At least 22 people died when a double-decker tourist boat sank in the southern Indian state of Kerala late Sunday, authorities and local media reported.
The accident occurred in the coastal town of Tanur in Malappuram district of Kerala state. Dozens of people were involved overnight in the search for survivors from the boat, which was partially submerged in water, with some using ropes to stabilize it while others were in the water looking through its windows.
"We have recovered 22 bodies, including 15 women and 7 males. There are about 6 people in the hospital. Rescue operations are underway," said an officer from Tanur police station, adding that 30 people were on board the boat.
Local newspaper Onmanorma reported that 11 people from one family, including three children, were killed.
Survivors told local media that many of the passengers were not wearing life jackets.
It was not immediately clear why the boat sank.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences to the families of the victims.
IAF's MiG-21 crash, aircraft debris fell on the roof of the house, two killed : India
There is news of MiG-21 fighter jet crash in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. The pilot of the fighter jet is said to be safe.
There is news of Indian Air Force 's MiG -21 aircraft crashing in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan . The pilot is said to be safe in the plane crash. According to the information, two people died when the debris of MiG-21 fell on the roof of a house. Indian Air Force fighter jet crashed near Dabli area of Hanumangarh.
Giving information about this plane crash, officials said that the pilot of the fighter jet jumped from the plane in time using a parachute.
Constitution calls for elections in 90 days, so it is our duty to do so: Chief Justice
Pakistan : Addressing the ceremony in Lahore, Justice Umar Atta Bandial said that instead of finding any reason to avoid elections, the constitution should be obeyed and followed.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandyal has said that 'if the Constitution of Pakistan mentions elections within 90 days (after the dissolution of the Assembly), then it is obligatory to follow it.'
Addressing a function in Lahore on Sunday, Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandyal said that 'in order to avoid elections, we should obey the constitution instead of finding any reason. It is not our choice but our duty.'
Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Atta Bandyal said that 'maybe today a decision of the Supreme Court may not be accepted and implemented, but the decision will remain and will definitely be implemented in the future.'
He said that 'Political leaders are engaged in negotiations, which proves that they are sincere with the Constitution of Pakistan.'
"Whatever the outcome of the negotiations, the decision of the Supreme Court will remain in place."
Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandyal further said that 'Whoever wants to support the Constitution of Pakistan should stand with the Supreme Court of Pakistan and not with any individual.'
He explained that 'Supreme Court of Pakistan is not the name of a single person, but this institution works as a unity.'
"I am a member of the Supreme Court and we (judges) do not exist individually."
He said that 'judgments of the Supreme Court can have moral authority only because they are on merit and when no appeal or review is lodged against a decision, its importance increases.'
He said that according to the constitution of Pakistan and the oath, the protection, defense and protection of the constitution is the responsibility of the judges and they perform this duty with full honesty.
According to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, 'all our decisions must be in accordance with the Constitution and the law and only in this case the decisions get moral authority.'
He further said that 'if the case is on the merits, the judgments have moral authority. Otherwise, a situation like the Tamizuddin case of 1955, where a single judge, Justice Cornelius, overruled the majority's decision becomes a hall.'
'That decision is preserved to this day as a precedent because it was on the merits of the case.'
Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandyal said that whenever judges get confused in technical points, the focus shifts to another direction. This happens not only in Pakistan but all over the world.
He said that 'around the world, such decisions are considered weak in which the original defendant is forgotten.'
Han Zheng's attendance at the coronation ceremony of the British king sparked controversy. China clearly embarrassed the UK?
As Xi Jinping's representative, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng will attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III of the United Kingdom in London on May 6. This news caused a lot of controversy in the UK, especially the Hong Kong people in the UK expressed strong dissatisfaction with it. What exactly is going on? What is the current state of UK-China relations?
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning announced on Thursday (4th) that at the invitation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative and Vice President Han Zheng will attend the king's coronation ceremony in London on May 6. Currently, Han Zheng has arrived in the UK. On Friday (5th), he also held a meeting with British Foreign Secretary Cleverly (James Cleverly).
Han Zheng's visit and attendance at the coronation ceremony aroused widespread concern and intense controversy in the UK.
Carmen Lau, a former Hong Kong district councilor who is currently in exile in the UK, told this station, "Because Han Zheng is in charge of Hong Kong and Macau affairs in 2019, and it just happened to coincide with the (anti-extradition) democracy movement in Hong Kong, his remarks and The attitude towards the Hong Kong democracy movement is very tough, so many Hong Kong people don’t like him very much. And everyone will go to the UK because of the democracy movement in 2019, so Hong Kong people in the UK are very dissatisfied with this decision .”
