Category Archives: International

Crime, International, Politics

Trump becomes first Ex-US Prez to be convicted of felony in hush money trial

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AP, Washington, May 31, 2024 : Donald Trump has been found guilty of all 34 charges of falsifying business records by a grand jury in New York, an unprecedented and historic verdict that makes him the first former president in American history to be convicted of a felony, as he makes a bid to return to the White House in November.

In a landmark verdict, a panel of 12 Manhattan jurors on Thursday said they unanimously agreed that Trump, 77, falsified business records to conceal a USD 130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to influence the 2016 presidential election.
It will ultimately be up to voters on November 5 to decide the significance of the guilty verdict delivered by 12 ordinary New Yorkers, which, on a legal basis, does not prevent him from being elected president again.
Over a six-week trial, the court heard from 22 witnesses, including Daniels, whose alleged sexual encounter with the former president was at the centre of the case.
As the verdicts were read, Trump remained silent and still. But the former president spoke to reporters outside the courtroom, calling the trial a “rigged, disgraceful trial” and saying that the “real verdict” will be rendered on Election Day.
Prosecutors had argued that, by approving a scheme to disguise the money as legal expenses, Trump broke election law.
Trump’s sentencing is scheduled for July 11, four days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he will be formally nominated as the party’s presidential candidate against incumbent Joe Biden, an 81-year-old Democrat, in the elections.
For now, Trump has been released without having to pay bail.
“This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt. It’s a rigged trial, a disgrace. They wouldn’t give us a venue change. We were at 5 per cent or 6 per cent in this district, in this area. This was a rigged, disgraceful trial,” said Trump shortly after the verdict was read.
“The real verdict is going to be November 5th by the people. And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here. You have a Soros-backed DA, and the whole thing, we didn’t do a thing wrong. I’m a very innocent man, and it’s okay, I’m fighting for our country. I’m fighting for our Constitution. Our whole country is being rigged right now,” Trump said.
Trump alleged that this was done by the Biden administration to wound or hurt a political opponent.
No former president or presumptive party nominee in the US has ever faced a felony conviction.
During the trial, the prosecution set out to prove that Trump had falsified records when he repaid his former lawyer Michael Cohen for a hush-money payment to Daniels. The Biden Harris campaign welcomed the jury’s verdict. “In New York today, we saw that no one is above the law,” said Biden-Harris 2024 Communications Director. (AP)

‘Trump will try to turn verdict into campaign fuel’
New York, May 31: Being convicted of a felony – let alone 34 of them – is the kind of blow that would normally tank any politician’s ambitions.
Donald Trump will instead try to turn what might otherwise be a career-ending judgment into campaign fuel.
Trump will return to the campaign trail Friday with a news conference at his namesake tower in Manhattan a day after he was convicted of trying to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who claimed they had sex. His lawyers and allies described him as defiant and ready to fight a verdict they argue is illegitimate and driven by politics.
No former president or presumptive party nominee has ever faced a felony conviction or the prospect of prison time, and Trump is expected to keep his legal troubles central to his campaign. He has long argued without evidence that the four indictments against him were orchestrated by Democratic President Joe Biden to try to keep him out of the White House.
“There is nobody who is more defiant,” said Trump spokesman Jason Miller on Fox News hours after the verdict was read. “He’s ready to get out there and start fighting again.” Trump and his campaign had been preparing for a guilty verdict for days, even as they held out hope for a hung jury. On Tuesday, Trump railed that not even Mother Teresa, the nun and saint, could beat the charges, which he repeatedly labeled as “rigged.”
His top aides on Wednesday released a memo in which they insisted a verdict would have no impact on the election, whether Trump was convicted or acquitted.
The news nonetheless landed with a jolt. Trump, his team and reporters at the courthouse had been under the impression that the jury on Thursday would wrap up deliberations for the day at 4:30 p.m. Trump sat smiling and chatting with his lawyers as the proceedings seemed to be coming to a close.
Trump had spent the hours before the verdict was announced sequestered in the private courtroom where he had spent breaks throughout the trial, huddled with his attorneys and campaign aides, eating from a revolving lunch menu of McDonald’s, pizza, and subs. 
Crime, International, Regional

As many as 8 Rohingyas held at NJP Railway Station

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MP, 29 May 2024, Siliguri: As many as eight Rohingyas, including a child, were arrested at New Jalpaiguri Railway Station on their way to Punjab via New Jalpaiguri (NJP) Railway Station. Among those arrested, four were women, three were men. 

