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  • Indian man charged in plot to kill Sikh separatist on US soil

    Indian man charged in plot to kill Sikh separatist on US soil

    Washington (AFP) – An Indian national has been charged with plotting to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader on US soil, the Justice Department said on Wednesday, alleging an Indian government official was also involved in the planning.

    The Justice Department unsealed murder-for-hire charges against Nikhil Gupta, 52, “in connection with his participation in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen” of Indian origin in New York City, it said in a statement.

    The man allegedly targeted in the killing “is a vocal critic of the Indian government and leads a US-based organization that advocates for the secession of Punjab,” a northern Indian state with a large population of Sikhs.

    An Indian government official, directing the plan from India, worked with Gupta and others based around the world, the US government said.

    Gupta, who lives in India, was arrested by authorities in the Czech Republic under US extradition orders.

    The news comes after the White House said last week it was treating an alleged plot to assassinate a Sikh separatist on American soil with “utmost seriousness,” and had raised the issue with the Indian government.

    The Financial Times reported that same day that US authorities had thwarted a conspiracy to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US and Canadian citizen.

    After Wednesday’s news broke, Pannun said in a statement that “the attempt on my life on American soil is the blatant case of India’s transnational terrorism which has become a challenge to America’s sovereignty and threat to freedom of speech and democracy.”

    The Justice Department, which did not identify the target of the alleged assassination attempt on Wednesday, said that Gupta was recruited into the effort in May 2023.

    Canada and India had a major diplomatic row after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September linked New Delhi to the killing of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, also a Sikh separatist, in June.

    New Delhi called the Canadian allegations “absurd.”

    But Trudeau said Wednesday that “the news coming out of the United States further underscores what we’ve been talking about from the very beginning, which is that India needs to take this seriously.”

    “The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we’re getting to the bottom of this,” he said.

    Pannun said that “first by assassinating Nijjar in Canada and then attempting to assassinate me on US soil, India under [Prime Minister Narendra] Modi has extended to the foreign soils its policy of violently crushing the Sikhs movement for right to self-determination.”

    The US Justice Department said that after Nijjar’s killing, Gupta told undercover US officials that there was “now no need to wait” on killing the New York City target.

    An Indian government spokesman on Wednesday said that the United States has “shared some inputs pertaining to nexus between organized criminals, gun runners, terrorists and others.”

    “We had also indicated that India takes such inputs seriously since they impinge on our national security interests,” the statement said, adding that a “high-level Enquiry Committee” was established on November 18 “to look into all the relevant aspects of the matter.”

  • The fallen kings of crypto

    The fallen kings of crypto

    Binance boss Changpeng Zhao has become the most powerful cryptocurrency figure to fall in a two-year period chaotic even by the standards of the notoriously volatile industry. 

    Zhao stepped down as CEO of Binance — the largest crypto exchange in the world — after he and the company pleaded guilty on Tuesday to sweeping US money laundering violations and agreed to fines of more than $4 billion.

    Here are three of the highest-profile crypto executives who have fallen foul of the law since last year:

    Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao

    Born in China in 1977, Zhao moved with his family to Canada in the 1980s and later got a degree in computer science from McGill University, according to his profile in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.


    Zhao Changpeng, chief executive officer of Binance, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in Tokyo, Japan, on Thursday, Jan. 11, 2018. The world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange keeps getting bigger. Binance.com is adding “a couple of million” registered users every week, with 240,000 people signing up in just an hour on Wednesday, said Zhao. Photographer: Akio Kon/Bloomberg

    He founded Binance in 2017 in Shanghai, and led the company’s explosive growth into the world’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange.

    An outspoken celebrity in the crypto world with 8.7 million followers on X, Zhao became the richest known figure in the nascent industry. His net worth peaked at around $65 billion in 2022, according to a Forbes index.

    With the prestige and wealth came increased scrutiny of Binance’s operations, as prominent crypto firms around the world began to buckle under a wave of criminal investigations.

    The United States accused Zhao and Binance of multiple violations, including knowingly allowing transactions to militant groups such as the Islamic State and in barred jurisdictions such as North Korea and Iran.

