“A moment comes but rarely in history,” said New York’s winning mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, as he addressed a few thousand core campaign volunteers at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in New York last night, “when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends and when the soul of a nation long suppressed finds utterance.
“Tonight,” he added, now rephrasing Jawaharlal Nehru, “we have stepped out from the old into the new.” Zohran’s words echoed
through the room, resonating deeply and touching upon the various aspects of one’s being - migration, belonging and freedom.
His parents, the Punjabi filmmaker of Indian origin, Mira Nair, and the noted anthropologist Mahmood Mamdani as well as his wife, the artist Rama Duwaji of Syrian descent, stood proudly in the crowd, a first family of immigrants who must have taken seriously the words inscribed beneath the Statue of Liberty.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has introduced his first federal budget - a blueprint for how he plans to deliver on his promise to make Canada's economy the strongest in the G7.
The ambitious plan, seen as a key test of the new leader and former central banker, is as much a political document as a spending blueprint.
It warns that Canada is in an era of "significant change" not seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall, which is underscored by its rapidly shifting relationship with the US, once the country's closest ally.
"There's some headwinds on the horizon," Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne told reporters in Ottawa on Tuesday. "That's why we need a strong response."
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South Asian man killed in Edmonton after he objected to stranger urinating on his car
An Indian-origin businessman identified as Arvi Singh Sagoo was fatally assaulted in Edmonton, Canada, after confronting a man who was reportedly urinating on his car. In a statement issued Wednesday, the Edmonton Police Service (EPS) confirmed that officers were called to the scene near 109 Street and 100 Avenue around 2:20 am following reports of an assault. Upon arrival, officers found an unconscious 55-year-old man.
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A famed Hindu temple in southern India is embroiled in a scandal after the Kerala high court said there was evidence that some of the idols have been stripped of their gold covering. Gold and silver plating of idols and temple figurines, mostly paid for by devotees, is common across temples in India. So, the theft at Sabarimala shrine, visited by millions of pilgrims every year, has stunned the devout and made headlines.
The Kerala High Court has set up a special investigation team (SIT), police have begun an inquiry into the disappearance of gold and three
people, including a former assistant temple priest, have been arrested.
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March. It was seen as an act of retaliation for Canada's introduction of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. In a letter to federal ministers of agriculture and international trade Thursday, Saskatchewan's Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison said Ottawa needs to immediately negotiate with India.
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If you've recently balked at the butter, coughed at the coffee or choked in the chocolate aisle, you're not alone. Food costs have been soaring for more than a year, with grocery inflation generally trending upward since April 2024, according to Statistics Canada. Shoppers paid four per cent more at the grocery store in September compared with the same period last year. But some items have dinged our wallets more than others. Beef, coffee and confectionary are among some of the worst offenders, but what else is contributing to your grocery bills?
Coffee is No. 1
You know what they say about the ones you love the most, right? Well, coffee has been hurting us with skyrocketing prices for months now. The price of coffee increased 28.6 per cent over the past year — more than any other food item tracked by Statistics Canada's consumer price index. And
it gets worse when you separate out "real" coffee from the instant stuff. Roasted or ground coffee prices rose 41 per cent in September compared with September last year. At the same time, U.S. tariffs on goods from Brazil have upended the global coffee market, pushing prices upwards.
A beef with beef
Next on the list? Meat in general, and beef more than any other.
The price of fresh or frozen beef rose 14 per cent year over year in September. Nearly every style or cut of beef saw double-digit price increases (the exception, if you can call it that, was fresh or frozen beef hip cuts, which saw a 9.9 per cent price increase since 2024).
But ground beef, fresh or frozen, was the worst offender, rising in price by 17.4 per cent in a year.
Statistics Canada's retail data showed that the average monthly price of ground beef was $15.06
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per kilogram in August. Beef costs more than ever, but Canadians won't let that ruin barbecue season Nuts are nuts
At 15.7 per cent year over year, nuts and seeds
actually saw higher inflation in September than fresh or frozen beef. With dried and dehydrated fruit also up 10.9 per cent, your favourite trail mix may seem like a luxury item these days (a bag at Loblaws costs $18 right now).
Not chocolate, too!
We're sorry. But the sweets aisle isn't looking great, either. Prices for confectionery, which includes chocolate, were up 10.4 per cent in September compared with a year earlier, Statistics Canada said. Cocoa prices have more than doubled over the past two years due to poor weather and disease in West Africa, which supplies more than 70 per cent of the world’s cocoa, the Associated Press explains.
OJ is not OK
Fruit juices were also up in September, with prices increasing 10.5 per cent compared with a year earlier. Prices fall when bumper harvests create an oversupply of oranges and rise when frost or a hurricane knocks out fruit trees.
The monthly average retail price for a two-litre carton shot up in August to $6.29 from $5.62 in January. Apple juice, by comparison, has stayed relatively flat, hovering near $3.85 for months.
Berries and cucumbers
Finally, we have good news bad news. Let's start with the good. Amid a month of mostly rising prices, a few actually dropped — but none more than berries, which fell 13 per cent compared with prices in September last year.
This could be due to a few potential factors: increased domestic production (especially cranberries, strawberries and blueberries, according to Agriculture Canada), plus a surge of blueberry imports from Morocco this past spring. From August to September 2024, for instance, cucumber prices rose 16 per cent (compared with 6.2 per cent year over year). And when you look at the monthly average retail price going back five years, cucumber prices are seasonal — increasing in the fall, peaking in the winter and falling in the spring.
A First Nation from the northwest coast of B.C. has voted in favour of a constitution and a treaty that it says opens a path to a new era of self-government.
The Kitsumkalum First Nation, located west of Terrace, says 89 per cent of voters approved of the constitution while about 90 per cent supported the treaty.
Elected chief councillor Troy Sam called it a “proud day,” adding in a statement that the approvals “open the door to a new era of self-government, accountability, and opportunity.” Melissa Quocksister, communications and engagement consultant for the Kitsumkalum Treaty, says the vote allows the community to take advantage of its inherent right to self-government, and members will no longer be dictated by the Indian Act.
The Kitsumkalum Nation’s website says selfgovernance will move the community away from the Indian Act, giving them the right to make laws, similar to the laws that provinces are able to make.
“The Indian Act was developed to control almost every aspect of Native life and continues to dictate the way Native people are governed on-reserve,” the website states in a section that answers questions about the treaty.
“The Canadian government passed the Indian Act in 1876 without consulting or getting consent from Native people,” it adds.
The website says the treaty will provide full ownership of large amounts of lands, greater access to resources, continued access to traditional territory,
Homicide investigators are looking into the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old in Burnaby, B.C., on Wednesday evening.
A Thursday statement from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said officers responded to a shooting just after 6:30 p.m. PT near McKay Avenue and Kingsborough Street. They found a man, who has since been identified as 19-year-old Connor Sheriff, suffering from life-threatening injuries. He did not survive despite life-saving efforts. IHIT said officers responded to reports of a vehicle fire shortly after, near Kingsway and Inman Avenue, and they suspect the burnt vehicle is linked to the shooting. IHIT said Sheriff was known to
as well as newer and better fiscal arrangements including a cash transfer. However, it says a downside is the loss of the Section 87 tax exemption and, for some, the “comfort” of living under the Indian Act. It will now need to be ratified by the provincial and federal governments to go into effect, which
Herbert says he remains firmly committed to taking this path alongside the Kitsumkalum people. The province says that if ratified by all parties, the Kitsumkalum Treaty is expected to have an effective date around 2028. Although the effective date hasn’t been set yet, Quocksister says they still have lots of preparation work to do during the transition period, including drafting laws and ensuring all members are ready to take on new responsibilities.
police, and is believed to have connections to the drug trade.
"This was a targeted and brazen shooting in a high-traffic area," said Sgt. Freda Fong in the statement. "Those involved displayed a complete disregard for public safety.”
IHIT said investigators are interviewing several witnesses and canvassing for video in the Metrotown area on Thursday. Anyone who witnessed the shooting, or has dashcam or CCTV video of either McKay Avenue or Kingsborough Street between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Nov. 5, is asked to to call the IHIT information line at 1-877551-4448 or email investigators at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.
Spencer Chandra Herbert, the province’s minister of Indigenous relations and reconciliation, says requires the B.C. legislature and Canadian Parliament each passing treaty-implementation legislation.
South Asian extortion ‘middle manager’ sentenced 7 years for targeting fellow South Asians
A man considered the “middle manager” between the bosses calling the shots and the boots on the ground carrying out explosive arsons and drive-by shootings is going behind bars
Gurkaran Singh, who had no prior criminal record, pleaded guilty to his role in the Project Gaslight extortion series targeting fellow South Asians in the Edmonton area.
On Friday in an Edmonton courtroom, he cried while hugging his mom and dad and told them he was sorry before he was taken away to serve his sentence. Singh pleaded guilty to his role in the arsons and extortions that occurred when he was just 18. From shootings to new or under-construction homes being torched, police investigated dozens of crimes in the Edmonton region between October 2023 and January of this year that investigators said were extortions by members of the South Asian community against their own people — in particular, home builders and affluent community members. The extortion scheme saw successful South Asian business people threatened for money in exchange for “protection” and officials said failure to pay out led to arsons — primarily at under-construction homes — and drive-by shootings. The result? Tens of millions of dollars in damage and widespread fear in the community. In total, police investigated 40 crimes related to the extortion series.
That man, Maninder Singh Dhaliwal, is believed to be the ringleader of the criminal syndicate responsible for the series of Project Gaslight extortions. Police internally referred to the Edmonton gang as the Dhaliwal crime group.
