Author: Vikramaditya Devadhikar

More than 50 bodies remain unclaimed a month after a deadly train crash killed at least 293 people in India. The accident took place on 2 June in the eastern state of Odisha when a passenger train hit a stationary goods train and derailed on to an adjacent track. Some of the overturned coaches were then hit by another passing train. More than 1,000 people were injured in the crash, India’s deadliest rail accident this century. The accident site has since been restored, but many families say that they’re unable to find closure as they’re still searching for the bodies of their…

Russian diplomats jetted to Africa and the Middle East hours after Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin attempted an armed rebellion to reassure allied leaders that the Russian government was in control. According to the Wall Street Journal, diplomats with Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations flew to Mali and Syria after Prigozhin announced a mutiny on Moscow last week. The diplomats made their way to countries where Russia has relied on Wagner mercenaries to fight their proxy wars — telling the leaders that Wagner would report to the Kremlin now. Kremlin diplomats personally reassured Syrian president Bashar al-Assad that Wagner would continue operating in the…

Trade turnover between Central Asian countries and China grew by 31.9 percent over the year and exceeded $32 billion in 2022. This was announced by Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin during an April 18 online meeting to address the upcoming China+Central Asia (C+C5) Summit in the Chinese city of Xi’an in May, which will be held for the first time, reported the ministry’s press service. Trade and Economy Ministers of China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan attended the meeting. According to Zhumangarin, trade between Kazakhstan and China reached a record high,…

Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov’s lawyer says he has been beaten and subjected to demeaning behavior in recent weeks. Supporters of a lawyer and activist sentenced to a lengthy term in prison in Uzbekistan earlier this year over a purported separatist plot say he is being mistreated in prison and have pleaded for the president to intervene. Dauletmurat Tazhimuratov’s lawyer, Sergei Mayorov, said this week that his client has in recent weeks been subjected to both mental and physical abuse at a prison in the Zangiota district, which lies outside the capital, Tashkent. Tazhimuratov received a 16-year sentence in January, but was only transferred to…

An Australian man has been refused bail after being charged with a foreign interference offence for accepting cash from suspected Chinese intelligence agents, with a Sydney court saying his close ties to China made him a flight risk. Magistrate Michael Barko said Alexander Csergo was a ‘sophisticated, worldly businessperson’ who had been on the radar of Australian intelligence for some time before his arrest on Friday. The prosecution had a strong case against Csergo, 55, who had lived in China for decades, Mr Barko said in refusing bail. Csergo is alleged to have arrived back in Australia this year with a ‘shopping list’ of…

Five persons were killed and six others injured on Friday in Mizoram when a pickup truck travelling from Rajiv Nagar to Marpara collided with another truck in West Phaileng town in Mamit district, police said. According to the police, three persons died on the spot while two others succumbed to their injuries on the way to a government hospital. The six critically injured persons were brought to the civil hospital in Aizawl. The deceased have been identified as Dev Kumar Chakma, Bonomota, Ayushi Chakma, Siki Chakma and Kajola. Members of Mizoram’s leading NGO Young Mizo Association came forward to rescue…

Ukrainian forces were hanging onto their positions in the devastated eastern city of Bakhmut amid constant attacks as Russian troops pushed to claim their first significant victory for more than half a year. Russia says seizing the salt-mining town of Bakhmut, now the site of the longest and bloodiest battle since Moscow invaded its neighbour just over a year ago, would put it on a path to securing full control of the rest of the strategic Donbas industrial region, one of its main objectives. Ukraine says Bakhmut has limited strategic value but has nevertheless put up fierce resistance. “Heavy battles are…

Last week, Vladimir Putin promised regular vacations to everyone who fights in Ukraine. According to the president, a vacation lasting at least 14 days, excluding travel time, should be provided at least once every six months – “so that each fighter has the opportunity to visit their families, stay close to relatives and friends.” In reality, this can be problematic, military analysts and lawyers say. At the front, the issue of vacations is decided by the commanders, they can delay them, referring to military necessity. The same goes for rotation – replacing units at the forefront. Holidays In normal times, contracted military personnel are entitled to leave…

The governor of the Bryansk region, Alexander Bogomaz , said that on March 2, “a sabotage and reconnaissance group” penetrated the territory of the region “from Ukraine”. According to Bogomaz, “saboteurs” entered the village of Lyubechane in the border Klimovsky district and fired at the car. The shelling killed one civilian and wounded a ten-year-old child, the governor said. Russian propaganda media have reported that a school bus came under fire, but regional authorities deny this. According to unconfirmed reports from Shot, two people were killed. In total, 40-50 “saboteurs” penetrated into the Bryansk region, according to Mash and  Baza . TASS reports that the group includes several dozen armed people. The Telegram channel “112” writes that the “saboteurs”…

Russian army troops storm the important settlement of Khromovo near Bakhmut (Artemovsk). This was reported by the Ukraina.ru online publication, noting that if Khromovo is lost, the Armed Forces of Ukraine will lose control over the last road to Bakhmut. “It is reported from Artemovsk that a powerful assault on Khromovo is underway right now. The significance of this village for the Artyomovsk grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is critical: Khromovo is located on the last road along which the Nazis are supplied,” Ukraina.ru reports in its telegram channel. The battles for Bakhmut, which have been going on since August…