The accused have been identified as Zubera Begum, Rehana Akhtar, Ashiya Begum, Hasina Begum, Noor Hakim, Saddam Hussain and Azinur. 
“We apprehended eight people, including a child. All of them have been presented at Court. We have commenced an investigation,” said Selvamurugan, the Superintendent of Railway Police (SRP) of Siliguri GRP. 
All those who were arrested were living in the Kutuk Fallung Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. The Government Railway Police (GRP) of NJP received a tip-off about the Rohingyas. 
Based on that tip-off, they raided the North-East Samparkranti Express Train on platform number three at NJP Railway Station on Tuesday evening and arrested them. 
According to GRP, they had boarded the train from Badarpur Junction in Assam to Delhi. From there, they planned to go to Punjab. On Wednesday, all the accused were produced at the Jalpaiguri Court. 
Courtesy & spurce- Millennium Post

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/as-many-as-8-rohingyas-held-at-njp-rly-stn-565834?infinitescroll=1

Crime, International, West Bengal

Daughter of slain B’deshi MP may undergo DNA test in city

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Gourab Neto, MP, 30 May 2024, Kolkata: Following the discovery of pieces of flesh and hair strands in a septic tank of a housing complex in New Town, the daughter of the slain Bangladeshi Member of Parliament (MP) Anwarul Azim Anar may soon come to Kolkata to undergo a DNA test for matching the reports. An arrested person, who police claimed is a butcher by profession, allegedly chopped the body of the Bangladesh lawmaker and mixed them with turmeric before disposing of them at different locations. “In case the body parts are not found, then we will conduct DNA tests on the blood samples and match the result with the DNA of one of Anar’s family members to establish the identity and start a case according to the law,” an officer told a news agency. Also Read – ‘Mercury set to soar in South Bengal; thunderstorms to continue in North’ In another development, the state CID suspects that another accused identified as Siyam had fled to Nepal. A police team might go to Nepal soon in connection with the probe. On Tuesday CID was reportedly requested by the Bangladesh Police to search the septic tank of the apartment building to find any traces of Anar’s body as the arrested accused Jihad Hawaladar reportedly told the cops that he had flushed some body parts through the commode.Honouring the request when the septic tank was searched, where about 3.5 kg pieces of flesh and hair strands were reportedly recovered. However, other body parts are still not found despite repeated searches of the Bagjola Canal in the Krishnamati area of Polerhat. Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police told the media persons in Bangladesh that the motive behind Anar’s murder is still unknown.

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/daughter-of-slain-bdeshi-mp-may-undergo-dna-test-in-city-565860

Crime, International, West Bengal

B’desh MP murder: Police may conduct DNA test of blood found in New Town flat

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PTI, KOLKATA, May 28, 2024 : The Bangladesh Police will be conducting DNA tests of the blood specimen found in a flat in New Town near here and match the results with that of one of the relatives of Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar to confirm that the politician was murdered, an officer said on Tuesday.


It is suspected that Anar, who has been missing for a fortnight, was killed in that flat and his body parts were thrown into a canal.

The DNA tests would be conducted as the last option in case the body parts of the Awami League MP could not be found, an officer of the Dhaka police visiting Kolkata as part of the investigation said.

“In case the body parts are not found, then we will conduct DNA tests on the blood samples and match the result with the DNA of one of Anar’s family members to establish the identity and start a case according to the law,” the officer said.

A three-member team of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch is in the city to investigate the death of Anar. The team is being led by the Detective Branch chief Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid.

The Disaster Management Team of the Kolkata Police on Tuesday resumed search in the Bagjola canal adjacent to an amusement park near Rajarhat, an officer said.

Kolkata Police officers, however, said that finding the body parts would be a tough job due to heavy rainfall following Cyclone Remal on Monday.

“It’s been over a fortnight that the crime was carried out. The body parts were chopped into smaller parts and there was a high chance that those were eaten up by aquatic animals. The Bagjola Canal has dirty water and the body parts could be swept away by the flow,” the police officer said.

Divers were employed to spot the body parts as well as the murder tools from the canal, he added.

Assuming that blood was drained out from the bathroom of the flat, where the lawmaker of the Bangladeshi ruling party, was suspected of being murdered, a team of police officers were testing the drain pipes, he said.

The search for the missing MP, who reportedly arrived in Kolkata on May 12 to undergo medical treatment, began after Gopal Biswas, a resident of Baranagar in north Kolkata and an acquaintance of the Bangladeshi politician, filed a complaint with the local police on May 18.

Anar had stayed at Biswas’s house upon arrival.

In his complaint, Biswas stated that Anar left his Baranagar residence for a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon of May 13 and that he would be back home for dinner.

