The family of a North Carolina man who died after driving his car off a collapsed bridge while following Google Maps directions is suing the technology giant for negligence, claiming it had been informed of the collapse but failed to update its navigation system. Philip Paxson, a medical device salesman and father of two, drowned Sept. 30, 2022, after his Jeep Gladiator plunged into Snow Creek in Hickory, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Wake County Superior Court. Paxson was driving home from his daughter’s ninth birthday party through an unfamiliar neighborhood when Google Maps allegedly directed him to cross a bridge that had collapsed nine years prior and was never repaired. Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTube “Our girls ask how and why their daddy died, and I’m at a loss for words they can understand because, as an adult, I still can’t understand how those responsible for the GPS directions and the bridge could have acted with so little regard for human life,” his wife, Alicia Paxson, said. State troopers who found Paxton’s body in his overturned and partially submerged truck had said there were no barriers or warning signs along the washed-out roadway. He had driven off an unguarded edge and crashed about 20 feet below, according to the lawsuit. Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other tech firms agree to AI safeguards set by the White House The North Carolina State Patrol had said the bridge was not maintained by local or state officials, and the original developer’s company had dissolved. The lawsuit names several private property management companies that it claims are responsible for the bridge and the adjoining land. Multiple people had notified Google Maps about the collapse in the years leading up to Paxson’s death and had urged the company to update its route information, according to the lawsuit. The Tuesday court filing includes email records from another Hickory resident who had used the map’s “suggest an edit” feature in September 2020 to alert the company that it was directing drivers over the collapsed bridge. A November 2020 email confirmation from Google confirms the company received her report and was reviewing the suggested change, but the lawsuit claims Google took no further actions. Google's AI Chatbot Bard: All You Need to Know “We have the deepest sympathies for the Paxson family,” Google spokesperson José Castañeda told The Associated Press. “Our goal is to provide accurate routing information in Maps and we are reviewing this lawsuit.”

India on Wednesday advised its citizens to be careful when traveling to Canada as a rift between the two nations widens further in the wake of Ottawa’s allegations that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver. The foreign ministry in New Delhi issued an updated travel advisory, urging its nationals and especially those studying in the North American country to be cautious because of “growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate-crimes.” Indians should also avoid going to venues in Canada where “threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose anti-India agenda,” the ministry said. Ottawa and New Delhi, two key strategic partners on security and trade, are locked in a diplomatic tussle after Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, alleged that India was connected to the assassination of Sikh independence advocate on its soil in June. Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh activist whose killing has divided Canada and India? Canada has yet to provide any evidence of Indian involvement in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh leader killed by masked gunmen in Surrey, outside Vancouver. For years, India has said Nijjar, a Canadian citizen born in India, has links to terrorism, an allegation he denied. Nijjar was working to organize an unofficial Sikh diaspora referendum on independence from India at the time of his killing. Trudeau’s announcement was followed by Canada expelling an Indian diplomat in Ottawa. New Delhi responded by rejecting Trudeau’s accusation as “absurd and motivated” and later expelling a Canadian diplomat. India expels Canadian diplomat, escalating tensions after Trudeau accuses India in Sikh's killing Indian authorities designated Nijjar a terrorist in 2020 and accused him of supporting demands for an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan, that started as an insurgency in India’s Punjab state in 1970s and 1980s and was crushed in an Indian government crackdown. The movement has since lost much of its political power but still has supporters in Punjab, where Sikhs are in a majority, as well as among the sizable overseas Sikh diaspora. India’s foreign ministry also said Trudeau’s allegations “seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” The ministry regularly issues travel advisories. In September last year, it asked Indian citizens to remain cautious while traveling in Canada because of “sharp increase in incidents of hate crimes, sectarian violence and anti-India activities” there. What to know about the Sikh movement at the center of the tensions between India and Canada The modern Sikh independence movement reaches back to the 1940s but eventually morphed into the 1970s and 1980s insurgency. In 1984, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered a raid to capture armed separatists taking refuge in Sikhism’s holiest shrine. The raid killed hundreds of people, and two of Gandhi’s Sikh bodyguards assassinated her shortly after. In response, anti-Sikh riots took place across India in which members of the minority were dragged out of their homes and killed. And though the insurgency was suppressed long ago, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has warned repeatedly that Sikh separatists were trying to make a comeback. Modi’s government has been asking several countries — including Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom — to take legal action against Sikh separatists. Canada expels Indian diplomat as it investigates Sikh activist's killing India has also for years accused Canada of giving free rein to Sikh separatists, including Nijjar. The dueling expulsions of diplomats have escalated tensions — Trudeau had frosty encounters with Modi during this month’s Group of 20 meeting in New Delhi, and a few days later Canada canceled a trade mission to India planned for the fall. Canada remains a top study destination for Indian students. In 2022, the country had nearly 300,000 Indians students pursuing higher education there.