NEW DELHI (TIP): A Delhi court on Friday, February 21, reserved its order on the quantum of sentence in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case involving former Congress MP Sajjan Kumar, who was convicted of the murder of Jaswant Singh and Tarundeep Singh in Delhi’s Saraswati Vihar on November 1, 1984. The court has scheduled February … Sajjan’s sentencing in conviction of twin murders on February 25
NEW YORK (TIP): A federal judge has vacated the upcoming trial date for New York City Mayor Eric Adams, but declined to immediately dismiss the charges all together in a case that has roiled the Justice Department. Judge Dale Ho, instead, is appointing conservative attorney Paul Clement to present arguments challenging the Justice Department’s decision … Judge vacates upcoming Eric Adams corruption trial; Appoints conservative attorney to argue against dropping the case
NEW DELHI (TIP): Government of India on Friday, February 21, said it was investigating “very deeply troubling” allegations made by the U.S. government that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) planned to spend $21 million on funding “voter turnout” in India. This expenditure has been cancelled by the U.S. Department of Government Efficiency … India probes alleged $21 million USAID funding, cites concerns over foreign interference
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Associated Press sued three Trump administration officials Friday, February 21, over access to presidential events, citing freedom of speech in asking a federal judge to stop the 10-day blocking of its journalists. The lawsuit was filed Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. The AP says its case is … AP sues 3 Trump administration officials, citing freedom of speech
Dhaka (TIP): The Director General of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Feb 20 termed the reports of attacks on minorities in his country as ‘exaggerated,’ while asserting that authorities have taken steps for their protection. Addressing a joint press conference here after the conclusion of the 55th edition of the border guarding forces’ DG-level talks, … Reports of attacks on minorities in Bangladesh ‘exaggerated’: BGB chief
Peshawar (TIP): Pakistan security forces on Feb 21 killed at least six terrorists during an intelligence-based operation in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military’s media wing said. According to a statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the operation was conducted on the reported presence of terrorists. The statement said that troops effectively … Pakistani security forces kill 6 terrorists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
DHAKA (TIP): More than 150 students have been injured in Bangladesh during clashes at a university campus, a sign of serious discord between groups instrumental in fomenting a national revolution last year. Feb 18 afternoon’s clashes began after the youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) sought to recruit students at the Khulna University … Political clashes at Bangladesh university campus leave over 150 students injured
SHWE KOKKO (TIP): Battered and bruised Chinese workers from online scam centres in Myanmar faced an anxious wait to return home, as Beijing and Thailand finalised plans on Feb 19 for their repatriation. Scam compounds have flourished in Myanmar’s lawless borderlands, staffed by foreigners, many of whom say they were trafficked and forced to work … Battered Myanmar scam centre workers wait for deportation to China
JUBA (TIP): South Sudan on Feb 20 announced the closure of all schools for two weeks due to an ongoing extreme heatwave that has caused some students to collapse. This is the second time the country — which faces extreme effects from climate change, including flooding during the rainy season — has closed schools during … South Sudan closes schools after students collapse due to extreme heat
SAO PAULO (TIP): Brazil’s Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered X to pay 8.1 million Brazilian reais ($1.4 million) in fines for failing to comply with judicial orders, according to a judicial ruling. The ruling, signed on Feb 19 and made public by the court on Thursday, said the social media platform refused to … Brazil’s top court justice orders X to pay $1.4 million fine for non-compliance
KYIV (TIP): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb 19 of living in a Russian-made “disinformation space,” pointed comments that risk further souring relations with Washington as the American leader pushes for an end to the war. Zelensky said he “would like Trump’s team to be more truthful” in his first … Zelensky accuses Trump of living in a Russian-made ‘disinformation space’
RIYADH (TIP): Arab leaders were gathering in Saudi Arabia on Feb 21 to hammer out a recovery plan for Gaza aimed at countering President Donald Trump’s proposal for US control of the territory and the expulsion of its people. Trump’s plan has united Arab states in opposition to it, but disagreements remain over who should … Arab leaders gather in Saudi Arabia to hash out recovery plan for Gaza
JERUSALEM (TIP): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed revenge on Feb 21 for what he described as a “cruel and malicious violation” of the ceasefire agreement after a body that Hamas released as part of the deal was found to not be that of an Israeli mother of two young boys, as the militants had … Netanyahu slams ‘cruel and malicious violation’ of Gaza ceasefire deal over release of body
ROME (TIP): Pope Francis marked the one-week point February 21 in his hospital stay, getting up to eat breakfast as the 88-year-old pontiff continued fighting pneumonia and a complex respiratory infection, the Vatican said. The Vatican late Thursday reported a “slight improvement” in his overall clinical condition, with his heart working well. But it will … Pope Francis marks one week in hospital fighting pneumonia
The president punished the AP for choosing its own language, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. The press must show unity. It might seem like a small matter, just a disagreement over whether a body of water should be called one name or another. But it’s really about much bigger things: Trump-style intimidation, … The ‘Gulf of America’ feud is about something bigger: Trump wants to control the media
While right-wing politicians in destination countries reap the electoral benefits of demonizing ‘illegal’ immigrants, their economies are in dire need of a cheap and docile foreign workforce. Since the first US military aircraft carrying 104 deported Indians landed in Amritsar on February 5, a slew of comments has emerged in the Indian media addressing the … Walls, chains & cheap labor: West’s hypocrisy on migration
“This current storm means that the BJP — and the MEA — has moved on from the controversy over the shackled and handcuffed Indians deported on three US military flights in the last fortnight. Two of those flights landed in Amritsar after the PM returned home after meeting Trump, but no one in the government … ‘Foreign hand’ is as distracting as ever
TORONTO (TIP) : Of the two ensuing elections – the new leader of the Liberal Party and next Prime Minister of Canada and the provincial elections of Ontario – the impact of the ongoing tariff war and widening gulf in bilateral trade and people-to-people relations with neighboring United States is apparent. Average Canadians in general … Ontario elections: Will the Indo-Canadian community improve its tally in the February 27 polls?
