Senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia appeared before the special investigation team today in the multi-crore drug trafficking case of Punjab. He reached Patiala for this appearance. Meanwhile, Majithia said while talking to the media that the way the special investigation team is repeatedly calling me, it is clear that there is heavy pressure on the seat, while I have nothing to do with this matter. He alleged that I have been dragged into this matter only to suppress my voice. Majithia surrounded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on the pretext of Lawrence Bishnoi and said tha

Up to 100 millimetres of rain is forecast to hit parts of Eastern Canada by the weekend as the remnants of tropical storm Debby make their way to the region. Environment Canada is warning of heavy rain and risks of flash flooding and sewer backups across a swath of the country from Cornwall, Ont., to Quebec City. Meteorologist Jennifer Smith told a news conference that a low-pressure system over the Great Lakes will bring rain and possible thunderstorms in Eastern Ontario and southern Quebec tonight before the weather system merges with what's left of Debby. Smith says Montreal receives an ave

Evacuation orders and alerts have been issued in British Columbia's North Okanagan as a nearby wildfire burns out of control, nearly doubling in size since Tuesday. Tracy Hughes, communications co-ordinator for the Columbia Shuswap Regional District says 17 properties in the district are on evacuation order, while alerts were also expanded to 25 more properties, bringing the total in the region to 69. The neighbouring township of Spallumcheen and the Splatsin First Nation have also issued evacuation orders and alerts in response to the growing blaze. The BC Wildfire Service says the 6.7 square

National Defence Minister Bill Blair says British Columbia's CFB Esquimalt will be the site of a new 480-room military housing project. The minister was at the Victoria-area naval base to announce a $10.1-million contract for design work for the project, estimated to total about $165 million. Blair says the new, modern highrise building will provide single-occupancy rooms, coffee shops, postal services and a dining area capable of serving 700 people. He says the accommodation project is part of the government's plan to improve the quality of life for members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Blair

Despite losing the Lok Sabha election from Ludhiana in Punjab, preparations have started to send Ravneet Singh Bittu, who became Union Minister, to the Rajya Sabha from Haryana or Rajasthan. In fact, the Election Commission has announced that elections will be held on September 3 for the 12 vacant seats in the Rajya Sabha. The results will also be declared in the evening on the same day. It is to be noted that Ravneet Bittu left the Congress and joined the BJP during the Lok Sabha elections. The party had fielded him from Ludhiana where he was already an MP but he lost the election to his old

An aviation expert says airfares may go up in the immediate aftermath of a hailstorm that tore through Calgary on Monday evening, damaging WestJet planes and upending travel plans. Hailstones as big as golf balls pummelled the tarmac, forcing the Calgary-based airline to ground 10 per cent of its fleet for major repairs and inspections. WestJet says it cancelled 248 flights between Monday and Wednesday, and will have to cut trips across its network for the "foreseeable future." Barry Prentice, who heads the University of Manitoba's transport institute, says a significant scale-back by the coun

There are no tsunami threats in British Columbia after a powerful earthquake struck off Japan’s southern coast, according to the U.S. based National Tsunami Warning Center. The Japan Meteorological Agency says Thursday's quake registered magnitude 7.1 and was centered in waters off the eastern coast of Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu at a depth of about 30 kilometres. The quake most strongly shook Nichinan city and nearby areas in Miyazaki prefecture on Kyushu island, triggering a local tsunami advisory that urged residents to stay away from the coastline, but there were no reports

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has announced a prize of Rs 1 crore each to the Punjabi players of the Indian hockey team who won the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics. The Chief Minister said that it is a matter of pride for us that there were 10 Punjabi players including captain Harmanpreet Singh and vice-captain Hardik Singh in this team. He congratulated the entire hockey team. Along with this, there is a happy atmosphere in captain Harmanpreet Singh's house. Harmanpreet scored both the goals in this match. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Sreejesh has retired with this victory. Sreejesh had a

The Canadian government says it decided to pull its diplomats' children and their guardians out of Israel, amid fears over an expanded Mideast war. Global Affairs Canada says it has approved the temporary relocation of the children and their guardians to a safe third country. Embassy staff are expected to remain in Israel. The department says diplomats stationed in nearby Ramallah in the West Bank and in Beirut, Lebanon, do not have dependents living with them. Tensions in the Middle East have sparked fears about an all-out war after the killing last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Leb