    On Tuesday, they pleaded guilty. The firm has agreed to total penalties of nearly $4.4 billion, while he will pay $50 million, according to court documents.

    Zhao resigned as CEO of Binance and while he will reportedly retain his shares in the company, he has been banned from any involvement in its business. He is expected to face sentencing later.

    Forbes listed his net worth as $10.2 billion as of Wednesday.

    Sam Bankman-Fried

    If Zhao was the richest and most powerful person in crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried was easily the most famous.

    Born to Stanford University professors, Bankman-Fried graduated from MIT with a degree in physics.

    In 2019, he founded FTX, which skyrocketed to become the world’s second-largest crypto exchange.

    Along the way, Bankman-Fried built up his image as the unofficial ambassador for the cryptocurrency industry, with high-profile appearances in the media and even the US Congress.

    At one point in 2022, he had a net worth of $24 billion, according to Forbes.

    But he had been walking a dangerous path — his team used customers’ money for everything from buying posh real estate to covering risky moves by affiliate Alameda Research.

    It all came crashing down when these moves were revealed in the media in November 2022. Within hours, rival CZ Zhao said Binance would sell all the FTX tokens it held.

    It sparked a stunning collapse of FTX and Bankman-Fried’s empire, his fame turning to notoriety.

    Arrested in the Bahamas in January, he was found guilty this month of what US prosecutors described as “one of the biggest financial frauds in American history”. He faces up to 110 years in prison.

    During his trial, the 31-year-old admitted to making “mistakes” but denied trying to defraud anyone.

    Do Kwon

    South Korean entrepreneur Do Kwon co-founded Terraform Labs in 2018, developing the cryptocurrencies TerraUSD and Luna.


    Do Kwon, co-founder and chief executive officer of Terraform Labs, poses in the company’s office in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Kwon is counting on the oldest cryptocurrency as a backstop for his stablecoin, which some critics liken to a ginormous Ponzi scheme. Photographer: Woohae Cho/Bloomberg via Getty Images

    The Stanford grad successfully marketed them as the next big thing in crypto, attracting billions in investments and global hype.

    Media reports in South Korea described him as a “genius”.

    But in May last year, the value of these currencies — marketed as “stablecoins” — plummeted, wiping out around $40 billion in investments and sending a shock wave through the rest of the industry.

    It led to more than $500 billion in further losses on global crypto markets, industry data suggested.

    Experts said Do Kwon — whose full name is Kwon Do-kyung — had marketed a glorified Ponzi scheme.

    Brash and outspoken on social media, Do Kwon left South Korea before the collapse and spent months on the run.

    He was arrested in Montenegro this year after being caught trying to catch a flight using fake Costa Rican travel documents.

    He faces multiple criminal charges in the United States and South Korea.

  • Canada’s Trudeau tells Israel to end ‘killing of women, of children, of babies’

    Canada’s Trudeau tells Israel to end ‘killing of women, of children, of babies’

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called for Israel to “stop killing of women, of children, of babies” in the besieged Gaza Strip. However, he did not mention the word ceasefire.

    Trudeau has received flak for his silence on civilian deaths at the hands of Israeli forces. In a video that emerged from a public meeting at Vancouver, Trudeau can be seen surrounded by protestors chanting, “Ceasefire Now”.

    In other videos, it can be seen that people were calling him out for his lack of conscience as protestors were shouting about him “having blood on his hand”

    In a conference in the western province of British Columbia Prime Minister Trudeau said, “The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop.” He further made his tone harder and said, “I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint, The world is watching, on TV, on social media – we’re hearing the testimonies of doctors, family members, survivors, kids who have lost their parents.”

    The statement has gained him the ire of Israel’s Netanyahu who addressed Trudeau in a post on X, “It is not Israel that is deliberately targeting civilians but Hamas that beheaded, burned and massacred civilians in the worst horrors perpetrated on Jews since the Holocaust, the forces of civilization must back Israel in defeating Hamas barbarism.”