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh independence advocate whose killing two months ago is at the center of a widening breach between India and Canada, was called a human rights activist by Sikh organizations and a criminal by India’s government. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that his government was investigating “credible allegations” that Indian government agents were linked to the June 18 slaying, when Nijjar was gunned down outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia. India has denied any role in the killing, calling the allegations absurd. India expels Canadian diplomat, escalating tensions after Trudeau accuses India in Sikh's killing A SEPARATIST AND A PLUMBER IN CANADA Nijjar, 45 when he died, was a prominent member of a movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, and was organizing an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora with the organization Sikhs For Justice. He also owned a plumbing business and served as president of a Sikh temple or gurdwara in suburban Vancouver, where banners hung with his face promoting the referendum on Tuesday. In a 2016 interview with the Vancouver Sun he responded dismissively to reports in Indian media that he was suspected of leading a terrorist cell. “This is garbage — all the allegations. I am living here 20 years, right? Look at my record. There is nothing. I am a hard worker. I own my own business in the plumbing,” Nijjar told the newspaper. At the time, he said he was too busy to take part in diaspora politics. Following his death, the World Sikh Organization of Canada called Nijjar an outspoken supporter of Khalistan who “often led peaceful protests against the violation of human rights actively taking place in India and in support of Khalistan.” What to know about the Sikh movement at the center of the tensions between India and Canada INDIA CALLED HIM A MILITANT; HE DENIED IT Nijjar was a wanted man in India, which has for years seen Sikh separatists abroad as a security threat. In 2016, Indian media reported that Nijjar was suspected of masterminding a bombing in the Sikh-majority state of Punjab and training terrorists in a small city southeast of Vancouver. He denied the allegations. In 2020, Indian authorities claimed Nijjar was a member of a banned militant group and designated him a terrorist. That year, they also filed a criminal case against him as farmers, many from Punjab, camped out on the edges of New Delhi to protest controversial agriculture laws. The Indian government initially tried to discredit the protests by associating them with Sikh separatists, filing a number of such cases against Sikh activists in India and abroad. Last year, Indian authorities accused Nijjar of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India and announced a reward of about $16,000 for information leading to his arrest. Canada expels Indian diplomat as it investigates Sikh activist's killing INDIA’S WAR AGAINST SEPARATISM The modern Sikh independence movement reaches back to the 1940s but eventually became an armed insurgency that shook the country in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1984, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered a raid to capture armed separatists taking refuge in Sikhism’s holiest shrine. The raid killed hundreds of people, and two of Gandhi’s Sikh bodyguards assassinated her shortly after. In response, anti-Sikh riots took place across India in which members of the minority were dragged out of their homes and killed. The insurgency was eventually suppressed in a crackdown during which thousands of people were killed, but the goal of Sikh independence still has support among some in northern India and in the Sikh diaspora. India dismisses allegations of killing Sikh activist in Canada as 'absurd', expels senior Canadian diplomat More recently, the Hindu nationalist-led government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cracked down on both non-Hindu rights movements and dissidents. Sikh diaspora activism has been a source of tension between India and Canada for years. Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside India, and India has repeatedly accused it of tolerating “terrorists and extremists.” NIJJAR WAS SHOT AT A TEMPLE Canadian police said Nijjar was shot as he was leaving the parking lot of the Sikh temple where he served as president in British Columbia. He suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene. After the killing, a lawyer and spokesperson for Sikhs For Justice, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, said Nijjar had been a target of threats because of his activism. His killing was the second in two years of a prominent member of the Sikh community in Canada. Pannun said he had spoken to Nijjar by phone the day before he was killed and that Nijjar had told him that Canadian intelligence had warned him that his life was at risk. CANADA’S SIKH COMMUNITY RALLIES BEHIND HIM Nearly a week after Nijjar’s slaying, about 200 protesters from Canada’s Sikh community gathered in front of the Indian Consulate in Vancouver to demonstrate. Many of the protesters were convinced that Nijjar’s killing was linked to his calls for an independent Sikh state. “He was a loving man, a hard-working man, a family man,” said Gurkeerat Singh, one of the protesters. On Monday, Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for the British Columbia Sikh Gurdwara Council, told Canada’s CTV that the wave of support for Nijjar seen after his death was an indication of how he was seen in the community. “It shook the community across the entire world, including in Punjab,” Singh said. “The community is shattered. There are very, very high emotions,” Sukh Dhaliwal, a member of Parliament who represents Surrey, said days after the killing.