Three years after Tripura journalist Santanu Bhowmik murder, family is still waiting for justice

Agartala, Tripura: Three years after journalist Santanu Bhowmik was hacked to death while covering a political protest at Mandwi village in Tripura, his family is still waiting for justice.

Santanu Bhowmik, a journalist with Channel DinRaat, a local cable television channel, was killed on September 20, 2017. Speaking to indianexpress.com, Santanu’s mother Papri Nag Bhowmik, 55, Sunday said she wants to see her son get justice before she dies. Bhowmik, who serves in a clerical position with the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC), said: “My son is gone. I just want to see his criminals brought to justice before I die. What else can I ask for?”

Santanu’s sister Pinki Bhowmik, who was pursuing BSc in Horticulture outside Tripura at the time of his death, has now finished her studies and is staying with her mother. His estranged father Sadhan Bhowmik, who had expressed distrust in the then-Left government’s probe and sought CBI inquiry, could not be reached for comment.

Barely two months after Santanu’s killing, Sudip Dutta Bhowmik, of Syandan Patrika, a local Bengali newspaper, was shot inside Tripura State Rifles (TSR) 2nd battalion headquarters at RK Nagar in West Tripura on November 21. Their murders had been among the key issues on which Tripura’s 2018 Assembly polls were fought.

Then-ruling CPI(M) had accused Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) cadres of being involved in Santanu’s killing. However, IPFT, now a partner in the state government with the BJP, had rubbished the allegations. 

The Left Front government had formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the issue, a move opposed by journalists, who demanded a CBI probe.

This demand found place in the BJP’s Vision Document for the Assembly polls, and shortly after taking charge, Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb handed over the case to the CBI. However, two years later, journalists are angry with the slow progress of the investigation. On Sunday, several memorial programmes were held for Santanu, where the demand to bring his killers to book was repeated.

Santanu’s news channel remembered him in a programme Sunday morning. Samir Dhar, Executive Editor of Channel DinRaat, offered floral tributes in memory of the late journalist and said, “We haven’t got justice for Santanu’s death yet. He was working to expose people conspiring to destabilise peace in the state. He was brutally killed”.

A group of journalists under the banner of Tripura Assembly of Journalists (TAJ) held a condolence meeting in Santanu’s memory in front of Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhawan in Agartala.

TAJ Chairerson Subal Kumar Dey said, “Justice for Santanu is yet to come. The entire family is helpless today, though the previous government paid Rs 10 lakh compensation to them. The incumbent government has handed over investigation to the CBI, but is not interested in actual progress.” A separate condolence meeting was held at the Agartala Press Club, where club secretary Pranab Sarkar offered tributes to Santanu.

India: Delhi Journalist Rajeev Sharma arrested on charges of spying, sold sensitive information to Chinese intelligence agencies

New Delhi: A freelance journalist who was arrested on charges of spying two days ago, was allegedly passing on sensitive information to Chinese intelligence agencies, said Delhi police on saturday, claiming to have a busted a major spying operation amid soaring tensions between the two countries.

The Delhi Police said it has also arrested a Chinese woman and her Nepalese associate, and claimed that they were paying huge amounts of money to the freelance journalist Rajeev Sharma for allegedly providing sensitive information."Special Cell has arrested a freelance journalist, Rajeev Sharma, for passing sensitive information to Chinese intelligence. One Chinese lady and her Nepalese associate have also been arrested for paying him large amounts of money routed through shell companies. Chinese intelligence tasked the journalist for conveying sensitive information in lieu of large amounts of money," the police said.

"Huge number of mobile phones, laptops and other incriminating and sensitive material have been recovered," the police said. Mr Sharma, a journalist accredited with the Press Information Bureau (PIB) who lived in Delhi's Pitampura, was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on Monday.

"He was found to be in possession of some classified defence-related documents. The investigation is in progress and further details will be shared in due course," senior police officer Sanjeev Kumar Yadav had said on Friday.

According to the police, Mr Sharma was getting $1,000 for each piece of information and was paid Rs. 30 lakh in one-and-a-half years. He wrote on defence-related issues for China's Global Times and was contacted by Chinese agents in 2016, the police said.

