Aaj Ka Panchang, 21 December, 2024: Shashthi and Saptami Tithis of Krishna Paksha will occur Saturday. This date also marks the winter solstice, making it the shortest day of the year.

German police arrested a Saudi man after a deadly car ramming attack on a Christmas market Friday in which a vehicle barrelled through a crowd of revellers at high speed, leaving a trail of bloody carnage.

At least two people were killed and more than 60 injured, said rescue services in the eastern city of Magdeburg located about 130 kilometres (80 miles) southwest of Berlin.

The unnamed suspect was a 50-year-old medical doctor from Saudi Arabia living in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, said regional premier Reiner Haseloff, speaking at the scene which was cordoned off and guarded by police commandos.

“We have arrested the perpetrator, a man from Saudi Arabia, a doctor who has been in Germany since 2006,” he told reporters, calling the attack a “catastrophe” for the city and the country.

“From what we currently know he was a lone attacker so we don’t think there is any further danger.”

Police said the vehicle drove “at least 400 metres across the Christmas market” leaving behind a trail of bloodied casualties at the city’s central town hall square.

Ambulances and fire engines rushed to the chaotic site, which was doused in blue emergency lights with sirens wailing, with badly injured people being treated as they lay on the ground or rushed off to hospitals.

Cries and screams could be heard as around 100 police, medics and the fire service officers deployed to the litter-strewn market decorated with Christmas trees and festive lights.

“The pictures are terrible,” said city spokesman Michael Reif.

New weekly Der Spiegel, citing security sources, said that a black BMW had barrelled through the crowd at high speed just after 7:00 pm local time (1800 GMT) when the market was filled with revellers.

Haseloff said the Saudi man had driven a rented car with Munich licence plates into the Christmas market.

Die Welt daily reported that a piece of luggage was found on the passenger seat and it was “unclear whether there may be an explosive device in it”, adding that “the authorities have not yet ruled out this scenario”.

The Magdeburg city administration said in a Facebook post that 15 people were critically injured, with 37 people suffering serious injuries and 16 sustaining light injuries.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had quickly written on X that “the reports from Magdeburg raise the worst fears”.

“My thoughts are with the victims and their families. We stand by their side and by the side of the people of Magdeburg. My thanks go to the dedicated rescue workers in these anxious hours.”

Scholz was expected to travel to the city on Saturday, said the state premier.

– Series of attacks –

The bloody carnage recalled a 2016 jihadist attack in which a Tunisian man driving a lorry killed 12 people in a Christmas market in Berlin, the country’s worst ever such attack.

A 13th victim died later having suffered serious injuries in the assault, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has recently called on people to be vigilant at Christmas markets, although she said that authorities had not received any specific threats.

Domestic security service the Office for the Protection of the Constitution had warned it considers Christmas markets to be an “ideologically suitable target for Islamist-motivated people”.

Germany has in recent times seen a series of suspected Islamist-motivated knife attacks.

Three people were killed and eight wounded in a stabbing spree at a street festival in the western city of Solingen in August.

Police arrested a Syrian suspect over the attack that was claimed by IS.

In June, a policeman was killed in a knife attack in Mannheim, with an Afghan national held as the main suspect.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote that “the anticipation of a peaceful Christmas was suddenly interrupted” but he cautioned that “the background to the terrible deed has yet been clarified”.

The leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, which has focused on jihadist attacks in its campaign against immigrants, wrote on X “when will this madness stop?”

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was “profoundly shocked” the attack and that he “shares the pain of the German people”.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also said she was “deeply shocked by the brutal attack on the defenceless crowd”, adding: “Violence must have no place in our democracies.”

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez said he was “shocked” by the “terrible attack”.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

India and Kuwait are expected to focus on shoring up ties in a range of key areas including defence and trade during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day official visit to the Gulf nation starting today.

PM Modi will hold talks with the top Kuwaiti leadership, visit an Indian labour camp, address the Indian community, and attend the opening ceremony of the Gulf Cup football tournament.

It will be the first visit to the Gulf nation by an Indian Prime Minister in 43 years.

Ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said discussions are underway with Kuwait on a bilateral investment treaty and a defence cooperation pact.

At a media briefing, Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary (Overseas Indian Affairs) in the MEA, said a few bilateral documents are expected to be firmed up during the prime minister’s visit.

“The historic visit by the Prime Minister is expected to open a new chapter in India-Kuwait bilateral relations,” he said.

“It will not only consolidate the partnership in existing spheres but also unveil new avenues for future cooperation, reinforce our shared values and build a more stronger and dynamic partnership for the future,” he added.

Mr Chatterjee said the visit is also expected to boost the ties between India and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

The GCC is an influential grouping comprising the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. The total volume of India’s trade with GCC countries stood at USD 184.46 billion in the financial year 2022-23.

Kuwait is the current chair of the GCC.

Mr Chatterjee said India is holding negotiations with the GCC for a free trade pact. “We hope both sides will be able to conclude it,” he added.

On PM Modi’s planned visit to a labour camp in Kuwait, Mr Chatterjee said the government of India attaches considerable importance to the welfare of all the Indian workers abroad.

“The idea of the visit of the Prime Minister to the labour camp is to express the amount of importance the government of India attaches to our workers. That is the prime purpose,” he said.

Over 45 Indians were killed in devastating fire in a building housing foreign workers in southern Kuwait’s Mangaf locality in June.

The Prime Minister is visiting Kuwait at the invitation of Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Besides meeting the Emir, PM Modi will also hold talks with the Kuwaiti Crown Prince and the Prime Minister.

“The visit would help develop a more dynamic partnership between the two countries,” Mr Chatterjee said.

PM Modi will review with the Kuwaiti leadership the entire spectrum of bilateral ties including in areas of trade, investment, energy, culture and people-to-people contacts, he said.

The Kuwaiti Crown Prince will also to host a banquet for PM Modi, he added.

The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Kuwait was Indira Gandhi in 1981.

India is among the top trading partners of Kuwait. The Indian community is the largest expatriate community in Kuwait.

The Gulf nation is among India’s top trading partners, with bilateral trade valued at USD 10.47 billion in the financial year 2023-24.

Kuwait is India’s sixth largest crude supplier, meeting 3 percent of the country’s energy needs.

Indian exports to Kuwait reached USD 2 billion for the first time, while investments by the Kuwait Investment Authority in India exceed USD 10 billion.

India and Kuwait have enjoyed traditionally friendly relations, with links dating back to pre-oil Kuwait when maritime trade with India was the backbone of its economy.

Kuwait’s economy revolved around its fine harbour and maritime activities which included ship building, pearl diving, fishing and voyages to India on wooden dhows carrying dates, Arabian horses and pearls that were traded for wood, cereals, clothes and spices, according to people tracking the ties between the two nations.

The Indian Rupee remained legal tender in Kuwait until 1961, a symbol of the enduring economic and cultural ties.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established in 1961, with India initially represented by a trade commissioner.

Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jabar Al-Sabah visited India on a private visit in July 2017.

The last high-level visit from either side was that of the Prime Minister of Kuwait to India in 2013.