Indian medical team arrive in Dhaka to treat plane crash victims: MEA
The team is scheduled to begin with their work from Thursday, which mirrors Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to assist the region as the tragedy struck.
In a post on X, Jaiswal said, "This evening (July 23), a team of two Indian specialists and a nursing assistant from two of India's topmost burn injury treatment hospitals -- Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi -- landed in Dhaka to help with the treatment of the victims of the plane crash tragedy of 21 July in Dhaka. They will begin their work at a designated hospital treating these patients from tomorrow morning. Their visit follows PM Narendra Modi's assurance to extend all possible assistance and support to Bangladesh in the wake of the tragedy."
The team arrived in Dhaka to provide support for burn victims of the recent fighter jet crash in the Diabari area of Bangladesh's capital.
"The medical team has landed", an official of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka told ANI.
"Doctors have come from the top burn treatment specialized hospitals in India - Ram Monohar Lohia Hospital and Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi," he added.
According to the Bangladesh Chief Adviser's Press Wing, the death toll in the crash incident has risen to 29, and 69 people were injured. Most of the students were admitted to various hospitals in the capital, Dhaka. Among the injured were teachers, school staff, firefighters, police officers, army personnel, and civilians, including domestic workers and electricians
Death toll may rise again, as among the injured, 25 patients have serious conditions with burn injury, a doctor said.
On July 21, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed condolences at the loss of lives in the tragic air crash in Dhaka and had conveyed assurances of support and assistance.
A Bangladesh Air Force F-7 fighter jet crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in Dhaka on Monday afternoon.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Observer
15 hours ago
- Observer
India reels from the shock of Trump's onslaught
NEW DELHI — President Donald Trump's new list of tariffs on half the world's countries sent the United States' trading partners scrambling to understand how their businesses will be affected. India got the bad news a day earlier — its goods face a tariff of 25% or more — but the extra time was hardly enough to adjust to the fresh chaos. Indian negotiators had not expected to conclude a meaningful deal in time to meet Trump's revised deadline of Aug. 1. But they did expect to be treated as well as their neighbors, and to keep haggling with U.S. officials until October or November, when Trump was invited to visit India as part of the Quad defense group, which brings together four big democracies — India, the United States, Japan and Australia — with a shared interest in standing up to China. Instead, they were fed a heap of insults and injuries. Along with the 25% rate, one of the highest in Asia and only a point lower than what was threatened on 'Liberation Day' in April, India was informed that its existing trade barriers are 'strenuous and obnoxious'; it will be charged an untold penalty for buying Russian oil; it is a 'dead economy.' It's archrival Pakistan was praised and promised an oil exploration deal. Hurt feelings aside, the results are confusing. Two of the biggest categories of exports to the United States from India are personal electronics, worth about $14 billion a year, and pharmaceuticals, worth $10 billion. Rajesh Sharma, executive director of India Cellular and Electronics Association, said smartphones were exempted from these tariffs; so did executives at pharmaceutical companies. But on Friday, after reading the executive order, the Global Trade Research Initiative in New Delhi concluded the opposite. India's stock markets dipped on the news for two days running. Indian and international banks wrote notices warning that the country's generally hard-charging economic growth is likely to slow measurably as a result of the tariffs. Then there are the unknown tariffs. On July 6, Trump wrote that countries aligned with the BRICS group, of which India is a founding member, would incur an additional 10% penalty. Then on July 14, he said that, if Russia didn't make peace with Ukraine within 50 days, he would punish its trading partners with 'secondary tariffs' of 100%. That figure is making Indians worry anew. Trump added 'plus a penalty' to the 25% rate imposed on India, for buying Russian oil and weapons. Shashi Tharoor, a prominent member of the opposition, spoke to an Indian news agency about the possible impact. 'There's even talk of a 100% penalty,' he said, 'which will destroy our trade with America.' There is evidence that Indian buyers of Russian oil were already pulling back before the executive order. 