NEW DELHI: An Indian preacher whose latest sermon ended in a deadly stampede that killed more than 120 people insisted that fate could not be challenged and death was inevitable.
In his first appearance before the media since July 2, when 121 people were crushed to death following a sermon he delivered in the northern city of Hathras, Bhole Baba said he was upset by the tragedy.
“I am very distressed by what happened, but who can possibly challenge fate?” he said.
“Whoever comes to this earth has to go one day — it is only a matter of when.”
The police constable-turned-preacher spoke to local media Wednesday at one of his monasteries in Kasganj, around 60 kilometers from the stampede site.
Baba’s lawyer had earlier said “anti-social elements” in the crowd were responsible.
The prayer meeting was attended by 250,000 devotees, more than three times the authorized number. The vast majority of fatalities were women.
A police report issued after the stampede named several organizers of the prayer meeting sought for arrest, but Baba was not among them.
So far 11 volunteers working for him have been arrested.
Religious gatherings in India have a grim track record of deadly incidents caused by poor crowd management and safety lapses.
In 2008, 224 pilgrims were killed and more than 400 injured in a stampede at a hilltop temple in the northern city of Jodhpur.
Death inevitable, says preacher at center of Indian stampede disaster
https://arab.news/rw568
Death inevitable, says preacher at center of Indian stampede disaster
- Bhole Baba: ‘I am very distressed by what happened, but who can possibly challenge fate?’
- Police constable-turned-preacher spoke to local media at one of his monasteries in Kasganj
Angry Macron blasts media over reporting of Israel comments
- A visibly furious Macron late Thursday began his press conference after an EU summit in Brussels
A visibly furious Macron late Thursday began his press conference after an EU summit in Brussels with a tirade against those who he accused of distorting remarks made in a closed-door cabinet meeting and showing a “lack of professionalism” in their work.
The remarks attributed to Macron that Israel needed to adhere to UN resolutions in its campaigns in Lebanon and Gaza as the state was created by the world body angered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu but also sparked strong reactions in France.
His comments were quoted by two participants who spoke to AFP after the meeting and asked not to be named.
“Mr Netanyahu must not forget that his country was created by a decision of the UN,” Macron told ministers, referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.
Netanyahu accused Macron of a “distressing distortion of history” and “disrespect.” In France, the speaker of the upper house Senate, Gerard Larcher, said he was “astounded” by the remarks and accused the president of showing his “ignorance” of history.
“I would like you to allow me to recall a few rules,” Macron solemnly told reporters at the start of his news conference on Thursday.
“I must tell you how astonished I was to read so many comments, comments on comments, reactions, including from political leaders, foreign or French, to remarks that I made without seeking to know what exactly I said.”
Macron attacked “ministers,” “journalists” and “commentators” for the ensuing controversy, denying his remarks “as they were reported,” arguing his words were taken out of context.
“I believe I say enough about the situation in the Middle East not to need a ventriloquist,” he added.
He called on ministers to “show respect for the rules and functions so as not to circulate false information” and on journalists “to treat the remarks reported with the necessary precautions.”
After come critics in France questioned whether Macron had been casting doubt on Israel’s right to exist, the president said that “there is no ambiguity” in the position of France.
But the Association of the Presidential Press (APP), which groups together reporters covering the head of state, said Macron had “seriously questioned the ethics of the press, which investigates and cross-checks its sources rigorously.”
“Our work cannot be limited to repeating official statements. The definition of journalism cannot be a presidential prerogative,” it said.
With heavy sarcasm, Greens MP Benjamin Lucas said on X: “That’s right, journalists, why don’t you simply and blindly reproduce the official press releases? Why bother searching, by cross-checking sources, to seek the truth?“
But after a controversy that has dogged Macron all week some supporters applauded his reactions.
Foreign policy is one of the few areas where the president retains leeway after the inconclusive outcome to summer legislative elections and appointment of a right-wing government left the centrist looking increasingly isolated.
“The voice of France in the world deserves better than the distortion of the truth. Those who engage in this are playing a very dangerous game for the country,” said pro-Macron MP Mathieu Lefevre.
Female entrepreneurs carve out a niche for women’s empowerment in Afghanistan
- 800 women in Herat province alone received business licenses in the past three years
- Most female-run businesses are in the apparel, handicraft, food and packaging sectors
KABUL: Barred from schools, restricted in public places and not allowed to work in most jobs, women in Afghanistan’s western Herat province are turning to private entrepreneurship to empower themselves and others.
The employment rate has dropped significantly across Afghanistan since the Taliban took control in 2021 and their administration was hit with a host of international sanctions.
The situation is further aggravated by restrictions the Taliban have steadily imposed on women’s participation in the public sector, their secondary and higher education, and movement.
“The unemployed class is increasing, the education system is currently blocked, most women and girls are unemployed and stay at home, underage marriages have increased, and the economy is down,” said Shafiqa Barak, director of Afghan Barak, a clothing company based in Herat.
She is among an increasing number of businesswomen for whom entrepreneurship is a way to obtain some empowerment and independence.
As women have been absent from so many aspects of public life, Barak told Arab News that being professionally active was essential.
“Afghan Bark company has created work opportunities for 18 women ... creating jobs and creating work opportunities is today one of the basic needs of women in Afghanistan,” she said.
