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www.theasianstar.com
#215 - 7110, 12
VOL 25 - ISSUE 50
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31, 2026
Foreign students heavily involved in extortion
Police release photos of 2 international students charged with firearm offences in Surrey
On Tuesday, Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke called on the federal government to declare a national state of emergency and step in to help the B.C. city grapple with an escalating wave of extortion involving shootings and arsons linked to organized crime. The appeal follows a series of violent incidents in which bullets were fired into homes, businesses were torched after refusing extortion demands, and families were targeted with video-recorded threats seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars. What police once described as episodic gang violence has hardened into a sustained campaign of intimidation, increasingly affecting law-abiding residents and business owners across the city. Locke has called on Ottawa to provide enhanced federal policing support, stronger tools to disrupt transnational criminal networks, and tougher measures to address extortion operations directed from abroad. Continued on Page 10...
Police in Surrey have released photos of the two men charged with firearm-related offences in hopes of furthering the “ongoing police investigation.” Harshdeep Singh, 20, and Hanspreet Singh, 21, have been charged with “occupying a vehicle knowing a firearm is present.” Harshdeep is also charged with one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. Surrey Police officers, part of Project Assurance, were proactively patrolling areas targeted by extortion at around 3:50 a.m. Monday morning, when they heard gunshots. Police located Singh’s vehicle, and he and a passenger were taken into custody. Continued on Page 10...
Canada is the 'food inflation capital' of the G7, as food prices climbed 6.2% over the past year If your grocery bill has started feeling like a monthly shock, you're not imagining it. According to food policy experts and official data, Canada now has the fastest rate of food price growth in the G7, a distinction with
real consequences for households across the country — and one that will come as little surprise to anyone responsible for filling a fridge or pantry. Statistics Canada reported that food prices climbed 6.2% over the past year, the fastest pace since 2023 (1). By comparison, U.S. food inflation was roughly half that level, based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data (2). The widening gap has led some economists to describe Canada as the “food inflation capital of the G7,” highlighting the outsized pressure Canadian families face relative to their peers in other advanced economies. Continued on Page 10...
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India and the EU clinch the 'mother of all deals' in a historic trade agreement
India and the European Union reached a free trade agreement to deepen economic and strategic ties, officials said Tuesday, after nearly two decades of negotiations. The accord, which the head of the EU's executive branch described as the "mother of all deals," could affect as many as 2 billion people. It will likely take several months before the agreement takes effect. The deal between two of the world's biggest markets comes as Washington targets both the Asian powerhouse and the EU bloc with steep import tariffs, disrupting established trade flows and pushing major economies to seek alternate partnerships. Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at the beginning of a Cabinet Planning Forum at the Citadelle in Quebec City, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Continued on Page 10...
Indian man charged with smuggling people to US
A 22-year-old citizen of India has been indicted here for his role in a scheme to smuggle Indian nationals from Canada across the northern border into the United States. Continued on Page 2...
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