Miracle 438, april 14, 2017 r

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Volume 17 Issue 438 - Rajab 17, 1438 AH / April 14, 2017

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U S : N o d oubt S y ria used chemical weap ons M al al a mad e an honorary C anad ian citiz en G as p rices j ump across country

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

p p arentl y , the d ecl ining U S influence in the Middle East has p romp ted A merica mil itary intervention in the p rol onged S y rian head ache. W ashington is d etermined to maintain its mil itary might and economic sup eriority international l y . The U S recourse to missil e attack s stems from the fact that W estern- fund ed rebel s have proved to be ineffective to oust Assad from p ower.

The U S missil e attack s against the S y rian armed forces wil l not onl y ad vertise its mod ern weap onry , they are al so intend ed to assure the M id E ast countries that W ashington is ful l y cap abl e mil itaril y to p rovid e security for the core strategic interests of its regional al l ies.

S ince the R ussian mil itary sup p ort to A ssad is bl amed for increasing the d ivergences between R ussia and the U S , the hel p l ess S y rians continue to reel from the brutal ities of the A ssad regime, insurgent group s, and from the missil e strik es resul ting in massive col l ateral d amage.

A s the U S bel ieves the current regime has al read y l ost its l egitimacy if any , so a forced rep l acement is absol utel y necessary at the earl iest.

Therefore, the main goal here incl ud es d ethroning R ussia’ s regional cl ient ( the A ssad regime) and rep l ace him with a l egitimate one who woul d be l ook ing after the A merican interests.

This ind icates that W ashington has a l ong l ist of mil itary and economic p l ans to imp l ement once P resid ent A ssad is ousted from the strategical l y imp ortant S y ria. i ation of re pon i ility The ex p erts maintain that there shoul d have been an imp artial investigation und er the umbrel l a of U N regard ing the d ead l y chemical attack k il l ing so many innocent p eop l e incl ud ing chil d ren.

E D I T O R I A L

The Syria Tension A ccord ing to R ussia’ s d efence ministry , the S y rian warp l anes p ound ed a l arge terrorist d ep ot and a concentration of mil itary hard ware in the eastern outsk irts of K han S heik houn. The attack d isp ersed the l ethal chemicals in the air, suffocating a l arge number of p eop l e near the ep icentre of the attack .

I t seems as if the p ol itical l and scap e of this imp ortant region is going to be reshap ed through use of force.

H istorical l y sp eak ing, regard ing the M id - E ast, H enry K issinger’ s d ictum: “ no war without E gy p t, no p eace without S y ria, ” stil l hol d s true. Tod ay , S y ria hol d s the k ey to p eace in the region, but through such strik es the U S fail s to real ise this truth. he urkey factor The R ussian missil e technol ogy woul d hel p Turk ey get rid of the N ato- d ep l oy ed missil es on Turk ish soil . M oreover, the hostil e attitud e of the U S toward s Turk ey has back fired as it has made the latter reset its d amaged rel ations with R ussia.

A l so, R ussia and Turk ey now share intel l igence information and coord inate with each other against D aesh in S y ria. ther i tur ance for the S Turk ey shows its interest in buy ing ad vanced S - 4 0 0 air and missil e d efence sy stems from R ussia. The U S is aware that R ussia wil l cap ital ise on its p artnership with Turk ey to increase its naval and mil itary p resence in the M ed iterranean S ea and E astern E urop e. I f R ussia succeed s in bringing Turk ey und er its regional influence, the US may lose its most p owerful N A TO p artner in the region. W ashington wil l d o whatever is necessary to d iscourage Turk ey from al igning with R ussia. he Syrian A s R ussian mil itary sup p ort to A ssad is l ik el y to further increase the

differences between Russia and the U S in terms of bringing a l asting end to the S y rian war, the hel p l ess S y rians wil l , therefore, continue to reel from the brutal S y rian regime and the anti A ssad insurgent group s. he ran factor Iran is highly worried about the changes in US positions under Trump.

U nd ermining I ran’ s p l ans in S y ria is an imp ortant p art of the strategy being d evel op ed by the Trump ad ministration. u ia ha een tol The U S S ecretary of S tate R ex Til l erson issued an ul timatum to R ussia on Tuesd ay : “ S id e with the U S and l ik emind ed countries on S y ria, or embrace I ran, mil itant group H ez bol l ah and embattl ed S y rian l ead er B ashar A ssad .” M oscow is a staunch al l y of P resid ent B ashar A ssad whom the U nited S tates bl amed for the chemical attack .

The U S l aunched airstrik es against A ssad ’ s forces in retal iation for a chemical attack on civil ians, I t l aunched 5 9 Tomahawk cruise missil es against the A l S hay rat air base in H oms from the d estroy ers – the U S S P orter and the U S S R oss, which are currentl y stationed in the eastern M ed iterranean. S ome earl y reports indicate that the airfield’s p l anes and sup p ort infrastructure were severel y d amaged or d estroy ed .

Trump administration officials have offered mixed messages about whether W ashington bel ieves A ssad definitely must surrender power — and when. Til l erson said it was cl ear the U S saw no rol e for A ssad in S y ria’ s future, given that he had l ost l egitimacy . “ I t is cl ear to al l of us that the reign of the A ssad famil y is coming to an end , ” he said . “ B ut the q uestion of how that end s and

the transition itsel f coul d be very imp ortant in our view to the d urabil ity, the stability inside of a unified S y ria.” B ut after the chemical attack in I d l ib, W ashington wil l no l onger accep t him remaining in p ower.

N ote: U S consent to the R ussianI ranian bid to k eep A ssad in p ower is no l onger p art of the eq uation.

F urthermore, there’ s no way to ascertain how many S y rians have been k il l ed over the p ast six y ears. The figure of 500,000 has been claimed by some ind ep end ent group s.

Also, ‘more than 80 people’ were k il l ed in a chemical attack in K han S heik houn l ast Tuesd ay , H owever, the S y rian mil itary d enied using any chemical agents in the airstrik es on the town, and its al l y R ussia said one of the strik es had hit a chemical munitions d ep ot owned by rebel s. This al l owed accusations to be hurl ed at both the S y rian government and the rebel s at the same time.

H al ey bl amed R ussia for the S y rian regime’ s continued use of chemical weapons. She was the first US official to describe Assad as a war criminal , stressing the need for accountabil ity and p unishment. S he d ownp l ay ed p revious statements

by S ecretary of S tate R ex Til l erson, who said A ssad ’ s removal was not a U S p riority and his fate shoul d be d ecid ed by his p eop l e.

An er i a ne otiate ettle ent There is a big ” no” to rebel forces incl ud ing the I S I S ( D A E S H ) .

The recentl y p atched up S aud i- l ed 4 1 - state I sl amic mil itary al l iance, if avail abl e to S y ria, I raq and I ran wil l be a great bl essing to encourage the U S - R ussia p atch up for the good of the entire region. L et’ s go for p eace onl y .

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2017 Election BC NDP’s candidates reflects the diversity of our province

By John Horgan, Leader of the BC NDP I t has al way s been my bel ief that our government should reflect the d iversity of the p rovince that it rep resents. O ur ful l sl ate of 87 BC NDP candidates has now been nominated , and I ’ m p roud to say that we have an incred ibl y d iverse group of tal ented p eop l e who are read y to work for y ou.

O ver a q uarter of B C N D P cand id ates id entify as members of a visibl e minority and our cand id ates sp eak P unj abi, H ind i, U rd u, C antonese, M and arin, P ortuguese, S p anish, F rench, G erman, and more. Of our 87 cand id ates, 5 1 p er cent are women.

O ur team of cand id ates al so incl ud es 1 4 S outh A sian cand id ates from across the p rovince.

H arwind er S and hu, our cand id ate for K el owna- M ission, is is a trained nurse and an outsp ok en ad vocate for heal th and seniors’ care. O ur cand id ate for P enticton, Tarik S ay eed , is a technol ogy innovator and business owner and has served as a P enticton city council l or. R achna S ingh, our cand id ate for S urrey - G reen

Timbers, has work ed as a d rug and al cohol counsel l or, a sup p ort work er for women facing d omestic viol ence, and a community activist.

W e bel ieve that this camp aign is about buil d ing a p rovince that work s for real p eop l e. C hristy C l ark ’ s choices have mad e l ife hard er for p eop l e. F or too l ong, she has p ut the weal thy and wel l connected first while you pay the p rice. C osts are going up , whil e heal th care and school s are being cut. P eop l e are work ing hard er, but wages aren’ t k eep ing up with rising costs. That’ s not fair.

M y p riority is to mak e l ife easier, and a l ot better for y ou. I t’ s time y ou had a government that reflected the diversity of our province and put you first, and that’s ex actl y what we intend to d o.

B C N ew D emocrats have a p l an to make life more affordable, create good , sustainabl e j obs and p rovid e the services p eop l e count on. A s p art of that p l an, we’ ve committed to tak e immed iate action to mak e l ife more afford abl e by freez ing hy d ro rates and el iminating tol l s on the P ort M ann and G ol d en E ars brid ges that p unish commuters who l ive in S urrey .

W e’ l l imp rove the services y ou and y our famil y count on, esp ecial l y heal th care and ed ucation, so y oung p eop l e have every op p ortunity to succeed in l ife and seniors can age with d ignity .

W e’ l l buil d a sustainabl e economy , creating thousand s of good

j obs with better wages in every corner of B C . W e’ l l buil d hosp ital s, road s and transit whil e tack l ing cl imate change. These are j ust a few of the commitments we have mad e to y ou.

A s this el ection camp aign k ick s into high gear, I ’ m l ook ing forward to meeting y ou and sharing our vision for buil d ing a better B C . B y coming together and celebrating our diversity, we will make our province more inclusive and better for everyone, not just the wealthy few at the top.

Liberals Once Again Shut Down Study of Interim Super Hornet Purchase: Clarke & McCauley Conservative Party

Ottawa, ON – Today, Official Opposition C ritics for P ubl ic S ervices and P rocurement, M P A l up a C l ark e, and M P K el l y M cC aul ey , moved the fol l owing motion: That, the S tand ing C ommittee on G overnment O p erations and E stimates invite the M inister of N ational D efence to ap p ear before the C ommittee no l ater than on Tuesd ay , M ay 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 , to substantiate the use of the ex cep tion contained in subsection 3 ( 1 ) ( g) of the G overnment Contracts Regulations regarding fighter jet procurement; and that every effort be mad e to ensure that the ap p earance of the M inister be tel evised .

D ebate on this motion was shut d own twice by the L iberal maj ority on the

committee. I n resp onse, A l up a C l ark e and K el l y M cC aul ey issued the fol l owing statement: “ The L iberal s have once again used their maj ority on the C ommittee to shut d own a much need ed stud y of their decision to sole-source 18 Sup er H ornets from B oeing. O p p osition p arties have rep eated l y ask ed for p roof of the so- cal l ed ‘ cap abil ity gap ’ that sup p orts the L iberal s’ d emand for an interim fleet, yet they continue to give us the run around . “ W hen we ask ed the P arl iamentary S ecretary for P ubl ic S ervices and P rocurement to show us the evid ence used to j ustify sol e- sourcing the contract, he tol d the H ouse that the M inister of N ational D efence woul d p rovid e answers. B ut when we ask ed the M inister of N ational D efence to ap p ear before the committee to sup p l y that information, L iberal M P s shut d own the d iscussion without d ebate - twice. “ M il itary and non- mil itary ex p erts have rep eated l y q uestioned the ex istence of a ‘ cap abil ity gap , ’ as wel l as the L iberal s’ d ecision to d el ay l aunching an op en and transp arent competition to replace our fighter j ets. I t’ s wel l p ast time for a formal ex amination of the L iberal s’ d efence cl aims, but they k eep shutting d own d ebate. This is the ex act op p osite of op en and transp arent government, and a concerning p attern with this L iberal government. W hat are they try ing to hid e? ”

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

PAKISTAN

I was in contact with Kulbhushan,Iranian agency, Uzair tells magistrate L ay ri gang war don U z air B al och reveal ed dur ing investigation that he had committed crimes, espe cial l y for pol iticians, and got heavy amount in return. A ccordi ng to credi bl e sources, L ya ri gang l eade r has ad mitted that he had attempted the nastiest offenses with the connivance of renowned pol iticians and got heavy amounts for their wrongdoi ngs. U z air was know n by the names of A bba S arda r and don in the unde rworl d of the city .

L ya ri gangster and former head of the banned P eopl e’ s A man C ommittee, U z air B al och, has mad e a confessional statement to a magistrate fol l owing his arrest on A pr il 24 l ast ye ar.

H e adm itted his rel ations with renowned pol itical p ersons and foreign agencies al ongside col l ecting mil l ions in ext ortion from various institutions. H e further stated that he had el icited R s20 mil l ion a month from fisheries only, adding he had recommended Saeed Bal och and N isar M orai’ s appoi ntment there. H e al so ad mitted he had used his relations with Zulfiquar Mirza, Q adi r P atel and Y usuf B al och to have S H O s of his choice appoi nted to facil itate his criminal activities.

H e adm itted that he had been in contact with I ndi an spy K ul bhushan and I ranian spy agency . H e said he kne w H aj i N asir to be an I ranian spy , addi ng he arranged a meeting with the I ranian secret agency . H e had confessed to having snitched on the P aki stani armed forces in K arachi and sharing information with the I ranian spy .

H e further reveal ed that he had al l eged l y got R s10 mil l ion in orde r to il l egal l y occupy costl y l ands l ocated at H awke s B ay , M owach G oth and N orthern B ypa ss. H e received the heavy amount from an influential political personality. Sources stated that the L ya ri gang l eade r had al so received R s six mil l ion to create hurdles in an effort for grabbing some 500 qua rters at M auripur by a po l itical l eade r. I n 201 1, a pr ovincial minister had assigned U z air to resol ve di fferent cases of pr ope rties. The minister gave him R s five million for the job. An influential leader of Sindh had al so used U z air to buy 40 bungal ows in C l ifton at throwaway pr ices. O n 19t h O ctober, 201 after the tragedy of S hershah K abari M arke t, an impor tant po l itical l eade r had given him the task to ki l l men from an oppone nt’ s group i n revenge.

I n 201, U z air had succeede d in abol ishing the head money fixed on him and his campaigns with the connivance of an important and powerful political figure.

While in the 2013 election, an influential woman politician had contacted him on the matter of di stribution of pr ovincial and national assembl y ticke ts. The gang l eade r al so reveal ed that he had contacts with a femal e pol itician of S indh over the matter of national and pr ovincial assembl y ticke ts from L ya ri dur ing the 2013 general el ections. N ow the most impor tant character of the unhol y al l iance between crime and the government is in the custody of the P aki stan A rmy . Source : The news

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India knows why Pakistan sentenced Jadhav to death, says envoy Basit

P aki stan’ s H igh C ommissioner to I ndi a A bdul B asit de fende d the de ath sentence given to I ndi an spy K ul bhushan J adha v by a F iel d G eneral C ourt M artial , say ing he received a fair trial , the de tail s of which coul d not be made publ ic but the I ndi an government was aware of “ what [ P aki stan] is tal ki ng about” .

