• Hindu groups’ protest met with pro-Khalistan activists.
• Police addresses scuffle, intervenes and restores order.
• India persecuting Sikhs, Muslims, Christians: Sikh leader.

LONDON: Tensions flared outside the Bangladesh Embassy as a confrontation broke out between Pro-Khalistan Sikh activists from Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and a group of British Indian Hindu groups aligned with India’s ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) during a demonstration related to the alleged killings of Hindus in Bangladesh.

The protest, which sought to stand in solidarity with minorities, was met with anti-India slogans from the Khalistani group, which also raised Khalistani flags.

Veteran Khalistani activist Paramjeet Singh Pamma, a coordinator of the Khalistan Referendum campaign, confronted the Hindu protest group gathered outside the embassy premises. 

A scuffle occurred between Pamma and the BJP’s Hindutva supporters, prompting swift intervention by Metropolitan Police officers stationed at the scene who separated the two groups and restored order.

Pro-Khalistan Sikh activists formed a protective presence around the embassy building. Demonstrators raised slogans accusing the Indian government of responsibility for deaths linked to Sikh activists, including chants of, “who Killed Hadi — Modi”, and “who killed [Hardeep Singh] Nijjar — Modi, Modi, India”.

Pamma is designated by India as a “most wanted terrorist,” a label applied by Indian security agencies to several Khalistan-linked figures. However, the legal status of Pamma in the UK differs from India’s position.

Expressing his views on Indian allegations, the Sikh leader said, “I reside openly in the United Kingdom; no UK court has convicted me of terrorism-related offences; no extradition request by India has resulted in my removal, and UK authorities have not legally upheld India’s allegations against me.

“We gathered here today to expose India’s dirty face. India is involved in persecuting Sikhs, Muslims and Christians at home; it cannot blame Bangladesh for human rights violations. We are focused on the next phase of the Khalistan Referendum, which will reveal the full scale of atrocities committed by India against the Sikhs,” remarked Pamma.

The clash comes as ties between New Delhi and Dhaka have been strained since the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who currently resides in India. The bilateral relations further took a dive following the killing of Bangladesh student leader Sharif Osman Hadi and the lynching of a Hindu worker in Bangladeshi capital.

• Muslim countries’ joint statement back Somalia’s sovereignty.
• Express grave concern over recognition of parts of states.
• Statement also dismisses attempts to forcibly expel Palestinians.
  

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and other countries, in a joint statement issued on Sunday, slammed Israel’s recognition of Somaliland, terming it a threat to international peace and security.

The joint statement, backed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Iran, Egypt, Qatar and others, highlights the serious repercussions of such an unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole, which also reflects Israel’s full and blatant disregard to international law.

The joint statement comes against the backdrop of Tel Aviv’s becoming the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would seek immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology and the economy.

In a statement, he congratulated Somaliland’s president, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, praised his leadership and invited him to visit Israel.

Netanyahu said the declaration was “in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, signed at the initiative of President Trump”.

Meanwhile, Abdullahi said in a statement that Somaliland would join the Abraham Accords, calling it a step toward regional and global peace.

However, the Muslim countries’ joint statement today terms Israel’s recognition “a grave violation of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, which explicitly stipulates the imperative of protecting the sovereignty of states and their territorial integrity, and reflects Israel’s expansionist”.

Backing Somalia’s sovereignty, the joint statement unequivocally rejects “any measures that undermine the unity of Somalia, its territorial integrity or its sovereignty over its entire territory”.

“The recognition of parts of states constitutes a serious precedent and threatens international peace and security, and violates the cardinal principles of international law and the UN Charter,” it read.

Furthermore, the statement dismisses “any potential link between such measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people out of their land,” which it said is unequivocally rejected in any form as a matter of principle.

 A day earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) had also denounced Israel’s announcement recognising the independence of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia.

• Airline flight cancellations, delays mount.
• Up to a foot of snow fell in New York state.
• Officials warn of treacherous road conditions.
  

NEW YORK: A mix of snow and ice bore down on the US Northeast early on Saturday, disrupting post-holiday weekend airline traffic and prompting officials in New York and New Jersey to issue weather emergency declarations even as the storm ebbed by mid-morning.

People in much of the Northeast were advised to stay off the roads because of treacherous conditions, with states of emergency declared in New York and New Jersey.

“The safety of New Yorkers is my top priority, and I continue to urge extreme caution throughout the duration of this storm,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said in a statement.

By early Saturday, about six to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimetres) of snow had fallen across an area from Syracuse in central New York to Long Island in the southeast of the state, as well as Connecticut, said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Centre near Washington, DC.

New York City received two to four inches of snow overnight, with 4.3 inches reported at Central Park, Oravec said, the most since 2022.

“The good news is that the heaviest snow is done,” he said. “Only a few flurries remain this morning and those will taper off by the afternoon.”

But the effects were felt by travellers. More than 9,000 domestic US flights on Saturday were cancelled or delayed as of early-evening, with many in the New York area, including at John F Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, according to the tracking site FlightAware.

Representatives from American Airlines, United Airlines and JetBlue Airways told Reuters that the carriers had waived change fees normally charged to rebook for passengers whose travel plans may be affected by weather-related disruptions.

Ice storm warnings and winter weather advisories were also posted for most of Pennsylvania and much of Massachusetts.

New Jersey and Pennsylvania issued commercial vehicle restrictions for some roads, including many interstate highways.

“This storm will cause dangerous road conditions and impact holiday travel,” New Jersey’s acting governor Tahesha Way said in a statement. “We are urging travellers to avoid travel during the storm and allow crews to tend to roads.”