Regional

India stampede: About 116 killed at religious event in Hathras district

The stampede occurred when a crowd of devotees started pushing towards the stage after the event to touch the preacher, who was coming down, said Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state.

Published

2 years ago

July 3, 2024

Ariana News

At least 116 people, many of them women and children, were killed in a stampede at a Hindu religious gathering in northern India on Tuesday, authorities said, in one of the country’s worst such tragedies in years, Reuters reported.

The stampede happened in a village in Hathras district in Utter Pradesh, about 200 km (125 miles) southeast of the national capital New Delhi, where authorities said thousands had gathered in sweltering late afternoon temperatures.

While the cause was not immediately clear, Hathras district administrator Ashish Kumar suggested it may have been “due to overcrowding at the time when people were trying to leave the venue”.

Another senior state official, Chaitra V., told broadcaster India Today that people may have lost their footing as they sought water in the heat, read the report.

“There was wet mud at one place where people may have slipped. Also because of the heat, people may have made their way to the spot where water was kept and that could have caused the incident as well,” she said, adding that 18 were injured and in hospital.

Police said they had launched an investigation and promised action against anyone found to be responsible, adding that the gathering may have been larger than had been permitted.

“Lapses by authorities will also be investigated and action will be taken on the basis of the report which will be available within 24 hours,” state police chief Prashant Kumar said.

Video clips recorded by news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, showed bodies piled into the back of trucks and laid out in vehicles.

Purses and bags covered in dust, were heaped up at the venue, with people sitting on their haunches sifting through them to identify their belongings.

Mobile phones were similarly piled together, waiting to be claimed by their owners, Reuters reported.

A video on social media showed a large crowd packed into a tented area, standing and listening to devotional tunes as they waved their hands in the direction of the religious leader who sat on a stage.

It also showed some women hanging on to the bamboo poles holding up the canopy to get a better view above the heads of the large crowd.

Reuters could not immediately verify the social media images.

“There must have been about 50,000 people…at the gate on the highway, some people were going left and some people were going right, the stampede was caused in that confusion,” Suresh Chandra, a witness who was at the gathering, told local media.

Seema, a woman who travelled from a town almost 60 km away to attend the event, said she was leaving the venue when the stampede occurred. She was accompanied by three relatives, two of whom were killed.

Stampedes and other accidents involving large crowds at religious gatherings and pilgrimage sites have happened in the past and are often blamed on poor crowd management.

A stampede in central India in 2013 killed 115 people, while nearly 250 died in 2008 and more than 340 were killed during an annual pilgrimage in the western state of Maharashtra in 2005, according to local media reports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the federal government was assisting the state and announced a compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,400) to the families of the dead and 50,000 rupees to those injured, Reuters reported.

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India stampede: About 116 killed at religious event in Hathras district

Regional

US allies in Middle East ‘edging closer’ to joining conflict

Published

9 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Ariana News

Key U.S. allies in the Middle East are moving closer to direct involvement in the conflict with Iran, as sustained attacks on Gulf infrastructure intensify pressure on regional governments, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are reportedly weighing deeper coordination with the United States and Israel, following repeated Iranian missile and drone strikes that have disrupted their economies and threatened regional energy security.

While neither country has formally committed troops, recent developments suggest a shift toward more active participation. The report indicates that Gulf support is already enhancing U.S. operational capabilities, including facilitating airstrike logistics and potentially opening new avenues to target Iran’s financial networks.

Saudi Arabia signals shift in stance

Saudi Arabia appears to be reassessing its position as attacks on critical infrastructure continue. Riyadh has reportedly allowed U.S. forces access to the King Fahd Air Base, a move that could support expanded military operations.

Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan warned that the kingdom’s tolerance for Iranian attacks is limited. “Any belief that Gulf countries are incapable of responding is a miscalculation,” he said following recent strikes on energy facilities.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to be considering stronger action to restore deterrence, with officials suggesting it may be only a matter of time before Saudi Arabia takes a more direct role in the conflict.

According to the WSJ report, one source said that “it is only a matter of time before the kingdom enters the war.”

UAE ramps up pressure on Tehran

The United Arab Emirates has also taken steps to increase pressure on Tehran, particularly through economic measures. Authorities in Dubai have shut down Iranian-linked institutions, including the Iranian Hospital and Iranian Club, citing violations of national laws and alleged links to state-backed activities.

