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VOL 25 - ISSUE 40
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
South Asian drug kingpin pleads guilty to smuggling meth in California A Surrey gangster linked to the Brothers Keepers has pleaded guilty in California to conspiracy for his role in smuggling methamphetamine around the globe. Opinder Sian, who was indicted last summer, entered the guilty plea on Monday before U.S. District Court Judge David O. Carter, court records show. The 16-page plea agreement, signed by Sian and his lawyer on Nov. 12, said there would be a recommendation for a lower sentence because of the guilty plea. The mandatory minimum for the crime is 10 years, with the
maximum being life. The plea deal says that between Sept. 27, 2022 and Oct. 22, 2023, Sian “knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with co-conspirators to export methamphetamine from the Port of Long Beach, California, to Sydney, Australia.” The document also said that during the conspiracy, he “co-ordinated the delivery of methamphetamine on behalf of co-conspirators to an individual who (the) defendant believed would facilitate the transportation of methamphetamine” to Australia. Continued on Page 6...
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Modi’s US energy deal hits trade, energy and electoral targets
Today we bring you an interesting energy deal, Modi’s triumph in Bihar and a kingmaker’s ambition for his state. The week opened with an energy deal that targets bilateral trade, energy security and electoral promises, all in one go. State-owned oil companies have closed India’s first term contract with the US to import about 2.2 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas in 2026. That’s roughly equal to 10% of the country’s imports of the key cooking fuel. Continued on Page 10...
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Rising cost of food is changing how Canadians eat, survey shows
A survey of Canadians' perceptions around food affordability and purchasing behaviours suggests that consumers have changed how they shop, cook and eat in response to rising prices. The latest edition of the Canadian Food Sentiment Index, released by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab in partnership with online data platform Caddle, said food remains the dominant household financial concern for Canadians. More than four-in-five survey respondents indicated it's their top expense pressure. While that was down from 84.1 per cent of respondents a year ago, it still far outpaces other day-to-day expense concerns, such as utilities, household items and supplies, housing, transportation and entertainment. Continued on Page 10...
Affordability crisis can be fixed through productivity: BOC As Canadians struggle with the high cost of living, the Bank of Canada says the key to making life more affordable for the long-term is by increasing the economy’s overall productivity. That’s what was described by the central bank’s external deputy governor Nicolas Vincent, who gave a speech at an event in Quebec on Wednesday. Vincent said that by improving productivity, Canadians would see their incomes rise while also keeping inflation low. Vincent’s proposal suggests it may be more effective to find ways to increase the amount
Canadians earn rather than focusing on lowering prices for goods, services and housing. “Deep down, Canada’s affordability problem is really a productivity problem. … To make things more affordable, we need to raise our income. Continued on Page 6...
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Pipeline deal from Alberta to BC North Coast reportedly in the works, speculation remains There is a lot of speculation in Ottawa that a new deal is imminent for a pipeline to move Alberta oil to B.C.’s North Coast. The Alberta and federal governments are said to be close to signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to move forward with the project. It would include new or expanded port facilities in Prince Rupert or Kitimat, which would require at least a partial repeal of the North Coast tanker ban. The federal government said it would seek
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support for the project from the B.C. government and the First Nations, who currently oppose the ban. Continued on Page 7...
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Canada investing more than $500 million in European Space Agency programs Industry Minister Melanie Joly says the government is ramping up its investment in European Space Agency programs by $528.5 million. Joly made the announcement at the SpaceBound 2025 Conference in Ottawa today. She says the investment in ESA programs creates new opportunities for Canada’s own space sector to thrive and build a competitive industrial base. Canada’s investment is intended for research and development on Canadian-made technology. The news release says the
investment represents a tenfold increase over previous contributions. Canada is the only non-European country partnered in the European Space Agency, an arrangement that dates back to 1979.
The intensive care unit serving Port Alberni, B.C. and west coast communities on Vancouver Island has closed with no firm timeline for a reopening, sparking concern over patient care in an already strained health-care system. “The ripple effects of this on the other hospitals in the region (Nanaimo, Comox) are going to be felt pretty acutely,” says Brennan Day, CourtenayComox MLA and B.C.’s rural health and senior’s health critic. “Putting any more pressure on an already breaking system in these other communities is not a long-term solution.” Island Health says West Coast General Hospital has fallen short of specialty-trained nurses and physicians to staff the hospital’s three-bed ICU. “I totally understand the concern. I think for people who live in the Alberni Valley, people like me who provide care in the Alberni Valley: Of course all of us want that ICU open,” says Dr. Ben Williams, Island Health’s vice-president of medicine, quality, research and chief medical officer. “And our biggest obligation is to make sure we can provide safe and consistent care. We can’t do that right now.” Williams says physicians at WCGH asked to focus resources where they could “make the biggest difference.” The emergency department remains open, so patients should still seek support when they need it. Anyone who needs to be admitted to an ICU will be transferred by ground or air ambulance to another hospital – until the health authority can hire more people to reopen the unit. “The rate that we’re attracting nurses and physicians into the system is not nearly the replacement rate that’s required,” says Day. He believes one issue is a lack of central co-ordination at the provincial -level causing unintended consequences. “We keep trying to steal from one area to sort out another and it ratchets up the problems,” says Day. “The nursing bonuses for rural retention incentives is a great concept, but that pulls nurses away from areas like this that don’t have that rural retention bonus. So they need to streamline this
much, much more and put a lot more thought into unintended consequences of some of these decisions.” The B.C. Nurses’ Union says there’s a global nursing shortage, so the province needs to ensure it has a health-care system where those professionals want to be. “I think there’s lots we can do to make nursing in general more attractive and that is to start with improving working conditions,” says BCNU president Adriane Gear. “When there’s not enough resources, enough staff resources in the system to provide the care that patients require and deserve – nurses experience a lot of moral distress. And after a while they just don’t want to be nurses anymore… We need to create the conditions of work where nurses feel respected, where they have enough resources, where they’re safe, where nurses aren’t fearful of you know violence and thinks like that. That goes a long way.” Island Health’s chief medical officer says hiring will take time. There is no estimate on a reopening for Port Alberni’s ICU, which IH claims sees on average roughly one patient admitted every two days. And about 30 per cent of patients who arrived at WCGH needing intensive care were already being transferred to other hospitals. “That service from my point of view has to be dependable. We have to know what’s going to be our tomorrow if we admit someone today – and our staffing right now just doesn’t allow for that,” says Williams. “We have to do what’s right for patients and what’s safe. And that means getting those patients to the location where we can guarantee them the care they deserve.”
Wet weekend expected for B.C.'s South Coast as rain, snow warnings issued
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B.C.'s north and central coast could see up to 70 millimetres of rain as a frontal system sweeps through the region on Thursday, with forecasters saying a wet weekend is also on the cards for the South Coast. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued rainfall warnings for a stretch of the coastal region that includes Bella Coola to Kitimat. The weather office says the heavy rainfall could result in washouts near local rivers and creeks, as well as water pooling on roads. The rain is expected to taper off by Friday. Environment Canada also expanded its snowfall warning in northwestern B.C., which previously only covered Haines Road between Yukon and the Alaskan Panhandle. The warning now includes White Pass, south of Carcross, with up to 30 centimetres of snow expected. Further south, the weather office says 50 km/h gusts could come to Vancouver on Friday as rain is forecast for the region. Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon says the South Coast is in for a wet stretch this weekend — before colder, drier air arrives early next week. “As we approach this weekend, we're going to see … rain falling in the Metro Vancouver area and some in the Whistler Village area as well,” he said. Sekhon says freezing levels — the elevation at which temperatures reach 0 C — will sit
around 1,500 metres in Whistler and roughly 2,000 metres over the North Shore mountains this weekend as a warm front moves through. That means precipitation in the mountains will fall mostly as rain. But conditions shift Sunday night into Monday, when a cold front is expected to sweep in. “That’s when we could see freezing levels around 600 or 700 metres,” he said, adding that temperatures will return to “closer to normal for this time of year.” Sekhon says the forecast for next week is still difficult to pin down. Models aren’t yet clear on how much moisture will move through — but any precipitation that does arrive could fall as snow on higher terrain, including ski hills. He also urged drivers to be prepared as winter conditions settle in. “Make sure you have good tires — we recommend winter tires — and carry an emergency kit," the meteorologist advised. Sekhon is urging travellers and drivers to be prepared as winter conditions develop. “Whether you’re driving up to the ski hills or just around town, make sure you have good tires,” he said. Winter tires or chains are currently mandatory for all vehicles on most B.C. highways. The rules come into effect every year starting on Oct. 1, and last until March 31, or April 30 for select highways such as mountain passes and rural routes in high snowfall areas.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Large fire breaks out near Alex Fraser Bridge in North Delta
P.E.I. man facing what police say are 1st terrorism charges laid in Atlantic Canada A North Rustico, P.E.I., man already under a terrorism peace bond is now facing what police say are the first terrorism charges ever laid in Atlantic Canada. Daniel Desmond Crowder is facing two charges in connection with 3D-printed firearms and issuing threats, RCMP said in a news release Wednesday. The charges include: • Knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity by possessing weapons and manufacturing firearms and firearm components. • Possessing weapons, 3D-printing equipment, tire puncturing devices, instructional literature and guides on manufacturing an AR-15, manufactured firearms and firearms components, intending that they be used, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, for the purpose of facilitating or carrying out a terrorist activity. “Mr. Crowder was making threats online to people and organizations, and with this 3D printer, he was printing components for weapons that are illegal in Canada,” Cpl. Erique Gasse, media relations officer for Eastern Region RCMP, told CBC News. “All that together, when we talk with Public Prosecution Service of Canada, we are now comfortable to lead those charges against that individual.” Crowder had been under a oneyear terrorism peace bond that took effect Aug. 18. The bond, a tool rarely used in Atlantic Canada, is one of the measures police say they used to keep the community safe during the investigation. It remains in effect. Police say Crowder is in custody
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and there is no evidence of any ongoing risk to the public. “This case should not be seen as reflective of broader trends in our community,” the RCMP release reads. “P.E.I. remains one of the safest places in Canada, and this case demonstrates police readiness to respond to even the most serious threats.” The two terrorism charges come on top of multiple charges already laid against Crowder earlier this year related to manufacturing firearms (allegedly using a 3D printer), weapons possession and uttering threats. The charges were related to evidence found when police executed a search warrant at a home in central P.E.I. Lee-Ann Conrod, senior Crown counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada, said Crowder had been on release under the peace bond until Monday, when he was arrested on the new charges and brought before the court. He has been held in custody since. Crowder will appear again Thursday when the court will set a date for a bail hearing, if one is requested. Conrod added that there is a publication ban on details relating to the bail hearing. “There's very limited information at this time that's public, and that's just to ensure fairness of the ongoing proceedings,” she said. “All that I can say is that the Crown is opposed to Mr. Crowder’s release pending trial.” He is also scheduled to return to court on Dec. 9 for arraignment on the federal terrorism charges. His provincial charges — handled separately by P.E.I.'s Crown — are also going before the court that same day.