'Indian refiners have reduced Russian crude purchases this week,' said Sumit Ritolia, an analyst at Kpler, which tracks shipping and commodities. They were already 'looking to further diversify, amid rising concerns over potential U.S. sanctions,' having spent years taking advantage of discounted Russian oil to reduce their imports from the Persian Gulf. Reducing the United States' trade deficit is one of the Trump administration's goals, so persuading India to buy more American oil and gas would make sense. Last year, India exported $45.7 billion more goods to the United States than it imported. It spent about three times as much importing oil. If a third of that were redirected to American sources, their bilateral trade would be evened out. Trump's angry barrage of social media has complicated further negotiations. The breakdown of trust between Narendra Modi, India's prime minister, whom Trump called his 'true friend,' the U.S. president is likely to make it harder to complete any deal, analysts say. Indian news outlets have reported that Trump wanted to iron out some outstanding issues, after four rounds of direct talks between the two sides, in a phone call with Modi. The Indian government was anxious to avoid any of his last-minute surprises. The U.S. commerce secretary accused India of 'slow-rolling' its trade negotiations. Indian officials and analysts say the friction is caused by a fundamental difference of approach. Trump has a penchant for quick, top-down dealmaking. India's bureaucracy moves at a methodical pace, especially when it comes to opening up the agriculture market, which is politically sensitive. India's recently concluded trade deal with Britain took three years of talks, under two British prime ministers. On Friday, India's Foreign Ministry released a statement that put on a brave face. 'India and the United States share a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership,' established in 2013 between President Barack Obama and then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, 'anchored in shared interests, democratic values and robust people-to-people ties.' The ministry stuck to principles, revealing no plan for breaking through Trump's hard line. 'This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges,' the statement said. 'We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to and are confident that the relationship will continue to move forward.' This article originally appeared in
Times of Oman
17 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Bangladesh needs fundamental reforms, says NCP Joint Convener Tajnuva Jabeen ahead of uprising anniversary
Dhaka: In Bangladesh, the National Citizen Party (NCP), a new political party formed four months ago, mainly led by students, has been vocal in demanding fundamental reforms ahead of the uprising anniversary. "We want the fundamental reforms. The constitutional institutions should be out of the control of the executives. In the last autocratic regime, what happened was that the Prime Minister was highly powerful. Everything was under her control. The Prime Minister was like a king. It should not be like this. We want democratic transformation. The Executive, Judiciary, and the Parliament - three pillars - should be independent," Tajnuva Jabeen, Joint Convener of NCP, told ANI in an interview. The NCP was formed on the initiative of the students who led the movement, known as the July uprising or July revolution, to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5 last year. She fled the country, and an interim government was formed under the leadership of Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate. Bangladesh is on high alert ahead of the anniversary of the uprising. Law enforcement agencies, including the police, are setting up checkpoints on the streets and conducting searches. Bangladesh's Independence leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was assassinated along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975. Despite the ban on the activities of the Bangladesh Awami League, the party is observing August as a month of mourning. "We want the PR (proportionate representation) system in the upper house. We want direct vote in the women participation in the reserved seat. There are a lot of proposals. All the political parties agreed. We specially stressed the appointment of the head of the constitutional body. It should be appointed by a specialised body," she added. The NCP leader said Bangladesh has started its transformation, but the process is slow. "It's been one year since the July uprising got free from autocratic fascist Sheikh Hasina. Autocracy was established for more than one and a half decades, almost 55 years. So, all the law enforcement, all the bureaucracy, all the administration was under the fascist regime. It was a long history of a fascist regime. We cannot expect an overnight transformation from autocracy to democracy. But now we can talk about everything, we can ask our interim government about what they are doing. We are debating the reform proposals and arguing for democratic transformation. Everybody is participating in the dialogue and seminars. In the last 15 years, we could not even talk. There was no chance to talk against the government. There were laws to stop our voice. There were enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. There was looting of all the banks. There was an empire of autocracy. But in the last one year, it stopped, and we have started transforming to democracy. I think the transformation process is slow. It was not as we expected one year before. But the progress is there," Jabeen said. She said her party will be different from the existing political parties in Bangladesh, ensuring