A Canada-wide warrant is out for alleged crime boss Dhaliwal, who was arrested in the United Arab Emirates on separate criminal charges near the end of 2024. He is still incarcerated in the Middle Eastern nation as Canada works to negotiate an extradition — a process complicated by the lack of a treaty to do so between Canada and the UAE.
Driver gets fine, driving ban in crash that killed TRU athlete, injured 2 others
The man who pleaded guilty in a 2023 crash that killed a student athlete and left two others with devastating injuries has been issued a fine and a driving ban.
Colval Shaquille Abbinett, 29, previously pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention, which is an offence under the Motor Vehicle Act.
He told police he fell asleep behind the wheel of the Dodge Ram pickup that plowed into a Volkswagen Jetta carrying three members of the Thompson Rivers University volleyball team.
Owyn McInnis was killed, while Riley Brinnen suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury.
justice for their son and two of his friends, after learning criminal charges would not be laid in the multi-vehicle crash.
They were previously informed that Abbinett would not be charged criminally and instead would be ticketed for driving without due care and attention under B.C.’s Motor Vehicle Act.
On Wednesday, Abbinett was sentenced to a 15-month driving ban and fined $1,800.
Singh was considered a middle manager. He took instructions and assigned arson work, and finding victims to target and homes to set on fire, while working for a man that used to be in Edmonton but relocated to Dubai a few months before the extortions began.
He’s believed to be affiliated with the Brothers Keeper organized crime group out of the Lower Mainland. According to court documents, some of the other syndicate members were part of a larger Indo-Canadian criminal organization. Over the courts of several months starting in the fall of 2023, South Asian homebuilders considered to be successful in their own community would receive texts — primarily from unknown numbers on WhatsApp — or phone calls demanding money: vast sums ranging from $500,000 to over a million. If they ignored the demands or didn’t pay they would be threatened with violence or arson, and in some cases, the criminals carried through: shooting up the personal homes of the victims or setting their under-construction properties aflame, often with the use of gasoline. One of the target families feared for their lives and fled the country. When they returned several months later, that family got armoured cars and hired ’round-the-clock private security. Other victims bought protective gear like bulletproof vests.
Owen Waterhouse suffered a severe brain injury. Last December, Chris and Karri Brinnen launched a letter-writing campaign hoping to get
Internation stuent given life sentence for 2024 murders of Ottawa family
An international student was sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for at least 25 years after pleading guilty to killing a mother, her four children and a family acquaintance at a home in the Ottawa suburb of Barrhaven last year. Febrio De-Zoysa pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree murder, two counts of seconddegree murder and one count of attempted murder Thursday morning at the Ottawa Courthouse. He was initially charged with six counts of first-degree murder. Six people were found dead inside a two-storey townhouse on Berrigan Drive on March 6, 2024.
Darshani Ekanayake, 35, her seven-year-old son Inuka, fouryear-old daughter Ashwini, threeyear-old daughter Ranaya and twomonth-old daughter Kelly were killed. An acquaintance of the family, 40-year-old Gamini Amarakoon, was also found deceased at the home.
The woman’s husband, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, was seriously injured. He was the lone survivor.
Justice Kevin Phillips sentenced De-Zoysa to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years, calling it one of the worst crimes in Ottawa’s history that “shocked” the community and had “shaken it to its core.”
“Stupefying, monstrous, even demonic. You are the stuff of nightmares,” Phillips said. “If I could give consecutive sentences, I would.”
De-Zoysa was 19 years old at the time of his arrest. According to the agreed statement of facts, De-Zoysa told Sgt. Chris O’Brien the family had “been nothing but good to me.”
“It’s nothing personal. I didn’t know what
to do,” De-Zoysa said during an interview following his arrest. The court heard that DeZoysa had $2.24 in his bank account at the end of February 2024 and had stopped going to class at Algonquin College. He said he believed that failing the semester would result in him not graduating, ending his student visa and result in an end to financial support from his parents.
He initially told police he originally purchased the knife in order to kill himself in January 2024 but said he “lost control.”
“I couldn’t take my own life. So, I just decided to bash out.”
According to the agreed statement of facts, Dhanushka was working two jobs on March 6, 2024, starting at 3:30 a.m.
The document states De-Zoysa attacked Amarakoon first after luring him to his room in the basement to watch a movie. He then killed three of the children in the living room.
The statement of facts said Ekanayake heard the screams of her children from the living room and came downstairs. He chased her and stabbed her, according to the statement. Kelly was killed in the primary bedroom.
The court heard De-Zoysa waited for hours until Dhanushka Wickramasinghe arrived home and attacked him when he walked through the garage door. The Ottawa Police Service said officers responded to 911 calls reporting a “suspicious incident where a male was yelling and asking people to call 911.”
De-Zoysa was arrested at the scene by officers.
“I was going to be deported. I had no choice. I killed them all,” he told officers at the scene, according to the agreed statement of facts.
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Why India and Taliban broke their diplomatic Ice
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi visited India from 9 to 16 October 2025. This was the first high-level visit by a Taliban minister since the group took power after the US withdrawal in 2021. During his weeklong stay in New Delhi, the minister met key Indian officials, including the External Affairs Minister, National Security Advisor, and senior officers from the Ministries of Commerce and External Affairs.
Mr. Muttaqi also met Indian business leaders in a roundtable organized by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), attended a discussion hosted by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), and interacted with Afghan civil society members, including Afghan Hindus, Sikhs, diaspora representatives, and traders. He held two press briefings in New Delhi and visited Darul Uloom Deoband, a prominent Islamic seminary located about 190 km from Delhi. During talks Muttaqi also requested India to open the Wagha border for trade and coordinate with Iran on Chabahar port to ease the economic hardship of ordinary Afghans.
Though India has not officially recognized the Taliban government, both sides agreed to upgrade their engagement. India will raise its Technical Mission in Kabul to the level of an embassy and allow the Taliban to post diplomats in their embassy in New Delhi. India has also permitted Taliban consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad and continues to issue visas to prominent Afghan leaders. One of the key outcomes of Muttaqi’s visit was the signing of a “Joint Declaration”, which is likely to serve as the future roadmap for India–Afghanistan relations.
The Taliban government in Kabul, led by the Kandahar group under Haibatullah Akhundzada, came to power in August 2021. Four years have passed, yet except for Russia, no other country has recognized it so far. The regime remains politically isolated and under heavy economic pressure to meet the country’s growing needs, as no major assistance has come forward. It also faces criticism for ideological reasons, especially for its policies toward women and for running a non-inclusive government representing only a few of Afghanistan’s 20 tribal and
ethnic groups. The Taliban administration remains under UN sanctions, while the US has frozen about USD 9 billion of its assets.
The main objective of Muttaqi’s visit was to seek India’s political recognition, request economic and humanitarian assistance, push for the resumption of development and infrastructure projects, and secure cooperation in health and education—such as medical visas for Afghans and scholarships for Afghan students. The joint declaration signed by both sides covered most of these requests, except the formal recognition of the Taliban government. This was a tactical decision by India, as it does not want to upset the US or violate UN sanctions.
Still, New Delhi has shown notable flexibility. Within a week of Muttaqi’s visit, India upgraded its Technical Mission in Kabul to a full-fledged embassy and allowed the Taliban to post diplomats in their embassy in New Delhi. India had already permitted the Taliban to open consulates in Mumbai and
Hyderabad and continues to issue visas to senior Afghan figures.
India has, in fact, done a major favour to the isolated Taliban regime. It assured economic support, agreed to resume development projects, continue humanitarian aid, and issue visas for medical treatment. India also promised to supply 20 ambulances, of which five have already been delivered. India’s actions speak louder than words. New Delhi has shown it through deeds, while others are still making empty promises and playing the “Good Taliban, Bad Taliban” game.
Muttaqi held two press conferences in New Delhi. The first was limited to male journalists, drawing criticism from opposition political parties and women journalists. The second included both men and women. This sequence sent a dual message: to Afghan conservatives, he upheld Islamic norms; to India, he showed respect for local practices and inclusivity.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s minority Liberal government survived the first in a series of confidence votes connected to the 2025 federal budget on Thursday night.
By a vote of 198 to 139, Liberal, NDP, Bloc Quebecois and Green MPs defeated an attempt by the Conservatives to reject Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne’s economic plans. With their now-defeated sub-amendment, Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives were calling on the House to “reject the government’s budget,” as instead of presenting “an affordable budget,” the Tories claimed the government “presented a budget that fails to consider that every dollar the Liberal government spends comes out of the pockets of Canadians in the form of higher taxes and inflation.”
It went on to list concerns over the size of the deficit, the industrial carbon tax, the cost of government and the absence of any plan for new oil and gas pipelines.
Hours before the vote, Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon’s office raised the stakes on the otherwise routine procedural proposals, declaring that the Liberals would be treating both the Conservative sub-amendment, and the Bloc Quebecois amendment that will come up for a vote on Friday, as confidence votes.
Though, not long after the ante was upped, any suspense over whether the government could fall over the vote dissipated when interim NDP Leader Don Davies declared his caucus of seven would be voting against the motion, giving the Liberals the numbers they needed to survive.
“The Conservatives want massive cuts to public spending, that’s exactly the opposite direction that New Democrats think we need to go in,” Davies said before the vote, calling what Poilievre’s party was proposing “absolutely irresponsible.”
Also speaking ahead of the vote, Carney said the NDP “made the right choice.”
“It’s good to see,” he said.
Deputy Conservative Leader Melissa Lantsman also reacting ahead of the vote result, said what other parties decide to do is their choice, but “we’ve been pretty clear … we can’t support this budget.”