A large fire burning in an industrial area east of the Alex Fraser Bridge in North Delta sent a plume of smoke into the air along the Fraser River Thursday morning. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority confirmed that the fire was burning “at the site of a former mill under demolition” on portowned land. “The fire department is on site responding, and there are currently no impacts to port operations,” a spokesperson said. Images from the scene in the 9300 block of Alaska Way show smoke billowing into the air as crews work to contain the flames, which can be seen erupting from the centre of a large warehouse. Delta Fire and Emergency Services told CTV News it was called to the scene around 9:10 a.m., and crews from Surrey also responded to the blaze.
In all, approximately 30 firefighters and nine apparatus from Delta battled the fire, along with six apparatus from Surrey, the Delta department said. Crews had brought the fire under control by early afternoon, but were still working to fully extinguish it as of 1:30 p.m. “There have been no reports of any injuries or missing occupants and the cause of the fire remains undetermined at this time,” the department said. Metro Vancouver posted on social media that it is monitoring air quality as a result of the blaze, which burned on the south shore of the river, opposite Annacis Island. DriveBC said the bridge and Highway 17 remained “open and unaffected” by the blaze. Likewise, the Delta Police Department said it was part of the initial response to the fire and helped with “containment,” but soon cleared the scene.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Carney signs UAE investment pact, launches trade Bell slashes nearly 700 jobs in latest round of layoffs Bell Canada says it's cutting approximately 690 in growth over the last year, and major players like talks during Abu Dhabi visit employees, mostly managers, to help reduce debt BCE and Rogers have shed some of their assets in Prime Minister Mark Carney signed an investment-protection agreement Thursday with the United Arab Emirates during a visit to Abu Dhabi that has involved limited media access as concerns grow the country is fuelling ethnic violence in Sudan.
Carney announced the investment pact after a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and also launched talks for a full trade deal aimed at an eventual comprehensive economic partnership agreement. The prime minister also met Thursday morning with Industry Minister Sultan al-Jaber before touring a palatial mosque in Abu Dhabi. He followed that with afternoon meetings with local sovereign wealth funds and investment companies including Mubadala, MGX, ADQ and ADIC, ahead of a dinner hosted by the UAE’s national security adviser. The visit comes just one month after the two countries signed an agreement to boost collaboration on artificial intelligence and data centres. Janice Stein, founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto, said the UAE is becoming a leader in AI and can help Canada through both investment and innovation. On a visit to the country earlier this year, she saw extensive AI adoption as well as
enthusiasm from government officials for Carney — a former central banker and UN envoy — to visit the country. “It is very prescient for the prime minister to go — and go early,” Stein said in an interview Tuesday. “They know him from his previous career, and so I think this is absolutely the right decision.” The UAE is using its cheap energy to power data centres, similar to how Canadian firms hope to use Alberta’s oilsands. “It’s going to be one of the powerhouses, one of the nodes in the global economy that’s built around AI,” Stein said of the UAE. The country has also secured a promise from U.S. President Donald Trump that it will be able to access the most advanced American chip technology, despite concerns from some U.S. officials over how much the Emirates is co-operating with China. Former Quebec premier Jean Charest is cochair of the Canada-UAE Business Council, which Carney is set to address on Friday. Charest told reporters in Abu Dhabi that signing an investment pact “is a prelude to a trade agreement, in any scenario that Canada has been in.” He said a full trade agreement with the UAE “should be fairly straightforward” because of Carney’s visit. “The only way Canada is going to have trade agreements with … new regions in the world is if the prime minister is the one who leads it,” Charest said. He noted that large UAE investors already have a stake in major Canadian infrastructure, and the UAE aims to position itself as the financial centre of the entire Gulf region. “We have a lot in common, because we’re each in our own way a hub to the rest of the world,” he said.
and drive growth. The cuts follow thousands of company layoffs last year. This time Bell says it's axing about 650 nonunionized management positions across the country, representing less than two per cent of its workforce. Canada's largest communications company said it's also cutting approximately 40 jobs at Bell Media, its media and entertainment subsidiary. "We made the difficult but necessary decision" to cut manager jobs to advance the company's threeyear strategic plan to deliver "sustainable growth," Bell told CBC News in an email. It did not provide further explanation for the Bell Media job cuts, but said that it thanks the laid off employees "for their dedication and contributions." Earlier this year, Bell offered severance packages to 1,200 unionized employees, attributing the move to "unprecedented challenges" in the telecommunications industry. Canada's telecom industry has seen a slowdown
an effort to reduce costs. Bell sold its 37.5 per cent ownership stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) to Rogers for $4.7 billion last September. It announced a few months later that it would buy U.S. telecom company Ziply for $5 billion. The company has cut thousands of jobs in the last year and a half. That includes 1,300 cuts in June 2023, and, in February 2024, Bell announced that it laid off 4,800 employees and would shutter several dozen radio stations, plus further layoffs aimed at technical staff in June the same year.
Man fatally stabbed near Vancouver's Granville Street in 25th homicide of 2025 Vancouver police say a man was the victim of a fatal stabbing near Granville and Helmcken streets on Monday afternoon. The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) says they were called out around 3:15 p.m. PT on Monday. VPD Sgt. Steve Addison told CBC News that paramedics first responded to calls of a person in medical distress — and they asked for police assistance when it emerged the injury could be due to a crime. Addison said the man, who has not been identified by police, died of his stab wounds in hospital. No arrests have been made. "He didn't have any identification on him when he died. So
we're having to work back to identify him through other means," he said. "And I'm confident that we will be able to do that, but it's just taking a little bit longer than it normally would have." Police do not believe the fatal stabbing was random or completely unprovoked, Addison said, and there was a "prior interaction" between the victim and the assailant. "But what their relationship was, whether they knew each other or how well they knew each other, is something that we're yet to confirm," he said. Addison said police believe the crime happened close to where the victim was found in the heart of the Granville Entertainment District.
