Several illegal Indian migrant workers who were recently deported from the US have recounted their ordeal, describing humiliation, debt and shattered dreams. At least 54 men, who had entered the US through the "donkey route" - often used by traffickers to facilitate illegal crossings - landed in the country's capital Delhi on Sunday.
Aged between 25 and 40 years, all of them are from the northern state of Haryana and have since returned home, police said. Continued on Page 6...
Indian doctors
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How RBI is flying more of India's gold back home
The Reserve Bank of India just keeps bringing more and more of India’s gold home.
The central bank, between March 2025 and September 2025, has brought over 64 tonnes of the precious metal back to India. This came after the Reserve Bank in October 2024 shifted 102 tonnes of gold from the Bank of England and the Bank for International
US worry higher H-1B fee may destroy rural healthcare
Dr Mahesh Anantha is one of the few interventional cardiologists for miles around Arkansas's Batesville area, a rural pocket of the US. Surrounded by farmland and a smattering of small industries and banks, the pastoral town with a population of some 11,000 people serves as a hub for nearby villages and cities, making Dr Anantha's often lifesaving practice indispensable.
"There is no other medical facility around for an hour or two's drive, so people rely on us for everything," he says.
A gold medallist from Madras Medical College in southern India, Dr Anantha is among thousands of immigrant doctors working in small and remote towns in the US. One in four doctors providing care in the US are foreign-trained.
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South Asian man shot, killed on Abbotsford street close to 3 schools
Singh Sahsi’s sons remember their father as a hardworking and generous man.
Now, the family is trying to make sense of his killing. A prominent businessman in Abbotsford, 68-year-old Sahsi, president of Lower Mainland clothing recycling company Canam International, was killed Monday in a shooting in the city’s Townline neighbourhood.
Police say the shooting was targeted and no one else was injured in the incident.
“We’re all devastated,” Sahsi’s son Arpan Sahsi said. Arpan and his brother Navi Sahsi say their father’s legacy was one of generosity.
“It's not just a loss for us personally, but we see the impact that he made and the people that this has hurt. It's not measurable. It's in the thousands and thousands of people,” Arpan said.
“It’s senseless and he really didn’t deserve it. And, you know, it’s not making any sense to us, so we’re just still trying to piece it together,” Navi said.
Settlements and sent home another 100 tonnes in May – an operation described as one of the largest gold relocations since the 1990s. The Reserve Bank's gold reserve stands at 880 metric tonnes as of September 2025, according to its Half Yearly Report on Management of Foreign Exchange Reserves. As of September 2024, the gold reserves were at 854.73 metric tonnes. This means that the central bank has boosted its reserve by 25.45 metric tonnes over the past year.
Of this, 575.8 metric tonnes are currently in India, while another 290.37 metric tonnes of gold are kept with the Bank of England (BoE) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Switzerland.
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Young Punjabi Gang killer jailed to life for Vancouver golf course murder
A young gangster convicted last week of first-degree murder in a targeted hit outside a popular Vancouver golf course was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 25 years.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Warren Milman said Balraj Singh Basra showed “a callous disregard for human life” when he and an associate gunned down Vishal Walia at the University Golf Club near UBC on Oct. 17, 2022. A jury also convicted Basra, now 25, of arson for torching a stolen Audi used in the murder in a westside Vancouver alley just minutes after Walia was killed. Milman noted the fire spread to a nearby garage, fence and power pole, putting community members at risk.
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Darshan
First Nation buying 2 BC casinos, including Richmond's River Rock
The Snuneymuxw First Nation announced Thursday that it is buying two British Columbia casinos, including the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond. A statement from the Nanaimoarea nation said the deal to buy the River Rock and Chances Maple Ridge would make its wholly-owned Petroglyph Development Group the largest Indigenous gaming operator by revenue in Canada.
The nation had entered into "definitive agreements" with current operator Great Canadian Entertainment to purchase the two casinos, the statement said, although the deal remained subject to regulatory approval.
Petroglyph bought Casino Nanaimo and Elements Casino Victoria earlier this year.
Snuneymuxw Chief Mike Wyse said the purchases were a major step to economic self-determination and would create "lasting
prosperity" for the nation. "Our growing partnership with Great Canadian Entertainment has brought us to what was envisioned by our ancestors and guided by decades of Snuneymuxw chiefs and councils," Wyse said in a statement, describing River Rock as Western Canada's largest casino for more than 20 years.
Ian Simpson, CEO of Petroglyph, said in the statement that the deal was a milestone representing "a major shift in British Columbia's gaming landscape."
"Under Snuneymuxw ownership, the wealth these properties generate will continue to fuel local growth and reinvestment," he said. The statement, jointly issued by Great Canadian Entertainment, did not disclose a purchase price. The firm's CEO, Matthew Anfinson, said Petroglyph had "proven to be a leader in casino operations" and his company was delighted to
transfer ownership and operations.
The Musqueam Nation, which owns the River Rock site on the Fraser River, said it was pleased by an in-principle agreement to partner with Snuneymuxw in its purchase.
Musqueam Chief Wayne Sparrow said the deal was "an example of nations working together, not against each other," supporting more jobs and opportunities for band members and building economic prosperity for both communities. Terry Teegee, the elected regional chief of the British Columbia Assembly of First Nations, said the deal demonstrated First Nations' economic diversity.
He said the revenue from a diverse portfolio can help a nation deal with social issues, such as health care. "We all know that we're underfunded on some of these important matters," he said.
Thousands of litres of chemicals that are used to produce fentanyl and other drugs were seized in Delta in May, officials announced Thursday.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said in a statement that the chemicals were in two shipping containers that had come to B.C. from China, and were destined for Calgary.
It said officers found 60 clear jugs and 20 blue drums containing 3,600 litres of butanediol, which is used to produce GHB (also known as the "date-rape drug"), and 500 litres of propionyl chloride, which is used to produce fentanyl. The seizures took place at the Tsawwassen Container Examination Facility in Delta on May 13 and 15, 2025, but CBSA made the announcement Thursday and said an investigation is ongoing. “CBSA and the RCMP are committed to protecting our communities and disrupting organized crime by stopping the flow of precursor
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Recent data shows that most of them practise in the vast underserved rural areas where American graduates are reluctant to work. Many of these doctors are on H-1B visas and some even spend their entire careers on them as they wait for a green card, making them vulnerable to unexpected job losses and long-term instability.
So last month's announcement by Donald Trump's administration that it will hike skilledworker H-1B visa fees for new applicants to $100,000 (£74,359) sparked fear and anxiety among the roughly 50,000 India-trained doctors working in the US. In the days after the move, there was little clarity on how it would affect medical professionals, fuelling uncertainty about their futures, even for those who have spent years building careers and communities in the US.
As outrage spread, a White House spokesperson told Bloomberg via email on 22 September that "the proclamation allows for potential exemptions, which can include
chemicals used to manufacture fentanyl and other illicit drugs,” the statement reads. Neil Boyd, professor emeritus at Simon Fraser University's criminology school, called the seizure significant, and said it highlights the connections that exist between organized crime groups in China and Canada. He said there are hundreds of organized crime groups globally, and finding individual criminals can be difficult in such broad networks.
"To be able to interrupt their activity, when they have some of the advantages that exist in the digital world ... that's a very difficult hurdle to overcome," said Boyd.
But regardless of the challenges, Boyd said enforcement is an important part of how to respond to Canada’s drug crisis. “We shouldn’t lose sight of the importance of the police action, knowing the consequences of this kind of activity," he said.
physicians and medical residents". On Monday, US officials announced that the fee "does not apply to any previously issued and currently valid H-1B visas".
While this clarification may give some relief to doctors who are already working on H1-B visas in the US, there are still questions around whether the steady supply of Indian medical professionals to the US would continue in the future.
The earlier executive order on the visa hike says that the higher fees can be waived if the secretary of Homeland Security establishes that appointing certain workers is "in the national interest". But the medical industry and groups point out there is no indication that any category of workers, including those in the medical field, has been exempted from this fee.
Like several other western countries, the US has long faced a shortage of doctors and nurses. The UCSD study projects that the country will face a shortfall of 124,000 doctors by 2034.
BC judge orders cricket association to drop rule against new league
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has ordered the province’s largest and oldest cricket association to drop a rule that prevents players in a newer league with shorter matches from playing in both.
