Infectious disease experts on this side of the border are slamming the state of public health in the U.S., after the Trump administration fired the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Wednesday, after less than one month on the job, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Susan Monarez would no longer be the head of the CDC. It’s the administration’s latest aim at public
Police advise residents to shelter in place, others to stay away
Police say there is an ongoing active shooter situation in northwest Calgary.
The situation is unfolding in the area of the 500 block of Crescent Road N.W.
Residents are advised to shelter in place. Others are advised to avoid the area.
On social media, the Calgary Police Service said, “We are asking residents along this stretch of roadway to stay inside & lock their doors.”
Shortly after 5 p.m., police told media the following: “The threat is currently contained to a residence in the community,” police said.
“Out of precaution, we are asking members of the community to shelter in place until the incident is resolved. If you are at home, please continue to shelter in place. If possible, go into a below-grade floor of your property.
Continued on Page 10...
health, following changes to COVID-19 vaccines guidelines, and President Donald Trump initiating the process of withdrawing from the World Health Organization.
Those who work in this field say they fear what’s happening down south will have ripple effects on the Canadian health-care system.
“I don’t really know any other way to say this, but it’s catastrophic what’s happening in the United States right now in terms of public health,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan and Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization. Rasmussen said Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the U.S. health and human services secretary, has made it clear he intends to restrict access to vaccines. Continued on Page 7...
Senior diplomat Dinesh K. Patnaik has been appointed as India’s next High Commissioner to Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday.
Patnaik, a 1990-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service, is currently serving as Ambassador to Spain. He is expected to take up his new assignment in Ottawa shortly. Bilateral relations between India and Canada have faced turbulence in recent years, particularly after Canadian allegations of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023. India strongly rejected the charges, leading to diplomatic expulsions, curbs on visas and a freeze in dialogue. In October 2024, India withdrew its envoy to Canada.
Continued on Page 15..
Army and NGOs help to rescue flood-ravaged victims in Punjab
The Punjab Government, the Army, disaster response forces, civilians and non-governmental organisations have joined hands for relief and rescue operations in flood-hit areas of the state as the rain abated.
With operations to rescue those stuck in deluged areas, several kilometres away from the swollen Ravi and the Beas, going on in full swing, the state has also started assessing its losses.
A preliminary inquiry into the washing away of three floodgates at the Madhopur Headworks is underway. Official sources told The Tribune that the water flow in the Ravi at the headworks on Tuesday was over 14 lakh cusecs, thus having crossed the previous record of 11 cusecs in the floods of 1988. This led to three of the 54 floodgates at the headworks being washed away.
Continued on Page 13...
Why India's Election Commission is facing a test of credibility
India's Election Commission (ECI), one of the most trusted public institutions in the world's largest democracy, is facing a test of its credibility. Over the past few weeks, it has fielded a string of allegations from the opposition, ranging from voter fraud and manipulation to inconsistencies in electoral rolls. It has denied all of these.
Opposition leaders, who have held massive protests against the ECI in recent days, said they were considering an impeachment motion to remove the chief election commissioner from his position.
Continued on Page 15...
Patnaik
Brandon Teixeira convicted of murder in 2017 contract killing
A B.C. jury has convicted a man accused of a contract killing eight years ago of first-degree murder, attempted murder and firearms charges.
The Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU-BC) said jurors returned a guilty verdict for Brandon Teixeira in the killing of Nicholas Khabra and an attack on a second person, who survived, on Oct. 23, 2017.
shooting several days prior.
At trial, jurors heard that Teixeira had shot and stabbed Khabra in a targeted hit, with a contract worth $160,000. Crown prosecutor Dianne Wiedemann told the 14-person jury Teixeira had accepted the “contract to kill” because he believed Khabra had set him up in a drive-by
The court heard that on the night of the killing, Teixeira pulled a gun from his waistband and shot Khabra four or five times, then pursued him to the front door of a house where he stabbed him multiple times. Defence counsel Vicki Williams told the court Person X lied to police and violated the terms of his police contract, breaching the rules multiple times after he began working for the RCMP. Infractions included drug possession, threatening behaviour and motor vehicle violations, she told the court.
He was arrested in Oroville, Calif., the following year in a raid that involved the Butte County Sheriff’s Special Weapons and Tactics Team.
Canada Post says union making ‘unaffordable’ asks as gaps remain in talks
Canada Post says the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) needs to “align with the company’s realities,” and that the union’s offers in ongoing labour talks are both “unaffordable” and pose a “substantial” gap between the two sides.
In an emailed statement sent Wednesday evening, Canada Post said it had met with the union earlier that day.
“After many months of difficult negotiations and mounting losses, the Corporation was looking for workable solutions to be brought to the table that would get the parties closer to a resolution and end the uncertainty for employees and customers,” said Canada Post.
“Unfortunately, CUPW has either maintained or hardened its position on many items and added new demands, and the gap between the parties
remains substantial.” Canada Post continued:
“After carefully reviewing CUPW’s comprehensive offers over the past few days, the Corporation today urged the union to revisit its offers to align with the realities confronting the company. We remain open to reviewing and discussing amended proposals.”
In a separate statement, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers rejected Canada Post’s comments, and maintains its response to the company’s offers is comprehensive and benefits both sides. The union continued: “Postal workers have been clear: we are not at the table to accept rollbacks. We are committed to achieving fair agreements that respect postal workers and deliver for the public. CUPW calls on Canada Post to stop misrepresenting negotiations and to engage seriously with our proposals at the bargaining table.”
