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Indian Express
4 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Homes locked, bags packed, families sent home: Amid police checks in Delhi-NCR, fear grips Bengali-speaking migrants in Noida
As the afternoon grows less harsh, Binoy, a 52-year-old coconut seller, steps out of his tin-roofed jhuggi in Noida's Sector 93A with a faded blue plastic mug in hand. Barefoot, he walks across the slushy ground towards a hand pump to wash his hands. When asked if he is Bengali, his body tenses. 'I'm an Indian,' he replies defensively. Pressed further about which part of India he's from, he finally concedes, 'Yes… I'm from Kolkata.' Binoy's hesitance is not unfounded. In the aftermath of recent verification drives to identify illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants in Delhi and Gurgaon, where Bengali-speaking individuals were detained, questioned, and allegedly asked to prove their citizenship, a creeping fear has taken root in Noida's migrant settlements too. In May, the Union Home Ministry had issued a letter directing states to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) to deport 'in sufficient numbers' Bangladeshis and Rohingya found staying in India illegally. While these drives started in Delhi last December following directions from the Lieutenant Governor's Secretariat, they began a month ago in Gurgaon — the ripple effects of which are now being felt across the NCR. For working-class probashis, many of whom have lived and worked in Noida for years, staying in the city has begun to feel risky. At a cluster of jhuggis near Sarfabad's link road, where Bengali and Bihari migrants coexist, the churn is visible. Many homes lie locked. Residents say entire families have left, while others are in the process of leaving. Bags are being packed, bedding rolled, utensils sold off — all in haste. Runa, 29, who lives with her five-year-old son, is among those preparing to leave. 'We have sent our bags home. I am packing whatever is left. We've booked our train tickets for tomorrow night. Many people left the jhuggi this morning too,' she says. Runa, who works as a house-help, says the panic back home has pushed her to take this step. '… My mother has been sick for the past year. After looking at the Gurgaon news and meeting the Gurgaon migrants who have moved back to our village, she is extremely concerned that we too will be scrutinised if this starts happening in Noida,' she adds. She asserts that they are not Bangladeshi. 'We are just Bengali-speaking people. And the Bengali that we speak and the one that Bangladeshis speak have some similarities, but the accent is still very different. But if the Uttar Pradesh administration does carry out a drive, it would be very difficult to explain.' At another jhuggi cluster on Sarfabad's main road, a row of six-seven shanties are locked. Solaiman Miya, who runs a shop inside the cluster, initially says the residents are at work. But then admits: 'They've gone back home. There's fear among Bengalis. Multiple verification drives were carried out in Delhi, we have been receiving news since before the Assembly elections. But the fear has increased since the Jai Hind Camp issue… My son and I have stayed back, because we have debts to pay for which we must continue to earn… just to be safe, we have sent the rest of the family back.' He is referring to the informal settlement in Delhi's Vasant Kunj, where electricity for thousands of Bengali migrants was cut off last month. This came after a civil court, in May, ordered disconnection over allegations of power theft. However, the crackdown on unauthorised supply spiralled into a political flashpoint after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of 'vendetta politics'. Recently, multiple Bengali-speaking residents in Gurgaon, many of them daily-wage labourers and garbage pickers, were also allegedly rounded up during police verification drives. Despite producing Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, ration cards, and even voter IDs, family members had alleged their loved ones were detained and held in facilities that housed suspected illegal migrants. On their part, the Gurgaon Police had on July 26 issued a statement that they were only rounding up 'confirmed Bangladeshis' as part of their verification drive ever since four of their facilities to house suspected foreigners had shut down on July 25. In Noida's Sector 78, locals say many families hope to return once the situation cools. 'They said they'll come back when it feels safe again,' says Mudeena, who works as a house-help at a nearby society. In Sector 93A, where mostly rag-pickers from Jharkhand — some of whom are Bengali-speaking reside — the fear is muted, but not absent. 'A verification drive happened here two months ago. It made some people nervous, but most of us are staying. We can't leave our work,' says Raju, who works in scrap collection. When contacted, Noida Police PRO, Subodh Kumar, said, the police routinely check for illegal immigrants in jhuggi jhopdis. 'Around two months ago, a huge verification drive was initiated by the Noida Police across different slum clusters and villages. Police teams are currently working to verify details.'