The operator of Last Man Stands, which has two-hour games that are designed to be fasterpaced than a traditional daylong match, asked the court to intervene in the dispute with the B.C. Mainland Cricket Association. The association runs the B.C. Mainland Cricket League, which has been around for 100 years and has 30 clubs and 105 teams. The court heard that makes the league the oldest and largest in North America.
Last Man Stands is an international amateur league with headquarters in the U.K., South Africa, Dhaka and India, with 260,000 members worldwide, including Canada.
cricket in the leagues of their choice,” according to the judgment.
Hasann said he brought Last Man Stands to B.C. five years ago to provide the sport’s enthusiasts who don’t have the time or skill to play the longerversion weekend games with a chance to play.
Last Man Stands Canada alleges that the older B.C. Mainland Cricket Association’s Rule 10, which states anyone who plays in another league for more than one game will lose their registration in the league for the rest of the season, violates B.C.’s Societies Act, according to the judgment.
The franchise co-owners of Last Man Stands Canada, M. Emrul Hasann and Redowan-UlIslam Chowdhury, filed a petition with the court against the association, arguing the rule also contravenes its own bylaws and constitution, which aims to grow the sport in B.C.
Individual player Bhavjit Jauhar and his club, the North Vancouver Cricket Club, which does business as the North Shore Cricket Club, are also listed as petitioners in the case.
“The petitioners allege that (the association) is improperly preventing cricket players from playing
The petition said the association, instead of fostering and extending the playing of cricket, “stifles” its growth, player participation and skill development, according to the judgment.
Justice Maegen Giltrow said courts have to exercise caution against intervening with societies but said the Societies Act allows the courts to issue a judgment if a society acts contrary to its purposes.
She said Rule 10 is inconsistent with the association’s purposes to “organize, foster, promote, improve, aid, extend and govern the playing of the game in schools and amongst the youth and adults” in B.C.
“That is not fostering or extending the playing of the game of cricket, it is the quelling of it,” wrote Giltrow.
She also noted Rule 10 doesn’t prevent players from playing in another league called Cricket B.C., or intra-club games, just Last Man Stands.
Giltrow said the reasons for Rule 10 provided by association president Harjit Sandhu — including preventing players from being used to unfairly influence game results and aligning its players with cricket as played under International Cricket Council rules — did not withstand scrutiny.
She also ruled the court’s intervention is warranted in this case under the Societies Act, and directed the association to stop restricting players from playing in its league based on Rule 10.
David Eby says British Columbia's anti-tariff ads, aimed at Americans, will go ahead
British Columbia Premier David Eby said the province plans to push ahead with anti-tariff advertisements aimed at the American public, days after U.S. President Donald Trump blamed a campaign by Ontario for his cancellation of trade talks with Canada.
B.C. had announced the ads last week, with Eby saying at the time they were to defend the province and Canada against the threat from U.S. softwood lumber tariffs.
The premier said on Monday after the scuttling of the U.S.-Canada talks late last week that it remained "crucial" to deliver the message about tariffs directly to Americans, and the province reserved the right to do that, including by advertising. He told an unrelated news conference that the B.C. ads were on a different scale from
the Ontario government's $75-million campaign, which Eby said he "unambiguously" supported. A spokesman for Eby's office says the timber tariff ads were expected to run in November. Ontario's ad campaign in U.S. markets featured parts of a 1987 speech in which former U.S. president Ronald Reagan warned that tariffs lead to trade wars and damage economies in the long run.
B.C.'s digital advertising campaign comes amid growing concerns about the state of the provincial softwood lumber industry, which Eby said the United States was treating worse than Russia's. "This kind of nonsense and absurdity needs to be brought to the attention of the American people, and the decision-makers," Eby said, calling timber a "foundational" industry for Canada and British Columbia that finds itself on the edge of survival.
Conservative, NDP caucuses weighing a budget vote that could trigger an election: sources
The Conservative and NDP caucuses are grappling with what to do about the upcoming federal budget and whether they want to be part of an effort to trigger an election by voting it down, multiple sources told CBC News. Senior Conservative sources say the party's leadership does not want an election right now, but they are also opposed to voting for the new Liberal government's first budget given the potential reputational risk of backing Prime Minister Mark Carney and an agenda they simply don't support. A Conservative source says speculation about the Liberals potentially losing the budget vote is “not contrived” as, at this time, there are not enough votes for it to pass in the House after
it is tabled on Tuesday. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has made a series of demands to the Liberals in exchange for votes on the budget, including scrapping the industrial carbon tax and keeping the deficit below $42 billion. But there is no realistic expectation that they will be fulfilled given the government has already signalled they are a non-starter. The Bloc Québécois has also made some expensive demands, including increased Old Age Security payouts, more generous health transfers to the provinces and interest-free loans for first-time homebuyers — policies that are unlikely to be enacted in full given the government is intent on reining in spending.
B.C. Greens' bill aims to limit rent increases and no-fault evictions
Capping rent increases for vacant rental housing, as proposed by the B.C. Greens this week, would ultimately hurt renters more than owners, says the association representing landlords. “Their promotion of vacancy control demonstrates a failure to understand the basic dynamics of the rental housing ecosystem,” said David Hutniak, chief executive officer of LandlordBC. “Vacancy control ultimately harms renters the most.” On Tuesday, B.C. Green MLA Rob Botterell introduced a private member’s bill called the Residential Tenancy Amendment Act that would limit how much landlords can raise rent on a vacant unit, eliminating any incentive to evict tenants for financial gain. The Green MLA for Saanich North and the Islands said the proposed legislation would tie rents to a unit rather than a tenant, which means the same rules
for rent increases would apply to vacant rental units as for occupied units. In B.C., landlords can only increase rents for tenants once a year — based on the inflation rate — and must first give three months’ notice. To raise the rent above the annual allowable limit, landlords must have the tenant’s written agreement or receive permission from the Residential Tenancy Branch for an additional rent increase to offset extra expenses or capital expenditures.
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Pak-Afghan confrontation marks end of Islamabad’s ‘strategic depth’ fantasy
Four years ago, when the last American military planes lifted off from Bagram Air Base, Pakistan’s generals could hardly contain their jubilation.
The Taliban’s triumphant return to Kabul was hailed in Rawalpindi as a vindication of Pakistan’s decades-long regional strategy of cultivating a supposed “strategic depth” that would give it decisive influence and secure a pliant Islamist buffer state against India.
But history has come full circle, and the illusion has been shattered. This month’s deadly cross-border clashes between Pakistani and Taliban forces mark not only a breakdown of the post-2021 “TalibanISI detente” but a dramatic transformation of Pakistan’s regional position.
What began as a calculated project of proxy management has devolved into open confrontation. Pakistan’s military, which was once the patron and benefactor of the Afghan Taliban, finds itself squarely in direct combat with its former proteges.
On the night of October 11, the Durand Line border from Chitral to Angoor Adda in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Bahram Chah in Balochistan saw intense fighting between the Pakistani Army and Afghan Taliban forces.
Islamabad deployed advanced fighter jets and artillery against Afghan Taliban positions, claiming to have killed more than 200 of their soldiers, besides Pakistan Taliban fighters.
On the other hand, Kabul has claimed to have killed 58 Pakistani soldiers, with Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) acknowledging 23 casualties among its ranks. The clashes were only halted after urgent mediation by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, underlining the gravity of a conflict that could easily spiral into a full-fledged border war. This latest episode of cross-border
military confrontation between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban is not a mere border skirmish. It signifies a monumental failure of Pakistan’s regional policy, which for long relied on the dangerous fiction that militant proxies can be managed, that ideological
military establishment invested heavily in the Afghan Taliban’s return to power with a belief that it could shape Kabul’s choices in ways that served its own regional interests.
kinship can substitute for sovereignty, and that regional dominance can be sustained through coercion. It is no secret how Pakistan’s
During the two decades of the U.S.led war in Afghanistan, the InterServices Intelligence (ISI) carefully nurtured Taliban networks across Pakistan’s borderlands, offering sanctuary to senior leaders even as Islamabad collected billions in U.S. counterterrorism aid.
That duplicity was tolerated by Washington so long as Pakistan appeared to cooperate against AlQaeda. But with the U.S. withdrawal, the contradictions came home to roost.