BC court rules man's sentencing improperly considered deportation
The B.C. Court of Appeal says an Australianborn permanent resident who stabbed a man in Surrey, B.C., last year was given too light a sentence by a judge who improperly considered the immigration-related consequences of a prison term.
The court ruling released Friday says Jae Won Lee was given a conditional sentence of two years less a day after pleading guilty to aggravated assault and possession of a dangerous weapon in connection with a man's March 2024 stabbing outside a social housing complex.
A wound in the man's arm needed stitches, and he was stapled 50 times from his groin to his chest to help heal a stomach injury after the stabbing.
On Friday, the court replaced Lee's conditional sentence order with a 42-month prison term, less time served, saying the lower court judge improperly considered, without a review, that Lee would be at risk of deportation if he is sentenced
to prison.
The ruling says Lee, who was 23 at the time, first stabbed the man's arm and was relentless in pursuing him into the building, where he stabbed him a second time in the stomach.
The Appeal Court decision says Crown prosecutors also called Lee's sentence "demonstrably unfit" in their appeal given the violent and unprovoked nature of the attack.
"The sentence imposed by the judge of a (conditional sentence order) of two years less a day is a clearly unreasonable departure from the fundamental principle of proportionality, notwithstanding the collateral immigration consequences," the Appeal Court said.
"Again, the consequence in question is the loss of the right to seek a review, not the exposure to deportation. The latter consequence follows from the nature of the offence itself, not from the sentence.
Heat wave spurs surge in active BC wildfires
The number of active wildfires in British Columbia has leapt by more than a dozen in a spate of hot, sunny weather that has sent daily temperature records tumbling.
BC Wildfire Service figures show more than 80 active blazes on Thursday, up from 68 the day before. The service’s latest provincial situation report says forest fuels remain highly susceptible to ignition, and incoming thunderstorms across southern B.C. are expected to bring a risk of lightning to coastal areas and the southern Interior. The update posted Thursday notes campfire bans came into effect across the Cariboo and Kamloops fire centres at noon.
A ban was already in place in the Coastal fire centre, with the exception of Haida Gwaii and a
portion of the central coast near the northern tip of Vancouver Island. The update comes after the B.C. government issued a statement urging people to abide by fire prohibitions over the Labour Day long weekend. About 20 wildfires were classified as burning out of control on Thursday, up from four on Monday, including a cluster of new starts in the northwestern part of the Cariboo region.
The wildfire service’s map also shows several new blazes detected Thursday in conservancy areas northwest of Whistler. In the Okanagan, an evacuation alert was lifted Thursday for 58 properties at the south end of Peachland, where a fire sparked by a motorhome veering off the highway Tuesday night continues to be held at about 1.4 hectares.
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Quebec wants to ban prayers in public
By Matthew Lapierre: The Quebec government intends to present a bill banning prayer in public. Secularism Minister Jean-François Roberge said in a statement Thursday that the "proliferation of street prayer is a serious and sensitive issue."
"The premier of Quebec has given me the mandate to strengthen secularism, and I am determined to fulfil this mandate diligently," he said.
"This fall, we will therefore introduce a bill to strengthen secularism in Quebec, in particular by banning street prayers."
His statement follows months of efforts by the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government to reinforce secularism in the province, which includes adopting a law that requires immigrants to embrace the common culture of the province and tabling a bill to expand the province's religious symbols law to include school support staff.
The statement from Roberge on Thursday provided no details as to how the government would legislate against prayer in public, but Premier François Legault has said his government would not rule out using the notwithstanding clause.
"Seeing people praying in the streets, in public parks, is not something we want in Quebec," Legault said in December, saying he wanted to send a "very clear message to Islamists."
"When we want to pray, we go to a church, we go to a mosque, but not in public places. And yes, we will look at the means where we can act legally or otherwise."
Legault's CAQ government has been suffering in opinion polls and recently lost its third consecutive byelection to the sovereignist Parti Québécois (PQ).
Legault himself is slated to appear next week at a public inquiry examining the mismanagement of the SAAQclic platform. The platform was intended to digitize some auto insurance board services but it went more than $500 million over budget. Images of Muslims praying in Montreal made headlines last summer, and, last month, a viral video showing Muslims praying outside the Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal was shared more than 14,000 times on X. But members of other faiths also hold public events in Quebec, including the Way of the Cross procession led by the Catholic Archbishop of Montreal on Good Friday.
Vancouver’s Science World will continue its mission to restore the facility’s land back to its natural state with the aid of $240,000 in new funding, with the next phase of the project set to kickstart in just a few weeks.
Come autumn, the centre will begin developing three, distinct new nature zones for its sprawling, 35,000-square-foot Ken Spencer Science Park.
Dubbed Pollinator Pathways, the new sections will be planted with native species to attract and support local bee populations alongside other pollinators, and wildlife.
“With this grant, we are closer to our goal of building a greener future creating improved immersive educational surroundings and empowering visitors to conserve vital natural areas, like wetlands and pollinator habitats,” said Sarah Tulga, climate education specialist and curator of the park, in a release issued Thursday.
“By restoring these spaces, we are not only creating a healthier, more vibrant ecosystem on our site but also inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards and field ecologists.”
creating a greener, more sustainable future.
“We’re so proud to help Science World turn back the clock on Ken Spencer Science Park, bringing it back to its natural state and fostering a healthier ecosystem for the local community,” said Julie Armour, TD Bank Group’s senior vice president. “Through the TD Ready Commitment, our corporate citizenship platform, we’re supporting organizations focused on growing and stewarding quality green spaces in urban and suburban areas for everyone to enjoy.”