    While Trudeau has maintained that Israel has the right to defend itself, Trudeau’s statement is seen as a major shift in the country’s stance, even though a complacent one. “The price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians,” Trudeau said on Tuesday. “All wars have rules. All innocent life has equal worth. Israeli and Palestinian.”

    Last week, Trudeau called for a significant humanitarian pause in the conflict to allow for the release of all hostages and the delivery of enough aid to address civilian needs in Gaza.

    After France’s Macron, he has become the second leader from the West to call out Israel as a major shift of stance.

  • Right wing Indian leader says there was love triangle involving Trudeau and Nijjar

    Right wing Indian leader says there was love triangle involving Trudeau and Nijjar

    In a surprising twist amidst the ongoing diplomatic standoff between India and Canada, Tejinder Pall Singh Bagga, the national secretary of Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), has made a sensational claim regarding the late Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Bagga asserts that Nijjar was gay and suggests a personal connection between him and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

    The assertion by Bagga comes at a critical juncture in the strained relations between the two nations. The dispute erupted when Trudeau accused the Indian government of being involved in Nijjar’s killing, prompting a swift response from India.

    Meanwhile, the US has urged India to cooperate fully with the Canadian investigations, as was reiterated following the meeting between Minister of External Affairs of India S. Jaishankar and counterpart Antony Blinken.

    Canadian MP from Surrey, Sukhminder aka Sukh Singh Dhaliwal, has meanwhile rubbished allegations of him being close to Pakistani intelligence organisation ISI, saying that as a member of the Parliament, he would not be close to any member of a foreign spy agency.

    Some Indian right wingers have suggested that ISI was behind Nijjar’s killing, but Canada has maintained that the “foreign agent” involved in the killing was from an “Indian agency”.

    Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed outside a Surrey gurudwara on June 18 by unidentified gunmen. India had, in 2020, designated him as a terrorist. Nijjar was involved in networking, financing, and training the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) module, India alleges.

  • Man arrested for growing marijuana at home in DHA

    Man arrested for growing marijuana at home in DHA

    A man has been arrested for growing and selling marijuana at a rented home in Defence Housing Authority, Karachi.

    Express Tribune reported on the snap check case.

    The suspect is a Canadian-Pakistani, identified as Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan. The man had created a controlled environment using air-conditioners to adjust temperature and moisture as required for the growth of the plant. He would then sell it.


    Credits: The Express Tribune

    Credits: The Express Tribune

    According to Excise and Taxation and Narcotics Control Department Secretary Atifur Rehman, the value of the seized cannabis plants is worth about Rs 15 million.

    He said that excise officials caught Sarfaraz during snap checking on Sunday. They recovered liquor and cannabis from his car and detained him for interrogation.


    Credits: The Express Tribune

    E&T team then raided his house where they discovered an indoor nursery of cannabis plants.

    Apart from air-conditioners, oxygen cylinders and concentrators were also used alongside LED lights for light control.

    Seed, fertilisers, and soil had been imported.


    Credits: The Express Tribune

    Excise secretary claims that the chances are that cannabis factories are functioning in other parts of the city as well.

    Sarfaraz has been produced before a magistrate to acquire a seven-day physical remand for interrogation.

  • At least six men involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder

    At least six men involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder

    Latest CCTV evidence reveals that at least six suspects came to kill Hardeep Singh in two cars.

    The Washington Post has reviewed the video and gathered accounts of witnesses that suggest that it was a “larger and more organized operation than has previously been reported”.

    According to Washington Post, Nijjar’s gray pickup truck was by strewn bullets. While Bhupinderjit Singh, first person to visit the site, described the scene: “It was blood and shattered glass everywhere,”

    The community members state that investigators told them that the assailants fired about 50 bullets out of which 34 hit Nijjar.

    On the other hand, the Sikh community protested outside the Indian High Commission in Canada against the killing of Hardeep Singh, raising slogans against Modi. Canada’s defence minister says there are credible intelligence reports pointing towards Indian interference, and it will not back down.

    Nijjar’s murder

    Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader, was shot outside a Sikh temple on 18 June in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. As per the police’ evaluation, it was a “targeted” attack.

    The world reacted after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement citing suspicion towards India in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder case.

    “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,”, said Trudeau.