Typically, the first amendment to be moved – and second to be voted on – comes from the Official Opposition. However, after his Wednesday speech in response to the budget, Poilievre did not present one.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet then swiftly moved what should have been his party’s sub-amendment as the first amendment to the government’s budget, essentially flipping the order of these two steps in the parliamentary budget approval process.
“It’s interesting that the Conservatives were asleep at the switch and allowed the Bloc to get the amendment in before they did. I think that speaks to disarray in the Conservative Party right now,” Davies said.
The Bloc amendment also calls for the House to reject the budget, stating it is “harmful to Quebec,” as they claim it failed to increase the indexation of the Canada Health Transfer to six per cent, increase Old Age Security, reimburse Quebecers who haven’t received carbon pricing compensation, or propose concrete and effective measures to combat climate change.
The Bloc proposal will come up for a rare Friday afternoon vote, and Davies said his MPs are still deciding whether to support it or side with the government again.
While the government falling is “always a concern,” Davies said it is not his main consideration, and has previously said his party was keeping abstention on the table.
Canada’s top banker says he’s hopeful the new Liberal budget will encourage business investment and stimulate the economy.
“I think there is a significant change in this budget,” Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem told senators on the Senate Committee on Banking, Commerce and the Economy on Thursday. “The government is very clearly reducing their operating expenditures, putting more of their spending towards investment, and that’s both public investment and efforts to catalyze private investment.”
Released on Tuesday, the budget includes $141 billion dollars in new spending, offset by an estimated $51.2 billion in savings, amounting to a total net new spend of $89.7 billion dollars.
It also commits to spending $280 billion over five years on capital investments in new infrastructure, productivity, and competitiveness measures, defence and security, and housing.
As a result, the federal deficit is projected to be about $78.3 billion dollars in 2025-2026, dropping to $56.6 billion in 2029-2030. The operating budget, meanwhile, is expected to show a $1.7 billion surplus in 2028-2029.
the economy, he said, will depend on how well it is received and used by companies in the private sector.
“There is more to an investment than tax,” he said. “Accelerated deduction will increase that expectation of profit and maybe make that investment come sooner but it’s not the only thing.” In its latest Monetary Policy Report, the Bank of Canada found the trade conflict led to a sharp rise in uncertainty during the first half of the year that contributed to a reduction in GDP, a drop in exports and business investment, and a rise in unemployment.
While Macklem largely refrained from commenting on specific measures in the budget, he said the document overall offers a similar analysis to the central bank’s diagnosis of what’s been holding the Canadian economy back.
“There’s been a lack of business investment. There’s been, we’ve got relatively high hurdle of regulation,” he said. “If we want to grow the economy more, we need more investment. We need to improve our productivity. We need to improve our competitiveness.”
The productivity and competitiveness portion of the 406-page budget includes $110 billion in spending towards emerging technology support for sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum, and electric vehicles; regional economic development initiatives; and the unveiling of a new “productivity super deduction.”
Asked about the Budget’s proposed “productivity super-deduction” and it’s potential impact on inflation, Macklem said it should spur investment by reducing the cost for business. Its impact on
Compared to its January report, the central bank estimated the trade conflict with the U.S. would push economic growth down 1.5 per cent by the end of 2026, reducing GDP by roughly $40 billion. Macklem says the bank believes the trading relationship with the United States has been permanently altered and that tariffs will be in place for some time.
“I think we need to be realistic,” Macklem said. “I don’t think this U.S. administration is going to wake up and completely change their colours. They’ve demonstrated they like a certain amount of unpredictability.”
As long as that uncertainty and unpredictability exists, Macklem says businesses will be hesitant to make major investments and go on hiring sprees to grow their companies.
“You know, businesses are, are going to have a hard time taking big investment decisions,” he said. “The budget is certainly, is leaning into investment in a big way. That’s going to help.”
Another big factor causing uncertainty, Macklem told the committee, is the CUSMA renewal process that’s set to begin 2026.
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"Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
"Together,” Zohran said, the first Muslim mayor-designate of Indian origin, to thunderous cheer, “we will usher in a generation of change".
The 34-year-old Democratic Socialist was also pointing towards Donald Trump, whose contemptuous dismissal of him through the campaign and endorsement of Mamdani’s opponent, the scandal-hit former Democrat Andrew Cuomo, as well as his other opponents, gave the campaign a definite edge.
“They and their ilk should turn the volume up to the sound of change…. New York, tonight you have delivered a mandate for change, a mandate for a new kind of politics, a mandate for a city we can afford.”
As I write this, a full moon looms over Manhattan - the Beaver Moon, the largest and brightest supermoon of the year where its rays shine bright through the darkness of the night. And that’s how today feels with Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory. His win signifies hope, a shift, a breakthrough in these tumultuous times, a signifier to welcome fresh air and ideas.
Mamdani secured over 50 per cent of the
vote, defeating Cuomo with 40 per cent and Republican nominee Curtis Silwa, who garnered a mere 7 per cent of the vote.
According to the New York Board of Elections, two million votes were cast for the first time in this election since 1969. He will be inaugurated as the 111th mayor of New York in January.
Mamdani’s historic victory to run the city of more than 8.4 million people is seen as a comeback of progressive politics, with Mamdani vowing to prioritise working-class issues as he proposed initiatives like free childcare, rentfreeze, free bus services and government-run grocery stores to make New York affordable to live.
The road ahead, however, will be far from easy as Republicans have long questioned Mamdani’s ability to actuate on change, whether it’s tax hike or free buses. But the Mayor-elect is aware this idealism doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and it requires tireless advocacy and action to shift a perspective that has lost its way to convenience. Certainly, real listening will come into play. What we do now know is that the world is trembling itself into a new existence, and as Zohran said, “In this moment of political darkness, New York will be the light.”
Leaked memo says Vancouver's 'back to basics' budget will mean slashing 400 jobs
About 400 full-time jobs could be slashed from the City of Vancouver’s workforce, according to an internal memo obtained by Postmedia.
The memo was sent Tuesday to help managers prepare for questions from staff after the release of the draft 2026 operating budget on Wednesday. “It’s a ‘back to basics’ budget that involves trade-offs and organizational changes to protect core services and advance key priorities,” says the memo. Preliminary estimates suggest this will mean cutting the equivalent of about 400 full-time positions, around 130 of which might be exempt, or non-union, jobs. That would be about 10 per cent of the city’s exempt positions, the memo says. Two-thirds, or around 270 of the positions to be cut, are expected to be union positions, or about three per cent of the city’s unionized workforce.
Last month, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim and his ABC-majority council directed staff to find $120 million in savings or new revenues to avoid any property tax increase in next year’s operating budget, which is expected to be around $2.3 billion in total. City staff had estimated that a property tax hike of six to seven per sent would be required to maintain existing services, considering rising costs.
The draft budget for 2026 proposes to achieve the tax freeze by cutting millions from some departments, while boosting revenues and increasing spending in some areas, especially public safety. Some of the biggest cuts will hit the planning department, where a 14 per cent cut is planned, or $5.5 million. The arts, culture and community services department is to lose 12 per cent, or $6 million. Large cuts are also proposed for the real estate, environment and facilities
management department, finance and supply chain management, and a category called “other corporate support.”
The draft budget contemplates spending cuts in 12 of 20 areas, and spending freezes in two: cityissued grants, and the development, buildings and licensing department.
Six areas would get spending boosts, with the largest going to the Vancouver Police Department, which would have its budget increase by $46.2 million — or 10 per cent — to $525 million next year, and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, which would get a $12 million increase — six per cent. The library, parks and recreation, and utilities departments would get increases between one and three per cent. Asked Wednesday whether he was confident services to residents would not be reduced if hundreds of jobs are cut, Sim said that in a multi-billion budget like Vancouver’s, “being able to find a few extra bucks, there have to be efficiencies there, and we’re looking forward to them.”
South Asian man killed in Canada, he objected to stranger urinating on his car
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The man was treated and transported to hospital by EMS with life-threatening injuries,” the statement said.
The police statement did not immediately disclose the sequence of events that led to the assault.
However, according to local news outlet Global News, the incident occurred in the early hours of October 19, when Arvi Singh Sagoo and his girlfriend were returning to their car after dining at a nearby restaurant. Upon reaching the vehicle, Sagoo reportedly found a man urinating on it.
When Sagoo confronted him, asking, “Hey, what are you doing?” the man allegedly responded, “Whatever I want,” before walking up to Sagoo and punching him in the head. The force of the blow caused Sagoo to collapse to the ground, following which his girlfriend
immediately called emergency services.
Police arrest accused
The accused, 40-year-old Kyle Papin, was initially charged with aggravated assault.
Following Sagoo’s death, the EPS Homicide Unit has taken over the case, and additional charges are pending. Police said the two men were not known to each other. Papin is due to appear in court on November 4, 2025.
Victim succumbed to injuries after five days
When paramedics arrived, Sagoo was found unconscious and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, police said. Despite being placed on life support, he succumbed to his injuries on October 24, five days after the assault.
Sagoo, who ran a business in Edmonton, is survived by two teenage children. His friend, Vincent Ram, has launched a fundraiser to support Sagoo’s family, covering funeral expenses and living costs.
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"These trade disruptions impact the entire supply chain and are having immediate consequences for producers, business and jobs," wrote Harrison. "We need to get back to tariff-free trade."
Greg Cherewyk is the president of Pulse Canada, the national association representing growers and processors of peas, beans, and lentils.
He said he saw the tariff coming but didn't expect it to land so soon. "We had been hearing about the potential for a tariff since the early part of September, which is not unusual in India," said Cherewyk.