OPINION
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
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Stuart Culbertson: Former deputy minister in the government of B.C. There has been much consternation about the Ontario government’s recent advertising campaign on American television networks featuring archival film footage of Republican icon Ronald Reagan denouncing tariffs. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s apology was probably necessary to avoid another pique of rage from the current U.S. president. His reminder to Canadians that trade policy is the purview of the federal government was probably necessary as well. However, in the evolving world of trade and federal-provincial relations, it is less and less accurate in practice. There are many goods, services, regulations and practices that fall within provincial jurisdiction that have international trade impacts. These include significant measures governing energy and resource access and trade, government procurement and discriminatory liquor board practices (where provinces continue to shoot themselves in the foot with internal trade barriers). Thus far in our current trade war with the U.S., our “Canada Strong” and “Elbows up!” rallying cries have made for good slogans but have not produced consistent and coherent federal-provincial cooperation on how to achieve shared trade outcomes. Trading partners such as China demonstrate a deft ability to exploit the vulnerabilities inherent in this division by posting 100 per cent tariff increases on western Canadian products such as canola oil in direct response to Canada’s 100 per cent tariff aimed at defending central Canada’s automotive sector from Chinese electric vehicles. At the same time, our automotive sector is being drawn into the gravitational pull of President Trump’s commands that vehicles sold in the U.S. should be produced there. The “art of the deal” master has demonstrated how well he knows to divide and conquer in such circumstances. Such divisions often lead Team Canada’s collection of premiers into freelancing mode — as we saw in the Ontario advertisements. Premiers make solo trips to Washington to advance their specific interests. In fact, three provinces — Ontario, Quebec and Alberta — maintain their
own “delegations” in Washington, D.C. (Their officials all carry government of Canada e-mail addresses except, not surprisingly, Quebec’s.) In an era of purported government austerity, federal and provincial trade offices seem to be in bloom across the globe. Collectively, Canada’s provinces have 83 trade representatives around the world, including 19 in the U.S. B.C. leads the count with 23 representatives globally including five in the U.S. While the promotion of trade and investment is the primary goal of these offices, one suspects the Washington, D.C., posts are largely engaged in lobbying provincial trade interests with the U.S. government. Add to this the extensive presence of the federal Trade Commissioner service with roughly 150 staff working in 17 offices throughout the U.S. In addition, federal organizations such as the Export Development Corporation maintain a significant portfolio of loan guarantees and investments supporting Canadian exporters to the
U.S. This leads me to a trade objective that I believe is widely supported among Canadian governments — namely the need to diversify our trade to lessen our lopsided concentration on the U.S. market. The federal government aims to double our nonU.S. exports over the course of the next decade. There appears to be no questioning this ambitious target largely because it is not governments that will actually be doing this diversification. That will be primarily in the purview of the over 50,000 Canadian enterprises currently engaged in exporting — a full 97 per cent of which are smallto-medium sized companies with less than 500 employees. If Canadian exporters are going to advance our diversification objectives, they clearly need some help. And it is here that governments can play a role. A case in point is the Canadian Trade Commissioner Service, which has been supporting Canadian businesses in their international trade efforts for more than 125 years.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Affordability crisis can be fixed through productivity, says Bank of Canada Continued from Page 1... And the way to grow our income is by increasing productivity,” said Vincent in his speech. “Years of weak business investment means productivity in Canada is lower than it could be. When productivity is lower, wages don’t rise as quickly, so household spending slows and, with it, demand for products and services.” The concept behind boosting economic productivity is that if businesses and industries grow and increase their production then Canadians would earn more money from their pay cheques to better afford food, shelter and other necessities. At the same time, the thinking goes, Canadians would be able to afford current prices because while their incomes rise, increases in the prices for goods and services would, in theory, remain relatively stable. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant, sudden increases in inflation. The years of supply chain shocks since then, as the world grapples with upended trade norms and worsening climate challenges such as droughts, have caused continuing strain on consumers. Statistics Canada reported in October that during the second quarter, Canada’s income gap widened to a record high amid a weakening economy, which highlights how Canada’s lowest earners are not seeing their incomes rise as much as higher earners. Canada’s productivity can be measured by Gross Domestic Product, which dropped slightly in August as U.S. tariffs and trade tensions continued to slow down the economy. This also has an impact on the job market, with unemployment hovering around seven per cent nationally. Concerns about job security amid an affordability crisis are also leading many Canadians to adjust their holiday spending plans, with a Bank of Montreal survey showing 41 per
cent plan to cut back on how much they will spend on gifts and holiday items. Another survey from Willful showed 58 per cent of respondents were delaying major milestones because of the state of the economy, and 46 per cent said they had to dip into their savings to keep up with daily expenses. To increase Canada’s productivity, Vincent recommends finding ways to make it easier for Canadian businesses and industries to grow and thrive. He says this can first be done by simplifying rules and implementing policies that will encourage investments to help small companies expand. Vincent also recommends encouraging healthy competition in key sectors such as telecommunications, transportation and financial services to boost efficiency and innovation. He adds that doing so would mean better prices for consumers and businesses alike. Finally, Vincent says the workforce will need further investments to encourage Canadians to meet the demand of these business investments. He adds that this can be done by supporting education, making it easier both for Canadians to receive training and having their credentials recognized across territories and provinces as well as abroad. Vincent points out the Bank of Canada’s role in this focuses on keeping inflation low and stable, and that taking action to increase productivity in Canada may need to come from elsewhere. Vincent said in his speech that focusing on increasing Canada’s productivity over the longterm is “worth the effort to improve our standard of living in the years to come and for future generations.” He added: “Even if the scale of the task seems daunting, there is an optimistic way to approach a systemic problem.”
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Bill restoring citizenship for 'Lost Canadians' becomes law The "Lost Canadians" legislation, which aims to fix Canada's unconstitutional citizenship by descent rules, passed in the Senate Wednesday and received royal assent Thursday afternoon. The term refers to people who were born outside of the country to Canadian parents who were also born in another country. In 2009, the federal government changed the law so that Canadians born abroad could only pass down their citizenship if their child was born in Canada, but that was deemed unconstitutional by the Ontario Superior Court in December 2023.
The legislation proposed Canadian citizenship could be passed down to people born abroad, beyond the first generation, if the parents spent a cumulative three years in Canada before the child's birth or adoption. Saskatchewan Sen. David Arnot argued the bill unfairly applies a "substantial connection" test to "intercountry adoptees" when it comes to passing down citizenship. This is a legal term that applies to adopted children who were born abroad and raised in Canada by Canadian parents. Arnot said the bill uses the general term "international adoption," which can include intercountry adoptees. He said these children go through a rigorous immigration process before
their adoption in Canada is finalized. Arnot said that includes provincial and territorial approval, anti-trafficking screens, foreign state approval, federal citizenship reviews and other measures. "Intercountry adoptees must be treated the same as domestic adoptees. It is a requirement of the Hague Convention that intercountry adoptees have the same rights and treatment as in-country adoptees," Arnot said. "Another way to say this is that, because domestic adoptees do not have a substantial connection test, neither should intercountry adoptees." Arnot did not try to amend the law because the court has set a deadline for the law to be enacted by Jan. 20, but he urged the immigration minister to make the change in the future. Immigration lawyers Sujit Choudhry and Maureen Silcoff have been retained for a potential Charter challenge on behalf of intercountry adoptees, to argue they should not be treated differently than domestically adopted children. Choudhry said that the potential rights violation exists with internationally adopted children who receive Canadian citizenship by grant when their Canadian parents are bringing them home. "The concern is that they are required to complete the requirements for the substantial connection test if, as adults, if they are abroad and have children abroad. Whereas a domestic adoptee doesn't need to meet that test," Choudhry said. "So that's a form of discrimination that's prohibited by Section 15 (of the Charter) and also inconsistent with Canada's international treaty obligations."
South Asian man drug kingpin pleads guilty to smuggling meth in California
Continued from Page 1... But the person was in fact a confidential informant” working at the direction of the Drug Enforcement Administration.” It states that on four occasions in the summer of 2023, Sian arranged for a total of 220.7 kilograms of methamphetamine to be shipped to the lucrative Australian drug market, where a single kilo can cost up to $200,000. Postmedia has reported extensively on the role of B.C. gangsters in smuggling meth to Oceania. On June 22, 2023, Sian worked on behalf of someone identified only co-conspirator 1, to arrange for 12.91 kilograms of meth to be delivered to individuals he believed were associates of the informant, the plea document said. The “associates” were working for the DEA. He planned another load on July 6 of 80.3 kilograms for export out of the port to Australia. A third load of 40.6 kilograms was arranged on Aug. 21, while the final delivery cited in the plea deal occurred on Aug. 28 was of 86.9 kilograms of meth destined for Australia. “Based on these facts, (the) defendant admits and agrees that he knowingly and intentionally participated in the charged conspiracy and that the charged conspiracy involved at least 220.7 kilograms of actual methamphetamine,” it says. No sentencing date is mentioned in the court file. Sian survived Surrey shootings in 2008 and 2011. He was arrested in June in Nevada. The original criminal complaint said that at one point during the three-year investigation, Sian allegedly told a confidential source that he worked with “Irish organized crime, specifically,
the Kinahan family, Italian organized crime and other Canadian organized crime groups.” “Sian also explained that he obtained drugs through contacts with drug cartels in Mexico and South America. Sian again stated that he worked with a known drug kingpin based out of Turkey.” The Kinahan gang started in Dublin in the 90s, but is now headquartered in Dubai. It has close ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel. The investigation that led to Sian’s arrest began in June 2022 when the DEA’s office in Ankara, Turkey, saw an opportunity to “insert a confidential source (CS-1) playing the role of an international transportation coordinator into an international drug trafficking organization that needed help transporting drugs from Southern California to Australia and other destinations.” A gang member in Turkey gave CS-1 Sian’s phone number, identifying him as the North American leader of the drug trafficking organization, the criminal complaint against Sian says. “Sian and CS-1 subsequently held several inperson meetings and communicated via phone calls and the Threema messaging application in order to co-ordinate multiple deliveries of methamphetamine from co-conspirators to CS-1 in Southern California for shipment to Australia,” says the complaint, signed by DEA special agent Albert Polito. Sian unwittingly met the confidential source in both Vancouver and California in early 2023, arranging four drop offs of methamphetamine totalling more than 240 kilograms throughout the summer of 2023.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Ending tanker ban risks billions, B.C. minister says; Liberal MPs say consent needed British Columbia's jobs minister says ending a tanker ban on the province's northern coast to service a pipeline from Alberta to B.C. would put billions of dollars' worth of other projects at risk by defying the wishes of First Nations.