    On the other hand, in a tit-for-tat move, India ordered a senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country, keeping in view the “growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities”.

    India’s foreign ministry has rejected all allegations, deeming them as “absurd”.

  • ‘Spread love not hate’: AP Dhillon supports Shubhneet Singh

    ‘Spread love not hate’: AP Dhillon supports Shubhneet Singh

    Canadian-Indian rapper Shubhneet Singh is facing backlash from conservative politicians and social media users accusing him of being a Khalistan supporter, after the rapper’s post from March recirculated around social media. Several cricket players like Virat Kohli, Hardick Panday and KL Rahul had unfollowed the rapper on Instagram following the controversy.

    Singh’s tour in India in September was cancelled, after sponsor BoAt announced they were no longer sponsoring the tour as they announced in a post on their X, formerly Twitter, account.

    “At boAt, while our commitment to the incredible music community runs deep, we are first and foremost a true Indian brand. Therefore, when we became aware of the remarks made by artist Shubh earlier this year, we chose to withdraw our sponsorship from the tour.”

    BookMyShow, the online ticket portal confirmed on their X account that they were refunding customers who had purchased ticket’s for Shubh’s concert in Mumbai and other cities.

    In light of these accusations, Indian rapper AP Dhillon released a lengthy statement on his Instagram stories where he publicly sided with the ‘We Rollin’ rapper, condemning the way artists are targeted by special interest and political groups.

    “As an artist it has become almost impossible to stay focused on your craft and do what you love. I try to be mindful of everyone’s sentiments but it has gotten to a point where we have to second and triple guess our every move due to the fear of unintentionally fueling even more division.”

    “Spread love, not hate,” wrote the ‘Brown Munde’ rapper. “Let’s start thinking for ourselves and not let hateful influences program our beliefs. We are ALL one. Let’s not let man made social constructs divide us. Division has gotten us to this point but unity is the key to the future.”

    Shubhneet Singh addressed the backlash in a lengthy statement posted on his Instagram account and said he found the allegations “extremely disheartening.”

    “My intent in resharing that post on my story was only to pray for Punjab as there were reports of electricity and internet shutdowns throughout the state. There was no other thought behind it, and I definitely didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s sentiments.”

    The backlash to Shubh arrives after relations between India and Canada took a sour turn when Justin Trudeau publicly accused the Indian government for being involved in the death of the Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had been a vocal supporter of setting up a separate state for Sikhs living in India.

    “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” said Trudeau.

    “In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”

    READ MORE: Canadian Punjabi rapper’s India tour cancelled as diplomatic row continues

    After the Instagram post by Shubhneet went viral, the youth wing of the BJP party in India BJYMP filed an FIR against the rapper with the Mumbai Police, calling Singh a Khalistan supporter.

    “Shubh is openly a Khalistani supporter,” the complaint read. “And if he is allowed to hold a concert here, he will be influencing a lot of youth in Mumbai and our country to support his agenda…He has evidently proven that he is a pro-Khalistani activist and openly supports their agenda and [he] is also influencing the youth of the country to do the same and wage a war against the Government of India by posting such absurd and derogatory post about Government of India.”

  • Canadian Punjabi rapper’s India tour cancelled as diplomatic row continues

    Canadian Punjabi rapper’s India tour cancelled as diplomatic row continues

    Canadian Punjabi rapper Shubhneet Singh has been targeted by right wing politicians after sharing a cryptic post on his Instagram stories, leading to allegations that he supported the notion of setting up a separate state for Sikhs in India. On Thursday, ticketing platform Book My Show announced on X (formerly Twitter) that they had cancelled bookings for the Punjabi rapper’s shows in cities like Delhi and Kolkata, refunded money to the customers.

    “Singer Shubhneet Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. The refund will be reflected within 7-10 working days in the customer’s source account of the original transaction.”

    This development came after members of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM)- the youth wing of the right wing party BJP, launched protests against Shubhneet. On March 23, the rapper had shared a map of India on his Instagram stories, which didn’t show Punjab or occupied Jammu and Kashmir as part of the country, along with the hashtag #prayforpunjab.

