A row over the disappearance of a famous river surfing wave in Munich escalated on Sunday as authorities removed a beam inserted over Christmas to recreate the attraction.

The Eisbach wave on a side branch of the Isar River had been a landmark in the Bavarian city since the 1980s but it vanished in October after annual cleanup work along the riverbed.

Activists had placed a beam in the water early on December 25 to partially recreate the wave, according to German media reports, and hung a banner above the water that read “Merry Christmas”.

But a spokesman for the Munich fire service told AFP the “installation was removed” on Sunday at the request of city authorities.

Activists have made several attempts to reinstate the wave in the city’s Englischer Garten park since October — only to see them reversed.

The local surfers’ association IGSM on Thursday posted a statement on its website saying it had abandoned its campaign to save the wave, accusing city authorities of dragging their feet.

The Eisbach wave was considered the largest and most consistent river wave in the heart of a major city and had become a tourist attraction in Bavaria’s state capital.

Franz Fasel, head of the IGSM, told AFP in July that 3,000 to 5,000 local surfers were using it.

Access to the wave was cut off for several months earlier this year after the death of a 33-year-old Munich woman who became trapped under the surface while surfing at night.

• Iranian scientists produce satellites despite sanctions: envoy.
• Three satellites are for low-earth orbit, says state news agency.
• Iran increasingly relies on Russia to put satellites in orbit.

DUBAI: Three more Iranian satellites were sent into space on Russia’s Soyuz launchers on Sunday, Iranian state media said, as the two US-sanctioned nations extend their space collaboration.

Iran has increasingly relied on its ally Russia to put satellites in orbit in recent years, with the latest three intended to help with monitoring agriculture, natural resources and the environment.

“These satellites were designed and produced by Iranian scientists … despite all the sanctions and threats,” Iran’s ambassador to Russia Kazem Jalali told state TV in reference to Western measures over Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“We are working together (with Russia) in different areas. Some are evident and some we don’t like to clarify.”

Iran’s official IRNA news agency said the three satellites – Paya, Zafar 2,and a second Kowsar – were for low-earth orbit.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Iran and Russia have deepened ties, with Western countries accusing Iran of providing missiles and drones for Russian attacks.

• Police identify suspects in Sharif Osman Hadi murder case.
• Bangladesh seeks cooperation from India over Hadi killing.
• Protests intensify in Bangladesh after student leader’s death.
  

DHAKA: Bangladesh police on Sunday said the alleged killers of popular student leader Sharif Osman Hadi had fled to India, in comments likely to further strain relations with its neighbour.

Hadi, a vocal Indian critic who took part in last year’s mass uprising, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka earlier this month and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore.

His death set off violent protests with angry mobs torching several buildings, including two major newspapers deemed to favour India, as well as a prominent cultural institution.

With protests being held across the country almost daily, pressure has been growing on Bangladesh’s interim government to arrest the killers of Hadi, who was set to contest the general elections in February next year.

“The killing was premeditated. Those behind it have been identified,” SN Nazrul Islam, a senior Dhaka Metropolitan Police officer, said at a news conference.

Suspects Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh left Bangladesh through the Haluaghat border with India shortly after attacking Hadi on December 12, Islam said.

They were received at the border by two Indian citizens, who escorted them into the northeastern state of Meghalaya before handing them over to two accomplices.

Bangladeshi investigators were in contact with their Indian counterparts who had arrested the two suspected accomplices, Islam said.

“We are communicating with Meghalaya police, who have confirmed the arrest of two Indian nationals,” he added.

Two senior Meghalaya police officers, however, did not comment when contacted by AFP.

The Indian foreign ministry had earlier said it rejects “false narratives” about New Delhi´s involvement in Hadi´s killing.

Ties between the neighbours have deteriorated since the ousted prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, fled the pro-democracy uprising and sought refuge in India.

India says it is still considering Dhaka’s requests to extradite Hasina, who was sentenced to death in absentia for orchestrating a deadly crackdown on the uprising.

The lynching of a Hindu garment worker by a mob on December 18 has also hit ties.

Amid the deteriorating security situation in the Muslim-majority country, Khuda Baksh Chowdhury, special assistant to interim leader Muhammad Yunus, overseeing the home department, stepped down on Wednesday.