In Punjab, the demand for electricity amid paddy harvesting and rising heat has put the government in trouble. The Power Engineers Association has asked the state government to review the free power policy, change the timings of government offices and order closure of shopping malls by 7 pm. The organization says that if concrete steps are not taken, there will be a power outage in the state. According to the Association of Power Engineers, power demand in Punjab is constantly crossing the all-time high of 15,500 MW. In view of this, in the areas of the state where paddy has not yet been plan

The head office of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia in North Vancouver will be transformed into an urban housing development with hundreds of homes near major transit hubs. Premier David Eby says the province has reached an agreement to buy the Crown auto insurer's waterfront headquarters with plans to develop market and below-market homes close to transit and the SeaBus to Vancouver. Eby says the agreement to turn the property into a mixed use residential area with ICBC was also reached with the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations, and there are plans to work with the C

Environment Canada says an unseasonable cool air mass over southern B.C. has broken minimum temperature records, including one dating back about 70 years. The forecaster says temperatures fell to 4 degrees in the Trail area on Sunday, breaking the record of 4.4 degrees set in 1954. In the Bella Bella area, the minimum of 3.9 degrees broke the 4-degree record set 10 years ago. Records for low daily maximum temperatures were also set, with the Kelowna area reaching just 13.3 Celsius, breaking the 15-degree record set in 1906. Penticton and Princeton also reset records established in 1939, while

Police and other rescue agencies say they're still looking for a 37-year-old boater who went missing near Mission, B.C., but local rescue crews say “it’s unlikely he is still alive.” RCMP say police responded to Nicomen Slough, about 14 kilometres northeast of Mission, on Friday evening after receiving reports of a boating accident in which two men were thrown into the water. They say the boaters were reportedly doing donuts in a small aluminum boat, and both got tossed from the craft after hitting their own wake. Police say the boat's passenger was able to make it to shore, but the driv

A new health centre dedicated to serving British Columbia's French-language speakers will open its doors this fall in Vancouver. A statement from B.C.’s Ministry of Health says the current Vancouver Urban Health Centre cannot accommodate the needs of the Lower Mainland’s growing French-speaking community even though it offers primary care in both French and English. It says the new centre, expected to open in October in Vancouver, will be equipped with a care team of family doctors, nurses and social workers. The government hopes to connect 4,400 people to primary care by 2029. Provincial

Taseko Mines Ltd. says it has reached a tentative agreement with striking employees at its Gibraltar Mine in central British Columbia. The deal is subject to ratification by the workers, who are represented by Unifor. Voting is expected to take place on Monday and Tuesday. Workers at the mine have been on strike since June 1. Taseko says if the agreement is ratified, it expects to resume operations at the mine on Wednesday. Gibraltar is an open pit copper-and-molybdenum mine located about 200 kilometres south of Prince George, B.C.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has decided to resign from Kerala's Wayanad seat. He had won the election from two Lok Sabha seats, due to which he had to vacate one seat. He will now represent UP's Raebareli seat only and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will contest the by-election from Wayanad. Priyanka said that she and her brother Rahul Gandhi will continue to visit both Rae Bareli and Wayanad. Along with this, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra from the Gandhi family has also entered politics directly. Wayanad is considered a safe seat for them.

At least 14 people have died due to drug overdose in Punjab this month, with which the issue of drugs has become hot again in the politics of the state. The number of overdose deaths is up to June 15 and nine deaths have occurred within 7 days. It is feared that these deaths were due to heroin overdose or adulterated drugs, two youths succumbed to drug addiction in just two days in Bhalur village of Moga. Among them was a young kabaddi player who won many medals from Punjab. Among the deceased, 3 belong to Gurdaspur, 2 Abohar, 2 Moga, 1 Muktsar, 2 Ferozepur, 1 Faridkot, 1 Ludhiana and 2 Amri

The defectors will face each other again in the by-election of Jalandhar West Vidhan Sabha constituency of Punjab. The state's Aam Aadmi Party has declared Mahendra Bhagat, who came from the BJP, as its candidate, while the BJP has given ticket to Sheetal Angural, who left the Aam Aadmi Party and joined the BJP. During the 2022 elections, Mahendra Bhagat and Sheetal Angural fought against each other, then Mahendra Bhagat was the candidate of BJP and Sheetal Angural was the candidate of AAP. Mohinder Bhagat is the son of former BJP minister Chunni Lal Bhagat. BJP has released a list of 38 sta