I n an interview with I ndi a Toda y on W edne sda y , B asit said that J adha v was “ not an ordi nary man. H e was a serving [Indian navy’s] officer,” which is why he was tried in a mil itary’ s court “ as so many other P aki stanis have been tried before [ him] ” .

J adha v was arrested on M arch 3, 2016, through a counter- intel l igence ope ration in B al ochistan’ s M ashke l area for his in-

vol vement in espi onage and sabotage activities against P aki stan. The charges he faced incl ude d spyi ng for I ndi a, worki ng against P aki stan’ s integrity , spons oring terrorism in the country and attempt ing to de stabil ise the state. D efendi ng J ad hav’ s sentencing, the envoy to I ndi a said that P aki stan has “ arrested hundr eds of ope ratives and foot sol di ers on the basis of information p rovide d by J adha v” ever since his arrest. W hen aske d why was I ndi a not al l owed consul ar access to J adha v de spi te regul ations unde r international l aw, B asit said that consul ar access is not “ automatic” , espe cial l y for matters that are “ sensitive and rel ated to security” . “ C onsul ar access is not pr ovide d across

the board, l et us remember that,” he maintained. “ W e must unde rstand C ommande r J adha v had been visiting P aki stan since 203 on an original , genuine I ndi an pa sspor t unde r a fake name of M ubarak H ussain P atel . I t is for you to tel l us why he was travel l ing unde r a fake name with an original I ndi an pa sspor t,” the envoy said, W hil e dr awing a pa ral l el between J adha v’ s trial and the trial of Ajmal Kassab ─ whom India indicted and hanged over the 2008 Mumbai attacks , B asit said, “ M y advi ce to you woul d be that pl ease do not mix appl es with oranges l est you dr aw convol uted concl usions.” H e said P aki stan cannot be bl amed “ if the trial in the M umbai attacks had not been fast [ enough] ” .

Don’t travel to Pakistan unless you have to: The U S S tate D epa rtment on W edne sd ay upda ted its travel ad visory for P ak istan and ad vised U S national s against al l non- essential travel to the country .“ P ak istan continues to experience significant terrorist viol ence, incl udi ng sectarian

attack s, ” said the S tate D ep artment ad visory .

The ad visory ad d ed that targeted attacks against government officials, humanitarian and non- governmental organisation ( N G O ) emp l oy ees, tribal el d ers and l aw enforcement

p ersonnel are common. “ The government of P ak istan maintains heightened security measures, p articul arl y in maj or cities, fol l owing attack s or in resp onse to threats.”

Source: The Dawn.com

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Basit further said that Pakistan first submitted a dos sier on J adha v to the U nited N ations S ecretary- G eneral in S ept ember 2016. “ That was our initial dos sier and we have been abl e to gather more evide nce [ since then] ,” he adde d. “ N ow that [ J adha v] has been convicted, he woul d have the right to appe al . I f his verdi ct is uphe l d by the appe l l ate court, then he woul d ul timatel y have the right to a [ mercy] pe tition,” the envoy confirmed, adding that Jadhav was provided a de fence counsel and that his trial was conduc ted accordi ng to the rel evant l aws, the P aki stan A rmy A ct of 1952, in the country .

Source: Dawn.com

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

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N E W S

IOM: African migrants traded in Libya’s ‘slave markets’ agricul ture. S ome are p aid and but oth-

H und red s of A frican refugees and migrants p assing through L iby a are being bought and sol d in mod ern- d ay sl ave mark ets before being hel d for ransom, forced l abour or sex ual ex p l oitation, survivors have tol d the U N ’ s migration agency . The I nternational O rganisation for M igration ( I O M ) said on Tuesd ay that it had interviewed W est A frican migrants who recounted being trad ed in garages and car p ark s in the southern city of S abha, one of L iby a’ s main p eop l e smuggl ing hubs.

P eop l e are p urchased for between $ 2 0 0 and $ 5 0 0 and are hel d on average for two or three months, O thman B el beisi, head of the I O M ’ s L iby a mission, said in G eneva. “ M igrants are being sol d in the mark et as a commod ity , ” he said . “ S el l ing human beings is becoming a trend among smuggl ers as the smuggl ing network s in L iby a are becoming stronger and stronger.” The refugees and migrants - many from N igeria, S enegal and The G ambia - are cap tured as they head north toward s L iby a’ s M ed iterranean coast, where some try to catch boats for I tal y . A l ong the way , they are p rey to an array of armed group s and p eop l e smuggl ing network s that often try to ex tort ex tra money in ex change for al l owing them to continue. M ost of them are used as d ay l abourers in construction or

ers are forced to work without getting any money . A bout women, we heard a l ot about bad treatment, rap e and being forced into p rostitution, ” B el beisi said .

The I O M said it had sp ok en to one S enegal ese migrant who was hel d in a L iby an’ s p rivate house in S abha with about 1 0 0 others, who were beaten as they cal l ed their famil ies to ask for money for their cap tors. H e was then bought by another L iby an, who set a new p rice for his rel ease. S ome of those who cannot p ay their cap tors are rep orted l y k il l ed or l eft to starve to d eath, the I O M said . W hen migrants d ie or are rel eased , others are p urchased to rep l ace them. The agency said migrants are buried without being identified, with famil ies back home uncertain of their fate. “ The situation is d ire, ” M ohammed A bd ik er, I O M ’ s d irector of op erations and emergencies who recentl y returned from a visit to L iby a’ s cap ital , Trip ol i, said in a statement, cal l ing L iby a a “ val l ey of tears” for many refugees and migrants. “ W hat we k now is that migrants who fal l into the hand s of smuggl ers face sy stematic mal nutrition, sex ual abuse and even murd er, ” he ad d ed . “ L ast y ear we l earned 1 4 migrants d ied in a singl e month in one of those l ocations, j ust from d isease and mal nutrition. W e are hearing about mass graves in the d esert.” To warn p otential migrants, the I O M is sp read ing testimonies of victims through social med ia and l ocal rad io stations. L iby a is the main gateway for p eop l e attemp ting to reach E urop e by sea, with more than 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 p eop l e mak ing the crossing in each of the p ast three y ears. S o far this year an estimated 26,886 migrants have crossed to I tal y , over 7 , 0 0 0 more than d uring the same p eriod in 2 0 1 6 . M ore than 6 0 0 are k nown to have d ied at sea, whil e an unk nown number p erish d uring their j ourney north through the d esert.

S ource: A l - J az eera

ISIL now controls ‘less than seven percent of Iraq’

The I sl amic S tate of I raq and the L evant ( I S I L ) group now control s l ess than seven p ercent of I raq , d own from the 4 0 p ercent it hel d nearl y three y ears ago, an I raq i mil itary sp ok esman has said .

I raq i forces back ed by U S - l ed air strik es and other sup p ort are now battl ing I S I L insid e second city of M osul , after retak ing much of the other territory the group had seiz ed . B rigad ier G eneral Y ahy a R asool tol d rep orters on Tuesd ay that I S I L “ control l ed 4 0 p ercent of I raq i l and ” in 2 0 1 4 . “ A s of March 31 (this year), they only held 6.8 percent of I raq i territory , ” said R asool , the sp ok esman of the J oint O p erations C ommand coord inating the anti-ISIL effort. Various members of the forces, I raq i and foreign, battl ing I S I L have d isagreed in the past on figures about control of territory, but I S I L has been l osing ground stead il y for cl ose to two y ears. I S I L shock ed the worl d when it took over M osul in J une 2 0 1 4 and then swep t across much of the country ’ s S unni A rab heartl and . I ts reach in I raq p eak ed in A ugust the same y ear when a second offensive saw it take over areas of northern I raq that were home to various minorities and had been und er the control of forces from the country ’ s autonomous K urd ish region’ s forces.

I raq i forces with the back ing of the U S - l ed coal ition - which has thousand s of mil itary p ersonnel d ep l oy ed in I raq and carries out d ail y air strik es - began a major offensive to retake Mosul in October 2 0 1 6 . They retook control of the eastern sid e of the city , which is d ivid ed by the Tigris R iver, in J anuary and have since mid - F ebruary been battl ing the group hol ed up in their l ast west M osul red oubts. The ful l recap ture of M osul , the d e fac-

to cap ital of the “ cal ip hate” that I S I L p rocl aimed nearl y three y ears ago, woul d end the group s’ d reams of a cross- bord er state. S p eak ing at the same p ress conference in B aghd ad on Tuesd ay , the sp ok esman for the U S - l ed coal ition vowed that I raq woul d not be aband oned after the recap ture of M osul . “ O nce that task is accomp l ished , the coal ition wil l be here to sup p ort our I raq i p artners as they el iminate I S I L from every corner of I raq , ” C ol onel J ohn D orrian said . “ Though the fighting is going to be very hard... this enemy is comp l etel y surround ed . They aren’ t going any where - - they wil l be d efeated and the p eop l e of M osul wil l be free, ” he said . The coal ition has come und er criticism fol l owing an air strik e in west M osul l ast month that took a heavy tol l on civil ians, a strik e it ad mitted may have been its own. “ E very strik e that we cond uct, we cond uct using p recision- guid ed munitions. E very strik e that we cond uct is coord inated d irectl y with the I raq i security forces, ” D orrian said . “ W e are very careful .

W e never, ever target civil ians. N ever. W e rej ect any one who say s that we d o, that is not hap p ening, we onl y target D aesh, ” he said , using an A rabic acrony m for I S I L . B ut even if I S I L members are targeted , the fact that they are op erating in areas stil l hometo l arge numbers of resid ents means that civil ians can easil y stil l end up the victims. I S I L stil l control s the l arge towns of H awij ah and Tal A far, as wel l as remote areas al ong the bord er with S y ria in western I raq . I n S y ria itsel f, it al so hol d s the city of R aq q a and other areas.

S ource: A l - J az eera

US: No doubt Syria used chemical weapons

The U S d efence secretary has said there is no d oubt that the S y rian government was resp onsibl e for a p oison gas attack l ast week on a rebel - hel d town, ad d ing that it had used chemical weap ons several times in the p ast. D uring a p ress conference in W ashington on Tuesd ay , J ames M attis tol d rep orters that ind ep end ent authorities had d ocumented and concl ud ed the use of chemical weap ons in an air strik e on K han S heik houn in I d l ib p rovince. “ There is no d oubt the S y rian regime is resp onsibl e for the d ecision to attack and for the attack itsel f, ” M attis said . The U S l aunched a barrage of cruise missil es against a government- control l ed Syrian airfield as a response. “We d etermined that a measured mil itary resp onse coul d best d eter the regime from d oing this again, ” M attis said . M attis al so said that the camp aign against the I sl amic S tate of I raq and the L evant ( I S I L ) armed group is stil l the main focus of the U S in S y ria. The S y rian government and its al l y R ussia have d enied that S y rian aircraft had carried out the A p ril 4 attack , which k il l ed d oz ens of p eop l e, incl ud ing many chil d ren. P resid ent V l ad imir P utin said on Tuesd ay that R ussia had information that the U S was p l anning to l aunch new missil e strik es on S y ria, and that there were p l ans to fak e chemical s weap ons attack s there.

P utin was sp eak ing hours before U S S ecretary of S tate R ex Til l erson was d ue to arrive in M oscow for tal k s with R ussia’ s foreign minister and d ay s after d enouncing l ast week ’ s U S missil e strik e on the S y rian air base as il l egal . P utin, when ask ed by a rep orter if he ex p ected more U S missil e strik es on S y ria, said : “ W e have information that a simil ar p rovocation is being p rep ared ... in other p arts of S y ria incl ud ing in the southern

D amascus suburbs where they are p l anning to again p l ant some substance and accuse the S y rian authorities of using [ chemical weap ons] .” H e did not offer any proof for that assertion. Russia has been bombing rebel - hel d areas in S y ria since September 2015. Tillerson is the first senior US official to visit Moscow since Trump took office p romising to seek cl oser coop eration with R ussia, but as he arrived rel ations were al read y tense.

E arl ier on Tuesd ay , Til l erson said he hop ed R ussia woul d aband on its sup p ort for A ssad because actions such as the K han S heik houn attack have strip p ed him of al l l egitimacy . Til l erson mad e the remark s at the concl usion on Tuesd ay in I tal y of a meeting of foreign ministers of the G roup of S even ( G 7 ) and “ l ik e- mind ed ” countries. “ I t is cl ear to us the reign of the A ssad famil y is coming to an end , ” he said shortl y before l eaving the Tuscan city of L ucca for M oscow. “ W e hop e that the R ussian government concl ud es that they have al igned themsel ves with an unrel iabl e p artner in B ashar al - A ssad .”

S ource: A l - J az eera

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad stuns Iran with election bid

S tunning I ran and d isregard ing the word s of its sup reme l ead er, former p resid ent M ahmoud A hmad inej ad has registered to run in the country ’ s M ay p resid ential el ection, up end ing a contest l argel y ex p ected to be won by a mod erate incumbent.

Though A hmad inej ad stil l might not be ap p roved for the bal l ot by I ran’ s cl erical l y overseen government, merel y the mention of the H ol ocaust- q uestioning p op ul ist might energiz e d iscontented hard l iners who want a P ersian answer to U .S . P resid ent D onal d Trump .

A hmad inej ad ’ s cand id acy al so comes as Trump has threatened a reap p raisal of I ran’ s nuclear deal with world powers and as fissures stil l l inger insid e I ran after his contested 2 0 0 9 re- el ection, which brought massive unrest.

J ournal ists with The A ssociated P ress watched Wednesday as stunned election officials processed A hmad inej ad ’ s p ap erwork . A sk ed about A hmad inej ad ’ s d ecision, one Tehranbased analyst offered a blunt assessment. “ I t was an organiz ed mutiny against I ran’ s rul ing sy stem, ” said S oroush F arhad ian.

E ver the showman, a smil ing A hmad inej ad mad e “ V for victory ” hand signal s and wal k ed his former vice- p resid ent H amid B aghaei through the p rocess of registering first. Just when it appeared Ahmadinejad woul d be l eaving, he turned around and returned to the I nterior M inistry ’ s registration desk, pulling out his identification documents with a flourish in front of a melee of shouting j ournal ists.

‘Harmful for the country’

Ahmadinejad’s decision shocked Iran as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei offered a thinly veiled warning in September that his candidacy would be a “polarized situation” that would be “harmful for the country.”

That referenced Ahmadinejad’s disputed re-election in 2009, which sparked massive protests and a sweeping crackdown in which thousands of people were detained and dozens were killed.

Ahmadinejad described comments by the supreme leader as “just advice” in a news conference shortly after submitting his registration.

“His advice does not prevent me from running,” he said. “There is extensive pressure on me from dear people of different walks of life as their small servant to come to the election.”

There was no immediate reaction from the supreme leader’s office. While Khamenei has final say on all state matters, Ahmadinejad’s relationship with him had strained by the end of his time in power.

“It’s in clear defiance of what the supreme leader had stated very openly and very publicly,” said Ellie Geranmayeh, a policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. “What Ahmadinejad has done is quite crushing ... but he also had a habit of doing this while he was president in his second term.” Source: CBC News

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

N A T

& I N T .