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VICTORIA — B.C. Premier David Eby says he will stake his government on the passage of the bill to fast-track construction of the North Coast Transmission Line to power future resource projects in northwestern B.C. Eby says the last thing he wants is an early election, but his government “will be prepared if it is necessary” to go to the polls should Bill 31 fail to get through the legislature. Eby’s NDP holds a one-seat majority in the legislature, and without the support of two Green MLAs, Eby
says there’s “a very narrow margin” to pass the bill, whose passage he calls “non-negotiable.” A Conservative motion to delay the bill by six months failed on Tuesday, 48 to 40. Eby says the multibillion-dollar North Coast Transmission Line is of “crucial importance” to British Columbians, because it will create 10,000 new jobs.
He says any attempt to delay or prevent the bill “is a direct threat to the economic prosperity” to British Columbia, which B.C. cannot afford.
The Quebec government has passed a law extending the province’s ban on religious symbols to everyone who interacts with students in schools.
The law also prohibits students from wearing face coverings in a bid to strengthen secularism in schools. The new legislation expands on a secularism law from 2019 that banned religious symbols for public employees deemed to be in positions of authority, including teachers, judges and police officers.
The new legislation extends that ban to all school staff, including psychologists, janitors and cafeteria workers, as well as to people who offer services to students but who are not employees, such as library volunteers.
The bill was tabled following
a government investigation of a Montreal elementary school last year, which found that a group of teachers, many of North African descent, had imposed autocratic rule at the school. The government has also promised to extend the religious symbols ban to daycare workers.
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The RBI in March had 512 tonnes in India and the rest 348.6 tonnes abroad.
The RBI also has another 13.99 metric tonnes in the form of gold deposits. Since March 2023, the RBI has brought home 274 tonnes of gold.
First, there could be geopolitical considerations behind the move. For example, upheavals such as the Ukraine war or the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and the fallout, including the Westimposed sanctions.
Gold had touched an all-time high on 17 October when the precious metal hit Rs 1,32,294 per 10 grams and silver touched Rs 1,70,415 per kilo. However, the price of spot gold, under which the precious metal is sold at the current market price, fell below the psychologically important $4,000 (about Rs 3.53 lakh) level on Monday and then declined again on Tuesday to $3,986 (about Rs 3.51 lakh). The developments
have left many people wondering if the gold bull run is over.
The RBI also has foreign currency assets of around $579.18 billion (about Rs 51.09 lakh crore), comprising $489.54 billion (about Rs 43.15 lakh crore) in securities investments, $46.11 billion (about Rs 4.07 lakh crore) in deposits with other central banks and BIS, and another $43.53 billion (about Rs 3.84 lakh crore) in deposits with overseas commercial banks. There could also be financial considerations at play. The RBI usually has to pay a fee to store its gold at the BoE or BIS. Bringing some of the gold back would save at least some of the cost. Central banks have been net buyers of gold since 2010.
The RBI in 2009 had purchased 200 tonnes of gold from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the then Manmohan Singh regime. It has been slowly increasing its gold reserves over the past few years.
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The Indian government has not commented on their deportation. But the action comes amid an intense crackdown on illegal immigrants under President Donald Trump's administration, with more than 2,400 Indians sent back from the US just this year.
Several men, especially from South Asian countries, undertake arduous journeys to go to the US and Europe via the so-called "donkey route", also called the "dunki route", which involves crossing through multiple borders.
Many sell land and take loans to fund their journeys in search of a better life, or to support their families back home.
Of the 54 deportees who returned on Sunday, met 15 men in Haryana's Kaithal district who say they are now uncertain about their future.
Harjinder Singh, a farmer who had spent 3.5m rupees (£29,653; $39,624) to go to the US four years ago, said he worked there as a cook - a job he took so that he could support his children back home.
"My hopes have been dashed, it is a pity that I could not do anything," said Mr Singh, adding he cannot forget the humiliation he was put through during the deportation process. With all his savings gone, he is worried about his children's future.
Another deportee, Naresh Kumar, said he had
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He sentenced Basra to another five years for the arson, to be served concurrently with the murder sentence.
“Mr. Basra and the others discarded the murder weapons, namely two handguns, and clothing in the Audi,” he said. “Mr. Basra and the others doused the Audi in gasoline and set it on fire … in an attempt to destroy evidence.”
The judge said he had considered the pain of the murder on Walia’s devastated family and his girlfriend, who was five months pregnant at the time.
“On Oct. 17, 2022, our lives were shattered. I lost my only brother, and my parents lost their only son. One may think that over time, the pain of losing him goes away or it lessens, but this is an understatement. The pain never goes away, and this traumatic loss is permanently ingrained in our hearts and minds,” Gill said, her voice breaking with emotion.
“We think about him every day. We were just a small family of four, and now we have become three. The emotional impact that it has had on myself and my parents has been immense and utterly devastating since his passing.”
sold land and paid 5.7 million rupees to agents who promised to get him to the US.
He left for Brazil in January 2024, from where he travelled to the US. "My relatives kept giving me money from time to time while I was on the way," Mr Kumar said. But before he could start a new life there, Mr Kumar was arrested for illegally entering the country. "I spent 14 months in jail and then they sent me to India."
Meanwhile, Rajat Pal from Karnal district who reached the US via Panama, described his journey as "very dangerous". He left his home in May 2024 and managed to reach his destination only several months later in December, he said. It is unclear how he travelled, but many people using such routes have to take multiple modes of transport, from buses to boats, and make treacherous treks through jungles as they are smuggled from point to point.
A senior police official in Kaithal said none of the deported men had filed formal complaints against the agents who arranged these journeys, but "action will be taken once a complaint is received". The Indian government has previously said continuous efforts to raise awareness on safe and legal migration were being taken, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging the issue of young, vulnerable Indians being fooled into immigration lured by big dreams and promises.
She said her parents’ health has been impacted, as has their financial situation. On top of that “were moments of fear for our safety, and that caused a lot of distress for me and my parents.”
Crown prosecutor Julie Robinson said in her sentencing submissions that Basra “bears a high degree of responsibility for these exceptionally aggravated offences.”
“Targeted murder — murders like this one — strike at the heart of the sense of security that allows a community to function effectively and must be denounced and deterred in the strongest possible terms,” she told Milman.
Defence lawyer Frances Mahon said that Basra was still a young man and had no prior criminal history.
“He will be middle aged by the time he’s eligible for parole, and that means he will spend the entirety of the prime of his life in custody in relation to this most serious of crimes,” she said. “Mr. Basra was very close with his family, many of whom are present in the courtroom today and who have been here to support him throughout the trial.”
Basra declined to speak to the court before Milman sentenced him.
Kareem Allam officially launches mayoral campaign to unseat former boss
Kareem Allam made it official Sunday — he’s running to be the next mayor of Vancouver.
Standing before a crowd of about 150 people inside the Bill Reid Gallery on Hornby Street, Allam launched his campaign as mayoral candidate for the Vancouver Liberals, a new party on the city’s civic politics scene.
“I'm running because I love this city more than any other place on this earth, and I'm not happy with the direction it has taken these past seven years,” said Allam to supporters, including Haida Nation leader Miles Richardson and former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts.
“I know that I can do a better job, and I believe that Vancouverites deserve a better mayor.” The “seven years” was a reference to Kennedy Stewart’s time as mayor from 2018 to 2022, and the three years under Mayor Ken Sim, whose ABC Vancouver party continues to hold the majority at city hall. Such a scenario — Allam creating a
OB-GYNs,
new party and launching a run to unseat Sim — seemed inconceivable three years ago. That’s when Allam played a huge part in getting Sim and ABC Vancouver candidates elected in the October 2022 election.
Allam then joined Sim as chief of staff, further cementing what seemed to be a strong partnership built during his time as campaign manager. The duo was bullish on implementing a 94-point plan that included hiring 100 police officers and 100 nurses. That partnership soon fell apart.
Allam was fired in February 2023, with neither the mayor’s office nor Allam publicly releasing details on the reason for the sudden departure.
Then came a lawsuit filed by Sim against Allam and longtime municipal politics enthusiast Alex Tsakumis. The notice of claim alleges Allam and Tsakumis defamed the mayor in comments related to an alleged impaired driving incident.
specialists call out staffing shortages, poor working conditions in BC hospitals
Dr. Robert Carruthers, a B.C. neurologist, said he recently heard about a case of a young woman who had suffered what he described as a stroke in her eye. “Surgical wait times will grow as their patients still require surgery and will fall to other centres which are already at capacity, care for highrisk pregnancies will be disrupted, and existing providers — including those outside of Kamloops — will be stretched even further.” The woman was referred to a hematologist, but her appointment won’t be until September 2026.
That, he said, is “much, much too long.”
