the USAID, because of massive corruption within the agency in a post on his Truth Social platform.
These are some of the reasons why President Trump mandated his ally, Elon Muks to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Perhaps an indication of how serious Musk is taking his new role can be seen in his description of the USAID as “a viper’s nest of radical-left Marxists who hate America”.
The billionaire also alleged that the USAID was engaging in secret service duties and undercover bioweapon activities, like “rogue CIA work” and “funded bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people.”
President Trump’s disposition is that the DOGE would “dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excessive regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure federal agencies — essential to the ‘Save America’ movement. This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!”