Sharply criticising the arrest the "well-known independent journalist of long standing", the Press Club of India (PCI) called the move "high-handed" and alleged that it "may be inspired by obscure or questionable considerations".

"This is on account of the dubious track record of the Special Cell. More generally also, the record of Delhi Police is hardly a shining one," it said.

"Of late, Delhi Police, including its Special Cell, have made preposterous arrests under the lawless law called UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) in which the word of the government is enough to keep an innocent person behind bars for long periods. These have happened in matters relating to anti-CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) protests and the carefully designed communal killings in the so-called February 2020 riots in northeast Delhi," the PCI said. 

The arrests come amid a months-long border standoff between India and China in Ladakh that peaked on June 15, when 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the line of duty - a first in more than four decades. Even after that, there have been repeated attempts by the Chinese troops to recapture the heights occupied by the Indian soldiers.

27-year-old female TV journalist Murdered in Pakistan, Five bullets were fired in Balochistan

Islamabad, Pakistan: A woman journalist was shot dead at her home in Turbat area of Balochistan’s Kech district on Saturday evening allegedly by her husband, police said.

Shaheena Shaheen, was a local anchor at PTV

This is the latest incident in a series of gruesome examples of domestic violence in Pakistan. The victim- Shaheena Shaheen, was a local anchorperson at PTV and editor of a local magazine. She was also a student of fine arts at the University Of Balochistan. It is believed her husband killed Shaheen because she was becoming famous in her area, a conservative part of Balochistan. In a report compiled in 2018, it was estimated that 50 people, including 30 women, had been killed in the name of honour in Balochistan.

The report was compiled by The Aurat Foundation- a non-governmental organisation- working for protection of the rights of women and shared with the public at a press conference in Quetta, the provincial capital. According to programme officer Muhammad Ashfaq Mengal, the victims were mostly killed by close relatives, including husbands, brothers and other relatives in the name of so-called honour and small family feuds.

This seems to be the case behind the death of Shaheen as well. “The killing was the result of domestic violence,” Kech superintendent of police Najeebullah Pandrani said, adding that police were investigating the murder. He said no arrests had been made so far. However, Shaheen’s family lodged a first information report (FIR) against her husband, whom she married five months ago. Her body was shifted to her residence for burial, police said.

Slovakia: Court acquitted the businessman in the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak, victim family disappointed

Pezinok, Slovakia: A panel of judges in Slovakia has acquitted a businessman accused of masterminding the slayings of an investigative journalist and his fiancee. Judge Ruzena Sabova at the Specialized Criminal Court in Pezinok announced the verdict on Thursday.

The verdict, handed down by a special criminal court that handles the country’s most serious cases, can be appealed in Slovakia’s Supreme Court. It is likely to draw scrutiny, because the murder ignited outrage across Slovakia and led to calls for reform. The journalist, Jan Kuciak, 27, was shot and killed with his fiancée, Martina Kusnirova, in February 2018 in his home in Velka Maca, a village outside Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava.

Their bodies were discovered days after the murder, and as evidence mounted that Mr. Kuciak was the target of an assassination, the killings set off the largest nationwide protests since the 1989 Velvet Revolution. The protests brought hundreds of thousands of people to the streets calling for a thorough investigation and condemning the systemic corruption that has long plagued the small Central European nation.


The victim’s families left the courtroom, many in tears, after the judge announced the verdict, saying they would appeal to the Supreme Court. “I’m very disappointed — I expected more of our justice system,” said Jozef Kuciak, the murdered journalist’s father. “But we’re definitely not giving up.”

Calls to restart investigation on #JanKuciak and Martina Kusnirova murders, "only then our faith in justice in Slovakia will be restored", IPI Vice Chair and @denniksme editor-in-chief @BalogovaBeata says

Full statement: https://t.co/USaLeddH9s pic.twitter.com/NTRig84zig

— IPI - The Global Network for Press Freedom (@globalfreemedia) September 3, 2020

The verdict came as a shock to many observers in Slovakia, and experts said it was likely to exacerbate the distrust that many Slovaks already have for the justice system and rule of law in their country.

