AN INDIAN student has been shot dead by an unidentified man at the entrance of a subway station in Toronto while he was on his way to work, Canadian police said.
Kartik Vasudev, 21, was shot on Thursday (7) evening at the Glen Road entrance to Sherbourne station in St James Town.
He received medical attention from an off-duty paramedic and was taken to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, the Toronto Police Service said in a statement.
The homicide squad of the Toronto Police Service has taken over the investigation.
“We are shocked & distressed at the unfortunate killing of Indian student Kartik Vasudev in a shooting incident in Toronto yesterday,” the Consulate General of India wrote in a statement posted on Twitter on Friday (9).
“We are in touch with the family and will provide all possible assistance in the early repatriation of mortal remains," it said.
“Grieved by this tragic incident. Deepest condolences to the family,” Jaishankar tweeted.
The victim's father, Jitesh Vasudev said, “We have lost everything,”
“He was just trying to fulfil his dreams, it was his dream to come to Canada," he told Toronto Star.
According to his father, Vasudev had spent the last three years studying hard to be accepted into the school in Toronto.
He was particularly drawn to the safety and opportunities in Canada, his father said, adding he had made friends and had just got a part-time job at the Mexican restaurant just two weeks ago.
The last time he and his wife spoke to their son was on Thursday afternoon.
“I don't know what happened, but I'm trying to find out with the local police, please tell me what happened to my son.”
“He was just going to his job, for his daily routine,” he said.
Vasudev's brother told CP24 news channel he was a student at Seneca College and was taking the subway to his job when he was killed. He arrived in Canada in January.
Seneca College said Vasudev was enrolled in its marketing management programme.
"The Seneca community is saddened to hear of the tragic death of Kartik Vasudev, a first-semester marketing management student," a spokesperson said in a statement.
"Our thoughts are with Mr Vasudev's family, friends and classmates. Counselling support is being made available to students and employees.”
Police said the suspect in the shooting is a black male standing five-foot-six to five-foot-seven inches tall with a medium build.
He was last seen carrying a handgun walking south on Glen Road toward Howard Street, according to the news channel.
INDIAN-AMERICAN entrepreneur Baiju Bhatt, co-founder of the commission-free trading platform Robinhood, has been named among the 10 youngest billionaires in the United States in the 2025 Forbes 400 list.
At 40, Bhatt is the only person of Indian origin in this group, which includes figures such as Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg. Forbes estimates his net worth at around USD 6–7 billion (£4.4–5.1 billion), primarily from his roughly 6 per cent ownership in Robinhood.
Bhatt was born in 1984 in Poquoson, Virginia, to immigrant parents from Gujarat, India. His father, an aerospace engineer, worked at NASA. He grew up in a household where English was a second language and money was limited. He later attended Stanford University, where he studied physics and earned a master’s degree in mathematics.
In 2013, Bhatt co-founded Robinhood with Vlad Tenev, a fellow Stanford graduate. The platform introduced commission-free stock trading to retail investors in the United States and later expanded into retirement accounts and high-yield savings products. The company gained widespread attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, when trading activity surged around so-called meme stocks.
Robinhood went public in 2021 at the height of the retail investing boom. Bhatt served as co-CEO with Tenev until 2020, when he moved into the role of chief creative officer. In 2024, he stepped down from his executive position but continues to serve on Robinhood’s board of directors while retaining his 6 per cent stake.
Robinhood’s stock has seen significant gains over the past year, rising by about 400 per cent. The increase has been linked to a boost in cryptocurrency-related sales, new products such as individual retirement accounts and high-yield savings, and a strong performance in 2024, when the company reported USD 3 billion (£2.2 billion) in revenue.
Bhatt’s recognition in the Forbes 400 list underscores the continuing influence of technology entrepreneurs in the American financial sector. His career reflects the trajectory of several Indian-origin leaders in the United States, who have made a mark in technology and finance in recent years.
Forbes’ annual ranking of the 400 wealthiest Americans is based on estimates of net worth, which include publicly disclosed stakes in companies, real estate holdings, and other assets. Bhatt joins the ranks of young billionaires who have built fortunes through technology-driven ventures.
In addition to his role with Robinhood, Bhatt has been noted for his early life influences. Growing up in Virginia, he was exposed to science and technology through his father’s aerospace career. His academic path at Stanford provided the foundation to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities in financial technology.
Robinhood, under the leadership of Bhatt and Tenev, has changed how millions of Americans approach investing by lowering barriers to entry. While Bhatt is no longer in an executive role, his continued stake in the company keeps him closely tied to its growth and future direction.
Bhatt’s inclusion in the 2025 Forbes 400 as one of the youngest billionaires highlights his role in shaping retail investing and signals the growing presence of Indian-origin entrepreneurs in the US technology and finance industries.
