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Friday, February 13, 2026

Indian national accused of murder-for-hire plot against Sikh extremist in US pleads guilty

New York, Feb 13 (PTI): Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of being involved in a murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh extremist on American soil, on Friday pleaded guilty to the charges. Gupta, 54, pleaded guilty to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, in connection with his efforts to murder Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. Pannun holds dual American and Canadian citizenship. Gupta pleaded guilty before US Magistrate Judge Sarah Netburn and is scheduled to be sentenced by US District Judge Victor Marrero on May 29. Gupta pleaded guilty to murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, and conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton said in a statement. According to the allegations contained in the indictment, other public court documents, and statements made in court, Gupta worked together with others in India and elsewhere, including, with co-defendant Vikash Yadav to plot Pannun’s assassination on US soil. At Yadav’s direction, Gupta contacted an individual whom he believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration for assistance in contracting a hitman to murder Pannun in New York City. Yadav subsequently agreed, in dealings brokered by Gupta, to pay the undercover officer USD 100,000 to murder the victim. On or about June 9, 2023, Yadav and Gupta arranged for an associate to deliver USD 15,000 in cash to the undercover officer as an advance payment for the murder. PTI YAS GSP GSP(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/indian-national-accused-of-murder-for-hire-plot-against-sikh-extremist-in-us-pleads-guilty-1827022

AI tool offers hope for people with MND by pinpointing optimal timing for critical procedure

London, Feb 13 (PTI): A new AI tool that accurately predicts the need for a feeding tube could transform patient care and improve quality of life for people living with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). The new tool, developed by a team at the University of Sheffield, will improve patient care by providing doctors and patients with the crucial information to plan the life-extending intervention at the ideal time. MND -- also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) -- is a devastating, progressive and fatal condition that attacks the nerve cells controlling muscles. As the disease advances, many patients struggle to swallow, leading to dangerous weight loss and malnutrition. A gastrostomy is a procedure to place a feeding tube directly into the stomach, which is vital for maintaining nutrition, quality of life, and even survival. However, timing is critical. If the procedure is carried out too early, it can have an adverse effect on quality of life. If done too late, it carries greater risks and can be less effective because patients can enter a ‘refractive’ stage of being malnourished. The procedure may even become impossible due to weakened breathing muscles. Researchers from across Europe, led by Professor Johnathan Cooper-Knock at the University of Sheffield’s Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), created a sophisticated machine learning model (AI) to tackle the challenge of MND’s unpredictable progression. The model uses routine measurements collected at the time of diagnosis to estimate how quickly the disease will progress in each individual patient, thereby allowing clinicians to pinpoint the optimal time for the critical intervention. “One of the hardest aspects of living with MND is the uncertainty, it is a cruel and devastating disease.” said Professor Johnathan Cooper-Knock from the University of Sheffield. “Until now it has been impossible for clinicians to predict when someone living with MND may need a feeding tube - it could be anything from eight months after diagnosis to 20 years. “By pinpointing the optimal window for a gastrostomy to within three months, doctors and patients can better plan for the surgery and we can help ensure the best possible quality of life and potentially extend survival.” Researchers used data from more than 20,000 MND patients to develop the AI model to predict the time when significant weight loss will have occurred - this is a key indicator that a feeding tube is needed. The new tool was able to predict the optimal window within a median error of just 3.7 months at the time of diagnosis. For patients who were re-evaluated six months after diagnosis, the model’s accuracy improved further, with a median error of just 2.6 months. Professor Johnathan Cooper-Knock added: “This is not just about a surgical procedure; it’s about preserving a patient’s dignity and ability to maintain nutrition safely. For a clinician, knowing this critical window allows us to move from reacting to the disease's progression to proactively managing it, providing optimal care and avoiding the distressing complications of rushing a patient to surgery when they are already too frail. “Ultimately, this tool ensures patients get the right care at the right time, maximizing the quality of every single day.” The promising results of the study, published in the journal eBioMedicine, mean researchers are now planning a prospective clinical trial to formally validate the tool before it can become a standard part of MND care. PTI HSR GSP GSP(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/ai-tool-offers-hope-for-people-with-mnd-by-pinpointing-optimal-timing-for-critical-procedure-1827021

