US charges Indian government employee in foiled Sikh separatist murder plot
The United States has filed charges against an Indian government employee it says was involved in a failed plot to kill an American citizen, who is a prominent advocate for Sikh separatism, in New York. The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced on Thursday that it filed “murder-for-hire and money laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav. Another suspect in the case, Nikhil Gupta, was extradited to the US earlier this year to face charges while Yadav remains at large, according to US authorities. “The defendant [Yadav], an Indian government employee, allegedly conspired with a criminal associate and attempted to assassinate a US citizen on American soil for exercising their First Amendment rights,” Christopher Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said in a statement. “The FBI will not tolerate acts of violence or other efforts to retaliate against those residing in the US for exercising their constitutionally protected rights.” The Indian government did not immediately comment on the allegations on Thursday. It has previously rejected accusations that a government agent was involved in the murder plot as “unwarranted” and “unsubstantiated”, according to media reports. The case revolves around an alleged scheme to kill Sikh American activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Pannun, the legal adviser for the group Sikhs for Justice, is a vocal member of a Sikh campaign for a sovereign state in India’s Punjab region, known as the Khalistan movement. India views Sikh separatism as a threat to its sovereignty. Over the past few years, the country has been increasingly vocal in demanding that allied countries with sizable Sikh populations — notably Canada, the US and the United Kingdom — do more to crack down on the movement. Sikhs for Justice is banned in India, and Pannun — a vocal critic of Indian government policies — has been accused (PDF) by New Delhi of being “involved in terrorism”. But Sikh community leaders have accused India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist, of trying to stifle dissent, both in India and abroad. In the hours before Thursday’s charges were announced, the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), a nonprofit, called on Washington to take “urgent action” to address a campaign of “transnational repression”. “In the United States, Sikh Americans and other diaspora communities continue to face the threat of transnational repression,” the group said in a statement. “Whether it be surveillance, intimidation, or targeted violence, foreign governments have sought to stifle free speech and political dissent within our borders. This is unacceptable in a country that stands for freedom and human rights.” ‘Freedom of expression’ In a statement on Thursday evening, Sikhs for Justice — Pannun’s group — said the new US indictment demonstrated Washington’s “commitment … to protect the life, liberty and freedom of expression of the US Citizen at home and abroad”. The organisation promised to continue to advocate for Khalistan, including by organising non-binding votes in the Sikh diaspora on the question of a sovereign state in Punjab. “Despite India’s use of violence against pro Khalistan Sikhs, [Sikhs for Justice] is committed to democratically resolve the dispute over the sovereignty of Indian occupied Punjab through the means of Referendum,” the statement said. The US State Department said earlier this week that an Indian committee of inquiry, tasked with investigating the foiled murder plot, had travelled to Washington, DC, to discuss the case and receive an update from American officials. “India has informed the United States they are continuing their efforts to investigate other linkages of the former government employee and will determine follow-up steps, as necessary,” the department said on Tuesday. The new charges in the US case come just days after the Canadian government said it had uncovered “clear and compelling evidence” that Indian government agents were involved in activities that threatened public safety in Canada. “This includes clandestine information-gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday. India-Canada relations have been tense since September 2023, when Trudeau said Canada had credible evidence to link Indian government agents to the assassination of a Canadian Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, earlier that year. Nijjar, who served as president of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, where he was killed, also advocated for Khalistan and had been dubbed a “terrorist” by New Delhi. India has rejected the allegations it was involved in Nijjar’s killing, accusing Trudeau of harbouring a vendetta against the country. “There is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, as the two countries announced they were expelling their respective diplomats amid the worsening row. The ministry also said it “reserves the right to take further steps” against Canada. Adblock test (Why?)
Ken Paxton sues Dallas pediatrician over providing hormone treatments to teens
In the first test of Senate Bill 14, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused Dr. May Lau of providing testosterone to at least 21 teens.