democratic practices within the party, instead of dynasty politics. "Our party is only four months old. First of all, I can say that what happened in the last 15 years, the two main political parties were represented by two families. Cabinet, administrations, and family members were everywhere. The country was run by the two political families. After 50 years, all the student leaders of the July uprising, civil society members, and various professionals came together and formed a new political party with a variety of people from different backgrounds. So, it is completely different from the existing old political parties. The women's participation in the party is very high in comparison to the old political parties. Our party is only four months old. In comparison to big established political parties, there is a bunch of talented female members in our party," she said. "The chief of our party will be elected only for two terms, with three years in each term. He or she must be elected from the direct vote of the grassroots level to the central level. Internal democracy will be maintained. For transparency, we can ask our leader why this is happening. So, internal democracy is strictly maintained," she added. Jabeen said NCP funding would be transparent: "Our party established a financial website with funding and expenditure details. We will publish the expenditure of the party on the financial website so everybody can see how we run the party. Internal democracy within our party is well maintained." Replying to a question about the mob culture, the NCP leader said, "It is a complete failure of the government. In the last one year, one single failure of the government is the failure to maintain the law and order situation. During the July uprising, police and other law-enforcing agencies participated in the mass killing. So, it should be the priority of this interim government to re-establish the forces like police, RAB, DB and all the forces related to security. But the government could not do this. So, it is the unfortunate failure of this interim government. So, this mob culture or whatever you say - the false cases accusing people - these are not the right things." NCP is hopeful about holding the national election by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, early next year. "We are hopeful. The probable date for the election is either in February or April. The press secretary to the interim government's Chief Adviser said the election would not be postponed even by one day. In the national consensus council, all the political parties discussed all the reform proposals. They negotiated and came to a consensus. We are hopeful to get a July Charter, and after that, we are expected to get a date for the national election," Jabeen said. The NCP leader expressed serious concerns over the law and order situation in Bangladesh, including the safety and security of minority communities. "We are not only concerned about the safety and security of the minority community; we are concerned about the safety and security of all the citizens. Unfortunately, after the July uprising, in the last one year, there were many false propaganda claims that there was the highest number of attacks on minorities; but all were not true. Whenever there is an attack on minorities, all the political parties, the government, and all the citizens of Bangladesh were very concerned. They talked about this and the government also took necessary steps. Our party is highly vocal regarding the security and rights of minorities." NCP wants good relations with all neighbours, including India, with mutual respect. "We always look for not only India but we want friendship with all the neighbouring countries. We are dependent on each other. We share the borders. We cannot ignore geographical arrangements between our neighbouring countries. But we expect the relationship will be built on the basis of mutual respect. We are very concerned about the border killings. We are concerned about the illegal push-in. We expect India will recognise these issues. After the uprising, India closed the visa for the general public. There was no specific reason behind this. We expect we will help each other. No country should dominate another." The NCP leader is optimistic about the change in political culture in Bangladesh. "We are talking about a new political arrangement. We urge the general people to keep faith in us. It will take time. I know there are some incidents that hurt people. But this is not the end. It was a rotten political system. In the last 15 years, it has been polluted even more. We need time to clarify ourselves. We will clarify our manifesto. We will come up with hope and expectations." "We have to get our party registration first. We just finished our July march and are looking for the July announcement and July Charter. We will also look at how the July Charter will be implemented. We want a referendum to implement the July Charter. We want the July Charter to be signed by all the political parties. It should be implemented before the election. On the basis of the July Charter, we want a legal framework. After that, we hope for an election. Our priority is the July Charter and July announcement, then our party registration, then we will go for the election, whether with an alliance or solo."