“Despite the fact that I respect the decision of the court, I think justice was not found today,” said Michal Vasecka, a sociologist at the Bratislava Policy Institute. “And what is much worse, I think nobody ever looked for it in the first place.” The murders shocked the country and led to calls for sweeping reforms.

“The murder of Jan Kuciak and Martina Kusnirova has opened a window of opportunities, reflected by the society in a mass movement,” said Erik Lastic, the head of the political science department at Comenius University in Bratislava.

But the acquittal of Mr. Kocner and one of his associates, Alena Zsuzsovs, is likely to attract renewed scrutiny to the system. Another man on trial for the crime — Tomas Szabo, a former soldier — was found guilty and sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Russia To Keep former newspaper journalist Accused of Treason Behind Bars: Court

Moscow: A Russian court on Wednesday ordered former newspaper journalist Ivan Safronov to be kept in custody for another three months pending trial on charges of state treason that have sent a chill through Russia’s media landscape.

Safronov, who left journalism and began working at Russia’s space agency in May, was detained by security agents outside his flat on July 7 and accused of passing military secrets to the Czech Republic in 2017, a charge he denies. He could face up to two decades in jail if found guilty at a trial that is likely to be held behind closed doors because of the sensitive nature of the charges.

Some Russian journalists and rights advocates fear he is the victim of a crackdown on the media and that the secrecy surrounding the case is being used to conceal bogus charges. 

Safronov committed the alleged crime when working as a journalist covering military affairs for the Kommersant newspaper.

Georgia man who struck female reporter's rear pleads guilty to sexual battery, Imprisonment for one year

Georgia, US: A Georgia man who was seen slapping a female reporter's rear on live TV pleaded guilty Tuesday to a misdemeanor charge of sexual battery. Thomas Callaway was sentenced to a year on probation and fined $1,000 after entering his plea, according to records filed in Chatham County Recorder's Court. The judge also ordered him to perform 200 hours of community service. 

Callaway, 44, was arrested and charged in December after he was caught on camera swatting the rear end of WSAV-TV reporter Alex Bozarjian as she was reporting live on a Savannah road race. Callaway was running in the race and reached out to strike a stunned Bozarjian as he passed her. A video clip of the incident was viewed millions of times on social media.

Check out this jerk smacking a @WSAV reporter's ass live on air. And sorry, that's my kiddo making horribly timed weird noises in the background. pic.twitter.com/6tzi6P1Jbo

— Tonya (@GrrrlZilla) December 7, 2019

"He took my power, and I'm trying to take that back," Bozarjian told "CBS This Morning" in December, adding, "I think what it really comes down to is that he helped himself to a part of my body." Under Georgia law, sexual battery is punishable by up a year in jail.

Before his arrest last year, Callaway gave an on-camera apology and said he never intended to slap the reporter's rear. He said he was raising his arm trying to pat her on the back or the shoulder and did not realize until seeing the video that he had touched her buttocks. 


"All I really hope is that, going forward in the future, he will do better," Bozarjian told WSAV-TV  after court Tuesday. "While I understand that this has probably disrupted his life more than he ever imagined," she said, "nobody has a right to touch anybody or slap anybody for their own amusement."

Bozarjian told CBS News in December the encounter made her feel "extremely vulnerable." "I would say the reason why maybe it caught so much fire is because the emotion is extremely relatable for women all over the world," she said.  


There are a number of accounts of female reporters being harassed while doing their jobs. A 2018 survey by the International Women's Media Foundation reported 58% of female journalists surveyed indicated they had been threatened or harassed in person, and 26% said they had been physically attacked.


Last year, a reporter was kissed on air by a man while covering a music festival in Kentucky. In 2018, multiple reporters were subject to kiss attempts by strangers during live reports from the World Cup in Russia.

Kerala: Television Journalist Questioned Over Alleged Link to Key Accused in Gold Smuggling Case

Kerala:The Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate probing the Kerala gold smuggling case on Thursday interrogated a senior journalist over his alleged link with key accused Swapna Suresh, official sources said.