Ravi Kahlon says the province's NDP government also remains opposed to the pipeline proposal, while B.C. Liberal MPs said Wednesday the tanker ban can't change without provincial and First Nations consent. The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday that the federal government, which is in talks with Alberta on the prospect of building a new pipeline, is considering allowing some tanker traffic on the northern B.C. coast. But Kahlon said the B.C. government's position was unchanged. "(First Nations) don't believe it's in the interest of their region," Kahlon said. "We made our position clear that we have billions of dollars of investments right now, real projects that are ready to go, and we don't want to put any of those projects at risk." The provincial government has said the tanker ban guarantees a "fragile consensus" among First Nations when it comes to resource projects in northwestern B.C., and Kahlon said his government wants to push those projects across the finish line. Kahlon lso pointed out that the project, which Premier David Eby has called Alberta's "imaginary pipeline," still lacked a private sector proponent. "So we continue to urge the federal government, if they want to increase the capacity (to ship oil), to look at the existing pipeline that the taxpayers of Canada already own, and support projects that are ready to go." Kahlon suggested his government may have been caught off guard by Wednesday's report. "I think it's always better to have governments be open, and having conversations," Kahlon said. "We are learning some of this stuff from the media." The Heiltsuk Nation also said in a statement that a potential memorandum on a carve-out to the tanker ban "could not come at a worse time," and a ban is not a ban if it includes exceptions. The First Nation in northern B.C. is currently responding to a sinking freight barge stacked high
with shipping containers. "This ongoing marine emergency shows once again that coastal First Nations are ground zero for the dangers of marine accidents, including oil spill, and we shoulder the burden of risk of expanded marine traffic," it said. Marilyn Slett, elected chief of the Heiltsuk Nation and president of Coastal First Nations, said she was "incredibly alarmed" to read about the "alleged negotiations" between Ottawa and Alberta. "We have been very clear that we do not support this proposed project and Coastal First Nations, along with the province, have called on the federal government to uphold the tanker ban," Slett said. "Any discussions around an exemption to the current ban on oil tankers triggers the honour of the Crown and requires our consent." Slett said it was time for Ottawa to talk directly with local First Nations, "instead of deliberately sidestepping" them. Jonathan Wilkinson, a B.C. Liberal MP and a former federal environment minister, said that "a number of things" would need to happen before the tanker ban could change, including discussions with the B.C. government and coastal First Nations. "The prime minister was pretty clear that the projects would need the support of the jurisdictions in which they're being built. So I think there's got to be some conversations with the premier," Wilkinson said. "In terms of First Nations, I mean, there needs to be significant support. It doesn't necessarily have to be unanimous. It wasn't in the case of Trans Mountain. But there needs to be significant support and at present I don't think there is." Gurbux Saini, another B.C. Liberal MP, said before Wednesday's weekly caucus meeting that "there will be no pipeline" unless First Nations and the B.C. government give their consent. On his way into the caucus meeting, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said he does not want to prejudge the outcome of the talks with Alberta. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said he hopes Alberta and Ottawa can come to an agreement on a pipeline and allowing tankers on the coast, as it would benefit his province. "We’d like to expand, for example, our potash exports over the next number of years. We want to grow more agricultural products, as well as expand our market access for oil,” Moe told reporters in Regina. “That’s not in any way to (say) it’s going to be a free-for-all for tankers on the West Coast. It’s fully within reason to think that there would be work … so that there is a minimal impact to the environment.”
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Pipeline deal from Alberta to B.C. North Coast reportedly in the works, speculation remains Continued from Page 1... “This government was elected to deliver nation-building projects, strengthen our economy, reinforce Canadian autonomy, advance Indigenous prosperity, while contributing to clean growth,” B.C. Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Tim Hodgson said. “We are working with all the provinces, including Alberta, to achieve these shared objectives. The federal government has been engaged in constructive talks with the Government of Alberta, and we will have more to say in a few weeks.” Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said her government would submit the application to the federal government next spring. Alberta will act as the proponent, Smith explained, with the support and technical advice from three crude pipeline companies: Enbridge, South Bow and Trans Mountain. On Thursday, Smith said they are seeing a change in the public dialogue about the need for oil and natural gas. “We’re doing the technicals on a new pipeline to the northwest B.C. coast,” she said. “We have the potential to also do something similar to Churchill in the Port of Prince Rupert to Churchill economic corridor. We’ve got proposals coming to us about how we might be able to export to Thunder Bay and get them out through the channel system there, through the St. Lawrence Seaway, as well as oil by rail going all the way to Sydney, Nova Scotia. So I’m very encouraged by all of these conversations.” Smith said the world is going to need more oil and she is hopeful that the Memorandum of Understanding is coming from Ottawa soon.
“We know that we’ve got a little bit more work to do on the technical side to be able to submit our pipeline proposal for consideration at the major projects office,” she added. “We’ve targeted the spring on that. And if we do get to an agreement with the federal government, we’ll certainly let you know. But I remain very hopeful as our negotiations continue.” However, B.C. Energy and Climate Solutions Minister Adrian Dix said that an MOU doesn’t change anything. “There’s no proponent, no route, doesn’t make any economic sense, and you have to overturn the tanker ban,” he said. Hedy Fry, MP for Vancouver Centre, said on Thursday that she does not think the provincial government would agree to a pipeline to the North Coast. “I think the criteria for accepting a project like that, I think that the prime minister was clear. I mean, right here, the province has to agree on it, Indigenous people have to agree upon it first. So that’s, we’ll see what they say,” she said. MP Andrew Scheer, the Conservative House leader, said in question period on Thursday that one way to increase trade with other countries would be with a pipeline to the B.C. coast. “But of course, if the shipping ban stays in place, no one will be able to actually export what comes through the pipe,” he said. “The Liberals made it illegal to ship Canadian energy off Canada’s west coast. Does that law also ban U.S. tankers from travelling through the same area?” Hodgson responded that Canada has a tremendous opportunity to become a leading energy superpower, but it must be done correctly.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
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Southeast B.C. sees strong population growth as affordability rises Population data shows that cities across southeastern B.C. are experiencing strong growth, coinciding with a decline in housing prices as buyer activity moderates. Surrey continues to hold the crown of fastestgrowing municipality in the province, provincial population estimates show, reporting 6.8 per cent growth in 2024. But outside the Lower Mainland and Capital Region, lifestyle hubs dominate the list of fast-growing centres. Ucluelet leads the charge on Vancouver Island, with 4.7 per cent growth last year, its strongest showing since the 2019-21 period. East of the Lower Mainland, Princeton was the second fastest-growing municipality in the province with 6.4 per cent growth, albeit off a low base. (Of the top 20 fastest-growing municipalities in the province, only Port Alice is smaller than either Princeton or Ucluelet.) The small size of these markets is what makes Nelson, Revelstoke
and Fernie stand out in the rankings. Nelson increased 3.7 per cent last year to an estimated 12,136 residents, while Revelstoke’s population grew 3.6 per cent to 9,171 residents. Fernie, the smallest of the three, ranked 20th in the province for growth, gaining 3.2 per cent to 6,972 residents. “There’s still that trend that people are moving here for the lifestyle,” said Don Teuton, managing broker of Royal LePage Revelstoke. “We have a pretty large population of people who work
remote.” Those who come are finding a good selection of attached dwellings, which Teuton said have seen prices decline by about 5 per cent over the past year to trade for a median price of about $789,000. This is well above the market as a whole, which is currently in the range of $760,000, but many of the units trading are at Revelstoke Mountain Resort, which has focused on condos, townhomes and duplexes. “Single-family [homes] are getting priced too high, and we’re not seeing the sales,” Teuton said. By contrast, the number of attached homes trading is up 50 per cent from a year ago. While buyers from Alberta remain a steady force in eastern B.C., local buyers and those from elsewhere in B.C. have been the most notable segment of buyers. “A lot of our sales is just locals, first-time buyers trying to get into the market,” he said. Housing for locals, in short supply across many destination
communities throughout the Rockies, offers an entry point for investors as prices fall and demand remains high. The development of new amenities, such as the Cabot Pacific Golf Course, set to open in 2027, promises to put the focus back on non-local buyers. “It’s a little early, but I think those will substantially increase the growth here, because that will bring a new clientele,” Teuton said. This is where small businesses – which have added a dynamic new element to the local economy, diversifying it beyond the traditional resource and public sector employers – stand to benefit. Whether adding to the downtown streetscape or engaging in local food production, local small businesses are the employment opportunities many newcomers make for themselves, and in turn add to the vibrancy that appeals to those coming to enjoy the region’s recreational amenities.
Who is Ryan Wedding, the former Canadian Olympic snowboarder on the FBI’s Most Wanted list? The Canadian at the centre of one of the biggest international criminal investigations in the world continues to evade capture thanks in part, the FBI says, to protection from the powerful Sinaloa drug cartel and other criminal entities in Mexico. Ryan Wedding has been on the run since 2015, wanted in connection to multiple drug and conspiracy crimes, in addition to ordering and orchestrating murder.
That led the U.S. State Department on Wednesday to increase the reward for Wedding’s capture to $15 million US, up from $10 million US. Here’s what we know about Wedding — how he went from Canadian Olympian to one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives today. Canadians may have first heard the name Ryan Wedding during the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. An avid skier, Wedding started snowboarding in his early teens after his family moved from Ontario to British Columbia. He became a member of the Canadian National Ski Team, and went on to compete in snowboarding at the Olympics in parallel giant slalom. He didn’t medal. His snowboarding career ended after that, and in 2008 he was arrested after travelling to California to buy cocaine. At the time, the FBI said it was believed he was working for a B.C. drug lord. Wedding spent about three years in U.S. prisons. He was next charged by the RCMP in Montreal in April 2015 as part of a large-scale cocaine trafficking operation, but managed to flee to Mexico. The U.S. Justice Department believes Wedding, now 44, is living in Mexico, where investigators allege he oversees a massive drug trafficking criminal enterprise, under the protection of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the world’s oldest and most powerful cartels. But prosecutors have said in the past that they haven't ruled out the possibilty that he has managed to get out of Mexico undetected. They suggested that he may have been in the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, or elsewhere.