Times of Oman
21 hours ago
- Times of Oman
Partnership with the US has weathered several challenges, says MEA after Trump's 25 pc tariff on India; expresses confidence of ties moving forward
New Delhi: India on Friday expressed confidence that its relationship with the United States will continue to move forward and it remains focused on the substantive agenda the two countries are committed to. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at the regular media briefing that the bilateral partnership with the United States has weathered several transitions and challenges and the two countries share a comprehensive global strategic partnership. Jaiswal's remarks came in response to questions on way forward for bilateral ties with the United States after US President Donald Trump decided to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods and a penalty for importing oil from Russia. Responding to a volley of questions on Trump's decision, Jaiswal said the government has already made a statement on the issue. "India and the United States share a comprehensive global strategic partnership anchored in shared interests, democratic values, and robust people-to-people ties. This partnership has weathered several transitions and challenges. We remain focused on the substantive agenda that our two countries have committed to and are confident that the relationship will continue to move forward," he said. Asked about media reports that some Indian oil companies have stopped taking oil from Russia, Jaiswal said India has made clear its approach on the issue. "You are aware of our broad approach to energy sourcing requirements, that we look at what is available in the market and the prevailing global situation. We are not aware of any specifics," he said. On the US announcing sanctions on Indian companies involved in trading with Iran, Jaiswal said "We have taken note of the sanctions, we are looking into it." Jaiswal declined to comment on Trump's remarks that India may purchase oil from Pakistan one day. "I have no comments to offer in this matter," he said. The government told the Parliament on Thursday that US President Donald Trump has announced a reciprocal tariff on Indian goods, and it is examining the impact of the recent events and will take all necessary steps to safeguard national interest. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal made a statement in the lower House of Parliament a day after Trump announced the tariff. He later made similar statement in the Rajya Sabha. Goyal's remarks came a day after the government issued a statement on the US decision to impose tariffs. On Wednesday, Trump announced the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on Indian goods and a penalty for importing Russian oil, even as there were hopes of an interim India-US trade that would have otherwise helped avoid elevated tariffs. Goyal said the Ministry of Commerce and Industry is holding talks with exporters, industries and all stakeholders and gathering information on their assessment of this issue. "On April 2, 2025, the US President issued an executive order on reciprocal per cent baseline duty in effect since April 2025. With a 10% baseline tariff, a total of 26% tariff was announced for India. Full country-specific additional tariff was scheduled to come into effect on April 9 but on April 10 this was extended initially for 90 days and then extended till August 1 2025," Goyal said. "Government gives utmost priority to the safeguarding of welfare of farmers, labourers, entrepreneurs, industrialists, exporters, MSMEs and stakeholders of the industrial sector. We will take all necessary steps to safeguard our national interest. The Government is confident that we will continue our swift journey of inclusive and consistent development towards the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. Aatmanirbharta ki ore Bharat aatmavishwas se badh raha hai," he added. The Union Minister said that in less than a decade, India came out of the 'Fragile Five' economies and it has now become the fastest-growing economy in the world. "On the basis of the hard work of reforms, farmers, MSMEs and industrialists, we have come in the top five economies of the world from the 11th largest economy. It is expected that we will be the third-largest economy in a few years. Today, global institutions and economists see India as a bright spot in the global economy," he said. Goyal said India and the US started talks for a just, balanced and mutually beneficial Bilateral Trade Agreement (BTA) in March this year, and the goal of this was to finish the first stage of the Agreement by October-November 2025. On April 2, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order for reciprocal tariffs on various trade partners, imposing varied tariffs in the range of 10-50 per cent. He subsequently kept the tariffs in abeyance for 90 days, while imposing a 10 per cent baseline tariff. The deadline was to end on July 9, and the US administration later pushed it ahead to August 1. In March 2025, India and the US initiated talks for a BTA, with the countries stating that the first tranche would be signed by the fall of 2025. (October-November).Talks took place in New Delhi and the US, and there have also been virtual its statement on Wednesday, Commerce and Industry Ministry said that it as taken note of a statement by the US President on bilateral trade and the Government is studying its implications. "India and the US have been engaged in negotiations on concluding a fair, balanced and mutually beneficial bilateral trade agreement over the last few months. We remain committed to that objective. The Government attaches the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs," the statement said."The Government will take all steps necessary to secure our national interest, as has been the case with other trade agreements including the latest Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the UK," it added. There were some reservations from the Indian side on the US demand for opening up the agricultural and dairy sectors for the US. Agriculture and dairy are critical for India as these two sectors provide livelihood opportunities to a large section of its President Donald Trump had imposed reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries with which the US has a trade deficit. Since assuming office for his second term, President Trump has reiterated his stance on tariff reciprocity, emphasising that the United States will match tariffs imposed by other countries, including India, to "ensure fair trade".