From the ‘Shark Tank’ to the campaign trail: Mark Cuban teams up with Kamala Harris
LA CROSSE, WI – Mark Cuban, taking aim at former President Trump, as he warmed up the crowd at a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. “The Trump that stole Christmas,” Cuban charged, as he riffed on the popular holiday classic. The billionaire businessman argued that the former president “wants you to have a lousy Christmas” because Trump’s proposed tariffs would increase the cost of some holiday presents. Cuban, the co-star of the popular long-running business-reality TV show ‘Shark Tank,’ and former majority owner of professional basketball’s Dallas Mavericks, has been a very visible surrogate on behalf of Harris since she replaced President Biden atop the Democrats’ 2024 ticket nearly three months ago. KAMALA HARRIS TEAMS UP WITH THESE ANTI-TRUMP REPUBLICANS Now, Cuban’s hitting the trail on behalf of the vice president – and taking aim at Trump over his proposed tariffs. “This man has so little understanding of tariffs. He thinks that China pays for them. This is the same guy who also thought that Mexico would pay for the wall,” Cuban claimed. Cuban’s two appearances Thursday with Harris in battleground Wisconsin – at a business school class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and at the rally in La Crosse – kick off a multi-day campaign swing through the key battlegrounds states that will likely determine whether Harris or Trump wins the White House. CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION On Saturday, Cuban will hold a town hall in Phoenix, Arizona to talk about Harris’ newly announced “Opportunity Agenda,” before heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to campaign alongside Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff on Sunday. The efforts by Cuban – a well-known personality in both the business and sports worlds – could boost Harris as she turns up the volume on her efforts to court younger male voters in a margin-of-error race against Trump. Cuban’s campaign appearances on Thursday came as Trump’s best-known billionaire backer – Tesla CEO Elon Musk – campaigned on behalf of the former president in arguably the most crucial of the seven battleground states – Pennsylvania. Musk spoke a town hall in suburban Philadelphia which was the second of a series of events to help Trump win Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes. “I’m in Pennsylvania. And I’m here for the very important reason which, you know….I can’t emphasize enough that Pennsylvania is… the lynch pin and in this election and this election, I think, is going to decide, the fate of America,” Musk stressed. Musk isn’t just hitting the campaign trail on behalf of Trump. The person estimated to be the world’s richest has donated roughly $75 million to a super PAC supporting Trump, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Fox News Politics: Who was Yahya Sinwar?
Welcome to the Fox News’ Politics newsletter, with the latest political news from Washington, D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. Here’s what’s happening… -Nebraska high court restores voting right for thousands of convicted felons -‘Unprecedented field operation’: Republicans gain momentum toward capturing critical Senate race –Comer report reveals Biden-Harris admin’s ‘rampant waste, fraud, abuse’ The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) just took out their target No. 1: Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. Sinwar rose to the top position after the killing of previous leader Ismail Haniyeh in the explosion of a guesthouse in Tehran on July 30. Referred to by Israel as “The Butcher of Khan Younis” for his violent and cruel torture methods against his enemies, both Israeli and Palestinian, Sinwar, 61, is widely seen as being behind the massacre of Israeli civilians carried out by thousands of Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7…Read more ‘FOR NOW’: Supreme Court to allow Biden admin power plant climate standards to remain in place – for now…Read more VIDEO CALL: Harris to virtually attend Catholic charity dinner that rival Trump is headlining…Read more ‘IT’S A SHAME’: Cardinal Dolan ‘upset’ that Harris skipping Al Smith Dinner…Read more THOUSANDS STAYING: Biden admin moves to protect Lebanese nationals from deportation…Read more NONCITIZEN VOTING FIGHT: Biden admin slapped with major lawsuit over alleged refusal to help state purge noncitizens from voter rolls…Read more MIDDLE EAST ‘MESS’: CNN host calls Biden foreign policy ‘a mess,’ suggests Israel killing Hamas