OTTAWA (TIP): All 50 Canadian athletes, who won medals in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, have been awarded cash incentives of $ 5000 each, thanks to a generous donation by the Malaviya Foundation, an organization run by Sanjay Malaviya, a Canadian healthcare tech entrepreneur of Indian descent. The Canadian Olympic Foundation announced that all Team … Canadian Olympic medalists awarded cash incentives, thanks to the Malaviya Foundation
In recent years, the BJP has developed a knack for springing a surprise while selecting chief ministers. Delhi is no exception. The party has picked first-time MLA and former councilor Rekha Gupta, dashing the hopes of prominent aspirants like ex-MP Parvesh Verma and three-time MLA Vijendra Gupta. The choice bears the Sangh stamp — Rekha … Surprise choice: BJP snubs top aspirants for Delhi CM’s post
Accountability and independence ought to be equally important for judges The Lokpal’s ruling that High Court judges are amenable to its jurisdiction and the Supreme Court order staying it on its own motion raise more than a mere question of law. The issue concerns both the independence of the judiciary and its accountability. That the … Judges’ dilemma: On the judiciary, its accountability
The current ferment in Akali politics reflects a fierce tussle for the control of premier Sikh institutions. Tensions have been simmering since December last year, when the Akal Takht awarded religious punishment to Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and others for the ‘mistakes’ committed by the party when it was in power … Akali crisis: Acid test of Akal Takht’s resolve to reform SAD
NEW DELHI/NEW YORK (TIP): Delhi-based Sikh leader Manjit Singh GK has called on Sikh leaders and influencers in Canada, the UK, and the US to break their silence over the humiliation of Sikh deportees in the United States, who were forcibly stripped of their turbans before being boarded onto a military plane. GK, a veteran … ‘Where is Pannun?’; Manjit GK blasts govt, Sikh diaspora for failure to stand with turban-stripped deportees
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): The Senate on Thursday, February 20, narrowly voted to confirm Kash Patel as director of the FBI, moving to place him atop the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency despite doubts from Democrats about his qualifications and concerns he will do Donald Trump’s bidding and go after the Republican president’s adversaries. “I … Indian origin Trump loyalist Kash Patel is confirmed as FBI director by Senate
SINGAPORE (TIP): Singapore’s Indian-origin Leader of the Opposition, Pritam Singh, was found guilty on Monday of giving a false testimony to a parliamentary committee, a verdict that could see him disqualified from Parliament and contesting a general election this year. In the verdict delivered in the State Courts, Deputy Principal District Judge Luke Tan convicted … Indian-origin Opposition leader in Singapore found guilty of lying in Parliament
On April 17, 2023, a plane carrying more than 22 million Canadian dollars’ worth of gold bars and foreign currency was stolen from Toronto airport using fake paperwork CHANDIGARH (TIP): Simran Preet Panesar–Indian-origin former Air Canada manager–wanted in connection with Canada’s largest gold and cash heist worth CAD 22.5 million, has been found living in … Indian origin Simran Preet Panesar, wanted in Canada’s largest gold heist, found living quietly around Chandigarh
WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): Paul Kapur, an expert on South Asian security, has been nominated by President Donald Trump to be the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs. Kapur, if confirmed by the Senate, will replace Donald Lu. In January, the US State Department confirmed the departure of Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for … Indian-origin Paul Kapur is Trump’s pick for key US diplomat job for South Asian Affairs
NEW YORK (TIP): A New Jersey man was convicted Friday of attempted murder and assault for stabbing author Salman Rushdie multiple times on a New York lecture stage in 2022. A jury found Hadi Matar, 27, guilty after a little less than two hours of deliberations following a trial in Chautauqua County Court. Matar ran … Indian origin Salman Rushdie’s attacker Hadai Matar found guilty of attempted murder
NEW DELHI (TIP): Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak visited the Taj Mahal on Saturday, February 15, along with his daughters, wife and mother-in-law Sudha Murty. The family spent around one-and-a-half hour at the iconic monument. Sunak is on a two-day visit to Agra. The senior conservation assistant from the Archaeological Survey of India at … Indian Origin Former British PM Rishi Sunak visits Taj Mahal with family: Sunak is on a two-day visit to Agra
NEW DELHI /NEW YORK (TIP): New Delhi/New York: Aman Kumar Sharma, Secretary-General of the Association of Traditional Sports and Games, India, has been invited to attend a high-profile United Nations event on sports security, representing India and the International Council of Traditional Sports and Games (ICTSG). The event, “Securing the Legacy: Debriefing from Paris 2024 … Aman Kumar Sharma to Represent India at United Nations Debriefing on Paris 2024 Security