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged allied defense leaders Tuesday to “dig deep" and provide more air defense systems for Ukraine to help it block increasing barrages of Russian missiles, even as debate grows in Congress over aid to Kyiv. But while the allies said they will discuss how they can best help Ukraine's counteroffensive in the coming winter months, they appeared no closer to commitments on the longer-range missiles that Kyiv's leaders insist they need as they struggle to retake land gained by Russia earlier in the conflict. “Air defense is saving lives,” Austin said. “I urged allies and partners to dig deep and donate whatever air defense munitions they can as Ukraine heads into another winter of war.” Speaking at the close of the meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, Austin said allies have done a “credible job” of getting some air defenses to the war, “but there’s much more work to be done. And that’s the message that we conveyed to our colleagues earlier today. And I have every belief that they will go back and dig a bit deeper.” Heading for UN, Ukraine's president questions why Russia still has a place there He and Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the key is to prepare Ukraine to continue to make progress over the coming winter months. The three priorities, Milley said, are air defense, artillery and mechanized armor that can move over frozen ground. Austin said he challenged the ministers to look into their stockpiles of 155-millimeter ammunition, which Ukraine has been using at a rapid rate. The group is made up of the defense and military leaders from more than 50 nations and is the main forum for raising contributions of weapons, other equipment and training for Kyiv’s war effort. It meets about once a month, in person and virtually, and this is the 15th gathering. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other Ukrainian leaders have long pushed for the longer-distance weapons. Proponents have argued that Ukrainian forces need to be able to strike Russian troops and facilities while staying out of range. Elon Musk's refusal to have Starlink support Ukraine attack in Crimea raises questions for Pentagon But the U.S. has balked, expressing longstanding worries that Kyiv could use the weapons to hit deep into Russian territory and enrage Moscow. The Army Tactical Missile System, known as ATACMS, could give Ukraine the ability to strike Russian targets from as far away as about 180 miles (300 kilometers), but the U.S. also has other variants of the missile that have a shorter range. Speaking before the meeting began, Bill Blair, the Canadian defense minister, told reporters the allies are listening to Ukrainian leaders' descriptions of their military needs and are discussing “new and important ways” to help bolster the ongoing counteroffensive. Austin said the 31 M1 Abrams tanks promised months ago will soon begin arriving in Ukraine, as expected. A defense official said they have arrived in Europe and will begin crossing the border into Ukraine within the coming days. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the precise location of the tanks is sensitive. Ukrainian troops began training on similar tanks in June, while the ones arriving soon were being refurbished in the United States. Defense leaders are working to maintain what they say is unbowed support of Ukraine, despite growing worries that public and international government backing for the war, which is well into its second year, may be starting to wane. End the Ukraine war thru negotiations: PM Hasina tells Russian foreign minister Milley pushed back against suggestions that progress is too slow, saying the Ukrainians have made it clear that they intend to fight through the winter when the muddy fall ground freezes. Russia was able to greatly shore up its defenses last winter as fighting slowed. “For the critics that are out there, I would say that there’s plenty of fighting weather left, there’s plenty of combat power remaining, and the Ukrainians have absolutely no intent to stop,” Milley said. He said this is real war and Ukrainian forces are carefully pushing their way through tough Russian defenses and minefields. Zelenskyy will be in Washington later this week to meet with President Joe Biden and congressional and Pentagon leaders in an effort to shore up support for continued American funding and weapons. The visit comes as there is a growing partisan divide in Congress over the funding. Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has told reporters that he wants aid for Ukraine to be debated on its own merits as a standalone bill, rather than attaching it to other government funding. But Senate leaders want to combine the aid with other priorities, such as a short-term spending bill that will likely be needed to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September. Nations have been pouring millions of rounds of artillery and other weapons into Ukraine, but worry that their stockpiles are shrinking and the defense industry is struggling to boost production lines. At the same time, Ukrainian forces have been making slow progress breaking through Russian battle lines in a counteroffensive that has not moved as quickly or as well as initially hoped. “Ukraine’s recent gains also hinge on the crucial capabilities provided by the members of this Contact Group," Austin said at the Ramstein opening. "And our shared commitment will be vital during the current battles — and for the long road ahead.” Meanwhile, other allies pledged money and weaponry. In a three-way deal, the Czech Republic said it would arm Ukraine, and Denmark and the Netherlands would provide financial support. The Czech Defense Ministry said it would send tanks, howitzers, armed vehicles, air defense systems, ammunition and others weapons in coming months. Norway said it will donate approximately 50 tracked cargo carriers to Ukraine to help get supplies to areas without roads. The Ramstein meeting is Milley's last as Joint Chiefs chairman. He will retire at the end of the month, at the close of four years on the job.  

