Various Sikh organisations have extended their support to the ‘Punjab Bandh’ call given by the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha for August 21. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has also backed the bandh and decided to keep its offices and all affiliated institutions closed on August 21. Apart from the SGPC, the Shiromani Akali Dal Reunited, Akali Dal ‘Waris Punjab De’, Dal Khalsa, Hawara Committee, Mann Dal and several other Sikh organisations have announced their support for the bandh. Sikh leaders have appealed to the public to completely shut their businesses until 2 p.m. on Aug

Vancouver Police have arrested 35-year-old James Christopher Holmgren after Crown counsel approved a second-degree murder charge in connection with a fatal stabbing on Granville Street last year. Police were called to the area of Granville Street and Helmcken Street on November 17, 2025, after reports of a man suffering from a stab wound. The victim, 20-year-old Aymen Al-Hafidh, was taken to hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Holmgren was arrested by Vancouver Police Homicide Unit detectives and remains in custody.

More than 500 homes and buildings have been destroyed or damaged by wildfires across British Columbia this year, marking one of the province’s worst years for structural wildfire damage in recent years. Although the total area of forest burned remains lower than in some record-breaking fire seasons, more than 1,000 wildfires have already caused significant damage to structures. Four major fires - Bald Range near Summerland, the Bradley Complex near Vernon, the Big Bar Complex near Clinton and the Brunswick Complex near Boston Bar - have grown to major incidents, with only the Bradley Compl

A devastating fire broke out at a hotel in Kolkata, West Bengal, early Wednesday morning, killing around nine people, including five Bangladeshi nationals. A child was also among those who died. Police officials said the fire broke out on the second floor of the hotel at around 2:50 a.m. local time and was brought under control within about an hour. A preliminary investigation suggests that an electrical short circuit may have caused the fire. According to Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, four of the five Bangladeshi nationals who died were members of the same family. Six other Bang

Canada-U.S. trade relations could be entering a new phase. U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday while speaking to reporters in Washington that no new tariffs will be imposed on goods coming from Canada. He also announced some relief from the tariffs imposed on Canadian automobiles. Trump described the proposed trade agreement as a “great” deal for American farmers and a very good deal for both countries. Meanwhile, during a meeting with Canadian Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc in Washington, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters that the two countries had reached an

A 56-year-old man has been critically injured in an overnight shooting in Maple Ridge, B.C. Police say the shooting happened around 10 p.m. Tuesday at a home in the 11400 block of 236 Street. Officers responding to reports of gunshots found the wounded man inside a vehicle outside the residence. The Maple Ridge RCMP Serious Crime Unit has taken over the investigation. Police say no motive has been established and no suspect information has been released. Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the shooting or has dashcam footage from the area around the time of the incident to come forwa

Peel Regional Police in Ontario have arrested a Punjabi man and a woman in connection with an alleged extortion scheme in Brampton involving an online dating platform. Police identified the accused as 35-year-old Harwinder Singh and 23-year-old Ria. Both have been charged with extortion, robbery and forcible confinement related to an e-transfer. Singh is also facing an additional charge of uttering threats. According to Peel police, in July, a victim was contacted through a messaging app by a fake profile using the name “Manisha Sharma.” The two later arranged to meet at a basement apartme

Farmer organizations protesting at the Punjab-Haryana border on Wednesday announced the temporary suspension of their agitation. The decision came after Haryana authorities proposed a meeting with Union Minister Manohar Lal on September 4 to discuss the farmers’ demands. The protesting farmers had been sitting at the Khanauri–Data Singh Wala border point. On August 16, Haryana Police stopped a group of 51 farmers from proceeding towards Delhi. The farmers were undertaking a 228-kilometre-long “Kisan Bachao Padyatra” (Save Farmers March) to oppose the proposed India-U.S. trade agreement

Alberta’s Minister of Technology and Innovation, Nate Glubish, is holding a town hall meeting in Lacombe this evening to hear residents’ views and concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) data centres. Plans to establish large-scale data centres in the area have faced opposition from some local residents and environmental advocates. Critics are particularly concerned about the large amounts of water the facilities could consume, their potential impact on the environment, and the heavy electricity demand that could put additional pressure on Alberta’s power grid and potentially increas