Malala Yousafzai made an honorary Canadian citizen

P aki stani ed ucation activist and N obel P eace P riz e winner M al al a Y ousafz ai has become onl y the six th p erson, and the younge st, to ever receive honorary C anadi an citiz enship . C anad a bestowed the titl e on Y ousafz ai, 1 9 , d uring an honorary citiz enship ceremony in O ttawa on W ed nesd ay . “ I ’ m humbl ed to accep t honorary citiz enship of yo ur country , ” she said in the H ouse of C ommons, where she received several stand ing ovations from p arl iamentarians and members of the p ubl ic that p ack ed the gal l ery . “ W hil e I wil l al way s be a p roud P ashtun and a p roud citiz en of P ak istan, I ’ m grateful to be an honorary member of your nation of heroes, ” Y ousafz ai said . “ Though I stil l req uire a visa, but that’ s another di scussion, ” she ad d ed , with a l augh.

Y ousafz ai became the y oungest p erson to win the N obel p eace p riz e in 2 0 1 4 at age 17.

S he was al so named a U N M essenger of P eace, the highest honour award ed by the U nited N ations, earl ier this week for her work on girl s’ right to ed ucation worl d wide. Yousafzai first came to international pr ominence after a Tal iban gunman shot her in the head near her school in P ak istan’ s S wat V al l ey . The attack was seen as retal iation for her outsp ok en op p osition to the group bl ock ing women and girl s from getting an ed ucation. “ M al al a, y our story is an insp iration to us al l , ” said J ustin Trud eau, C anad a’ s p rime minister, d uring the ceremony , where he p resented Y ousafz ai with a certificate of honorary citizenship and a Canadian flag. “For bravely lending your

N E W S

voice to so many , we thank y ou. F rom this d ay forward , we are al l p roud to cal l y ou C anad ian, ” Trud eau said . Y ousafz ai al so answered q uestions from O ttawa high school stud ents earl ier in the d ay . “ S o honoured to be stand ing with M al al a Y ousafz ai to engage stud ents on ed ucation and gend er eq ual ity , ” tweeted M ary am M onsef, C anad a’ s M inister of S tatus of W omen.

M ichael C hong, an M P and C onservative P arty l ead ership cand id ate, al so wel comed her to O ttawa, d escribing Y ousafz ai as “ a courageous ex amp l e for women every where who face op p ression simp l y because they are women” . C anad a’ s p revious C onservative government mad e the d ecision to bestow honorary citiz enship on Y ousafz ai in 2 0 1 4 . B ut the ceremony was cancel l ed because it coincid ed with a gunman op ening fire on Parliament Hill in October 2 0 1 4 . Y ousafz ai is onl y the six th p erson to receive honorary C anad ian citiz enship .

The first was Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish d ip l omat who saved thousand s of H ungarian J ews d uring W orl d W ar I I . H e was bestowed the title posthumously in 1985. The A ga K han, the sp iritual l ead er of I smail i M usl ims, N el son M and el a, the 1 4 th D al ai L ama, and M y anmar l ead er A ung S an S uu K y i, have al so received the titl e. H onorary citiz enship is entirel y sy mbol ic. I t d oes not come with any rights or p rivil eges, such as a C anad ian p assp ort or the right to vote in national el ections Source: Al-Jazeera

Gas prices jump across country due to weak loonie, warmer weather

S rp ing is here, the mercury is rising — and so are gas p rices. A ccord ing to gas p rice tracking firm GasBuddy, the average price tod ay for regul ar unl ead ed in the country was al most $ 1 .1 5 p er l itre, up 1 9 p er cent from a y ear ago. D an M cTeague, a senior p etrol eum anal y st with G asB ud d y , said a combination of higher ingred ient costs for summer fuel and the l ower val ue of the l oonie have caused p rices in E astern C anad a to hit their highest l evel

since O ctober 2 0 1 4 . G as becomes more vol atil e in warmer weather, so from mid April to mid-September, refineries change the comp osition of their gas bl end s to mak e them more stabl e. P ump p rices in the G reater Toronto A rea are ap p roaching $ 1 .2 2 , whil e M ontreal is p eak ing at about $ 1 .2 7 . M cTeague sees p rices rising another three to five cents per litre in Eastern C anad a. H e said the highest average gas p rices in C anad a, asid e from the F ar N orth, are $ 1 .3 9 in V ancouver, and the l owest p rices are in the P rairie p rovinces, at about $ 1 .0 3 . P hil F l y nn, a senior energy anal y st at the C hicago- based P rice F utures G roup , said increases are normal this time of y ear.

“The first sign of spring is rising gasoline p rices, ” he said . B ut even with the usual increases, he said p rices coul d get much higher than usual this year because refineries are behind on their summer gas p rod uction. H e said this back l og coul d be d ue to the fact that the U .S . has a l arge sup p l y , but the d emand may have been und erestimated. That means refineries didn’t have much of a reason to k ick their p rod uction into high gear, he said . “ [ R eserves have] fal l en p retty d ramatical l y over the l ast seven to eight week s, so we’ ve seen those sup p l ies real l y tighten up .” A nd now, the consumer is feel ing the p inch. “ That

Trump, Putin agree U.S.-Russia relations

P reside nt D onal d Trump de cl ared W ed nesda y that U .S . rel ations with R ussia “ may be at an all-time low.” His top diplomat offered a simil arl y grim assessment from the other side of the gl obe after meeting with R ussian P reside nt V l adi mir P utin in M oscow. “ R ight now we’ re not getting al ong with R ussia at al l ,” Trump said dur ing a W hite H ouse news conference. I t was stark evide nce that the pr eside nt is moving ever further from his campa ign pr omises to establ ish better ties with M oscow. O nl y weeks ago, it appe ared that Trump, who pr aised P utin throughout the U .S . el ection campa ign, was poi sed for a pot ential l y historic rappr ochement with R ussia. B ut any such ex pe ctations have crashed into real ity amid the nasty back- andforth over S yr ia and U .S . investigations into R ussia’ s al l eged interference in the A merican pr eside ntial el ection. “ I t’ d be a fantastic thing if we got al ong with P utin and if we got al ong with R ussia,” Trump said. “ That coul d happe n, and it may not happe n,” he said. “ I t may be j ust the oppos ite.” P utin echoed Trump’ s sentiment W edne sda y fol l owing his meeting with U .S . S ecretary of S tate R ex Til l erson, sayi ng trust had erode d between the U nited S tates and R ussia unde r Trump. “ O ne coul d say that the l evel of trust on a worki ng l evel , espe cial l y on the mil itary l evel , has not impr oved but has rather de teriorated,” P utin said in an interview broadc ast on R ussian tel evision. H e doubl ed dow n on R ussia’ s suppor t for S yr ian P reside nt B ashar al - A ssad, repe ating de nial s that A ssad’ s government was to bl ame for the gas attack l ast week and addi ng a new theory that the attack may have been fake d by A ssad’ s enemies.

Til l erson reiterated the U .S . pos ition that A ssad must eventual l y rel inqui sh pow er in S yr ia, but appe ared to take a sl ightl y softer l ine with R ussia. “ W e di scussed our view that R ussia, as their cl osest al l y in the conflict, perhaps has the best means of helping A ssad recogniz e this real ity ,” he said. P utin and Til l erson know each other wel l from Til l erson’ s da ys as E xon M obil C E O . P utin had even honoured Til l erson with a friend ship award.

E arl ier W edn esda y , Til l erson met with his R ussian counterpa rt, S ergei L avrov, who greeted him with unusual l y icy remarks , de nouncing the missil e strike on S yr ia as il l egal and accusing W ashington of behaving unp redi ctabl y . L avrov said R ussia was tryi ng to unde rstand the “ real intentions” of the Trump adm inistration. H e said M oscow has l ots of que stions about the “ very ambiguous” and “ contradi ctory” ide as emanating from W ashington. “ W e have seen very al arming actions recentl y ,” L avrov said. “ W e conside r it of utmost impor tance to pr event the risks of repl ay of simil ar ac-

tion in the future.” O ne of L avrov’ s de put ies was even more und ipl omatic. “ I n general , pr imitiveness and l outishness are very characteristic of the current rhetoric coming out of W ashington,” D eput y F oreign M inister S ergei R ya bkov tol d R ussia’ s state- owned R I A news agency . B ut L avrov said some pr ogress had been made on S yr ia at the meeting and that a worki ng group woul d be set up to exa mine the poor state of U .S .- R ussia ties. H e al so said that P utin had agreed to reactivate a U .S .- R ussian air safety agreement over S yr ia, which M oscow suspe nde d after the U .S . missil e strike s. Til l erson noted the l ow l evel of trust between the two countries. “ The worl d’ s two foremost nucl ear pow ers cannot have this ki nd of rel ationship,” he said. M oscow’ s hostil ity to Trump adm inistration figures is a sharp change from last ye ar, when P utin hail ed Trump as a strong figure and Russian state television was consistently full of effusive praise for him. The pa l pa bl e tension hanging over Til l erson’ s trip spoke to a wide ning chasm between the former C ol d W ar foes. “ F rankl y , P utin is backi ng a pe rson that’ s trul y an evil pe rson,” Trump said in a F ox B usiness N etwork interview, referring to A ssad. “ I think it’ s very bad for R ussia. I think it’ s very bad for manki nd.”

Trump said the U .S . had no pl ans to become more de epl y invol ved in S yr ia and only fired the missiles because of last week’s de adl y chemical weapons attack that ki l l ed doz ens. Turke y has said tests showed sarin gas was used. “ A re we going to get invol ved with S yr ia? N o,” Trump said in the interview, which aired W edne sda y . “ B ut if I see them using gas … we have to do something.” The W hite H ouse has accused M oscow of tryi ng to cover up A ssad’ s use of chemical weap ons after the attack on a town killed 87 peopl e l ast week. Trump responde d to the gas attack by firing 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian air base on F rida y . W ashington warned M oscow, and R ussian troops at the base were not hit. M oscow has stood by A ssad, s ayi ng the poi son gas bel onged to rebel s, an expl anation W ashington di smisses as beyond cred ibl e. P utin said that either gas bel onging to the rebel s was rel eased when it was hit by a S yr ian strike on a rebel arms dum p, or the rebel s fake d the incide nt to di scredi t A ssad.

Russia blocked a Western effort at the UN S ecurity C ouncil on W edne sda y to conde mn the gas attack and pus h A ssad to co- ope rate with international inqui ries into the incide nt.

I t was the eighth time dur ing S yr ia’ s civil war that M oscow has used its veto pow er on the S ecurity C ouncil to shiel d A ssad’ s government.

Source: Al-Jazeera

tightness is going to continue, which coul d ad d another 1 0 to 1 5 cents over the nex t 3 0 d ay s.

S o I d on’ t think it’ s over y et, ” said F l y nn. W hil e a few cents may not seem l ik e much, it can add up, according to Jeffrey Schwartz from the Consolidated Credit Counseling Services of C anad a. “ The ex tra $ 1 0 or $ 2 0 or more [ famil ies] sp end on gas on a week l y basis coul d mean the less they have to spend on other household expenses,” said Schwartz. He offered some tip s for cutting costs, such as d riving with a l ight foot. “ I f y ou enj oy d riving over the p osted sp eed l imit and then brak e real l y hard once y ou see the stop l ight, y ou’ re burning way more gas than y ou need to, ” said S chwartz in a statement. F ol l owing the p osted sp eed l imits or using cruise- control can cut d own on the amount of gas y our vehicl e uses. The organiz ation al so recommend s that d rivers mak e sure their tires are ful l , to avoid id l ing, and to avoid l oad ing up their cars with unnecessary cargo that can sl ow them d own.

Source: CBC News

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

FAITH N arrated A nas: W henever dr ought threatened t hem, ‘ U mar bin A l - K hattab, us ed t o ask A l - A bbas bin ‘ A bdul M uttal ib to invoke A l l ah for rain. H e used t o say , “ O A l l ah! W e used t o ask our P rophe t to invoke Y ou for rain, and Y ou woul d bl ess us with rain, and now we ask hi s uncl e to invoke Y ou for rain. O A l l ah ! B l ess us with rain.”

A nd s o it woul d r ain. S ahih B ukha ri. 17: 123

I

o to attain BY: ABU HAMID AL-GHAZALI n an environment with increasing d istractions how d o we mak e our p ray ers more beneficial for our selves? Following is an ex cerp t from “ I nner D imensions of I sl amic W orship ” , a comp il ation of I mam G haz al i’ s work s that can insp ire us to d evel op humil ity and become cl oser to G od through p ray er.

G od , say s in the Q uran: ‘ A nd p erform the P ray er in remembrance of M e.’ [ Ta H a, 2 0 : 1 4 ] ‘ D o not be one of those who are negl ectful .’ [ al - A ’ raf, 7 : 2 0 5 ] ‘ D o not ap p roach the P ray er when y ou are intox icated , until y ou k now what y ou are say ing.’ [ al - N isa’ , 4 : 4 3 ] S ome say that ‘ intox icated ’ means inebriated by many anx ieties, whil e others say it means d runk on the l ove of this worl d A ccord ing to W ahb, the meaning is obviousl y a caution against worl d l y attachment, since the word s ‘ until y ou k now what y ou are say ing’ ex p l ain the und erl y ing reason.

M any are those who p ray without having d runk wine, y et d o not k now what they are say ing in their P ray ers!

P rop het M uhammad said : ‘ I f a man p erforms two cy cl es of P ray er without the d istraction of any worl d l y thought, al l his p revious sins wil l be forgiven.’ ( al - B uk hari/ M usl im) ‘ P ray er is nothing but submissiveness, humil ity , sup p l ication, sighing and remorse, hol d ing out y our hand s and say ing: “ O G od ! O G od ! ” O therwise it is fruitl ess.’ ( al - Tirmid i/ al - N asai) In the earlier scriptures, we find these words attributed to God, Glorified is He: ‘ I d o not accep t the P ray ers of every one who p ray s. I accep t the P ray ers of none but those who are humbl e before M y M aj esty , who are not arrogant toward s M y servants, and who feed the p oor and hungry for M y sak e.’

P rop het M uhammad al so said : ‘ R itual P ray er was mad e obl igatory , P il grimage and circumambul ation were ordained, and the rites of sacrifice were instituted , al l for the p urp ose of ensuring remembrance of G od , E x al ted is H e. I f y our heart is d evoid of awe and reverence for the O ne R emembered , who is the aim and the goal , what is y our remembrance worth? ’ ( A bu D aud / al - Tirmid i) This ad vice was given to someone by the P rop het, on him be p eace: ‘ W hen y ou p ray , p ray l ik e a p erson who is say ing farewel l , ’ ( I bn M aj a/ al - H ak im/ al - B aihaq i) i.e. say ing farewel l to himsel f, to his p assions and to his life, before setting off on the journey to his L ord .

a t e ition Al a e ere

u ility in rayer ?