Patten: Han Zheng's attendance at the coronation ceremony is like a "thorn in the eyes" of Hong Kong people in exile
In July 1997, Prince Charles, then Prince of Wales, flew to Hong Kong to preside over the handover of Hong Kong sovereignty to China. At that time, China guaranteed that Hong Kong's system would remain unchanged for 50 years. Charles said that during the 50-year transition period, the United Kingdom will maintain its interests in Hong Kong and maintain Hong Kong's values.
But in less than half of the 50 years, Hong Kong has been completely changed. In 2020, Beijing passed the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law to impose strict control on Hong Kong, and civil liberties and rights have been severely hit. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, who was sent to attend Charles's coronation this time, is regarded as a central figure in the decline of Hong Kong's freedom.
Chris Patten , the last governor of Hong Kong , said on a BBC radio program on Thursday (4th) that Han Zheng's appearance at Charles' coronation was like a "sense of kindness" to the more than 140,000 Hong Kong people in exile in the UK. A thorn in the side".
Han Zheng served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and head of the Central Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Leading Group for five years before taking office as vice president in March today. Under his leadership, Beijing rapidly tightened its grip on Hong Kong, leading to a violent anti-extradition movement in 2019. In 2020, Beijing forcibly passed the Hong Kong version of the National Security Law. Since then, a large number of activists and dissidents have been arrested and prosecuted, basic freedoms have been suppressed, and many Hong Kong people have been forced into exile overseas. Although the United States, the United Kingdom and other Western countries have condemned and sanctioned Beijing's actions, the situation is irreversible.
That’s why Mark Sabah of the Hong Kong Freedom Foundation told the Daily Mail that having Han Zheng at the coronation “is like inviting a perpetrator into your home”.
In order to express dissatisfaction with Han Zheng's attendance at the coronation ceremony of the British King, Cheng Wenjie, director of the British Hong Kong Overseas Chinese Association, was invited to attend the garden party held by Buckingham Palace on the 3rd. A painting of the longing for human rights, democracy and freedom. "Han Zheng is seen as one of China's top leaders who suppressed the freedoms and rights of the people of Hong Kong," the letter said. "While inviting world heads of state to the coronation is out of courtesy, the British coronation should not pander to authoritarian values."
Liu Jiawen also told this station that it is not ruled out that during the coronation of the British king on the 6th, there will be scenes of protests by British and Hong Kong people.
Is China clearly embarrassing the UK?
So did China deliberately choose Han Zheng to attend the coronation ceremony to show that it does not care about the United Kingdom? Patten responded to a BBC reporter saying that China is actually very aware of the sensitivity of sending Han Zheng. "If it's not intentional then it shows how casually they treat us (UK). No matter how hard we try to kowtow to fit their own political narrative, I don't think they really care about us."
Yang Jianli, the founder of the "Citizen Power" organization in the United States, told this station that according to Chinese etiquette conventions, if President Xi Jinping cannot personally attend such an important international occasion that is highly symbolic but has no real significance, the vice president will usually attend . "From the perspective of the Chinese government, it is a relatively normal decision to send Han Zheng. If it deliberately uses Han Zheng to provoke, I think it is a bit reluctant."
However, Liu Jiawen pointed out that in this incident, the Chinese authorities actually don't care what the outside world, especially Hong Kong people think.
She pointed out that Hong Kong Chief Executive Lee Ka-chao announced the reform plan for Hong Kong's district councils on Tuesday. The new district council elections will introduce a censorship system and be dominated by directly or indirectly appointed members, with only 20% of directly elected seats retained.
Liu Jiawen said: "If they (the CCP) cared about the thoughts of Hong Kong people, they would not destroy Hong Kong's freedom and democracy step by step."
What is the current status of UK-China relations?
According to the US "Time" report, during the coronation ceremony of the British king, the invitation to the head of state and other foreign representatives did not come from Buckingham Palace, but from the British government. So, how does the current British government view its relationship with Beijing?
On Friday (5th), British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly held a meeting with Han Zheng. He tweeted after the meeting: "Engagement with China means discussing areas of serious disagreement and important cooperation. Today I joined Vice President Han Zheng to share our views on the UK's views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan. We Collaboration on climate change, economic linkages and people-to-people linkages were also discussed."