Biswas claimed that the Bangladesh MP went incommunicado on May 17, which prompted him to file a missing complaint a day later. 
Crime, International, West Bengal

Bangladesh Police team arrives in Kolkata for MP murder probe

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MP, 26 May 2024, Kolkata: A team of Bangladesh Police led by the Additional Commissioner of Police (Addl. CP), Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Md. Harun Ar Rashid along with two other senior officers arrived in Kolkata on Sunday morning to investigate the gruesome murder case of a Bangladesh Member of Parliament (MP) Anwarul Azim. 

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Police has also got in touch with the INTERPOL to bring back the mastermind of the murder Akhtarujjaman alias Sahin and arrest him. 
On Sunday around 11 am, the Bangladesh Police team landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport. 
Before leaving the airport, Rashid met the media in Kolkata and said: “For the investigation we need to visit the Place of Occurrence (PO) as well. 
So far we have exchanged information with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). We are going to check the CCTV footage. Akhtarujjaman who is the mastermind is suspected to have fled to the USA. 
The plan was hatched in Bangladesh and the crime was committed here in West Bengal. We will seek assistance and cooperation from the CID and local police.” 
Sources informed that cops from Bengal went to Bangladesh and interrogated the persons who were arrested there for alleged murder of Azim. 
The Bangladesh Police may interrogate the accused Jihad Hawaladar who was arrested for the murder of Azim to corroborate his statement with the statements of the accused arrested in Bangladesh. 
On Sunday evening, the Bangladesh Police team met the CID officials and talked about the case. 
CID has reportedly come to know that another person was given the responsibility of dumping a few body parts of Azim. Cops are trying to find out the accused and the spot where the body parts were dumped. 
Meanwhile, on Sunday a search operation was conducted throughout the day at the Bagjola canal in Krishnamati area of Polerhat to find the body parts of the Bangladesh MP. But till evening nothing was found. 
Later the search operation was stopped owing to low light and bad weather conditions.

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/cyclone-remal-civic-bodies-take-prep-measures-to-tackle-impact-565396?infinitescroll=1

Economy, International, National

China, Nepal open traditional border trade points

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PTI, Beijing, May 25, 2024 :  China and Nepal on Saturday reopened their traditional border trade points that have “supported livelihoods” and played a “significant role” in fostering the development and prosperity of border areas.


The development comes two months after Nepal’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Narayan Kaji Shrestha urged China to reopen the 14 traditional border points with the Tibetan Autonomous Region not just for bilateral trade and commerce but for the movement of people too.

The reopening ceremony on Saturday took place in Zhentang township on the China-Nepal border in the city of Xigaze — in southwest China’s Xizang Autonomous Region — a pivotal city for China’s opening-up to South Asia, bordering India, Nepal and Bhutan, and hosting five trade land ports, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Feng Xuecheng, director of the municipal commerce bureau, said that traditional border trade has long supported the livelihoods of border residents and played a significant role in fostering the development and prosperity of border areas. “We plan to continuously improve border trade infrastructure and promote further economic and trade exchanges between China and Nepal,” Feng was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

At the Zhentang trade point, 110 Chinese merchants and 47 Nepalese merchants engaged in transactions involving over 50 types of goods, including daily necessities, building materials, food and beverages, agricultural products and Nepalese handicrafts.

Trade activities also resumed at other traditional sites in counties such as Zhongba, Saga, Gyirong and Nyalam, the report said.

Earlier on March 29, during his first visit to China from March 25 to April 1 was in Lhasa, when he underscored the importance of exporting products from Nepal during a meeting with Wang Junzheng, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee.

Nepal officials in Lhasa had then said that Shrestha, during the meeting, reiterated the need for reopening of traditional border points for the promotion of trade and commerce as well as facilitating the movement of people. 
Crime, International, West Bengal

Bangladesh MP murder: Police arrest butcher; takes his help to locate body parts

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PTI, Kolkata, May 24, 2024 :  The West Bengal CID on Friday claimed to have arrested a Bangladeshi, working as a butcher in Mumbai, from Bangoan in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal here for his alleged involvement in the grisly murder of Bangladesh MP Anwarul Azim Anar whose body was cut into pieces and disposed of in different locations.
    
The arrested man has admitted during interrogation to helping the other accused in chopping the victim’s body in a flat in New Town area near here before disposing of the parts in different locations, a police officer claimed.

“The accused is a butcher by profession. He had entered India illegally and was staying in Mumbai hiding his identity.

“He was called to Kolkata a couple of months back as a part of the plan to kill Anar. He has admitted that he was an accomplice to the four men who murdered the politician inside the flat and helped them in skinning and chopping the body,” the police officer told PTI.

The arrested man, when produced before a court in Barasat on Friday afternoon, was sent to the remand of the CID for 12 days, he said.

CID sleuths have confirmed the murder of Anar, an Awami League MP from Jhenaidah-4 segment in Bangladesh, on Wednesday after the victim went missing from Kolkata on May 13.