Cherewyk said that, unlike China's retaliatory tariffs, this tariff is aimed solely at India's domestic interests.
The tariff statement from India says it is being imposed to curb cheaper imports of yellow peas to support domestic farmers.
Cherewyk said the tariff has major implications
for pea farmers across Canada.
"We've already seen yellow pea prices drop by 43 per cent [from February 2025 to the end of September 2025], so it's incredibly significant in terms of value on the farm," he said.
Cherewyk also said that losing access to those lucrative markets in India and China removes an outlet for millions of tonnes of peas.
He said that while processing capacity for peas has been expanding in Canada, allowing growers to sell their crops to the pet food and livestock feed industries, those markets can't replace India and China.
"It's important to note we're working, it's incremental, the growth is there, but it isn't going to replace those markets overnight and it should never be looked at as an either-or," he said.
Harrison said India and China accounted for 71 per cent of Canadian pea exports and Saskatchewan alone exported $480 million worth of peas to India in 2024.
Two men arrested after more extortion-related gunfire overnight in Surrey
Two men have been arrested in Surrey following an overnight shooting at a residence that police believe is linked to a string of extortion-related targeted shootings.The shooting comes just one day after police announced that another business had been the target of an extortion shooting this week. Surrey Police Service said reports of shots possibly being fired at a residence in the area of 56th Avenue and King George Boulevard were received at about 2 a.m. on Thursday. Police said damage to the exterior of the residence had been
caused by gunshots. Several people were inside the residence at the time, but no one was injured. Officers then found a suspicious vehicle a short distance from the residence. Surrey police say two men were arrested.
Investigators believe that this shooting is extortion-related with links to other shootings and so the B.C. extortion task force has taken over the case. Police say there have been 74 reported extortions and 39 extortion-related shots fired incidents in Surrey this year.
The one-year mandatory minimum jail sentences for accessing or possessing child sexual abuse and exploitation materials are unconstitutional, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on Friday.
In a 5-4 decision, the top court said although the sentences contribute to the objectives of denunciation and deterrence, they also remove judges’ discretion to impose sentences other than imprisonment when appropriate.
A majority of the top court said a mandatory minimum sentence does not necessarily violate the Charter protection against cruel and unusual treatment or punishment.
Conservative politicians swiftly denounced the ruling.
In a social media post, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called the judgment “outrageous” and urged the federal government to overturn it using the Constitution’s notwithstanding clause.
Conservative MP Larry Brock, the party’s justice critic, said the decision was a “disgusting and cruel insult” to victims.
The decision affirmed a ruling of the Quebec Court of Appeal, which said the mandatory minimum sentences violated the Charter guarantee against cruel and unusual punishment. The Court of Appeal decision flowed from the cases of two men who pleaded guilty to child pornography offences.
The Crown and the attorney general of Quebec appealed to the Supreme Court, which heard the case in January.
However, when the application of a mandatory minimum sentence is broad and covers a wide range of circumstances, the sentence is constitutionally vulnerable because it leaves no choice but to impose a grossly disproportionate sentence on certain offenders, the court said. In order to determine whether a mandatory minimum sentence complies with the Charter, a two-stage contextual and comparative analysis is required, Justice Mary Moreau wrote on the behalf of the majority. The first stage involves determining a fit and proportionate sentence for the offender in question and possibly other reasonably foreseeable offenders, she said.
The second stage requires a comparison between the sentence that was determined at the first stage and the mandatory minimum sentence, including the extent of the disparity between these two sentences.
The use of “reasonably foreseeable scenarios” is indispensable to effective constitutional review, because the goal is to ensure it applies to all citizens, not just the person in a position to challenge the validity of a law, Moreau wrote.
In deciding the appeal, the Supreme Court examined a scenario in which an 18-year-old receives via cellphone, from his friend of the same age, an explicit photo of the friend’s 17-year-old girlfriend.
The recipient keeps the image on his cellphone and looks at the photo briefly, knowing that it constitutes child pornography.
Alberta man linked to right-wing extremist group gets 4-1/2 years for selling automatic rifle
A man who was part of an Edmonton-area antigovernment extremist group has been sentenced to 4-1/2 years behind bars for amassing a stockpile of unauthorized firearms — including an automatic rifle sold to an undercover police officer.
Mark Alexander Peterson, 35, pleaded guilty in Edmonton’s Court of King’s Bench Monday to 10 charges including trafficking firearms and possessing prohibited and restricted weapons without a licence.
Peterson came to police attention during an RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Teams (INSET) investigation into a group that engaged in “anti-authority, anti-government extremist ideology” online, prosecutor Richard Tchir told court.
admissions about threats. Instead, the case hinged largely on his sale of a Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle, which Peterson listed on local marketplace websites along with a 100-round drum magazine. Peterson met with undercover RCMP officers to show off the weapon in late 2023. He brought several high-capacity magazines, highlighting the fact they had no pins to restrict the number of bullets. The undercover officers agreed to meet Peterson again at a different location, where they bought the weapon for $10,000 cash.
Peterson was arrested Feb. 13, 2024, after testing proved the rifle was capable of automatic fire.
Name: SUMESH, Sumesh
Age: 29
Height: 5’7” ft
Weight: 201lbs
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Wanted: Sexual Assault
Warrant in effect: November 4
Parole Jurisdiction: Chilliwack
Name: KAZIUK, Ronald Age: 71
Height: 5’7” ft
Weight: 165lbs
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Wanted: Unlawfully at Large
Warrant in effect: October 12
Parole Jurisdiction: Surrey
Weight:
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Brown
Wanted: Assault
Warrant
That investigation previously resulted in charges against Kelvin Maure, a prolific 4chan poster who collected guns and explosives at his father’s Parkland County home. Known online as “Moleman,” Maure dug a network of tunnels on the property and made threatening posts a judge said exhibited a “potential association or fascination with extreme right-wing groups” with “fascistic or neo-Nazi predilections.”
Peterson was arrested three years after Maure and charged with 16 firearms-related offences. RCMP did not reveal Peterson’s link to Maure, but said the investigation focused on “a number of associated individuals that were part of an online community where threats against government officials were allegedly made.”
An agreed statement of facts filed as part of Peterson’s guilty plea did not contain any
A search of Peterson’s Fort Saskatchewan apartment revealed an assortment of additional firearms and ammunition, including a loaded, automatic Scorpion machine pistol sitting on his couch. The search turned up other non-restricted, restricted and prohibited weapons, including a pistol, a shotgun, and SKS and L1A1 rifles.
Peterson was not legally permitted to possess any of the weapons. He previously held a firearms licence. It was revoked in June 2020 after Alberta’s chief firearms officer deemed him a “public safety risk” due to “a number of incidents with police,” Tchir said.
Peterson has a previous 2018 conviction for unsafe storage of a firearm, for which he received 12 months probation. Peterson was set to begin a trial Monday, but pleaded guilty after the Crown and defence lawyer Edmond O’Neill agreed to a joint submission. Tchir and O’Neill recommended a 4-1/2 year prison sentence, which Justice Maureen McGuire accepted.
Name: PISCOPO, Erberto Age: 51 Height: 5’9” ft
210lbs
in effect: November 4
Parole Jurisdiction: Chilliwack
BC Helps Parents Boost their Education Savings!
Ottawa says it's taking Stellantis subsidy contract to dispute resolution after production moved to USA
Industry Minister Melanie Joly says the federal government is initiating a dispute resolution process under its contract with Stellantis over the company’s decision to relocate production of a new Jeep model to the U.S.
She said on Monday that by the end of the day, the government would begin the process in one of its contracts with Stellantis in the hopes of pressing the company to outline a plan for its facility in Brampton within 30 days.
Joly announced the move while testifying before the parliamentary committee on industry, which called her to discuss the federal government’s plan to maintain the 3,000 jobs at the assembly plant in Brampton, Ont., where it had planned to manufacture the Jeep Compass model.
“Stellantis is on the hook,” she said on Monday.
“Before the close of business, the government will take the next step under the contracts to recover Canadian taxpayers’ money,” the minister said.
Joly told reporters after her testimony that the government was taking the step because it believes “that there’s been a violation” in its contract.
The governing Liberals, along with the Ontario government, have in recent years inked multibillion-dollar subsidy contracts with Stellantis, which the minister on Monday defended as being tied to the actual production of vehicles.
Joly also defended the job protection terms of the contracts, which have yet to be disclosed to
another parliamentary committee to be viewed in private by MPs.
Conservative industry critic Raquel Dancho said Joly was “evasive” during Monday’s questioning about whether the government had secured job commitments when it came to the plant in Brampton, saying families in the region who are at risk of losing jobs “won’t be reassured.”
A spokesperson for Stellantis said in a statement that it was continuing to work with the government and others on the plan for that facility “to find viable solutions that build a sustainable, long-term future for automotive manufacturing in Canada.”
“The Brampton Assembly Plant has not been closed, and no jobs have been lost; it is on an operational pause,” the company said in a statement. “We have robust supports in place to help mitigate the effects of this decision and are offering transfer opportunities at other Stellantis facilities whenever possible.”
Six takeaways from Canada's federal budget
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Here are six takeaways from the spending plan.
1. Canada must spend - but also make sacrifices
The budget includes billions of dollars in spending that could balloon Canada's deficit to C$78.3bn (£42.6bn) - the second biggest on record.Carney and Finance Minister Champagne have defended the massive spending plan, which will total C$280bn, as an investment to help boost Canada's global competitiveness and argued that a strategic injection of funds will attract C$1tn in investment back to Canada in the next five years.