Carruthers is president of the Consultant Specialists of British Columbia, an advocacy organization representing specialists such as obstetriciangynecologists, neurologists and cardiologists, that launched a campaign Tuesday to draw attention to the 1.2 million British Columbians it says are languishing on wait lists for specialist care. He said the Ministry of Health currently has no idea what the wait times are because there is no standardized database that shows up-to-theminute wait times, and that it won’t be until the government can get a sense of where the wait times are that they can actually begin to address
them. “The reason we’re releasing the campaign now is that we have had some engagement with the ministry, and unfortunately, they’re not able to move forward on any of the immediate pressing concerns for British Columbians,” said Carruthers.
“We have also raised alarms about this looming maternity crisis, only to be similarly dismissed. The consequences are now materializing: the loss of Kamloops as a key mid-sized maternity hub will have real and immediate impacts on patients,” reads the letter from the 130 ob-gyns.
“So our fear is that access for specialist care is going to continue to deteriorate.”
The new campaign comes on the heels of the recent resignation of all seven ob-gyns at Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, who cited an ever-increasing workload and the inability of Interior Health to hire additional staff as the reasons for their exit. This week, 130 of their colleagues issued a letter that calls on Health Minister Josie Osborne and Interior Health to do more to support maternity care in the city. They said the fact the obgyns in Kamloops had to resort to that in order to be heard reflects their “untenable and unsafe working conditions and the lack of meaningful response from the health authority and government.”
Cowichan Tribes issues statement to clear up ‘misinformation’ surrounding its Aboriginal title case
Cowichan Tribes leadership is firing back at Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie, Premier David Eby, and other politicians who have recently made public statements about the Cowichan Nation’s Aboriginal title case.
They call the statements about the effect of the B.C. Supreme Court’s judgement on individual private property owners misleading and “deliberately inflammatory.”
“To be clear,” the statement says, “the Cowichan Nation’s court case regarding their settlement lands at Tl’uqtinus in Richmond has not and does not challenge the effectiveness or validity of any title held by individual private landowners. The ruling does not erase private property.”
In August, the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that the tribes have Aboriginal title over a portion of the land on the Fraser River, that Crown and city titles on the land are defective, and the granting of private titles by the government unjustifiably infringed on Cowichan title.
According to the Cowichan Nation’s website, the case centered around Aboriginal title to approximately 1,846 acres of their traditional village Tl’uqtinus and surrounding lands on the south shore of Lulu Island which is now part of the city of Richmond. The Cowichan Nation’s enormous permanent village was first observed by Hudson’s Bay Company officials in 1824 as containing over 108 longhouses. In 1827, the HBC first charted the Cowichan village as a landmark on the Fraser River’s main channel.
The Nation says that during colonial reserve creation beginning in 1859, the Chief
Commissioner of Lands for the Colony of British Columbia, Colonel Richard Moody, failed to finalize the village and surrounding land as a Cowichan Indian reserve. Instead, he surreptitiously took part of the lands for himself.
Over 780 acres of the Cowichan Nation settlement are currently owned by the government of Canada, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority, and the City of Richmond. The Cowichan Nation is seeking to recover those publicly held lands –much of which remain undeveloped.
The court ruled the province owes a duty to the Cowichan to negotiate in good faith how to reconcile Crown-granted private ownership with Aboriginal title.
The lengthy court case against Canada spanned five years with the decision ruling in favour of the Cowichan Tribes. The ruling was contained in an 863-page decision issued Aug. 7.
In the wake of the decision, Brodie issued between 125 and 150 individual notices to affected property owners including a briefing note which says Richmond will “make legal arguments that Aboriginal title and fee simple title cannot co-exist over the same lands.”
Proposed class-action lawsuit launched by Lapu Lapu attack survivor
A man who was severely injured during the SUV rampage at the Lapu Lapu Day festival six months ago has proposed a class-action lawsuit against the City of Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health and the driver.
John Lind is the representative plaintiff in the case filed in B.C. Supreme Court, seeking damages on behalf of anyone who suffered mental or physical injuries after a man drove an Audi SUV past barriers into the crowd just as the event was ending on April 26. Eleven people were killed and dozens more injured in what Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim called the city’s “darkest day.” Lind suffered several broken ribs, damage to his spleen, lung and kidney, and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the suit.
Other class members suffered injuries and damages that caused them continuing pain, suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and loss of income, it said, and their family members deserve damages under the Family Compensation Act. The suit claims the city and Vancouver Coastal
Health failed to identify risks posed by the suspect, Kai-Ji Adam Lo, in the months and weeks before the block party in east Vancouver.
It alleges the city and the Vancouver police were negligent in “planning, security and risk assessment and incident avoidance” by setting up only wooden sawhorses instead of dump trucks or other vehicles on closed streets, especially in light of vehicle attacks at such events worldwide, and by failing to post police patrols.
Man charged with murder in shooting of Vancouver man in Burnaby
A man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of a Vancouver man four years ago in Burnaby.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said 27-year-old Liam Reilly of Vancouver has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of 44-year-old Neal Pratap.
On Feb. 11, 2021, shortly after 10 p.m., Burnaby RCMP responded to reports of a shooting in the 6100-block of McKee Street in Burnaby. Pratap died of multiple gunshot wounds in hospital. Police said at the time that they believed the shooting was targeted but that Pratap, a Vancouver resident, had no known ties to gang activity.
Investigators believe that the Pratap met with someone Thursday night, a
confrontation broke out, and shots were fired.
“This shooting took place in what is usually a very quiet neighbourhood in Burnaby,” said Sgt. Freda Fong, a spokesperson for IHIT.
Fong said the shooting left residents in the area feeling very uneasy.
As this matter is before the court, IHIT said no further information will be released.
The shooting occurred near the same Burnaby park where 32-year-old Chris Kenworthy was found dead from gunshot wounds only days before Pratap was shot and killed.
Kenworthy’s slaying was one of two that occurred within 12 hours in Metro Vancouver, and investigators have said both those attacks were targeted, although the shootings were not linked.
Calgary man charged after $7 million cocaine seizure at Alberta border
A 28-year-old Calgary man faces a number of drug charges after officers with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) said he was caught trying to smuggle nearly 77 kg of cocaine into Canada from the United States.
CBSA claims the drugs, with a street value of $7 million, were discovered during the secondary examination of a commercial truck entering Canada on Sept. 25, at the Coutts border crossing between Montana and Alberta, about three hours south of Calgary. The driver was arrested and charged with: importation of a controlled substance contrary to section 6 (1) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking contrary to section 5 (2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act Attempting to export goods that are prohibited, controlled or regulated contrary to section 160 of the Customs Act. He is scheduled to appear in court in Lethbridge.
New bail reform legislation to target extortions and sexual offences
B.C.’s premier said on Monday that Ottawa’s new proposed bail reform legislation is a responsive and effective bill.
“British Columbians have wanted to see the federal government introduce a bill that reflects the anxieties that are in many communities across the province,” Premier David Eby said.
“Anxieties which are based in the concern that there is a small group of individuals causing an outsized amount of harm and and that at root of
it is a loss of respect for the criminal law, whether it’s repeat shoplifting over and over and over again, whether it’s violent offending where someone commits a violent offense and then is returned back to the community using the existing bail laws.”
The act, revealed last week, would make dozens of changes to the criminal code to make bail laws stricter and toughen sentencing for serious and violent crimes.
B.C. wants to keep two Surrey properties linked to drug operation
When police searched a Surrey house last month, they found more than 46 kilograms of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine.
While no one has yet been charged in the largescale drug operation, the B.C. government wants two houses linked to it forfeited as the proceeds of crime.
The B.C. director of civil forfeiture filed its lawsuit earlier this month alleging that the properties — jointly assessed at $5.3 million — have been used by Aneeza Rehnaaz Ali and Mohammed
Saiyad Ali “to engage in unlawful activities.” The statement of claim says the pair were operating the drug-trafficking ring, which the RCMP Surrey police operations support unit drug squad began investigating last February. The probe led to the search at 8244 151A St. on Sept. 10. Both Alis were arrested for trafficking and possession for the purpose of trafficking, the lawsuit says. But neither is yet facing charges, according to the online provincial court database.
The drug seizure included 21 kilograms of meth, 15 kilograms of fentanyl and 10 kilograms of cocaine, as well as “miscellaneous drug-packaging materials,” scoresheets, industrial grade mixing equipment, respiratory masks, food dyes, mixing bowls and drug mixing recipes. There was also mail addressed to Saiyad Ali and Aneeza Ali, the director said.