Newsweek
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Girl's Bond With 'Nanny' St. Bernard Puppy Melts Hearts
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A friendship between a 3-year-old and beloved St. Bernard puppy has melted hearts on the internet. Mom Beth Richardson (@teddy_the_saintbernard) posted a reel on Instagram with moments from Teddy's first year, where the 140-pound "nanny dog" is shown growing up alongside her daughter Runa. Richardson, 34, who shares 8-year-old Lillah and 3-year-old Runa with husband James Richardson, 31, told Newsweek her love for big dog breeds started when she watched Beethoven as a child. Girl, 3, cuddling St. Bernard puppy. Girl, 3, cuddling St. Bernard puppy. @teddy_the_saintbernard "We also grew up with Great Danes who are also supersized and my adoration for giant dogs just didn't end," she said. Though she once had a rescue chihuahua in her 20s, life with two young children felt like the right moment to bring a gentle giant into their home. "After searching for a while, we found Teddy—and it just felt meant to be," Beth said. When Teddy joined the family, Runa had just turned two. Since then, the two have grown up together—and grown into best friends. "She's really never known life without him," Beth told Newsweek. "At first, Runa was completely besotted with Teddy—maybe a little obsessed! Now, she's learned to watch out for his big paws and to brace herself when he has the zoomies." The two do everything together: brushing, feeding, playing. If Runa's doing something, Teddy's usually a part of it—even if he's just in the way. As a giant ball of "floof," Beth told Newsweek that he has little spatial awareness. "[He] crushes our feet every day, I think he thinks he is the size of a 'normal' dog. But we honestly wouldn't have him any other way. He loves strokes and belly rubs, and he loves having his ears stroked best," she said. Beth's reel has clocked up a million views and over 73,000 likes. Dozens of Instagram users found the bond between Runa and Teddy adorable, flooding the comments section with heart emojis. Beth told Newsweek her goal is to bring a dose of reality to social media. She also hopes the video helps change perceptions about large breeds. "Just because Teddy is a giant dog, it doesn't mean he's more difficult or dangerous," she said. "As a mom, it's been wonderful to see them grow together. Knowing that Runa's earliest memories will include Teddy as her first dog feels really special." Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@ with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
Finextra
11-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Runa launches white label offering for gift card marketplace deployment
As global demand for gift cards surges, Runa, the leading global infrastructure powering modern payouts, today unveiled Runa Shop, a white-label commerce solution that makes launching gift card marketplaces fast and simple. 0 In only 24 hours, businesses can leverage Runa Shop to launch a fully-branded, modern gift card marketplace built to scale—no coding required. Featuring more than 5,000 popular merchant options, Runa Shop offers multiple use cases spanning from building customer and employee engagement to boosting sales and revenue. 'Most gift card storefront solutions are riddled with an abundance of inconvenient and inefficient pain points–taking months to stand up, requiring businesses to jump through hoops to make adjustments, and presenting lackluster user experiences that still result in sub-optimal conversion rates,' said Aron Alexander, Founder and CEO, Runa. 'We broke the retrofitted, outdated mold and specifically built infrastructure that transforms how quickly businesses can go live with revenue-ready storefronts. Our partners can bypass legacy challenges by self-managing and adapting their marketplaces with minimal friction and maximum speed—no coding or waiting required. And we take on the expensive program risks like compliance, liability, and payment processing so they don't have to.' For incentive, rewards and cashback programs building or refreshing their storefronts, Runa Shop drives conversions with real-time cashback and intelligent marketing capabilities. Serving as a modern engine that boosts customer engagement, loyalty and satisfaction, Runa Shop provides smoother user experiences while unlocking new revenue opportunities and converting traffic to sales almost instantly. Businesses can also tap Runa Shop to transform and strengthen employee relationships through rewards that resonate and increase engagement. Runa Shop also creates a direct revenue stream for brands selling their own gift cards. Additional key features made possible through Runa Shop include: Mobile-optimized storefronts for easy, on-the-go purchases. Customers can shop anytime, anywhere, with zero friction. Purchases may include multiple cards and denominations in a single, smooth transaction. Hassle-free payments. Runa Shop offers this seamless checkout on a global scale via payment options such as credit, debit, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Currency support is available in USD, GBP, EUR, CAD, and more. Personalized and expansive shopping experiences. Runa Shop puts the right gift in the right hands through intelligent, cart suggestions that inspire last minute add-ons. These tailored add-on suggestions turn passive browsing into action—driving basket value and higher revenue. Customizable product categories make it easy for each user to explore, discover and purchase gift cards that matter to them. Promotions that perform. Through data-informed retargeting at checkout, Runa Shop intelligently predicts customer behavior to boost conversions through targeted marketing campaigns. With access to real-time performance insights, businesses can ensure marketplaces are optimized and competitive. 'Partnering with Runa to build our white-label gift card marketplace has been a game changer,' said Natalia Selezneva, Product Manager, TopCashBack US. 'Their technology is not only innovative–it's intuitive, scalable, and far beyond what we imagined was possible. The Runa team brought our vision to life with speed, precision, and true collaboration. We're thrilled with what we've built together and even more excited for what's next.'
