The Punjab government has introduced a new policy requiring village sarpanches and panchayat members to obtain official approval before travelling abroad. The Rural Development and Panchayats Department has circulated instructions to all District Development and Panchayat Officers as well as Additional Deputy Commissioners across the state to ensure implementation. According to the directive, many elected representatives from panchayati raj institutions often travel overseas for personal reasons, which can delay or disrupt ongoing development work in villages. To prevent such administrative sl

A 16-year-old youth was taken into custody Tuesday night after police responded to reports of a person with a firearm near Columbia SkyTrain Station in New Westminster. According to police, a 9-1-1 caller reported seeing the youth pick up what appeared to be a gun and tuck it into his waistband around 8:45 p.m. Officers quickly arrived at the scene and located a suspect matching the description. The youth was arrested without incident. Investigators later determined the firearm was a replica. The New Westminster Police Department said the case remains under active investigation. Sergeant Andre

Vancouver police are investigating after an eight-year-old girl died following a fall from a balcony in the city’s Yaletown neighbourhood. Authorities say emergency crews were called to a residential building around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, after reports that the child had fallen from an upper floor. Despite efforts by first responders, police confirmed the girl was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives from the department’s major crime section have taken over the investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident. Police have not released further details, citing the sen

President Donald Trump has signed a long-delayed government funding bill, formally ending the United States’ record 43-day shutdown that left hundreds of thousands of federal employees without pay and disrupted key public services. The bill cleared the U.S. House of Representatives late Thursday by a narrow 222–209 vote, largely along party lines. Democrats had pressed to include an extension of an enhanced tax credit that reduces health insurance costs under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans rejected that demand, arguing the issue should be debated separately, allowing the spending mea

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to announce a new group of large-scale industrial and energy developments being referred to Ottawa’s Major Projects Office for potential fast-track approval. The announcement will take place Thursday in Terrace, British Columbia. According to senior government sources, the list includes Ontario’s Crawford Nickel Project — a major mining development linked to the province’s critical minerals strategy — and a proposed hydroelectric project in Iqaluit aimed at reducing Nunavut’s dependence on diesel-generated electricity. Ontario Premier Doug Ford wel

Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel abroad later this month for official visits to the United Arab Emirates and South Africa, as part of efforts to boost trade, investment, and international partnerships. The Prime Minister’s itinerary, set for November 18 to 24, includes bilateral meetings in Abu Dhabi before attending the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Johannesburg. The trip aims to advance new economic opportunities and attract investment to strengthen Canada’s long-term growth. In Abu Dhabi, Carney is scheduled to meet with the UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahya

Environment Canada has issued rainfall warnings for several areas across British Columbia’s south coast, with heavy downpours expected to begin Wednesday and continue into Thursday night. The alerts cover Howe Sound and parts of Metro Vancouver’s North Shore and northeast communities, including Coquitlam and Maple Ridge. Forecasters say between 40 and 60 millimetres of rain could fall as a slow-moving frontal system passes over the region. The agency warns the conditions could increase the risk of landslides in steep or recently burned areas, as well as in locations where vegetation has be

Canada’s Minister of International Trade, Maninder Sidhu, is in India for a three-day visit aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. Sidhu met with India’s Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Hardeep Singh Puri, in New Delhi on Wednesday before attending the Confederation of Indian Industry Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam later this week. During the meeting, Sidhu said Canada remains committed to deepening economic engagement with India, which he described as the world’s fifth-largest economy and on track to becoming the third-larges

Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders say they plan to focus on infrastructure spending and trade relations when they meet virtually with Prime Minister Mark Carney next week. In a joint letter sent to Carney on Wednesday, the premiers outlined priorities for the upcoming meeting, highlighting the need for federal support to strengthen infrastructure across regions and to navigate ongoing trade negotiations with the United States. The letter also calls for discussions on expanding trade opportunities with China and India. The meeting, set for Monday, will be the latest in a series of f