The FBI says Wedding has managed to evade arrest many times over the past decade. “He's being protected by the Sinaloa cartel along with others in the country of Mexico,” Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the Los Angeles Field Office, said Wednesday in a briefing from Washington. The Sinaloa cartel has a network of tens of thousands of individuals worldwide connected to its operations. It is heavily armed with military grade weapons and uses extreme violence to elicit terror, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Law enforcement officials say Wedding has used threats of violence and murder and has been insulated by accomplices who have likely tipped him off about pending arrests and may have moved to different locations around the world over the years as result. “When you have a $10 million reward and no one is coming forward, it just tells you where he is in the hierarchy with the Mexican cartels,” RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told the CBC’s Katie Nicholson on Wednesday. Local Mexican officials have been accused in the past of helping Wedding to evade capture. But CBC News learned in September that Mexican federal agents are now helping to find him. Duheme told CBC News that he's met with the equivalent of the minister of public safety to tell him how important it is for them "to have Wedding captured and behind bars." The RCMP says Wedding uses several aliases, including “Giant,” “Public Enemy” and “El Jefe.” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described Wedding during the same Washington briefing as “currently the largest distributor of cocaine in Canada” and head of “one of the most prolific and violent” drug trafficking organizations in the world. “His organization is responsible for importing approximately 60 metric tonnes of cocaine a year into Los Angeles via semi trucks from Mexico,” she said, adding that is about equivalent to the weight of 40 cars. But Davis, with the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office, says it's not just cocaine. “He has trafficked record levels of drugs,” he said, including fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine. At Wednesday's briefing, FBI Director Kash Patel compared him to other notorious drug lords. "Ryan Wedding is a modern day iteration of Pablo Escobar. He is a modern day iteration of El Chapo Guzman," said Patel.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Modi’s US Energy Deal Hits Trade, Energy and Electoral Targets Continued from Page 1... Already, the US share of India’s total LPG imports has risen to 7% so far this year, from just 0.6% in the entire 2024, according to data compiled by Kpler. The first implication that comes to mind is how this keeps alive the hope of a finalization of the long-awaited US-India trade deal, given President Donald Trump’s demand that India import more commodities and goods to reduce the US deficit. It may even build some goodwill for India in the face of another proposed round of sanctions on Russia that could result in up to 500% tariffs for countries that buy Russian energy products, such as China and India. The deal also helps India diversify energy supplies away from the
UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, which have been key suppliers of LPG to the country, Bloomberg’s oil trading reporter Rakesh Sharma tells me. This comes even as India steps up crude oil purchases from the Middle East, while scaling back orders for Russian oil, indicating the delicate balance India is trying to achieve with strategic partners. India’s LPG demand has jumped 74% over the last decade, outpacing total refined fuel consumption in the world’s third-largest oil consumer. This surge has been supported not just by rising incomes, but also Modi’s Ujjwala program to provide subsidized cooking gas to low-income households — a move that has consistently won him support from women voters.
Rising cost of food is changing how Canadians eat, survey shows
Continued from Page 1... Half of the nearly 3,000 respondents to the survey conducted last month said food costs increased "significantly" over the past year, while just over one-third indicated their food expenses were up "slightly" and close to 12 per cent said they stayed the same. About 20 per cent of Canadians said they now spend more than $600 per month on food at home, up slightly from the last biannual food sentiment index in the spring, while a combined 46.4 per cent spend between $300 and $600 monthly. Statistics Canada said earlier this week that prices for food purchased from the grocery store rose 3.4 per cent on an annual basis in October, cooling from four per cent in September. That deceleration was driven by cooling costs for fresh vegetables and a category that includes
mostly processed foods, but bigger price hikes on fresh and frozen chicken moderated the decline. Growth in grocery costs outpaced the overall annual inflation rate of 2.2 per cent for the month. Almost half of those surveyed for the food sentiment index indicated they have changed their grocery habits due to food price inflation by seeking out sales and discounts. Around 23 per cent said they tried either using more coupons, shopping online for better prices or going to cheaper stores. "People are making trade-offs every single day — switching brands, reducing variety, cooking more at home, or delaying purchases altogether," said report co-author Stacey Taylor. "The data show a clear shift: affordability is now the lens through which most food decisions are being made."
B.C. to scrap requirement that all new vehicles be zero-emission by 2035 Six years ago, B.C. became the first jurisdiction in the world to legislate zero-emission vehicle sales targets. Two years ago, it accelerated those targets, mandating that 100 per cent of new, light-duty vehicles sold had to be zero-emission by 2035. On Tuesday, the province acknowledged it is nowhere close to meeting that goal. Energy Minister Adrian Dix told reporters he will be introducing legislation next spring to modify those targets and bring them in line with the reality that electric vehicle sales are falling across North America, including in B.C. “People will know that those current targets, which are at 90 per cent by 2030, and 100 per cent by 2035, are no longer realistic,” he said, blaming the federal government’s ending of its rebate program and the policies of U.S. President Donald Trump for declining EV sales. Asked what the new targets will be, Dix said he and his team are awaiting a review of the government’s climate plan and will use its findings to work with Ottawa on a new target that he hopes will be implemented across Canada. In the meantime, he said the province will be introducing regulatory changes that expand the types of vehicles that count toward the target and give manufacturers credit for making efforts such as lowering prices, offering low-cost or no-cost financing, and helping install charging infrastructure. Despite that, Dix said one action the province will not be taking is the revival of its rebate program for electric vehicles that previously offered $4,000 off the cost of select models. It was paused in May due to stagnating demand and changing economic conditions. Dix said any new rebates should be
a federal responsibility. In January, the federal government ended its own rebate program, that had offered up to $5,000 off select models, and in September announced it was pausing the rollout of its own EV mandate that had been scheduled to begin in the coming months and would require 20 per cent of new light-duty vehicles to be zero emission next year and 100 per cent by 2035. At the time of the target’s introduction in 2019, then-energy minister Michelle Mungall said that demand was “a lot higher than originally anticipated” with estimates that 17 per cent of all new light-duty vehicles would be zero-emission by 2025. By 2024, it had blown past that target to reach 25 per cent of total sales. The share of vehicles sold that are zero-emission has fallen since, however, to 15 per cent this past summer, according to data compiled by the Energy Futures Institute. Blair Qualey, CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of B.C., said he had wanted to see the province take a similar step to Ottawa and pause the mandates while it figures out what its next steps are. He said manufacturers that can’t meet the target of 26 per cent this year will have to either add $20,000 to the cost of each new gaspowered vehicle they sell over the limit they have been set, buy credits from another manufacturer, or reduce the amount of vehicles they provide to dealerships. “While we’re pleased to see some efforts being made to make it easier for manufacturers to achieve these unrealistic targets, ultimately, we’ve been calling on both the federal government and the provincial government to just pause everything right now, given all of the challenges with tariffs, the economic situation, affordability issues for consumers, and on and on,” said Qualey.
Crime blog seized by the FBI was under investigation in BC A crime blog that the FBI alleges was used by accused cocaine kingpin Ryan Wedding to set up a murder in Colombia was already the subject of a B.C. criminal investigation that started two years ago. Gursewak Singh Bal, the founder of The Dirty Newz, was charged with nine others Wednesday in the U.S. with conspiracy to kill a government witness who was going to testify against Ryan. In November 2023, Bal’s site posted internal police documents, prompting the earlier investigation. At the time, the B.C. Public Safety Ministry issued a news release saying, “The Abbotsford Police Department and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit became aware of an unauthorized display of a sensitive law enforcement intelligence document on an online social media site.” “Upon assessment, on Nov. 22, 2023, the director of police services ordered an independent investigation … into the alleged breach of police information,” adding that the B.C. RCMP’s major crimes unit would be investigating. The name of the site was not mentioned, but Postmedia learned from sources at the time that it was The Dirty Newz. Dawn Roberts, the B.C. RCMP’s director of communications, said Wednesday that the investigation is still underway and progressing. Bal, who has been living in Ontario, was one of 10 people picked up Tuesday in the second phase of a massive investigation called Project Giant Slalom into the former Olympic snowboarder’s purported criminal organization. While Wedding, a former Metro Vancouver resident and Canadian Olympic snowboarder, remains a fugitive on the FBI’s Most Wanted List, many of his associates have now been arrested in the U.S. investigation.
The new U.S. indictment alleges Bal was paid $10,000 by Wedding associate Allistair Chapman “not to post about defendant Wedding.” “In addition, defendant Chapman provided defendant Bal with a photograph of Victim A and paid him to post the photograph so that Victim A could be located and killed,” the indictment said. The posts about the witness, including the photo, were made on Bal’s Instagram account on Nov. 5, 2024, and said “this guy single handedly ratted out one of the strongest underworld networks that this world has seen. Good chance, he’ll never be found again.” He also posted his text exchange with Chapman calling the victim “a snitch” and said they were looking for his location.
The payment to Bal, 31, was made in October 2024, the indictment said. On Jan. 31, 2025, Wedding sent a message to an associate saying Victim A was dead at a Medellin, Colombia, restaurant. The same day, “Bal posted a story depicting a photograph of the restaurant and the bottom part of a body lying on the ground, and a caption that read: “(Victim A) down…” and “BOOM! Headshot.” Bal, who earlier told Postmedia that he had lived in B.C. and left to attend Brock University in Ontario, is also charged with conspiracy to export cocaine and seven other counts with others in the Wedding crime group.
FIJI
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Former lawyer says he considered suicide after being barred from practising in Fiji Lawyer Mohammed Azeem Ud-Dean Sahu Khan told the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that he became so distressed after being stopped from practising law in Fiji that he contemplated suicide. Khan said the ordeal began around 2011–2012, when he took on a case that he said later attracted improper interest from a senior government figure. He recalled meeting the official at the Hard Rock Café, where he was abruptly confronted about the case. “He asked me bluntly why I was delaying the matter,” Khan said. “I told him the respondent was delaying—not me. I knew why he was asking, because the respondent’s sister worked in the AttorneyGeneral’s Chambers.” Khan said the questioning escalated, with the official warning him: “I can close you down
tomorrow.” “I got a bit cocky and told him I’d like to see him try,” he said. “I honestly didn’t think he would do such a thing.” But he said events that followed left him spiraling into depression. Khan said allegations circulating online claimed he had been guilty of misrepresentation, but he insisted these were false and stemmed from a misunderstanding about the use of a letterhead. He maintained the letterhead had been approved by the UK Law Society. “The whole thing just didn’t make sense,” he said. “By 2014 I hit such a low point that I actually contemplated suicide. My reputation was tarnished. People were reading things on the internet that simply weren’t true.” Khan said he reached out to the Samaritans, a UK charity, after feeling there was “no point going on”.
