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At least 12 dead after boat accident in India

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Firefighters and local emergency services are conducting a rescue operation in Harni Lake (BBC)

At least 10 pupils and two teachers are thought to have drowned in western India, after a boat ferrying them to a school picnic capsized on Thursday.

Speaking to BBC Gujarati, Vadodara City Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gehlot confirmed the number of deaths and said a rescue operation is still ongoing.

The cause of the incident, which happened on Harni Lake in Vadodara, in the state of Gujarat, is not yet known. Around 27 people were aboard the boat, according to local authorities. Local police told the BBC as many as seven people have been rescued from the water.

Police Commissioner Gehlot added that the rescued children are undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital. He also said the victims had not been provided life jackets during the boat ride.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief”.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said the state government would give 400,000 rupees ($4,800; £3,800) to the families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees ($600; £475) to the families of those injured in the accident.

Boat accidents are not uncommon in India, where vessels are often overcrowded, poorly maintained and lack safety equipment.

Last year, 22 people died after a boat capsized in India’s Southern Kerala State.

Lake rescue underway
Rescued children have been taken to a nearby local hospital (BBC)
(BBC)


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US top court orders Trump to return man deported to El Salvador in ‘error’

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The Supreme Court refused to block a judge's order requiring the Trump administration to facilitate Mr Garcia's return (BBC)

The US Supreme Court has ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a Maryland man, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador’s notorious mega-jail.

The Trump administration had conceded that Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported by accident, but appealed against a federal court’s order to return him to the US.

On Thursday, in a 9-0 ruling, the Supreme Court declined to block the lower court’s order.

The judge’s order “requires the Government to ‘facilitate’ Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and to ensure that his case is handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent”, the justices ruled.

(BBC)

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Woman jailed over £39 donation to Ukraine freed in US-Russia prisoner swap

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Ksenia Karelina was detained in Yekaterinburg in 2024 [BBC]

A Russian-American citizen has been released in a prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.

Amateur ballerina Ksenia Karelina, a Los Angeles resident, had been in prison in Russia for over a year, after being arrested in the city of Yekaterinburg in early 2024.

She was found guilty of treason for donating money to a US-based charity providing humanitarian support to Ukraine and was sentenced to 12 years in a penal colony.

In exchange, the US reportedly freed Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen arrested in Cyprus in 2023. He was accused of illegally exporting microelectronics to Russia for manufacturers working with the Russian military.

[BBC]

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Nationwide strike for better pay brings Greece to standstill

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Demonstrators shout slogans during a protest, marking a 24-hour strike over low wages, in Athens, Greece, April 9, 2025 [Aljazeera]

A nationwide general strike disrupted public services across Greece, with ferries tied up in port, flights grounded and public transport running only part-time as labour unions press for higher wages to cope with rising living costs.

The 24-hour strike on Wednesday was called by the two main umbrella unions covering the public and private sectors, seeking a full return of collective bargaining rights which were scrapped as part of international bailouts during Greece’s financial crisis.

Greece has emerged from a 2009-18 debt crisis, which saw rolling cuts in wages and pensions in turn for bailouts worth about 290 billion euros ($319bn) and economic growth seen at 2.3 percent this year, outpacing other eurozone economies.

Tapping on the country’s progress, the conservative government increased the monthly minimum wage by a cumulative 35 percent to 880 euros ($970). But many households still struggle to make ends meet amid rising food, power and housing costs, the labour unions say.

The country braces for further global financial turmoil triggered by US tariffs.

[Aljazeera]

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