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Punjab: Bodies of three minor sisters found stuffed in a trunk inside their house

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Bodies of three minor sisters found stuffed in a trunk inside their house

On 2nd October, three minor sisters’ dead bodies were found stuffed in a trunk inside their house in Jalandhar. The incident took place in the village Kanpur of Maqsudan police station area in district Jalandhar. The three girls were aged 9 years, 7 years and 4 years respectively. The family had 5 children in total.

Reportedly, the father had lodged a complaint on the 1st of October that his daughters had gone missing. The three girls were reported missing Sunday night at Maqsudan Police Station by their parents when they did not find them home after returning from work. The police suspect that the father killed the children and then lodged a complaint at the police station.

The owner of the rented house where the family lived said that the father was a habitual drinker and worked as a migrant worker. Recently, he had asked the father to vacate the accommodation.

The dead bodies of the sisters, aged 9 years, 7 years and 4 years, were found by the neighbours who opened the trunk lying in the house. The police were informed immediately about the dead bodies, after which the police reached the crime scene and recovered the bodies.

The police detained the parents of the deceased children for questioning and sent the dead bodies for post-mortem.

Further investigation into the matter is underway. 

US State Department grants money to organisation linked to Palestinian terrorists

OpIndia Staff
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US State Department grants money to organisation linked to Palestinian terrorists

The US State Department has granted over $90,000 in funds to The Phoenix Center for Research and Field Studies. According to the Washington Examiner report, this organisation has supported Palestinian terrorist groups such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

USAspending.gov has listed the Phoenix Center as the recipient of two grants. The first grant of $30,088 is scheduled for a project from August 2023 to July 2024, while the second grant of $60,000 is scheduled for a project from September 2023 to August 2024. Although the grant descriptions name the recipient as the “Finiq Center for Field Studies and Researches,” NGO Monitor believes this may be a phonetic error. The listed address matches the Phoenix Centre’s, further confirming this assumption.

In its report, Jerusalem Post pointed out that NGO Monitor has raised concerns about a potential mix-up in the grant description of the first project, which aims to develop IT skills and provide networking opportunities with IT employers in Europe and Asia. The concern is that the project’s description appears unrelated to the typical activities associated with the Phoenix Center.

The second project aims to improve public speaking, storytelling, and digital networking skills for “Palestinian USG alumni”. The Phoenix Center has been known to host conferences and panels expressing support for “armed resistance” against Israel, with participation from senior members of Palestinian terrorist organizations.

In December 2022, the Phoenix Center held discussions with Israeli authorities about the conflict and the role of political agendas. The centre concluded that “reintegrating armed resistance and popular resistance” are crucial tools that must be prioritised in future agendas concerning the conflict with Israel.

The centre’s Director of Programs, Salah Abdalati, expressed support for terrorist groups in the West Bank and made specific references to their actions during an operation in November 2022. Additionally, Abdalati has posted statements on social media advocating resistance against the Israeli ‘occupation’.

During one of its workshops titled “Strengthening the concept of civil peace, rule of law, and the importance of national dialogue,” the Phoenix Center exhibited materials expressing support for the PFLP, a group that has been recognised as a terrorist organisation by both the US and EU. It’s worth noting that this workshop was funded by the European Endowment for Democracy (EED) NGO.

In September 2022, the Phoenix Center held discussions on the links between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli occupation, with the participation of a senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Khader Habib, who has consistently called for violence against Israel. In 2019, Habib even issued a threat to kill Jews and urged them to leave Israel.

The grants given by the US State Department to the Phoenix Center have become a cause of worry for Prof. Gerald Steinberg, the President and founder of NGO Monitor. He stresses the significance of proper due diligence to guarantee that government funding is not provided to organisations linked with violence or terrorism.

During a House Foreign Affairs Committee subcommittee hearing, US Representative Tim Burchett raised concerns about an organisation linked to designated terrorist groups receiving funds from the State Department. The hearing was titled “No Incentives for Terrorism: US Implementation of the Taylor Force Act and Efforts to Stop ‘Pay to Slay.'”