The journalist of a Malayalam TV news channel was grilled based on a statement given by Suresh during her custodial interrogation about her acquaintance with him, they said. Sources said the journalist had allegedly telephoned Suresh a couple of times when the media started reporting that the Customs had refused to release the diplomatic cargo, in which smuggled gold was concealed, to the UAE consulate authorities in Thiruvananthapuram.

The scribe, who was interrogated for around five hours at the office of the Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, has not made any public comments about the development in the case related to smuggling of gold using diplomatic channels. Besides the customs, the case is also being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Official sources said all those who had close association with the accused will be summoned for questioning. Meanwhile, a Special Court for PMLA (the Prevention of Money Laundering Act) cases here has further extended the judicial remand of Suresh and two other accused Sarith PS and Sandeep Nair.

In a report filed in the court seeking extension of judicial remand of the accused, the Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday had said Suresh kept the proceeds of the crime in a bank locker jointly opened with a third person as per the instruction of suspended IAS officer M Sivasankar. Earlier, the ED had said when Suresh was questioned, she revealed her "closeness" with Sivasankar, who was removed as the principal secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan after his links to the accused in the case surfaced.

"The secretary was fully aware that her integrity is dubious. This is leading to a situation for further questioning of Sivasankar," the agency had said. The ED had recorded formal arrest of the accused Sarith, Suresh and Nair on July 22 while they were in NIA custody.

During the probe into the case, it has come to light that the accused had smuggled gold worth over Rs 100 crore through diplomatic baggage addressed to the UAE consulate at Thiruvananthapuram since November last year. The NIA has so far arraigned 25 people as accused in the case and of them 20, including Suresh, Sarith and Sandeep Nair, have been arrested.

India: Police officer suspended, 6 arrested in UP journalist Ratan Singh murder case

Ballia, UP, India: A police officer was suspended in connection with the murder of a journalist working with a Hindi news channel here while six accused have been arrested so far in the case, police said on Tuesday.

On the complaint lodged by the father of journalist Ratan Singh (45) against 10 people, six accused-Sushil Singh, Dinesh Singh, Arvind Singh, Suneel Singh, Vir Bahadur Singh and Vinay Singh have been arrested so far, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Sanjay Yadav said. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to the family of the deceased and offered condolences. An official spokesperson in Lucknow said the chief minister has directed officials to ensure strict action against the accused.

Ratan Singh was shot dead on Monday night in Phephana Police Station area. The police station in-charge of Phephna, Shashi Mauli Pandey, has been suspended and efforts are on to nab the remaining accused, the ASP said. The ASP said that the journalist’s father, Vinod Singh, alleged that Sonu Singh of the same village had called his son at around 8 pm and invited him to his house where the accused were waiting with lathis and a revolver and they killed Ratan Singh.

Meanwhile, the Ballia Working Journalist Union has demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 1 crore and a government job for the wife of the deceased. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar had stated on Monday night that Ratan Singh had a property dispute with his neighbour and after a fight between the two, he was shot at.

“Accused Dinesh Singh is parcener (pattidar) of Ratan Singh. The reason of the fight, which led to murder of the journalist is old enmity and property dispute with the neighbour,” the senior police officer said. He categorically stated that Ratan Singh’s killing had nothing to do with him being a journalist. “Action under the National Security Act and Gangster Act will also be ensured against the accused,” he said.

India: Journalist Shot shot dead in UP state, second such incident within a month

Balliya, UP, India: A journalist working with a Hindi news channel was on Monday night shot dead in Balliya district of Uttar Pradesh.

The journalist, identified as Ratan Singh, was killed in the Fefana area of the Balliya district on Monday, the police said. "Ratan Singh, a journalist working with a Hindi news channel was shot dead on Monday night in Phephana. He has been identified as Ratan Singh (45). We are investigating the case,” Additional Superintendent of Police Sanjay Yadav said. According to a police officer, the shooter was an associate of the victim. The police said that the journalist was killed after a fight with his associate turned violent.

"He was shot dead at the residence of the village head. It's being told that they had some old dispute. The investigation is underway. All accused will be arrested soon," SP Devendra Nath said.