leader could help Harris…Read more ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’: ‘Yacht Killer’ got taxpayer-funded sex change while on death row after Harris ‘behind the scenes’ policy work…Read more ‘WE WILL BE WATCHING’: Biden admin issues warning to Netanyahu as Israel holds emergency meeting on Gaza aid…Read more SWING-STATE SWING: Mike Johnson kicks off swing-state tour as GOP clings to House control…Read more ‘SLEAZEBALL’: ‘Despicable human being’: McConnell’s 2020 thoughts on ‘sleazeball’ Trump revealed in new book…Read more ‘HE’S SUCCESSFUL’: Fetterman admits Elon Musk ‘attractive to a demographic’ Democrats ‘need’ to win Pennsylvania…Read more OPEN TO ALL: VP Harris’ ‘Agenda for Black men’ not as exclusive as advertised…Read more NJ BATTLEGROUND: New Jersey battleground House district poll finds tight race as GOP seeks to retain seat…Read more ‘MASSIVE AND PROFESSIONAL’: ‘Massive and professional’ effort boosts GOP’s confidence about ground game in pivotal swing state…Read more DUMPING ON DON: Media says Donald Trump is in mental decline…Read more IT’S ALL GREEK TO HER: TikToker apologizes after tearing down Greek flags she mistook for Israeli flags: ‘My bad’…Read more PROBABLE CAUSE: Alleged ISIS-linked terrorist Nasir Tawhedi denied release in preliminary hearing…Read more Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Key Pennsylvania region sees ‘waitlist’ for Trump signs; lawmaker says voters ready to reverse Dem policies
On a clear day, a hiker standing atop Bake Oven Knob, a high point along the Appalachian Trail in Lehigh Furnace, Pa., can see most of state Sen. Jarrett Coleman’s district. Below the crest of Blue Mountain lies a patchwork of woods and farmsteads in the historically Pennsylvania Dutch communities. On the horizon lies the growing, diverse footprint of Allentown, Pennsylvania’s third-largest city. Beyond Allentown lies mixed suburbs like Emmaus and Coopersburg, before again giving way to rural communities like Hosensack and Old Zionsville, the latter being the hometown of former three-term Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. As Pennsylvania’s friendlier economic climate draws transplants from New York and New Jersey, its farmland has been gradually replaced by residential subdivisions and corporate warehousing. INSIDE DEMOCRATS’ GROUND GAME IN PENNSYLVANIA’S ‘SWING’ LEHIGH VALLEY AREA All of those factors combine to create what Allentown Democratic Mayor Matt Tuerk called the “swingiest” area of the perennial bellwether state. Coleman, a Republican and an airline pilot who entered the political scene as an outspoken conservative member of the Parkland School Board during the height of national controversies, said Republicans are poised to do well in the Lehigh Valley this year. “We are seeing some of the highest levels of excitement and motivation from folks in the Lehigh Valley. I am hopeful for turnout to exceed 2020 levels,” Coleman said. The GOP underperformed that year in both Lehigh and Northampton counties. “Although Lehigh County contains a ‘blue’ urban core, life for everyone, regardless of political party, has gotten harder under the current administration. This is prompting even some who have traditionally voted Democrat to cast ballots for GOP candidates. “The economy, border and community safety remain top concerns for those in the Lehigh Valley.” Democrats are also aiming to retake the Pennsylvania state Senate, and state Sen. Sharif Street, D-Philadelphia, the state party chairman, said in a recent interview the landmark achievement is within reach. But, in terms of Harrisburg and Washington, Coleman said, “kitchen table issues” are front of mind in his district, which also includes a slice of the Philadelphia “swing” suburb of Bucks County, and will help the GOP at both levels. “It’s very clear that the majority of Pennsylvanians — and especially those in the Lehigh Valley — are far worse off than they were four years ago. The GOP has a platform with specific steps to take to improve the lives of those in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania and across the nation.” Democratic “demonizing” of Trump has not helped his constituents’ pocketbook or public safety via the open border, he added. Off the side of Bake Oven Knob, adjoining the county lake now named for him, lies the property of Revolution-era farmer Frederick Leaser. POPULAR PA DEMOCRATIC MAYOR WARNS TRUMP IS ‘OUT-MESSAGING’ HARRIS: I GET MORE FROM STEPHEN COLBERT As the British approached Philadelphia in 1777, Leaser loaded the Liberty Bell onto his wagon during one of his trips to