In a post on X, he wrote, “The Phoenix Center has received tens of thousands in U.S. dollars and is partnered with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Why are two U.S. designated terrorist groups receiving money from the State Department?”

At the hearing, Elliott Abrams, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor, emphasised the significance of conducting thorough research and vetting of grant recipients by the State Department.

Calling it an “international embarrassment”, Rep. Brian Mast said he would stand with Israel.

He wrote, “Never mind the sheer stupidity of thinking Palestinian terrorists would respond to DEI programs. It is an international embarrassment that the Biden Administration is actively funding violent anti-Israel groups in Gaza and the West Bank. I stand with Israel, period.”

Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) wrote to Secretary of Defence Anthony Blinken and said, “We respectfully request that you look into this matter and, if the matter proves to be as stated by NGO Monitor, we request further to be informed how the selection of Phoenix Center happened, what remedial action the department will take in regard to these grants, and what action the department will take in order to ensure that this does not happen again.”

“Under absolutely no circumstances should the State Department be subsidising an organisation that promotes the killing of innocent Jews and terror attacks against our great ally Israel,” they added.

ISIS terrorist with a Rs 3 lakh bounty on his head arrested by Delhi Police, was wanted by NIA in the Pune module case

OpIndia Staff
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ISIS terrorist with a Rs 3 lakh bounty on his head arrested by Delhi Police, was wanted by NIA in the Pune module case

In a massive crackdown on terror, the Delhi Police on Monday (2 October) arrested Shahnawaz, a suspected ISIS terrorist wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) with a bounty of Rs 3 lakh on him. Two more ISIS-linked suspects have been arrested in the massive search operation.

According to the Delhi Police, the module planned to carry out terror attacks across India through instructions from foreign-based handlers. Shahnawaz alias Shafi Uzzama was arrested by the Delhi Police special cell from a hideout in the national capital.

Shahnawaz is an engineer by profession and was wanted in the ISIS Pune module case. According to reports citing sources, Shahnawaz is originally from Delhi but had moved to Pune. Two of his associates were arrested in a raid in July, while Shahnawaz managed to flee, returned to Delhi, and lived in a hideout.

The NIA has also recovered chemical substances from Shahnawaz and other incriminating material suspected to be used for IED fabrication. The NIA had announced a cash reward of Rs 3 lakh each for information about Shahnawaz and three other terror suspects namely Rizwan Abdul, Haji Ali, Abdulla Faiyaz Shaikh alias Diaperwala, and Talha Liyakat Khan.

Shahnawaz, Abdulla, and Rizwan were radicalised into joining the ISIS mission over the Telegram app and planned to engineer violence and terror in the country, according to NIA sources cited by NDTV.

Abdulla ran a diaper store in Pune that used to assemble explosive devices. NIA sources have told NDTV that he may try to escape to Oman.

Delhi-based Rizwan Ali and his younger brother were arrested in 2018 for alleged ISIS links but no substantial evidence was found against them. He was released after a deradicalisation programme.

Rizwan had gone to Pune two years ago and told his parents that he was running a computer business there. He got married there and lived with his wife and the couple returned to Delhi after Rizwan’s father got ill. It was two months ago that Rizwan left his home.

Karnataka: Islamists pelt stones at Hindu houses in Shivamogga; display Auragzeb posters and Tipu Sultan cut-out killing Hindus at Eid procession

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Islamists pelt stones at Hindu houses in Shivamogga; display Auragzeb posters and Tipu Sultan cut-out killing Hindus at Eid procession

On 01 October, Karnataka’s Shivamogga was clouded with communal tension after Islamists pelted stones during the Eid-e-Milad an-Nabi procession. At least four people got injured. Section 144 of CrPC was imposed in the Ragigugga area as a precautionary measure where the incident took place.