A team of CID officers were in the process of searching for the victim’s body parts at the Krishnamati village in Bhangar where the butcher had led them, he said.

The CID has employed deepwater divers at ponds in Bhangar also to find out the body parts of the Bangladeshi politician, he said, adding that drones were also used for the same purpose.

An initial probe revealed that the MP’s close friend Akhtaruzzaman, a US citizen, had paid around Rs 5 crore to those involved in the crime, the senior police officer said.

“We will talk to him (butcher) to get a clearer view of the crime. How did he get in touch with the US-based friend of Anar and who all were his partners,” the officer said.

A team of the West Bengal CID visited Bangladesh on Thursday to interrogate the three accused who were arrested by Bangladesh police in connection with the case.

The MP’s friend has a flat in Kolkata, and is probably in the US at present, he said.

Circumstantial evidence indicated that the MP was first strangulated and killed after which his body was chopped into pieces, police claimed.

The search for the missing MP, who reportedly arrived in Kolkata on May 12 to undergo medical treatment, began after Gopal Biswas, a resident of Baranagar in north 
Kolkata and an acquaintance of the Bangladeshi politician, filed a complaint with the local police on May 18.

Anar had stayed at Biswas’s house upon arrival.

In his complaint, Biswas stated that Anar left his Baranagar residence for a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon of May 13, while stating that he would be back home for dinner.

Biswas claimed that the Bangladeshi MP went incommunicado on May 17, which prompted him to file a missing complaint a day later.
Crime, International, West Bengal

Bangladeshi MP’s friend paid money for murder: Police

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The Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar’s close friend, who is a US citizen, had paid around Rs 5 crore to kill the former, according to preliminary investigation in connection with his murder.

SNS | Kolkata | May 24, 2024 : The Bangladeshi MP Anwarul Azim Anar’s close friend, who is a US citizen, had paid around Rs 5 crore to kill the former, according to preliminary investigation in connection with his murder.


Mr Anar, Awami League MP of Jhinaidah-4 constituency in Bangladesh, had been missing in Kolkata since 13 May and was found murdered in the New Town area.

On Wednesday, Bangladesh home minister Asaduzzaman Khan had said that Mr Anar was found murdered and three people have been arrested.

The deceased MP’s friend, who is probably in the US at present, owns a luxurious flat in the New Town area, according to sources in the West Bengal CID.

Sources in the CID probing the incident of alleged murder of the Bangladeshi MP also said that the flat in the New Town area, where the Bangladesh MP was last seen entering, was rented to his friend by its owner, reportedly an excise department employee.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that it was a well-planned murder. A huge amount of money, around Rs 5 crore was paid by an old friend of the MP to kill him. Investigations are still on to find out the exact reasons behind the incident,” an officer of the CID said.

“We have ‘reliable inputs’ that Anar may have been murdered but his body is yet to be recovered,” he said requesting anonymity.

Asked whether the investigating team found blood stains in the New Town flat where the MP’s whereabouts were last traced on 13 May. The officer said, “Our forensic team is exploring all angles and examining the suspected crime scene also. It’s too early to speak about that.”

It’s learnt that the state CID has spotted blood stains inside the flat and also recovered several plastic bags, which they believe were used to dump the body parts.

Circumstantial evidence indicates that the MP was first strangulated and then his body was mutilated in several parts, police claimed.

The search for the missing MP, who reportedly arrived in Kolkata on 12 May to undergo treatment, began six days later after Gopal Biswas, a resident of Baranagar area and an acquaintance of the Bangladeshi politician, filed a complaint with the local police station on 18 May.

Anar had stayed at Biswas’s house upon arrival. According to the complainant, Anar left his Baranagar residence for a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon of 13 May and he was scheduled to come back home for dinner. 
International, Regional, Sikkim

Inclusivity and safety top mission: HMI scales new heights in mountaineering coaching

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 The institute started a campaign to encourage the physically-challenged people to join mountaineering
Uday Kumar with Gp Capt JaiKishan at the summit of Mt Renok: Picture courtesy: HMI

Bitan Sikdar, Darjeeling, 24.05.24 : As the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI) approaches its 70th anniversary in a few months, it is not only about scaling new heights in excellence but also about fostering inclusivity.

The institute started a campaign to encourage the physically-challenged people to join mountaineering.
One 36-year-old Uday Kumar from Calcutta, who had lost his left leg in a 2015 railway accident, climbed Mt. Renok at 16,500 feet in the Khangchendzonga National Park in March — with the support of HMI instructors. The expedition was led by Gp. Capt. JaiKishan, the principal of the HMI, and Kumar’s training and expenditure were sponsored by the HMI.