“Working as a businesswoman in the current situation, where there is no other way to improve my morale and earn income, gives me the best feeling because I make several families happy and help several women and girls get out of despair.”
She is not alone. Behnaz Saljoqi, head of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industries in Herat told Arab News that the number of women obtaining business licenses was increasing, with 800 permits received over the past three years.
These female-led businesses are in sectors such as apparel, carpet weaving, miniature painting, food production, processing and packaging.
“Most of them have licenses from the municipality, and some have licenses from the Department of Commerce,” she said.
“Overall, the Islamic Emirate is ready to support women in the private sector, including women’s participation in international exhibitions outside Afghanistan.”
With women only allowed to work as long as they work for women and among women, navigating the restrictions is not easy. It is further complicated by the sanctions that are in place and the fragile Afghan economy.
“Working as a businesswoman in the current situation not only gives me a sense of power and empowerment, but also an opportunity to prove that women are capable to overcome challenges and excel in different professional fields,” said Parisa Elhami, who runs Watan Collection, a fashion brand in Herat which currently employs 15 women.
“One of the main obstacles facing women entrepreneurs is legal and financial complications. Among these obstacles, we can point out the difficulties of obtaining a business license, high business tax costs, restrictions on access to suitable places to operate, and economic fluctuations that affect the sales market,” she told Arab News.
“For me, creating job opportunities for other women means fulfilling social responsibility and realizing the latent potential in society. This also leads to reduction of gender inequality, increasing women's social participation, and strengthening family foundations.”
Harris, Trump to rally voters in key state on same day
- Kamala Harris finds herself on eggshells as she upholds President Joe Biden’s support for key ally Israel
- While Muslim and Arab American voters have voiced outrage over the death toll in Gaza
DEARBORN, United States: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will lead dueling rallies Friday in Michigan, a crucial battleground state where Arab American voters angered by US support for Israel may hold the key to a deadlocked race.
The killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar drew optimism from Vice President Harris for a Gaza ceasefire, but Israel quickly said his death is not the end of over a year of war.
Harris has found herself on eggshells as she upholds President Joe Biden’s support for key ally Israel, while Muslim and Arab American voters have voiced outrage over the death toll in Gaza.
One of those voters in the extremely close race, 51-year-old Marwan Faraj, said he supported Biden but won’t cast a ballot for Harris because of her backing for Israel.
“They have been supporting this ethnic cleansing and genocide since day one, with our tax dollars, and that’s wrong,” said Faraj, who emigrated from Lebanon, referring to Biden and Harris.
The vice president, who replaced Biden on short notice in the race just three months ago, is holding a series of campaign events in Michigan on Friday to try to convince voters to back her.
“This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza,” Harris said in reaction to Sinwar’s death, “and it must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends.”
The Uncommitted movement, a pro-Palestinian group, stopped short of explicitly endorsing Harris earlier this month, but warned “it can get worse” under Trump.
One of the group’s co-founders, Lexi Zeidan, said voters should consider “the better antiwar approach” rather than “who is the better candidate.”
However, Abandon Harris, another group of anti-war voters, has endorsed fringe Green Party candidate Jill Stein, potentially turning her into a spoiler that would help elect Trump in swing states decided by just a few thousand votes.
Harris’s rival in the November 5 election, former president Trump, has yet to react to Sinwar’s killing but has expressed support for the Israeli campaign in response to Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
The Republican candidate will also be in Michigan on Friday, for a major campaign rally in auto industry capital Detroit.
According to his campaign team, this will be an opportunity to detail how Michigan families have been hit by inflation under Biden and Harris’s leadership.
The economy, immigration and abortion are among the most hotly debated issues in a particularly tense and close election.
The candidates are racing toward election day with the Democratic vice president narrowly leading her Republican rival nationally and in several crucial swing states, although most polls are within the margin of error.
Harris’s momentum in the polls has plateaued in recent weeks, however, and both candidates have been on a blitz of new and traditional media as they try to win over the small number of undecided voters.
China’s President Xi to attend BRICS summit in Russia
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the 16th BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, from Oct. 22 to 24, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Friday.
During his visit, Xi will attend the leaders’ meeting, the expert leaders’ dialogues and other activities, and have in-depth exchanges with leaders on the current international situation, Mao Ning, a ministry spokesperson, said at a regular news conference.
China is ready to work with all parties to promote BRICS cooperation, to usher in a new era of unity and self-reliance in the Global South, and jointly promote peace and development in the world, Mao said.
Floods cause damage, power outages in southeast France after heavy rainfall
- France’s weather authority Meteo France placed six departments south of the city of Lyon on a red flood alert
PARIS: Massive floods caused serious damage and power outages on Friday in parts of France’s mountainous southeast region after days of heavy rain, though there were no immediate reports of any casualties.
France’s weather authority Meteo France placed six departments south of the city of Lyon on a red flood alert on Thursday. The alert was downgraded to ‘orange’ on Friday, indicating that water levels would come down again.
“At certain places in the Ardeche region, up to 700 milimeters of water has fallen in 48 hours. That’s more than a year’s rainfall in Paris, so it’s absolutely gigantic,” Agnes Pannier-Runacher, the environment minister, told BFM TV.
French news stations showed cars, traffic signs and cattle being swept away by the floods. The A47 highway close to Lyon was temporarily transformed into a giant stream of water.
The French interior ministry said Paris had dispatched 1,500 additional firefighters to the affected areas.