The funds have been granted by TD Bank Group as part of their TD Ready Commitment, an annual initiative that offers grants to organizations that focus on supporting diverse communities and
The Ken Spencer Science Park reopened in March this year with a host of shiny new upgrades, including new gardening components like a greenthumbed robot and a worm composting display, a revitalized wetland environment, new interactive exhibits, and a renovated outdoor stage area.
crab industry shell-shocked amid punishing Chinese tariffs
A retaliatory tariff imposed on Canada by China earlier this year is crippling B.C.’s crab industry – to the tune of millions of dollars a month.
According to the B.C. Crab Fishermen’s Association (BCCFA), the 25 per cent tariff on seafood products has dropped dungeness crab exports by 60 per cent compared to 2024.
The group says the industry relies on the Asian country for 90 per cent of its business, and profits fell to $4.96 million in June, down from $11.89 million in the same month last year.
“This export value is on par with that from February and March 2020, suggesting that the impact of tariffs may be similar to that of the COVID-19 pandemic,” reads a letter from BCCFA to the minister of fisheries.
“Prior to the tariffs, the value of crab exports to China for January 2025 was the highest single month to date.”
The group says this trade action has destabilized the sector, slashing ex-vessel prices by nearly half and placing immense economic strain on harvesters, families and coastal communities that depend on this fishery.
According to the letter, harvesters are seeing prices roughly half what they were last year, and in some areas fishermen are choosing to stay home rather than operate at a loss.
Second-generation B.C. crab fishermen Jason Voong is urging the government for support. He explained that in Tofino, people are going out once every week or two instead of multiple times a week.
“There’s no one at the harbour these days,” said Voong.
“I hauled twice in July. We were seeing prices of $7 per lb. for six weeks, where last year we were at $11.50 or more. That extra few dollars is where our profit lies.”
In a statement to CTV News, Fisheries and Oceans Canada wrote: “The government of Canada will always defend the interests of Canadians and stand up for our businesses and workers facing unfair trade policies and practices.”
The federal department went on to acknowledge the concerns, and said it is working closely with industry stakeholders to reduce the current impacts.
Hundreds of workers took to the streets of Vancouver on Thursday to make their voices heard amid the Canada-U.S. trade war.
Attendees at Unifor’s constitutional convention gathered at Jack Poole Plaza, outside the Vancouver Convention Centre to press the federal government to protect Canadian jobs.
Among other things, speakers voiced anger at Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent decision to remove retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods that are covered by the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
Their message: Canada can win the fight against Donald Trump over tariffs.
“We will win, because we’re not afraid. It’s our job to take on (those) more powerful than us, who believe they’re more powerful than us, we did that all our life,” Unifor director Daniel Cloutier said. We’re facing the tyrant, we’re facing the bully, we’re
facing it with our strength, and we’ll continue to do it.” Unifor national president Lana Payne delivered a similar message.
“This is not the time to back down, it is not the time to give in to Trump’s extortion. We need governments, all of them, to step up and fight back,” she said.
Carney rescinded most of Canada’s counter-tariffs on Aug. 22, saying the move was necessary to “intensify” stalled trade talks.
The prime minister justified the move saying Canada has the “best deal” with the U.S. right now, with a tariff rate that works out to 5.5 per cent averaging for the the fact 85 per cent of exports are currently tariff-exempt under CUSMA.
“With this decision, we’re respecting our agreement with the United States and we are matching what they have done. That puts us in a good position for the next phase of these negotiations,” he said.
Experts say U.S. public health rollbacks will impact Canadians
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Mark Tyndall, the former director of the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, said the decisions by the current U.S. administration could jeapordize health outcomes for Canadians.
“I think we’re just entering very scary times,” he said. “If you lose all this capacity and you defund research and surveillance and make crazy policies about vaccinations, I think, we could look back at this as a really pivotal time in our health in North America.” Tyndall said during his time at the BCCDC, he would often look to the CDC for policy guidance, adding he believes the organization may no longer be reliable.
“That means that we have to make more of our own decisions,” he said.
Both Tyndall and Rasmussen said we are already seeing the consequences from political rhetoric and misinformation from the U.S. making its way
here, pointing to the rise in vaccine skepticism. “This past year in Canada, we’ve had two historic measles outbreaks in Ontario and in Alberta,” Rasmussen said. “And if vaccine hesitancy and vaccine refusal continues to rise … we will potentially see even larger measles outbreaks going forward.”
In a statement, B.C. Minister of Health Josie Osborne called the Trump administration’s attacks on public health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “deeply disturbing.” Public health work keeps people safe on both sides of the border, Osborne added.
“In British Columbia, we support and understand the value of science and public health, the importance of combatting health misinformation, and the importance of research and scientific efforts to help make new medical advances and safeguard people’s health,” the statement continued.
Victoria's new police chief, Fiona Wilson, says she will apply lessons from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside (DTES) to the most downtrodden community in the provincial capital, but acknowledges she still has much to learn about her new post.
Wilson says a personal tour of Victoria's Pandora Avenue has reminded her "a lot of some of the challenges" she has witnessed as an officer working in the DTES, which is grappling with homelessness, poverty, addiction and crime.
Wilson says Victoria is a "really small microcosm" of the challenges Vancouver has faced, but adds it is a diverse community and she looks forward
sports
The Canadian sports system is rife with abuse and fosters a culture that discourages athletes from speaking out, according to a scathing review from a commission the federal government launched to probe systemic abuse in sports.
