South Korea: Special counsel raids shaman linked to ex-first lady Kim

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Seoul, July 15 (IANS) Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki’s team investigating various allegations involving former first lady Kim Keon Hee on Tuesday raided the office of a controversial shaman linked to her alleged acceptance of luxury gifts from a religious group three years ago.

The team sent prosecutors and investigators to the office of shaman Jeon Seong-bae, also known as Geon Jin, in Yeoksam-dong, southern Seoul, in the morning to secure documents and computer files related to his suspected delivery of gifts to Kim.

Jeon is suspected of receiving a diamond necklace and an expensive bag from a high-ranking Unification Church official between April and August of 2022, soon after Yoon Suk Yeol’s election as president in March of the same year, and delivering the gifts to Kim, Yonhap news agency reported.

The church official reportedly demanded some business favors from the Yoon government in return for the alleged gifts. Jeon has said he received the gifts but lost them all.

The special counsel team has been investigating 16 criminal allegations against the former first lady, including her alleged role in stock price manipulation schemes and her alleged meddling in election nominations.

Assistant Special Prosecutor Moon Hong-ju told reporters the team has filed for a warrant to detain Kim Ye-seong, a close acquaintance of the former first lady who it believes fled to Vietnam in April.

“We take it that neither Kim nor his wife has any intention to return home voluntarily and appear (for questioning) as they have not reached out to the special counsel,” Moon said.

In the event a warrant is issued, Moon said the team will take steps to invalidate his passport.

Kim Ye-seong, who is often dubbed the butler of the former first lady’s family, is suspected of receiving 18 billion won ($13.1 million) in dubious investments from several companies through his rental car company IMS in 2023.

–IANS

int/bpd/rs

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Tribal warrior Telanga Kharia who defied British rule remembered on 219th birth anniversary in Jharkhand

Ranchi, Feb 9 (IANS) The 1857 revolution is cited as India’s first war of independence, but the tribal warriors of Jharkhand (then Chhotanagpur) had already begun their struggle against British rule years before. Among these valiant fighters was Telanga Kharia, whose 219th birth anniversary is being observed with great reverence in Jharkhand on Sunday.

Born on February 9, 1806, in Murgu village under the Sisai police station (now in Gumla district, Jharkhand), Telanga Kharia ignited the flames of rebellion against British exploitation in the minds of people. Nearly a decade before the 1857 revolt, he organised village panchayats across Jharkhand to resist colonial oppression.

These panchayats mobilised thousands, forming armed squads to challenge British rule. Alarmed by his growing influence, the British government arrested and imprisoned him. However, even incarceration could not halt his movement. Later, a loyalist landlord of the British ambushed and assassinated him.

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren paid glowing tribute to him on social media, stating, “Tributes to the brave son of the revolutionary land of Jharkhand, who fought against British exploitation, on the birth anniversary of Amar Veer Shaheed Telanga Kharia.”

Former Chief Minister and Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi also commemorated him, writing, “Tributes to the great revolutionary who courageously opposed British rule, the brave son of Jharkhand, Telanga Kharia ji, on his birth anniversary!”

Telanga Kharia was born into a modest farming family. His father, Huia Kharia, and mother, Peto Kharia, raised him with values of courage and resilience. Tribal folk songs still celebrate his bravery, depicting him as a warrior from an early age.

Between 1840 and 1850, he led the formation of Juri Panchayats, which became a centre of organised resistance against the British and their allies – the feudal landlords.

At these panchayats, he trained his followers in traditional warfare, including the use of gadka (wooden stick), swords, and arrows. Sisai emerged as the primary hub of training.

According to folklore, Telanga Kharia’s skill with his sword was so extraordinary that it was said to rival British rifles and guns, as if divinely blessed.

Captured by the British, he was imprisoned in Kolkata for nearly twenty years. After his release, he resumed his fight, rallying his people against British tyranny.

On April 23, 1880, while conducting arms training at Sisai Maidan, he was fatally shot by a British loyalist hiding in the bushes.

In his memory, a tomb was built at Chandali, three km from Gumla, while his only statue stands in his native village, Murgu.

