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12 killed, dozens wounded in Berlin truck attack
Berlin: At least 12 persons are now dead and about 50 others injured in the Monday night attack at a Christmas market here after a truck ploughed into a crowded, media reports said on Tuesday.This was alleged to be a targeted terrorist attack very similar to the Nice attack in July.Several local media reported that the driver, who was arrested shortly after near the Victory Column monument, was a Pakistani or Afghan national.
Berlin police suspect the truck was stolen from a construction site in Poland, neighbouring Germany.The incident took place around 8.15 p.m. local time, when the truck ploughed through a crowded pedestrian area on the Breitscheidplatz, which marks the centre of former West Berlin. It is the present-day City West, the truck rammed into several people visiting the traditional market.
In addition to those killed in the market, a passenger in the truck was also found dead, while 48 people were taken to hospital with injuries, some serious.Security forces urged locals to stay inside their homes and keep the roads clear for ambulances and fire engines. In July in a similarly designed attack a 19 tonne cargo truck had deliberately driven into crowds celebrating Bastille Day on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, killing 86 people and injuring 434. German Federal Minister of the Interior Thomas de Maiziere, who made a statement just after midnight, however, refused to label the brutal incident a terrorist attack. The US intelligence agencies had earlier issued notices for its citizens cautioning them of possible terror threats at Christmas markets across the Europe.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which has jurisdiction over terrorist matters, has opened an investigation in parallel to ones initiated by the Prosecutor’s Office in Berlin.The truck drove about 50 meters through the busy Christmas market, destroying stalls and food stands.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her grief for the victims in a message published by her spokesperson on Twitter, while German President Joachim Gauck, said he was shocked by the “awful evening” in Berlin and the whole country.Germany was hit by two terror attacks in July, the first carried out by an Afghan minor refugee on a commuter train in Wurzburg and the second by a Syrian asylum seeker in Ansbach, who died when he detonated a backpack with explosive devices. The attacks have contributed to the continuing polarisation and controversy over Germany’s pro-refugee policy, as the country has opened its borders to about 1.3 million seekers since the beginning of 2015.
The State Scores Extra High on Gaming-Friendly Industry Index
Meghalaya scored 92.85 out of 100 possible points in a Gaming Industry Index and proved to be India’s most gaming-friendly state following its recent profound legislation changes over the field allowing land-based and online gaming, including games of chance, under a licensing regime.
The index by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) uses a scale of 0 to 100 to measure the level of legalisation on gambling and betting achieved by a state based on the scores over a set of seven different games – lottery, horse racing, betting on sports, poker, rummy, casino and fantasy sports
Starting from February last year, Meghalaya became the third state in India’s northeast to legalise gambling and betting after Sikkim and Nagaland. After consultations with the UKIBC, the state proceeded with the adoption of the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Act, 2021 and the nullification of the Meghalaya Prevention of Gambling Act, 1970. Subsequently in December, the Meghalaya Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021 were notified and came into force.
All for the Tourists
The move to legalise and license various forms of offline and online betting and gambling in Meghalaya is aimed at boosting tourism and creating jobs, and altogether raising taxation revenues for the northeastern state. At the same time, the opportunities to bet and gamble legally will be reserved only for tourists and visitors.
“We came out with a Gaming Act and subsequently framed the Regulation of Gaming Rules, 2021. The government will accordingly issue licenses to operate games of skill and chance, both online and offline,” said James P. K. Sangma, Meghalaya State Law and Taxation Minister speaking in the capital city of Shillong. “But the legalized gambling and gaming will only be for tourists and not residents of Meghalaya,” he continued.
To be allowed to play, tourists and people visiting the state for work or business purposes will have to prove their non-resident status by presenting appropriate documents, in a process similar to a bank KYC (Know Your Customer) procedure.
Meghalaya Reaches Out to a Vast Market
With 140 millions of people in India estimated to bet regularly on sports, and a total of 370 million desi bettors around prominent sporting events, as per data from one of the latest reports by Esse N Videri, Meghalaya is set to reach out and take a piece of a vast market.
Estimates on the financial value of India’s sports betting market, combined across all types of offline channels and online sports and cricket predictions and betting platforms, speak about amounts between $130 and $150 billion (roughly between ₹9.7 and ₹11.5 lakh crore).
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Delhi are shown to deliver the highest number of bettors and Meghalaya can count on substantial tourists flow from their betting circles. The sports betting communities of Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana are also not to be underestimated.
Among the sports, cricket is most popular, registering 68 percent of the total bet count analyzed by Esse N Videri. Football takes second position with 11 percent of the bets, followed by betting on FIFA at 7 percent and on eCricket at 5 percent. The last position in the Top 5 of popular sports for betting in India is taken by tennis with 3 percent of the bet count.
Local Citizens will Still have Their Teer Betting
Meghalaya residents will still be permitted to participate in teer betting over arrow-shooting results. Teer is a traditional method of gambling, somewhat similar to a lottery draw, and held under the rules of the Meghalaya Regulation of the Game of Arrow Shooting and the Sale of Teer Tickets Act, 2018.
Teer includes bettors wagering on the number of arrows that reach the target which is placed about 50 meters away from a team of 20 archers positioned in a semicircle.
The archers shoot volleys of arrows at the target for ten minutes, and players place their bets choosing a number between 0 and 99 trying to guess the last two digits of the number of arrows that successfully pierce the target.
If, for example, the number of hits is 256, anyone who has bet on 56 wins an amount eight times bigger than their wager.
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