    Members of the BJYM wrote to the Mumbai Police, calling for an FIR to be registered against Shubhneet “for waging war against Government of India and posting anti-government posts”.

    “Shubh is openly a Khalistani supporter,” the complaint read. “And if he is allowed to hold a concert here, he will be influencing a lot of youth in Mumbai and our country to support his agenda…He has evidently proven that he is a pro-Khalistani activist and openly supports their agenda and [he] is also influencing the youth of the country to do the same and wage a war against the Government of India by posting such absurd and derogatory post about Government of India.”

    The tensions arrive after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gave a strongly worded statement about the murder of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Monday, stating that there was credible evidence of the connection between the murderers and the Indian government.

    “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” said Trudeau.

    “In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”

    READ MORE: ‘Credible allegations’; Trudeau blames Indian govt agents for Nijjar murder

    Nijjar was a vocal supporter of the creation of Khalistan- a separate state for Sikhs living in India. He was branded as a terrorist by the Indian government, which maintained that he was wanted by the state for his active involvement with the Khalistan Tiger Force (KLF) an organisation declared as a terrorist group by the country. Nijjar was shot outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, which was deemed as a targeted attack by the police.

  • India’s terrorism in Canada is not surprising for Pakistan, says foreign secretary

    India’s terrorism in Canada is not surprising for Pakistan, says foreign secretary

    Syrus Qazi, foreign secretary, has said that it’s not surprising for Pakistan that the Indian government has been involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, Canada, in June this year.

    The statement of the foreign secretary came during a media briefing at the Pakistan mission in the UN on Wednesday, as Syrus Qazi is on a five-day visit with caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to the US to attend the 78th UNGA session.

    “India’s terrorism in Canada is not a matter of surprise for Pakistan,” the top diplomat remarked.

    The foreign secretary said that the Canadian PM’s allegations are not unusual for Pakistan, as Pakistan had arrested serving Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav from Balochistan in March 2016.

    The Indian spy was later sentenced to death as he was the mastermind of multiple terror attacks all over the country.

    On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed in an assembly session that the Indian government played a role in the killing of Sikh Leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

    “Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said, addressing the House of Commons about an “extremely serious matter,” after informing the opposition party leaders.

  • ‘I’m not a gold digger’: 35-year-old Pakistani man defends marrying 70-year-old Canadian woman

    ‘I’m not a gold digger’: 35-year-old Pakistani man defends marrying 70-year-old Canadian woman

    A 35-year-old Pakistani man Naeem Shahzad has gone viral on the internet for his marriage to 70-year-old Mary from Canada, after meeting her on Facebook. Their union was met with scrutiny by social media users, who criticised Naeem for being a “gold-digger” and marrying the older woman for a Canadian passport. But in an interview with Urdu Point, the couple has clarified that they married for love. Naeem revealed the two met in 2012, and after 2015 the two began talking about getting married, and finally they tied the knot in 2017.

    Addressing comments that he’s a gold-digger, Naeem said he married Mary because after struggling with depression and other mental health issues, adding that he could open up to the woman who supported him in every way, after which he fell in love with her.

    “I’m not a gold digger. You are in my house you can see we have nothing luxurious here,” Naeem clarified. “We have necessary things like a sofa set for when guests arrive. We brought our beds from our own homes. Let people say what they want to say.”

    Naeem further explained he and Mary are not living a lavish lifestyle in Canada, where they survive on the pension the woman receives.

    “The most important persons for me right now are my wife, my mother and my brother,” Naeem said, further elaborating that he was prepared before marriage to listen to criticism that he’s a gold digger, but doesn’t care anymore.

    Naeem revealed his wife had come back to Pakistan after six years, and the couple plan on making their living through a Youtube channel ‘Beast Brother’s PK’. The couple will stay for six months in Pakistan and six months in Canada.

    Watch their complete interview below:

    This case of online romance leading to marriage follows the recent string of marriages between foreign women and Pakistani men. Recently, a woman from Sweden came to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to marry 23 year old Ahmed, whom she met on Facebook.

    Read more: Love online: Swedish woman flies to KP to marry Pakistani lover