“Uday sustained all weights with his hands and negotiated the difficult terrains all along. We want to say if he can do it, anybody can do it. Adventure sports are for the divyangjan,” he said.

Currently, the institute has around 150 students in the mountains, with a special focus on encouraging women climbers.

One notable example is Neha Rai from Sikkim, who previously worked as a guide over there.

The HMI is also focussing on mountaineering education and safety.

For example, it has introduced lightweight equipment such as chest crawl, kong stretcher, the avalanche victim detector and some other equipment.

The avalanche victim detector (AVD) is also known as an avalanche transceiver. These are small, compact radios used to identify avalanche burial sites and they transmit electromagnetic signals that are picked up by another transceiver on the receive mode.

The AVD works in two modes — receiving and transmit or search mode, explained a trainee, Julian.

Similarly, a kong stretcher is made of durable and lightweight materials. With its help, it becomes easier for rescuers to act promptly in emergencies. This helps in secure and stable transport across difficult terrains — steep slopes or rocky surfaces.

It can be easily folded or strapped, facilitating rescuers to carry this without adding much weight to their load, she explained.

“With the help of these tools, it is now possible for a small rescue team of mountaineers to conduct a big rescue operation in high-altitude mountains,” said Rohit Sanga, another trainee at this institute.
Courtesy & source- The Telegraph
International, National, Politics, Regional

Nepal PM Prachanda wins vote of confidence in Parliament; fourth time in 18 months

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PTI, Kathmandu, May 20 2024 : Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda’ on Monday won a vote of confidence in Parliament, allowing him to lead a coalition government in the Himalayan nation while attempting to maintain political stability amidst frequent power struggles.

Prachanda, 69, a former guerilla leader from the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist Centre) — the third largest party in the House of Representatives (HoR) — received 157 votes in the 275-member House of Representatives.
The government required at least 138 votes to win the vote of trust.
In total, 158 lawmakers took part in the voting. The main Opposition Nepali Congress boycotted the voting process and chanted slogans against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane, accused of misappropriating cooperative funds, leading to the delay in the session. One HoR member remained neutral. Speaker Dev Raj Ghimire announced that Prachanda had won the floor test as he got a majority in Parliament.
This was the fourth time that Prachanda sought a vote of confidence in the House since he assumed prime ministership in December 2022.
The vote comes days after one of the coalition partners, Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), withdrew its support last week for his government while quitting the coalition government.
Earlier, the voting had to be delayed due to obstructions caused by the Nepali Congress, which has been demanding the formation of a Parliamentary probe committee to investigate Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in the scam.
According to constitutional provisions, a prime minister has to take a vote of confidence after an ally withdraws support to the ruling coalition.
Earlier on March 13, Prime Minister Dahal won his third consecutive vote of confidence, days after he dumped the Nepali Congress and forged a new alliance with the Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist).
Last year, Prachanda faced a floor test after former prime minister KP Sharma Oli-led CPN-UML withdrew its support to the Prachanda-led government following a rift over backing the main opposition party’s candidate for the presidential poll.
Prachanda is serving a third time as prime minister, although he did not complete the full five-year term during previous stints.
In the past few decades, three big parties the Nepali Congress, the CPN-UML, and the Maoist Centre have ruled the country turn by turn, forever changing coalitions and partners at their convenience.
Nepal has had 13 governments since it abolished its 239-year-old monarchy in 2008 and became a republic.
International, National, Regional

Tibetans of Kalimpong demand release of Panchen Lama

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YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, ALIMPONG, MAY 17, 2024 : The Tibetan community of Kalimpong on Friday evening held a candlelight procession in the city to demand the release of the Panchen Lama by the Chinese authorities.

The Tibean community has accused the Chinese authorities of holding the 11th Panchen Lama Gedhun Choekyi Nyima captive since 1995 in an undisclosed destination. President of Regional Tibetan Human Association Chongdak Bhutia told reporters that the protest was being held every year for the release of the 11th Panchen Lama, held captive. 
Bhutia said members of the Tibetan community organized rallies and protests in various parts of India, demanding the release of the Panchen Lama.
The Panchen Lama, the second in hierarchy in the Tibetan Buddhist order, next to the Dalai Lama, had turned 37 years old, he said. “But where is he? What kind of situation is he facing? Nothing is known about him.” 
Bhutia demanded that the Indian government should also help in the release of the Panchen Lama
Economy, International, Regional, West Bengal

Bitter brew over Nepal tea imports, Darjeeling industry ‘shocked’ at lack of proper testing

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 The latest bitterness against the government’s failure to check the quality of Nepal tea comes after 28 trucks carrying Nepal tea were reportedly allowed to enter India in April-end without food security checks from the Panitanki border near Siliguri

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, 16.05.24 : The Darjeeling tea industry is bitter over the government’s alleged move to allow Nepal tea imports without properly testing the entire consignment.

Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA) has alleged that it is “shocked that cheap and dubious Nepal tea is being allowed to be imported without FSSAI checks”.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory body under the Union ministry of health and family welfare and regulates, among other things, the quality of food articles in India, including its imports.

“The FSSAI in its order dated 23.04.2024 has clearly mandated that all import teas need to be subjected to full and accurate testing as per stated FSSAI protocol… Cheap duty-free dumping of low quality and FSSAI non-compliant teas from Nepal have turned the Darjeeling tea industry into an ICU patient…,” said a DTA official.

The latest bitterness against the government’s failure to check the quality of Nepal tea comes after 28 trucks carrying Nepal tea were reportedly allowed to enter India in April-end without food security checks from the Panitanki border near Siliguri.

Sources said that these trucks were first stopped and the entire consignment of Nepal teas was tested, but vehicles were allowed inside India before the test reports came in.

Administrative sources admitted that the trucks were allowed to enter India with a directive from “higher authorities.”

“At the moment, the first five consignments of importers (for tea) are now being tested and this is valid for six months. Of course, random tests are also done,” said a source in the known of things.

The incident of the 28 trucks created a flutter in Nepal.

“The issue was taken up right to the Nepal Prime Minister’s office by Nepal tea growers. The matter was also raised with the Indian government,” said a source in Nepal.

The Darjeeling Tea industry wants the government to take stringent measures against the “dumping” of Nepal tea into India. Industry stakeholders have alleged that many unscrupulous dealers in India are either mixing or selling Nepal tea as Darjeeling tea.

The tea-growing districts of Nepal are contiguous to Darjeeling district.

Nepal exports around 16,000 tonnes of tea, around 90 per cent to India.

Courtesy & source- The Telegraph
International, Regional

Body of B’desh tourist to be handed over to kin in Kurseong

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MP, 15 May 2024, Darjeeling: The relatives of the deceased Bangladeshi tourists arrived in Kolkata on Wednesday and proceeded to Bagdogra by flight. 

The Darjeeling police will be handing over the dead body of the deceased to them in Kurseong. The 65-year-old tourist, on a visit to Darjeeling, had died en route. 
His body has been kept at the Kurseong Sub Divisional Hospital where a post mortem has been conducted. 
The deceased has been identified as 65-year-old Sk Azizul from Mohammadpur, Dhaka. He was a retired banker. 
On Tuesday he had arrived from Dhaka by train. “From NJP he along with another person boarded my taxi to Darjeeling. 
At Rohini, he stated that he was feeling unwell and we stopped and he rested for nearly an hour. 
After some time he stopped talking and started breathing heavily. 
I then rushed to the Kurseong hospital,” stated Shyamal Chandra Singh, the taxi driver. 
He was declared dead at the hospital. 
“We have started an unnatural death case,” stated Palash Mohanta, Inspector-in-Charge, Kurseong Police Station. 
Courtesy & source- Millennium Post
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/will-retrieve-bengals-dues-within-3months-once-india-bloc-forms-govt-563965?infinitescroll=1
International, National, Politics

Bank notes showing parts of India as belonging to Nepal are the latest of our problems with Kathmandu, China’s the No. 1 problem

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China’s deadly serious about undermining India’s influence in Nepal, and India needs to come up with a counter strategy hinging on more bilateral trade, investment in infrastructure sectors and building on ‘civilisational ties’

Paran Balakrishnan, TT, 14.05.24 : It was a distinctly unsubtle punch from across the border. Nepal’s new 100-rupee banknotes show parts of India as being Nepalese territory – and it’s gone to unusual lengths to publicise the move. India, uncharacteristically, shrugged off the provocation, with foreign minister S. Jaishankar observing mildly that the Uttarakhand territory marked on the bills is definitely inside India.

The banknote row marks yet one more, albeit minor, skirmish in the battleground between India and Nepal. The strategic buffer state sandwiched between China and India has long resented India as the Big Brother that flexes its muscles too often. Nepal hasn’t forgotten the 2015 blockade at a crucial land crossing with India – New Delhi denied involvement – which came months after two deadly earthquakes when Kathmandu promulgated its new constitution.
But the once minor differences have become exacerbated. That’s partly because Nepal’s other giant neighbour is taking way more interest in the mountainous nation than it used to when Nepal was not only known as landlocked but “India-locked”. Says one former Indian ambassador: “In the old days, the Chinese were mostly worried about Tibetans using Nepal as an escape route to India. Now, they are deadly serious about undermining India’s influence in Nepal.”

