Author: TheStateLine

Toronto, Dec 24 (IANS) A 30-year-old Indian-origin woman was found murdered in Toronto, prompting police to issue a Canada-wide arrest warrant for a suspect they say was known to the victim, according to local media reports citing law enforcement officials.The woman has been identified as Himanshi Khurana. Toronto Police are searching for Abdul Ghafoori, 32, also a resident of Toronto, in connection with the killing.The development was confirmed by the Indian Consulate General in Toronto, which expressed shock and grief over the incident.In a post on X, the Consulate said, "We are deeply saddened and shocked by the murder of Ms Himanshi Khurana, a young Indian national, in Toronto. We extend our deepest condolences to her bereaved family during this moment of profound grief."The Consulate ...

Tokyo, Dec 24 (IANS) Japan's agriculture ministry said on Wednesday that genetic testing has confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a farm in Kyoto Prefecture, marking the ninth bird flu outbreak in the country this season.According to a statement released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the outbreak occurred at a poultry farm in Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture, which raises approximately 280,000 egg-laying chickens.Local authorities received a report on Tuesday and conducted a rapid avian influenza test on the farm's chickens the same day, with the results coming back positive. Genetic testing carried out on Wednesday confirmed infection with the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus.In accordance with relevant guidelines, all chickens at th...

Sydney, Dec 24 (IANS) The parliament of Australia's state of New South Wales (NSW) had passed tough new gun and protest laws in response to the fatal mass shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Wednesday.ABC said that the bill, which packaged gun reforms with a ban on protests for up to three months, passed 18 votes to eight just before 3 a.m. local time on Wednesday and included a key amendment on tightening firearms laws for people with suspected terrorist links.The legislation went back to the lower house to be rubberstamped, it added.The mass shooting, which targeted an event celebrating the first day of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah, killed 15 victims on December 14, Xinhua news agency reported.On Tuesday, Australian Prime Ministe...

Washington, Dec 24 (IANS) Indian H-1B visa holders are facing months-long uncertainty after US consulates in India delayed appointments due to new screening requirements, a development that has triggered concern on Capitol Hill, while the Trump Administration has strongly defended its tougher vetting, arguing that this is a national security necessity.Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, a Democrat from Michigan, said the December 3 announcement of the State Department to expand mandatory online presence reviews to all H-1B applicants and their H-4 dependents has led to sudden appointment cancellations and lengthy delays, leaving families unable to return to the United States despite having jobs, homes, and children enrolled in school.The change came as hundreds of families had long-scheduled vis...

Washington, Dec 24 (IANS) More than 20 US states on Tuesday moved to block the Trump administration’s new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas, warning that the measure would disrupt schools and hospitals nationwide and choke off a key pipeline of skilled foreign talent.The legal challenge carries particular significance for Indian professionals, who account for a dominant share of H-1B visa holders and play a critical role across US healthcare, education, research and technology sectors, especially in public institutions that states say cannot absorb the steep new cost.The multistate amicus brief supporting plaintiffs in Global Nurse Force, et al. v. Trump, urged the US District Court for the Northern District of California to issue a preliminary injunction blocking the policy. The brief argues the...

Washington, Dec 24 (IANS) Raising alarm over a political party ban, powerful US lawmakers have told Bangladesh’s interim government that free and fair elections cannot be held if political participation is restricted ahead of the February polls.In a letter to Dr Mohammed Yunus, Chief Adviser of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Congressmen Gregory W. Meeks, Bill Huizenga, and Sydney Kamlager-Dove urged the authorities to work across the political spectrum to restore confidence in democratic institutions. The letter was co-signed by Representatives Julie Johnson and Thomas R. Suozzi.“We welcome your willingness to step forward at a moment of national crisis in Bangladesh to lead an interim government ahead of elections in February of next year,” the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Yunus ...