Death toll rises to 49 in Kuwait building fire



International Desk, Barta24.com
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The death toll from a fire at a building in Mangaf, southern Kuwait, has risen to 49. However, the nationalities of the deceased have not yet been disclosed by the local authorities.

The news agency Reuters reported the information on Wednesday (June 12) according to sources in the country's state media.

The country's Deputy Prime Minister, Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Subah, alleged that such deaths occurred due to violations of the law by building owners.

Indian media reported that 40 of the dead were Indian citizens. Indian Ambassador to Kuwait visited various hospitals in Mangaf to see the workers injured in the fire.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijay wrote a letter to Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar regarding the accident. It said that some Indians, including residents of the southern Indian state of Kerala, died in the fire in Kuwait.

A Kerala government agency said a total of 41 Indians, including 11 from Kerala, had died in Kuwait, according to Indian nationals living in the Middle Eastern country. However, this figure of casualties in the fire incident in Kuwait could not be objectively verified, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives of Indian workers in the fire in Kuwait. In a post on social media X, he termed the incident of fire as tragic.

   

Despite ban, Turkish goods are going to Israel



International Des, Barta24.com
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Turkey imposed a ban on all trade with Israel. The announcement was made by the country's Ministry of Commerce last May citing the "further deterioration of the humanitarian situation" in the besieged Gaza Strip. However, despite the ban, Turkish goods are going to Israel through third countries this month.

This information was published in a report of Middle East Eye on Thursday (June 20).

According to the report, Turkish goods have been reaching Israel through Greece and other nearby countries since the beginning of May, despite the trade embargo.

According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel imported 116 million US dollars worth of goods from Turkey last May which is 69 percent less than May last year. But Turkey's export agency claims only 4 million US dollars worth of goods went to Israel in May which is 99 percent less than last May.

However, a permanent ceasefire has not yet been established in Gaza. In the meantime, Turkey is sending goods to Israel even after announcing the imposition of a complete trade embargo on Israel.

However, a trade official claimed that most of the goods that Israel ordered before Turkey imposed the trade embargo are now going to Israel via Greece.

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Kejriwal is accused of demanding a bribe of Rs. 100 crore



International Desk, Barta24.com
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India's central agency, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal demanded a bribe of Rs 100 crore.

According to a report by the Indian media India Today, the ED made this claim during the hearing in the excise case. At that time ED said that they have evidence in this regard.

During the hearing at Delhi's Rouse Avenue court on Wednesday (June 19), the ED told the court that Kejriwal sought the money for his party's funds. Earlier, Kejriwal was included in the hearing through a video conference.

The ED lawyer told the court that the CBI investigation revealed that Kejriwal demanded a bribe of Rs 100 crore. Kejriwal has not yet proved that he did not commit the crime.

According to Indian media NDTV, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 for his involvement in the excise (liquor) corruption case. On May 10, he was granted bail for 21 days on the orders of the Supreme Court. The court granted three weeks' interim bail for the Lok Sabha elections. Kejriwal was sent back to jail after the interim bail expired. He is in Delhi's Tihar Jail.

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Modi's alliance people are in touch: Rahul



International Desk, Barta24.com
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Leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led NDA alliance have been in touch with the opposition Congress, party leader Rahul Gandhi has claimed.

He claimed this in an interview given to Britain's influential daily The Financial Times on Tuesday (June 18).

Even a small disturbance can destabilize the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Congress leader said. The coalition formed the government depending on the regional parties.

Claiming that there is "massive discontent" in the Narendra Modi-led government camp, Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will have to "fight" to keep the government alive. In the interview, Rahul Gandhi said that many people in the NDA camp are in touch with the Congress. As a result, the fall of Modi government can happen only if there is a little bit here and there.

Rahul Gandhi said that the result of the last Lok Sabha elections has changed the political dynamics of the country. In the Indian political system, opportunities have emerged for all. There have been significant pot changes. The numbers on which the government is standing are very fragile. As a result, the government will fall if only a little here and there.

On June 4, the final results of India's 543 Lok Sabha elections were announced. In this, Narendra Modi's political party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not get a single majority. A majority of 272 seats is required to form the government in the country, but the BJP won 240 seats on its own.

Later BJP had to depend on 53 seats of NDA alliance partners to form the government. The BJP-led NDA alliance won 293 seats. In the election, the Congress-led coalition India won 233 seats. Out of this, Congress alone got 99 seats.

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18 lakh 33 thousand 146 people performed Hajj



Islam Desk, Barta24.com, Dhaka
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In the current Hajj program, 18 lakh 33 thousand 164 pilgrims of the world have performed the holy Hajj, said the Minister of Hajj and Umrah affairs of Saudi Arabia. Tawfiq al-Rabia. The country's state news agency SPA reported this information.

In a press briefing on Saturday (15 Jan), he also announced that the stages of Hajj from Makkah to Mina and Arafat were successful without any hitches.

Meanwhile, according to the information of the General Authority for Statistics in Saudi Arabia, it has been reported that pilgrims have come from more than 200 countries around the world this time.

Among them, 63.3 percent of pilgrims came from Asian countries, 23.3 percent from Arab countries, 11.3 percent from Africa and 3.2 percent from America and Australia.

The number of domestic pilgrims in Saudi Arabia is 221 thousand 854 and the number of pilgrims from outside the country is 16 lakh 11 thousand 310. 9 lakh 58 thousand 137 were male pilgrims and 8 lakh 75 thousand 25 were female pilgrims.

15 lakh 46 thousand 345 pilgrims reached Saudi Arabia by air, 60 thousand 251 by land and 4 thousand 714 by sea.

It should be noted that the Hajj formalities started from Friday (June 14). After staying in Mina on Saturday, they will stay at Arafat Maidan and spend the night in the open desert of Muzdalifah. On the third day of Hajj on Sunday (June 16), pilgrims will throw pebbles, sacrifice animals, and shave their heads at the Big Jamarat.

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