The lawsuit said the crimes allegedly committed by the two people also include production of drugs for the purpose of trafficking, possession of the proceeds of crime, money laundering and failure to declare taxable income.
B.C. government quietly changing legislation at centre of ICBC, MSP lawsuit
The B.C. government is quietly changing legislation that is at the centre of a class action lawsuit making its way through the courts.
The suit, filed in 2020, alleges that the province is illegally using ICBC to tax people for healthcare costs by essentially double-dipping on MSP premiums.
The suit says the practice has cost ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars and driven up insurance costs for decades.
The suit alleges that “for decades, ICBC has been making payments to the provincial Medical Services Plan contrary to law. Those payments have cost ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars and driven up insurance costs unnecessarily and unlawfully.”
Now, the province has quietly tabled legislation. “The legislation effectively removes what was being complained of in the class action, the ability of ICBC to effectively double dip and get compensation both through the insurance process as well as compensation through the MSP process when people’s medical claims are paid out,” Kyla Lee, a lawyer at Acumen Law, told Global News.
past, but it’s interesting timing that they’re doing it now. It seems to be tacitly an admission that what they were doing all along was maybe not correct.
“So the fact that they are amending the legislation and doing it quietly may be something that benefits the lawsuit in the long term, but anybody that’s already been affected by this, they’re still a member of the class, the case is still going to have to proceed through court unless there’s a settlement.”
“Nothing about this legislation being tabled, if it passes, is going to change what’s happened in the
Lawyer Scott Stanley, a partner at Murphy Battista Law Firm, said if the lawsuit is successful, it could mean a rebate for anyone who has bought insurance from ICBC going back to 1973. In 2022, then-attorney general David Eby tried using legislation to stop the lawsuit, saying, “Our government has been committed to drive down the cost of car insurance for British Columbians, and part of that is responding to a culture of endless litigation.” Lawyers for the suit say, “The government can’t collect hidden taxes from us. In 1994, an NDP government forced ICBC to pay a hidden tax, which increased everyone’s ICBC rates. Three decades later, another NDP government is trying to pass a law that they hope will allow them to get away with this.”
The class action is set for trial on Sept. 14, 2026.
Surrey opens $133-million Cloverdale recreation centre with two ice rinks
This past weekend, the City of Surrey officially opened its newest recreation facility — the Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex, a major addition to a rapidly growing city with a need for more community and recreational facilities. The brand new complex is situated on the northern edge of the Cloverdale Fairgrounds, fronting 64 Avenue and just east of the Bill Reid Millennium Amphitheatre.
It features two NHL-sized ice rinks — each equipped with four full-size team dressing rooms, two officials’ rooms, and more than 200 spectator seats and features designed to support accessible ice sports such as para ice hockey.
The facility also includes skate and helmet rentals, skate sharpening, food services, and several multiuse spaces, including three multipurpose rooms, a meeting room, and wheelchair-accessible viewing areas. It offers a broad lineup of programs, including ice hockey, figure skating, public skating lessons, and dry-floor summer sports such as lacrosse and ball hockey. A new parking lot provides accessible stalls, battery-electric vehicle charging stations, and a pickup/drop-off area. Construction began in Summer 2022. The project was designed by TKA+D Architecture and RDHA Architects and constructed by Graham Construction & Engineering at a total cost of $132.8 million. To help fund the project, the City allocated $70.2 million from the $89.9 million it received through the Government of British Columbia’s one-time Growing Communities Fund in 2023.
In late September 2025, Surrey City Council approved the contract to build a second phase of Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex — adding a third NHL-sized ice rink, with seating for over
300 spectators, a multipurpose room, community space, officials’ rooms, change rooms, and dedicated spaces for junior hockey teams, as well as an expanded parking lot.
The $33.4-million contract was awarded to Ventana Construction Corporation, and the third rink is expected to reach completion in Fall 2027. The third rink will be built immediately east of the 2025-completed, first-phase complex — on a fairgrounds parcel previously cleared by Warner Bros. for its use as a three-year-long film set for the production of the Superman and Lois television series. The production vacated the site at the end of Summer 2024. “Cloverdale is growing rapidly, and this new complex delivers the inclusive, accessible and high-quality recreational spaces that families have been waiting for. The Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex will serve as a true community hub and premier sporting facility, supporting residents of all ages and helping to develop young athletes for years to come,” said Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke in a statement on the opening of the project’s first phase this past weekend. Premier David Eby added, “Surrey is one of the fastest growing cities in British Columbia and residents here deserve the chance to skate. This new state-of-the-art facility will make it possible for more people to enjoy the benefits of staying active, playing sports and connecting with their community. This is all part of our government’s work to build B.C. and ensure our growing communities have the infrastructure they need to thrive.” As previously reported by Daily Hive Urbanized, planning for the Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex has been a decade-long process — one not without its share of challenges and controversy.
Explosive device used to detonate overwater power line on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast
An explosive device was used to break down a power line over the ocean on the Sunshine Coast. As Alanna Kelly explains, it took a
B.C. Mountie faces multiple gun charges in case spanning three years
A Merritt, B.C., RCMP officer is facing a series of firearms-related charges, including possessing firearms obtained through the commission of a crime. A statement from the B.C. Prosecution Service says charges have been approved against Const. David Paul Feller following events that occurred in Merritt and Kamloops from 2020 to 2023. Feller faces one count of breach of trust, two counts of possessing firearms obtained through the commission of an offence and two counts of storing firearms contrary to Firearms Act regulations. He has also been charged with one count
of possessing unloaded restricted firearms with readily accessible ammunition and one count of possessing restricted firearms at an unauthorized location. The prosecution service says the charges were approved by an experienced lawyer who has no connection to the accused.
Feller is scheduled to make his first appearance related to the charges in Merritt provincial court on Nov. 18. An RCMP spokesperson told CBC News Feller has been suspended with pay. “His duty status is subject to continuous review and assessment,” the spokesperson wrote.
crew of 60 people to remove the aging power line that provides electricity to a remote part of B.C.
Shipping firm barred from hiring Filipinos
A LOCAL shipping company that employed 32 Filipinos, who have since been expatriated, was blacklisted by their government.
Employment Minister Agni Deo Singh confirmed this while explaining why the workers returned to the Philippines earlier this month.
“We were alerted about those 32 workers and their employer, and my senior staff met with the honorary consulate here, Dr (Virgilio) de Asa, and then it was made known to us the shipping company had actually been blacklisted for some reason by the Filipino authorities,” said Mr Singh. “In other words, they are not allowed to source workers from the Philippines.
“So for that reason, those workers who had come and had signed separate contracts here were later repatriated by their government.”
When asked if the shipping company would be investigated by the ministry, Mr Singh said the proper authority to deal with the issue was the
Department of Immigration.
“Actually, the sourcing of foreign workers is handled by the Department of Immigration so they are the competent authority that can take
anyone to task. “As far as we are concerned, we look at compliance at the workplace. If there is no compliance our people will act.
Two Fijians charged over $93M cocaine bust in Sydney
Two Fijian men have been charged in connection with a major drug bust at Sydney Airport that led to the seizure of 128 kilograms of cocaine, estimated to be worth around FJ$93 million.
According to New South Wales Police, the consignment was intercepted by officers from the NSW State Crime Command and the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over the weekend.
The pair, aged 24 and 26, allegedly tried to access the large shipment of cocaine after it arrived at the airport on Saturday.
Police said the two men were arrested on Monday in Sydney’s Condell Park after officers observed them attempting to retrieve the shipment at a freight forwarding company in Alexandria.
During follow-up search operations at Kingswood and Lalor Park, police reportedly discovered and seized 4 kilograms of cocaine, 110 grams of methamphetamine, 4 kilograms of an unidentified crystal substance, and A$18,000 (about FJ$26,000) in cash.
The younger suspect has been charged with attempting to possess a commercial quantity of a border-controlled drug and participating in a criminal group.
The older man faces additional charges of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug and dealing with the proceeds of crime.
Human Rights Commission condemns hate speech, urges religious tolerance
The Fiji Human Rights and AntiDiscrimination Commission (FHRADC) has issued a strong reminder that freedom of religion must be exercised with responsibility and respect, condemning recent inflammatory remarks made by certain religious figures.
The Commission’s statement follows the circulation of a viral video showing a preacher — believed to be a law enforcement officer — using derogatory and divisive language against other faiths.