This is the second incident in Uttar Pradesh where a journalist has been shot dead. Earlier on July 22, a journalist, Vikram Joshi, was shot at by miscreants in Ghaziabad near Delhi days after he had filed a police complaint over harassment of his niece. He was travelling with his daughters when a group of men sprayed him with bullets in front of his children.

Vikram Joshi was rushed to a hospital, but he succumbed to injuries two days later. Vikram Joshi's death and a recent spate of crime against women and children in the state has already put the Yogi Aditynatah-led BJP government in a spot. Another journalist's death is most likely to draw more ire against the ruling dispensation in UP.

Judgement for journalist: Mexican reporter's killer El Larry jailed for 50 years

Mexico City: A Mexican judge has sentenced the man convicted of ordering the 2017 murder of prominent journalist Miroslava Breach to 50 years imprisonment, a singular judgement in one of the deadliest countries globally for media.

The sentence of Juan Carlos Moreno, also known as "El Larry," was announced by the state prosecutor's office Saturday. He had been convicted of being the "intellectual author" of Breach's murder, one of the few such media killings to be solved in the country. Mexico is regularly rated by journalism watchdog Reporters Without Borders as one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists. Breach, who covered the country's drug war, was one of 11 journalists murdered in 2017. More than 100 have killed since 2000, but 90 percent of the murders remain unresolved.

Prosecutors said in a statement that the 50-year sentence set a precedent in cases involving crimes against free expression, adding it was the longest sentence to date for such crimes. Propuesta Civica, a non-governmental organization that advocates for human rights and free expression, said Moreno's sentence "represents an important precedent in the fight against impunity for crimes against journalists in this, the most violent country for the press."

But the organization called for further investigations of others involved in Breach's murder, as well as an inquiry into the "possible involvement of officials of the current government of Chihuahua." Breach, a 54-year-old veteran crime and politics reporter for the newspapers La Jornada and Norte de Juarez, was found dead inside her car with gunshot wounds to the head on March 23, 2017 in Chihuahua state.

One of her last stories was on a war between two rival capos in the Juarez drug cartel. Prosecutors said she was murdered "with premeditation" after being sent intimidating messages meant to impinge on her freedom of expression. Ramon Zavala, wanted for allegedly being the gunman who actually shot Breach, was himself killed in late 2017 by unidentified assailants.

In 2018 the United Nations and AFP launched an award to honor journalists who risk their lives to cover human rights abuses in Mexico, in tribute to Breach and another slain journalist, Javier Valdez.

Malta Police Question Former PM Joseph Muscat About Killing of Journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia

Valletta, Malta: Police on Friday questioned former Malta Prime Minister Joseph Muscat about testimony given to officers by businessman Yorgen Fenech, the suspected mastermind of the death of anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Muscat resigned after it was revealed he was friends with and had received expensive gifts from Fenech, who is awaiting trial for alleged complicity in Caruana Galizia’s death. Fenech denies the charges. The former premier was at police headquarters just outside Valletta for about an hour Friday. He told journalists as he walked out that he had been questioned in relation to Fenech's statement to police, details of which were reported by the Sunday Times of Malta.

"I replied to all their questions, and the police confirmed again that I am not considered a suspect," Muscat told reporters. Police have not commented. A car bomb killed Caruana Galizia in October 2017. Three other men are accused of setting off the bomb and are awaiting trial. Fenech, one of Malta's top businessmen, was arrested in November.


Muscat announced his resignation immediately after Fenech's arraignment and stepped down in January. Fenech also had links with Muscat's then chief of staff, Keith Schembri.

Media have reported Fenech told investigators that Muscat asked him if Schembri featured in secret recordings made by Melvin Theuma, the self-confessed middleman in the murder plot who is cooperating with police and has turned state’s evidence. Fenech reportedly replied that he was doing his best to protect Schembri.


A Fenech company won a contract from Muscat's government to build a power station in 2014, and a Dubai-based company owned by Fenech was identified in a Reuters investigation as a vehicle to funnel funds to secret Panama companies owned by Schembri and former Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi. Both resigned shortly before Muscat. Both deny wrongdoing and no evidence has emerged that money was exchanged.