A gain G od A l mighty remind s us in the Q uran: ‘ O M an, y ou l abor toward s y our L ord l aboriousl y , and y ou shal l meet H im.’ [ al Inshiqaq, 84:6] ‘ B e aware of G od , for it is G od who teaches you.’ [al-Baqarah, 2:282] ‘ B e aware of G od , and k now that y ou are going to meet H im.’ [ al - B aq arah, 2 : 2 2 3 ] P rop het M uhammad remind s us: ‘ I f a man’ s P ray er d oes not d eter him from ind ecency and mischief, he gains nothing from G od but remoteness.’ ( al - Tabarani) S ince P ray er is intimate communion, how can it go with heed l essness? B ak r ibn A bd ul l ah said : ‘ O bel ievers, if y ou wish to enter the p resence of y our L ord without p ermission, and to sp eak with H im without an interp reter, y ou have onl y to enter! ’ W hen someone ask ed him how this coul d be he said : ‘ Y ou d o y our abl ution correctl y and enter y our p ray er- niche ... There y ou are! Y ou have entered y our L ord ’ s p resence without p ermission and may now sp eak to H im without an interp reter.’

S aid A isha, may G od be p l eased with her: ‘ G od ’ s M essenger woul d tal k to us and we to him, but when it was time for P ray er it seemed as though he d id not k now us, nor we him.’ ( A z d i - mursal ) This was because they were comp l etel y in awe of G od the most G reat and G l orious.

The P rop het said : ‘ G od has no regard for a P ray er in which a man’ s heart is not p resent as wel l as his bod y .’

I t is said that when A braham , G od ’ s sp ecial friend , got up to p ray , the throbbing of his heart coul d be heard from a d istance.

W hen S aid al - Tanuk hi ( M usl im j urist 776/854 CE) was praying, tears used to flow incessantly down his cheeks and onto his beard .

G od ’ s M essenger once saw a man p l ay ing with his beard d uring the P ray er, so he said : ‘ I f this man’ s heart was submissive,

a e f Allah S oha a B

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every p art of his bod y woul d al so act with humil ity .’ ( al - Tirmid i - d aif) I t is rel ated that al - H asan noticed a man p l ay ing with p ebbl es as he p ray ed : ‘ O G od , marry me to the maid ens of P arad ise! .’ A l H asan said ‘ A p oor suitor y ou are. Y ou p rop ose to the maid ens of P arad ise whil e p l ay ing with p ebbl es! ’ S omeone ask ed K hal af ibn A y y ub ( I sl amic schol ar and p oet from A l - A nd al us 1013/1081 CE): ‘Don’t the flies bother you so much during y our P ray er that y ou have to chase them away ? ’ H e rep l ied : ‘ I d o not mak e a habit of any thing that woul d sp oil my P ray er.’

W hen ask ed how he had acq uired such p atience, he said : ‘ I have heard that cul p rits p atientl y end ure the S ul tan’ s whip , because this gives them a rep utation for being “ abl e to tak e it.” They boast of their p atient end ur ance. H ere am I , stand ing before my L ord in P ray er. A m I going to budge for a fly?’

I t is rel ated of M usl im ibn Y asar that, when he wanted to p ray , he woul d say to his famil y : ‘ Y ou may tal k , for I shal l not hear y ou’ .

I t is said that he was p ray ing one d ay in the G reat M osq ue of B asra, when a corner of the buil d ing col l ap sed . This attracted a crowd , but he was q uite unaware of what had happened until he had finished his P ray er.

W henever the time of P ray er ap p roached , A l i ibn A bi Tal ib, may G od be p l eased with him and ennobl e his countenance, used to q uak e and change col or. They ask ed him: ‘ W hat is the matter with y ou, C ommand er of the B el ievers? ’ To this he woul d rep l y : ‘ The time has come for a trust which G od offered to the heavens and the earth and the mountains, but they refused to carry it; they were wary of it, but I have tak en it on.’

I t is said of al - H usay n ibn A l i that he used to turn p al e when he mad e his abl ution.

W hen his famil y ask ed him what came over him d uring his abl ution, he woul d say : ‘ D o y ou real iz e before W hom I wish to stand in P ray er? ’ A ccord ing to I bn A bbas, may G od be p l eased with him and his father, the P rop het D avid , G od bl ess him and give him p eace, used to say in his intimate P ray ers: ‘ M y G od , who inhabits Y our H ouse? A nd from whom d o y ou accep t the P ray er? ’ Then G od tol d him by insp iration: ‘ D avid , he who inhabits M y H ouse, and he whose P ray er I accep t, is none but he who is humbl e before M y M aj esty , sp end s his d ay s in remembrance of M e and k eep s his p assions in check for M y sak e, giving food to the hungry and shel ter to the stranger and treating the afflicted with compassion.

H is l ight shines in the sk y l ik e the sun. I f he invok es M e, I am at his service. I f he ask s of M e, I grant his req uest. I n the mid st of ignorance, I give him d iscernment; in heed l essness, remembrance, in d ark ness, l ight. H e stand s out among ord inary p eop l e as P arad ise towers over earthl y gard ens, its rivers inex haustibl e and its fruits not subj ect to d ecay .’

I t is rel ated of H atim al - A samm, may G od be p l eased with him, that he said , in answer to a q uestion about P ray er: ‘ W hen the time for P ray er is at hand , I mak e a p rop er abl ution, go to the sp ot where I intend to p ray and sit there til l al l my l imbs and organs are in a col l ected state. Then I stand up to p erform my P ray er, p l acing the K aba between my brows, the B rid ge- overH el l beneath my feet, P arad ise to my right and H el l to my l eft, and the A ngel of D eath behind me, think ing al l the whil e that this is my final Prayer. Then I stand between hop e and fear. I careful l y p ronounce “ A l l ahu A k bar! ” Then I recite the Q uran harmoniousl y , bow in humil ity and p rostrate my sel f submissivel y . I then sit back on my l eft haunch sp read ing out the top of my l eft foot and raising my right foot on the toes.

I fol l ow this with sincerity . Then I wond er whether or not my P ray er has been accep ted .’

I bn A bbas ( C ousin of the P rop het) , may G od be p l eased with him and with his father, once said : ‘ Two mod est cy cl es of P ray er, p erformed in ful l awareness, are better than a whol e night’ s vigil when the heart is inattentive.’

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (450-505 AH / 1058-1111 AD) Also known as Imam Ghazzali is a prominent Muslim jurist and theologian of the 12th Century. He wrote on a wide range of topics including jurisprudence, theology, mysticism and philosophy.

Source: Islamicity

Prayer Schedule in Greater Vancouver l ate

April 14-28, 2017 Rajab17 - Shaban 2, 1438 H Day Date Fajar

Fajar Sunrise

Sunr DhuhrAsarAsar DhuhrZawal Asar (shafi) (hanfi) Maghrib Magrib

Isha Isha

1 7 18 1 9 2 0 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 4 2 5 2 6 2 7 28 2 9 1 2 For such Prayers are enjoined on believers at stated times: Quran ,n 4:103 Source: BCMA

8

Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

Syria che ical attack More than 80 people have been killed in a suspe cted chemical attack on the rebel - hel d town of K han S heikho un in north- western Syria. Hundreds suffered symptoms consistent with reaction to a nerve agent after what the oppos ition and W estern pow ers said was a S yr ian government air strike on the area on Tuesda y morning. The S yr ian mil itary de nied using any chemical agents, whil e its al l y R ussia said an air strike hit a rebel de pot ful l of chemical munitions.

W hat happe ned?

A ctivists and witnesses say warpl anes attacke d K han S heikhoun, about 50km ( 30 mil es) south of the city of I dl ib, earl y on Tuesda y , when many pe opl e were asl eep.

M ariam A bu K hal il , a 14- ye ar- ol d reside nt who was awake , tol d the N ew Y ork Times that she had seen an aircraft dr op a bomb on a one- storey buil d ing. The expl osion sent a ye l l ow mushroom cl oud into the air that stung her eye s. “ I t was l ike a winter fog,” she said. S he shel tered in her home, but recal l ed that when pe opl e started arriving to hel p the wounde d, “ they inhal ed the gas and di ed” H ussein K aya l , a phot ographe r for the pr o- oppos ition E dl ib M edi a C enter ( E M C ) , tol d the A ssociated P ress that he was awok en by the sound of an expl osion at about 06: 30 ( 03: 30 G M T) . W hen he reached the scene, there was no smel l , he said. H e found people lying on the floor, unable to move and w ith constricted pupi l s.

M ohammed R asoul , the head of a charity ambul ance service in I dl ib, tol d the B B C that he heard about the attack at about 06: 45 and that when his medi cs arrived 20 minutes l ater they found pe opl e, many of them chil dr en, choki ng in the street. The U nion of M edi cal C are and R el ief O rganisations ( U O S S M ) , which funds hospi tal s in rebel held Syria, said three of its staff in Khan Sheikhoun were affected while treating patients in the streets and had to be rushed to intensive care. V ictims expe rienced sym p toms incl udi ng redn ess of the eye s, foaming from the mouth, constricted pupi l s, bl ue facial ski n and l ips , severe shortness of breath and asphyx iation, it adde d. M edi a capt ionR escue worke rs said many chil d ren were among those ki l l ed or inj ured in the attack. A M ede cins S ans F rontieres ( M S F ) medi cal team suppor ting the B ab al - H awa hospital, near the Turkish border, confirmed simil ar sym pt oms in eight pa tients brought there from K han S heikhoun.

H ow many vi ctims?

R escue worke rs and oppos ition activists pos ted ph otos and vide os on social medi a that showed victims exhi biting the sym p toms de scribed by d octors, as wel l as many pe opl e who had di ed The E M C pos ted pho tos showing what appe ared to be at l east seven de ad chil d ren in the back of a pi ck - up

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truck. There were no visibl e traumatic inj uries. A nother phot o publ ished by the group showed the bodi es of at l east 14 men, women and chil dr en on a street outside a hospi tal in K han S heikhoun. The oppos ition- run heal th di rectorate in I dl ib pr ovince - which is almost entirely controlled by rebel fighters and al - Q aeda - l inke d j ihadi sts - says at least 89 people were killed, including 33 children and 18 women. Another 541 peopl e were inj ured . The S yr ian O bservatory for H uman R ights, a U K - based monitoring group, put the death toll at 86 and said it was l ike l y to rise, with many of the inj ured in a serious condi tion in hospi tal .I t was al so not immedi atel y cl ear whether anyone was ki l l ed when K han S heikhoun’ s main hospi tal was struck by a rocke t on Tuesda y afternoon.

The source of the p roj ectil e was not cl ear, but the E M C said warpl anes had targeted cl inics and the headqua rters of the S y ria C ivil D efence, whose rescue worke rs are know n as the W hite H el mets.

W hat were they e xpos ed t o?

The W orl d H eal th O rganiz ation said on W edne sd ay that the l ike l ihood of a chemical being responsible was “amplified by an appa rent l ack of ext ernal inj uries repor ted in cases showing a rapi d onset of simil ar sym pt oms, incl udi ng acute respi ratory di stress as the main cause of de ath” . “ S ome cases appe ar to show addi tional signs consistent with expos ure to organophos pho rus chemical s, a category of chemical s that incl ude s nerve agents.” The O rganisation for the P rohibition of C hemical W eapons ( O P C W ) expr esseds erious concern about the reports and said a fact-finding mission was “ in the pr ocess of gathering and anal ys ing information from al l avail abl e sources” .

The OPCW will not be able to confirm anyt hing until sampl es are tested at an accredi ted l aboratory , but a doc tor at a hospi tal in the town of S armin who treated some of the casual ties bel ieves it was the nerve agent S arin. “ A l l the pa tients had the same symptoms - difficulty in breathing, weakness,” D r A bdul hai Tennari tol d the B B C . “ They had very huge secretions in their respiratory tracts, which induced suffocation.”

H e noted that when the most serious cases were given an antidot e for S arin poi soning, atropi ne, their condi tions became stabl e and they s urvived.

M S F said the pa tients’ sym pt oms were “ consistent with expos ure to a neurotoxi c agent such as S arin” . I ts medi cal teams al so repor ted that victims smel l ed of bl each, suggesting they had been expos ed to chl orine as wel l . O n Thursda y , Turke y’ s heal th ministry said the initial resul ts of pos t mortems carried out on three victims unde r W H O supe rvision suggested that they “ were expos ed

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to a chemical substance ( S arin) ” . They suffered “pulmonary oedema [build-up of fluid] , increase in the l ung weight and bl ood in the l ungs” , i t adde d.

W hat doe s the S yr ian government say?

A S yr ian mil itary statement publ ished by state medi a categorical l y de nied the use of “ any chemical or toxi c substance” in K han S heikhoun on Tuesda y , addi ng that the mil itary “ has never used them, anyt ime, anyw here, and wil l not do so in the future.”

R ussia, which has carried out air strike s in suppor t of P reside nt A ssad since 2015, meanwhil e said the S yr ian air force had struck K han S heikhoun “ between 1 1: 30a m and 12: 30pm l ocal time” on Tuesda y , but that the target had been “ a l arge terrorist ammunition de pot ” on its eastern outski rts. “ O n the territory of the de pot , there were work shops which pr oduc ed chemical warfare munitions,” it adde d, without pr ovidi ng any evide nce. “ Terrorists had been transpor ting chemical munitions from this l argest arsenal to the territory of I raq.” The ministry said the chemical munitions had also been used during the final stages of the battl e for control of the northern S yr ian city of A l eppo l ast autumn, asserting that the sym pt oms of the victims were “ the same” .

I s R ussia’ s expl anation credi bl e?

The U S says its mil itary rada r sys tems monitored a Syrian Air Force fixed-wing aircraft take off from Shayrat airbase in H oms pr ovince on Tuesda y morning and fly over Khan Sheikhoun on two occasions - at 06: 37 ( 03: 37 G M T) and 06: 46. U S mil itary officials told NBC News that the radar systems picked up flashes on the ground, indi cating that ordna nce had been dr op pe d on the rebel - hel d town about the same time that the first casualties with breathing difficulties were reported. Armed Forces Joint C hemical B iol ogical R adi ol ogical N ucl ear ( C B R N ) R egiment, said R ussia’ s assertion that the strike s had hit rebel chemical weap ons were “ pr etty fanciful ” . “ A x iomatical l y , if you bl ow up S arin, you de stroy it,” he tol d the B B C . E xpe rts say the expl osion resul ting from an air strike on a chemical weap ons facil ity woul d most l ike l y incinerate any agents. S arin and other nerve agents are al so usual l y stocke d in a “ binary manner” , which means they are ke pt as two di stinct chemical pr ecursors that are combined j ust before use, either manual l y or automatical l y inside a weapon when l aunched. “ I t’ s very cl ear it’ s a S arin attack,” M r de B retton- G ordon adde d. “ The view that it’ s an al - Q aeda or re-

bel stockpi l e of S arin that’ s been bl own up in an expl osion, I think is compl etel y unsustainabl e and c ompl etel y unt rue.”

H e al so noted that chl orine was the onl y chemical bel ieved to have been used in attacks in A l eppo over the pa st ye ar. A recent repor t by H uman R ights W atch said government hel icopt ers had dr oppe d bombs containing chl orine on rebel - hel d areas of A l ep po on at l east eight occasions between 17 N ovember and 13 D ecember, ki l l ing nine civil ians. H asan H aj A l i, commande r of the F ree I dl ib A rmy rebel group, cal l ed R ussia’ s claim a “lie” and said rebel fighters did not have the capa bil ity to pr oduc e nerve agents.