Nikhil Gupta Pleads Guilty In Foiled US Murder Plot Against Khalistani Leader Pannun

Accused Nikhil Gupta on Friday pleaded guilty in a US court for his role in the foiled murder plot targeting Khalistani separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gupta, 54, had initially pleaded not guilty in June 2024. According to the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan, Gupta admitted to charges of murder-for-hire, conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was arrested in June 2023 in the Czech Republic and subsequently extradited to the United States. <h3 data-start="429" data-end="668">Conspiracy With Indian Official For Assasination</h3> Prosecutors alleged that Gupta conspired with an Indian government official to assassinate Pannun, who is a US resident and holds dual US-Canadian citizenship. New Delhi has distanced itself from the plot, emphasizing that such actions are against government policy. The case had previously strained India’s diplomatic ties with both the US and Canada. Prosecutors also claimed that Gupta’s alleged plot was linked to a broader conspiracy targeting Sikh separatist leaders abroad, including the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Western Canada in June 2023. Gupta reportedly hired an assassin under orders from Vikash Yadav, an officer of India’s external intelligence agency, who remains in India and is charged in the case. Gupta has been held without bail since arriving in the US and faces decades in prison if convicted.

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/nikhil-gupta-pleads-guilty-us-murder-plot-pannun-1827015

Thursday, February 12, 2026

BNP Heads For Historic Comeback In Bangladesh As Tarique Rahman Leads From Front, Jamaat Poised to Be Oppn

Bangladesh election results: The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) appears poised for a decisive comeback in the country’s general elections, with early results indicating a commanding lead as vote counting continues. According to initial tallies, the BNP has secured 151 of the 350 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, as per Dhaka Tribune. However, another report by The Daily Star placed the party’s count at 170 seats, underscoring the fluid nature of the ongoing counting process. <h2>BNP Eyes Overwhelming Mandate</h2> After spending nearly two decades out of power, the BNP is hopeful of clinching more than a two-thirds majority, describing the outcome as an “overwhelming public mandate”. The scale of the lead, if sustained, would mark a significant political shift in Bangladesh’s landscape. Party chief and prime ministerial frontrunner Tarique Rahman strengthened that narrative by winning both constituencies he contested, Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6. Top BNP leaders also performed strongly. Chairman Tarique Rahman and Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir won their respective constituencies, according to unofficial results, consolidating the party’s upper hand. <h2>Jamaat Closing In as Opposition</h2> Meanwhile, former BNP ally Jamaat-e-Islami is emerging as the second-largest force based on early trends and is poised to become the main opposition party. Several senior Jamaat figures were leading in their constituencies. Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher was ahead in Cumilla-12. In Rangpur-2, Nayeb-e-Ameer ATM Azharul Islam was leading, while Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem Arman held the advantage in Dhaka-14. <h2>NCP Makes Modest Gains</h2> The National Citizen Party (NCP), formed in the aftermath of the Gen Z-led July uprising of 2023 and aligned with the Jamaat-led alliance, has won six seats. Its convener, Nahid Islam, widely regarded as the face of the July uprising that culminated in the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was leading in Dhaka-11. The Election Commission has yet to formally declare the final results, and overall voter turnout figures have not been released. With counting still underway, the political mood remains charged — and the final numbers could further reshape the contours of Bangladesh’s next government.