His descendants continue to live in Ghaghra village, near Murgu, where the Kharia community regard him as a revered ancestor and worships him like a deity.

Telanga Kharia’s legacy remains a symbol of resistance and valour, inspiring generations in Jharkhand and beyond.

–IANS

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Another shocker from Pakistan: Sharif govt gives 500 per cent salary hike to NA Speaker, Senate Chairman

Islamabad, June 7 (IANS) The government led by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a massive 500 per cent salary increase for the Speaker of the National Assembly and the Chairman of the Senate (Upper House), local media reported on Saturday.

The move comes at a time when Pakistan’s economy is crippled by unending political chaos and huge unrest in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

“National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gillani will now receive a monthly salary of PKR 1.3 million. Previously, both high-ranking parliamentary officials were drawing a salary of PKR 205,000 per month,” ARY News reported.

The massive increase, the report mentioned citing a notification released by the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, will come into effect from January 1, 2025.

Earlier, the Sharif government had approved a PKR 519,000 monthly salary increase for Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and Senators.

In March, the Sharif-led Pakistani government, which had initially made tall claims about launching austerity drives and cutting down on expenditures, had approved a staggering 188 per cent increase in the salaries of cabinet ministers, ministers of state and advisors.

The developments have been severely criticised by the citizens of the country who remain burdened with high taxations, job loss, inflation, high fuel cost, high electricity price, and a plethora of other problems.

Pakistan’s economy has for long been surviving on loans received from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with Sharif advising people to tighten their expenditures while asserting that it is only a recovery phase.

However, the back-to-back hikes in salaries of ministers, advisors, MNAs, Senators and now the National Assembly Speaker and Chairman of the Senate, have raised a serious question about the government’s intentions.

Sharif, at the same time, continues to increase the number of his federal cabinet which stands at 51 members currently. The initial number of federal cabinet members stood at 21, which was increased to 43 later.

“First, they claim about the need for austerity, belt-tightening and what not… Then they claim that they would not pack their cabinet with ministers and advisors and later do the opposite. Skinning us all with taxes, job losses, inflation and blatantly towering up the number of cabinet members plus giving them massive salary hikes is just not done,” a local resident in Islamabad had told IANS a few weeks ago.

–IANS

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Four special police teams formed to probe elderly woman’s murder in TN

Chennai, June 9 (IANS) The Tamil Nadu Police have formed four special teams and launched an intensive investigation into the murder of a 67-year-old woman, who was brutally stabbed to death by an unidentified gang at her farmhouse in Kulathupalayam of Coimbatore district, officials said on Monday.

The victim, identified as Samiyathal, had been living alone at her farmhouse following the death of her husband a few years ago.

Known to be a quiet and self-sufficient woman, she had recently attended a family wedding and returned home three days ago.

As per routine, she reportedly slept outside her house on the night of the incident due to the summer heat.

According to police sources, around Sunday midnight, a gang of unidentified men entered the premises and confronted Samiyathal with a knife.

They are believed to have threatened the victim to open the door to the main house.

When Samiyathal panicked and raised an alarm, the gang responded with brutal violence — stabbing her multiple times on the neck before fleeing the spot.

Despite her severe injuries, the elderly woman managed to call her neighbours for help.

Upon receiving the distress call, neighbours rushed to her aid and immediately informed the local police.

Officers from the Nallur police station arrived at the spot and rushed Samiyathal to a nearby private hospital.

Unfortunately, she succumbed to her injuries shortly after being admitted to the hospital.

In response to the shocking incident, the Namakkal district police have constituted four special teams to investigate the murder from multiple angles.

Forensic experts have collected evidence from the spot, and investigators are now reviewing the CCTV footage from the area to identify the accused.

Senior police officials said that robbery does not appear to be the motive, as there were no immediate signs of theft.

However, all possible angles, including personal enmity, are being looked into.

The murder has triggered fear and concern among local residents, particularly the elderly who live alone.

Police have assured the people that the culprits will be brought to justice at the earliest.

The investigation is underway.

–IANS

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