The Commission said such comments “undermine the very fabric of Fiji’s peaceful coexistence.”
“Freedom of religion is integral to our democracy, but it must never be used as a shield for intolerance or hatred,” said Director Mrs.
Loukinikini Lewaravu.
“Hate-filled and exclusionary speech from the pulpit or any public platform amounts to religious vilification. It threatens our unity and erodes the spirit of mutual respect that binds our nation.”
The Commission reminded the public that Fiji’s Constitution guarantees every person the right to freedom of religion, conscience, and belief (Section 22) and the right to equality and freedom from discrimination (Section 26). However, it stressed that these rights “are not a licence to incite hatred.”
“Religious leaders carry a moral and social responsibility to be shepherds of unity and understanding — not sources of division. Their words must build bridges of compassion, not walls of prejudice.”
Fiji has officially entered a period of deflation, with the annual headline inflation rate dropping to -3.8 percent in September, the lowest level in recent years. According to the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF), the sharp fall in prices was mainly driven by budget measures introduced in August, which reduced the cost of essential goods and services, particularly food, non-alcoholic beverages, transport, and fuel.
RBF Governor and Board Chairman Ariff Ali confirmed that the central bank’s Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) remains unchanged at 0.25 percent, reflecting the bank’s commitment to supporting growth while ensuring price and financial stability.
“The RBF’s monetary policy objectives of ensuring price stability and maintaining an adequate level of foreign reserves remain intact,” Mr Ali said.
29 injured in Semo Hill accident, Police investigate
Twenty-nine people are being treated at the Sigatoka Hospital following a serious road accident this afternoon at Semo Hill along the Queens Road.
According to a statement from the Fiji Police Force, the incident occurred at around 1.45pm when a truck travelling towards Nadi lost control and hit a vehicle in front of it before veering into the opposite lane and colliding head-on with a bus.
“Twenty-eight passengers from the bus and the driver of the truck were injured and taken to Sigatoka Hospital for treatment,” police said.
Images and videos of the crash have been circulating on social media.
Police have also reminded motorists to exercise caution, particularly when driving along hilly and wet sections of the Queens Road.
7 Punjab youths, stranded in Tajikistan, return to India; AAP, BJP leaders claim credit for repatriation efforts
Seven youths from Ropar district in Punjab, who were stranded in Tajikistan after allegedly falling victim to a travel fraud, returned to India today afternoon. They landed at Delhi airport and are scheduled to reach Chandigarh by 7 pm, according to sources. As the youths have returned, the race for political mileage over their repatriation has begun. A spokesperson for Rajya Sabha MP Vikramjit Singh Sahney (AAP) has claimed that the youths were repatriated due to his efforts. The spokesperson stated that Sahney first took up the matter with the Indian Embassy in Tajikistan on October 19. His team also met the youths at Delhi airport. Sahney stated that the youths would be provided with skills and employment opportunities in Punjab, ensuring they are not compelled to seek jobs abroad. They would also receive assistance in pursuing legal action against the travel agents involved, he added.
Meanwhile, Ropar BJP president, Ajayvir Singh Lalpura, arranged a welcome event for the youths in Ropar this evening. He also claimed that it was due to his efforts that the youths were repatriated from Tajikistan. The sources here said that the travel agents who had sent the youth had arranged their
return tickets by air. The parents of the stranded youth had earlier filed a complaint in Nangal police station against the agents. However, they did not pursue the complaint after the agents agreed to pay for their return back home, sources here told The Tribune. The youths were reportedly lured abroad by a local agent with promises of lucrative driver jobs. However, upon reaching Tajikistan, they were forced to perform hard labour under inhuman conditions. They released a video showing themselves working as laborers in snowbound areas of Tajikistan, which went viral on social media. The youths alleged that they were living in extreme distress, enduring freezing cold, hunger, and abuse. They were reportedly forced to carry heavy loads over long distances in mountainous terrain and were compelled to live in cramped metal containers, often without food or basic safety.
The ordeal came to light when Harvinder Singh, one of the victims from Nangal, managed to contact BJP district president Ajayvir Singh Lalpura over the phone. Those who returned today include Manjit Singh, Amarjit Singh, Hardeep Singh, Avtar Singh, and Harvinder Singh, among others — all from Anandpur Sahib sub-division.
Indian-origin woman raped in
‘racially aggravated attack’ in UK, suspect arrested
A 20-year-old woman, identified as being of Indian heritage, was allegedly raped in what police believe was a “racially aggravated” attack in the West Midlands region of England over the weekend.
The police said a 32-year-old man was arrested on Monday morning after a manhunt was launched in the wake of the attack on Saturday evening.
The West Midlands Police said they were called to the Park Hall area of Walsall following concerns for the welfare of a woman in distress in the street.
Detective Superintendent (DS) Ronan Tyrer, who is overseeing the investigation for the force, described the arrest in the Perry Barr area of the region as a “significant development”.
“Our investigation will progress today, and, as always, our priority is the woman who was the subject of this attack,” said DS Tryer. “She has been updated this morning and will continue to receive full support from specially trained officers,” he said.
enquiry. Right now, it’s vital that we get to hear from anyone who saw a man acting suspiciously in the area at the time,” he said.
“It may be that you were driving through the area and have dashcam footage, or you have CCTV that we have not yet recovered. Your information could be the vital breakthrough that we need,” he said.
The attacker was described as white, in his 30s, with short hair and wearing dark clothing at the time of the attack. While the police are yet to confirm further details, local community groups have claimed that the victim is a Punjabi woman and expressed concerns as the latest attack comes weeks after the “racially aggravated rape” of a British Sikh woman in the nearby Oldbury area. “At this stage, we are not linking this attack to any other offences,” DS Tyrer said in his statement.
On Sunday, the force released CCTV footage of the suspect, a white male in his 30s, as part of an urgent public appeal for information related to the crime they are investigating as a “racially aggravated attack”. “This was an absolutely appalling attack on a young woman, and we are doing absolutely everything we can to arrest the person responsible,” DS Tyrer said at the time.
“We have teams of officers recovering evidence and building a profile of the attacker so that he can be brought into custody as soon as possible. While we are following multiple lines of
Specialist officers from the force’s Public Protection Unit, local policing officers, and forensic officers are said to be working to recover CCTV, speaking to witnesses, and identifying the suspect. Chief Superintendent Phil Dolby of Walsall Police said his team’s focus is on supporting the investigators in identifying and arresting the attacker.
“Walsall is a diverse area, and we know the fear and concern that this awful attack will cause in our communities,” said Dolby.
“We have been speaking to people in the community today to listen to and understand their concerns, and there will be an increased policing presence in the coming days,” he said.
INDIA
India and USA discuss energy trade and ties
The Indian Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, held discussions on the India-US energy security partnership and discussed the recent developments in this area.
Sharing the details in a post on X on Saturday, Ambassador Kwatra said, "Had a fruitful discussion with Deputy Secretary James Danly on the India-US energy security partnership and shared perspectives on recent developments in energy trade and ties."
The meeting comes shortly after the US President, during the Diwali celebrations at the Oval Office, claimed to have discussed with PM Modi India's import of Russian oil.
"I spoke to Prime Minister Modi today and we just have a very good relationship. He's not going to buy much oil from Russia. He wants to see that war end as much as I do. He wants to see the war between Russia and Ukraine to end. They're not going to be buying too much oil. So they've cut it way back, and they're continuing to cut it way back", he said.
While PM Narendra Modi acknowledged the call between himself and the US President, however there was no reference to Oil purchases.
Previously on October 18, while addressing a bilateral lunch with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House, the US President had claimed that India had significantly reduced its oil imports from Russia and is now pulling back entirely, stating that New Delhi "will not be buying oil from Russia anymore."
On October 16, India responded to comments made by Trump about PM Modi's assuring him to halt Russian oil purchases, stating that the country's energy sourcing is guided by its national interests and the need to protect Indian consumers.
Responding to media queries, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "India is a significant importer of oil and gas. It has been our consistent priority to safeguard the interests of the Indian consumer in a volatile energy scenario. Our import policies are guided entirely by this objective. Ensuring stable energy prices and secured supplies have been the twin goals of our energy policy. This includes broad-basing our energy sourcing and diversifying as appropriate to meet market conditions."
Where the US is concerned, we have for many years sought to expand our energy procurement. This has steadily progressed in the last decade. The current Administration has shown interest in deepening energy cooperation with India. Discussions are ongoing," he added.
