Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war in biggest release so far

Several schools in Patiala district and the Patiala railway station were placed under heightened security on Tuesday after authorities received bomb threats through email, Punjab Police said. The threat follows similar warnings reported earlier in Amritsar and Jalandhar, raising concerns among parents and local residents. Police teams were immediately deployed to the affected schools and public locations, where thorough search operations were carried out as a precautionary measure. According to officials, the email claimed that explosive devices could detonate between 1:11 pm and 9:11 pm. As a

Sooke RCMP are asking for the public’s assistance as they investigate an alleged counterfeit currency transaction at a local gas station earlier this month. Police say two men attended the Chevron gas station at 6610 Sooke Rd. on December 20 shortly after 6:00 p.m., where a counterfeit $100 bill was allegedly used during a transaction. The incident was reported to police two days later, on December 22. The first suspect is described as a Caucasian man between 20 and 30 years old, with brown hair and a beard. At the time, he was wearing a black North Face jacket. The second suspect is also de

An Ontario lawyer accused by U.S. authorities of assisting a major international drug trafficking network connected to former Olympic snowboarder Ryan Wedding has been granted bail while awaiting an extradition hearing. Deepak Paradkar, a 62-year-old lawyer from Thornhill, Ont., was arrested last month as part of a cross-border investigation led by the FBI. U.S. prosecutors allege Paradkar played a significant role in supporting Wedding, who is accused of leading a violent criminal organization operating across North America. Court documents allege Paradkar advised Wedding in connection with t

The upcoming leadership race for the Conservative Party of B.C. will offer members a chance to present a new vision and rebuild unity after weeks of public turmoil, according to interim leader Trevor Halford. He says the party is focused on moving forward following a rare and highly visible split within its caucus earlier this month. Halford was appointed interim leader on Dec. 3 after the party board removed John Rustad, citing a loss of confidence and describing him as professionally incapacitated. The decision followed months of internal disputes that Conservative MLAs said had hurt fundrai

Canada’s real gross domestic product declined by 0.3 per cent in October, according to new data from Statistics Canada, as weakness in manufacturing and parts of the public sector weighed on overall economic activity. The federal agency said goods-producing industries fell by 0.7 per cent during the month, with manufacturing responsible for nearly the entire drop. The slowdown follows earlier signs of easing demand and supply chain adjustments across several manufacturing subsectors. Public sector activity also declined, partly reflecting the impact of Alberta’s provincewide teachers’ st