Prof. Narsey told not to give any more interviews on electoral reform report Electoral Reform Commissioner, Professor Wadan Narsey, who had earlier revealed the details of their recommendation in the Electoral Reform Commission Report, says he has been instructed by the Director of the Fiji Law Reform Commission to not give any more interviews. Professor Narsey had earlier given an interview, saying that he wanted the public to know what they, as a publicly funded commission, recommended to the government in the report as the document has not been made public since July this year. He had said that they owe it to the people of the country who are the taxpayers, to ensure
their views are reported back to the people, as they had called on people to attend the public consultations. Acting Attorney General Siromi Turaga confirmed a strong warning letter has been written to Professor Wadan Narsey after he came out publicly with the Electoral Reform Commission report recommendations. Investment Consultant Sandeep Singh raised the question during Dialogue Fiji’s Constitution review discussion at the Suva Civic Centre on who gave the authority to Professor Narsey to speak about the Commission’s report, as this authority only comes from the government.
Constitution Review must be legitimate in the eyes of all Fijians - AG Whatever constitutional review we undertake, it must be one that the people of Fiji can trust, and one that is legitimate in their eyes. This is the message from Acting Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Siromi Turaga, while speaking at the Fiji's Constitution Review – Building Trust and Legitimacy discussion organised by Dialogue Fiji at the Suva Civic Centre. He says in recent years, we have seen a real growth in conversations about our Constitution. Turaga says that is something worth recognising, because when people start talking about their Constitution, it means they are thinking about their future. He adds that over the last few years, the Constitution has become the centre of many discussions, in our courts, in universities, and in public forums. The Attorney General says, for instance, we
have had two constitutional references before the Supreme Court. He says last year, the Supreme Court considered the interpretation of provisions on judicial appointments, and this year, it revisited long-standing questions about the validity of the 1997 Constitution and the interpretation of amendment provisions of the 2013 Constitution. Turaga says at the beginning of this year, we have seen the establishment of a Constitution Review Commission by Cabinet, and its role is to seek the views of the people, to hear from Fijians in all their diversity about what kind of constitutional framework they want for the future. He says this marks a new phase in our national dialogue, and it will be this platform where we see the more rooted discussions on the Constitution because it is a process that will involve the people.
PSH Hospitals bringing quality healthcare closer PSH Hospitals is one of Fiji’s leading private hospitals. It aims to make quality healthcare easy to access and affordable for everyone in Fiji and the Pacific. In recent years, PSH Hospitals has established itself as a leading private healthcare provider in Fiji, offering a comprehensive range of services from primary care to advanced specialist procedures. At the heart of the organisation lies a mission to make high-quality healthcare accessible and affordable for all. Founder and Chief Executive Officer of PSH Hospitals Parvish Kumar, explains, “Our ultimate goal is to make medical services affordable and accessible to all members of the
public not only in Fiji but the greater Pacific community.” PSH Hospitals offers a strong foundation of primary health services including general practitioner consultations, outpatient clinics, diagnostic testing, and preventative programs. Recognising that many people delay seeking medical attention due to financial barriers, the hospital maintains some of the lowest GP consultation fees in the country. “We are here for everyone. All our patients, irrespective of their financial or cultural backgrounds or status in society, are important to us and we care for them all,” says Kumar.
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Ministry to defer payment of $200 assistance The Ministry of Education will defer the payment of the back-to-school assistance to prevent parents from misusing the funds during the festive season. Minister for Education Aseri Radrodro said the change was necessary after repeated cases of the allowance being spent on non-school items before the start of the academic year. “Na veivuke qo, e sa katolu se i ka va ni gauna e sa soli tiko mai kina, ni kemuni na raica, na gauna esa veisautaki mai,” he said, adding that the adjustment aims to ensure the assistance reaches its intended purpose. Mr Radrodro said the funds would now be released closer to the start of the school year to help parents purchase actual school needs. “Keda kila vinaka tiko e rawa beka ni na vakayagataki tale ena veika eso kevaka e soli tiko
na i lavo ni sebera tiko na siga ni sucu kei na vakatawase,” he said. He said the ministry had reviewed previous years and found that delaying the release would prevent unnecessary spending. “Qo sa kenai tekiteki ni kena vakavinaka taki tiko na vei malumalumu kece qo,” he said.
Fiji owes millions to USP PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has told the 100th USP Council meeting he almost turned back when he was informed that Fiji still had outstanding debts to be paid to the university. “On my way here, I realised that we had a debt, Fiji has a debt, so I had to very quickly check with my office and check with our Ministry of Finance whether we have cleared that,” he said. “I almost turned back when they said we haven’t.” Mr Rabuka assured the member countries Fiji was getting there and would eventually pay it off. Before the Coalition Government took office, Fiji had a total of $116million unpaid grant owed to USP. In February 2023, former finance minister Professor Prasad, on behalf of the Government, had released $10million to the university. He said this was the first tranche payment to clear
the outstanding grant owed to USP. Meanwhile, Professor Steven Ratuva told this newspaper yesterday that transparency was very significant and it would be discussed in the financial report at the council meeting. “In terms of any institution, whether its USP or whether it’s a government agency, it’s important to have ethical processes in place to make sure public funding is looked after,” Professor Ratuva said. “So, in the next couple of days we will certainly be looking at some of those.” PRIME Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has reaffirmed Fiji’s unwavering support for the University of the South Pacific, its council, staff, and students. He told the 100th USP Council meeting in Nadi yesterday the university must continue to stand as a beacon of Pacific unity, excellence, and hope.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
Terrorists in Pakistan will carry out attacks in India, Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed given free hand: Pakistani journalist’s chilling revelation New Delhi: Following the bomb blast near the Red Fort in Delhi, a video of senior Pakistani journalist Javed Chaudhry has surfaced, in which he is discussing terrorist attacks in India. Javed Chaudhry is considered close to Pakistan’s intelligence agency, the ISI. In the video, he can be heard saying that terrorists Masood Azhar and Hafiz Saeed have been given a free hand to carry out terrorist attacks in India and that they have activated their sleeper cells in India.
Operation Sindoor According to information, Pakistani journalist Javed Chaudhry made these remarks in May 2025, when India launched Operation Sindoor in Pakistan. The Indian attack killed more than 100 Pakistani terrorists supported by the ISI. Javed Chaudhary has made several shocking claims in this video, including that Maulana Masood
Azhar and Hafiz Saeed, the leaders of banned organisations Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkare-Taiba, will now carry out terrorist attacks in India again. Hafiz Saeed, Masood Azhar given free rein Javed Chaudhary says in this video, “Maulana Masood Azhar has declared that since India attacked my house and my madrasa, I now have the right to take revenge. And India is very afraid of Maulana Masood Azhar because his roots are deep and his fidayeen (suicide bombers) are also amazing. They sacrifice their lives. So Maulana Masood Azhar has declared his revenge.” In the video, Javed Chaudhary further states, “Maulana Masood Azhar has a network in India, and Hafiz Saeed also has influence. They were only restrained by Pakistan. Pakistan had restrained them with great difficulty, telling them not to take any action.” aved Chaudhary can be heard saying further in the video, “By taking action (the May attack on Pakistan), India has given these people a reason to take revenge. Now, if bombings begin inside India or if they activate their sleeper cells, then you can imagine where India will stand.” Overall, Javed Chaudhary is suggesting that these terrorists in Pakistan will again carry out terrorist attacks in India and reactivate their sleeper cells. Therefore, the suicide bombing in Delhi is perhaps proving that Pakistani terrorists may be involved in it.
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Pakistan defence minister warns of ‘all-out war’ with India, blames New Delhi for Afghan strikes Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has warned that an “all-out war” with India cannot be ruled out, in what appears to be another attempt by Islamabad to shift blame for its spiralling internal security crisis. Speaking to a local television channel, Asif claimed that India could be behind recent attacks in Pakistan, including those carried out by Afghan nationals, despite providing no evidence. “We are neither ignoring India nor trusting it under any circumstances. Based on my analysis, I cannot rule out an ALL-OUT WAR or any hostile
strategy from India, including border incursions or attacks (presumably Afghan). We must stay fully alert,” Asif said. His comments come amid renewed instability inside Pakistan, where multiple suicide bombings and insurgent attacks have exposed the state’s weakening control over its own territory. In the past month, Pakistan has blamed Afghanistan and India alternately for the rise in crossborder terrorism, while domestic critics argue that the country’s policies of nurturing militant proxies are now backfiring.
Afghan Minister's visit to IITF 2025 aims to boost trade ties with India New Delhi: Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi, led a high-level delegation to the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2025 on Wednesday, seeking to strengthen bilateral trade and investment relations. The visit, part of a five-day official trip to India, comes amid escalating tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, including border closures disrupting exports.During the visit, Minister Azizi met with Neeraj Kharwal, Managing Director of the India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO), to discuss opportunities for Afghanistan to participate in future exhibitions. The Minister toured various stalls, including Afghan showcases promoting local products, and interacted with traders to explore market access and expansion prospects.Azizi toured various stalls at the fair, including the Afghan stalls showcasing local products, to promote
business connections and interacted with Afghan traders in India to discuss market access and expansion prospects.This visit is the first by an Afghan Minister to ITPO since 2021, set against escalating AfghanistanPakistan tensions, including border closures disrupting exports. This has prompted Afghanistan to diversify trade with India.Afghanistan seeks to diversify trade with India, leveraging India’s expertise in pharmaceuticals, textiles, and machinery. Key exports to Afghanistan include these products, while imports feature agricultural products and minerals. Recent diplomatic steps, such as upgrading India’s Kabul mission to full embassy status, support growing bilateral ties.Afghanistan aims to attract Indian investments in mining and hydroelectric projects and explore alternative connectivity routes bypassing Pakistan.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
PUNJAB
No govt funds, only kar seva: 2-lane road ready in Ropar In a remarkable testament to the power of voluntary service, a two-lane stretch of a proposed four-lane road between Kanpur Khuhi and Singpur in Punjab’s Ropar district has been constructed without any government funding. At the centre of this remarkable feat, achieved entirely through kar seva (community service),
stands Baba Satnam Singh, the head of the Kar Seva Jatha Kila Anandgarh Sahib, who supervises the road barefoot, watching vehicles move over a stretch that was once a rugged path. His calm presence masks the scale of what has been accomplished -- an 8-kilometre segment
of the Anandpur Sahib-Garhshankar state highway has been widened, levelled, metalled and prepared for the lakhs of devotees expected for the observance of the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur next week. “We started the work one year and nine months ago. With the blessings of the Guru and the support of people, the road has become motorable for devotees,” Baba Satnam Singh told The Tribune. He recalled how large mounds of earth were cut through, slopes carved out and multiple bridges constructed, tasks normally requiring government machinery. What makes this effort even more extraordinary is that it moved forward despite the absence of official clearances. Even though the Public Works Department and the Department of Forests and Wildlife issued notices, locals continued to donate labour, material and even private land to the project. Despite bureaucratic hurdles, the effort has received support from local MLA and Education and Public Relations Minister Harjot Singh Bains.