take produce to market and hauled it home to Lehigh County, preventing the Redcoats from melting it down for ammunition. Such patriotic, community sentiment remains in that part of the valley, with American flags flying in yards during holidays and local churches and fire halls hosting community dinners, from the Jacksonville oyster supper to the German Groundhog Day spread at the local Grundsau Lodsch. A few blocks west of the church where Leaser ultimately hid the bell is the headquarters of the Lehigh County Republican Committee. Chairman Joe Vichot said the party’s presence is ubiquitous at many local events, including the Schnecksville Fair and Allentown Puerto Rican Day Parade. Trump rallied at Schnecksville’s fairgrounds earlier this year, claiming how crucial the area is this cycle. “We have literature on candidates, and we listen and speak to residents about the issues,” Vichot said, adding his party’s float won third place in the aforementioned parade and that more than a dozen attendees were registered to vote in only a few hours. The party also registers voters and has made connections with civic leaders in the Jewish, Syrian and Muslim communities, he said. “The top two issues we hear are the border and the economy,” Vichot said. “[Voters] want a new direction. They don’t believe the open border policies of Biden/Harris is good for their wallet or safe for their family.” In neighboring Northampton County, home to Bethlehem, Easton and smaller cities like Nazareth and Wind Gap, conservatives are similarly pounding the pavement to get their messages out. “Our local party is very involved. We are able to communicate with our voters. We are able to text them, call them, and they are receptive to our requests to … help out in going door to door and making phone calls for us,” Northampton County Republican Committee board member Andrew Azan III said. Azan told Fox News Digital there’s a “waitlist” for Trump-Vance signs in his county, which the Republican nominee flipped red in 2016 but lost in 2020. “That’s a positive sign,” he quipped. With Bethlehem and Easton’s population of retired steelworkers giving way to new Hispanic and African American residents, the party has adjusted its messaging, but not its principles, to meet the changing diversity of the Lehigh Valley where it stands, Azan added. In that regard, according to Lehigh Valley Tea Party board member Tom Carroll, locals are more receptive to the conservative platform, and the right wing is “more unified than I’ve ever seen.” “They are more concerned than ever about losing their country because of the Marxist and socialist policies that are coming out of both Biden and, of course, now Kamala Harris,” said Carroll, whose Tea Party group is the nation’s largest, with 7,000 recorded members. “She’s going to open the borders, and she’s going to enact the tax policies that she’s talked about, things like [levying] unrealized capital gains. Our voters are educated, and they’re concerned because they know what that will do to the economy.” Carroll, an attorney who also helps lead the Bethlehem City GOP, said
Biden, US lawmakers praise death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israel: ‘The world is a safer place’
President Biden and congressional lawmakers praised Israel upon hearing the news that the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on the Jewish state had been killed. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was eliminated by Israeli forces and was found in rubble in the Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised message. “I stand before you today to inform you that Yahya Sinwar has been eliminated,” he said. “He told you he was a lion, but in reality, he was hiding in a dark den – and he was killed when he fled in a panic from our soldiers.” Biden congratulated Israel for the killing, saying it was “a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.” WHO IS YAHYA SINWAR? “Israel had every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas. Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7,” he said in a statement. Vice President Kamala Harris said: “justice has been served.” “And the United States, Israel and the entire world are better off as a result, Sinwar was responsible for the killing of thousands of innocent people, including the victims of Oct. 7, and hostages killed in Gaza,” she added. “He had American blood on his hands.” Many lawmakers reacted positively to news of Sinwar’s demise. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sinwar had the blood of numerous Israelis and Gazans on his hands. “Let his death be a message to all who seek to terrorize Israel and the Jewish people,” said Schumer. “Sinwar in his beliefs and actions have caused so much pain to the Israeli and Palestinian people; and I pray that his elimination from the scene will clear a path to urgently and immediately bring home all the hostages – including the seven Americans.” HAMAS NAMES YAHYA SINWAR, MASTERMIND OF OCT. 7 ATTACKS, AS ITS NEW LEADER House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies, D-N.Y., said, “Israel, the Middle East and the free world is a safer place with the death of Yahya Sinwar. Terror will never win.” Sen. Roger Wicker, of Mississippi, the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Sinwar’s death should be a warning to Iran and its proxies in the region. “Israel has decapitated the senior leadership of Hezbollah and Hamas. The world is a safer place because Israel has proven what strong action against global terrorism should look like,” he said. “Every time the Biden-Harris administration attempts to place conditions on Israel’s self-defense, they are weakening Israeli and American responses to terrorism.” “The only way that this war will end is with Israel’s victory and the defeat of Iran’s terrorist proxies. Israel’s removal of the architect of this war represents another key step toward eliminating these threats,” he added. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Israel delivered a “mighty blow” to Hamas and Iran. “The ultimate revenge against Iran and their terrorist proxies is to replace terrorism and hate with sustainable security, peace and prosperity for the region,” he said. ISRAEL’S HUNT FOR HAMAS TERROR LEADER YAHYA SINWAR: ‘DEAD MAN WALKING’ Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho., said: “Terrorists have no place in this world, and deserve to be eliminated.” “The region cannot move forward without the elimination of Hamas as a military entity,” he added. “This is not easy to do, but the Israelis are doing it; that cannot be denied. The U.S. and our allies should do more to help the Israelis continue to cut off the head of the snake, and certainly stop trying to get in their way. Israel’s success will be a victory for the free world.” Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., the chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said justice had been served, but “let us not forget that the terrorist network he headed still holds dozens of people hostage in Gaza, and we must continue to press for their safe return.” Israel vowed to kill Sinwar following its military campaign in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Sinwar’s death after conducting DNA tests on a body that was among three terrorists killed during a battle. In July, Sinwar was elevated as Hamas’ top leader after Ismail Haniyeh, his predecessor, was killed in an apparent Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran. Israel has killed top leaders in Hamas and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed terror group based in neighboring Lebanon that has shelled the northern part of the Jewish state for more than a year in solidarity with Hamas.
Dem incumbent spars with GOP challenger in final debate for race that could decide House balance of power
CINCINNATI – The third and final debate in one of the most closely watched House races in the country took place in southwest Ohio on Tuesday night where Democratic Rep. Greg Landsman and his GOP challenger Orlando Sonza squared off on a variety of issues from immigration to the economy to a newly surfaced ethics complaint. “As I walk around this district now, whether it’s the economy or followed very closely by the issue with the southern border immigration, those are at the forefront of voters minds,” Sonza told the crowd of mostly students at Xavier University in Cincinnati as he debated Landsman in the race for Ohio’s 1st Congressional District. “My dad had to wait five years to be a naturalized citizen,” Sonza continued. “So what we’re seeing in this country right now flies in the face of not just my dad, but the millions of Americans that have come in here illegally. So how do we actually stop the over 15 million illegal immigrants that have come into our country, that are overburdening our economy, overburdening our housing market, and also bringing in fentanyl like endemic here in southwest Ohio, rising crime.” “Well, you’ve got to immediately close that border and I know that, look, if I was in Congress in these last 20 months, I would have voted for the Secure Border Act unlike my opponent, that would