India expelled one of Canada’s top diplomats Tuesday, ramping up a confrontation between the two countries over Canadian accusations that India may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver. India, which has dismissed the accusations as absurd, said the expulsion came amid “growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities," according to a statement from its Ministry of External Affairs. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appeared to try to calm the diplomatic clash Tuesday, telling reporters that Canada is “not looking to provoke or escalate." Canada expels Indian diplomat as it investigates Sikh activist's killing “We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them and we want to work with the government of India to lay everything clear and to ensure there are proper processes,” he said. "India and the government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness.” On Monday, Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Sikh leader who was killed by masked gunmen in June in Surrey, outside Vancouver. For years, India has said Nijjar, a Canadian citizen born in India, has links to terrorism, an allegation Nijjar denied. What to know about the Sikh movement at the center of the tensions between India and Canada A U.S. official said Trudeau was in contact with President Joe Biden's administration about Canada’s findings before raising them publicly. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Trudeau’s willingness to speak out about the matter was taken by the White House as an indication of the Canadian leader's certainty about what had been found. Canada has yet to provide any evidence of Indian involvement, but if true it would mark a major shift for India, whose security and intelligence branches have long been significant players in South Asia, and are suspected in a number of killings in Pakistan. But arranging the killing of a Canadian citizen in Canada, home to nearly 2 million people of Indian descent, would be unprecedented. India, though, has accused Canada for years of giving free rein to Sikh separatists, including Nijjar. The dueling expulsions have escalated tensions between Canada and India. Trudeau had frosty encounters with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during this month's Group of 20 meeting in New Delhi, and a few days later Canada canceled a trade mission to India planned for the fall. India dismisses allegations of killing Sikh activist in Canada as 'absurd', expels senior Canadian diplomat Nijjar, a plumber, was also a leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan. A bloody decadelong Sikh insurgency shook north India in the 1970s and 1980s, until it was crushed in a government crackdown in which thousands of people were killed, including prominent Sikh leaders. Violence spilled across years and continents. In 1984, former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by two of her Sikh bodyguards after she ordered an army operation to flush out heavily armed Sikh separatists barricaded inside Sikhism’s holiest shrine. Her killing led to riots that left more than 2,000 Sikhs dead. The next year, an Air India jetliner flying from Toronto to New Delhi was destroyed by a bomb over the Irish coast, killing 329 people. Officials blamed Sikh separatists. The Khalistan movement has lost much of its political power but still has supporters in the Indian state of Punjab, as well as in the sizable overseas Sikh diaspora. While the active insurgency ended years ago, the Indian government has warned repeatedly that Sikh separatists were trying to make a comeback. Nijjar was wanted by Indian authorities, who had offered a reward for information leading to his arrest. At the time of his killing he was working with the group Sikhs For Justice, organizing an unofficial Sikh diaspora referendum on independence from India. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer and spokesperson for Sikhs For Justice, has said Nijjar was warned by Canadian intelligence officials about being targeted for assassination by “mercenaries.” Nijjar had recently been meeting “once or twice a week” with Canadian Security Intelligence Service officers, including a day or two before the shooting, said his son Balraj Singh Nijjar. He said his father had received hundreds of threatening messages telling him to stop his advocacy for Sikh independence. The threats were always passed to authorities. “We weren’t worried about safety because we weren’t doing anything wrong," he said. “We were just using freedom of speech.” He said the family was relieved by Canada's actions. "From day 1 we kind of had this idea and knowledge that if anything would happen to him, the Indian government would be involved,” he said. “It was just a matter of time for when the truth would come out. It’s finally coming to the public eyes that the Indian government is involved in this.” On Monday, Trudeau told Parliament that Canadian security agencies were investigating “credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India" and Nijjar's killing. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” he said. India’s foreign ministry dismissed the allegation as “absurd” and accused Canada of harboring “terrorists and extremists.” “Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” it said in a statement Tuesday. India has long demanded that Canada take action against the Sikh independence movement, which is banned in India. Canada has a Sikh population of more than 770,000, about 2% of its population. In March, Modi's government summoned the Canadian high commissioner in New Delhi, the top diplomat in the country, to complain about Sikh independence protests in Canada. In 2020, India’s foreign ministry also summoned the top diplomat over Trudeau's comments about an agricultural protest movement associated with the state of Punjab, where many Sikhs live. Critics accuse Modi’s Hindu nationalist government of seeking to suppress dissent using sedition laws and other legal weapons. Some critics of his administration have been arrested, creating what Modi’s opponents say is a culture of intimidation. Trudeau said Monday he brought up Nijjar’s slaying with Modi last week at the G20 meeting in New Delhi, and told him any Indian government involvement would be unacceptable and he asked for cooperation in the investigation. Modi, for his part, expressed “strong concerns” over Canada’s handling of the Sikh independence movement at that meeting, India’s statement said. While in New Delhi, Trudeau skipped a dinner hosted by the Indian president, and local media reports said he was snubbed by Modi when he got a quick “pull aside” instead of a bilateral meeting. The statement called on Canada to work with India on what New Delhi said is a threat to the Indian diaspora, and accused the Sikh movement of “promoting secessionism and inciting violence” against Indian diplomats. Earlier this year, Sikh protesters pulled down the Indian flag at India’s high commission in London and smashed the building’s window after India arrested a popular Sikh preacher. Protesters also smashed windows at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco and skirmished with consulate workers. The British government, meanwhile, said Tuesday there were no plans to reinvestigate the death of a U.K-based Sikh activist in the wake of Canada’s claim India might have been behind the slaying of Nijjar. Avtar Singh Khanda, who played a prominent role in protests for an independent Sikh homeland, died in June in the English city of Birmingham after falling ill. Supporters alleged be might have been poisoned, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman, Max Blain, said police found nothing suspicious. The Trudeau government’s allegations are awkward for the U.K., which is a close ally of Canada in the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing alliance that also includes the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, and is also seeking a free trade deal with India. “These are serious allegations. It is right that the Canadian authorities should be looking into them,” Blain said, adding it would be inappropriate to comment further while the investigation is underway.