It will fund a broad range of areas: highways, ports, electrical grids, digital corridors, defence, housing, and initiatives promised to boost Canada's productivity. They come in part from a reduction of 40,000 jobs in the public sector by the end of 2029 - about 10% of the workforce to be trimmed through attrition, job cuts and the widespread adoption of AI.
2. The country is already looking beyond the US
Due to its proximity and close cultural ties, the US has long been Canada's largest trading partner, with about 70% of trade moving south.
In the wake of Trump's tariffs and the uncertainty that came with them, Canada is looking to Europe and Asia, with the aim of doubling non-US exports over the next decade.
Carney's budget proposes millions in backing for businesses working to develop new export markets, and includes help with legal expenses and market research.
There is also a nod to growing cultural ties with Europe, like exploring Canada's participation in the Eurovision song contest.
With some firms hoping to save on trade costs by moving facilities south to the US, Carney is also proposing a raft of initiatives to make Canada more attractive. That includes a suite of measures that would lower Canada's marginal effective tax rate to 13.2% from 15.6%.
"This is a great message for investors," said Champagne, noting the rate will be lower than that in the US. And with many US universities facing uncertain funding under the Trump administration, the spending plan includes C$1.3bn to attract international researchers to Canadian universities, and money to support their research. Carney plans billions in new spending in response to US tariff shocks
3. Carney wants Canada to be a 'clean energy superpower'
Like other resource economies, Canada has grappled with balancing its need to increase production of commodities like oil and gas while maintaining its climate commitments. Oil-rich provinces like Alberta have lobbied the federal government to remove some enviromental initiatives, arguing they hurt development in the region. Carney's fiscal plan proposes making Canada a "clean energy superpower" by supporting the development of low-emission energy projects like nuclear reactors and lowcarbon liquified natural gas.
At the same time, the government is pushing for the development of carbon capture and storage technologies, as well as enhanced methane regulations.
It is also affirming its commitment to the industrial carbon tax, calling it a policy "that delivers more emissions reductions than any other". To encourage investment, the Carney government says it will work with provinces on what that carbon pricing would look like longterm to provide more stability to companies. These initiatives would replace an oil and gas emissions cap introduced by Carney's predecessor, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. All of this is billed under a Climate Competitiveness Strategy that the Carney
government says is "a central pillar of the plan for Canada to become the strongest economy in the G7".
4. Defence spending will rise - a lot Carney has pledged Canada will significantly boost defence spending to hit a Nato target of 2% of GDP this year and 5% by 2035, as the country grapples with an aggressive Russia and more powerful China, as well as threats to Arctic security.
The budget outlines C$81.8bn in defence spending over the next five years, the largest amount in decades for a country that has long lagged in military funding and struggled with procurement.
Spending includes pay increases for the armed forces, funding for digital infrastructure, and plans to develop Canadian supply chains. There is also C$182.6m over three years for the defence ministry to establish capability for space launches.
Another focus is the Arctic. The Carney government says it is eyeing the development of all-weather, dual-use infrastructure projects in Canada's north that can be used for both economic and security reasons, devoting C$1bn over four years to the endeavour.
5. Carney is undoing the Trudeau era Carney's first act as prime minister was getting rid of one of his predecessor's signature climate policies, the consumer carbon tax, which had become politically unpopular. He has continued to break from Trudeau, who was in power for nearly a decade, pushing back the electric-vehicle sales mandate and cancelling a proposed increase on Canada's capital gains tax.
The budget shows another major break, on immigration. Trudeau drastically increased the number of immigrants allowed into Canada, before announcing a sharp cut last year when concerns arose over the growing numbers of people and possible stress on housing and social services. Carney's budget significantly cuts targets for new temporary residents from 673,650 to 385,000 next year, and 370,000 in 2027 and 2028. There is also a one-time measure to speed the transition of up to 33,000 work permit holders to permanent residents. Other Trudeau-era policies now scrapped include the "2 Billion Trees" programme announced in 2019, which saw only around 160 million trees planted by late 2024, and the end of the 2022 luxury tax on vehicles and aircraft priced at more than C$100,000 and boats above C$250,000. The latter "was costing more to administer" than it collected in tax revenue, Champagne said.
6. Canadian businesses hurt by trade war need help now
The Trump administration's trade war is hitting a broad range of Canadian businesses, as it imposes a blanket 35% tariff on Canadian goods not covered by a free trade agreement, along with sector-specific levies on steel, aluminium, lumber and automobiles.
The Carney government wants to spend C$5bn over the next five years to help these sectors, including C$1bn to fund a transition for the steel industry towards new lines of business. It is also launching a loan facility, valued at C$10bn, intended to support "otherwise successful Canadian businesses" as they weather tariff-related storms. The first loan recipient is Algoma Steel Inc, an Ontario-based producer that has faced layoffs since the US tariffs were imposed. A proposed Buy Canadian Policy will also prioritise procuring Canadian goods and suppliers for government-funded projects. Part of Canada's response to the tariffs will be funded by revenue it has raised from its own countermeasures to US levies. As of October 2025, Canada has made $6.5bn in gross revenues from those measures, according to the budget.
FNPF holds $8.1 billion in members’ funds as total assets reach $10.6 billion
The Fiji National Provident Fund (FNPF) now manages total assets worth $10.6 billion, with $8.1 billion belonging to its members, according to General Manager for Business Transformation Millie Low.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Affairs, Ms. Low presented the Fund’s performance for the financial year ending 30 June 2024, highlighting both its financial strength and participation challenges.
“As of 30th June, we had about 423,000 members, of which only 264,000 were active,” Ms. Low said.
“When we say active members, what we mean is that we have received at least one contribution from these members in that financial year.”
She said only 14,100 active members were voluntary contributors from the informal sector, while the Fund currently has 8,488 active employers and about 7,800 pensioners. FNPF’s strong
financial position sees it holding 35 percent of Fiji’s financial system, second only to the banking sector.
“In terms of GDP, the Fund measures up to 78 percent of our gross domestic product based on 2024 figures from the Reserve Bank of Fiji,” Ms. Low told the Committee.
She said the Fund’s investment portfolio of over $10 billion is predominantly held in Fiji.
“About 58 percent of our portfolio is in defensive assets, and 90 percent of our investments are held locally,” she said.
Over the past five years, FNPF has credited an average annual interest rate of 6.95 percent to members’ accounts — a sign of continued financial stability and long-term focus.
“We continue to focus on ensuring our investments deliver consistent, stable returns for members while supporting Fiji’s broader economic development,” Ms. Low said.
Damning allegations
Suspended Fiji Corrections Service
Commissioner Dr Jalesi Nakarawa’s stepson, Jeremaia Yavala, was transferred from the engineering department to the CCTV unit after reportedly struggling with hard labour and requesting lighter duties. FCS Deputy Commissioner Auta Moceisuva told the tribunal in Suva yesterday that he had emailed an officer on October 28, 2024, instructing her to transfer Mr Yavala following a verbal directive from Dr Nakarawa, who said his stepson had complained to his mother about his work. The inquiry into Dr Nakarawa’s alleged misconduct is being heard by Justices Daniel Goundar, Dane Tuiqereqere and Savenaca Banuve.
saying it was not on the Ministry of Finance’s approved list. He said Dr Nakarawa had created the post on his own initiative, reallocating other positions to accommodate the new post despite two senior medical officers already above that level.
He told the tribunal that after he was summoned to explain why the nursing post had not been advertised, he received a demotion letter the following Monday, signed by Dr Nakarawa.
Mr Moceisuva also said Dr Nakarawa personally handed him his wife’s job application, dismissing conflict-of-interest concerns and insisting she was qualified.
Fijian
mother of
two killed in Auckland
A Fijian mother of two who was found dead in an Auckland apartment last week has been identified as Luisa Qeleseinikau Mate, 38.
Mate’s body was discovered by police at a Day Street apartment building after they were alerted to a possible incident.
A 38-year-old man known to her has since been charged with murder and appeared in court, New Zealand Herald has reported.
Originally from Fiji, Luisa was described by her family as a loving mother, devoted sister, and hardworking professional who had moved overseas to build a better life for her children.
“Luisa was the oldest of four siblings, a loving mother to her two beautiful boys, and a dedicated professional who worked hard to provide them with a better life,” said her brother Semi Mate in a post on GoFundMe. He has started a GoFundMe to raise money to bring his
sister’s body to Fiji.
“Through her hard work and determination, she was able to take her family overseas, always striving to give them the best opportunities possible. She was a light to everyone who knew her — caring, strong, and full of love,” the GoFundMe post states.
The family, devastated by the loss, has launched an appeal to repatriate her body to Fiji, where she will be laid to rest beside her late father.
“Our family’s greatest wish is to bring Luisa home to Fiji so she can rest close to our mother,” Semi said. “Unfortunately, the costs of repatriation, funeral arrangements, and related expenses are far beyond what our family can manage on our own. Any contribution, no matter how small, will help us bring Luisa home and give her the farewell she deserves.”
Vanua pledges support for Kamikamica
THE vanua of Tailevu will support one of the prominent sons of the province, former deputy prime minister Manoa Kamikamica, and respect the rule of law.
Council chairman Semi Matalau said the chiefs have their own opinions over the matter but the council has reiterated the law must be respected.
“I know our chiefs and the vanua will have their views but we all know what has happened and we respect his (Mr Kamikamica’s) decision and the law,” he said.
He resigned from his position as deputy prime minister and minister for trade, communications and public enterprises after FICAC charged him with perjury and lying to a civil servant.
Earlier this week, the same issue was brought up at the Lau Provincial Council meeting at which many clan heads said they were yet to receive their allowances. Yesterday, at the Tailevu Provincial Council meeting at Buretu Village, the same issue was raised resulting in different views expressed by council members.