2 terrorists arrested after encounter near toll plaza Two Chinese hand grenades, five pistols and around 50 live cartridges were seized from the terrorists. The seriously hurt terrorists, with multiple bullet injuries were shifted to the Civil Hospital Ludhiana after the operation that concluded under the supervision of Police Commissioner Swapan Sharma. Though the police were yet to issue a formal release, investigations revealed that the police had received inputs about the activities of some terrorists following some arrests by the Bihar and Haryana police yesterday. Having received vital information, the police had laid a trap for the motorcycle-borne duo who, after being chased, opened fire on the cops near the Chahar toll plaza. Both terrorists were seriously injured in the retaliatory firing. Swapan Sharma confirmed that the duo was part of a terror module working under Pakistan agency ISI and was planning to strike at a strategic location in Punjab to spread terror. Senior functionaries of the police reached the hospital where the terrorists were shifted for treatment. The Ludhiana Police had recently foiled an Inter Service Intelligence (ISI) terror plot
with the arrest of 10 suspects linked to Pakistan’s ISI. As the ISI agents Ajay Malaysia, Jass Behbal and Pawandeep were found to be operating from Malaysia to spread terror in Punjab, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had started a probe in the case.
AAP leader occupied my house, says Nabha EO after trailer parts’ recovery A day after the police recovered tractor-trailer parts and other material allegedly stolen from the Shambhu Morcha from the official residence of Nabha Executive Officer (EO) Gurcharan Singh, he issued an open letter stating that the house was occupied by AAP leader Pankaj Kumar Pappu, who is a husband of Municipal Council chief Sujata Chawla. Gurcharan claimed that despite several reminders, the premises were not vacated. He said he had apprised senior vice-president Amarjit Kaur, who was appointed acting MC president after Chawla proceeded on leave on August 30. He added that officials who objected to the “wrongdoings” of Munish Kumar — a local political functionary — were routinely targeted with no-confidence resolutions. Similar
resolutions, he said, were brought against former EO Parwinder Singh in September 2022 and against him in January 2024. Farm leaders said the recovered parts were from the same stock — valued around Rs 3.70 crore — that went missing when the police forcibly cleared the Shambhu and Khanauri protest sites in March. Farm leader Gamdur Singh claimed that the police initially “tried to suppress the matter”, and that the recovery was made possible only due to “continuous pressure”. He said farmers had been staging a protest outside the Nabha MC’s office for the past three days, insisting that excavation be carried out. The first breakthrough came when stolen material was found at Pappu’s workshop on August 27. On October 28, a trailer belonging to a Kapurthala-based farmer was found abandoned in a nearby village. Its iron angles were recovered from the EO’s residence on Wednesday. Alleging “deliberate” delay in probe, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) has announced a rail blockade on December 19 to press for the recovery of remaining missing material and action against the accused.
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Cane farmers defer highway, rail blockade The decision was announced after Bharatiya Kisan Union (Doaba) president Manjit S Rai and Doaba Kisan Sangharsh Committee president Balwinder S Malli Nangal met Secretary, Agriculture, Arshdeep S Thind, and Cane Commissioner, Punjab, Amrik Singh, in Chandigarh this evening. Rai said the government officials sought time from them till November 24. "They have given us an assurance that they will hold a meeting on Monday and finalise the SAP and the dates for the start of the cane crushing season. Once they communicate their decision to us after concluding their meeting, we will announce our
plan," said Rai in a video message that he released after the meeting. Nangal, who also attended the meeting, said, "We have been assured that all pending payments of the cane farmers from the sugar mills would be released at the earliest."
Industrialist vows Rs 2K-cr investment in Punjab Debunking the claims of shifting all his investments outside Punjab, mainly to Madhya Pradesh, Punjab’s eminent industrialistturned Rajya Sabha MP Rajinder Gupta today announced a new brownfield expansion of Rs 2,000-crore in his Barnala unit. The Trident Group, having a market cap of Rs 18,000 crore, will be spending Rs 1,500 crore for the expansion of its terry towel and paper modernisation unit at Barnala, and another Rs 500 crore for the creation of a capacity building centre in Mohali. This expansion is expected
to lead to employment generation for 2000 persons, and the project is expected to take off in 15 months. “It’s not that I stopped investing in Punjab. I merely expanded my business in Madhya Pradesh, where I set up a new unit. In Punjab, the Trident Group has invested about Rs 1000 crore in the the past decade as part of the expansion of the two units in Bathinda,” he told The Tribune here today, adding that after several years, he had seen an environment that was conducive to industrial investors. Gupta said that the industrial policy of Madhya Pradesh was lucrative when he decided to set up another unit in Budhni. “But it would be wrong to say that I was leaving Punjab. I have such a strong connect with the state, being a born Punjabi and having got everything from here. In fact, the reason I joined politics is only to serve Punjab and its people,” he said. Interestingly, the Trident Group is one of the rare industries that has majority of workforce as women.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
INDIA
NSA calls for stronger maritime cooperation
80% Indians with disabilities lack health insurance: Survey The survey conducted over a period of one-anda-half years between 2023 and 2025 covered over 5,000 persons with disabilities across 34 states and UTs. In its report titled ‘Inclusive Health Coverage for All: Disability, Discrimination and Health Insurance in India’, the NCPEDP states that persons with disabilities continue to encounter discriminatory underwriting practices, unaffordable premiums, inaccessible digital insurance platforms and a widespread lack of awareness about available schemes. The report further
claims that many applicants were refused insurance solely based on their disability or pre-existing conditions, with particularly high rejection rates among persons with autism, psychosocial disabilities, intellectual disabilities and blood disorders like thalassemia. In its list of recommendation, the report outlines the need for immediate inclusion of all persons with disabilities under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, a national public health insurance scheme by the Centre, irrespective of age and income criteria, aligning with the 2024 order that expands coverage to senior citizens above the age of 70.
NIA arrests 4 prime accused, gets 10-day custody from Delhi court
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday arrested four key accused in the November 10 car blast outside the Red Fort in Delhi. The agency has so far arrested six persons in the case. A Delhi court later sent Dr Muzammil Shakeel Ganai of Pulwama, Dr Adeel Ahmed Rather of Anantnag, Dr Shaheen Saeed of Lucknow and Mufti Irfan Ahmad Wagay of Shopian to 10-day NIA custody.These suspects were already in police custody and had now been arrested by the NIA, which had taken over the case on November 11. The four accused were taken into custody by the NIA in Srinagar on production orders from the District Sessions Judge, Patiala House Court.
They had played a key role in the terror attack that killed several innocent persons and left many others injured, as per the NIA investigations. The NIA had earlier arrested two other accused — Amir Rashid Ali, in whose name the car used in the blast was registered, and Jasir Bilal Wani, alias Danish, who had provided technical aid to the terrorists involved in the deadly attack. Their interrogation is continuing as part of the NIA’s probe to unravel the complete terror conspiracy in the case. The NIA is working closely with various state police forces to track and arrest every member of the terrorist module involved in the carnage.
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Doval said this during the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) NSA-level meeting in New Delhi Highlighting the strategic importance of the Indian Ocean, the NSA said, “The Indian Ocean is our biggest heritage. It is the engine that propels our economies.” Countries that sharing maritime geographies have a joint responsibility. “It is our responsibility to ensure the safety, security and stability of the region,” he added. Besides member states that included the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Seychelles attended the meet as an observer state, while Malaysia participated as a guest country. The NSA also called for shaping an open and a rules-based maritime environment, saying, “We need to shape a favourable environment to nurture an open and inclusive maritime domain with a conformity to a rule-based order.” In strategic circles, the words ‘a rule-based order’ is a euphemism for opposing Chinese hegemony and attempts to impede traffic at sea and in air. China
in the past has also objected to the presence of warships in the open portion of the South China Sea. The Colombo Security Conclave was established to strengthen cooperation among member states on key security issues in the Indian Ocean Region. Its founding documents were signed in Sri Lanka in August-2024. It focuses on five pillars of cooperation -- maritime safety and security; countering terrorism and radicalisation; combating trafficking and trans-national organised crime; cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure and technology; and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Bangladesh’s NSA Khalilur Rahman also attended the meeting on Thursday, marking only the second senior official from the interim government in Dhaka travelling to India since Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August-2024. Earlier, Bangladesh Energy Adviser Muhammad Fauzul Kabir Khan attended the India Energy Week in February.
