Canada lifts ban on Kaur, Singh
The Canadian Government has reversed a 10-year-old order of its New Delhi mission which said "the names Kaur and Singh do not qualify for the purpose of immigration to Canada”, report agencies.

Ottawa took the decision after a storm of complaints from the Sikhs. The last names 'Singh' and 'Kaur' are almost synonymous with Sikhs. But as per the decreee of the Delhi mission, if they’re trying to get a visa to Canada, this could very well become a problem. The problem arose after Canadian immigration officials dusted out a 10-year-old, little-known rule that asks Sikh visa applicants with last names Singh or Kaur to change them. "There are too many of them," officials say, pointing to difficulties in maintaining a database with similar names.

CITU countrywide strike on Aug 8
The CITU has urged upon all sections of workers to support the countrywide strike called by it on August 8 for safeguarding the interest of the workers and farm labourers in the unorganised sector, reports PTI from Bhubaneswar. These workers have been disillusioned by the promises of the UPA government to formulate two separate Acts for safeguarding their interest which had not been honoured, CITU leader Sivaji Patnaik said.
told reporters on Thursday.

“Though this promise had been included in the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA, the government had not found time to enact these laws though three years had elapsed,” he said.