Mr Yavala was later terminated for poor performance, absenteeism and an incident in which he was allegedly found intoxicated at a bus stand, which the FCS said brought disrepute to the service. Mr Moceisuva also testified about the creation of a nurse practitioner (NP) position,
He testified that the FCS Welfare and Sports Fund, chaired by him but approved by the Commissioner, made payments for furniture for Dr Nakarawa’s residence, the FCS Wives Association volleyball tournament, and boat fares for Dr Nakarawa’s wife – without any board meetings.
‘No mercy’warning for drug dealers
Drug dealers have been warned they should expect no mercy from the courts when they supply drugs to youths and use the income to buy alcohol. Magistrate Yogesh Prasad gave the warning while sentencing Marika Magita, a municipal council worker, to one year in prison for being in possession of marijuana and $186 identified as proceeds of crime. Court records showed that during a police patrol on October 3, officers observed the accused and a group of
youths acting suspiciously at Lami’s Tikaram Park. The officers searched them and found nine sachets of marijuana and $186.50 in cash.
The court classified Magita as a drug pusher.
“Selling drugs to youths for beer is an abhorrent act that warrants an immediate custodial sentence,” Mr Prasad said on Wednesday during sentencing. For his second count, a sentence of three months is concurrent with the one-year jail term.
Tamavua executive remanded over 640g cocaine shipment from Brazil
A 40-year-old General Manager from Tamavua charged following the interception of a cocaine shipment sent from Braziio has been further remanded in custody.
Shonal Sharma made his first appearance before Senior Magistrate Sufia Hamza at the Suva Magistrate’s Court this afternoon.
Mr Sharma has been charged with one count of Unlawful Importation of Illicit Drugs.
It is alleged that the consignment, addressed to the Mr Sharma’s company, arrived in the country on October 25 this year. The package, which was declared as a “smoke machine,” was flagged as suspicious after being detected by a drug detector dog during inspection.
When the package was opened, officers discovered that a device labeled as a smoke machine contained a motherboard with a black cover. Upon cutting the cover open, a white powdered substance was found hidden inside.
Preliminary tests confirmed the substance to be cocaine, weighing approximately 640 grams. Following this discovery, a controlled delivery was conducted.
On October 30, a police team intercepted a vehicle at the company’s car park and arrested Mr Sharma who was allegedly in possession of the package.
Mr Sharma is represented by Senior Lawyer Feizal Haniff from Haniff Tuitoga. The case has been adjourned to November 4 for consideration of bail.
“We will let the law take its course and we will respect whatever the outcome is.” Mr Kamikamica was at the meeting over the past two days.
One said the Government had promised through a past budget to pay clan heads allowances to financially help them with their work.
Russia blasts Pakistani daily for spreading "Russophobic" Western propaganda
The Russian Embassy in Pakistan has strongly criticised, Pakistani daily, The Frontier Post, accusing the English-language newspaper from Peshawar of running a "series of anti-Russian articles" and promoting "Western propaganda" against Moscow.
The embassy also noted that The Frontier Post has its global news service headquarters in Washington.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the embassy said the newspaper's international news section was being influenced by an Americanised editorial team, allegedly based in Washington, which it said "invariably gives preference to ardent Russophobes and critics of Russian foreign policy." The embassy said it was difficult to find even one article in the paper that spoke about Russia or its leadership in a neutral or positive way.
bias rather than freedom of speech, " the statement added.
The statement also noted that The Frontier Post, which has an entire section on Afghanistan, "completely ignored" the Moscow Format of Consultations on Afghanistan held on October 7, which was widely covered by other regional media.
"This approach further highlights the Russophobic nature of the Westernised editorial office," the embassy said.
"Recently, it has been impossible to find a single article in the international section of the newspaper that portrays Russia or its leadership in a positive or even neutral light," the statement said. It added that the continued publication of "anti-Russian" reports showed "political bias rather than freedom of speech."
"This barrage of anti-Russian articles containing standard Western propaganda and lacking any alternative viewpoint makes one wonder whether the editorial board's policy is based on political
The Russian mission went on to accuse the publication of echoing Western narratives about Russia's "weak economy" and "vulnerability to sanctions," calling such claims factually incorrect.
The embassy cited official figures showing that Russia's GDP grew by 4.1 per cent in 2024, with manufacturing up 8.5 per cent and an unemployment rate of 2.5 per cent.
"These are strange indicators for a country with an 'economy vulnerable to collapse,'" the statement said,
It further highlighted recent military developments, such as the testing of Russia's Burevestnik cruise missile and Poseidon underwater vehicle, as signs of continued strategic capability.
"We urge the Pakistani public to seek information from various sources and not rely on publications that serve the dubious interests of foreign sponsors," the statement said.
Pakistan rejects allegations that some Hindu pilgrims were denied entry into the country
Pakistan on Thursday rejected the allegations that some Indian Hindus who were part of a Sikh group were denied entry into the country as "unfounded and misleading".
A group of nearly 1,900 Sikh pilgrims crossed over to Pakistan through the Attari-Wagah border for Guru Nanak's birth anniversary celebrations on Tuesday. A Hindu man said he was sent back along with six of his family
members because of their religion.
"Pakistan categorically rejects the unfounded and misleading allegations that members of the Hindu community were denied entry into its territory," Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Husaain Andrabi said in response to media queries.
He said that a very small number of individuals were found to possess incomplete documentation and were unable to provide satisfactory responses to immigration authorities. Consequently, they were requested to return to the Indian side in accordance with standard procedures.
"To suggest that these individuals were denied entry on religious grounds is completely incorrect and mischievous," the spokesperson said, adding that Pakistan has always welcomed pilgrims of all faiths.
Pakistan, Afghanistan troops exchange fire as peace talks kick off
Afghan and Pakistani troops briefly exchanged fire along their shared border on Thursday, both nations said, on the same day talks to find a lasting peace restarted in Istanbul.
Both nations blamed each other for starting the exchange of gunfire near Spin Boldak, an Afghan border town towards the south of their 2,600-km frontier.
There were no reports of casualties, and spokespersons said they remained committed to a ceasefire and continued dialogue in Istanbul.
Both sides signed a ceasefire in Doha on October 19, but a second round of negotiations
in Istanbul last week ended without a long-term deal, due to a disagreement over militant groups hostile to Pakistan operating inside Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said Islamabad was pursuing a “one-point agenda” of convincing Afghanistan to rein in militants attacking Pakistani forces across their shared border, allegedly with the Taliban's knowledge. Sources said the head of Pakistan's military intelligence wing, Asim Malik, was leading the Pakistani delegation. The Afghan delegation is led by intelligence chief Abdul Haq Wasiq, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said.
Man gets 7-year jail for kidnapping daughter
A local court has sentenced Akash (22), a UP native, to seven-year rigorous imprisonment for kidnapping and abandoning his 11-month-old daughter Ishika in 2022.
The case was registered on a complaint filed by the child’s mother, Rinki. The accused, a resident of Trivedi Camp village, Mubarakpur, was convicted on October 30.
She had alleged that her husband took away the child. Despite extensive search, the police could not find the child’s body. However, on the basis of CCTV footage and the accused’s confession, the court convicted him. Atul Kasana, Sessions Judge, Mohali, in his order, held: “The period already undergone by the convict in custody in this case be set off against the substantive sentence imposed upon him.”
Delay in protection to couples violates right to life, says High Court
Holding that delay in granting protection to couples amounts to a violation of the fundamental right to life, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that protection must be extended immediately on the receipt of a request, particularly in marriage cases. Any refusal must be supported by a detailed, speaking order.
Justice Parmod Goyal asserted that the state authorities in protection matters were bound to first provide safeguard and then proceed to find out “whether any threat perception is made out or not”.
Warning of personal liability for delay, the court asserted: “In case protection is not awarded immediately on the receipt of an application made by a citizen, especially in case of marriage, the authorities shall be made liable for their inaction for not giving protection timely and seeking one or other report if any untoward incident takes place.”
The observations came on a petition filed by a couple who had married of their own free will and sought protection from the bride’s father and brother. Despite submitting a representation on October 19, action was not taken. The state counsel told the court that the representation had been received only a day earlier and would be decided “in due course”.
The court described the state counsel’s stand as “totally non-committal” before asserting that such a response effectively gave the SHO the
discretion to decide whether to grant protection, which the law did not permit. Justice Goyal made it clear that protection requests could not be entangled in bureaucratic red-tapism. “It is the duty of the nodal officer to immediately extend protection on the receipt of the application and make appropriate inquiry thereafter.”
The court added that the threat to life was to be decided immediately and could not be delayed. Denial of such protection amounted to violation of right to life vested in a citizen. The Bench added that the “purpose of protection is defeated if a person remains unprotected despite approaching the authorities”.
Referring to recurring cases where young couples faced violence for marrying against family wishes, Justice Goyal observed that the court repeatedly recognised the threat of honourbased violence.
“The court has always been fully aware about the prevalent socio-economic situation in the society and also the fact that violence in the name of honour killing or protecting honour takes place against such young boys and girls, who go against wishes of their parents or norms set by society and therefore, the authorities cannot be vested with the power to delay the protection to young couple without passing a speaking order giving reasons for the denial of protection. The authorities must take responsibility of their actions,” the Bench added.
Over 100 duped in immigration scam, 3 arrested
The anti-immigration fraud unit here has arrested three members, including the mastermind, of an inter-state gang that allegedly duped over 100 people on the pretext of sending them abroad.