Tipu Sultan’s cutout showed him murdering Hindus

As per reports, there was a cutout of Tipu Sultan in the procession where he was shown killing two “saffron-coloured” people. It was understandable that it depicted Tipu killing Hindu warriors. Activists linked to Hindu organisations raised objections to the cutout, and the police got involved. As per the police, the tension erupted due to a “bit of controversial content”.

Aaj Tak report noted that Hindus took to the streets to protest against the stone pelting. The police stopped the procession to control the situation. Irked by the police action, Islamists tried to break down police barricades and pelted stones. The police used the lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

Shivamogga SP GK Mithun Kumar contacted local leaders from both communities and urged them to help in controlling the situation. Furthermore, instructions were issued to the organisers to cover the portrait with a curtain to ensure no further tension erupted in the area. The police detained several rioters.

BJP criticised Congress govt for law and order failure

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), BJP MLA CN Ashwath Narayan shared photographs showing how Islamists took over the Eid procession. In one of the photographs, there was a large sword with text written in Urdu on it. Another photograph showed an image of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb, who killed thousands of Hindus outside a Masjid. The other two photographs showed large cutouts of Tipu and Islamic flags waving in the city.

He wrote, “It is condemnable that the Congress government, which does not prioritise solving the Cauvery problem, is aiding and abetting communal riots. The state Congress government is openly supporting the conversion of the communal garden of peace into a place for sociopaths by allowing installation of the fanatical Tipu’s cutout and Talwar arches in Shivmogga.” (Translated using Google Translate).

Channabasappa, a BJP MLA from Shivamogga, expressed concern about the troubling situation in his constituency. He urged the government to take action against the elements causing trouble and not empower them. Recently, an incident occurred where a cook was returning from work and was attacked on the head. It is not clear who the perpetrators were. These violent elements are known to attack people with bottles and enter homes to engage in violence. This seems to be a deliberate attack on innocent people. Channabasappa said he would avoid further commenting until all the facts were known.

Columnist and Yuva Brigade member Chakravarty Sulibele shared several videos of the incident. In one of the videos, a woman was heard saying, “Yappa, they are beating police”.

In another video, Islamists were seen celebrating with swords in their hands despite Section 144 imposed in the area.

Sulibele pointed out that Hindus took out the Ganesh Visarjan procession a few days ago which went without any problem. “Muslims have the hands of the government who bring them out of jails, and the home minister himself writes a letter to find a way to release those miscreants! BureDin of Karnataka,” he wrote.

‘You are like my daughter, but you aren’t actually’: 50-year-old Altaf rapes, impregnates daughter’s friend at knifepoint, dumps aborted fetus in MP’s Vidisha

OpIndia Staff
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‘You are like my daughter, but you aren’t actually’: 50-year-old Altaf rapes, impregnates daughter’s friend at knifepoint, dumps aborted fetus in MP’s Vidisha

50-year-old Altaf reportedly raped and impregnated a minor, who is a Hindu, then got the fetus aborted and dumped it in a village in Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh. The 15-year-old girl was subjected to sexual exploitation for over a year in the hands of the accused, as per reports.

According to Dainik Bhaskar’s ground report, the victim was a friend of the daughter of the accused. When the minor confronted Altaf saying “Don’t do this to me, I am like your daughter”, he replied by saying, “You are like my daughter, but you aren’t actually my daughter.”

The accused also threatened the minor against complaining to anyone about the rape. Moreover, when the families of the victim and accused reached the police, the latter openly threatened the victim’s family with consequences if they refused to reach a settlement.

The family of the accused is already infamous in the area for crimes against women. Moreover, Altaf himself has five children, two of whom are married. The minor was his daughter’s friend.

Witness narrates ordeal

As per Dainik Bhaskar’s ground report, the victim said, “We have given our land on a sharing basis to Altaf (50) of the same village. In this connection, he and his family keep visiting my house. He has four daughters and one son. Two are married. His youngest daughter is the same age as me. We were friends.”

