After India Request, US Grants Visa Interview For Injured Student's Family: Sources

by Hansraj Agrawal | Feb 27, 2025 | top-stories

New Delhi:

The United States has granted an interview – at 9 am Friday – for an emergency visa to the father of Nilam Shinde, the 35-year-old woman in a coma in a California hospital after a road accident on February 14, sources told NDTV Thursday afternoon.

Here are the top 10 points in this big story:

Earlier today sources told NDTV the External Affairs Ministry’s Americas Division had reached out to the US government. Sources said travel permits for medical emergencies are normally given quickly and it is unclear what led to the delay in this instance.
Ms Shinde – a student at California State University – suffered serious injuries, including fractures, after she was mowed down from behind by a four-wheeler on February 14.

Her family applied for a visa 48 hours later, but the application has been pending since. Ms Shinde’s uncle, Kadam Shinde, told NDTV the earliest available date is for next year.
Ms Shinde’s family said the crash left her with fractures in both arms and both legs, and required emergency brain surgery, for which consent had been sought from the hospital administration. The young woman has been in a coma since the surgery, reports indicate.
A statement from the university – issued February 16 – said Ms Shinde “is in critical condition with an uncertain prognosis and is receiving care in the Intensive Care Unit”. The university added its appeal for travel permits to be issued for the family.
“The patient’s father must assist the UC Davis Medical Centre care team with making Ms Shinde’s medical care planning decisions. Ms Shinde is not able to communicate due to the nature of her injuries and because she is currently intubated, on life support…”
Sources told NDTV the US does grant ’emergency’ visas in case a family member is seriously ill or dead. This requires a written record from a doctor, who can request the American government to expedite visa interview appointments in the applicant’s nation. There are, however, limited slots for expedited, or emergency, visa applications.
The tragic situation made headlines only this week, after NCP MP Supriya Sule flagged Ms Shinde’s condition and the despair of her father, brother, and uncle; her mother died of brain cancer last year. “This is an alarming issue. We need to get together and resolve it,” she told NDTV, calling on the External Affairs Ministry for help. Ms Shinde’s family has since been contacted by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ office.

Local police are investigating the accident and the driver of the vehicle that hit Ms Shinde is in custody. However, given her medical condition, it is understood there are legal challenges to the filing of a case without a blood relative present.
Nilam Shinde, a Master of Science student, has been in the US for four years.

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Bangladesh Army Chief Warns “Country At Risk, Anarchy Of Our Own Making”

by Hansraj Agrawal | Feb 26, 2025 | top-stories

Dhaka:

Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman has acknowledged that there is a serious problem in his country with a rapidly worsening law and order situation. Blaming it on the political turmoil, leading to a sociopolitical crisis, the army chief said the situation is so dire now, that citizens are constantly “preoccupied with vilifying each other”.

Speaking at an armed forces function, Gen Zaman said “The anarchy we have witnessed is of our own making”. He also shared his concern over the extremely inefficient police force, saying that officers across the board – from senior to junior ranks – were afraid, because their peers were either facing judicial cases or were jailed.

This, he said, brings even more responsibility on the armed forces as law and order has faced a collapse.

“There is an urgent need for national unity and institutional discipline,” the army chief said, adding that continuous and rapidly growing infighting in society puts Bangladesh’s sovereignty at immense risk.

“If you can’t move beyond your differences and continue meddling and fighting among yourselves, and if you continue to injure and kill one another, the independence and integrity of the country will be at risk – I warn you,” the army chief said in an appeal to Bangladeshi citizens. He also said that “I have no other aspirations. For the past seven to eight months, I have had enough”.

“Since stakeholders are busy accusing each other, miscreants find the situation favourable. They believe they can get away with anything,” he added, without naming any political groups or factions.

Gen Zaman further noted that the gains of the student-led revolution that toppled the Sheikh Hasina government last August were at a risk too. General Waker-Uz-Zaman had taken over as Bangladesh’s army chief after Ms Hasina fled to India amid widespread protests in the country.

Bangladesh has seen a surge in violence, vandalism, rioting, and other forms of criminal activity over the last few months. It had reached to such extremes by February, that security forces had to launch an offensive called ‘Operation Devil Hunt’. In less than three weeks, 8,600 people were arrested. Bangladesh’s interim government has accused these individuals of attempting to “destabilise the country”.

Bangladesh has a long history of military coups. After Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, the armed forces were granted judicial powers like the police, including arresting citizens. Amid a raft of allegations of enforced disappearances, murder, and torture of citizens, the army chief warned that such matters “must be investigated”.

“Punishment must be ensured,” he said. “Otherwise, we will be trapped in the same cycle.”

Urging people to support the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus and assuring them of election as soon as possible, the army chief, who had sworn in the interim government. said “At the beginning, I had said it would take 18 months to hold an election. We are on that path. Professor Yunus is doing his best to keep us united. Let’s help him.”

Mr Yunus has said that Bangladesh will hold general elections in late 2025 or in early 2026.