China and the UK are still important economic partners to each other, but in recent years, bilateral relations have continued to deteriorate due to the Hong Kong issue, China's regional expansion and overseas penetration. Last year also saw Hong Kong protesters being dragged into the Chinese Consulate General in Manchester and beaten, prompting China to recall six diplomats from the UK.
Yang Jianli told this station: "Britain's attitude towards the CCP is basically the same as that of the United States. In terms of national security policies, (including) technological security and economic security policies, they are quite similar to the United States."
In November 2022, British Prime Minister Sunak publicly called China a "systemic challenge" and the "biggest national threat" to the UK's economic security.
However, Liu Jiawen believes that the current British government is only strict in terms of rhetoric, but has softened in actual actions.
British Consul General in Hong Kong: London looks forward to turning a new page in relations with Hong Kong
The Hong Kong media "South China Morning Post" published an exclusive interview with Brian Davidson, the British Consul General in Hong Kong and Macau on the 4th. He said London wanted to see "a new page" in relations with Hong Kong, especially on trade and investment, and that there should be more honest behind-the-scenes discussions and less "megaphone diplomacy" on difficult issues. diplomacy).
Dai Weishen also admitted that in the past four or five years, the relationship between the two parties has experienced some difficult headwinds, but they are seeking to return to constructive exchanges and find out where they can cooperate. He also revealed that the two sides will have more ministerial exchanges in the near future.
Liu Jiawen said that if you look at the actual actions taken by the United Kingdom towards China, it has not really turned tough.
Han Zheng talks about Hong Kong, Taiwan, Xinjiang, and China's official media during the British and foreign meeting
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly during the coronation of King Charles III. However, when Qi Zhanming expounded on the British situation in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan at the meeting, Chinese state media reports chose not to mention a word.
However, Qi Zhanming clearly pointed out in a tweet on the 5th, "Meeting with Vice President Han Zheng today, I will clarify the views of the UK on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan", "We will also discuss cooperation issues such as climate change, economic relations and people's exchanges." .
Xinhua News Agency reported in the early hours of Sunday (7th) that from 5th to 6th local time, Han Zheng, on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping, was invited to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and related activities in London.
The report mentioned that while Han was in the UK, he had brief meetings with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Prince William, Prince of Wales and others, and also met with Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden. The report also mentioned that on the evening of the 4th local time, Han Zheng attended the welcome dinner held by the Chinese and British business circles and delivered a speech at the dinner. However, the Xinhua News Agency report did not mention the meeting between Qi Zhanming and Han Zheng at all, which is suspected to be related to Qi Zhanming's involvement in sensitive Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang issues.
A Reuters report pointed out that at a time when Sino-British relations are at a low point, this is a rare meeting between senior officials of the two countries.
Mexican President: There is evidence fentanyl was smuggled in from Qingdao, China
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that he had evidence that the fentanyl circulating in Mexico was not produced domestically but was smuggled from China. He pointed out that recently a batch of fentanyl was found on a cargo ship from Qingdao, and China has been requested to assist in the interception and investigation.
According to the "British Broadcasting Corporation" (BBC) report on Saturday (6th), Mexican customs officers seized about 34 kilograms (75 pounds) of meth hidden in fuel resin on board a cargo ship at the port of Lázaro Cárdenas. Fentanyl and methamphetamine. The freighter departed from Qingdao and arrived in Mexico after calling at the port of Busan, South Korea.
Obrador said that he had sent a letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping in March, requesting China's assistance in cracking down on fentanyl smuggling.
In a press conference on the 6th of last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning denied the existence of fentanyl trafficking issues with Mexico. She pointed out that the root cause of the fentanyl abuse problem in the United States is itself, and the problem is entirely made in the United States. The United States should face up to its own problems and take more substantive measures to strengthen domestic supervision and reduce demand.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury subsequently announced sanctions on two Chinese companies and five individuals on the 14th of last month, including: Wuhan Shuokang Biological Technology Co., Ltd, the company’s legal representative Yao Huatao (Yao Huatao) ), sales representatives Wu Yaqin and Wu Yonghao, and Wuhan Shuokang collaborator Wang Hongfei. Suzhou Xiaoli Pharmatech Co., Ltd.
Another sanctioned individual is Rubio Zea, a Guatemalan broker of fentanyl precursor chemicals. The U.S. Treasury Department accused them of supplying chemicals to Mexican drug cartels to illegally produce the drug fentanyl and sell it to the U.S. market.
According to data, fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. According to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), among the 107,375 people who died of drug overdose or poisoning in 2021, 67 percent were related to fentanyl. Or related to opioid analgesics.
Tags:
asia