"Maltreatment in sport, including physical punishment, sexual assault, training while injured, humiliation, intimidation, isolation tactics, failure to provide medical care, discrimination and exploitation continue to permeate at all levels," said Justice Lise Maisonneuve, who leads the Future of Sport in Canada Commission.
Maisonneuve spoke on Thursday afternoon, shortly after the three-person commission released its preliminary report on the issue. It found that the federal government's current emphasis on "high
to learning more about the department and its service area, which also includes Esquimalt.
Wilson is the first woman to hold the top job with the Victoria police, and said she was taking the position with a sense of both "profound responsibility" and "immense privilege."
Wilson previously served for 27 years with the Vancouver Police Department, where she rose to the rank of deputy chief before taking the top job in Victoria. Wilson's appointment as Victoria's new police chief was announced in April 2025, replacing Del Manak, who officially handed over his command during a ceremony Thursday at the formal residence of Lt. Governor Wendy Cocchia.
performance and medal achievements" does not align with the Canadian sport community's desire for a system that values success but also embodies respect and diversity while promoting health and well-being.
The report also said there is a "lack of access and opportunity for many, but more particularly for para-athletes, Black and Indigenous and people of colour and those of the 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
"And when access and opportunities have been provided, they have often come at a cost to the dignity and safety of many individuals. Canadian sport has lost its way." The commission, which started its work last year, is making 71 preliminary recommendations meant to enhance safe sport and improve Canada's sporting system at large.
Man charged with indignity to human remains in Maple Ridge
A man has been charged with indignity to human remains in connection to a missing person investigation in Maple Ridge, homicide investigators say. The charge against Mylie Barron was laid Wednesday, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a statement Thursday.
IHIT was called to a home in the 22800 block of Gillis Place – a small, residential cul-de-sac off Harrison Street – Wednesday, along with the Integrated Forensic Identification Service.
Officers from Ridge Meadows RCMP had been at the home since Tuesday, gathering information related to an ongoing missing person investigation, according to IHIT.
In its statement Thursday, the homicide team
said it has taken over that investigation, identifying the missing person as Maple Ridge resident Jessica Cunningham.
Police located human remains inside the home on Tuesday and are working with the B.C. Coroners Service to confirm their identity, said Staff Sgt. David Lee, at a news conference Thursday.
Investigators said Cunningham was last seen in June and was reported missing in July. Since then, the Ridge Meadows detachment has been “actively working to locate her,” IHIT said. In the statement, Lee said police are “working diligently to understand the circumstances” of Cunningham’s disappearance and death.
2nd vehicle-train collision in Maple Ridge in 2 days leaves 1 person dead
Police in Maple Ridge, B.C., are investigating a fatal collision involving a train and a vehicle.
Front-line officers responded to a "serious motor vehicle incident" in the 25800 block of Lougheed Highway at about 9:40 a.m. Wednesday, according to a Ridge Meadows RCMP news release.
Police said the incident is believed to involve a single vehicle and a train.
Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) confirmed one of its trains was involved in the incident and said the cause is under investigation.
The incident comes one day after another Maple Ridge crash involving a vehicle and a train near Lougheed Highway east of 272nd Street.
The patient was transported by air ambulance to hospital in critical condition, according to B.C. Emergency Health Services spokesperson Bowen Osoko.
CPKC said none of the train's crew were injured in either incident.
Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy declined an interview.
Police are asking witnesses or anyone with dashcam or surveillance video of Wednesday's crash to contact Ridge Meadows RCMP at 604-463-6251.
Man arrested in relation to suspicious Penticton wildfire
RCMP in Penticton say one man has been arrested in connection to a suspicious wildfire that began in the community on Monday.
In a news release, police said he was taken into custody near the scene a short time after the fire was reported in a greenbelt near Ridgedale and Penticton avenues. With support from helicopters dropping water from above, Penticton firefighters quickly managed to bring the fire under control.
Video from the scene shows a large plume of smoke from the fire just metres from a row of houses.
“I really want to emphasize how important it is to be personally responsible right now, because a wildfire can destroy people’s homes,” said B.C. Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Minister Kelly Greene.
“It can destroy livelihoods, really throw
communities into chaos. And we never want to be in that position.”
As of Thursday afternoon, more than 80 fires were burning across the province, with 19 of them considered out of control.
Dozens have ignited over the past couple of days, and the B.C. Wildfire Service said most of those are believed to be lightning caused.
“That includes new starts as well as holdover lightning-caused fires,” said fire information officer Emelie Peacock. “So, lightning strikes that happened days or even weeks ago, and have popped up with the hot and dry weather.”
Those hot and dry conditions are expected to persist in many places for the next several days, keeping the fire danger rating elevated.
A total of 981 fires have scorched more than 730,000 hectares across the province so far in 2025.
Canadian foreign minister Anita Anand happy with appointment of new Indian envoy to Canada
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand on Thursday welcomed the appointment of a new High Commissioner to India, underlining that the move reflects Canada's gradual efforts to strengthen diplomatic engagement and deepen cooperation with New Delhi.
"The appointment of a new High Commissioner reflects Canada's step-by-step approach to deepening diplomatic engagement and advancing bilateral cooperation with India," Anita Anand wrote on X.
Calling it a significant step forward, she added, "This is an important development toward restoring services for Canadians while strengthening the bilateral relationship to support Canada's economy." Her remarks coincided with the announcement by India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) that senior diplomat Dinesh K Patnaik, a 1990-batch officer of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS), has been appointed as the next High Commissioner of India to Canada.
had confirmed that both countries were working toward reinstating High Commissioners in each other's capitals.