The U K ’ s repr esentative to the U N , M atthew R yc roft, al so tol d the S ecurity C ouncil that his country had seen nothing to suggest that any non- state actors in S yr ia had the sort of chemical weapons that woul d have been consistent with the sym pt oms.

The F rench envoy , F rancois D el attre, meanwhile said there was “no fire” after the air strike , even though a strike on an ammunition depot “would have caused a fire”. It was also not clear why there was five hours’ difference between the time of the strike repor ted by mul tipl e witnesses and that stated

by R ussia. M oscow’ s short account gave no evide nce for its suggestion that a group was sendi ng chemical weaponr y to I raq. S ocal l ed I sl amic S tate, which has used the the bl ister agent sul phur mustard in S yr ia and I raq, i s not pr esent in K han S heikhoun.

W hat is S arin?

S arin is highl y toxi c and conside red 20 times as de adl y a s cya nide .

A s with al l nerve agents, S arin inhibits the action of the acetyl chol inesterase enz ym e, which de activates signal s that cause human nerve cells to fire. This blockage pushes nerves into a continual “ on” state. The heart and other muscl es - incl udi ng those involved in breathing - spasm. Sufficient expos ure can l ead to de ath via asphyxi ation within minutes.

S arin is al most impos sibl e to de tect because it is a cl ear, col ourl ess and tastel ess l iqui d that has no odour in its pur est form. I t can al so evapor ate and s pr ead t hrough the air.

H as S arin been used i n S yr ia before?

The S yr ian government was accused by Western powers of firing rockets filled with S arin at several rebel - hel d suburbs of the capi tal D amascus in A ugust 2013, ki l l ing hundr eds of pe opl e.

P reside nt B ashar al - A ssad de nied the charge, blaming rebel fighters, but he did subseque ntl y agree to de stroy S yr ia’ s de cl ared chemical arsenal . D espi te that, the O P C W and U N have continued to doc ument the use of chemical s in attacks .

A j oint investigation concl ude d in O ctober that government forces had used chl orine as a weapon at l east three times between 2014 and 2015.

I t al so found I sl amic S tate mil itants had used sul phur mustard in one attack. Source: BBC News

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

FIJI

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MIDDLE

EAST

Accounts committee queries savings

By:MANASA KALOUNIVITI TH E S ecretary- G eneral to P arl iament, V iniana N amosimal ua, and her team this morning pr esented to the P ubl ic A ccounts C ommittee on the audit findings of the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) for the financial ye ar 2015.

W hil e there were very few audi t issues raised by the O A G , an issue which concerned some of the P A C members was that Parliament office had a lot of savings based on their S tatement of R eceipt s and E xpe ndi ture.

“What is specifically noted is the savings from 2014 and 2015; why is it that the Parliament office is not fully utilising their budge t al l ocation; why is it that it’ s dr iven

Russia vetoes for 8th time UN resolution on Syria

By:Maciu Malo In Singapore TH E d eath of three sp ecial p eop l e p rop el l ed nip p y p l ay mak er L emek i Tul el e to work hard to achieve his chil d hood d ream — to rep resent F ij i — and now he rel ishes the op p ortunity to showcase his tal ent for his l oved ones at the S ingap ore 7 s this week end .

The F irst L ight Taveuni p l ay er is stil l try ing to come to terms with his sel ection into the V od afone F ij i 7 s team after he was named to fill the big shoes of O l y mp ics gol d med al l ist V atemo R avouvou.Tul el e was in C l ass O ne when his d ad p assed away , his mum p assed away one y ear l ater and was raised by his uncl e ( d ad ’ s brother) earl y in l ife.

Five years later, Tulele suffered another traged y with the p assing away of his uncl e. S ince then has been raised by his aunt ( l ate uncl e’ s) wife M eresiana S oval ak a.

The 2 6 - y ear- ol d said he end ured a l ot in life, but he used those difficult moments as beacon of hop e to achieve better things in l ife.

A nd l ik e most iTauk ei chil d ren growing up in the vil l age and settl ements, Tul el e’ s chil d hood d ream was to rep resent the F ij i rugby .

H e said the d eath of his p arents and uncl e motivated him to work hard and was grateful to have fulfilled his ultimate rugby goal . “ I faced a l ot of chal l enges earl y in l ife, but it d id not d eter me from work ing hard to be the p erson I am tod ay , ” said Tul el e in S igap ore y esterd ay .

“At first I was unsure of what to do after l osing my p arents and uncl e, but I d id n’ t want to give up . “ I started p l ay ing rugby d uring my p rimary school d ay s and it has been my d ream to rep resent the country . “ E arl y this week as I was l y ing in bed in our hotel room in S ingap ore, I coul d not control my emotions recal l ing the heartaches and the struggl e I end ured

by savings? ” committee member and O po sition M P A seri R adr odr o aske d.

The Office of the Secretary-General replied that the savings in 2015 were mostl y on travel l ing ( S eg 3 ) ( $276,0) , G overnment wage earners ( S eg 2) where they had onl y 19 unestablished staff which resulted in saving of $64 ,0 and in S eg 7 where there was not much committee sittings resul ting in a saving of about $31 1,0.

S ecretary- G eneral V iniana N amosimal ua tol d F ij i Times after the pr esentation: “ 2015 was the first full year of Parliament and there were less staff and also less activities unde rtake n by the P arl iament of F ij i O f- N E W Y O R K / M O S C O W : R ussia vetoed fice.”

W edne sda y a U N dr aft resol ution de mand Source: fijitimes.com ing the S yr ian regime coope rate with an investigation of a de adl y toxi c gas attack on S yr ian civil ians l ast week which the W est bl ames on the regime of B ashar A ssad.

I t was the eighth time that R ussia has used its veto pow er at the U N S ecurity C ouncil ( U N S C ) to bl ock action di rected at its al l y in D amascus.

The U S tol d R ussia at the U N that it is isol ating itsel f by continuing to supp ort the S yr ian pr eside nt, whil e B ritain said its scientists found that sarin was used in a de adl y toxi c gas attack on S yr ian civil ians l ast week. earl y in l ife. “ To my col l eagues from R ussia, you are “ I bel ieve it was this humbl e up bringisol ating your sel ves from the international ing hel p ed me to achieve my d ream” community every time one of A ssad’ s pl anes Tul el e said he was grateful to have a dr ops another barrel bomb on civil ians, and sup p orting aunt who had been sup - every time A ssad tries to starve another community to de ath, ” U S A mbassad or to the U N p orting his rugby career.

He said he would dedicate his first Fiji N ikki H al ey t ol d t he U N S C .

7 s outing to his aunt on Taveuni. The D uring a heated U N S C meeting, R ussia’ s former H ol y C ross C ol l ege stud ent D eput y U N A mbassador V l adi mir S afronk said he was al so l ook ing forward to ov tol d the 15- member body that W estern showcase his 7 s tal ents for his l oved countries were wrong to bl ame A ssad for the ones in Taveuni. attack in the town of K han S heikhun. “ I ’ m “ I k now the p eop l e of Taveuni wil l amaz ed that this was the concl usion. N o one be eagerl y waiting to watch my game on the big screen and I want to mak e has ye t visited the site of the crime. H ow do you know that? ” he said. them p roud . “ This is the moment I have been wait- B ritain’ s U N A mbassador M atthew R yc roft ing for and I wil l give my best shot to tol d the U N S C that sampl es take n from the site of the gas attack, in an oppos ition- hel d mak e them p roud . “ M ost imp ortantl y is to d ed icate my area of northern S yr ia, have tested pos itive first Fiji outing to my aunty Mereseini.” for the nerve gas sarin. H e accused R ussia of Tul el e mad e his break in rugby after sidi ng with “ a murde rous, barbaric criminal , being named the M ana W hey C oral rather than with their international pe ers.”

C oast 7 s B est P l ay er earl y this y ear H al ey accused I ran of being “ A ssad’ s chief where he hel p ed his F irst L ight Taveaccomplice in the regime’s horrific acts,” uni team win the tournament.

H e l ater secured a rugby contract in adding: “Iran is dumping fuel on the flames S ri L ank a, but onl y sp ent few week s of this war in S yr ia so it can expa nd its own there after being named in the F ij i 7 s reach.”

UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura ex tend ed sq uad .

L ast week he p l ay ed a huge rol e for warned the U N S C on W edne sda y that fragil e the F rench C l ub B ord eaux to win the pr ogress in pe ace tal ks was now “ in grave H ong K ong 1 0 s comp etition. da nger.”

The Taveuni d al o farmer said he M eanwhil e, U S S ecretary of S tate R ex Til l woul d l ay his bod y on the l ine for F ij i erson battled to overcome differences with and the p eop l e of Taveuni. his R ussian counterpa rt on W edne sda y . They Source: fijitimes.com remained spl it over the chemical attack in

S ry ia after tal ks in M oscow. “ D espi te the qua ntity of exi sting pr obl ems... there are conside rabl e pr ospe cts for j oint work,” R ussian F oreign M inister S ergei L avrov tol d a news conference after tal ks with Til l erson and R ussian P reside nt V l adi mir P utin. “ R ussia is ope n to this, ope n to d ial ogue with the US in all different areas, not only to dial ogue but to j oint action aimed at resul ts in the areas where this corresponds to the interests of both countries,” said L avrov.

Til l erson, who met with P utin earl ier on W edne sda y , de pl ored the “ l ow l evel of trust” between the countries, whose rel ations have dr oppe d to a pos t- C ol d W ar l ow over U kr aine and S yr ia. “ The worl d’ s two foremost nucl ear pow ers cannot have this ki nd of rel ationship,” Til l erson said.

H e said worki ng groups woul d be establ ished to impr ove U S - R ussian ties and ide ntify pr obl ems, addi ng that the two side s woul d di scuss di sagreements on S yr ia and how to end i ts six- ye ar civil war.

Til l erson said S yr ia’ s regime had committed more than 50 attacks using chl orine or other chemical weapons during the conflict. He suggested that pos sibl e war crimes charges coul d be l evied a gainst A ssad.

R ussia has never publ icl y acknow l edge d any such attack by A ssad’ s forces, and has tried for the past 18 months to help him expand his authority i n S yr ia.

L avrov said M oscow was ready to resume a de al with W ashington to avoid incide nts in S yr ian airspa ce as the two countries l ead sepa rate bombing campa igns.

“Today the president confirmed our readiness to return to its impl ementation on the unde rstandi ng that the original aims of the air forces of the A merican coal ition are reaffirmed, namely the fight with IS (Daesh) and A l - N usra,” L avrov said.

The de al was suspe nde d after U S strike s against a S yr ian air base fol l owing l ast week’ s gas attack in I dl ib pr ovince, in an act M oscow l abel ed “ aggression against a sovereign state.” The two side s agreed to work together on an international investigation of the gas attack. Source: Arab news.com

By: FELIX CHAUDHARY TROPICAL Disturbance 20F has intensified into a tropi cal de pr ession and was expe cted to de vel op into a category one tropi cal cy cl one l ast night.

H owever, F ij i M eteorol ogical S ervice di rector R avind K umar said TD 20F woul d not pos e a d irect threat to F ij i as it de vel ope d.

“TD20F was located 15.8 degrees south and 167.7 de grees east ( over V anuatu) or more

D U B A I : F ootage has been rel eased of the moment a pa ssenger on a L ondon bus tack l ed a kni fe- wiel di ng attacker before he fled the scene.

The incide nt, which occurred on W edne sda y in N orth W est L ondon’ s S toke N ewington, invol ved a heroic commuter who managed to take a l arge knife off the attacker after a tense struggle.

The armed man was filmed making a frantic dash off the bus, after which the passenger who fought him off yelled after him “I’m an A frican, you ne ver take my l ife! ” A ccordi ng to the D ail y M ail , the M etropol itan Police confirmed they were called out

to the scene of a stabbing at 1.5pm and a young man in his 20s suffered minor cuts to the head a nd ha nd.

A spoke sman said: “ H e was take n to an E ast L ondon hospi tal where he was treated for his inj uries. “ H e has now been di scharged. There have been no arrests and e nqui res continue.”

Source: Arab news.com

Rising up against the odds

Disturbance could turn cyclone

than 10km west- northwest of N adi at 3p m this ( ye sterda y) afternoon,” he said.

“It is moving southwards at 18kmph and wil l remain to the far west of F ij i.” “ TD 20F d oes not pos e di rect threat to F ij i, however the concern is the associated rain bands which are expected to affect the group from time to time.

Source: fijitimes.com

Heroic passenger fights off knifewielding attacker on London bus

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

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i eral election platfor

p ril 1 4 mark s the p assage of one y ear since the p rovincial government d ecl ared a p ubl ic- heal th emergency rel ated to il l icit- d rug overd ose d eaths. S ince then, al most another 1 , 0 0 0 p eop l e have d ied , about five times the annual average of 204 d eaths for the y ears 2 0 0 1 to 2 0 1 0 . The same week , the B .C . L iberal s rel eased their p arty p l atform for the up coming p rovincial el ection ( M ay 9 ) , and it d oesn’ t incl ud e much on the crisis, cand id ates for the N D P and the G reens were q uick to p oint out. “ I ’ m ap p al l ed , ” said S el ina R obinson, the N D P M L A for C oq uitl am- M ail l ard vil l e. “ This say s that they d on’ t care.” “ Y ou’ l l see our p l atform l ater this week and there wil l be some d etail s in there that wil l shed a l ight on something that the B .C .

L iberal s and C hristy C l ark have l eft in the d ark , ” she said in a tel ep hone interview. I n the L iberal s’ p l atform, the overd ose ep id emic is first referenced on page 103 of 129, toward the bottom of a section on mental heal th. “ 2 0 1 6 was al so a y ear of need l ess d eaths

propo e

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$ 4 0 0 renter’ s grant the B .C . N D P p romises to imp l ement if el ected coul d cost tax p ay ers up to $ 2 1 6 mil l ion annual l y , accord ing to L and l ord B .C .

S p eak ing to med ia in D owntown V ancouver d uring a stop on his camp aign bus tour, B .C .

N D P l ead er J ohn H organ said that p rovid ing the grant and closing a loophole on fixedterm l eases woul d hel p his p arty tack l e the housing affordability crisis in B.C. “Help is on the way , ” H organ said . “ I f homeowners can have a homeowner grant, renters shoul d be abl e to have a grant as wel l .”

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POLITICS

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The issues in province may seem small globally, but there are real differences between main parties.

By Justin McElroy, or the next four weeks until the beginning of M ay , the pol itical eye s of the worl d wil l be watching with interest an election 8,000 kilometres from British C ol umbia.

Yes, in France, five significant contenders are de bating weighty matters of pl ural ism and terrorism, gl obal ism and national ism, as they e l ect a new pr eside nt on M ay 7.

I n B .C ., the two main pa rties spe nt the weeke nd before the campa ign began arguing about — t ol l s.

Specifically, whether the tolls on two of M etro V ancouver’ s 1 4 maj or bridge s shoul d be removed, or cap pe d annual l y at $50 a pe rson.