Officials warned that further action could include freezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets held within the UAE, a move that could significantly impact Iran’s already strained economy.

Long regarded as a key financial hub for Iranian businesses, the UAE’s shift signals a notable escalation in its stance, even as it continues to deliberate over potential military involvement.

Regional tensions and strategic stakes

The growing alignment among Gulf states follows a series of attacks on energy facilities across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, and Qatar. Doha has condemned the strikes as a dangerous escalation and a direct threat to regional stability.

At the center of the war remains control over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil shipments. Iran’s ability to disrupt traffic through the strait continues to give it significant strategic leverage.

Risk of wider regional war

As the conflict approaches the one-month mark, Gulf states are maintaining close coordination with Washington over next steps. However, analysts warn that continued Iranian strikes could force regional powers into open confrontation.

With economic, security, and geopolitical stakes rising, the prospect of a broader regional war is becoming increasingly likely unless tensions are quickly contained through diplomatic efforts.

Regional

Tehran rejects Trump’s claims of talks, accuses US of spreading ‘fake news’

Published

9 hours ago

March 24, 2026

Ariana News

Claims by Donald Trump that the United States is engaged in “good and productive conversations” with Iran have been firmly denied by Tehran, further clouding the already tense standoff between the two sides.

Iran’s Parliamentary Speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, dismissed the assertion, stating that no negotiations are currently taking place. In remarks posted on social media, he accused Washington of spreading “fake news” in an attempt to manipulate global financial and oil markets during a period of heightened volatility.

“No negotiations have been held with the US, and fake news is used to manipulate the financial and oil markets and escape the quagmire in which the US and Israel are trapped,” he said late Monday.

The denial comes after Trump signaled a temporary pause in planned military strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure, including power plants, following his earlier ultimatum that Tehran reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours or face attack.

Analysts question timing of “talks”

Political analyst Mitchell Plitnick suggested the claim of ongoing talks may have been aimed more at calming markets than reflecting genuine diplomatic progress.

“He saw that markets were likely to react negatively to threats of attacking Iran’s electrical grid and moved to stabilize the situation,” Plitnick said, adding that there is no evidence of active communication between Washington and Tehran.

Iranian officials have consistently maintained that there has been no direct contact with the U.S., reinforcing skepticism over Trump’s statements.

Strategic stakes remain high

The dispute is closely tied to control of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical maritime chokepoint through which a large share of the world’s oil supply passes. Iran has warned it could restrict or even close the waterway if its territory or infrastructure is targeted, a move that could have far-reaching consequences for global energy markets.

Analysts note that this leverage gives Tehran a significant strategic advantage in the ongoing war, particularly as fears of supply disruptions continue to influence oil prices and global economic stability.

Fragile pause amid risk of escalation

While Trump has delayed potential strikes for several days, the situation remains highly volatile. The absence of confirmed diplomatic engagement raises concerns that the pause may be temporary, with the risk of rapid escalation still looming.

As tensions persist, international observers continue to call for transparency, restraint, and renewed diplomatic efforts to prevent a broader conflict in the region.

Regional

Trump backs down on strikes on Iran’s power network, says US and Tehran holding talks

Iranian attacks have effectively closed the Strait, which carries a ⁠fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas.

Published

1 day ago

March 23, 2026

Ariana News

President Donald Trump backed down on targeting Iran’s power network on Monday, saying the U.S. and Iran have held constructive talks and that he would ‌postpone any strikes on power plants and energy infrastructure, Reuters reported.

Trump’s statement came after Iran threatened to attack Israel’s power plants and those supplying U.S. bases across the Gulf region if the U.S. targets Iran’s power network.

The dollar plunged and stocks surged following Trump’s post.

The United States and Iran “have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

“I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants ‌and ⁠energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.”

On Saturday, Trump warned that Iranian power plants would be destroyed if Tehran failed to “fully open” the Strait of Hormuz to ⁠all shipping within 48 hours. Trump set a deadline of around 7:44 p.m. EDT (2344 GMT) on Monday.

Iranian attacks have effectively closed the Strait, which carries a ⁠fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, read the report.

More than 2,000 people have been killed in the war the U.S. and Israel ⁠launched on February 28, which has upended markets, driven up fuel costs, fuelled global inflation fears and convulsed the postwar Western alliance.