Journalist Vikram Joshi murder case: Ghaziabad Police file 2000 page chargesheet against 10 suspects

Ghaziabad, UP: The State Police have filed a 2,000-page chargesheet against 10 suspects in the murder of journalist Vikram Joshi. The police have also charge-sheeted three of the 10 suspects who were named in another case related to the harassment of Joshi’s niece.

“We have filed a charge sheet in connection with the murder case against 10 suspects, all of whom were nabbed. We have also initiated action against them under the Uttar Pradesh Gangsters and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. A charge sheet is also filed against three suspects in connection with the case of harassment of his niece. Both the charge sheets have been sent to the appropriate court,” said Kalanidhi Naithani, senior superintendent of police, Ghaziabad.

On the night of July 20, 35-year-old Joshi, who was on a motorcycle with his two minor daughters, was cornered by a group of men and one of them allegedly shot him in head. Joshi had succumbed to head injuries on July 21.


It is alleged that the incident resulted from a fight between Joshi’s family and the group of suspects on July 16 over the harassment of Joshi’s niece. The family alleged that the police did not lodge Joshi’s complaint in which he had accused the suspects of harassing his niece. An FIR on this complaint was registered under IPC sections 354 (outraging modesty of woman), 323 (causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult) at Vijay Nagar police station only the day after Joshi was shot.

The two cases were later transferred from Vijay Nagar police station to Kotwali police station. The 10 suspects arrested in connection with the murder case have been identified as Ravi Kumar, Akash Bihari, Shahnoor alias Chotu (who goes by a single name and is the man who allegedly fired at Joshi), Mohit Kumar, Dalvir Singh, Akash Nath, Yogendra Singh, Abhishek Kant, Abhishek Mota and Mohammad Shakir.

Three suspects – Ravi Kumar, Akash Bihari and Shahnoor alias Chotu – are further chargesheeted in the second case related to harassment of Joshi’s niece, the police said. The SSP had suspended the local police post in-charge for not filing family’s complaint on July 16, and two days later also suspended the SHO of Vijay Nagar police station on account of lax supervision.

Washington mass shooting: 21 injured in Southeast DC, teenage boy died

Washington DC, US: At least 21 people were shot in Washington DC overnight on Sunday including a teenage boy who died after gunfire broke out during a neighborhood street party where hundreds of people had gathered, the city's police chief said.

"There were certainly way too many people out here, you know, with the COVID-19. It was a huge gathering," Police Chief Peter Newsham told reporters during a Sunday morning news conference at the scene of the shooting in Southeast Washington.

Police reported to a shooting around 12:20 am local time at what some local media described as an annual block party 'cook-out'.

Washington DC is under limited COVID stay-at-home measures during its phased reopening including a ban on public groups larger than 50 people. "When we say that we can't have large events, is to keep the entire community safe," Mayor Muriel Bowser said at the news conference. An off duty female police officer was among the injured and was facing grave life threatening injuries, Newsham said.

The dead 17-year-old's mother was at the scene on Sunday morning and told reporters she was numb with shock and grief.

"I really don't understand how my child's life is just gone," Artecka Brown told reporters.

Shocking: US officials uncover 'sophisticated' smuggling tunnel on Mexican border

San Luis: U.S. authorities have discovered an unfinished 1,300-foot (400-meter) tunnel under the U.S.-Mexico border, calling it an unusually sophisticated smuggling route complete with ventilation and a rail system.

The tunnel was found on Tuesday (August 4) in the desert near San Luis, Arizona by federal agents led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's investigative (ICE) arm, the agency said on Friday. Authorities have located hundreds of tunnels over the years under the Southwest border, saying they are used by drug cartels and criminal organizations to smuggle narcotics, people and weapons back and forth between the two countries.

The tunnel found this week measured 3 feet by 4 feet (91 cm by 1.22 meters) and included a ventilation system, water lines, electrical wiring, rail system, extensive reinforcement authorities said. Federal agents drilled and used underground cameras to investigate the tunnel after discovering a sinkhole near cross-border fencing in mid-July, ICE said.