“His house is near to our house. I used to often invite my friend (Altaf’s daughter) for dinner on Holi, Diwali or any other Teej festival. She also used to call me every year on Eid. We had grown up together. Earlier everything was normal. But, about one and a half years ago, I realized that her father Altaf had started trying to talk to me often. His behaviour was also strange. I felt that his behaviour was not right. However, I didn’t understand anything.”

The victim said that Altaf came to her house one day while she was alone. “Father had gone to work. Mother was busy with household work. He (Altaf) told me that his daughter had called me home. I was free so I went there immediately. I saw that no one was at home. Everyone had gone somewhere. I was about to leave when Altaf came there,” she said.

“He quickly held my hand and took me inside the house. When I tried to scream, he pressed my mouth and did the wrong things to me, then he showed me a knife and said that if I told anything to anyone, he would cut my throat with it. Not only this, he said that he will not spare anyone in my family.”

The victim said that she was very scared. She sat there and cried for a long time and returned home. She added, “First I thought of telling everything to my mother. But, she remained silent thinking that if anything happened, they would not leave my family. After this, whenever there was no one at his house, he called me to his house and kept raping me. Meanwhile, I got pregnant. When I told him this, he gave me pills.”

Further sharing the chilling details, the victim said, “About a month after this incident, Altaf again threatened me and called me to his house in the month of March. I kept telling him every time not to do this to me. ‘I am like your daughter’. So he would say ‘you are like a daughter, but not a daughter’. He would threaten that if anyone got wind of this, he would kill me. However, this time I also said that if anything wrong is done to me in future, I will either tell everyone or commit suicide.”

She said, “After this, he did not do wrong things again. But then I was pregnant already. After 2 months i.e. in May, I told him this. Altaf said don’t worry I will fix everything. My situation had become such that I was not able to even tell anything to anyone. Time passed.”

“Then one day when my parents and siblings had gone out, Altaf came to my house. He gave me pills. After this, my health deteriorated. He got the abortion done. After this, he went away carrying the child in a bag. My condition kept worsening. I remained lying at home. When my parents came, I kept sleeping. The next day, on 24 September, some villagers found an abandoned fetus and word spread in the village. Then I told my mother everything. They took me to the police station,” the victim said.

Sarpanch threatens victim’s family

Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, the victim’s brother, who works in Bhopal, said that while they were making the complaint to the police, Altaf’s brother-in-law Afshis Khan, who is the village Sarpanch, arrived at the police station.

“He started telling us to settle the matter and reach a compromise. ‘You have created so much ruckus, what will you get from this? Whatever was to happen has already happened. If you people had told me, we would have buried the child somewhere. Now if you have to live in the village then reach a settlement’.”

The brother of the victim added, “I protested and said that if all this had happened to your (the Sarpanch’s) sister and daughter, would you have compromised? He got angry after hearing this. And went away saying that this is the last chance, take one or two lakhs, and settle. Otherwise, you will know what will happen next.”

The mother of the victim said that they never knew that their daughter was facing this ordeal. “She never told us. When her health deteriorated, we took her to the doctor. Then we got to know what she went through. I was shocked to hear what had happened.”

The mother added, “The Altaf whom we trusted so much stabbed us in the back. He used to threaten to kill our daughter due to which she got scared and didn’t tell anyone anything. We had never thought Altaf would do such a disgusting thing.”

The village Nateran is 73 km away from Vidisha district headquarters. The village comes under Nateran police station area. The population is around one thousand with a mixed number of people from communities including Muslims, Kurmi, and Kushwaha. However, the surrounding area is Muslim-dominated.

The victim family say that they have been facing threats and pressure from the accused. In the meanwhile, the local police have deployed some personnel to guard the victim’s family. The National Commission for Child Protection (NCPCR) has also sought answers from the police in this matter.