Meanwhile, key student protest leader Nahid Islam has resigned from the interim government cabinet – where he headed the telecom ministry – ahead of the expected launch of a new political party on Friday, February 28.

(Inputs from AFP)

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Maha Kumbh To Wind Up Today After Holy Dip For Shiv Ratri

by Hansraj Agrawal | Feb 25, 2025 | top-stories

So far, a record 63.36 crore people from every echelon of society have taken the holy dip at Prayagraj’s Triveni Sangam – the meeting point of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the long-lost Saraswati.

Huge arrangements have been made for today’s dip that will begin before dawn and ring down the curtains on the festival that takes place every 12 years. .

Since Monday, crowds started swelling at the mela grounds for the final “Amrit Snan” that will begin in the early hours.

The government has taken comprehensive measures that include efficient crowd management, enhanced sanitation and adequate medical facilities.

This is complemented by elaborate arrangements for security, transportation and emergency response systems.

The extra focus on arrangements came after the January 26 stampede on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, in which more than 30 people died and more than 60 were injured.

It sparked a massive political slugfest that saw most leaders of the Opposition and the BJP joining the fray.

As the Opposition repeatedly targeted the government, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused them of denigrating religion and culture. PM Modi said it showed a “slave mentality”.

The other big controversy was over reports that suggested that water at the Sangam contained fecal coliform bacteria and was not fit for bathing. Yogi Adityanath issued a denial, accusing critics of spreading misinformation.

Kumbh, mentioned first in Rig Veda, the oldest Hindu scripture, means a pitcher. The story goes that drops of amrit, the nectar of immortality, had spilled when it was brought up by gods and demons through churning the cosmic ocean. A bath in the rivers at these spots under the right constellations is believed to wash off all sins.

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As Trump Eyes Ukraine's Rare Metals, Putin Offers Him Russia's Reserve

by Hansraj Agrawal | Feb 25, 2025 | top-stories

Washington, US:

Ukraine and the United States are closer than ever to signing a deal that would grant Washington a share of Kyiv’s revenues from natural resources. US President Donald Trump said his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky may come down to the White House “this week or the next week” to sign the proposal which has ended up in the centre of the growing rift between the two leaders.

“The agreement’s being worked on now. They’re very close to a final deal,” Mr. Trump said on Monday at the White House.

However, as US and Ukrainian officials finalised the deal, Russia made a similar offer to America, highlighting there was money to be made from a better relationship with Moscow.

A Look Inside The Deal

An agreement on minerals was first proposed by Ukraine in the so-called ‘victory plan’ Mr Zelensky presented to Mr Trump last September before the presidential election. The idea was to offer businessmen and then-presidential candidate Trump a tangible reason for the US to continue to security guarantees.

However, the draft deal presented by the Americans last week reportedly sought 50 per cent of revenues from Ukraine’s natural resources without offering security commitments in return. The Trump administration has described that request as compensation for past American military and financial aid.

Without the security guarantees, Mr Zelensky had refused to sign a draft deal saying it would create a huge financial burden for future generations.

Since then, American and Ukrainian diplomats have been in talks to find a compromise.

On Monday, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister Olha Stefanishyna, posted on X that “Ukrainian and US teams are in the final stages of negotiations regarding the minerals agreement.”

“The negotiations have been very constructive, with nearly all key details finalized. We are committed to completing this swiftly to proceed with its signature. We hope both US and UA leaders might sign and endorse it in Washington the soonest to showcase our commitment for decades to come,” she added.

Now, the current version of the agreement discussed by Washington and Kyiv reportedly contains more favourable terms for Ukraine than previous drafts. However, it also does not include security guarantees Ukraine had been requesting as it struggles to fight Russia’s invasion, according to a report by The New York Times.

Per the report, the terms of the deal are not final and could still evolve.

However, the White House on Monday said that the economic agreement with Ukraine “will not be a guarantee of future aid for war, nor will it include any commitment of US personnel in the region.”

Mr Zelensky has been insisting that Ukraine must have Western arms and backing in any peace deal, to prevent any Russian assault in the future, while Mr Trump remains adamant that the war must end quickly, without offering such security guarantees.

Russia Dangles Similar Deal

On Monday during an interview with Russian state television, President Vladimir Putin said American companies could do lucrative business deals in Russia. In what seems like a message to US President Trump about the perks of a better relationship with Moscow, Mr Putin said Americans can even help mine rare earths in Russian-occupied Ukraine.

He said that Russia had an “order of magnitude” more rare earth metals than Ukraine and that Moscow was “ready to work with our foreign partners, including the Americans,” in developing those deposits, according to the NYT report.

He said the invitation applied to Russian-occupied Ukraine, as well, and added that American companies could also “make good money” by helping to develop aluminium production in Siberia.

“There is something to think about here,” Mr Putin said, referring to aluminium, “as well as about joint work on rare earth metals and in other areas, for example, energy.”

