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Indian official plotted to assassinate Sikh separatist leader in New York, US prosecutors say

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and ASHOK SHARMA (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — An Indian government official directed a $100,000 plot to assassinate a prominent Sikh separatist leader in New York City after the man advocated for the establishment of a sovereign state for Sikhs, U.S. authorities announced Wednesday as they unsealed charges brought against a man from India who they say was part of the murder plot.Last spring, U.S. officials became aware of the plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is considered a terrorist by the Indian government. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration stopped the plot when the foreign government employee recruited an international narcotics trafficker to commit the murder, DEA administrator Anne Milgram said. The government official was only described as “CC-1” in an indictment unsealed in Manhattan federal court that charged Nikhil Gupta, 52, an Indian national who had lived in India, with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit mu...

US Air Force Osprey crashes off Japan during training, killing at least one of the eight on board

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

By MARI YAMAGUCHI and TARA COPP (Associated Press)TOKYO (AP) — A U.S. Air Force Osprey based in Japan crashed during a training mission Wednesday off of the country’s southern coast, killing at least one of the eight crew members, the Japanese coast guard said.The cause of the crash and the status of the seven others on board were not immediately known, Japanese coast guard spokesperson Kazuo Ogawa said.The Osprey is a hybrid aircraft that takes off and lands like a helicopter, but during flight it can rotate its propellers forward and cruise much faster like an airplane.Ospreys have had a number of accidents in the past, including in Japan, where they are deployed at U.S. and Japanese military bases. In Okinawa, where about half of the 50,000 American troops are based, Gov. Denny Tamaki told reporters Wednesday that he would ask the U.S. military to suspend all Osprey flights in Japan. Ogawa said the coast guard received an emergency call Wednesday afternoon from a fish...

Officials say a U.S. Osprey helicopter carrying 8 has crashed into the sea off Japan; no details on occupants’ condition

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Officials say a U.S. Osprey helicopter carrying 8 has crashed into the sea off Japan; no details on occupants’ condition.

Man who caught scrutinized USS Pinckney refit says his cameras are being targeted, once again

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A local man whose cameras livestream the San Diego Bay says he's being told to take them down by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). The organization claims it's over privacy concerns, but the man who owns them says you can't stop people from filming an open area. “It's been 23 years that these cameras have been up. The only times that they’ve been taken down is after the navy embarrassed themselves," shared Barry Bahrami, who runs San Diego Web Cam which acts as a public livestream service along the bay. His service captured a viral video that sparked an online media frenzy showing a top-heavy refit of the USS Pinckney as it crossed through the San Diego Bay. Arrest made after Mater Dei Catholic High School receives shooting threat "The Navy spent a whole bunch of money to upgrade the destroyer, it was very important to them," Bahrami went on to say. His cameras that captured the vessel's new look were mounted at the Kona Kai resort just across the way....

U.S. charges Indian national in connection with assassination attempt with ties to Canada

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says it has charged Nikhil Gupta in connection with the foiled assassination attempt of a Khalistani separatist leader in that country who has ties to Canada.The office says the would-be victim, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, “was an associate” of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally shot outside of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey in June.The Attorney General says it’s alleged Gupta was directed by an Indian government official to carry out the murder of Pannun in the U.S. but notes that didn’t happen because the contracted killer was actually an undercover U.S. agent. The office adds it has linked Nijjar’s killing to the alleged plot against Pannun in the U.S.The office says Gupta, 52, has been charged with murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.The indictment notes other potential plots across the U.S. and Canada.More to come.Listen live to CityNews 1130 to keep up to date with this deve...

US Navy warship shoots down drone launched by Houthis from Yemen, official says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. Navy warship sailing near the Bab-el-Mandeb strait shot down a drone launched from Yemen, a U.S. official said Wednesday, in the latest in a string of threats from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.The official said according to initial reports, USS Carney, a Navy destroyer, deemed the drone — an Iranian-made KAS-04 — to be a threat and shot it down over water in the southern Red Sea as the ship was moving toward the strait. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a military operation not yet made public.The Wednesday shootdown comes a day after a Iranian drone flew within 1,500 yards of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier as it was conducting flight operations in international waters in the Arabian Gulf.Navy Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, said the drone “violated safety precautions” by not staying more than 10 nautical miles from the ship. The drone ignored multiple warnings but eventually turned ...

Feds select Boeing military plane in sole-source deal, bypassing Bombardier

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

The federal government is expected to announce as early as Thursday that it has selected Boeing to replace the military’s aging patrol planes in a multibillion-dollar deal, according to three sources familiar with the matter.The decision to go with a sole-source contract would close the door on Quebec-based business jet maker Bombardier, which has been pushing for an open bid.The sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, say that last week cabinet green-lit the purchase of 16 P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft to replace the half-century-old CP-140 Auroras.They say the Treasury Board held a special meeting last night and approved the contract, which a U.S. agency has listed at $US5.9 billion.The procurement department has stated that Boeing’s off-the-shelf reconnaissance plane is the only one available that meets Royal Canadian Air Force requirements, particularly around submarine-hunting technology.Bombardier has argued that its alternative — cu...

Jury to decide whether officer fatally shooting handcuffed man was justified

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — A Maryland jury will decide in the coming weeks whether a Prince George’s County police officer broke the law when he shot and killed a handcuffed man in 2020.A trial began Tuesday for Michael Owen Jr., who had served on the police force for 10 years when he became the first officer in the county’s history to be charged with murder in an on-duty killing. He faces second-degree murder and other charges.In opening statements, prosecutors and the defense agreed on certain basic facts: that Owen fatally shot William Green, 43, while the handcuffed man was sitting in the front seat of the officer’s police cruiser, The Washington Post reported. But the two sides disputed other aspects of the case, including whether a struggle preceded the shooting and whether Owen acted in self-defense.Several months after Green’s death, in September 2020, county officials announced a $20 million settlement with his family.Prince George’s County has nearly 1 million residents an...

Book Review: ‘Eyeliner’ examines the staple makeup product’s revolutionary role in global society

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Zahra Hankir opens “Eyeliner: A Cultural History” by marveling over her mother’s elegant beauty process as she delicately sweeps black kohl on her waterline, dreaming of displaying that same confidence one day.For Hankir, eyeliner is more than just a cosmetic product. It provides protection and empowerment. It provides cultural connection. It exists beyond borders, gender roles and Western beauty standards. Lining one’s waterline or drawing a delicate black line across an eyelid is more than aesthetics. For many of the underrepresented groups and communities of color highlighted in Hankir’s book, applying the product is a ritual deeply rooted in spirituality, culture, identity and more. If self-care is an act of resistance, then eyeliner is a tool in the rebellion.The Lebanese-British journalist seamlessly takes her readers on a global investigation of how the cosmetic product is used worldwide. Through intimate narratives with varied characters from different cultures and communiti...

Charges laid in shooting deaths of two Edmonton officers while on duty: police

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Edmonton police say charges have been laid in the deaths of two officers who were shot while responding to a call in March.Const. Brett Ryan and Const. Travis Jordan were responding to a family dispute at an apartment building when they were gunned down by a 16-year-old boy. Police said the teen also shot and wounded his mother during a struggle over the gun.The boy then shot himself and died at the scene. Police say they will release details about the charges at a news conference later today.A staff sergeant with the guns and gang section is to be in attendance.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 29, 2023.The Canadian Press