During the raids, the police recovered 874 grams of gold and diamond jewellery (around 25% diamond content) worth Rs 1.25 crore, Rs 26.50 lakh, 12 mobile phones, a laptop, 25 ATM cards, two passports, and an XUV 500.
Investigations revealed that the gang operated across Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, maintaining fake bank accounts and SIM cards, possibly with insider help from bank and telecom staff.
Panchkul ACP Vikram Nehra stated that on July 22, Sector 32 resident Shivcharan Singh
Avoid walks in high pollution areas, stay hydrated, Mohali residents advised
The district Health Department has issued a public advisory urging residents to use precautions for protection from rising air pollution. The advisory also discourages open burning of wood, leaves, crop residue and waste as well as the use of firecrackers, which contribute to air pollution.
Colder weather combined with stubble burning significantly worsens air quality increasing the risk of illness especially among vulnerable groups of people.
Children, elderly people, pregnant women, people suffering from chronic respiratory diseases and people with low immunity need to be more careful these days.
The advisory recommends avoiding areas with heavy traffic and industrial emissions and checking the Air Quality Index (AQI) before planning outdoor activities.
Citizens are advised to visit the Central Pollution Control Board website for real-time AQI updates. On days when AQI exceeds 200, one should avoid outdoor walks, jogging and
strenuous physical activities particularly during early or late evening hours. Windows and doors should remain closed during these times to minimise exposure. Mohali Civil Surgeon Dr Sangeeta Jain said cases of viral fever, cough, cold, headache, nervousness and respiratory problems are increasing these days, due to which the residents should take precautions to protect themselves from air pollution.
The advisory emphasised that individuals experiencing symptoms such as difficulty in breathing, coughing, chest discomfort, dizziness or eye irritation should visit the nearest government health facility and consult the doctor.
To reduce exposure during high pollution days, it is recommended to drive with windows closed and opt for public transportation whenever possible. Indoor air pollution should also be minimized by avoiding the use of mosquito coils and incense sticks in enclosed spaces. People should avoid spending extended periods near congested roads and avoid exercising in high traffic areas.
Fire breaks out at scrap godown in Chandigarh
A massive fire broke out at a scrap godown near the fish market in Shastri Nagar late Wednesday night, causing panic among local residents. Two fire tenders from Manimajra battled the blaze for nearly four hours before bringing it under control around 4 am.
No csualties have been reported. Fire officials said an alert was received again around 9:26 am today after the fire reignited in parts of the debris. Teams were rushed back to prevent further spread of the
fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined. On Diwali, a similar incident was reported near Shastri Nagar, drawing much attention to open scrap godowns that are vulnerable to such fires, often caused by the bursting of firecrackers in the vicinity. Many scrap dealers on the city’s periphery, as well as in Sectors 42 and 24, reportedly keep scrap material outside their shops in residential areas, creating conditions conducive to such mishaps.
lodged a complaint with the Chandimandir police, alleging that he wanted to send his son, Gurvinder Singh, to Australia. Through an acquaintance, he was introduced to Sahil Sharma of Ambala, who posed as an authorised agent for overseas placement. Sharma demanded Rs 14 lakh — Rs 5 lakh was transferred to his account and Rs 9 lakh paid in cash.
The police arrested Paramjit Singh of Fatehgarh Sahib from Kharar on October 24 following a tip-off. He was found using a fake identity, “Pradeep Singh”. His interrogation led to the arrest of the main accused, Sahil Sharma, from a rented accommodation in Jaipur on November 3. According to the police, Sahil, an MBA graduate, had previously been appointed as a government teacher.
He frequently changed locations using fake SIM cards and multiple mobile phones and had recently shifted operations to Rajasthan to expand his network. He used forged identities to dupe people. He had earlier been arrested by the Jalandhar police under a false name but absconded after being released on bail. Sharma has been declared a proclaimed offender in six cases in Punjab. A woman accomplice, Ramanpreet Kaur of Yamunanagar, was brought on production warrant.
INS Ikshak joins Navy can map seabeds for minerals
The Navy’s indigenously built warship, INS Ikshak, having the capability to study under-sea hydrography, was commissioned on Thursday at the naval base in Kochi, Kerala.
The INS Ikshak, is the third of four ships which are classified as ‘survey vessel large’. The hydrographic data that these ships generate is a strategic necessity, not just for naval operations such as submarines, but for commercial application. The ship is equipped for full-scale coastal and also deep-water hydrographic survey of ports and high seas. Closer to shore, the INS Ikshak can determine navigational channels needed for submarines and
underwater unmanned vessels. The ship will collect oceanographic and geophysical data for defence and civil applications.
Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, while presiding over the commissioning ceremony, said the survey vesselsmet a fundamental need of the maritime world, both naval and commercial.
“Today, with an intensified focus on seabed mapping for critical minerals and activities impacting climate change, both, on land and at sea, precise hydrographic data transcends utility. It becomes a strategic necessity,” the Navy Chief added.
India, France need "to get AI developed in a way that is closer to our cultures": French special envoy
France's Special Envoy for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Anne Bouverot, stated that India and France need to collaborate to create AI that understands and reflects their respective cultures, rather than merely following Western ideas.
"AI chatbots are like concentrated packs of culture or expressions of culture. You can think about the very few languages in which the chatbots are available. If you ask for an image of a wedding, it will give you a woman in white and a man in a black suit. And that's true in some cultures, but that's not true in all cultures," she said.
She added that both India and France have rich and diverse cultures that should be better represented in technology. "I think we share between India and France, where our cultures are broader and richer. We share a view that we need to work together to get AI developed in a way that is closer to our needs and to our cultures," Bouverot said.
Bouverot said that 2026 will be an important year for joint innovation between India and
France, with both countries planning to connect their startups and AI ecosystems. "2026 will be the year of French-Indian innovation. And that's a great opportunity to get our ecosystems, our startups, to work together," she added.
She also stated that India and France share a similar vision for utilising AI for the benefit of the people. "I think we have a very good alignment between the vision from France and the vision from India that AI needs to be useful for our people, our users, our citizens. And therefore, I'm very interested in any use cases, in agriculture, commerce, education, and healthcare," Bouverot said. Talking about AI regulation and ethics, Bouverot said that France and India are both trying to find a balance between encouraging innovation and ensuring safety and privacy.
"We don't give lessons, we're very willing to collaborate. Nobody gives lessons to anyone. I think we are ourselves trying to find out the right balance between innovation and regulation," she said.
Australian report shows how easily New Delhi can cripple Islamabad without firing a single bullet
Islamabad is learning the hard way that its hostility toward India could backfire. A new report from Sydney has revealed a harsh truth that's keeping Pakistani generals awake at night: Pakistan's survival depends entirely on India's mercy.
Australia's Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), one of the world's most respected think tanks, just dropped a bombshell in its 'Ecological Threat Report 2025' that has sent shockwaves through Islamabad. The finding is stark and terrifying for Pakistan: India now possesses the technical capability to alter the flow of the Indus Riverand Pakistan is powerless to stop it.
This isn't just another academic study. This is a death sentence hanging over Pakistan's head, and India holds the rope.
The crisis couldn't come at a worse time for Islamabad. Following the horrific Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 innocent people, India launched Operation Sindoor, devastating multiple terrorist camps inside Pakistan, and suspended the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty that had guaranteed Pakistan's water supply for over six decades.
Here's the nightmare scenario keeping Islamabad in panic mode: 80% of Pakistan's agricultural land depends entirely on water from the Indus River system. Not 50%. Not 60%. Eighty
percent. And that water flows from India.
Pakistan's densely populated plains, where millions survive on farming, are completely dependent on rivers that India can now control without violating any agreement, because Pakistan's terrorism forced India to suspend the treaty.
The IEP report makes Pakistan's vulnerability crystal clear: the country has storage capacity for just 30 days of water. Thirty days. That's it. Any disruption to the river flow, and Pakistan faces immediate, catastrophic water shortages that could trigger famines, economic collapse, and mass migration.
India doesn't need to completely stop the water flow to bring Pakistan to its knees. The Australian report reveals that minor adjustments to dam operations during critical periods, like summer, could devastate Pakistan's agricultural heartland.
Think about that. India doesn't need to declare war. Doesn't need to fire missiles. Doesn't need to send troops across the border. Just turn a few valves on dam gates during peak agricultural season, and Pakistan's economy starts crumbling.
The report detailed how this situation has already begun unfolding. After India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty, it released water from the Chenab River without consulting Pakistan.
Bishnoi gang’s growing violence in Canada
In a brazen display of defiance, the Lawrence Bishnoi gang has stepped up its violent operations in Canada, just days after India and Canada pledged to strengthen cooperation against transnational crime. Despite being officially declared a terrorist organisation by Ottawa, the gang’s network continues to grow and spread fear across Canadian cities. Within a single week, the gang claimed responsibility for two shootings, one of which left Indian-origin businessman Darshan Singh Sahsi dead outside his home in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Another attack targeted the Surrey residence of Punjabi singer Chani Nattan, with the assailants posting a video of the shooting online.
Monday-Friday - 12:00pm - 9:30pm
A man identifying himself as Goldy Dhillon, an associate of the Bishnoi gang, later claimed on social media that Sahsi had been involved in drug trafficking and was killed for refusing to pay extortion money.
The gang’s mastermind, Lawrence Bishnoi, currently imprisoned in Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati Jail, continues to run his sprawling criminal network from behind bars. His influence now extends far beyond India, reaching into Canada’s Punjabi diaspora and criminal underworld.
series of targeted shootings across British Columbia and Ontario.