COP28 President-Designate, Dr Sultan Al-Jaber has called on the private sector to usher in a new era for sustainable climate finance.On Tuesday morning, Al-Jaber opened trading on Wall Street for the day at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).The private sector must play their role in ushering in a new era for sustainable climate finance to ensure the objectives of the Paris Agreement are met and 1.5C is kept within reach, he said.Al-Jaber is the first COP president to ring the NYSE bell.He urged the exploration of innovative and new mechanisms which lower risk and expand private investment in bankable clean projects.“Collaboration between the public and private sector will be key to making the much-needed new financial system a reality. Programs such as the $4.5bn Africa green investment initiative set a clear example of how public, private and development capital can be deployed to mobilize further capital and deliver green projects,” he said.One of the COP28 presidency’s key objectives is to ensure the world works collaboratively and effectively to deliver a new framework for global climate finance that is capable of delivering the $4.5tn necessary to reach urgent climate targets. There is also a need for domestic financial systems to be strengthened so local finance can be used to help deliver long-term clean investments. Ahead of his visit to the NYSE, Fortune published an op-ed by Dr Sultan Al Jaber, where he said, “Fixing climate finance is daunting but doable… I therefore call on all governments, development institutions, and business leaders to use these crucial next few months before COP28 to raise their ambitions and deliver on their pledges. They should also go further, and support fundamental reform of the global financial architecture to deliver climate finance at scale. The money is waiting to be unlocked.”At the NYSE, the COP28 president-designate highlighted the importance of restoring global trust through the delivery of previous commitments including the $100bn a year target for climate funding, the replenishment of the Global Climate Fund and operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund agreed at COP27.“The existing global financial architecture is nowhere near where it needs to be, with the lack of available, accessible and affordable finance an obstacle to progress in the fight against climate change. Al-Jaber said. “We need a truly inclusive approach towards tackling climate change, and both development banks and aid programs must help deliver this.”

Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat as it investigates what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations its government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of a Sikh activist, an accusation that India rejected as “absurd.” Trudeau said in Parliament on Monday that Canadian intelligence agencies have been looking into the allegations after Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a strong supporter of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia. Trudeau told Parliament that he brought up the slaying with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Group of 20 summit last week in New Delhi. He said he told Modi that any Indian government involvement would be unacceptable and that he asked for cooperation in the investigation. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said the head of Indian intelligence in Canada has been expelled as a consequence. “If proven true this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other,” Joly said. “As a consequence we have expelled a top Indian diplomat.” India’s foreign ministry dismissed the allegation of government involvement as “absurd and motivated.” The ministry’s statement Tuesday added that Trudeau made similar allegations to Modi at the G20 summit. “Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement noted, referring to a separatist movement India regards as a security threat. The expulsion comes as relations between Canada and India are tense. Trade talks have been derailed and Canada just canceled a trade mission to India that was planned for the fall. During a meeting with Trudeau at the G20 summit, Modi expressed “strong concerns” over Canada’s handling of the Punjabi independence movement among overseas Sikhs, according to India’s Ministry of External Affairs. The statement described the Sikh movement as “promoting secessionism and inciting violence” against Indian diplomats. It called on Canada to work with India on what New Delhi said is a threat to the Canadian Indian diaspora. Canada has a Sikh population of more than 770,000, or about 2% of its total population. “Over the past number of weeks Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said. Trudeau said Canada has declared its deep concerns to the Indian government. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.” Trudeau said his government has been working closely and coordinating with Canada’s allies on the case. “In the strongest possible terms I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter,” he said. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada’s national security adviser and the head of Canada’s spy service have travelled to India to meet their counterparts and to confront the Indian intelligence agencies with the allegations. He called it an active homicide investigation led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Joly said Trudeau also raised the matter with U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau,” White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson. “We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice.” Opposition New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh, who is himself Sikh, called it outrageous and shocking. Singh said he grew up hearing stories that challenging India’s record on human rights might prevent you from getting a visa to travel there. “But to hear the prime minister of Canada corroborate a potential link between a murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil by a foreign government is something I could never have imagined,” Singh said. The Khalistan movement is banned in India, where officials see it and affiliated groups as a national security threat. But the movement still has some support in northern India, as well as beyond, in countries like Canada and the United Kingdom which are home to a sizable Sikh diaspora. Nijjar was organizing an unofficial referendum in India for an independent Sikh state at the time of this death. Indian authorities announced a cash reward last year for information leading to Nijjar’s arrest, accusing him of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India. British Columbia Premier David Eby said he’s received a briefing from Canada’s spy agency about the “assassination” of Nijjar and he’s “deeply disturbed” by what he was told.

