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Showing posts from February 23, 2025

India remains cornerstone of UN peacekeeping, its women peacekeepers indispensable: UN peacekeeping chief

UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will visit New Delhi this week to attend the conference ‘Enhancing the Role of Women in Peacekeeping: A Global South Experience’ being organised by India on February 24-25  India remains a cornerstone of UN peacekeeping and its women peacekeepers have demonstrated that missions with greater female representation improve operational outcomes and contribute to lasting peace, the United Nations peacekeeping chief has said. UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix will visit New Delhi this week to attend the conference ‘Enhancing the Role of Women in Peacekeeping: A Global South Experience’ being organised by India on February 24-25. “India remains a cornerstone of UN peacekeeping” and “Indian women peacekeepers are redefining peacekeeping itself," Lacroix told  PTI . Noting that it's a “privilege" to attend the conference in India, Lacroix said the gathering would bring together wo...

Behind the Millions: Who’s Bankrolling SFJ’s Khalistan Propaganda?

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Yet, donations to the organization reportedly continued unabated, raising concerns over whether this lapse was a mere oversight or part of a more complex scheme. Questions surrounding the financial operations of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and its leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, have reignited debates over the transparency and legality of the Khalistan referendum campaign. The timing of this second revocation coincided with Pannun’s acquisition of a luxury bungalow in Ontario, Canada, further fueling allegations of financial mismanagement.   Questions surrounding the financial operations of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and its leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, have reignited debates over the transparency and legality of the Khalistan referendum campaign. With millions of dollars spent on global events, suspicions of financial irregularities and potential money laundering have come to the forefront. In 2009, Pannun, a New York-based lawyer, established Sikhs for Justice Inc., which obtained ...

Despite concerns from lawmakers, USAID funded American charity linked to banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa

  New Delhi:   The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded an America-based organisation with alleged links to the charitable and political arms of the terrorist organisation Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), despite calls for review. In October 2021, USAID awarded $110,000 to Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD), a US-based humanitarian organisation The funding was given despite allegations raised by three Members of Congress in November 2019 of links between HHRD and terrorist organisations in Pakistan. In 2017, a conference in Timergara, Khyber Paktunkhwa, was organised by the HHRD on World Disability Day, which featured speakers from the Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation (FIF) and the Milli Muslim League (MML)—the charitable and political arms of the JuD respectively. Incidentally, the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), believed to be behind the Mumbai terror attacks, is the militant arm of the JuD. FIF was sanctioned by the US government in 2010 for its affiliation,...

‘Gujarat first state to add cyber terror section in CCTV leak cases’

Section 66F(2) of the IT Act 2000 covers actions that threaten the country’s security, integrity, and sovereignty and is punishable with imprisonment which may extend to imprisonment for life.   The Gujarat government is in the process of framing a Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) and rules for installation of CCTV cameras at public places, said Minister of State for Home Affairs Harsh Sanghavi while responding to the concerns raised by the Congress during the Legislative Assembly session in connection with the CCTV footage leak case. The Cyber Terrorism Section 66F (2) of the Information Technology Act, 2000 has been added by  Ahmedabad  City Cyber Crime police station in the ongoing investigations, said Sanghavi, adding that Gujarat is the first state to add this section of cyber terrorism in such a case. Source:  https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/gujarat-first-state-to-add-cyber-terror-section-in-cctv-leak-cases-9854639/

DOJ'S WAR ON FINANCIAL CRIMES BEARS FRUIT; PHILIPPINES TAKEN OUT OF FATF MONEY LAUNDERING/TERRORISM FINANCING GREY LIST

  In strict compliance with Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" C. Remulla's marching orders to zero in on financial and economic crimes, the unwavering efforts of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in investigating and prosecuting the same has once again been highlighted on a global stage following the removal of the Philippines from the "grey list" of money laundering and terrorism financing. International money laundering/terrorism financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) describes the "grey list" as a registry of countries under strict monitoring for having a high volume of money laundering and terrorism financing incidents. Roughly four years ago, the Philippines was included in the said "grey list" wherein our country has committed to resolve the identified strategic deficiencies in addressing the said financial crimes within agreed timeframes. The removal of the Philippines from the said list means that it has completed ...

Somali pirates have used the Red Sea Crisis and war in Gaza to stage a return

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  For weeks, an unpleasant dream haunted Md (short for Mohammed) Atik Ullah Khan. In his sleep, he heard machine guns and saw himself stuck in a fierce fight between a group of pirates and navy commandos. He woke up sweating. “I was running and running… trying to go to a safe place, but I could not,” Khan recalls of the recurring nightmare. Khan, 39, was   the chief officer of Bangladesh-flagged merchant vessel Abdullah when it was hijacked on March 12, 2024, roughly 550 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. The MV Abdullah was sailing from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates with 55,000 tons of coal. Around 10 a.m. local time, an unidentified fishing boat appeared on the radar. Soon watchmen spotted six people with automatic rifles heading towards them in a speed boat. Six more followed in another vessel. Ship crew put out a mayday call. “But nobody responded,” Khan said. “Then I called the engine room and told them to cancel all speed limits and throttle to the maximum...