Kapil Sharma’s Café Under Fire
Comedian Kapil Sharma’s Kap’s Café in Surrey, British Columbia, has been attacked three times since its opening in July. The latest assault, on 16 October, left the café’s façade riddled with bullets. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. The first two attacks occurred on 10 July and 7 August, prompting Indian authorities to review Sharma’s security arrangements in Mumbai and elsewhere. Gunfire At Brampton Restaurant
Rising Violence Amid Diplomatic Cooperation
Earlier this month, India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal announced that both countries had agreed to enhance intelligence-sharing and take joint measures to combat organised crime. The understanding followed a meeting in New Delhi between India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and his Canadian counterpart Nathalie Drouin.
“Both sides held productive discussions on strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially in counter-terrorism, transnational organised crime, and intelligence exchanges,” Jaiswal said, adding that engagement mechanisms would be reinforced.
Yet, the Bishnoi gang’s sudden escalation in violence after being listed as a terrorist entity suggests an attempt to assert dominance, maintain control over its members, and send a message to rivals and critics within the diaspora.
The gang’s growing audacity was evident in a
On the same day as the café shooting, gunmen opened fire at Zamindar Bar & Grill in Brampton, Ontario.
CCTV footage showed two assailants dressed in black firing repeatedly before fleeing. Soon after, gang member Goldy Dhillon posted online claiming responsibility, warning the restaurant owner to “show respect” or face further consequences.
Multiple Attacks In Surrey And Maple Ridge
In early October, the gang targeted several properties owned by a Surrey restaurateur, again with Dhillon taking responsibility. He accused the businessman of exploiting employees and threatened similar attacks on others. Days earlier, the gang had also attacked the home and business premises of their rival Navi Tesi, accusing him of extorting money in Bishnoi’s name.
All these incidents occurred after Canada’s decision to designate the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist organisation, underlining its defiance and growing reach.
A Cross-Border Challenge
The latest wave of violence highlights how the Bishnoi gang has evolved from a domestic criminal outfit into a transnational threat. What once operated from the streets of Punjab and Haryana now functions through networks stretching across continents.
Despite recent commitments from both New Delhi and Ottawa to clamp down on organised crime, the gang’s continued aggression signals not retreat, but expansion. Its message is unmistakable, the Bishnoi empire intends to maintain control, regardless of borders or official bans.
The sole survivor of the Air India plane crash, which killed 241 people on board, has said he feels like the "luckiest man" alive, but is also suffering physically and mentally.
Viswashkumar Ramesh walked away from the wreckage of the London-bound flight in Ahmedabad in extraordinary scenes that amazed the world. He said it was a "miracle" he escaped but told how he has lost everything, as his younger brother Ajay was a few seats away on the flight and died in the crash in June.
Since returning to his home in Leicester, Mr Ramesh has struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), his advisers said, and has been unable to speak to his wife and four-year-old son.
"I lost my brother as well. My brother is my backbone. Last few years, he was always supporting me." He described the devastating impact the ordeal has had on his family life.
"Now I'm alone. I just sit in my room alone, not talking with my wife, my son. I just like to be alone in my house," Mr Ramesh said.
He spoke from his hospital bed in India at the time, describing how he had managed to unbuckle himself and crawl out of the wreckage, and met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while receiving treatment for his injuries.
Why a popular Hindu temple in India is mired in gold theft row
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A two-judge bench that is monitoring the investigation has been holding regular hearings in the case since September and the next sitting is on Wednesday.
The hill shrine, dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Ayyappa, had made headlines a few years back too. The temple bars women of menstruating age and was ordered by the Supreme Court to end this discrimination. But following protests, the court agreed to review its landmark ruling and put it on hold.
The current controversy centres around two idols of Dwarapalakas - or the door guards that stand just outside the sanctum sanctorum where the main deity sits.
allowed the main suspect Unnikrishnan Potty - a former assistant priest at Sabarimala - to take out the idols for fresh gold-cladding.
Two months later when they were brought back, they were not weighed, but the court says that later investigations have revealed they were a lot lighter. Further investigation by the SIT has revealed pilferage also from the pedestals and door frames and the court says that approximately 4.54kg gold has gone missing since 2019.
"A heist and plundering of gold" - that's how the judges have described the case of the missing gold.
The temple does not allow women of menstruating age so only young girls or elderly female pilgrims can visit the shrine
Flames engulfed the Boeing 787 flight when it went down shortly after take-off in western India.
Shocking video shared at the time showed Mr Ramesh walking away from the aftermath with seemingly superficial injuries, as smoke billowed in the background.
Of the passengers and crew killed, 169 were Indian nationals and 52 were Britons, while 19 others were killed on the ground. A preliminary report into the crash, published by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in July, said fuel supply to the engines was cut off just seconds after take-off. Meanwhile, an investigation is ongoing and the airline said care for Mr Ramesh, and all families affected by the tragedy.
"Modi a great man, friend of mine": Trump hints at possible India visit next year amid ongoing trade talks
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him "a great man" and "a friend," while hinting that he may visit India next year as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen trade relations between the two nations.
Speaking to reporters at the White House after announcing a new deal to lower the prices of weight loss drugs, Trump said his talks with PM Modi were "going great."
"He (PM Modi) largely stopped buying from Russia. And he is a friend of mine, and we speak. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a great man. He is a friend of mine, and we speak and he wants me to go there. We will figure that out, I will go... Prime Minister Modi is a great man and I will be going," Trump said. When asked directly if he planned to travel to India next year, Trump replied, "It could be, yes."
This comes months after The New York Times, in its August report, had said that US President Donald Trump no longer intends to visit India for the upcoming Quad Summit later this year, following Washington's decision to impose heavy tariffs. Citing sources familiar with the President's schedule, the report, titled "The Nobel Prize
and a Testy Phone Call: How the Trump-Modi Relationship Unravelled", noted that although Trump had earlier assured Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he would attend the summit in the fall, the plan has now been dropped.
Trump made these comments during a White House press briefing where officials unveiled a new initiative aimed at reducing the cost of popular weight loss drugs across the United States. The event briefly paused after a company representative fainted during the announcement. "During the Most Favoured Nations Oval Office Announcement, a representative with one of the companies fainted. The White House Medical Unit quickly jumped into action, and the gentleman is okay. The press conference will resume shortly," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Earlier on Tuesday, reaffirming Trump's commitment to strengthening bilateral ties, Leavitt said, "The President is positive and feels very strongly about the India-US relationship. A few weeks ago, he spoke to the Prime Minister directly when he celebrated Diwali in the Oval Office with many high-ranking Indian-American officials here at the White House."
The court took up the case in September after a report by the court-appointed Sabarimala Special Commissioner revealed that the idols were stripped of their gold-cladding in many places.
In a series of court orders since then, Justices Raja Vijayaraghavan V and KV Jayakumar say they have looked at the records submitted by temple officials, before-and-after photographs and other documents that the SIT has gathered into "this extraordinary case involving the pilferage of Lord Ayyappa's sacred valuables".
The judges said when they directed the temple officials to produce complete files and records relating to the repair of the idols, "little did we realise, that we were in fact opening a hornet's nest". Temple records show that 30.291kg golddonated by now-disgraced billionaire businessman Vijay Mallya - was used in 1998-99 to carry out gold-cladding on the idols and several parts of the temple, including some pillars, door arches and panels depicting stories of Lord Ayyappa.
The court says that in July 2019, the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) that manages the temple
What was highly unusual was that Mr Potty was allowed to take out the idols since repair work is generally done within the temple, the court noted. It added that "while handing over the precious items to him", the temple board had recorded gold-cladded items as "copper plates".
The judges have also been scathing in their criticism of the temple board for "wrongfully permitting " Mr Potty "to retain approximately 474.9g of gold" after the repairs.
Referring to an email Mr Potty sent to the board seeking permission to use this "surplus gold" for the "marriage of a girl known or related to him", the court said it was "deeply disturbing and exposes, yet again, the extent of the impropriety involved".
Mr Potty has been arrested and sent to judicial custody by a magistrate and the we have not been able to speak to him.
But on his way out from the court after his arrest, he shouted at the throng of waiting reporters that he was being "trapped".
"The truth will come out. Those who trapped me in this will face the law. Everything will be revealed," he said.
India airlifts 270 nationals from Thailand who fled Myanmar's cyber scam hub
India on Thursday brought back 270 of its nationals, including 26 women, from Thailand’s Mae Sot town after they allegedly escaped from cyber scam centres operating across the border in Myanmar’s Myawaddy region.
The operation was coordinated by the embassy of India in Bangkok and the consulate in Chiang Mai in close collaboration with the Thai authorities. Two special Indian Air Force (IAF) flights were deployed to ferry the rescued citizens back home. According to official sources, the Indian nationals were detained by the Thai authorities for illegally crossing the border from Myanmar, where they were reportedly employed in cyberfraud syndicates. “The repatriation was facilitated in coordination with various agencies of the Royal Thai government,” the Indian embassy said. Many of the rescued individuals are believed to have been victims of job scams, lured with false promises of lucrative IT employment opportunities, only to
find themselves forced into online fraud operations in lawless enclaves run by transnational criminal syndicates.
The embassy added that both Indian missions in Thailand and Myanmar were continuing efforts to secure the release and return of more nationals still stranded in scam hubs. The repatriation comes days after New Delhi confirmed plans to bring back around 500 Indians trapped in Thailand and Myanmar following a crackdown on cybercrime operations by Myanmar’s military in the notorious KK Park compound and nearby zones.
The Indian authorities have once again cautioned citizens against falling prey to fake job offers abroad, urging them to verify the credentials of recruiting agents and employers before accepting overseas employment. “Visa-free entry into Thailand for Indian passport holders is meant strictly for tourism and short business visits and should not be misused for employment,”.