India dismissed allegations that its government was linked to the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada as “absurd” Tuesday, and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat. It came a day after Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat as it investigates what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations its government may have had links to the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia. Nijjar was organizing an unofficial referendum in India for an independent Sikh nation at the time of this death. Indian authorities announced a cash reward last year for information leading to Nijjar’s arrest, accusing him of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India. In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs wrote that “the decision reflects Government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.” Read: Canada expels an Indian diplomat as it investigates a Sikh’s killing. India denies an alleged link The dueling expulsions come as relations between Canada and India are tense. Trade talks have been derailed and Canada just canceled a trade mission to India that was planned for the fall. Protests by pro-Sikh independence groups in Canada have angered the Modi government. The Sikh independence, or Khalistan, movement is banned in India, where officials see it and affiliated groups as a national security threat. But it movement still has some support in northern India, as well as countries like Canada and the United Kingdom which are home to a sizable Sikh diaspora. Trudeau told Parliament that he brought up the slaying with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 last week. He said he told Modi that any Indian government involvement would be unacceptable and that he asked for cooperation in the investigation. “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” he said. “In the strongest possible terms I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.” On Tuesday, India’s foreign ministry released a statement dismissing the allegation as “absurd and motivated.” The ministry’s added that Trudeau had made similar allegations to Modi. Read: India forges compromise among divided world powers at the G20 summit in a diplomatic win for Modi “Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement noted, referring to the proposed name of a Sikh homeland. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said a top diplomat, who she said was the head of Indian intelligence in Canada, has been expelled as a consequence. “If proven true this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other,” Joly said. “As a consequence we have expelled a top Indian diplomat.” The expulsion comes as relations between Canada and India are tense. Trade talks have been derailed and Canada just canceled a trade mission to India that was planned for the fall. At the G20 meeting, Modi expressed “strong concerns” over Canada’s handling of the Punjabi independence movement among the overseas Sikhs during a meeting with Trudeau at the G20, according to India's response, released by India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Read: Biden, Modi and G20 allies unveil rail and shipping project linking India to Middle East and Europe The statement described the Sikh movement as “promoting secessionism and inciting violence” against Indian diplomats. It called on Canada to work with India on what New Delhi said is a threat to the Canadian Indian diaspora. Protests by pro-Khalistan groups in Canada have angered the Modi government, prompting it to summon the Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi in March. Canada has a Sikh population of more than 770,000, or about 2% of its total population. Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada’s national security adviser and the head of Canada’s spy service have travelled to India to meet their counterparts and to confront the Indian intelligence agencies with the allegations. He called it an active homicide investigation led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Joly said Trudeau also raised the matter with U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau," White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson. "We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice.” Read: Sweden expels 5 Russian Embassy staff on suspicion of spying Joly also said she would raise the issue with her peers in the G7 on Monday evening in New York City ahead of the United Nations General Assembly. Canadian opposition New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh, who is himself Sikh, called it outrageous and shocking. Singh said he grew up hearing stories that challenging India’s record on human rights might prevent you from getting a visa to travel there. “But to hear the prime minister of Canada corroborate a potential link between a murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil by a foreign government is something I could never have imagined,” Singh said. British Columbia Premier David Eby said he’s received a briefing from Canada’s spy agency about the “assassination” of Nijjar and he’s “deeply disturbed” by what he was told. The World Sikh Organization of Canada called Nijjar an outspoken supporter of Khalistan who “often led peaceful protests against the violation of human rights actively taking place in India and in support of Khalistan.” “Nijjar had publicly spoken of the threat to his life for months and said that he was targeted by Indian intelligence agencies,” the statement said. Nijjar's New York-based lawyer, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has said Nijjar was warned by Canadian intelligence officials about being targeted for assassination by “mercenaries” before he was gunned down. Janice Stein, a political scientist and international relations expert at the University of Toronto, said to kill a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is astounding. “It’s tragic for Canada because we have issues of foreign interference with the two largest economies in Asia, China and India. And we have two very large diaspora from both countries. This is not what we want,” Stein said. Indian authorities have targeted Sikh separatism since the 1980s, when an armed insurgency for an independent Sikh state took off in Punjab state. In 1984, Indian forces stormed the Golden Temple in the state’s Amritsar city to flush out Sikh separatists, who had taken refuge there. The controversial operation killed around 400, according to official figures, although Sikh