He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney reaffirmed the importance of bilateral ties during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, and agreed to take steps to "restore stability" in the relationship.
Patnaik is currently serving as India's Ambassador to Spain since November 2021 and is expected to take up his new assignment shortly, the MEA said in a statement. His appointment comes as New Delhi and Ottawa seek to normalise diplomatic relations, nearly nine months after India withdrew its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and several senior diplomats amid escalating bilateral tensions.
In June, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal
"We had issued a press release when we had the last meeting of PM Modi with Prime Minister Carney, on the sidelines of G7 in Kananaskis in Alberta. Both leaders then reaffirmed the importance of India-Canada ties based on shared democratic values, respect for the rule of law, and commitment to upholding the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Both sides agreed to take calibrated and constructive steps to restore stability in the relationship, beginning with the early return of high commissioners to each other's capitals," Randhir Jaiswal said.
Diplomatic ties soured sharply last year after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged "credible allegations" of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023, claims New Delhi strongly rejected as "absurd" and "motivated."
In response, India recalled six diplomats, including its High Commissioner, and expelled six Canadian diplomats.
Police advise residents to shelter in place, others to stay away
Continued from Page 1...
“If you are trying to go home and cannot access your residence, please go to Crescent Heights High School, where officers will have further information.
“We appreciate this will cause inconvenience, but your safety is our priority.”
afternoon.
Thursday evening, the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) issued a statement:
“The Calgary Police Service contacted the school and asked that everyone in the building shelter in place out of an abundance of caution due to an ongoing incident in the community,” said the CBE.
resident posted to social media, “Cops everywhere! Massive number of shots heard. Husband was coming home from a lunch and the cops made him go and shelter at a stranger’s house. Still there.”
A number of students were at Crescent Heights High School for athletic tryouts on Thursday
“Students who were outside were immediately brought into the gym.”
According to the CBE, police eventually determined the school was not at risk and let the students go home.
“All students and staff are safe,” the CBE said. Exact positions of police in the area are not being disclosed while the situation is ongoing, to maintain officers’ safety.
Early on, EMS said paramedics were on standby. According to EMS, therewere no reports of patients or injuries at that time.
Later in the evening, EMS said they’d been cleared from the call.
Further updates will be provided as they become available.
One Rosedale
Court nullifies $1 land transfer, awards $150K to widow in Lawaqa Park fraud case
The High Court in Suva has ruled in favour of Chellammal, the widow of the late Venkat Naidu, in a civil dispute over a Sigatoka property fraud that dates back nearly three decades.
Justice Vishwa Datt Sharma found on August 20 that Venkat Naidu was a victim of fraud and declared that the land he and his family had occupied since 1981, now part of Lawaqa Park, was unlawfully transferred away from him.
The Court ruled that Mr Naidu had a legal right to one residential lot under a 1984 sale agreement with the Sigatoka Town Council, which the Council failed to honour.
Mr Naidu had agreed to sell his 7-acre property to the Council for $22,150, with the condition that he be allowed to retain one residential lot for himself and his family.
However, in 1997, the Council transferred the entire land, including Naidu’s residential portion,
to the Fiji Sports Council for just $1, without his knowledge.
Fiji Sports Council later attempted to evict Mr Naidu, prompting him to file a case in 2020. After his death in 2021, his wife Chellammal, as executrix of his estate, continued the legal battle.
Justice Sharma declared the 1997 land transfer fraudulent and void, ruled that Chellammal and her family are entitled to remain on the land, and awarded them over $150,000 in damages, including for stress, fraud, and breach of contract.
The Court also issued permanent injunctions preventing the Fiji Sports Council from interfering with their occupation or attempting to transfer the land.
“The Plaintiff (Chellammal) is not only entitled to reside on the land but also enjoys the protection of the Court from any interference, eviction, or further fraudulent dealings,” Justice Sharma stated.
Hindu group calls to ban grog and cigarettes in places of worship in Fiji
Hindu faith leaders and community members who attended the Hindu Unity gathering in Siva on Sunday have passed a unified resolution declaring that kava (grog) and cigarettes will no longer be used or served in any Hindu place of worship across Fiji.
Sandeep Narayan Singh, one of the chief organizers of the program said unity is not just about coming together.
“It is about protecting dharma, to protect our families, and to purify our places of worship,” said
The organisers further announced that they would seek guidance from the Fiji Police Force and the Ministry of Health to examine whether the Public Order Act
could be applied to religious venues.
“If temples are considered public places, then the law that prohibits grog and smoking in public should also apply to these sacred spaces,” Singh said. The Hindu Unity Program also issued a heartfelt call to families and young people to support this movement.
“If we want respect as Hindus, then our temples must remain sacred and free from grog and cigarettes.”
“Today we have lit a diya for unity and purity. We will ensure that this light does not fade, but shines across our land — guiding every temple, every family, and every devotee towards the true path of dharma.”
‘Quit grog and smoking’ – Turagavou’s call to pastors
Stop drinking grog and smoking was the message Methodist Church in Fiji president the Reverend Dr Semisi Turagavou had for church leaders as the country’s biggest religious organisation begin their week-long conference in Suva today.
During the official opening church service at the Vodafone Arena yesterday, Dr Turagavou said many pastors were against the idea of leaving the two habits.
“Sa tukuni tiko vei keda na issue ni yaqona kei na kana tavako sa bau dredre saraga vei so vei keda meda veisau. (We have been told about the issue of yaqona and smoking but a lot of us found it hard to change),” he said.
Dr Turagavou said the pastors should focus more on bringing more people into the church.