There’s an additional factor also at play which has put Nepal in the headlights of big power rivalry. The US has turned its gaze on Nepal, and has become the third player in the 21st-century’s Himalayan Great Game. The Chinese, meanwhile, are liberally splurging money to make headway in Nepal.

Now, also, the Chinese have their dream ruling ticket in Nepal. The incoming prime minister is a pro-China advocate: Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal, best known by his rebel civil war name Prachanda. And his main coalition partner, the Communist Party of Nepal, is headed by former prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli has alway been pro-Beijing. Indeed, in what’s seen as “advantage Beijing,” Nepal’s foreign minister broke with tradition and made his first foreign visit to Beijing rather than New Delhi. “Today, after working with the left forces in Nepal, the Chinese are most satisfied because leftist forces have come together.” says another former diplomat.

At times, the Nepalese moves to annoy India have verged on the farcical – though they’re deadly serious for Hindu believers. Veteran politician Oli, Nepal’s then prime minister, claimed that Ayodhya, where Lord Ram was born, was actually a place called Thori in Nepal. Says Oli firmly: “The place called Thori, near Birgunj is the real Ayodhya, where Lord Ram was born. In India there is a great dispute on Ayodhya. But there’s no dispute in our Ayodhya.”

Oli stirred the pot once again by claiming that yoga originated in Uttarakhand, which he insists was a part of Nepal in ancient times. He also laid claim to Samkhya philosophy, which is said to form the theoretical framework for yoga. “Yoga originated from Uttarakhand and at that time Uttarakhand was not in present-day India.” said Oli, adding for good measure that, “India was not even born as an independent country at that time.” Going one step further, he also claimed that the founder of ayurveda, Charak Rishi, was born in Nepal.

But these are mere pinpricks. There are much bigger battles being fought over Nepal. The biggest battles involve a plan by the US to pour $500 million over the next five years into Nepal for vitally needed infrastructure, under what’s called the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The money will go mainly to boost hydropower generation and build roads. For starters, the US is looking at building a 300-km high voltage power line that will run through almost one-third of the country and have an extension to the Indian border.

Not to be left behind, India’s just signed a deal to buy 10,000MW from Nepal over the next 10 years. For the moment it appears that India has checkmated China – by refusing to buy power from projects built with Chinese money. That’s forced Nepal to hand-over several projects that had originally been given to the Chinese. It’s reckoned that Nepal has the capacity to produce about only 42MW of hydropower from its many fast-flowing Himalayan rivers.

But the Chinese are playing power games of a different kind meddling in Nepal affairs. (It’s believed to have helped engineer the coming to power of the current seven-party coalition and its crucial position in Nepal was visible when the deputy prime minister and foreign minister Narayan Kaji Sreshta made China his first port of call. He spent a full week there and China has managed to persuade Nepal to resume cooperation on Belt & Road projects – a move strongly opposed by India and the US which have warned Kathmandu it could fall prey to a Sri Lanka-style debt trap.

Can Nepal’s fragile democracy bring prosperity to the impoverished country? Nobody’s betting big on it. Nepal’s most recent government is barely 45 days old. (Since the advent of Nepal’s chaotic multi-party democracy in Nepal in 1990, the country has had a string of revolving-door governments).

There’s also still a royalist party and former king Gyanendra’s hoping the political parties mess up so badly, he’s called on to return to the throne. Says a senior Indian diplomat: “Gyanendra is hoping there’ll be this huge nostalgia for the monarchy. It’s more wishful thinking, though certainly pro-monarchy sentiment has grown.”

There’s another new factor in India-Nepal relations. The BJP and RSS have strong links in Nepal, which, while being overwhelmingly Hindu, now is constitutionally a secular republic. The BJP and RSS are eager to promote Nepal as a Hindu Rashtra. Says one former diplomat: “The BJP’s foreign cell and the RSS are supporting a lot of voices in Nepal that want a Hindu state.”

Also, there’s Yogi Adityanath who has always had a deep interest in Nepal though he hasn’t talked much about it after becoming Uttar Pradesh chief minister. His matt in Gorakhpur has always been close to Nepal. Says a diplomat: “His group has a very old connection with the Gurkha kings.”

Can India steer its way through the Nepalese minefield and regain its “special relationship” with Kathmandu? For what it’s worth, we’ve got some friends in Nepal who’ll raise their head above the parapet. On the weekend, Chiranjivi Nepal, an economic advisor to the Nepalese president, quit over the bank notes issue. Nepal, an ex-central bank governor, said it was “inappropriate” to publish notes with the inaccurate map. India and Nepal’s borders are internationally recognised, he pointed out, and clearly different from those shown on the banknote map.