US waives sanctions on Chabahar for 6 months
India has secured a fresh six-month waiver from the US to continue operations at Iran’s strategic Chabahar Port, restoring a crucial link for regional connectivity that had come under threat following the recent withdrawal of the exemption.
“We have been granted exemption for a six-month period on the sanctions that were applicable on Chabahar,” Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a briefing on Thursday.
The waiver comes barely six weeks after Washington revoked India’s earlier exemption, which was set to lapse on September 29, bringing the port and associated activities under the ambit of its sanctions imposed on Iran.
The reversal of the decision marks a diplomatic success for New Delhi, which had mounted sustained effort to convince Washington of Chabahar’s humanitarian and strategic significance.
The Chabahar project, jointly developed by India and Iran, has been a crucial link for humanitarian supplies and trade with Afghanistan, bypassing Pakistan. Washington had twice, in 2018 and 2019, formally conveyed to India that the modernisation of Chabahar would be exempt from sanctions, given its significance as a gateway for aid to Afghanistan. Strategically located on the Gulf of Oman, Chabahar has long
been viewed by India as a counter to Pakistan’s Gwadar Port, operated by China.
Last May, when India and Iran signed a 10year agreement to further develop Chabahar, the US had within hours cautioned of “potential sanctions” on countries pursuing business with Tehran. India formally took over port operations at the end of 2018, shortly after Washington assured New Delhi that Chabahar would remain exempt.
This was reaffirmed at the 2019 India-US “two-plus-two” dialogue. With Pakistan denying India transit rights into landlocked Afghanistan, the port has been a vital channel for New Delhi’s outreach.
However, in mid-September, the US State Department announced that it was revoking the waiver as part of its “maximum pressure” campaign to isolate Tehran, prompting concern in New Delhi over potential disruptions to ongoing port operations.
Officials said the reinstated waiver would allow India to maintain port management and related logistics operations under the India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) framework, which oversees the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar.
The extension is also expected to calm regional partners that rely on the port for essential goods, especially Afghanistan, which depends on Chabahar for trade access.
4 Indian firms allowed to import China rare earths
Four Indian companies have received licences to import rare earth magnets from China, signalling some relaxation in Beijing’s stance after months of stringent restrictions.
Rare earths are a group of 17 critical elements essential for manufacturing components used in several products, including electric vehicles, aircraft engines, electronics and military radars. They have become one of China's most powerful tools of leverage amid its trade tensions with the US. The import licence issued to the four companies--DE Diamond, Hitachi, Continental India and Jay Ushin--comes with certain restrictions. These include a ban on exporting Chinese-origin magnets to the US or using them for defence purposes.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal today confirmed that “some Indian companies had received licences for importing rare earth magnets from China”.
Referring to the US-China announcement on rare earths made today, Jaiswal said, “We have to look at how the Washington-Beijing talks play into our domain.”
The US and China have reached a significant one-year deal to ease tensions over rare earth minerals. As part of the agreement announced following a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, China agreed to suspend its planned export restrictions and keep rare earth exports flowing to the US.
Pashtun, Baloch, Sindhi, Kashmiri activists unite against Pakistan
Pashtun, Baloch, Sindhi and Kashmiri activists joined an online Afghan United Front meeting to reaffirm their struggle for freedom from Pakistan's control. They accused Islamabad of ideological indoctrination, economic exploitation and military oppression. Speakers demanded unity among oppressed regions for self-determination and independence from 'Pakistan's political and military domination.
Courting Kabul, carefully
The arrival of Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi in October 2025 represents a “strategic pivot” in South Asian geopolitics, as it marks the first senior-level Taliban official visit to India since the group’s return to
power in 2021. This diplomatic engagement, which resulted in India’s decision to upgrade its technical mission in Kabul to a full-fledged embassy, signals India’s vivid recalibration from its longstanding policy of non-engagement with the Taliban toward a new paradigm of “cautious pragmatism”. This shift unfolds against a complex backdrop of regional power struggles, with nuclear-armed India, Pakistan, and China jockeying for influence in Afghanistan, while extra-regional powers
such as the US, Russia, and Iran maintain vested interests in the war-torn nation’s future. The evolving India-Taliban bonhomie represents a fascinating case of how “strategic imperatives” can sometimes override ideological commitments in foreign policy, as New Delhi seeks to balance its historical support for democratic Afghanistan with contemporary security and economic necessities in an increasingly turbulent regional environment. ndia-Afghanistan relations
India’s relationship with Afghan power centres has undergone a dramatic transformation over decades, moving through several distinct phases that reflect the changing dynamics of both regional politics and global power structures. During the Taliban’s first period of rule (1996-2001), India adopted a position of firm opposition, closing its embassy and denouncing the Taliban as an instrument of Pakistan’s intelligence apparatus. Instead, India supported the Northern Alliance, a military-political coalition of primarily nonPashtun Afghan factions that fought against the Taliban regime during 1996-2001, which was consistent with its principal opposition to the group’s extremist ideology and its security interests in countering Pakistani influence.
Pak-Afghan confrontation marks end of Islamabad’s ‘strategic depth’ fantasy (IANS Analysis)
Continued from Page 5...
Once in power, the Afghan Taliban no longer needed Pakistan and certainly no longer wished to be seen as its client. As Kabul began to assert an independent foreign policy, seeking legitimacy and recognition from regional powers such as Iran, China, Russia, and India, it started to sorely pinch Pakistan.
For Islamabad, this autonomy was intolerable. The Pakistani establishment had built its entire regional calculus on the assumption that Afghanistan would remain strategically subordinate and a convenient hinterland for influence projection and a denial zone for its adversaries, particularly India.
But the new Taliban government has repeatedly rejected Pakistani diktats, especially regarding the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani insurgent group that Islamabad alleges is operating from Afghan soil. The Taliban regime’s refusal to curb the TTP’s activities or extradite its leaders has become the single greatest irritant in bilateral ties.
Pakistan’s October 9 airstrikes across the Afghan border, reportedly targeting TTP chief Noor Wali Mehsud, were not just tactical reprisals but expressions of strategic frustration, particularly after dozens of its soldiers have been killed in the last few months, including 12 a day earlier, in antiinsurgency operations.
The strikes hit targets in Kabul, Khost, Paktia, and Paktika, which signalled a willingness to escalate
not just the militant group but also directly against the Afghan state.
But these actions also reveal the limits of Pakistan’s militarised regional diplomacy.
After having relied on coercion and proxies for decades, the Pakistani state appears incapable of engaging its neighbours through civilian or economic instruments. As such, it appears that whenever its influence begins to wane, its instinct is to reach for the gun.
The result, however, is a region turning increasingly hostile. The Taliban’s Afghanistan is now as defiant as India and Iran, both of whom Islamabad once viewed as its chief adversaries. Pakistan’s aggressive tactics have left it isolated in a neighbourhood where nearly every actor now questions its credibility.
For New Delhi, the spectacle unfolding across the Durand Line offers a quiet but profound vindication. For years, Indian policymakers have argued that Pakistan’s strategy of cultivating militant groups as foreign-policy tools would ultimately backfire. That prophecy has now materialised: the very proxies Islamabad once nurtured to gain leverage over others have turned inward, threatening Pakistan’s own security and sovereignty.
TLP: Pakistan’s domesticated monster
On October 24, the Federal Interior Ministry notified the ban on the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), declaring that the Federal Government had “reasonable grounds” to believe the religio-political party was connected to terrorism.
The notification stated: “The federal government has reasonable grounds to believe that TLP is connected with and concerned in terrorism. In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 11B (1) (a) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 (XXVII of 1997), the federal government hereby orders TLP to be a proscribed organisation for the purpose of the Act and lists the aforesaid organisation in the first schedule to the said Act.”
The development comes a day after the Federal Cabinet, on October 23, approved a proposal to proscribe the party under the Anti-Terrorism Act, after nationwide protests over Gaza claimed the lives of several protesters and Police officers and paralysed major highways and city roads from Karachi to Islamabad. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on a proposal from the Punjab Government. A press release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) after the meeting disclosed that the ban was “unanimously” approved by the Federal Cabinet. The Interior Ministry briefed the Cabinet on what it called the TLP’s “violent and terrorist activities,” stressing that the organisation had repeatedly incited unrest across the country.
would refrain from violence, and that the current ban on the group stemmed from its reneging on those guarantees. “In the past, security personnel and innocent bystanders have been killed in violent protests and rallies by the TLP,” the PMO statement added.