have immediately secured the southern border, brought resources to our border Patrol, and also tightened up our asylum policies and actually sent resources to our immigration courts. So in both of those ways, you can bring in people here legally and welcome them in here, just like my family did to pursue the American dream. But we have to do it in a way that actually stops the bleeding at the southern border and actually tightens the policies and procedures that we have.” OHIO LT. GOV. ENCOURAGES SUPPORT FOR TRUMP’S ‘SWAMP THE VOTE’ STRATEGY AS KEY STATE’S EARLY VOTING OPENS Landsman responded to the immigration question by suggesting that he sees “eye to eye” with Sonza on many aspects of the problem. “The fact is that you have to have a secure border, and for far too long, both parties have messed this up,” Landsman said, echoing the argument from many Democrats that the failed bipartisan border bill over the summer would have made a difference at the border. “That was a good bill that will get 300 votes in the House, probably 80, 90 in the Senate,” Landsman said. “It was a bill put together by one of the most conservative Republicans in the United States Senate, and it would have come to us but for Trump. Trump did not want it to get in the way of his reelection campaign.” On the economy, the issue that polling shows most Americans list as their top concern, Landsman took issue with billionaires receiving tax breaks while others struggle to make ends meet. “I think more and more Americans, even though the economy has gotten better, more and more Americans are finding it harder and harder to pay all their bills, or if they pay all their bills, there’s almost nothing left for savings or vacation, and so the question becomes, who’s the economy built for?” Landsman said, taking aim at former President Trump’s tax policy. OHIO GOP SENATE CHALLENGER REACTS TO POLLS SHOWING DEAD HEAT IN CRITICAL SENATE RACE: ‘RADICAL LIBERAL’ “You can look at the results that those at the top, the 1%, the super wealthy, they’re doing great,” Landsman said. “This is the best it’s ever been for billionaires and big corporations. And that’s in part because the tax code is built for them. Eighty-three percent of the tax giveaways in the 2017 Trump tax plan went to the top 1%. But what if you flipped it? What if you said that 83 to 90 percent of all of that will go to the working folks and middle-class families you all like? You have a much better economy because you’d have more money in your pockets to buy goods and services here in our local communities. And that creates jobs as opposed to what happens when the one percent get more money.” Landsman said that “fixing the tax code is number one” and “number two is that you’re going to have to deal with price gouging.” Sonza discussed the economy by pointing out that his family of four is dealing with the high costs of goods. “So what’s the first problem?” Sonza said. “It is this hyperinflationary environment that we have. How do you fix prices that continue to increase due to this inflation? What you have to do is you have to stop this idea of spend, spend, spend in our federal government.” Sonza, a West Point graduate and former infantry officer, continued, “You can start with cutting the fraud, waste and abuse and the duplication and the redundancy in government. So stopping this over-bloated government spending fixes the inflation problem. But what do you then do with prices still high? Well, what you can’t do is make sure that we have a competitive environment that allows for prices to go down.” “So we actually increase competition, whether it’s in health care or whether it’s in manufacturing or energy. If we increase competition here in America, we’re actually going to bring those prices down. I think that’s how you fix both of those problems.” FLASHBACK: VULNERABLE DEM SENATOR ACCUSED VOTERS SUPPORTING TRUMP OF ‘RACISM’: ‘IT WORKS FOR THEM’ On abortion, Sonza told the audience he does not “hide” the fact that he is pro-life but pledged that he would not support a federal abortion ban and believes in exceptions for life of the mother, rape and incest. Sonza said abortion is no longer a federal issue and acknowledged that Ohio voters recently chose to enshrine abortion access into the state Constitution. Sonza argued that Landman’s opposition to the Born Alive Act, which instructs doctors to
What is shaken baby syndrome, the controversial diagnosis for which Robert Roberson is set to die?
The American Academy of Pediatrics embraces the diagnosis, but courts have thrown out some cases, calling it “junk science.”
