WorldOct 04, 2024
Jaishankar to visit Pakistan for SCO Summit, first Indian ministerial visit in nine years
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will travel to Pakistan next week to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit scheduled for October 15–16, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed on Friday. This will mark the first visit by an Indian minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years.
Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said Jaishankar will represent India at the regional meeting, which brings together foreign ministers and heads of state from member countries to discuss security, economic cooperation, and regional connectivity.
Pakistan had formally invited Pr
IndiaOct 03, 2024
Punjab BJP chief Sunil Jakhar reportedly seeks party overhaul, signals desire to step down
Amid growing speculation within the Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), state president Sunil Jakhar is said to have communicated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, urging a change in the party’s approach toward Punjab’s political and emotional concerns.
Sources suggest Jakhar has stressed that issues deeply connected to Punjabi identity and sentiment must be addressed on a priority basis, calling for greater sensitivity from both the state and central leadership.
According to reports, Jakhar has also expressed his intention to step down as Punjab BJP chief, ci
CanadaOct 03, 2024
Alberta nurses inch closer to strike as talks with province stall over pay and staffing issues
Tensions between the United Nurses of Alberta (UNA) and the provincial government are escalating after another round of negotiations failed to produce a new collective agreement, raising the prospect of a province-wide strike that could impact hospitals across Alberta.
David Harrigan, labour relations director for the UNA, said that while last month’s informal mediation meetings were “productive,” the gap between the two sides remains too wide to bridge.
The union is demanding a 30 per cent wage increase over two years, citing inflation and the rising cost of living, while the Alberta go
CanadaOct 03, 2024
Manitoba man acquitted after 50 years in wrongful murder conviction tied to systemic discrimination
After nearly half a century, Clarence Woodhouse, a Manitoba man wrongfully convicted of murder in 1974, has been formally acquitted by the Manitoba Court of King’s Bench, marking the end of one of Canada’s longest-running miscarriages of justice.
Woodhouse had been found guilty of fatally beating and stabbing a restaurant worker in downtown Winnipeg five decades ago. His lawyers argued that the confession attributed to him could not have been genuine, as it was recorded in fluent English, a language he did not primarily speak - his first language being Saulteaux, an Anishinaabe dialect.
Th
IndiaOct 03, 2024
Farmers block railway tracks in Punjab and Haryana demanding legal MSP guarantee, several trains disrupted
Farmers across Punjab and Haryana held protests today by sitting on railway tracks, demanding a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) and justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case. The demonstrations caused disruptions to train services at several locations in both states.
The agitation, part of an ongoing nationwide campaign by farmer organizations, saw hundreds of farmers gather at major railway junctions, raising slogans against the central government’s alleged indifference to their long-pending demands.
Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Bittu had earlier warned th
BCOct 03, 2024
Eby to unveil full NDP platform in Surrey as B.C. Conservatives target ICBC monopoly
With less than two weeks until election day, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby is expected to unveil his party’s full election platform today at a news conference in Surrey, marking a key moment in a campaign that has focused heavily on affordability, housing, and public services.
Surrey - one of the province’s fastest-growing and most diverse cities - has become a central battleground in this fall’s election. Eby’s choice to launch the NDP’s complete platform here underscores the region’s political importance, where housing affordability, infrastructure expansion, and transit remain top v
CanadaOct 03, 2024
RCMP Commissioner to testify again at foreign interference inquiry as diaspora concerns grow in Canada
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme is set to appear today before the federal inquiry into foreign interference, where Canada’s national police force will face renewed questions about how it detects and counters attempts by foreign states to influence Canadian institutions - a topic closely watched in diverse communities such as Surrey and Edmonton.
This marks Duheme’s second appearance before the inquiry, joined by senior RCMP officials as the hearings turn their focus to how federal agencies identify and respond to foreign meddling. The commission’s sessions, which continue through October 1
WorldOct 03, 2024
Singapore’s former transport minister S. Iswaran sentenced to one year in prison for corruption
Singapore’s Indian-origin former Transport Minister S. Iswaran has been sentenced to 12 months in jail after being found guilty in a corruption case involving nearly 400,000 Singapore dollars in gifts and benefits received from businessmen over a seven-year period.
The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) completed its probe into the case last year. The court found that Iswaran had accepted expensive items - including bottles of whiskey and wine, golf clubs, and a Brompton bicycle - as bribes in exchange for official favours.
The presiding judge said Iswaran had betrayed public trus
IndiaOct 03, 2024
Akal Takht jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh hospitalised
Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh of Sri Akal Takht Sahib has been admitted to the Guru Ramdas Institute of Medical Sciences after experiencing severe body pain, his personal assistant confirmed on Thursday.
According to Talwinder Singh Buttar, the Jathedar’s personal assistant, Giani Raghbir Singh was taken to the hospital late Wednesday night, where doctors diagnosed him with a viral infection following medical tests.
Buttar said that the Jathedar’s health is being closely monitored by a panel of senior doctors, and his condition is currently stable. He added that further updates on his recov