“Kevaka e lewe levu nai vakatawa kei nai talatala mera biuta vakadua na tavako kei na yaqona sa na dua naka na tubu bulabula ni lotu Wesele i Viti. (If we leave smoking and yaqona all together we will see the growth of the Methodist Church in Fiji).”
The Methodist Church president also called on their leaders to refrain from taking on responsibilities that would take them away from their calling.
“Sometimes some of us pastors want to control everything.
“We take on the role of the Tuiraralevu, the treasurer and organise unnecessary meetings.”
“This year ena lutu sobu vakalailai so vei kemudou na vakatawa. (This year the number of our vakatawa will be decreased).”
He said the church has set a target of 64 per cent confirmed members in 2026. “We have 186,015 members.
Rabuka says Fiji offers open access to all nations, rejects need for any power to claim the country
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says Fiji offers every country freedom of navigation, port facilities, and airspace access so there is no need for any power to claim Fiji for themselves.
Rabuka highlighted this while responding to questions by India news agency Firstpost, on his earlier statement that Fiji would not welcome a Chinese military base in the Pacific and what led him to take this position.
Rabuka says strategically, China does not need to be in the Pacific.
When questioned if he feels pressure, Rabuka
says he does not feel any pressure as he deals openly with diplomats and leaders. He says they understand him, and he understands them.
When asked about climate change, Rabuka says Fiji hopes countries that promised climate funding, especially the United States, will deliver.
He says in the meantime, Fiji is relocating vulnerable coastal villages, with some communities to be moved further inland. Rabuka also confirms Fiji is preparing to assist other island nations if they are forced to evacuate due to the impacts of climate change.
SOUTH ASIA
Imran’s party to boycott bypolls
Jailed former PM Imran Khan’s party has decided to boycott the upcoming by-elections for national and provincial assemblies, in line with the opinion of its founder.
Several seats of the national and provincial assemblies became vacant last month after the conviction of leaders of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) for their involvement in the May 9, 2023 riots. A day earlier, the party’s political committee had voted 12-9 to take part in these
polls. Senior party leader Asad Qaiser confirmed that in Khan’s opinion, the party should not go into by-elections. “...the government will not let our candidates win… (and) if (we) take part in the elections, it will legitimise the government’s illegal action of de-seating our legislators,” he added. Khan also accused Army Chief Asim Munir of being power-hungry and running the worst kind of dictatorship and that he should apologise for orchestrating the said riots.
Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla meets Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed his pleasure in meeting a distinguished Parliamentary Delegation from Sri Lanka, which is visiting India for a special training programme organised by the Lok Sabha's Programme for International Delegations (PRIDE). In a post on social media platform X, Birla said, "Pleased to meet the distinguished Parliamentary Delegation from Sri Lanka, visiting India for a special training programme organised by @LokSabha_PRIDE."
"Such exchanges strengthen parliamentary diplomacy and deepen our democratic cooperation," he added.
During the meeting, both sides highlighted the deep-rooted cultural and people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka. They welcomed the formation of the Sri Lanka-India Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Sri Lankan Parliament.
"Sri Lanka holds a special place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and 'Vision SAGAR'," Om Birla said. "Discussions focused on strengthening institutional capacity and exploring new avenues of cooperation. Shared PRIDE's role in organising programmes for legislators from 110+ countries. Highlighted use of AI &
the Parliament of India," he added.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), India is Sri Lanka's closest neighbour, and the relationship between the two countries dates back more than 2,500 years, marked by a strong civilizational and historical connection.
Sri Lanka holds a central place in India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy and the SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision.
The bilateral relations are mature and diversified, encompassing all areas of contemporary relevance. The shared cultural and social heritage of the two countries, along with the extensive people-topeople interaction among their citizens, provides the foundation for building a multifaceted partnership, the MEA added.
Haryana orders women to get Rs 2,100 a month
The Haryana Cabinet today approved the Deen Dayal Laado Laxmi Yojana to ensure social security and dignity of women. Under the scheme, all eligible women will receive a financial assistance of Rs 2,100 per month. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
With the decision to implement the scheme, the government has fulfilled a major poll promise made in its Sankalp Patra. The scheme will be launched on September 25 on the birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
All eligible women (married and unmarried) aged 23 years and above as on September 25 this year will be eligible to avail of the benefit. In the first phase, families with an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh have been included. Gradually, other income groups will also be brought under the ambit of the scheme.
To avail of the benefit of this scheme, it will be mandatory for an unmarried applicant, or
the husband in the case of a married applicant, to be a resident of Haryana for the past 15 years. There will be no restriction on the number of beneficiaries from a single family. For instance, if three women in a household are eligible, all three will receive the benefit.
However, beneficiaries who are already covered under any of the following nine schemes — Old Age Samman Allowance, Financial Assistance to Widows and Destitute Women Scheme, Haryana Divyang Pension, Ladli Social Security Allowance, Financial Assistance to Kashmiri Migrants Families, Allowance to Dwarfs, Financial Assistance to Women and Girls Acid Attack Victims, Financial Assistance to Widower and Unmarried Persons Scheme-2023 and the Haryana Gaurav Samman Scheme for Padma Awardees — are receiving higher financial assistance and will not be entitled to the benefit under the Laado Laxmi Yojana.
Raging Ravi cuts off Kangra village, buildings swept
Flashfloods in the Ravi have caused large-scale destruction in Bada Bhangal, a remote tribal village in the Dhauladhar ranges of Kangra district. The floods washed away almost all government buildings and severely damaged critical infrastructure.
