Canada’s efforts to curb student visa fraud have resulted in a sharp rise in study permit refusals for applicants from India, according to new federal data. The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) figures show that 74 per cent of Indian study permit applications were rejected in August 2025 — more than double the refusal rate from the same month last year. The federal government has tightened the issuance of international study permits for a second consecutive year as part of a broader plan to limit temporary migration and strengthen oversight of educational institutions. B

A powerful 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck northern Afghanistan before dawn on Monday, leaving at least 20 people dead and more than 640 injured. The tremor caused significant destruction in several communities, including damage to the centuries-old Blue Mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. Local authorities reported that the town of Khulm, near the quake’s epicentre, suffered widespread building collapses. Residents have been digging through debris in search of survivors as rescue operations continue. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense said military and emergency teams have reached the af

Federal and provincial officials are gathering in Vancouver today for a forestry summit aimed at tackling the escalating trade dispute that has driven U.S. tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber above 50 per cent. Federal Minister of Public Safety and Canada–U.S. Relations Dominic LeBlanc is joining B.C. Premier David Eby and provincial ministers responsible for forests and jobs to discuss measures to protect workers and businesses across the province’s struggling forestry sector. The talks come after Washington imposed a new round of anti-dumping and countervailing duties this fall, raising

British police have charged a 32-year-old man with multiple counts of attempted murder after a stabbing on a train left 11 people injured over the weekend. British Transport Police said Anthony Williams faces 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of causing actual bodily harm, and one count of possessing a bladed article. The charges stem from an attack on a passenger train on Saturday that forced an emergency stop. Authorities said Williams is also accused of attempted murder in a separate incident earlier the same day at a London transit station. He was arrested after officers boarded the

The federal government says Canada generated roughly $3 billion in revenue from tariffs imposed on American imports before Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government lifted the counter-tariffs in September. The figures were released by the Department of Finance, which added that more details will be outlined in the upcoming federal budget. During the spring election campaign, the Liberals had projected that counter-tariffs would bring in about $20 billion in the current fiscal year. However, to ease trade tensions with the United States, the Carney government suspended tariffs on goods covered

The International Committee of the Red Cross says it has handed over the bodies of 45 Palestinians to authorities in Gaza, one day after Hamas returned to Israel the remains of three soldiers captured during the October 7, 2023 attacks. Officials at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza confirmed receiving the bodies on Monday afternoon. The exchange took place under a fragile ceasefire mediated by the United States, which has seen a series of coordinated returns of human remains between both sides. According to health authorities in Gaza, identifying many of the bodies has been difficult due to a

A 52-year-old bus driver from the Waterloo Region has died following a single-vehicle crash involving a school bus on Highway 401 west of London on Sunday morning. Four students were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Ontario Provincial Police say the crash occurred just after 9 a.m. as the bus, carrying 42 passengers, veered into a ditch while travelling from Kitchener-Waterloo to Point Pelee National Park near Leamington. The students were on their way to a three-day geography field trip. Charlotte Weldon, a 13-year-old student from Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate and Vocati

Calgary police are investigating a fatal collision that claimed the life of a woman in her 80s after she was struck by a vehicle in the city’s southeast. Investigators say the woman was crossing Ninth Avenue Southeast at around 2:30 p.m. on Saturday when she was hit by a southbound car. She was taken to hospital, where she later died from her injuries. Police say the driver, a man in his 60s, remained at the scene and is cooperating with the investigation. Officers do not believe speed or impairment played a role in the crash. Authorities are asking anyone who witnessed the collision or has

Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami was re-elected as the president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for the fifth consecutive term for the 2025-26 session. In the election held on Monday, a total of 136 votes were polled, out of which Dhami secured 117 votes, while his opponent, Mithu Singh Kahneke, received 18 votes. One vote was declared invalid. Along with Dhami’s re-election, other key office-bearers were also chosen. Raghujit Singh Virk was elected as the senior vice president, Baldev Singh Kalyan as the junior vice president, and Sher Singh Mandwala as the general sec