groups estimate the toll to be higher. The prime minister who ordered the raid, Indira Gandhi, was killed afterwards by two of her bodyguards, who were Sikh. Her death triggered a series of anti-Sikh riots, in which Hindu mobs went from house to house across northern India, pulling Sikhs from their homes, hacking many to death and burning others alive. Modi's government has intensified the pursuit of Sikh separatists. When farmers camped out on the edges of New Delhi to protest agriculture laws in 2021, Modi’s government initially tried to discredit Sikh participants by dismissing their concerns by calling them “Khalistanis." Police also arrested a 22-year-old climate activist for supporting the farmers and accused her of being in touch with Sikh independence supporters. Earlier this year, supporters of the Khalistan movement vandalized Indian consulates in London and San Francisco. In April, Indian police arrested a leader who had become popular for speeches that called for an independent Sikh homeland after a month-long hunt.

The COP28 President-Designate Dr. Sultan Al Jaber has vowed that COP28 will drive international action on climate and health, with the first-ever Health Day and climate-health ministerial at a COP acting as a ground-breaking opportunity to determine steps towards equitable, climate-resilient health systems and mobilize vital investment in the sector. Speaking against the backdrop of the United Nations General Assembly and New York Climate Week, alongside Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) and Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera, President of Malawi, Dr. Al Jaber called on the international community to support the day and ministerial, which will be co-hosted with the WHO and several countries. Also read: Partnership for resilience and prosperity: Dhaka, Paris want joint efforts for result-oriented COP28 in Dubai Al Jaber underscored the vital need to address the intricate relationship between climate change and health. COP28, scheduled from November 30 to December 12, 2023, will take an unprecedented step by hosting its inaugural Health Day and climate-health ministerial, aimed at mobilizing investments for equitable, climate-resilient health systems. The president-designate has called upon the international community to support this crucial initiative, recognizing the urgency of tackling climate change's profound impact on global health. During his address, Al Jaber acknowledged and praised the efforts of the COP28 Champion Country Group on climate health, as well as the leadership of organizations like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Green Climate Fund, and the Rockefeller Foundation, in their commitment to closing the climate-health financing gap at COP28. Also read: COP28 UAE Presidency will host critical climate talks alongside an ambitious and inclusive two-week thematic program. He also emphasized the alarming risks that climate change poses to human health, including the emergence of new disease patterns, the expansion of disease vectors, and the resurgence of previously contained illnesses. He pointed out that WHO statistics reveal seven million excess deaths annually due to air pollution, and vector-borne diseases like Malaria are spreading further due to rising temperatures and shifting weather patterns, disproportionately affecting vulnerable communities. The COP28 Health Day, scheduled for December 3rd, will also address the fragility of global public health systems, exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the urgent need for transformative changes to make them resilient in the face of climate change. Dr. Al Jaber declared, "COP28 is determined to shine a light on these issues and to bring together partners who can make a positive difference. We are determined to reverse these trends by bringing the world together around an inclusive action agenda centered on a just transition, fairer climate finance, and improved lives and livelihoods." Also read: COP28 President-designate calls on international community to deliver on climate finance Finance will be a top priority on COP28's Health Day, as health crises attributed to climate change are projected to cost between $2-4 billion annually by 2030, exacerbating poverty in disadvantaged regions. Dr. Al Jaber called for increased concessional funds for the Global South to reduce risks and attract private capital, urging governments to double adaptation finance by 2025 and generously contribute to replenish the Green Climate Fund. Dr. Al Jaber also stressed the importance of viewing health investments as essential for climate resilience, citing the World Bank's finding that every dollar invested in building climate resilience yields an average benefit of four dollars. He called on financial institutions, including development banks, to prioritize climate-health investments and commended the leadership of organizations committed to closing the climate-health financing gap at COP28. In his address, Dr. Al Jaber highlighted the UAE's commitment to safeguarding human health, with initiatives such as 'Reaching the Last Mile,' which has committed over $455 million to improve global health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable communities. The UN event, 'Looking Forward Towards COP’s First-Ever Day of Health: Advancing A Bold Vision for Action, Equity, and Accountability,' featured prominent figures, including COP28 CEO Adnan Amin, WHO’s Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Health Dr. Maria Neira and moderated by WHO's Special Envoy on Climate Change and Health Vanessa Kerry. The COP28 Presidency's Action Agenda outlines a science-based, action-oriented plan focused on addressing the climate crisis, with health as a central pillar. This includes the creation of a Food Declaration to enhance food security and promote sustainable agricultural practices. Additionally, COP28 will feature the first-ever climate-Health Ministerial Declaration and a significant mobilization of nature-climate finance on a large scale. The conference, set to convene over 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth, and non-state actors, will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023. COP28 UAE will deliver the first-ever Global Stocktake, as mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, and lead a process for all parties to agree upon a clear roadmap to accelerate progress through a pragmatic global energy transition and inclusive climate action, adhering to the "leave no one behind" principle.