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Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. (Photo: Getty Images)
A CABINET minister has said Peter Mandelson should not have been made UK ambassador to the US, as criticism mounted over prime minister Keir Starmer’s judgment in appointing him.
Douglas Alexander, the Scotland secretary, told the BBC that Mandelson’s appointment was seen as “high-risk, high-reward” but that newly revealed emails changed the situation.
“If Keir knew then what we know now, he would not have made that appointment,” he later told LBC.
Starmer dismissed Mandelson on Thursday after reading emails published by Bloomberg in which Mandelson defended Jeffrey Epstein following his 2008 conviction. Mandelson wrote to Epstein: “I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened … Your friends stay with you and love you.”
Stephen Doughty, the Foreign Office minister, told MPs the messages showed Mandelson’s relationship with Epstein was “materially different from that known at the time of his appointment.”
Mandelson, who admitted during vetting that he had maintained links with Epstein and regretted doing so, is said to feel ill-treated.
Labour MPs criticised the handling of the affair. Paula Barker said the delay in removing Mandelson had “eroded trust,” Charlotte Nichols said he should “never have been appointed,” and Sadik Al-Hassan questioned the vetting process.
The episode has drawn wider scrutiny of Starmer’s decision-making. It comes after deputy prime minister Angela Rayner resigned last week over unpaid stamp duty. Some MPs turned attention to Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, who played a role in Mandelson’s appointment.
In a letter to staff, Mandelson said being ambassador was “the privilege of my life” and he regretted the circumstances of his departure. James Roscoe, his deputy, will serve as acting ambassador.
The Financial Times reported that Global Counsel, the lobbying firm co-founded by Mandelson, is preparing to cut ties with him.
TWO Conservative MPs have launched a petition to stop Leicester City Council cutting back this year's Diwali celebrations.
Shivani Raja, MP for Leicester East, and Neil O'Brien, who represents nearby Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, started the Change.org petition on Wednesday (10) after the council announced plans to remove key elements from the October 20 event.
Safety experts have decided to cut the stage show, Diwali Village and fireworks from this year's celebrations on Belgrave Road, known as Leicester's Golden Mile. The changes follow concerns about crowd safety after 55,000 people attended last year's event.
Under the new plans, the festival will keep its lights display of more than 6,000 bulbs and the Wheel of Light. However, there will be no fireworks, Diwali Village at Cossington Park, food stalls, cultural performances, rides or activities.
The council will still close Belgrave Road so people can visit restaurants and shops safely.
"Let's not allow this festival to become a shadow of its former self," the petition said. The MPs want the council to bring back the full Diwali experience and work with community leaders and the Belgrave Business Association to create a safe plan that keeps the traditions.
A Safety Advisory Group made up of police and emergency services said the extra activities "compromise public safety".
Leicester City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said last week: "I completely understand and share the great desire to make Leicester's Diwali celebrations as good as can be. I thought that some of the suggestions put forward by the local community were achievable, but the Safety Advisory Group has rejected them all. I'm disappointed that as a result there won't be any additional activities, and I hope this is something the SAG will review next year."
The council said it needs to prevent "potentially dangerous crowd massing" seen in the past two years. The MPs had earlier written to Leicestershire Police asking them to reconsider the restrictions, arguing that the decision "will undermine the unique atmosphere that makes these celebrations so special and could damage Leicester's reputation as a centre for multicultural celebration".
They suggested police should provide more officers instead of cutting the festival.
Graham Callister, the council's head of festivals, events and cultural policy, said scaling back would create "additional space needed – and more importantly, less congestion – to safely welcome the crowds".
Councillor Vi Dempster explained: "Unfortunately, Leicester's annual Diwali festival has become a victim of its own success. We're being strongly advised by our emergency service partners and crowd control experts that it cannot continue safely in its current format due to the unrestricted and growing crowd numbers that it attracts, and that's a warning we must take extremely seriously."
The Leicester Diwali celebration is often described as one of the biggest outside India and has run on the Golden Mile for over 40 years.
(PTI)
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Residents sit in a rescue boat as they evacuate following monsoon rains and rising water levels in the Chenab River, in Basti Khan Bela, on the outskirts of Jalalpur Pirwala, Punjab province, Pakistan, September 10, 2025. REUTERS/Quratulain Asim
OVER two million people have been forced to leave their homes as devastating floods continue to sweep across Pakistan's eastern regions, authorities announced.
The worst-hit area is Punjab province, where more than two million residents have been evacuated. An additional 150,000 people have fled Sindh province, according to national disaster management chief Inam Haider Malik, who warned that the "number may rise over the coming days".
The flooding has claimed at least 946 lives across Pakistan since late June, with monsoon rains and swollen rivers wreaking havoc throughout the country. Punjab province alone has recorded 97 deaths.