Vinny Dulesky, a Public Affairs agent for Yuma Sector U.S. Border Patrol, said the tunnel appeared to be one of the most sophisticated tunnels ever seen in U.S. history. In January this year, CBP announced federal agents had discovered the longest cross-border smuggling tunnel ever found along the Southwest border, originating in Baja California, Mexico. It measured 4,309 feet (1,300 meters).

President Donald Trump has pledged to build a wall on the border with Mexico to stop illegal crossings and drug trafficking, but critics point to tunnels as one way people can get around such a barrier.

No relief to INX Media Co-Founder Indrani Mukerjea, special CBI Court rejects bail plea

Indrani Mukerjea with Peter 

Mumbai: A special CBI court here rejected the bail plea of Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, noting that the possibility of the accused influencing prosecution witnesses cannot be ruled out.

After failing to secure bail multiple times on medical grounds, Mukerjea in December last year filed another plea, seeking bail on "merits" of the case. Special CBI court judge J C Jagdale rejected the plea on Wednesday. The court observed thatsome important case witnesses like Rahul Mukerjea, son of accused Peter Mukerjea, and Vidhi, daughter of Indrani Mukerjea and her former husband and co- accused Sanjeev Khanna, were yet to be examined.

"There is no doubt that the accused is an influential and wealthyperson. Therefore, the possibility of influencing prosecution witnesses cannot be ruled out," the judge said. While arguing for bail, Indrani Mukerjea told court that the prosecution's case was "false and baseless" and she had nearly 120 documents to prove it.

She submitted that there is no scientific evidence to prove that the crime happened. She pointed out inconsistencies in the evidence put forth by the prosecution to prove her role as a conspirator and one of the killers of her daughter Sheena Bora. She also raised doubt about the "credibility and legality" of the probe.

Indrani Mukerjea claimed there are numerous contradictions in the testimonies of prosecution witnesses, including accused-turned-approver Shayamwar Rai. "They have either contradicted their own statements, or the statements of other witnesses, or the prosecutions story itself," she had submitted. However, the judge in his order observed that in the middle of trial, the court cannot declare that the part evidence is either wholly reliable, or partly reliable, or totally unreliable.

"At the present juncture, the courtcannot conclude that the evidence led by Shyamvar Rai (approver) has falsified or suffered from fatal infirmities due to cross-examination of the said witness," the court noted. The judge further observed that at this stage, the trial court cannot pass a final conclusion about the evidentiary value of the witnesses.

"In my opinion, the accused and the advocate concerned should co-operate with the trial court to finish the said trial," the judge added. Indrani Mukerjea is currently lodged at the Byculla women's jail in Mumbai. Last month, the court rejected her another bail plea, citing the risk of contracting coronavirus in the wake of the disease outbreak in the jail.

Sheena Bora (24) was allegedly strangled in a car by Indrani Mukerjea, her then driver Shyamvar Rai and Sanjeev Khanna in April 2012. Her body was burnt in a forest in neighbouring Raigad district. Indrani Mukerjea was arrested in August 2015. 

Former media baron Peter Mukerjea was also later arrested for allegedly being part of the conspiracy. He is currently out on bail, which was granted by the Bombay High Court earlier this year. His 17-year-old marriage to Indrani Mukerjea ended during the period of incarceration as the two got divorced in October last year.

Armed men destroy 14 trucks in southern Chile in suspected Mapuche attack

Boulevard casino Dreams: A group of armed men burned 14 trucks, machinery, and the offices of a construction company in southern Chile on Wednesday night amid an ongoing years-long conflict between the state and the Mapuche indigenous group.

The incident appeared to be intentional and the evidence gathered at the scene linked the fires to a resistance group formed by the indigenous Mapuche, said Chief Police of Cautin providence, Cesar Bobadilla. On Sunday Chilean police arrested fifty people after they registered fires and destruction in various municipal offices and other incidents in La Araucania region.

La Araucania, where the Mapuche population is concentrated, is one of the regions with the highest poverty rates in Chile. Members of the Mapuche indigenous group have long-standing disputes with companies in the area, mainly forestry, and the state in demand for restitution of ancestral territorial rights.