The commitments were far-reaching and ambitious. Among them: End extreme poverty and hunger. Ensure every child on Earth gets a quality secondary education. Achieve gender equality. Make significant inroads in tackling climate change. Create “universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all." And achieve all of this by 2030. Halfway to that goal, progress is lagging badly — and in some cases going backward. Read: Everything you need to know about this year's meeting of leaders at the UN General Assembly At a two-day summit that begins Monday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will be trying to kick-start action to achieve the 17 goals adopted by world leaders in 2015, which developing countries in particular consider crucial to closing the widening inequality gap between the world’s rich and poor countries. The goals, Guterres said, are “about righting historic wrongs, healing divisions and putting our world on a path to lasting peace.” A 10-page political declaration to be adopted by leaders at the start of the summit recognizes that the goals are “in peril” and expresses alarm that progress is either moving too slowly or regressing to pre-2015 levels. It reaffirms more than a dozen times, in different ways, leaders’ commitment to achieve the SDGs, or sustainable development goals, reiterating their individual importance. How can this be done in the next seven years? A DECLARATION SHORT ON SPECIFICS The leaders have committed to accelerating action. But the declaration they're working with is short on specifics. Read: PM Hasina reaches NY for 78th UNGA session At Saturday’s start of an “SDG Action Weekend," Guterres reviewed for activists the grim findings in a U.N. report in July: Only 15% of some 140 specific targets to achieve the 17 goals are on track. Many are going in the wrong direction. At the current rate, the report said, 575 million people will still be living in extreme poverty and 84 million children won’t even be going to elementary school in 2030 – and it will take 286 years to reach equality between men and women. “The SDGs need a global rescue plan,” the U.N. chief said. He called the summit "the moment for governments to come to the table with concrete plans and proposals to accelerate progress.” It isn’t just governments that need to step up, Guterres said. He urged activists as well as the business community, scientists, academics, innovators, women and young people to join in working to achieve the goals. Read: UNOPS and UN Women hosted groundbreaking workshop on gender-responsive and resilient infrastructure in Bangladesh U.S. First Lady Jill Biden echoed the secretary-general at a reception Sunday evening organized by the U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, for global champions of education. she said progress on achieving the SDGs “looks steep.” But she said the United States “will continue to be a partner will you every step of the way." As an educator for 39 years, she urged every country’s leader to invest in children, saying they will “help us build a more peaceful, stable world.” A PLAN TO CLEAR OBSTACLES FROM THE PATH Guterres said the most important initiative to rescue the overall plan is the proposal of an “SDG stimulus,” which aims to offset challenging market conditions faced by developing countries. It calls for immediate action in three areas: -tackling the high cost of debt and rising risks of debt distress; -massively scaling up affordable long-term financing for development, especially by public and multilateral banks; -expanding contingency financing to countries in need. A February U.N. report on the SDG Stimulus said debt is battering the economies of many developing countries. It said that as of last November, 37 of the world’s 69 poorest countries were either at high risk or already in debt distress, while one in four middle-income countries, which contain the majority of the extreme poor, were at "high risk of fiscal crisis." There are narrow rays of hope. Guterres said he was encouraged that at the recent meeting of the G20, the world’s 20 leading economies welcomed the SDG Stimulus. And he said he's hopeful that the political declaration to be adopted by leaders on Monday will lead to major action. Read: PM Hasina off to NY to attend 78th UNGA session The declaration says leaders will push forward the stimulus plan "to tackle the high cost of debt and rising risks of debt distress, to enhance support to developing countries and to massively scale up affordable long-term financing for development and expand contingency financing to countries in need.” Whether those administrative promises and the momentum of a big week at the United Nations will translate into actual progress, though, remains — as before — deeply uncertain.