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/bangladesh-elections-results-2026-live-updates-bnp-sweeps-tarique-rahman-wins-on-both-seats-jamaat-poised-to-be-oppn-1826843

Vote count gives clear edge to BNP in Bangladesh polls

Dhaka, Feb 13 (PTI): The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) appeared to be consolidating its lead over its once ally Jamaat-e-Islami as the counting for the crucial general elections to replace the interim administration, which took charge after the collapse of the Awami League regime in August 2024, progressed late on Thursday night.The election is seen as a direct contest between the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami in the absence of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina's now disbanded Awami League.Unofficial results after midnight suggested the BNP was leading in most of the constituencies.According to unofficial results tallied so far by Ittefaq newspaper, the BNP has won 158 seats, Jamaat 41 and others five seats. Counting had been completed for 204 out of the 299 constituencies where polling was held.The report indicated the BNP has won the election.In unofficial results, Election Commission officials said BNP chairman and former premier Khaleda Zia's son Tarique Rahman won the seat in his home district in Bugura. Rahman polled 2,16,284 votes, according to the returning officer of the constituency.Rahman's nearest rival and Jamaat nominee Abidur Rahman got 97,626 votes.The BNP had earlier announced that if it was voted to power, Rahman would be the next prime minister of Bangladesh, ending the past 18-month rule of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.Jamaat-e-Islami president Shafiqur Rahman was unofficially declared the winner in a Dhaka constituency. He received 82,645 votes as against his BNP rival's 61,920.BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir won from his constituency in northwestern Thakurgaon with 2,34,144 votes. His rival Jamaat candidate Delwar Hossain received 1,37,281 votes.Jamaat's secretary general Mia Golam Porwar lost the race to his BNP rival Ali Asghar Lobby. While Porwar polled 1,44,956 votes, Lobby received 1,47,658 at a southwestern Khulna constituency.The voting for the 13th parliamentary elections was held along with a referendum on the implementation of a complex 84-point reform package, known as the July National Charter.The counting of votes began soon after voting concluded at 4:30 pm (local time).Earlier, BNP Election Steering Committee spokesperson Mahdi Amin said his party's victory is "inevitable and clear".The Jamaat-e-Islami, which was opposed to Bangladesh's 1971 independence from Pakistan, hopes to form the first Islamist-led government in constitutionally secular Bangladesh under its 67-year-old chief Shafiqur Rahman.The Election Commission made elaborate security arrangements for the elections, deploying nearly 1 million security personnel -- the largest-ever in the country's electoral history. PTI AR DIV DIV(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/vote-count-gives-clear-edge-to-bnp-in-bangladesh-polls-1826842

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM condemns alleged mistreatment of Imran Khan

Peshawar, Feb 12 (PTI): Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday condemned what he described as the “gross negligence” and “criminal recklessness” of the federal government regarding the medical condition of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan. Addressing a meeting of the provincial cabinet of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Afridi said that the official medical report itself admits that 73-year-old Khan has lost most of his eyesight, with only ten to fifteen per cent remaining in right eye. However, he added that this report cannot be relied upon, as Khan’s personal physicians have still not been allowed to conduct a complete medical examination. Afridi stated that when Khan was shifted to hospital, neither his family members were taken into confidence nor were his personal physicians informed. He claimed that as Khan’s popularity could not be curtailed, he was being “deliberately targeted”. The chief minister from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said that if such treatment can be inflicted upon a former prime minister, it is a “deeply disturbing matter, clearly revealing malicious intent and dangerous designs”. Earlier in the day, the chief minister said that the nation has not forgotten incidents such as “Model Town, May 9, November 26, and Muridke”. He said that those for whom the “lives of ordinary citizens hold no value have today openly resorted to state oppression”. He said that the continued delay in fixing the cases of Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Islamabad High Court for nearly a year is alarming, warning that when justice is denied, the public’s last hope also fades. He alleged that the governments imposed in Punjab, Sindh, and at the federal level lack public mandate, and this reality stands exposed before the entire nation. The chief minister said that the country’s security situation has entered a troubling phase, with terrorism persisting in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while even the federal capital is no longer secure. Speaking on the economic situation, Afridi said that Pakistan’s total debt has crossed Rs 80,000 billion, out of which Rs 36,000 billion is external debt linked to the dollar. Exports are close to zero, the trade deficit is widening, and the dollar has been artificially restrained at Rs 280, but once reality surfaces, it could exceed Rs 400, he said. He said the country has been pushed close to bankruptcy. He said that while the country is slipping out of control, the rulers’ sole priority is to unlawfully keep Khan imprisoned. Afridi said that peaceful protest is the constitutional and legal right of every citizen, and exercising this right is the people’s prerogative. He stated that, in line with the chief justice’s directive, Khan must undergo an immediate medical examination by his personal physicians by February 16 and the nation must be taken into confidence. Khan has been in jail since August 5, 2023, when he was arrested at his Lahore residence after his conviction in a corruption case. Currently, he is incarcerated at the high-security Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan on Thursday resumed hearing a case about the living conditions of the 73-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician and ordered a detailed check-up before February 16. PTI AYZ GSP GSP(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/khyber-pakhtunkhwa-cm-condemns-alleged-mistreatment-of-imran-khan-1826841