Situated at an altitude of 7,800 ft, the village is accessible only on foot through treacherous high-altitude passes. Currently, both approaches -- the Thamsar Pass (4,700 m) and the Kalihani Pass (4,800 m) -- have been rendered dangerous or completely impassable. Mansa Ram Bhangalia, sarpanch of Bada Bhangal, told The Tribune that the village had been completely cut off, with all
pedestrian trekking routes blocked. “More than 300 residents are stranded in the village, while at least 150 shepherds and hundreds of goats, sheep and cattle are marooned on high pastures,” he said.
The floodwaters destroyed key government structures, including panchayat ghar, government primary and high school buildings, civil supplies store, ayurvedic dispensary and two bridges over the river. Essential stocks of ration and medicine stored in these buildings were also swept away.
Mansa Ram warned that several houses were now at the risk of collapse due to severe erosion along the riverbanks.
40 villages submerged in Ramdass-Ajnala belt; Army leads rescue operation
Army units have reached the Ramdass area in Amritsar district, where around 40 villages have been submerged since Wednesday, for rescue operations along with the administration and the police.
last evening. The water level has increased a lot since Wednesday. Yesterday, over 20 villages were inundated, but the number of such villages has now gone up to around 40.
The worst-affected villages include Ghonewal, Machhiwal, Mangu Naru, Shahzada, Jattan, Kot Gurbaksh, Pashian, Nissoke, Singhoke, Mehmad, Mandrawala, Ghaggar, Dharmabad, Ramdass, Shampura, Kotli Shah Habib, Nangal Sohal, Rurewal, Khatra, Pandori, Thangai, Malikpura, Langarpur, Dujowal, Bedi Channa, Kot Razada, Sufian, Samrai, Bhadal, Chharpur, Galib, Darya Mansoor, Bal Labhe Darya, Nangal anb, Kamirpura, Bhaini Gill, Chak Wala, Jagdev Khurd, Sahowal, Dhai Singhpura and Bajwa village.
Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawhney, ADC Rohit Gupta and SSP Maninder Singh reached the area along with the Army units around 4 am to supervise the rescue operations.
Army, NGOs chip in as Punjab ups measures to rescue flood-ravaged
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Across the state, around 500 villages — 284 in Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Pathankot alone — have been severely affected by the floods. Two persons have died and one chargeman was swept away in the swollen Ravi waters from the Madhopur Headworks. He is still reported missing. Hundreds of animals have been swept away, breaches reported on the embankments of both the Ravi and the Beas; and standing crops on around 2.90 lakh acres of land damaged because of the floods, mainly in the three border districts, besides Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur and Fazilka. Crops on 26,020 acres are still submerged.
Almost 5,300 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas, said a senior government
HEALTH CARE WORKERS
functionary. In Ferozepur, Water Resources
Minister Barinder Goyal said 13 flood relief camps had been set up and 2,000 persons rescued. While 2,000 persons have been evacuated in Gurdaspur and brought to safer places, 710 were evacuated in Amritsar and 480 in Kapurthala. In Tarn Taran, Transport Minister Laljit Bhullar oversaw the rescue efforts using motorboats to evacuate stranded people. The ruling party has put all its leaders on relief and rescue work with Ferozepur and Fazilka MLAs Rajnish Dahiya and Narinder Pal Singh too chipping in their respective districts.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann visited floodaffected areas in Amritsar and said his government was duty-bound to bail out people from the crisis. He said there was no dearth of funds to provide relief material.
Jawans were seen using Army vehicles and boats to rescue those left stranded in their houses. River water entered their houses hours after Dhussi Bandh near the Ravi river gave way from at least three places. Rescue operations continued till late
INDIA
Alert in Bihar after intel on entry of 3 Pakistani terrorists via Nepal
A statewide security alert was sounded in Bihar after intelligence inputs suggested that three Pakistan-based terrorists of the banned Jaish-eMohammed outfit had entered the state through Nepal, officials said on Thursday.
The Bihar Police circulated names and photographs of the suspects — Hasnain Ali of Rawalpindi, Adil Hussain of Umerkot and Mohammad Usman of Bahawalpur — to all districts. The trio is suspected to have crossed into Bihar through Araria.
State DGP Vinay Kumar confirmed that a “general alert” had been issued. “All district police and specialised units have been directed to maintain extraordinary vigilance, step up
patrolling and launch intensive search operations to foil any attempt by anti-national elements. Security has already been heightened across the state,” he said, without disclosing further details. Sources, however, confirmed that intelligence inputs indicated the presence of all three terrorists in Bihar.
Given the state’s porous border with Nepal, security has been stepped up around sensitive installations, religious sites and tourist hotspots, including the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, Vishwa Shanti Stupa in Rajgir, Mahaveer Temple and Takht Sri Harimandir Ji in Patna Sahib. Security has also been tightened at airports and railway stations.
Delhi, Faridabad, Srinagar unsafe for women
Delhi, Faridabad and Srinagar are among the least safe cities for women in India. This was revealed by the National Annual Report & Index on Women’s Safety (NARI 2025), released by the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Thursday.
These are joined by Ranchi, Kolkata and Jaipur in receiving the lowest safety ratings. In contrast, the report identified Kohima, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, Itanagar and Mumbai as the safest cities.
The findings are based on a survey of 12,770 women across 31 cities, conducted by a private data science agency, Pvalue Analytics. At least 40 per cent of the women surveyed described their cities as either “unsafe” or “not so safe”.
