10 K A S H M I R / U S e / I mmg Indian troops kill top rebel commander in Kashmir gun battle Rabi ul Awaal 19,1442 Nov 6, 2020
T
he dead commander, Saifullah Mir, was the chief of operations of the region’s largest rebel group, Hizbul Mujahideen. A top rebel commander was killed by Indian government forces in Indian-administered Kashmir’s main city, authorities have said, triggering anti-India protests in the disputed region. The dead commander, Saifullah Mir, was the chief of operations of the region’s largest rebel group, Hizbul Mujahideen, which for decades has spearheaded an armed campaign against Indian rule. Kashmir Inspector-General of Police Vijay Kumar said security forces launched an operation of Sunday, acting on intelligence about the presence of Mir in a neighbour-
hood on the outskirts of the regional capital, Srinagar. He said a gun battle ensued in which the commander was killed and his suspected associate was captured. “It is a major success for the security forces’ fight against militancy in the region,” Kumar said. There was no immediate confirmation from the rebels about the killing.
Protests erupt
Shortly after the gun battle, anti-India protests broke out in the neighbourhood. Police fired tear gas and shotgun pellets to stop scores of stone-throwing young men from marching in the area. The protesters were chanting slogans including “We want freedom” and “Go India, go back”. No one was reported wounded in the
clashes. According to officials, Mir joined the rebels’ ranks in 2014 and took charge of the Hizbul Mujahideen as its top operations commander after Indian troops killed his predecessor Riyaz Naikoo in May. Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full but administer separate portions of it, divided by a Line of Control, across which a tenuous ceasefire has been in place since 2003. Rebels have been fighting against Indian rule since 1989. Most Muslim Kashmiris support the rebel goal that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country. India says rebellion in Kashmir is sponsored by its western neighbour. Pakistan denies the charge, and most Kashmiris
call it a legitimate freedom struggle. Tens of thousands of civilians, rebels and government forces have been killed in the conflict. Source: aljazeera.com
US elections 2020: Rashida Tlaib Joe Biden makes history with total votes and Ilhan Omar win re-election received, beating Barack Obama’s record
Muslim-American Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar have won re-election to the US House of Representatives, with both lawmakers projected to secure an overwhelming majority of the votes in their respective districts in Michigan and Minnesota. After being elected as the first Muslim women to Congress in 2018, both lawmak-
ers comfortably fended off primary challenges in August to secure a second term for their Democratic seats. Tlaib and Omar have faced incessant attacks from President Donald Trump as well as criticism from officials in their own party over their outspoken stances against the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Still, their comfortable re-election demonstrates their appeal to their constituents. In 2018, Tlaib and Omar won their primaries in a large pool of primary candidates. This year, they replicated that success when going against a sole challenger. Source: middleeasteye.net
Government of Canada announces plan to support economic recovery through immigration
O
ctober 30, 2020—Ottawa—The Honourable Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, tabled the 2021‒2023 Immigration Levels Plan today, which sets out a path for responsible increases to immigration targets to help the Canadian economy recover from COVID-19, drive future growth and create jobs for middle class Canadians. The pandemic has highlighted the contribution of immigrants to the well-being of our communities and across all sectors of the economy. Our health-care system relies on immigrants to keep Canadians safe and healthy. Other industries, such as information technology companies and our farmers and producers, also rely on the talent of newcomers to maintain supply chains, expand their businesses and, in turn, create more jobs for Canadians. Although Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) continued to accept and process applications throughout the pandemic, the global travel restrictions and capacity constraints led to a shortfall in admissions over the last several months. To compensate for the shortfall and ensure Canada has the workers it needs to fill crucial labour market gaps and remain competitive on the world stage, the 2021 to 2023 levels plan aims to continue welcoming immigrants at a rate of about 1% of the popu-
lation of Canada, including 401,000 permanent residents in 2021, 411,000 in 2022 and 421,000 in 2023. The previous plan set targets of 351,000 in 2021 and 361,000 in 2022. The health, safety and security of Canadians remain our top priorities. Canada has strengthened health screening at the border as well as monitoring and enforcement, and will continue to closely follow the advice of public health officials as we welcome newcomers. This multi-year levels plan recognizes the importance of family reunification and Canada’s global commitment to protecting those most at risk through refugee resettlement.
Highlights of the plan include
• an increase in admissions over the 3 years of the plan to make up the shortfall in 2020 • a focus on economic growth, with about 60% of admissions to come from the Economic Class • a continued focus on innovative and community-driven approaches to address diverse labour and demographic needs across the country • a renewed commitment to capacity-building and digital transformation in Canada’s immigration system, to support operations and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the processing of applications • additional points for French-speaking candidates under Express Entry, to promote the growth of Francophone communities outside of Quebec • a commitment to admit up to 500 refugees over the next 2 years through the Economic
To be continued at page 16
Continued from page 1
ballots the state received during the coronavirus pandemic. Despite requests from election officials, Republican-controlled state legislatures in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin refused to change their state laws to allow extended pre-processing of ballots before Election Day.. Source: usatoday.com Joe Biden makes history with total votes received, beating Barack Obama’s record. With votes still being counted, former Vice President Joe Biden has broken the record for most votes received by a presidential candidate and now has amassed more than 70 million.The record was held by Barack Obama, who in the 2008 election received 69,498,516 votes when he beat John McCain, the late Republican senator.
Biden eclipsed that mark at 1:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, according to The New York Times, and he later later broke the 70-million vote threshold. President Donald Trump also has a chance to break Obama’s previous record for the popular vote. By 3:30 p.m. ET, Trump had more than 67.6 million votes. Source: usatoday.com
We are hiring for Halal Butcher
Job Duties
•Cut Poultry using the Halal Method •Able to handle a sharp knife •Follow animal welfare standards
Rossdown Farms & Natural Foods is a fourth-generation family business located in BC’s Fraser Valley.
Benefits
•Extended Health / Dental benefits •Pension plan •Staff Discounts on Halal poultry •Vacation(2weeks)
To apply send in your resumes to Email: careers@rossdown.com or visit our plant
2325 Bradner Road Abbotsford, B.C V4X 1E2.