Japan Today
07-05-2025
- Japan Today
Woman gets suspended sentence for helping daughter hide severed head
A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced a woman to 14 months in prison, suspended for three years, for helping her daughter hide the head of a man, who was allegedly murdered and decapitated in Sapporo in 2023. Hiroko Tamura, 62, had pleaded not guilty to aiding in the abandonment of the corpse and allowing her daughter to film an act of desecration during her trial at the Sapporo District Court. Her daughter Runa faces murder and other charges for allegedly killing and beheading the man. In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Shiro Watanabe said Tamura's role was not insignificant, given that she was in a position where she was able to stop her daughter's actions. But the judge granted Tamura a suspended sentence, as her involvement "was limited to allowing the head to be hidden after it had already been brought home." Runa allegedly stabbed the 62-year-old man in the neck at a hotel in the Susukino entertainment district sometime between July 1 and 2 in 2023, then beheaded him and took the head home in a suitcase. Prosecutors demanded an 18-month prison term for Tamura, saying she played a significant role in the crime by providing a place to hide the head and abetting her daughter in concealing and damaging it. According to the ruling, Tamura allowed Runa to hide the victim's head at their home between July 3 and 24 and consented to her daughter filming an act of desecration, in which she further damaged the head. Tamura's defense counsel had argued that she was not legally liable for Runa's actions, saying the abandonment of the body had been completed when the daughter brought the head home. An appeal was filed following Wednesday's ruling. Tamura's husband Osamu, a 61-year-old psychiatrist, was sentenced in March to 16 months in prison, suspended for four years, for aiding his daughter in the abandonment and desecration of the head. © KYODO
Kyodo News
07-05-2025
- Kyodo News
Woman gets suspended term for aiding daughter hide severed head
KYODO NEWS - 1 hour ago - 19:39 | All, Japan A Japanese court on Wednesday sentenced a woman to 14 months in prison, suspended for three years, for helping her daughter hide the head of a man, who was allegedly murdered and decapitated in Sapporo in 2023. Hiroko Tamura, 62, had pleaded not guilty to aiding in the abandonment of the corpse and allowing her daughter to film an act of desecration during her trial at the Sapporo District Court. Her daughter Runa faces murder and other charges for allegedly killing and beheading the man. In handing down the ruling, Presiding Judge Shiro Watanabe said Tamura's role was not insignificant, given that she was in a position where she was able to stop her daughter's actions. But the judge granted Tamura a suspended sentence, as her involvement "was limited to allowing the head to be hidden after it had already been brought home." Runa allegedly stabbed the 62-year-old man in the neck at a hotel in the Susukino entertainment district sometime between July 1 and 2 in 2023, then beheaded him and took the head home in a suitcase. Prosecutors demanded an 18-month prison term for Tamura, saying she played a significant role in the crime by providing a place to hide the head and abetting her daughter in concealing and damaging it. According to the ruling, Tamura allowed Runa to hide the victim's head at their home between July 3 and 24 and consented to her daughter filming an act of desecration, in which she further damaged the head. Tamura's defense counsel had argued that she was not legally liable for Runa's actions, saying the abandonment of the body had been completed when the daughter brought the head home. An appeal was filed following Wednesday's ruling. Tamura's husband Osamu, a 61-year-old psychiatrist, was sentenced in March to 16 months in prison, suspended for four years, for aiding his daughter in the abandonment and desecration of the head. Related coverage: Father cleared of aiding daughter in Sapporo beheading murder Father pleads not guilty to aiding daughter over Sapporo beheading Woman, parents indicted over Sapporo hotel beheading murder