This is not first time TLP has been banned, as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Government proscribed the group on April 14, 2021, after violent protests caused the deaths of two Policemen and left 340 injured. The Federal Interior Ministry informed the Cabinet that the 2021 ban on TLP was lifted after six months on the assurance that it
Earlier on October 17, the Punjab provincial Cabinet approved the imposition of a ban on TLP and forwarded a summary to the Federal Government for further action. This was announced by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari while addressing a press conference in Lahore. She revealed that the Punjab Cabinet had approved the ban on TLP and sent the case to the Federal Government for implementation. “The misuse of loudspeakers will now be strictly controlled under the Loudspeaker Act,” she added. The Information Minister stated, further, that the Government and the State had now decided to deal firmly with the group. Providing details of the recent violence, she noted that 200 Police personnel were injured, 17 vehicles were damaged, and two completely burnt, “An inspector was martyred, one officer was shot in the arm, and another in the throat – he will never speak again.” The far-right TLP, notorious for disruptive and violent protests, was founded by Khadim Hussain Rizvi on August 1, 2015. TLP has its ideological roots in Barelvi Islam, a mainstream sect traditionally seen as moderate, but for which blasphemy was a red line. It arose from the movement backing Mumtaz Qadri, the Police guard who assassinated Punjab Governor Salman Taseer on January 4, 2011, for criticizing Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. TLP has gained political and street influence by positioning itself as a guardian of the Prophet’s honour and blasphemy legislation.
How Washington’s bid to stop Putin is forcing India and China to ditch the Dollar
The United States has once again demonstrated the reach of its financial power, but this time the weapon may cut both ways. By blocking the assets of Russian oil giants Rosneft and Lukoil while threatening secondary sanctions on any bank doing business with them, Washington is wielding the dollar as a cudgel in ways that could reshape global energy markets—and not necessarily to America’s advantage.
Dr. Hriday Sarma, an international affairs expert speaking to Sputnik, cuts through the official rhetoric about ending the Ukraine war to reveal what he believes is the actual objective: preventing India and China from accessing cheap Russian crude. If
U.S.
accurate, this represents a significant escalation in America’s economic containment strategy against its geopolitical rivals, dressed in the language of supporting Ukraine.
The numbers tell the story. Russia exports approximately 5 million barrels daily, with India purchasing 1.5 million and China taking 2.2 million barrels.
This represents a dramatic shift from pre-2022 levels, when India barely touched Russian oil. By December 2024, even Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries—Asia’s richest man’s flagship company—had signed a decade-long deal for 500,000 barrels per day from Rosneft.
sanctions on Russia and its impact on India
The U.S. and its European allies have steadily increased economic sanctions on Russia since first imposing them in March 2014. The stated purpose of sanctions is to punish Russia for its involvement in Ukraine, as well as its alleged cyber-meddling in the 2016 U.S. elections and its transfer of arms to Syria and alleged human-rights abuses, also in Syria. While the measures initially prohibited westerners from doing business with Russians who were deemed to have undermined democratic processes in the Ukraine, the reasons given for the sanctions have grown and the list of potentially prohibited Russian partners has increased to include officials and businesses in Russia’s defence, energy and finance sectors generally.
Washington has applied the sanctions flexibly, imposing them strictly in sectors where U.S. firms are major competitors of Russia and ignoring them in others where the U.S. relies on Russia. For instance, the US has exempted Russian agencies that supply titanium for Boeing’s commercial aircraft and rocket engines for NASA, where the US has no indigenous capacity.
This means individuals and businesses outside of the western alliance—including ones from India—now may face sanctions themselves if they don’t comply with the new rules.
As the economic battle mounts, India is
caught in the crossfire. Russia is its long-standing strategic partner and, for the foreseeable future, its irreplaceable supplier of defence equipment and weaponry. The sanctions pose significant risks to this vital relationship.
Under the sanctions, Indian companies doing business with critical Russian defense suppliers like Rosoboronexport, United Shipbuilding, and Almaz-Antey could find themselves locked out of the dollar-based global financial system controlled by the U.S. Indeed, even the activities of Indian companies in areas not directly covered by sanctions could be affected. Given the risks, India must make some hard calls in deciding a present and future strategy.
First, because the sanctions can block violators from doing business with U.S. banks, India must find ways to circumvent the dominant, dollarbased financial system – like specialist European banks with no exposure to the US market, which are willing to facilitate payments to Russia.
Second, India can deepen its investments in Russian energy and resource assets, to generate dividend income in Roubles. This will be used to pay Russia for defence hardware.
Third, there are ample precedents for introducing a dose of economic self-interest into American decision-making on the sanctions issue.
'No Benefit In Fighting India': Ex-CIA Officer Who Led Pak Operations
Pakistan would lose any conventional war with India, a former US intelligence officer has said, recalling that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) believed the two nuclear-armed nations would go to war after the 2001 Parliament attacks. John Kiriakou, who has served in the CIA for 15 years, opened
up about the unease between Washington and Islamabad and his years leading counterterrorism operations in Pakistan during an interview with news agency ANI.
Islamabad needs to arrive at a policy conclusion that it would gain nothing from a war with India, the former CIA officer noted. "Nothing, literally nothing good will come of an actual war between
Alleging a “regime change operation” under the guise of a “peaceful protest”, the Delhi Police on Thursday opposed the bail pleas of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and four others arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) 1967 in the larger conspiracy case linked to the 2020 north-east Delhi riots.
In a voluminous affidavit filed on the eve of hearing on the bail pleas of Khalid, Imam, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa Ur Rehman and Md Saleem Khan, the police alleged that the accused conspired to strike at the sovereignty and integrity of the country by a “regime change operation” executed under the guise of a “peaceful protest”.
The alleged offences involved a deliberate attempt to destabilise the state which warrant “jail and not bail”, the police said, asserting they had collected ocular, documentary and technical evidence against the accused showing their intrinsic, deep-rooted and fervent complicity in engineering nationwide riots on communal lines. The criminal conspiracy for the riots was hatched for achieving the final regime change goal, the police alleged. It was a premeditated conspiracy to coincide with the then US President Donald Trump’s visit to India, to attract international media attention and portray the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) as a pogrom against the Muslim community.
A Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria, which had on October 27 asked Additional Solicitor General SV Raju to consider if bail could be granted on the ground of delay, will take up the matter on Friday. However, the Delhi Police said no ground for bail had been made by the petitioners. Accusing them of deliberately delaying the trial, the police said they were playing the “victim card” to seek their release on the grounds of prolonged
incarceration. In the present case, “bail can’t be granted in view of the extreme severe gravity of the offence”, the affidavit submitted.
“It doesn’t lie with the petitioners who for mala fide and mischievous reasons have delayed the commencement of the trial to come and play victim card and seek bail on the ground of
prolonged incarceration.
“The conspiracy hatched, nurtured and executed by the petitioner was to strike at the very heart of the sovereignty and integrity of the country by destroying the communal harmony, instigating the crowd not only to abrogate public order but to instigate them to an extent of armed rebellion,” the affidavit stated.
The issue of CAA was carefully chosen to serve as a “radicalising catalyst” camouflaged in the name of a peaceful protest,” it said.
The police said the “overarching argument” of the accused that there were more than 900 witnesses in the matter and hence, there was no likelihood of trial being concluded in the present case was ex-facie misleading.
“In the reasonable estimate of the respondent, there are only 100-150 witnesses which are material to prove the offence. Remaining are repetitive or technical witnesses whose examination can be completed in a very short period of time,” it said.
India and Pakistan because the Pakistanis will lose.
I'm not talking about nuclear weapons. I'm talking just about a conventional war. There is no benefit to constantly provoking Indians," he added.
India had acted decisively after attacks carried out by terrorists from across the border over the years, including surgical strikes in 2016, Balakot strikes in 2019, and Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam attack that left 26 innocents dead in April this year.
New Delhi also warned Islamabad that it will not tolerate its nuclear blackmail, as the Pakistanis tried to control the rhetoric despite pleading for a ceasefire after failed attempts to target Indian cities.
Kiriakou shared that in 2002, the US anticipated that India-Pakistan tensions at the height of Operation Parakram, after the 2001 Parliament attack, could escalate to a war and had started evacuating its civilians from Islamabad. He also claimed that during his Islamabad stint, he was unofficially told that the Pentagon controlled Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. "Musharraf had turned control over to the US." At that time, the CIA was focused on Al Qaeda and Afghanistan and did not pay much attention to India's concerns, the former CIA officer admitted.