After the matter came to light, National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) Chairman Priyank Kanungo took cognizance and wrote a letter to Vidisha SP. He has sought legal action in the case, an FIR copy, medical report and a copy of the victim’s statement recorded under section 164 within 3 days.

The NCPCR has also sought an action taken report along with details of what action was taken if the accused and his family pressurised the victim and her family.

‘The US is an empire of lies’: As US accuses China of disinformation, Beijing counters State Dept report. Here is what China said in its response

ANI
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‘The US is an empire of lies’: As US accuses China of disinformation, Beijing counters State Dept report. Here is what China said in its response

The US State Department’s accusation of China expanding its disinformation efforts has been met with a counterclaim from Beijing’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, CNN reported, adding that the Chinese ministry said the State Department’s report itself constitutes disinformation.

The exchange occurred following the release of a report by the US State Department’s Global Engagement Centre, accusing the Chinese government of intensifying its efforts to control information and propagate propaganda and disinformation that advances “digital authoritarianism” within China and globally.

The report alleged that China allocates billions of dollars annually to manipulate foreign information and highlighted Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s significant expansion of initiatives to influence the global information landscape, according to CNN.

Further, the report emphasised US concerns regarding China as a primary military competitor and a key rival in the battle of ideas and global disinformation.

In response, China issued a counterstatement, asserting that the US State Department’s relevant centre, which authored the report, engages in propaganda and infiltration under the guise of “global engagement.” Beijing labelled it as a source of disinformation and the central command for “perception warfare.”

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs cited past examples such as the wars in Iraq and Syria and US reports alleging human rights abuses in China’s Xinjiang region to argue that the US is, fundamentally, “an empire of lies,” CNN reported.

It claimed that the US attempts to label other countries as purveyors of disinformation are seen through by an increasing number of people worldwide, who perceive the US’s efforts as an attempt to maintain its supremacy by disseminating falsehoods and smearing others.

“No matter how the US tries to pin the label of ‘disinformation’ on other countries, more and more people in the world have already seen through the US’s ugly attempt to perpetuate its supremacy by weaving lies into ‘emperor’s new clothes’ and smearing others,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, CNN reported.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Kuki groups launch protests after CBI arrests 4 for the brutal murder of 2 Meitei students, call it ‘abduction’, demand release

OpIndia Staff
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Kuki groups launch protests after CBI arrests 4 for the brutal murder of 2 Meitei students, call it ‘abduction’, demand release

A day after Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced the arrest of four persons responsible for the abduction and brutal killing of two Meitei students from Imphal, the Kuki-Zomi organizations have launched protests and called the arrest an ‘abduction’.

According to the reports, the action taken by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Lamka prompted the Indigenous Tribal Leader’s Forum (ITLF) to declare an indefinite shutdown in Churachandpur beginning on Monday, October 2.

The four persons who have been arrested by the NIA and CBI and two minors who were detained in the case are all Kukis. “We have arrested four persons identified as Paominlun Haokip, S Malsawn Haokip, Lhingneichong Baite, and Tinneilhing Henthang,” one of the CBI officials was quoted as saying.

On August 23, the CBI opened two investigations at the request of the Manipur government and took over the investigation of the cases that the State police had opened previously on the basis of complaints from the parents of the minor victim. “During the investigation of these cases, four persons have been arrested,” a CBI spokesperson stated.

The brutal murder of both the students, Phijam Hemjit (20) and Hijam Linthoingambi (17), rose to prominence only after pictures of them surfaced on social media on 25 September. They reportedly went missing on July 6 this year.

As reported earlier, one of the accused, Lhingneichong Baite, was a friend of Hijam Linthoingambi, the girl student who was murdered. In a joint operation, a crack unit of the Manipur Police and the Indian Army captured the suspects from the Churachandpur district, the epicentre of the ethnic violence in Manipur. Soon after their arrests, they were moved to Imphal airport, from where they were flown to Guwahati by a CBI team.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh also confirmed on Sunday, October 1 that the arrested accused had been taken to Guwahati by a special flight. This prompted the ITLF to launch a protest against the action taken by the NIA and CBI.