The report also revealed a significant lack of
trust in the authorities. Only one in four women believed that proper action would be taken if they reported an unsafe incident. Among those who did experience an incident, just a third reported it to the authorities and action was taken in only 16 per cent of those cases. Harassment emerged as a major area of concern, with 7 per cent of women stating they had experienced it in 2024 -- a figure dramatically higher than the 0.07 per cent recorded in the National Crime Records Bureau’s 2022 data. The report indicates that younger women, particularly those between 18 and 24, face the highest risks. Researchers emphasised that the study helped uncover the “dark figure” of unreported crimes, capturing women’s lived experiences beyond official statistics.
India, Saudi Arabia strengthen defence ties
India and Saudi Arabia held the 7th meeting of the Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation (JCDC) in New Delhi on Thursday, which was cochaired by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad from the Indian side and Staff Maj Gen Saad Mohammed H Alkathiri from the Saudi side.
"Both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthening bilateral defence cooperation and expressed happiness on the execution of most of the significant decisions taken during the previous JCDC meeting", according to the Ministry of
Indians
account for most
Indians have emerged as the nationality with the largest percentage increase in convictions for sexual offences in the UK amid a wider surge in foreigners being sentenced for such crimes over the past four years in the country, according to an analysis of
Defence.
"With a view to strengthen defence ties and explore new avenues of collaboration, the two countries held discussions in areas such as training cooperation, industrial partnerships, maritime cooperation and military exercises," the ministry added. Both sides discussed their respective training capabilities and requirements. Further, the ministry highlighted that, "India offered to provide training to the Saudi Armed Forces and discussed cooperation in Cyber, IT, disaster management & tactical communication."
UK sex crime convictions
British government data. Indian nationals logged a 72-case increase between 2021 and 2024, reflecting a 257 per cent hike amid an overall 62 per cent increase in foreign nationals being convicted of sexual offences during that period.
117 tiger deaths this year, 40 unnautural
As many as 117 tigers have died till August this year compared to 126 in the entire 2024. What's even more concerning, as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) data, is the death of 40 big cats due to unnatural causes, including poaching. Madhya Pradesh has recorded 36 deaths, of which 12 are due to unnatural causes, including accident, poisoning and even poaching. Two Madhya Pradesh wildlife officials accused of secretly burning the carcass of a tiger in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat district have absconded, and the Forest Department has announced a reward of Rs 5,000 each on them. In a recent poaching case, the paws of a tiger were cut off. Wildlife activist Ajay Dubey said: “Near the spot where the tiger was poached in the
Satpura Tiger Reserve on August 21, the body of a chaukidar was found two months ago. In 2023, a tiger was poached near the spot and its head was severed and taken away.”
He said NTCA had not appointed a member secretary yet and an advertisement had recently been floated. “Madhya Pradesh is an old graveyard for tigers. Of 117 tigers which have died across the country so far, Madhya Pradesh has recorded 36 deaths, which is the highest in the country,” he said.
In Karnataka, 75 tigers reportedly died between April 2020 and August 2025. Of these, 13 died due to unnatural causes. This year, five tigers were poisoned to death and two died from snare trap injuries.
Dinesh K Patnaik appointed India’s next High Commissioner to Canada
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However, recent high-level political signals, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s outreach to Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this year, have opened a window for a diplomatic reset. Patnaik’s appointment is being viewed in New Delhi as a carefully chosen move, given his prior experience handling sensitive diaspora-related issues in London and his track record in navigating politically complex assignments. A distinguished
diplomat with over three decades of experience, Patnaik brings a wealth of international and institutional expertise to his new assignment.
His previous foreign postings include Cambodia (2012–2015) and the Kingdom of Morocco (2015–2016) as Ambassador, followed by serving as Deputy High Commissioner in London between 2016 and 2018 -- during which he dealt with challenges related to Sikhs separatist activities, a sensitivity that he will likely address again in his new role.
India's Election Commission is facing a test of credibility
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They hadn't filed the motion by Thursday, the last day of the monsoon session of parliament, and currently don't have the numbers to see it through.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India's main opposition party Congress, has launched a 16-day, 1,300km (807 miles) march - known as the Voter Adhikar Yatra (Voter Rights March) - in Bihar state to protest against the ECI, marking a dramatic escalation in the political fight. Bihar, set to vote in a key state election later this year, has been in the middle of a heated controversy over a recent revision of electoral rolls.
Gandhi first made the allegations of vote theft in August, accusing the ECI of colluding with the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to rig the 2024 general elections.
Using granular data from the ECI's own records, he alleged that a parliamentary constituency in the southern state of Karnataka had more than 100,000 fake voters, including duplicate voters, invalid addresses and bulk registrations at single locations.
The ECI has repeatedly called the claims "false and misleading". And the BJP has strongly denied these allegations, with leader Anurag Thakur
saying the Congress and the opposition had come together to make these "baseless claims" because they were anticipating a loss in Bihar.
Gandhi's press conference was held as the controversy in Bihar was raging.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) happened between June and July, with the ECI saying its representatives visited all of Bihar's 78.9 million voters for verification.
The ECI says this was done to update the voter lists after more than 20 years, but opposition leaders say the process may have disenfranchised tens of thousands of people, especially migrants, because of the haste with which it was conducted and the onerous documentation required as proof.
After a draft of the updated list was published on 1 August, several reports, including by the BBC, highlighted errors in the count, such as the wrong gender and photos assigned against people's names, and dead voters on the rolls.
The new draft rolls have 72.4 million names - 6.5 million fewer than before, with the commission saying the omissions include duplicate, deceased and migrant voters. Those who believe their names were wrongly struck off have been given until 1 September to appeal.