C uts to bridge tol l s pr omised as B .C . L iberal s, N D P gear up f or el ection Port Mann continues to lose money but official s say bridge stil l on track to pa y for itsel f “ I t’ s very C anad ian in a sense that it’ s al ready broadl y constrained. I t’ s not pa rticul arl y pol ariz ed,” said U niversity of B ritish C ol umbia pol itical scientist D avid M oscrop of the pr ovincial el ection campa ign that begins toda y a nd e nds on M ay 9. “ The pa rties, they di sagree on things, and it matters who governs but in a very general sense, they’ re very broadl y simil ar in a way that’ s not true of an el ection in F rance or in the U nited S tates.”

C hristy C l ark a historic pr emier?

The main que stion, as it has been the l ast three el ections, is whether pe opl e want to re- el ect the B .C . L iberal P arty — but a ma-

i e little attention to the fentanyl cri i

from op ioid overd oses, p articul arl y with the rise of il l icit fentany l and carfentanil across C anad a, ” it read s. “ H ere in B .C ., we have l ed the country in our resp onse to this crisis, being the first province to declare a public heal th emergency and assembl e an ex p ert J oint Task F orce.” O n future action, the L iberal s’ p l atform p romises $ 1 2 mil l ion for “ up to 28 highly specialized addiction treatment bed s for y outh” , $ 2 mil l ion annual l y for the new V ancouver- based B .C . C entre on S ubstance U se, and $ 1 0 mil l ion “ to red uce wait l ists for substance use treatment services” .

I n ad d ition, a re- el ected L iberal government woul d create 2 5 0 new bed s for mental heal th and substance use by 2 0 2 2 .

J onina C amp bel l , the B .C . G reen cand id ate for N ew W estminster, tol d the S traight that her party plans to give the crisis “significantl y ” more attention than the current government. “ W hen the L iberal s tal k about k eep ing B .C . strong, they are obviousl y referring to a community that d oes not incl ud e those who

00 renter A

rant coul co t

homeowner grant gives a $ 5 7 0 p rop erty - tax break to p eop l e who own homes worth l ess than $ 1 .6 mil l ion. H organ said that a $ 4 0 0 rebate for each rental unit in B .C . – coup l ed with the N D P ’ s p rop osed hy d ro- rate freez e – shoul d give renters “ a l ittl e bit of hop e.” H e gave no estimate of what the $ 4 0 0 grant woul d cost tax p ay ers, say ing the d etail s woul d be incl ud ed in his p arty ’ s p l atform, to be rol l ed out Thursd ay .

D avid H utniak , C E O of L and l ord B .C ., said the agency recentl y tal l ied 5 4 0 , 0 0 0 units of mark et- rental housing in the p rovince. A t $ 4 0 0 p er unit, the N D P ’ s grant woul d p ut tax p ay ers on the hook for $ 2 1 6 mil l ion annual l y .

The province already expects to spend $821 million on homeowner grants in 2017- 18, up from about $809 million in 2016-17.

H organ al so p l ed ged to “ beef up ” B .C .’ s R esid ential Tenancy A ct to p rotect renters by closing a fixed-term lease loophole that has al l owed some l and l ord s to hit tenants with higher- than- l egal rent hik es. H ousing M inster R ich C ol eman said in O ctober that he woul d

lenty at take a

are struggl ing with mental heal th and ad d ictions, ” she said . “ There j ust was not enough there to show that that is going to be a p riority for them.” A t an A p ril 1 1 memorial in the D owntown E astsid e mark ing the p ubl ic emergency ’ s one- y ear anniversary , harmred uction ad vocate S arah B l y th argued that

01 B

j ority t his time woul d be historic.

I t woul d give the pa rty 20 ye ars in pow er, ty ing the L iberal s with W .A .C . B ennett’ s S ocial C redi t P arty , which governed from 1952 to 1972, for the l ongest reign of one pa rty in B .C . history .

I t woul d make P remier C hristy C l ark onl y the eighth pe rson in the pr ovince’ s history to win two el ections, and woul d put her in a pos ition to surpa ss G ordon C ampbe l l ’ s nine ye ars and ni ne months in pow er.

It would also be the first time outside Alberta since 1985 that a Canadian political party has won a fifth straight majority.

A gainst that back d rop — and an economy that has grown faster than any in C anad a in recent y ears — are the controversies that have accumul ated around the C l ark government.

N D P tries to snap l osing streak in bid to end B .C . L iberal pol itical dyna sty “It’s a more difficult row to hoe for [NDP L eade r] J ohn H organ than it was in 19 for the N D P , or frankl y the L iberal s in 201.

There isn’ t that same l evel of anger and antipa thy towards the government that there

1

work to bl ock the l oop hol e this sp ring.

The act al l ows a l and l ord to increases a tenant’ s rent onl y once p er y ear, at a rate of two per cent above inflation — set at 3.7 per cent in 2 0 1 7 – but some l and l ord s are try ing to sk irt the l imit, forcing tenants to sign oney ear l eases with cl auses that req uire them to move out at the end of the term.

A M arch 2 0 1 7 rep ort on rent by P ad M ap p er named V ancouver the most ex p ensive city to l ive in C anad a, with a med ian p rice of $ 1 , 9 0 0 for a one- bed room rental . V ictoria was third at $ 1 , 2 5 0 and K el owna was eighth at $ 1 , 0 0 0 .

M eanwhil e, vacancy rates in M etro V ancouver are hovering bel ow one p er cent in V ancouver, accord ing to a fal l rep ort from C anad a M ortgage and H ousing C orp oration.

C M H C said the increasing p op ul arity of short- term rental s in V ancouver has tak en some units off the long-term rental market and with rental d emand outp acing sup p l y , the vacancy rate coul d d rop to 0 .5 p er cent in 2 0 1 7 .

P remier C hristy C l ark was q uick to sl am the N D P ’ s grant announcement, cal l ing it an ex ample of how the party is “flying by the seat of their p ants with no p l an for the p rovince.”

C l ark said it woul d n’ t be fair for a p erson renting a D owntown V ancouver p enthouse

the overd ose ep id emic is an issue every cand id ate shoul d be tal k ing about. “ W e’ re going to mak e it a p rovincial el ection issue whether they l ik e it or not, ” she said . “ P eop l e are d y ing. I f that’ s not an el ection issue, then I d on’ t k now what is.”

Source: The Straight

illion annually

for thousand s of d ol l ars to get the same subsid y as every other renter. H organ said the grant woul d be avail abl e to al l B .C . renters, regard l ess of their income. “ That isn’ t right, ” C l ark said . “ W e shoul d n’ t be red istributing our tax money to the very rich. W e shoul d be mak ing sure that we sp end our resources sup p orting p eop l e who are having troubl e stay ing in their homes.”

C l ark said that if re- el ected , her government woul d work with city governments to ensure they contribute to the rental sup p l y through zoning. Norman Ruff, associate professor emeritus of p ol itical science at the U niversity of V ictoria, said he was struck by the N D P ’ s grant announcement because it shows a return to the notion that social services aren’ t j ust for the d eserving p oor. “ There’ s not going to be a cumbersome means test, ” he said .

Ruff said he understands arguments that the grant woul d be wasted on the weal thy . B ut a grant that hel p s al l B ritish C ol umbians woul d bring back an “ eq ual ity val ue” that’ s been l ost on governments, he said . “ I t woul d mean more to the y oung, the ol d and those that are on l imited income, as a p rop ortion of their income,” Ruff said. “In my mind, it’s a welcome return.”

Source: Vancouver Sun

election ca pai n e in

was in those two el ections,” said M artyn Brown, former chief of staff to Campbell when he was pr emier and now a critic of C hristy C l ark’ s, referring to the onl y two times in the l ast four de cade s where there’ s been a change in B .C .’ s government.

S til l , he bel ieves voters wil l reach a tippi ng poi nt.

“On so many social issues, they’ve fallen terribly short: on health, on education, on child protection, there isn’t any area where they’ve terribly excelled,” he said.

“I think voters will be looking at issues like that this time as opposed to simply the economy, which frankly governments in power don’t have that much to do with anyways.”

Megaprojects vs. new spending But elections are about people, not political legacies, and there are several projects and promises that will be affected by which party forms the government.

The B.C. Liberals may have a cautious platform, but the construction of a 10-lane bridge to replace the Massey Tunnel, and the $9-billion Site C hydroelectric dam won’t be guaranteed without another win. And the

uncertainty clouding the Kinder Morgan pipeline expansion would only rise if the Liberals lose.

Cautious approach by Christy Clark on Kinder Morgan sets up potential election showdown An NDP win would bring $10-a-day daycare, a $15/hour minimum wage, elimination of MSP premiums, elimination of tolls and freezing of hydro rates, and changes on environmental and political donation policies the party has long railed against — assuming they do as they say, their platforms are properly costed, and budgets properly projected.

The Green Party, led by Andrew Weaver, is in a stronger place in polling, finances and candidate strength than it ever has been. If the party could win enough seats to hold the balance of power in B.C., what would that mean on economic, environmental, and democratic reform policies, where they’ve long held different beliefs from the NDP and Liberals?

The Conservative Party, which only received five per cent of the vote in 2013, looks to be even less of a factor in this election.

Basic income in B.C.? Green Party wants it, but some welfare advocates don’t So, the 2017 B.C. election is not a titanic clash of stark, era-defining ideologies, argued in pundit panels and Facebook threads across the globe.

But it’s about real people and real legacies, real proposals and real divisions.

And it officially starts today.

Source: CBC News

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

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TECHNOLOGY

Inventor of World Wide Web wins computing’s ‘Nobel Prize’

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By: MICHAEL LIEDTKE | AP | S A N F R A N C IS C O , U S A : ost p eop l e who search on G oogl e, share on F acebook and shop on A maz on have never heard of S ir Tim B erners- L ee. B ut they might not be d oing any of those things had he not invented the W orl d W id e W eb.

B erners- L ee, 6 1 , is this y ear’ s recip ient of the A .M . Turing A ward , comp uting’ s version of the N obel P riz e.

The award , announced Tuesd ay by the A ssociation for C omp uting M achinery , mark s another p innacl e for the B ritish native, who has al read y been k nighted by Q ueen E l iz abeth I I and named as one of the 1 0 0 most imp ortant p eop l e of the 2 0 th C entury by Time magaz ine. “ I t’ s a crowning achievement, ” B erners- L ee said in an interview with The A ssociated P ress. “ B ut I think the award is for the W eb as a p roj ect, and the massive international col l aborative sp irit of al l that have j oined me to hel p .”

The honor comes with a $ 1 mil l ion p riz e fund ed by G oogl e, one of many comp anies that mad e a fortune as a resul t of B ernersLee’s efforts to make the Internet more accessible. He managed that largely by figuring out a simp l e way to p ost d ocuments, p ictures and vid eo — every thing, real l y , bey ond p l ain tex t — onl ine.

S p inning the W eb

nit 0

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Starting in 1989, BernersL ee began work ing on way s d igital obj ect coul d be identified and retrieved through browser software cap abl e of rend ering grap hics and other images. I n A ugust 1 9 9 1 , he l aunched the worl d ’ s first website, http://info. cern.ch .

B esid es coming up with the web’ s technical sp ecifications, Berners-Lee “offered a coherent vision of how each of these el ements woul d work together as p art of an integrated whol e, ” said V ick i H anson, p resid ent of the A ssociation for C omp uting M achinery .

In an even more significant move, BernersL ee d ecid ed against p atenting his technol ogy and instead offered it as royalty-free software. That al l owed other p rogrammers to buil d up on the found ation he’ d l aid , sp awning more than a bil l ion websites tod ay that have hel p ed l ure more than 3 bil l ion p eop l e onl ine.

C aught in the W eb The web’s widespread appeal gratifies Berners- L ee, who now sp l its his time shuttl ing between the U S and B ritain as a p rofessor at the M assachusetts I nstitute of Technol ogy

0 1

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and the U niversity of O x ford .

B ut he fears p arts of the web wil l become l ess accessibl e in the U S if the F ed eral C ommunication C ommission d ismantl es regul ations p rotecting “ net neutral ity .” That’ s the p rincip l e that I nternet service p rovid ers shoul d treat al l websites eq ual l y instead of favoring some d estinations that might be wil l ing to p ay for sp ecial treatment.

I f the Trump ad ministration tries to d ump net neutrality, “it’s going to have a fight on its hand s because I think the A merican p eop l e real iz e it’ s imp ortant, ” B erners- L ee said . “ I t allowed America to benefit from a thriving I nternet mark et for connectivity and content.

I t has become p art of the sp irit of A merica.”

B erners- L ee al so worries about governments around the worl d using the I nternet

th Street Surrey

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as a surveil l ance tool , cal l ing it a “ recurrent threat.” H e ad mits that p reserving p ersonal p rivacy as technol ogy ad vances remains a thorny p robl em, one that he d oesn’ t have a ready solution for. But figuring that out is “ real l y imp ortant to the future of society , ” he say s. “ A s an ind ivid ual , I shoul d be abl e to k eep my own notes, k eep my own j ournal and not share it with any bod y . That is j ust p art of be being a p erson.”

B ey ond the W eb techLike several other prominent figures in tech humannol ogy , B erners- L ee isn’ t sure if human ity will be better or worse off as computers artifigrow better at thinking like people via artifi cial intel l igence. “ C omp uting has grown ex p onential l y more p owerful , so I t’ s onl y l ogical that it wil l get to the p oint when comp uters wil l become smarter than us, ” B erners- L ee said . “ S o, y es, we shoul d l ogical l y think about those conseq uences.”

This is the 5 0 th anniversary of the A .M . Turing award , named after E ngl ish comp uter scientist A l an Turing, whose revol utionary work with early computers and artificial intel l igence hel p ed crack N az i G ermany ’ s cod es d uring W orl d W ar I I . P revious award winners incl ud e V int C erf and R obert K ahn, who d id some of the p ioneering work on the I nternet that B erners- L ee sp un into the W orl d W ide W eb.