“The joint meeting of various Civil Society Organisations of Lamka tonight resolved to declare an indefinite shutdown in protest against the abduction in Lamka district starting from 10 am 2nd October 2023,” a notification issued by ITLF on Sunday, October 1 said.

“NIA and CBI are requested to release the 7 abductees within 48 hours, failing which more intense agitation will follow in all hill districts of Manipur,” it demanded.

However, it is said that the authorities have released the two minors detained by the police. The two are daughters of the main accused.

In an effort to protest this detention, the ITLF announced in its shutdown announcement that starting on Monday, all boundary regions with the Meitei will be sealed. “No one will be allowed to enter or leave the buffer zones. All government offices will be closed from tomorrow,” the notification reads. 

Services including water supply, press or media, medical services, the power department, and the ITLF staff have however been spared from the shutdown.

Manipur Chief Minister commented on the issue and said that the current crisis in Manipur is not a clash between ethnic groups but it is purely a war against the Indian Union by Myanmar and Bangladesh-based Kuki militants in collaboration with militant groups operating in Manipur.

“The crisis has been made to look like an ethnic or communal clash, or religion-based, or between the majority and minority groups. however, with the voice of people, the real cause has come up. As the issue is a war against the Indian Union, the Central government would further take up necessary measures to tackle it,” he was quoted as saying.

While Canada peddles ‘Indian interference’ theory, real story is Chinese meddling: Trudeau Foundation, Chinese donation saga and election meddling

Anurag
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While Canada peddles ‘Indian interference’ theory, real story is Chinese meddling: Trudeau Foundation, Chinese donation saga and election meddling

The India-Canada relationship was already sailing through troubled waters when Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau accused India of killing Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil without any evidence. His repeated attack on India, followed by Khalistani terrorists threatening the Indian Diaspora, worsened the relationship between the two nations. India recently called out Canada for sheltering gangsters, terrorists and criminals who are among the most wanted in India.

Other than Canada, only a handful of nations, including Pakistan and China, have sour relations with India. Interestingly, the family-run foundation of Justin Trudeau received a heavy donation from a person linked to China that has put it under scanner in Canada. Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation was founded in 2001. It is named after former Canadian Prime Minister and Justin Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau. Often called the Trudeau Foundation, the charity has been receiving substantial donations since Trudeau became Prime Minister.

Charity’s annual reports show that in the fiscal year 2014, it received donations worth CAD 1,22,151, which rose to CAD 6,34,461 in the fiscal year 2015 when Trudeau became PM. The financial statement for the 2021-22 financial year states it received CAD 6,32,592 in donations. Trudeau Foundation benefitted from Justin holding on to the country’s Prime Minister position.

The China link and election meddling

On 28th February, The Globe And Mail reported that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service tapped a conversation from 2014 between an unnamed China consulate in Canada and billionaire Zhang Bin. Bin is a political advisor to the Chinese government. Furthermore, he is a senior official in Beijing’s network of state promoters worldwide. The reports came at a time when the Canadian government was under pressure to investigate China and Russia’s alleged interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

As per the report, they discussed that there was a possibility that Liberals would defeat Conservatives in the 2015 elections. The diplomat instructed Bin to donate CAD 1 million to the Trudeau Foundation. It was further discussed that the Chinese government would reimburse Bin the money.

After Justin became PM in October 2015, Bin attended a fundraiser organised by the Liberal Party in Toronto, home of the Chinese Business Chamber of Canada chair Benson Wong. Justin was the guest of honour at the event.

Later, the Trudeau Foundation and the University of Montreal announced that Bin and another Chinese businessman, Nui Gensheng, pledged to donate $1 million. Out of the money from the Chinese businessmen, CAD 2,00,000 went to the foundation.