Natural Reserves In Russia And Ukraine

According to Kyiv’s estimates, about 5 per cent of the world’s “critical raw materials” are in Ukraine. This includes around 19 million tonnes of proven reserves of graphite, which the Ukrainian Geological Survey state agency says makes the nation “one of the top five leading countries” for the supply of the mineral.

Ukraine reportedly also has a third of all European lithium deposits. Before the start of the war, the European nation also held 7 per cent of global titanium production. Further, Ukraine also has significant deposits of rare earth metals — a group of 17 elements that are used to produce weapons, wind turbines, electronics and other products vital in the modern world.

Some of these mineral deposits, however, have been seized by Russia since the invasion. According to Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukraine’s economy minister, resources worth $350bn remain in occupied territories currently.

Russia is also among the world’s leading nations in rare earth metal reserves. However, the country has yet to fully capitalize on these resources.

American Interest

The US is reportedly using for the mineral deal with Ukraine because it wants to reduce dependency on China, which controls 75 per cent of rare earth deposits in the world, according to the Geological Investment Group.

In December China banned the export of some rare earth minerals to the US, having previously limited mineral exports to the US the previous year.

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“Sudden Attack” On Bangladesh Airbase, Locals Clash With Airmen, 1 Killed

by Hansraj Agrawal | Feb 24, 2025 | top-stories

Dhaka:

A man was killed and several others injured in a clash Monday between a group of local people and air force personnel at an airbase in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, officials said.

The Inter Service Public Relations (ISPR) – the media wing of the military – in a statement said the “miscreants” attacked the Bangladesh Air Force Base near Cox’s Bazar’s Samitipara. “Bangladesh Air Force is taking necessary actions in this regard,” it said.

The ISPR said that “some local miscreants” of the Samitipara area adjacent to the beach resort town “launched a sudden attack” on the airbase after a biker was stopped at a checkpoint as he was crossing the base area without any papers for the vehicle.

It said the biker was taken inside the base for interrogation when over 200 people marched towards the base. The security personnel tried to stop them, sparking a clash that left four Air Force personnel injured.

Deputy Commissioner of the district, Mohammad Salahuddin, said: one person was killed, and several others were injured in the incident”. The official said a thorough investigation would be conducted into the cause of the attack.

The officer-in-charge of a police box at a local hospital where the wounded were being treated said the incident took place at around noon. “Shihab Kabir, 30, a local trader, was shot during the clash,” the officer said.

The incident sparked a social media uproar, with people claiming that the youth died of gunshots fired by the Air Force personnel. Bangladesh’s defence ministry came up with a statement, saying BAF men did not fire any live bullets during the violence.

The ISPR said the Air Force personnel fired “blank shots” to protect a key installation, but no shot was fired on the people. It termed the incident to an “evil motive” of some “vested quarters”. “Bangladesh Air Force expresses its deep shock at the death of the youth and conveys its sympathy to the members of his family,” it said.

According to a local journalist, the government plans to expand the airport and relocate the people in the neighbourhood, a proposal opposed by some residents.

The attack occurred hours after Home Affairs Adviser, Lt Gen (retd.) M Jahangir Alam Chowdhury reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining law and order.

In a pre-dawn press conference at his residence, Mr Chowdhury said that “cohorts” of the ousted Awami League regime of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina were out to destabilise the country, but “in no way they will be spared”.

“We will ensure that terrorists cannot stand anywhere and prevent crimes at any cost,” he said, adding that law enforcement agencies were asked to strengthen their patrolling across the country.

Bangladesh’s security forces have arrested over 8,600 people in a two-week crackdown named “Operation Devil Hunt” that targeted gangs allegedly linked with the ousted Hasina government.

The arrests come amid growing concerns about rising crime levels, particularly in Dhaka, with police saying the number of robberies had doubled since January last year. “Operation Devil Hunt will continue. We won’t let the perpetrators sleep or rest. I have ordered the forces to intensify patrolling,” Mr Chowdhury told reporters.

Mr Chowdhury’s emergency briefing comes as students, who led the July-August 2024 uprising eventually toppling the Awami League regime, expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation, with many demanding his resignation.

In a related development, Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman said on Monday that the military must continue working to maintain law and order until Bangladesh gets an elected government.

“We initially thought the task would be completed quickly, allowing us to return to the cantonment. We have been working for a long period now. We must exercise patience and fulfil our professional responsibilities with dedication,” he said at an event at suburban Savar Cantonment.

General Zaman said it was imperative that while performing duties “we must avoid the use of force, which may be applied only when necessary”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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“I Bear Responsibility”: German Chancellor As Party Heads For Defeat

by Hansraj Agrawal | Feb 23, 2025 | top-stories

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Berlin:

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz lamented a “bitter” defeat after his centre-left Social Democrats slumped to a heavy loss in Sunday’s national elections.

“The election result is poor and I bear responsibility,” Scholz told SPD party members, while congratulating conservative opposition leader Friedrich Merz, whose party came out on top.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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