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17

Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

‫حيي ِم‬ ‫يم‬ ‫رح‬ ‫ح‬ ِ ‫ن ال َّلرر‬ ‫م ال َّللللهه ِ ال َّلرررحححمممن‬ ‫سم‬ ِ ْ ‫ب ِبسس‬

ُ ِ​ِ‫صررر‬ ‫ص‬ ‫بص‬ ‫ْص‬ ِ َ ‫يُ ال ْلبب‬ ُ​ُ‫ِي‬ ُ ‫سِ​ِ​ِ​ِيي‬ ‫ُوو َ ال َّلس‬ ‫س‬ ُ ُ ُ ُ​َََُّّّ ‫ن ييَ​َ َ​َااِ​َِ​َِ َاَاِا ِإ‬ ‫من‬ ْ ِ ‫حوو ْلولَه ُ ل ِلُ​ُ ُُِِ​ِ​ِ ِ َ َ​َُ​ُ ُ م‬ ‫ح‬ َ َ‫كناانا‬ ‫ركككنن‬ ْ َْ َ ‫صاا ال َّلذذ ِي ب َباار‬ ‫قص‬ ‫ص‬ َ ْ ‫لأأق‬ ‫سجججددِ ا ْل َْأ‬ ِ ‫س‬ ‫مس‬ ْ َ ‫راَاِم ِإل َلىى ال ْلمم‬ ‫سجججددِ ا ْلح َحرر َا‬ ‫مس‬ ‫س‬ ْ َ ‫ن ال ْلمم‬ ‫من‬ َ ِ ‫ى ب ِبعع َعبب ْبددِه ِ ل َ َْليي ْليلَل ًلاا م‬ ‫رى‬ َ ‫حاانَ ال َّلذذ ِي َأس ْسرر‬ َ ‫سبب ْبحح‬ ‫ُس‬ ٰ

is proud to invite you to evening of islamic the great Isra' & ‫لاممس‬ ‫س‬ ‫سااععةة الخاخا‬ ‫ح اللأأببوووااب اللس‬ ‫س‬ ‫تتفففتتتح‬ َ ‫سةة ععصصصررراا‬

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18 HEALTH Let’s Compare the Famous Herbal Medicinal Schools…Part 1 of 2 Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

By: Nada Adam This general research was comp l eted by D r. K hal ed and D r. H ani at H erbal M ed icine C l inic in B eirut d emonstrating a comp arison of the famous H erbal S chool s that many p eop l e worl d - wid e p ractice and use in our time and how the core p rincip l es of al l these school s s stem from the O riginal M ed icine – k nown as, H umoral M ed icine.

This stud y is to show the imp ortance of humoral med icine, and to verify that humoral med icine is the origin of med icine.

U nani M ed icine ( U nani Tibb) t is the med icine which is stil l p racticed since 6 0 0 0 y ears and is al so k nown as H ik mat. I t has al so been k nown in I nd ia since around the twel fth and thirteenth century when it reached it.

A y urved a I t’ s the ancient I nd ian med icine – the p ubl ic hered itary in I nd ia and the neighboring regions since 5 0 0 0 y ears.

A y urved a is d erived from two I nd ian word s A y ur which means l ife, and V ed a which means k nowl ed ge or science.

Trad itional C hinese M ed icine The roots of the trad itional C hinese med icine go back to more than 4 5 0 0 y ears. *The General Principle upon which the 3 schools of Herbal Medicine are centered*The p rincip l es of these 3 school s are focused on the 4 temp ers: hotness, col d ness, d ry ness and wetness, regard ing the el ements, temp eraments, as wel l the used method for d iagnosis namel y to id entify the causes and sy mp toms of the disease; and regarding the classification of herbs and their usage in the treatment of d iseases accord ing to their temp er on the basis of the counteractive therap y . *Evidence that the 4 tempers are the inclusive principle regarding the elements in the 3 schools* Ayur e a refers to five elements: soil, water (cold wet), fire (hot dry), air (cold d ry ) and ether.

- nani e icine refers to four el ements: earth (cold dry), water (cold wet), fire (hot d ry ) and air ( hot wet) . hine e e icine refers to five elements: earth, water (cold wet), fire (hot d ry ) , wood and metal .

- A y urved a and G reek med icine are con convened on 4 elements: soil, water, fire and air. W hereas A y urved a, C hinese and U na nani med icine are convened on 3 el ements: soil, water and fire.

I t has become cl ear that it has been sub substantiated by comp arison, that each of the 3 school s convenes on the issue that these elements are classified among hot, cold, wet and d ry temp ers. H ence they convene on the confirmation of the 4 tempers (hotness, col d ness, wetness and d ry ness) . *Evidence that the 4 tempers are the inclusive principle regarding the elements in the 3 schools* - Ayur e a refers to five elements: soil, water (cold wet), fire (hot dry), air (cold d ry ) and ether.

- nani e icine refers to four el ements: earth (cold dry), water (cold wet), fire (hot d ry ) and air ( hot wet) .

- Chinese medicine refers to five elements: earth, water (cold wet), fire (hot dry), wood and metal .

- Ayur e a an reek e icine are convened on 4 elements: soil, water, fire and air. W hereas A y urved a, C hinese and U nani med icine are convened on 3 el ements: soil, water and fire.

I t has become cl ear that it has been substantiated by comp arison, that each of the 3 school s convenes on the issue that these elements are classified among hot, cold, wet and d ry temp ers. H ence they convene on the confirmation of the 4 tempers (hotness, col d ness, wetness and d ry ness) . *Evidence that the 4 tempers are the inclusive principle regarding the temperaments in the 3 schools* Ayur e a has 3 main temp eraments k nown as 3 D oshas: V ata, P ittha and K ap ha. A ccord ing to A y urved a these 3 d oshas ex ist in each one of us; their ratio varies from one p erson to another. I ts changes l ead to 7 main p atterns of singl e and comp osite structure: vata ( col d and d ry ) , p ittha ( hot d ry y el l ow bil e) , k ap ha ( col d wet p hl egm) . * V ata k ap ha ( col d d ry temp erament, col d

wet temp erament) , * P ittha k ap ha ( hot d ry temp erament, col d wet temp erament) , * P ittha vata ( hot d ry temp erament, col d d ry temp erament) , * V ata p ittha k ap ha ( col d d ry temp erament, hot d ry temp erament, col d wet temp erament) . n hine e e icine there are two factors Y in ( col d ness) , Y ang ( hotness) , Y in ( wetness) , and Y ang ( d ry ness) ; their ratios vary from one p erson to another. They are k nown as op p osites, l ik e hotness, col d ness, wetness, d ry ness – resul ting in several temp eraments which incl ud e: Y in factor ( which is col d - wet in temp erament) , Y ang factor ( which is hot- d ry in temp erament) , Y in Y ang factors ( which are col d d ry or wet- hot in temp erament) . n nani e icine there are 4 temp eraments in each one of us. The ratio of temp eraments varies from one p erson to another.

The temp eraments are: the temp erament rel ated to bl ood humor ( hot wet) , the p hl egmatic temp erament ( col d wet) , the temp erament rel ated to y el l ow bil e humor ( hot d ry ) , the temp erament rel ated to bl ack bil e humor ( col d d ry ) . These temp eraments are either in a mod erate state, or there is a p red ominance of one temp erament or two or three or four temp eraments.

W e have cl earl y substantiated by comp arison, that each of the 3 school s convenes on the p resence of the 4 temp ers ( hotness, col d ness, wetness d ry ness) in the temp eraments of human. *Evidence that the 4 tempers are the inclusive principle regarding the used mechanism of diagnosis in the 3 schools* Ayur e a d ep end s on the ex amination of p ul se for the acq uaintance of some of the statuses of the internal organs and the ratio of the d oshas. A y urved a al so d ep end s on seeing the tongue, face, l ip s, nail s, ey es and so on, and tak es into consid eration the ex ternal causes accord ing to the various times and seasons which op erate up on control l ing the d oshas, namel y l ik e: the col d ness and d ry ness of the autumn, or the col d ness and wetness of the winter, or the hotness and d ry ness of the summer. hine e e icine d ep end s on the ex amination of p ul se for the acq uaintance of some of the statuses of the internal organs

pha sia is an impa irment of l anguage, affecting the production or comprehension of spe ech and the abil ity to read or write. A p hasia is al ways due to inj ury to the brain- most commonl y from a stroke , p articul arl y in ol de r indi vidua l s. B ut brain inj uries resul ting in apha sia may al so arise from head trauma, from brain tumors, or from infections.

A pha sia can be so severe as to make communication with the pa tient al most imp ossible, or it can be very mild. It may affect mainl y a singl e aspe ct of l anguage use, such as the abil ity to retrieve the names of obj ects, or the abil ity to put words together into sentences, or the abil ity to read. M ore commonl y , however, mul tipl e aspe cts of communication are impa ired, whil e some channel s remain accessibl e for a l imited ex change of information.

I t is the j ob of the pr ofessional to de termine the amount of function avail abl e in each of the channel s for the compr ehension of l anguage, and to assess the pos sibil ity that treatment might enhance the use of the channel s that are avail abl e.

Below you can find more information on the different types of aphasia such as Global, B roca’ s, W ernicke ’ s, P rimary P rogressive, Anomic, and Mixed Non-fluent aphasia.

Varieties and special features of aphasia Over a century of experience with the study of aphasia has taught us that particular components of language may be particularly damaged in some individuals. We have also learned to recognize different types or patterns of aphasia that correspond to the loca-

tion of the brain injury in the individual case.

Some of the common varieties of aphasia are: Global aphasia This is the most severe form of aphasia, and is applied to patients who can produce few recognizable words and understand little or no spoken language. Persons with Global Aphasia can neither read nor write. Global aphasia may often be seen immediately after the patient has suffered a stroke and it may rapidly improve if the damage has not been too extensive. However, with greater brain damage, severe and lasting disability may result.

Broca’s aphasia (‘non-fluent aphasia’) In this form of aphasia, speech output is severely reduced and is limited mainly to short utterances of less than four words.

Vocabulary access is limited and the formation of sounds by persons with Broca’s aphasia is often laborious and clumsy. The person may understand speech relatively well and be able to read, but be limited in writing. Broca’s aphasia is often referred to as a ‘non fluent aphasia’ because of the halting and effortful quality of speech.

Mixed non-fluent aphasia This term is applied to patients who have sparse and effortful speech, resembling severe Broca’s aphasia. However, unlike persons with Broca’s aphasia, they remain limited in their comprehension of speech and do not read or write beyond an elementary level.

Wernicke’s aphasia(‘fluent aphasia’) In this form of aphasia the ability to grasp the meaning of spoken words is chiefly

impaired, while the ease of producing connected speech is not much affected.

Therefore Wernicke’s aphasia is referred to as a ‘fluent aphasia.’ However, speech is far from normal. Sentences do not hang together and irrelevant words intrudesometimes to the point of jargon, in severe cases. Reading and writing are often severely impaired.

Anomic aphasia This term is applied to persons who are left with a persistent inability to supply the words for the very things they want to talk about-particularly the significant nouns and verbs. As a result their speech, while fluent in grammatical form and output is full of vague circumlocutions and expressions of frustration. They understand speech well, and in most cases, read adequately. Difficulty finding words is as evident in writing as in speech.

Primary Progressive Aphasia Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA) is a neurological syndrome in which language capabilities become slowly and progressively impaired. Unlike other forms of aphasia that

I

A

Aphasia Definitions

and the ratio of the Y in and Y ang. C hinese med icine al so d ep end s on seeing the tongue, face, ey es, sense of feel ing and so on, with the consid eration of the ex ternal causes which are: wind , col d ness, wetness, hotness, d ry ness. The col d wet winter, hot d ry summer and the d ry autumn are consid ered among the d etrimental or causative factors of d iseases which l ead to a d y sfunction in the eq uil ibrium of the Y in and Y ang. nani e icine d ep end s on the ex amination of p ul se for the acq uaintance of some of the statuses of the internal organs and the ratio of the humors. U nani med icine al so d ep end s on seeing the tongue, face, l ip s, nail s, ey es and so on.

Therefore, once again, it’ s substantiated by comp arison, that each of the three school s refers in the mechanism of d iagnosis to the 4 temp ers ( hotness, col d ness, wetness, and d ry ness) .

Next article will contain part 2 of this article finishing the comparison of Herbal School methodologies. I and many patients are grateful to have received the health guidance and direction of Dr. Hijazi during his stay in Canada. He has travelled back to Beirut and may return later this year.

In the meantime, if you have any health questions or to learn more about Humoral Medicine please visit www.linkedin. com/in/dr-khaled-hijazi-dr-hani-albatal494a8a121 or call Dr. Khaled directly on What’sApp +961 3 519 784 (Mobile) – it’s a free call!

result from stroke or brain injury, PPA is caused by neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s Disease or Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration. PPA results from deterioration of brain tissue important for speech and language. Although the first symptoms are problems with speech and language, other problems associated with the underlying disease, such as memory loss, often occur later.

Other varieties In addition to the foregoing syndromes that are seen repeatedly by speech clinicians, there are many other possible combinations of deficits that do not exactly fit into these categories.Some of the components of a complex aphasia syndrome may also occur in isolation. This may be the case for disorders of reading (alexia) or disorders affecting both reading and writing (alexia and agraphia), following a stroke. Severe impairments of calculation often accompany aphasia, yet in some instances patients retain excellent calculation in spite of the loss of language. https://www.aphasia.org/aphasia-definitions

19 KIDS/YOUTH 31 Things Your Kids Should Be Doing Instead of Homework Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

By:Jessica Smock There are many aspects of my more than decade-long career as a teacher that I’m proud of. My reputation for giving lots and lots of homework is not one of them.

For most of my teaching career, I taught fifth or sixth grade. Sometimes I gave more than two hours of homework. Kids complained a lot, though parents rarely did, at least not to my face. I think parents mostly felt the same way I did: that homework was the best way to practice new skills, that it teaches responsibility and helps to develop a strong work ethic, and that it’s an opportunity to reflect on new learning.

But most of all, my students’ parents and I were more than a little afraid that our kids would fall behind – behind their classmates in the next classroom, behind the kids in a neighboring school, behind the kids in other countries. Homework was considered one of many ways to prevent that from happening.

I wasn’t entirely wrong about all of that, and I still believe a lot of those things. But only for middle and high school students (and not hours of assignments). Not for elementary students, and certainly not for kindergarteners or preschoolers.

When I entered a doctoral program in education policy, I learned about the research that suggests that homework is not good for young kids. Not only does it fail to improve the academic performance of elementary students, but it might actually be damaging to kids’ attitudes toward school, and to their physical health.

In a review of available research studies, Harris Cooper, a leading researcher who has spent decades studying the effect of homework, concluded that “there is no evidence that any amount of homework improves the academic performance of elementary students.”

When I became a parent during graduate school, I experienced for myself just how tired and overwhelmed kids can be after a full day at daycare, preschool, or elementary school, often followed by more after school activities. After hours spent sitting and engaging in mostly adult-directed activities, children’s minds and bodies need other kinds of experiences when they get home, not more academics.

It’s not just that homework itself has no academic benefits for little kids, and may even be harmful, it’s also that homework is replacing other fun, developmentally appropriate, and valuable activities – activities that help them grow into healthy, happy adults.

So, what are some of the things kids could be doing in those hours between the end of the school day and bed time?

1 | Jump rope.

An important part of how young kids’ minds develop is through free, self-directed play. According to David Elkind, Ph.D., author of The Power of Play: How Spontaneous, Imaginative Activities Lead to Happier, Healthier Children, free play is critical now more than ever, as recesses are shortened or eliminated, and kids’ calendars are busier than ever.

“Through play,” Elkind writes, “children create new learning experiences, and those self-created experiences enable them to acquire social, emotional, and intellectual skills they could not acquire any other way.”

2 | Talk with parents.

I’ve heard from countless friends about their daily battles with their elementaryaged kids struggling to do homework, and the way it’s negatively affected their relationships.

Instead, of parents nagging their overtired kids to do homework they’re too young to do independently, families should spent much time talking together about their day. In fact, conversation is the best way for all of us – especially young children – to learn about our world and cultivate empathy.