Activists Challenge Retrospective UK Visa Rule Change, Write To Shabana Mahmood

London, Feb 12 (PTI) The British government must rule out the retrospective application of new settlement rules for migrant families already in the UK, cross-party MPs and workers’ rights campaigners have told Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood. Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan initiated the latest appeal to Mahmood on Wednesday, with a letter signed by over 50 fellow members of Parliament, including of Indian origin, peers, civil society organisations and one of the country’s largest trade unions Unison. The cross-party letter warns that the Labour government’s plans to double the settlement period for most migrants to 10 years, and 15 years for workers in the social care sector, are not only unfair but will also undermine the government’s priorities for economic growth. “Thousands of families have planned their lives around current rules,” reads the letter, posted on social media. “The proposal to double the qualifying period for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) to 10 years, rising to 15 years for those such as care workers, wrongly deemed 'low-skilled', alongside new conditionality is deeply unfair. "The proposals to change settlement rules would pull the rug from under migrant workers, including in social care who provide dignity and comfort to our loved ones, often in difficult conditions and for low pay. The government must uphold its promises – we cannot simply change the rules halfway through an agreed process,” it states. The letter, signed by British Indian MPs Navendu Mishra, Nadia Whittome and Warinder Juss among others, warns against the Home Office plans to make “sweeping immigration reforms without transparency”. “It must restart the process with an Impact Assessment, together with a Child Rights Impact Assessment, with the starting point of treating people fairly as well as supporting the economy and public services," it says, with reference to an ongoing online consultation process to finalise the details of the new settlement rules. The changes announced by Mahmood last year are targeted at the estimated 1.6 million people qualifying for ILR between 2026 and 2030, with a peak of 450,000 expected to be hit in 2028. The South Asian heritage minister has said the reforms are necessary because over 2 million migrants arrived in the UK from 2021, under the post-Brexit Conservative Party “Boriswave” – named after the then prime minister Boris Johnson. The UK Home Office has dubbed the changes as the “biggest overhaul” of the country’s legal migration system towards an “earned settlement” model that rewards those making greater contributions to British society. “These plans condemn migrant workers to at least a decade of sponsorship, tied to employers for years with no opportunity for upward mobility, and at risk of exploitation," said Dr Dora-Olivia Vicol, CEO of the Work Rights Centre – a charity running a campaign against the new extended ILR rules. “They reduce contribution to the balance on a payslip, and penalise the most vulnerable for getting sick or being a refugee. Retrospective application means that while migrant workers have upheld their side of the contract, the UK government is trying to renege on its own. “It is simply not right to canvas the public’s view on the biggest shake-up to the immigration system in 50 years when the government has not assessed the potential impact on commutes, public services, and our economy. This consultation is a farce and it must be restarted with the full picture made available to the public," she said. Mahmood has declared it her “moral mission” to get to grips with soaring immigration rates, both legal and illegal, with the tougher residency and visa norms set to be enforced from April.  (This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)

source https://news.abplive.com/news/world/activists-challenge-retrospective-uk-visa-rule-change-write-to-shabana-mahmood-1826839