Following the controversy, Justin’s office released a statement saying he had nothing to do with the foundation since he became leader of the Liberal Party. The Canadian government was under immense pressure to investigate Chinese interference in the 2019 and 2021 elections. Reportedly, China allegedly covertly supported candidates in the elections, most of them Liberals. Soon after the controversy, foundation president Pascale Fournier said the donor reimbursed the money.

In March 2023, former Governor General David Johnston was appointed to head the committee formed to investigate election meddling allegations. However, his appointment was clouded by the allegations of him being close to the Trudeau family. Reportedly, Johnston was close to Pierre Trudeau. When Johnston was first appointed, CBC had reported that Trudeau and Johnston families often vacationed together.

In April 2023, the foundation’s president and board resigned due to controversy. The foundation said the controversy “has put great pressure on the foundation’s management and volunteer board of directors, as well as on our staff and our community.”

CBC News reported that the foundation issued a cheque to return the money soon after the controversy erupted. However, Radio-Canada reported the money was not returned as the cheque was not cashed. Interestingly, no one was able to accept the cheque issued by the foundation on behalf of the corporation that donated the money.

In May 2023, despite the pressure from the opposition, Justin Trudeau defended Johnston and said he would continue to investigate the alleged meddling in the elections. Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre called Johnston’s position a “fake job” owing to his connections to the Trudeau family.

In June 2023, David Johnston resigned from the post over allegations of bias. “When I undertook the task of the independent special rapporteur on foreign interference, my objective was to help build trust in our democratic institutions,” the former governor general wrote in his resignation letter sent to Justin. “I have concluded that, given the highly partisan atmosphere around my appointment and work, my leadership has had the opposite effect,” he added. Johnston claimed despite being friends with the Trudeau family, he was not in contact with them for over 40 years.

Months after his resignation, Quebec judge Marie-Josée Hogue was selected for the investigation in September 2023.

On September 21, the Commons Public Accounts Committee ordered the Auditor General to investigate taxpayers’ money used to bankroll the Trudeau Foundation. Notably, in a June hearing, Foundation chair Edward Johnson had said that the Foundation had two investments in the Chinese portfolio, including shares in Tencent Holdings Limited, a Shenzhen video game maker, and software company Baidu.com. In a statement, Bloc Québécois MP Nathalie Sinclair-Desgagné, who sponsored the motion to audit the Foundation’s funding, questioned how it received public funds worth CAD 125 million in 2002 as no other foundations have received public funds as the Trudeau Foundation did.

Canada PM accused India of killing Khalistani terrorist on Canadian soil

Tensions rose between India and Canada after Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau accused India of involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. Canada expelled an Indian diplomat after the allegations, but other allied countries refused to issue a joint statement against India.

In retaliation, India denied the allegations and expelled a Canadian diplomat. The dispute led to India stopping visa issuance to Canadian citizens and halting trade talks between the two countries. India had previously expressed concerns about increasing Khalistani activities in Canada, including speeches by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun during a so-called Khalistan referendum. It was also revealed that Nijjar was on the US No Fly list, leading to questions about why Canada was providing a haven for designated terrorists and organized crime, as noted by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

Pierre Trudeau shielded Khalistani terrorists

Trudeau’s family has a history of siding with Khalistani terrorists. His father, Pierre Trudeau, had refused the extradition request of Khalistani terrorist Talwinder Singh Parmar in 1982. As per reports, in that year, the Indian government under then-PM Indira Gandhi had sought the extradition of Parmar, who was accused of killing police officers. However, the Pierre Trudeau-led government declined the request.

In his book ‘Blood For Blood’, Canadian journalist Terry Milewski wrote about his incident. He said, “Canada can’t be compared to Pakistan as a springboard for Khalistani militants in the past forty years, but it has offered them the great advantage of a congenial legal and political environment. The meek Canadian response to the Khalistani challenge was a frequent target of Indian politicians as far back as 1982 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi complained about it to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.”