Nitish sworn in as Bihar CM for record 10th time Nitish Kumar took oath as the Bihar Chief Minister for the 10th time at a ceremony held at Gandhi Maidan on Thursday, marked by a full show of strength by the NDA. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah flew to Patna for the mega event, which saw the ground packed with crowds. PM Modi drew loud applause when he waved his cotton gamcha — his signature gesture at Bihar election rallies. The stage at Gandhi Maidan featured only two photographs — those of PM Modi and CM Nitish Kumar — and every minister who took oath bowed before them while leaving the dais. After Nitish, Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar were sworn in by Governor Arif Mohammad Khan. They took oath as ministers as the post of Deputy CM is not constitutional and has to be notified by the CM’s office. The other ministers were sworn in groups. Altogether, apart from Nitish Kumar, 26 ministers took oath — 14 from the BJP, eight from the JD(U), two from the LJP and one each from HAM and the RLM. The surprise inclusion was Deepak Prakash, son of RLM chief Upendra Kushwaha. Not a legislator, he must be accommodated in the legislative council within six months. Incidentally, Kushwaha’s wife has also won an Assembly seat. Prakash stood out at the ceremony, arriving in jeans instead of the customary kurta-pyjama. The new ministry has only one Muslim face — Jama Khan of the JD(U), the sole Muslim winner on the NDA ticket.
While the JD(U) relied on old, tested faces like Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Birendra Yadav, Shrawan Kumar and Ashok Choudhary, the BJP experimented by bringing in new names. Shreyasi Singh, a double trap shooting gold medallist at the 2018 Commonwealth Games with several other achievements, was inducted. She carries a political legacy as well — her late father Digvijay Singh was a Union Minister in the Vajpayee government, and her mother Putul Devi has also been an MP from Banka.
ED chargesheets Vadra in case linked to Sanjay Bhandari The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a supplementary prosecution complaint against businessman Robert Vadra in a moneylaundering case linked to UK-based defence and arms consultant Sanjay Bhandari, reviving a longrunning probe into alleged foreign assets and illicit financial links. The chargesheet has been placed before Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court. The next hearing in the matter is slated for December 6. This is the second money-laundering chargesheet filed against Vadra. In July, the agency had filed a separate prosecution complaint against him in a case related to alleged irregularities in a land deal in Haryana’s Shikohpur. According to officials, Vadra’s statement under
the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) was recorded in July this year. He has been questioned multiple times in the Bhandari-linked case in the past. The ED has accused him of being connected to overseas properties and financial transactions associated with Bhandari, who faces charges of holding undisclosed assets abroad. The ED’s investigation stems from a series of income tax raids on Bhandari in 2016, which allegedly uncovered emails and documents pointing to his links with Vadra and his associates. These materials reportedly referred to the renovation of a London property believed to be owned by Bhandari which, investigators claim, was refurbished according to Vadra’s instructions and through intermediaries connected to him.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025
INDIA
A first since tariffs: India, US finalise $93-mn arms deal Amid tensions over trade tariffs, India and the US have finalised a $93-million military deal, their first since August when relations between the two sides soured over New Delhi’s purchase of Russian crude oil. Through the agreement, India will replenish its stock of specialised artillery projectiles called Excalibur, which were used during Operation Sindoor to target terrorist camps in Pakistan. India will be procuring 216 of these at a cost of $47.1 million and about 100 Javelin Missile Systems for around $45.7 million. Excalibur projectiles are fired from M-777 ultralight howitzer guns, 145 of which India sourced from the US almost a decade ago. Excalibur has precision-firing ability to home onto a target and some of the terror camps in Pakistan were demolished using these on May 7. The US has imposed 50 per cent tariffs on Indian imports, which include 25 per cent punitive penalty for buying crude oil from Russia. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification notifying the Congress about the two military
deals on Wednesday. The agency also approved a deal for the purchase of portable electronic fire control systems. Besides, the US will provide technical assistance, technical data, repair and other related elements of logistics and programme support. “The proposed sale will improve the security of a major defence partner, which continues to be an important force for political stability, peace and economic progress in the Indo-Pacific and South Asia regions,” the DSCA said. Defence experts said the twin deals would help India improve its capability to counter current and future threats through precision-capability equipment. India has sought to purchase a 100 Javelin rounds and 25 Javelin Lightweight Command Launch Units. The deal includes missile simulation rounds, battery coolant unit, interactive electronic technical manual, lifecycle support, physical security inspection, spare parts, system integration and check out and other related elements of logistics and programme support.
Indian junior women hockey team coach faces probe for ‘sexual misconduct’
The Union Sports Ministry has ordered an inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct against a coach associated with the Indian junior women’s hockey team. The move comes days before the team travels to Santiago, Chile, to compete in the 2025 FIH Hockey Junior World Cup beginning on December 1. The alleged misconduct was reported during one of the three foreign tours the women’s team undertook to Argentina, Belgium and the Netherlands in June, and Australia in September. It is believed that a member of the women’s team was found to be visiting the room of the coach on a number of occasions. No formal complaint has been made so far either to the Ministry of Sports, Sports Authority of India or Hockey India (HI), the governing body for field hockey in India. But as India celebrated a hundred years of hockey some weeks ago, the hockey fraternity was agog with the story. The issue was then brought to the notice of Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who has ordered an inquiry into this matter. “This grave matter was brought to our notice and that is why an inquiry has
been ordered. As of now we do not want to jump the gun as we have to first find out the details,” a source in the Sports Ministry told The Tribune. “We will wait for the report and then act. However, this department takes such cases very seriously. If someone is guilty, we will take strict action,” he added. The name of the coach, the complainant as well as of the player in question cannot be revealed according to the law. The Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act warrants maintaining strict confidentiality regarding the identity of the complainant, the accused and witnesses. Hockey India officials were taken aback when this correspondent reached out to its Secretary General Bhola Nath Singh. He said no complaint, either formal or informal, had been filed in this matter. “This is the first time I am hearing of such an issue. I cannot comment on something that has not been brought before Hockey India,” Singh told The Tribune. “We will wait for the ministry report, although they (ministry officials) are yet to reach out to us on this sensitive issue,” he added.
Intellectual terrorists more dangerous than those working on ground, Delhi Police tell SC In a veiled reference to alleged involvement of several doctors in the recent terror attack near Red Fort in the national capital that claimed 15 lives, the Delhi Police on Thursday told the Supreme Court that when intellectuals become terrorists, they become more dangerous than those working on the ground. Vehemently opposing the bail pleas of 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case accused Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Meeran Haider, Gulfisha Fatima, Shifa ur-Rehman and Md Saleem Khan, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju submitted on behalf of the Delhi Police that educated radicals were much more dangerous. “Now, the trend has become that doctors, engineers and intellectuals are not pursuing their profession and are instead engaging in antinational activities. When intellectuals become terrorists, they become more dangerous than those ground-level terrorists,” Raju told a Bench of Justice Aravind Kumar and Justice NV Anjaria, referring
to Imam, who is an engineer. The ASG showed videos of Imam giving “inflammatory speeches” against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) at Chakhand, Jamia, Aligarh and Asansol in 2019 and 2020. “It’s not a simple protest. These are violent protests. They are talking about blockades,” Raju told the Bench which asked if the speeches were part of the chargesheet. Answering the query in the affirmative, the ASG said, “The CAA protests were a red herring, the real purpose was regime change… create economic deprivation and chaos across the country. The riots were deliberately made to coincide with the visit of US President Donald Trump. These so-called intellectuals are more dangerous than the groundlevel terrorists,” Raju said. He also countered the claim of the accused about delay in the trial, saying that the delay was attributable to the accused and they couldn’t take advantage of it.
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Why India's Election Commission is facing a test of credibility India's Election Commission (ECI), one of the most trusted public institutions in the world's largest democracy, is facing a test of its credibility. Over the past few weeks, it has fielded a string of allegations from the opposition, ranging from voter fraud and manipulation to inconsistencies in electoral rolls. It has denied all of these. Opposition leaders, who have held massive protests against the ECI in recent days, said they were considering an impeachment motion to remove the chief election commissioner from his position. They hadn't filed the motion by Thursday, the last day of the monsoon session of parliament, and currently don't have the numbers to see it through. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi, the leader of India's main opposition party Congress, has launched a 16day, 1,300km (807 miles) march - known as the Voter Adhikar Yatra (Voter Rights March) - in Bihar state to protest against the ECI, marking a dramatic escalation in the political fight. Bihar, set to vote in a key state election later this year, has been in the middle of a heated controversy over a recent revision of electoral rolls. Gandhi first made the allegations of vote theft in August, accusing the ECI of colluding with the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to rig the 2024 general elections. Using granular data from the ECI's own records, he alleged that a parliamentary constituency in the southern state of Karnataka had more than 100,000 fake voters, including duplicate voters, invalid addresses and bulk registrations at single locations. The ECI has repeatedly called the claims "false and misleading". And the BJP has strongly denied these allegations, with leader Anurag Thakur saying the Congress and the opposition
had come together to make these "baseless claims" because they were anticipating a loss in Bihar. Gandhi's press conference was held as the controversy in Bihar was raging. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) happened between June and July, with the ECI saying its representatives visited all of Bihar's 78.9 million voters for verification. The ECI says this was done to update the voter lists after more than 20 years, but opposition leaders say the process may have disenfranchised tens of thousands of people, especially migrants, because of the haste with which it was conducted and the onerous documentation required as proof. After a draft of the updated list was published on 1 August, several reports, including by the BBC, highlighted errors in the count, such as the wrong gender and photos assigned against people's names, and dead voters on the rolls. The new draft rolls have 72.4 million names - 6.5 million fewer than before, with the commission saying the omissions include duplicate, deceased and migrant voters. Those who believe their names were wrongly struck off have been given until 1 September to appeal. Meanwhile, criticism also intensified over the manner in which the ECI published the names of the 6.5 million people that were excluded from the draft rolls. Opposition parties questioned why the commission was putting up scanned physical copies, rather than machine-readable lists of omitted voters, which could be independently verified by analysts and political parties. Eventually, India's top court told the ECI to publish a searchable list of voters and also state the reasons for their exclusion.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2025