Zelenskyy victory plan: Replace US troops at outposts in Europe with battle-hardened Ukrainians
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s victory plan includes bringing Ukraine into NATO and replacing U.S. troops with battle-hardened Ukrainian troops at outposts throughout Europe. Zelenskyy pitched the plan to the Ukrainian parliament Wednesday, seeking peace through greater help from Ukraine’s western allies. His request includes an invitation to NATO, the international group formed as a way to counter Russia that President Vladimir Putin views as a threat to his nation’s existence. Many believe Putin invaded Ukraine in 2022 due to the threat of an expanding NATO. Putin has long said he will not entertain peace talks until Ukraine ceases its bid to become a part of the NATO alliance. UKRAINE DEFENSE MINISTER CONFIDENT CAN REPLENISH TROOPS BUT IN NEED OF WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT FROM ALLIES If Ukraine is not allowed into NATO, it may begin to pursue nuclear weapons, according to Zelenskyy. “In a conversation with Donald Trump, I told him it comes to this,” Zelensky said in Ukrainian while speaking to the European Council in Brussels. “The outcome is either Ukraine will be a nuclear power — and that will be our protection — or we should have some kind of alliance. Other than NATO, today we don’t know of any effective alliances.” He offered to have Ukraine take charge of European security and kicking out U.S. forces, thanks to its war-hardened military. “If the partners agree, we envisage replacing certain military contingents of the U.S. armed forces stationed in Europe with Ukrainian units. After the war,” Zelenskyy said. “Ukrainians have proven that they can be a force that Russian evil cannot overcome.” The U.S. has around 100,000 troops stationed across Europe. In Ukraine, where manpower is in short supply, the average age of frontline soldiers is 43. The dire need for fresh recruits has led military recruitment officers to raid concert halls, bars and restaurants in search of 25- to 60-year-olds out of compliance with conscription into their forces. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte would not say whether he’d push member nations to extend Kyiv an invitation into NATO, though he reiterated that Russia does not have a say over who joins NATO. “The victory plan is not only about an invitation to become a member of NATO. The victory plan has more elements,” Rutte told reporters Wednesday. “The next steps [are] not just on this issue, but on the general content of the victory plan.” PUTIN WARNS US, NATO RISK WAR WITH RUSSIA IF LONG-RANGE STRIKE BANS LIFTED FOR UKRAINE He also once again called for an end to all restrictions on long-range weapons given to Ukraine so that the army could strike deep inside Russia, provide more training and air defense capability and prevent allies from shooting down drones and missiles over Ukrainian territory. Zelenskyy’s new plan comes as he continues to implore the European Union to release tens of billions in aid that has been held up for more than a year. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose nation has been blocking the transfer of $7.1 billion to Kyiv, called Zelenskyy’s plan “more than frightening.” “We are losing this war, so the strategy is not working,” Orbán wrote on Facebook. “But this does not mean that we need more war, more dangerous and long-range weapons — it means that we need to change from a war strategy to a peace strategy. We need a cease-fire and peace talks!” Zelenskyy was in Washington last month making the pitch for unrestricted use of U.S. ATACMS and other long-range missiles to lawmakers, but the Biden administration has said it has no plan to lift the ban for fear of crossing the Kremlin’s red lines. Zelenskyy argues Ukraine’s attacks on the Russian territory of Kursk prove that Putin is bluffing. ”Thanks to the Kursk operation, we saw that Putin doesn’t have enough strength to hold his own when we push really hard,” Zelenskyy said. “If we start moving according to this victory plan now, it may be possible to end the war no later than next year,” Zelenskyy told the Verkhovna Rada, the parliament. He is presenting the five-point plan to the European Council on Thursday. Zelenskyy also said he’d asked leaders from the U.S., Germany, France and the U.K. for help with a non-nuclear strategic deterrence package that he said would force Moscow into a diplomatic process to end the war. And he proposed partners from the European Union and U.S. sign a special agreement to purchase Ukraine’s critical resources, like lithium, gas, titanium and others, to shore up economic development. Some Ukrainian politicians read the plan as an unrealistic wish list. “A set of slogans and nothing more,” European Solidarity opposition party MP Oleksiy Honcharenko said in a Facebook post. “The plan looks like others need to do everything for us.” Roman Losynskyi, a Ukrainian soldier and a member of the liberal Holos party, called the plan a “fantasy.” “On one hand, the plan sounds like a fantasy. On the other hand, Patriot, Storm Shadow, and F-16s used to be just as fantastic, as was the sinking of a large part of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation and the control of a piece of Kursk. Everything depends on the decisions of partners and the success of our diplomacy,” Lozynskyi said. However, he added that Zelenskyy “did not explain how he plans to achieve the implementation of these points.” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the plan “ephemeral” and said, “Kyiv needs to sober up and admit its policies have no perspectives.”
DNA TV Show: Bahraich murder accused shot in police encounter near Nepal border; 5 held
ADGP (Law and Order), STF Uttar Pradesh said that two people were injured in the encounter and were admitted to a hospital for treatment.