Hindu temple vandalised in Canada
TORONTO, April 21: A temple in Canada’s Surrey has been defaced by vandals with pro-Khalistan graffiti at its entrance and the pillars, authorities said.The incident took place on April 19 at the Shree Lakshmi Narayana Mandir in Surrey, the temple said in a statement.“It is with deep sorrow that we inform the community of a disturbing incident that took place in the early hours of April 19, 2025, at approximately 3:00 AM. Two unidentified individuals vandalised the Shree Lakshmi Narayana Mandir in Surrey by defacing the entrance sign and the temple pillars with the word ‘Khalistan’, the statement said.Also, the security camera was stolen during this act. (PTI)
US: Three killed in severe storms in Oklahoma
HOUSTON, April 21: Three people were killed as heavy storms hit the central US state of Oklahoma over the weekend, authorities said. A 12-year-old boy and his mother died in Moore, about 10 miles (about 16 km) south of Oklahoma City, on Sunday after floodwaters washed away their vehicle, said local police.“This was a historical weather event that impacted roads and resulted in dozens of high-water incidents across the city,” Moore police said in a statement.Another person was killed on Saturday night after a tornado hit Spaulding, a town in Hughes County, the county wrote on Facebook.Several homes and structures were destroyed, and there were “numerous washouts” of county roads, it said.On April 20, the National Weather Service issued multiple tornado warnings across several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, and Louisiana. According to AccuWeather, regions of Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois faced a high risk of severe thunderstorms. (IANS)
Four killed as moving car catches fire in Nepal
KATHMANDU, April 21: Four people travelling in a Bolero were killed when their vehicle caught fire due to electrocution in Eastern Nepal’s Taplejung district on Monday, police said.The police said two more people were injured when the vehicle came in contact with an electric wire swinging on a pole in Fungling municipality.The vehicle caught fire due to an electrical short circuit as it touched the live wire. (PTI)
Bangla Islamist group demands abolition of women’s reform commission
DHAKA, April 21: An Islamist group in Bangladesh has demanded the abolition of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission formed by the interim government to introduce reforms aimed at empowering women, saying it will launch a nationwide campaign to press for its demands.Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has sought the abolition of the commission.It said the commission, in its report, noted that the Islamic inheritance provision, the family law and some other religious rules created discrimination against women, which was “objectionable”.Therefore, Hefazat demanded the recommendations be scrapped alongside the complete abolition of the commission, it added. (PTI)