'They lost everything': MSF France says aid response to Beirut blast lacking

Beirut/Paris: A senior official of Doctors Without Borders on Wednesday said aid organisations did not "respond sufficiently" to the aftermath of the massive blast that killed more than 100 in Lebanon.

Mego Terzian, the head of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) in France, who is himself French and Lebanese, said he had family living near the port of Beirut, where the explosion took place on Tuesday evening. Lebanese rescue teams pulled out bodies and hunted for missing in the wreckage of buildings on Wednesday as investigations blamed negligence for a massive warehouse explosion that sent a devastating blast wave across Beirut, killing at least 135.

More than 5,000 people were injured in Tuesday's explosion at Beirut port, Health Minister Hamad Hassan said, and up to 250,000 were left without homes fit to live in after shockwaves smashed building facades, sucked furniture out into streets and shattered windows miles inland.

MSF, who has teams in the north of Lebanon, the Bekaa valley, south Beirut and Saida, are supporting hospitals in Beirut, Terzian said. He added that MSF has sent donations, including trauma kits, to Lebanese health authorities. He expressed concern that the blast would pose "major risks" to the COVID-19 situation in Lebanon and would worsen the country's already burdensome financial management woes.

The explosion was the most powerful ever to rip through Beirut, a city still scarred by civil war that ended three decades ago and reeling from an economic meltdown and a surge in coronavirus infections. Terzian said he predicts it would take about a month before the fallout from the explosion stabilises.

German specialist emergency teams assist the local authorities in Beirut after port blast

Frankfurt: Germany sent aid and rescue teams on Wednesday to assist the local authorities in Beirut after a devastating blast tore through the city's port, killing at least 135.

The German THW, the technical emergency organisation, and ISAR Germany, the International Search and Rescue teams boarded a flight from Frankfurt on Wednesday evening destined for Beirut. On board are search and rescue dogs, medical assessment teams as well as 15 tonnes of equipment and tools, Timo Eilhard, Chief of Operations of the THW told Reuters.

Lebanese rescue teams continued to pull out bodies and hunt for missing persons in the wreckage of buildings on Wednesday, as investigations blamed negligence for the massive warehouse explosion that sent a destructive blast wave across Beirut.

More than 5,000 people were injured in Tuesday's explosion at Beirut port, Health Minister Hamad Hassan said, and up to 250,000 were left without homes fit to live in after shockwaves smashed building facades, sucked furniture out into streets and shattered windows miles inland. The death toll was expected to rise from the blast, which officials blamed on a huge stockpile of highly explosive material stored for years in unsafe conditions at the port.

The explosion was the most powerful ever to rip through Beirut, a city still scarred by civil war that ended three decades ago and reeling from an economic meltdown and a surge in the coronavirus infections. The blast also rattled buildings on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, about 100 miles (160 km) away.

France: Eiffel Tower goes dark to commemorate victims of Beirut blast

Paris, France: Paris' Eiffel Tower switched off its lights an hour earlier than usual on Wednesday, August 5 to commemorate the victims of an explosion in Beirut.

Earlier in the evening, a candlelit vigil was held outside the Sacre Coeur in Paris where people stood in silence, draped in Lebanese flags. In Beirut on Wednesday, rescue teams pulled out bodies and hunted for missing in the wreckage of buildings on as investigations blamed negligence for the massive warehouse explosion that sent a devastating blast wave across the Lebanese capital, killing at least 135.

More than 5,000 other people were injured in Tuesday's (August 4) explosion at Beirut port, authorities said, and up to 250,000 were left without homes fit to live in after shockwaves smashed building facades, sucked furniture out into streets and shattered windows miles inland.

Two French planes were expected to arrive on Thursday (August 6) with 55 rescuers, medical equipment and a mobile clinic. French President Emmanuel Macron will also visit Lebanon on Thursday. Other Arab and European countries are sending doctors, mobile hospitals and equipment.

The United States, Britain and other Western nations, which have been demanding political and economic change in Lebanon, also offered aid. Germany, the Netherlands and Cyprus offered specialised search and rescue teams.