The emergency response has faced tragic setbacks. On Thursday (11), nine people died when a rescue boat capsized near the historic city of Multan whilst carrying flood victims to safety. The boat had successfully rescued 24 people from flooded villages before it overturned, though the remaining 15 passengers were pulled from the water alive.
This follows another boat accident earlier this week, when five people died in a similar incident on the outskirts of Jalalpur Pirwala city.
Rescue teams are going door-to-door to relocate villagers and their livestock using small boats, but these vessels must navigate dangerous strong currents. Officials say the rescue work is "tough because people are not cooperating", as many residents refuse to leave without their animals - often their main source of income.
The floods have submerged over 4,500 villages in Punjab province alone, affecting more than 4.4 million people since late August. Punjab, home to half of Pakistan's 240 million population, is considered the country's breadbasket, making the agricultural damage particularly severe.
Many families initially chose to stay at home to protect their property despite the flood risks. However, with large areas of farmland and houses destroyed, the human cost continues to mount in a country where 40 per cent of residents live below the poverty line.
The international community has begun responding to the crisis. This week, the United Nations allocated $5 million to support Pakistan's flood response, whilst the US State Department approved funding and deployed disaster response personnel.
Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority has delivered tonnes of relief supplies, including blankets, tents and water filtration devices to flood-affected areas in Punjab.
Facing the scale of the disaster, Pakistani authorities declared a climate emergency this week. Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered officials to develop a 300-day plan to address the challenges posed by climate change.
Pakistan's geography makes it extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts, with the country facing both extreme heat and torrential rains. Melting glaciers have also created new lakes at risk of dangerous outbursts.
Malik said it would take weeks for floodwaters to recede before "rehabilitation work" could begin on thousands of damaged villages and fields.
The current floods echo Pakistan's 2022 disaster, when months of heavy rain killed more than 1,700 people and affected over 30 million in one of the deadliest flood events in history.
(with inputs from Reuters)
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Army personnel patrol outside Nepal's President House during a curfew imposed to restore law and order in Kathmandu on September 12, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
Nepal’s president and army in talks to find an interim leader after deadly protests
At least 51 killed, the deadliest unrest since the end of the Maoist civil war
Curfew imposed in Kathmandu, army patrols continue
Gen Z protest leaders demand parliament’s dissolution
NEPAL’s president and army moved on Friday to find a consensus interim leader after anti-corruption protests forced the government out and parliament was set on fire.
The country of 30 million faced unrest this week after security forces clamped down on rallies by young anti-corruption protesters, leading to widespread violence on Tuesday.
At least 51 people were killed in the violence, the deadliest since the end of the Maoist civil war and the abolition of the monarchy in 2008.
The military took control of the streets on Wednesday, enforcing a curfew, as army chief General Ashok Raj Sigdel and president Ramchandra Paudel held talks with political leaders and representatives from the youth protest movement known as “Gen Z.”
Search for interim leader
Disagreements between factions remain, but 73-year-old Sushila Karki, Nepal’s first woman chief justice, has emerged as a key candidate.
"A meeting has been scheduled for this afternoon with the president, the army chief, former chief justice Sushila Karki, our representative Sudan Gurung and one legal expert," Nimesh Shrestha, who was part of the Gen Z protest, told AFP.
Karki told AFP that "experts need to come together to figure out the way forward", adding that "the parliament still stands."
However, Gurung, a youth activist, said on Thursday that their "first demand is the dissolution of parliament."
In an address to the nation, President Paudel said that "a solution to the problem is being sought, as soon as possible."
Curfew in Kathmandu
Army patrols continued for a third day in Kathmandu on Friday. The protests and unrest also triggered a mass jailbreak earlier in the week.
"I was very afraid and stayed locked inside my home with family and didn't leave," said Naveen Kumar Das, a painter-decorator in his mid-40s.
With a brief lifting of the curfew on Friday morning, residents went out to buy food and essentials.
"It was a really tense time and we just stayed indoors," said Laxmi Thapa, 32, who came out with her husband to refuel their motorbike. "We came out as things have improved."
Deadly crackdown
At least 21 protesters were among those killed, many during Monday’s police crackdown on demonstrations against corruption and governance problems, which began after a ban on social media.
On Tuesday, protesters set fire to parliament, government buildings and a Hilton Hotel. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, 73, resigned, and the army took over security in the streets.
The army said on Friday that more than 100 guns looted during the protests had been recovered.
Police spokesman Binod Ghimire told AFP that over 12,500 prisoners who escaped from jails across the country during the unrest "are still at large."
Call for change
Nepal’s economic challenges have fuelled discontent. More than 40 per cent of the population is aged between 16 and 40. A fifth of people aged 15-24 are unemployed, according to the World Bank, and GDP per capita is $1,447.
Gen Z protesters continue to debate the country’s political future.
"We started this movement so we could make a better Nepal," said James Karki, 24. "And I am positive that the army will listen."