But India has been facing increasing hostility from some Nepalis who object to what they see as New Delhi’s “high-handedness” and meddling. To counter this image, India’s been playing its cards right by keeping a low profile and avoiding interference in Nepal’s internal affairs, trying to lower the pitch in the “Big Brother-Small Brother” relationship, analysts say.

And India faces a stiff challenge from China. “Chinese diplomats are publicly warning Nepal about the ‘dangers’ of close relations with India. They’re openly meddling in Nepal’s internal affairs,” says a former ambassador. While China’s pockets are far deeper than India’s, and it’s been extending its sway in countries that have traditionally been India’s strategic backyard, New Delhi can’t afford to give up. More bilateral trade, investment in important Nepal infrastructure sectors and building on “civilisational ties” are all recipes for India to rebuild ties with Nepal.
Crime, International, National

Bangladeshi held for travelling without valid documents

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Srishti Lakhotia, MP, 12 May 2024, Kolkata: A Bangladeshi national was apprehended from Sealdah-Duronto Express on May 8 after she was unable to produce a passport or a valid Indian visa. 

The Government Railway Police (GRP) at Sealdah registered a case against her under Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) which deals with trafficking of persons. The woman identified as Runa Begum, aged around 30 years, arrived in India on May 7. 
She claimed to the Railway Protection Force (RPF) Sealdah who apprehended her, that she came to India on directions of a friend named Sonia, whom she met on a social media platform. She further claimed that Sonia had promised her a job in New Delhi. 
She allegedly came to India through different means of transportation and was accompanied from Ranaghat to Sealdah by an unidentified person. She reached Sealdah via local train at around 2:30 pm and boarded the Express train from platform number 11. 
According to the information revealed by her to the RPF personnel, the unidentified person dropped her and left the station. Begum was allegedly in a state of distress when the RPF personnel found her in one of the coaches of Duronto Express. 
On further enquiry about her legal travel documents, Begum was unable to produce a passport on a valid Indian visa. 
According to the information shared by Eastern Railway, during the search of her luggage, a smartphone along with some Bangladeshi currency was found. Begum and the seized items were handed over to GRP for further legal proceedings. 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/bdeshi-held-for-travelling-without-valid-documents-563408?infinitescroll=1
Crime, International, National, Regional, West Bengal

American nationals apprehended at Border with fake Aadhar card

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Photo Source & courtesy : Siliguri Times

PRASHANT ACHARYA, EOI, SILIGURI, MAY 8, 2024 : SSB’s 41 battalion on Tuesday afternoon apprehended two American nationals along with an Indian while they were entering India from Nepal via Panitanki border outpost. 

The arrested were identified as Naina Kala Poudel and Younis Biswakarma, both US national and Nima Poudel, a resident of Kalchini under Alipurduar district. 
According to SSB sources, Naina Kala Poudel (40) resident of English Drive in US along with her niece Eunice Biswa (11) of New York City came to India from America and landed at Bagdogra airport on March 19 this year. 
The two US citizens and the Indian were arrested with fake Aadhaar at Kharibari Indo-Nepal border.  
KalimNews: Siliguri Times reports that According to reports, the incident unfolded after Neena and Nima Tamang engaged in holy matrimony on April 13 in India, following which they embarked on a honeymoon trip to Nepal on April 21. 
However, their return journey encountered a setback when they were intercepted by Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel at the border checkpoint. Sources within the SSB revealed that the trio attempted to enter India using counterfeit Aadhaar cards, raising suspicion among border security officials. 
Siluri Time further adds that  Upon investigation, it was revealed that the American nationals paid ₹10,000 in Hamiltonganj of Alipurduar for the making of the counterfeit aadhaar cards and left for Nepal. Subsequently, they were arrested at the Indo-Nepal border. Following their apprehension, the SSB handed over the individuals to Kharibari police for further legal proceedings. At present, the case has been forwarded to the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court while the matter is under further investigation.  (source: https://siliguritimes.com/two-american-citizens-arrested-at-indo-nepal-border-with-fake-aadhaar-cards-in-kharibari/)
Crime, International, National, Regional

Smugglers shot dead in Phansidewa

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EOI, SILIGURI, MAY 8, 2024 : Two suspected smugglers were killed in BSF firing on the India-Bangladesh border under Phansidewa in Darjeeling district. Iftikar-ul Hasan, OC Phansidewa police station along with BSF officers visited the spot to enquire into the incident.

According to Sujoy Kumar Roy, officer-in-charge of Tetuloa Model police station in Bangladesh the dead bodies were that of Abdul Jalil (24) and Yasin Ali (23)both residents under Bagduria district of Bangladesh., Quoting their families and neighbours, 
Roy said that BSF personnel opened fire when the t
wo tried to bring in cows illegally from India. (