Parmar was the head of the Khalistani terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa. Later, in 1985, the organization bombed an Air India plane called Kanishka in midair off the coast of Ireland. A total of 329 people were killed in the attack, out of which 268 were Canadian citizens. Notably, Khalistani terrorists had vowed to kill at least 50,000 Hindus. Furthermore, Parmar had threatened that Indian planes would fall from the sky.

‘I lost to a transgender’: Defending champion Swapna Barman says after Telangana’s Nandini Agasara wins bronze medal in Asian Games

OpIndia Staff
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‘I lost to a transgender’: Defending champion Swapna Barman says after Telangana’s Nandini Agasara wins bronze medal in Asian Games

India’s champion heptathlete Swapna Barman has leveled grave allegations after losing the bronze medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games to fellow Indian Nandini Agasara.

Swapna Barman has accused Nandini Agasara of being a ‘transgender’. “I have lost my Asian Games bronze medal to a transgender women at the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. I want my medal back as it is against the rules of our Athletics. Help me and support me please. #protestforfairplay“, Barman tweeted after losing to Nandini by just 4 points in the women’s heptathlon event to finish fourth.

Telangana’s Nandini Agasara went ahead of Swapna in the 800m race in the women’s heptathlon event. The 20-year-old Nandini finished with an overall total of 5712 points, her personal best so far. Before the 800m race, Nandini had also won the 200m race, which got her 936 points.

Standing on the podium with her bronze medal, an emotional Nandini dedicated her feat to her late father, a tea seller who had nurtured his daughter’s dream through his meager earnings. Nandini stated, “He raised me, he did everything for me. But I lost him last December.”

Nandini finished third in the long jump, sealing the bronze medal.

Swapna Barman, India’s start heptathlete who had won the 2018 Asian Games Gold, finished fourth with 5708 points. She lost the bronze medal by just 4 points. China’s Zheng Ninali claimed the gold medal with a season-best score of 6149 while Uzbekistan’s Ekaterina Voronina placed second with 6056 points.

Swapna Barman made headlines after she clinched the gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games in a stunning performance. She had a pain patch on her face due to a bad toothache and did not have proper shoes to fit her six-toes feet. Despite physical difficulties and a life of struggle through poverty, Barman had overcome all odds to win gold for India in the Jakarta Asian Games.

‘Justin Trudeau is trying to crush free speech in Canada’, says Elon Musk after govt initiates censorship for podcasts

ANI
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‘Justin Trudeau is trying to crush free speech in Canada’, says Elon Musk after govt initiates censorship for podcasts

SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk slammed the Justin Trudeau government in Canada for “crushing free speech” in the country. 
His remark came in wake of a recent order of the Canada government which makes it compulsory for online streaming services to formally register with the government for ‘regulatory controls’. 

Musk was responding to a post by journalist and author Glenn Greenwald who was commenting on the ruling. 

“The Canadian government, armed with one of the world’s most repressive online censorship schemes, announces that all “online streaming services that offer podcasts” must formally register with the government to permit regulatory controls,” Greenwald posted on X (formerly Twitter) 

Responding to this, Elon Musk stated, “Trudeau is trying to crush free speech in Canada. Shameful”.

Notably, this is not the first time the Trudeau government is being accused of acting against free speech. 

In February 2022, Trudeau invoked emergency powers — for the first time in country’s history — to arm his government with more power to respond to the trucker protests, who were opposing the vaccine mandates at that time.  

Meanwhile, the Canadian PM created an uproar after he alleged India’s role in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 
However, India has outrightly rejected the claims, calling it ‘absurd’ and ‘motivated’. 

Notably, Canada has yet to provide any public evidence to support the claim about the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 
India has suspended its visa services in Canada, following Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau’s allegations of Indian involvement in the killing. 

Amid strained ties, India issued an advisory for its citizens and those who are traveling to Canada to exercise “utmost caution in view of growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence” in the country.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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