3 | Sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation estimates that between 25 and 30% of children aren’t getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep can cause all sorts of problems in kids, including poor attention, behavior problems, academic difficulties, irritability, and weight gain. But even small amounts of additional sleep can have big impacts.

One study found that only 20 additional minutes of sleep can improve kids’ grades.

4 | Independent reading.

Most of us know that developing good habits (and hopefully a love of reading) is critical to doing well at school. However, homework can actually interfere with the time that kids can spend on reading.

5 | Listen to a book.

Studies show that kids who are read aloud to do better in school and have better vocabularies.

6 | Work on a puzzle.

Being able to play on their own without adults (called “solitary play”) builds confidence in kids and makes them more relaxed.

7 | Go up a slide backwards.

“Risky” play — activities like climbing a tree — is good for kids. Children need to explore their own limits, to be able to assess risks, and to learn how to negotiate their environments.

Researchers theorize that risky play, found across all cultures and in other mammals, has a evolutionary role in preparing offspring for life without their caretakers.

8 | Dig in the dirt.

Another type of play, sensory play, is also critical for kids’ development. When kids knead clay or finger paint, they are stimulating their senses. “Sensory experiences,” explains one early childhood educator, “provide open-ended opportunities where the process is more important than the product; how children use materials is much more important than what they make with them.”

9 | Playing with a friend in a sandbox.

Parallel play, or the type of play in which kids play next to each other, begins in toddlers. But even for older kids, parallel play can help develop critical social skills.

10 | Help with dinner.

Kids who learn about new foods, and how to prepare them, may be more likely to choose more nutritious foods later on.

11 | Walk the dog.

Kids who help take care of family pets may be less anxious, less likely to develop allergies and asthma, and are more active.

12 | Volunteer at an animal shelter.

Even kids who don’t have pets at home can benefit from being around animals.

The emotional and psychological benefits of being around animals can also be found when kids care for injured animals and take on care-taking responsibilities for other people’s pets.

13 | Plant a garden.

Kids who work in gardens may have higher achievement scores in science than those who don’t. That’s because they’re actively engaging in scientific concepts and practicing math skills as they learn about plants.

14 | Practice an instrument.

Kids who participate in musical activities – those who practice an instrument regularly and participate actively in music groups – may have brains who are better wired for literacy skills, according to one study.

15 | Hang out at Grandma’s.

Encouraging multi-generational relationships can yield many lessons for kids. They can learn how other adult role models in their lives who love them handle conflict, create and negotiate rules and routines, and embrace family traditions.

16 | Participate in a community service project.

Through volunteering, kids can become more grateful, empathetic, and feel more connected to the wider community.

17 | Draw a picture.

For kids who have trouble expressing themselves verbally, drawing can be a way for them to relax and communicate in a different way.

18 | Do a science experiment.

Kids are naturally curious and want to know how things work. Scientific exploration outside the classroom may be particularly effective at teaching kids about scientific thinking.

19 | Play dress up.

The significance of imaginative “pretend” or “fantasy” play for kids’ creativity and future problem-solving skills is difficult to overstate. When kids pretend they’re superheroes or talk to stuffed animals, they’re learning about social roles, setting the stage for later learning, and processing ideas from the world around them. In fact, some research suggests that kids who don’t engage in fantasy play may actually struggle in the classroom later.

20 | Wrestle with a sibling.

“Rough and tumble” play is not the same as aggression. It’s vigorous, free-form, whole-body, energetic, happy play. Kids learn decision-making skills, relieve stress, improve their ability to read social cues, and enhance their cardio-vascular health.

21 | Clean their room.

When kids are spending their afternoons working on homework, there’s often not time for them to help out with housework and other chores. A University of Minnesota researcher, Marty Rossman, found that one of the best predictors of a kid’s future success is whether they contributed to household chores as a young child.

According to Rossman, “Through participating in household tasks, parents are teaching children responsibility, how to contribute to family life, a sense of empathy and how to take care of themselves.”

22 | Write a story.

By writing down stories, kids can expresstheir feelings, stretch their imaginations,

and practice their fine motor skills.

23 | Zone out.

Just as important as play is “down time.”

The authors of “Overloaded and Underprepared: Strategies for Stronger Schools and Happy, Successful Kids“ argue that every kids needs PDF: playtime, downtime, and family time.

Downtime is when kids are allowed to literally do not much of anything, like sit around and listen to music or stare at the ceiling.

These moments allow children to reflect, rest, and reset their minds and bodies.

24 | Meditate.

Kids also benefit from meditation. Studies have found that mindfulness and meditation can improve behavior, focus, and reduce impulsiveness.

25 | Create a collage.

“Constructive play” – building a fort, making a snowman – is goal-oriented and involves kids building something using tools and materials. Constructive play also has an important role in developing children’s communication, mathematical, and socio-emotional skills.

26 | Listen to classical music.

One study found that playing classical music to children can improve their listening and concentration skills, as well as self-discipline.

27 | Learn to knit.

Knitting, sewing, and crocheting are hobbies that can help enhance fine motor skills, improve coordination, and develop longer attention spans.

28 | Take pictures.

“Photography can help develop a child’s voice, vision and identity as it pertains to their family, friends and community,” according to one photographer who teaches photography to children in Canada.

29 | Ride a bike.

Kids who are physically active – as well as adults! – have stronger hearts, lungs, and bones. They are less likely to develop cancer or be overweight and more likely to feel good about themselves.

30 | Listen to a long bedtime story.

Babies, children, and adult sleep better when they have a regular (not rushed) bedtime routine. Kids who don’t have bedtime routines are more likely to have behavior problems, be hyperactive, and suffer from emotional difficulties.

31 | Play “Simon Says.”

During cooperative games, kids collaborate to reach a common goal. There may be a leader, and kids start to learn about social contracts and social rules.

When homework is assigned to young children, it doesn’t improve academic learning. In any case, the learning done in school is only one form of learning.

Homework takes away from the time available to engage in endless other forms of learning, such as social, physical, and emotional, as well as rest.

Our kids deserve a chance to spend all their other hours outside of school doing their most important job of all: being a kid. http://www.parent.com

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

WOMEN

Daddy and Mummy Don’t Preach

By : Asma Ayyaz, Mortgage Broker es, mom’ s and da d’ s do not j ust pr each and l ecture al l the time for everyt hing to yo ur chil dr en. I t is not going to work. I nstead, teach with each actions and your behavior. I t is rightl y said that actions spe ak l oude r than words . L et’ s take a l ook at an exa mpl e. I f we onl y pr each to hel p the poor , be ki nd, generous to the l ess fortunate and more, it is simpl y j ust tal k. I f we instead de cid e to ind ul ge in sharing our riches, food, time with the l ess fortunate with our chil dr en al ong our side , the true outcome of pr eaching good pr actices comes to l ight. These actions can be incorpor ated with our chil dr en on events and cel ebrations such as their birthda ys to addr ess the greater need of sharing our fortune with others.

This wil l serve as a greater adve rtisement to our chil dr en on how to be a good pe rson instead of the same ol d advi sing pa rents do.

O ur chil dr en are the biggest observers when we interact with our emp l oye es, friends , and col l eagues in di fferent settings. W hen they see us act with humil ity and ki ndne ss, they l earn that our pa rents are what they say they are. W e give them a rewardi ng guide l ine to becoming pr oduc tive members of society in the future.

L et’ s do the di shes: I t is a common, ol d tal e of pa rents compl aining that our chil dr en do not hel p around the house as much as they shoul d. W e indul ge in al l the things they don’ t do to whoever is l endi ng us a ki nd ear and pe opl e tend to j oin the pa rade with their own tal e of frustration.

W hen a famil y raises chil dr en with invol vement from a young age, behaviors of hel pi ng out such as doi ng a simpl e task as the di shes

is seen as something you simpl y do instead of an annoyi ng chore that they wish to avoid at al l cost. M others shoul d make more of an effort to invol ve their chil dr en in cooki ng when they are ol d enough to make them unde rstand the effort invol ved and ingraining the ide a of worki ng in the house as l earned behavior.

Team M om and D ad C oordi nation of the mother and father in the house is the gl ue that hol ds your chil d’ s behavior. O ften times the mother says no whil e the father say s ye s, a trend that chil dr en catch on to very young. P arents shoul d try not to give mixe d messages and strive to work as a united team. They shoul d respe ct the other pa rent’ s de cision and di spl ay their unity to their chil dr en who are l earning l essons of rel ationship and authority al ong the way . M oms shoul d not put the bl ame on the da d as the reason for di sal l owing the chil d for the issue at hand. This breeds negativity as the da d is associated as the ‘ bad’ pa rent who wil l not al l ow them to do anyt hing fun and is the de cision make r as their mom has her hands tied. The house rul es shoul d not be made and e nforced by one pa rent.

L ife has its ups and dow ns and these come in no orde r. L ife is al so not a bed of roses or a pa th of storms. W e shoul d work together to make our chil dr en strong regardl ess of the circumstances of their l ife. I t shoul d be oka y for chil dr en to see the di fficul ties you face in raising them de p endi ng on the appr opr iateness of the situation, L et’ s work together to teach our chil dr en to be intel l igent emotional l y , face chal l enges in l ife with ease, and teach them how to be happy through our own actions.

C A P E C A N A V E R A L , F l a. - The worl d ’ s ol d est and most ex p erienced sp acewoman is getting three ex tra months in orbit.

N A S A announced W ed nesd ay that astronaut P eggy W hitson wil l remain on the I nternational S p ace S tation until S ep tember. The 5 7 - y ear- ol d astronaut arrived l ast N ovember and was sup p osed to return to E arth in J une.

B ut und er an agreement between N A S A and the R ussian S p ace A gency , she’ l l stay another three months and tak e ad vantage of an emp ty seat on a S oy uz cap sul e in the fal l .

This mission - her third - wil l now l ast cl ose to 1 0 months. S cientists are eager to monitor any changes to her bod y , to ad d to the k nowl ed ge gained from retired astronaut S cott K el l y ’ s recent one- y ear fl ight.

The two men she fl ew up with in N ovember - F rance’ s Thomas P esq uet and R ussia’ s O l eg N ovitsk iy - wil l return in J une without her.

W hitson has al read y sp ent more time in sp ace than any other woman, counting al l her missions, and j ust l ast week set a record for the most sp ace wal k s by a woman, with eight.

This week end , she’ l l tak e over as sp ace station command er, her second time at the j ob.

A nd on A p ril 2 4 , she’ l l set a new U .S . record for most accumul ated time in sp ace. That N A S A record - 5 3 4 d ay s - is currentl y hel d by former sp ace station resid ent J effrey W il l iams.

W hitson wel comed W ed nesd ay ’ s news. “ I l ove being up here, ” she said in a statement. “ L iving and work ing aboard the sp ace station is where I feel l ik e I mak e the greatest contribution, so I am constantl y try ing to sq ueez e every d rop out of my time here. H aving three more months to sq ueez e is j ust what I woul d wish for.”

N A S A ’ s sp ace station p rogram d irector, K irk S hireman, said W hitson’ s sk il l and ex p erience mak e her “ an incred ibl e asset” up there, and her ex tra time wil l be p ut to good use.

There wil l be a return seat for W hitson in S ep tember because the S oy uz d ue to l aunch l ater this month wil l carry up one A merican and one R ussian, one p erson fewer than usual . R ussia is temp oraril y cutting back to two station resid ents. W ith W hitson’ s ex tend ed stay , the orbiting outp ost wil l continue to have a ful l crew of six .

W hitson, a biochemist who grew up on a farm in I owa, became an astronaut in 1 9 9 6 . S he served as N A S A ’ s chief astronaut from 2 0 0 9 to 2 0 1 2 , the onl y woman to ever hol d the j ob.

Source: The Associated Press

Veteran NASA spacewoman getting 3 extra months in orbit

Anything Is Within Your Reach By: Shabnam Khan -Family Counsellor here is nothing that is difficult or easy but it is onl y our pe rcept ion that make s it l ook so. A ny work seen as a whol e, may be threatening but when di vide d into pa rts, becomes simpl e and easy . I nstead of being da z ed by the magnitude of the task, start work ing and even if you do a l ittl e everyda y , within a short pe riod of time y ou wil l be surpr ised by your achievements.

The pr obl em with many of us is that even at an initial stage we are baffled by the enormity of the task and give it up as an easy way escap e. I f we are sincere in unde rtaki ng a j ob, we woul d anal ys e ways and means of doi ng it. L ack of sincerity and erroneous pe rcept ion often frightens us from unde rtaki ng any task. W hen we have strong wil l pow er, the goal al one wil l remain constant in our memory and every chal l enge that comes our way , wil l convert into an op por tunity f or achieving our obj ective.

As we are conditioned by external influences, both environmental and indi vidu al , sometimes some unfavorabl e events happe n on which we have no control .

These unfavorabl e events make a negative impact on our effects and may throw us into a de sponde nt mood. The best thing is to face situations, work out a strategy to get over difficulties and with

T

wil l pow er go ahead with l ife.

S uch an appr oach to take on chal l enges is cal l ed character, which is essential for achievements in l ife.

W hat is impor tant is your pe rcept ion of things and situations. I t is the faith in our abil ity to retrieve l ost ground and the action we take which are two impor tant things that make s any achievement pos sibl e.

Thinki ng and pl anning are essential but without pos itive action, al l the time spe nt on pl anning woul d be wasted. I n the absence of strong wil l , we easil y get shattered by negative events that cross the pa ths of our ende avor.

We must have absolute confidence in oursel ves and that al one wil l bring out our inner strength. There is no poi nt in aski ng oursel ves, “ W il l it be pos sibl e for me? ” I nstead of doubt ing your capa bil ity , r epe at the statement “ I t is pos sibl e for me” . A nyt hing and E veryt hing I s W ithin Y our R each.

R ol ex or C asio; they both show time. The brand of a watch changes when y our time changes.

M od ern times: M other say s. “ eat y our vegetabl es or I wil l change the W iF i p assword ! ” Want to insert a picture from your files or add a shape or text box? You got it! On the Insert tab of the ribbon, j ust tap the op tion y ou need .

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

LOCAL

The First Muslim Girl Guides of BC Meets MLA Amrik Virk!

By Rahma Khan You’ve heard about Girl Guides of Canada and the Girl Scout Cookies, but have you heard about “The Muslim Girl Guides”?

One of the mothers, Sister Nadia Hussain, graciously offered their home to start the much needed program for Muslim Girls of our Vancouver community. The project is spearheaded with the support of several mothers who wanted a practical experience of scouting for their girls. The first meeting of the Muslim Girl Guides group of BC took place on January 19th, 2017 in the Fraser Heights area. It started with a total of 20 young girls between the age of 6 years to 12 years old who came from different areas, as far as Chilliwack, Newton, and New West, reflecting their enthusiasm for the program.

The program has started in the Guildford district, but with a growing waiting list and demand, it will eventually open another unit in Newton after summer In Shaa Allah.

History of Scouting: The Scout Association - founded in 1907 – disclosed in their recent statistics that one third of all scouts worldwide now are Muslims with an estimated 2,000 Muslim scouts in the UK. Similarly, the Girl Guides began in 1909, when girls in England demanded to take part in a Boy Scouts rally organized by Lord Baden-Powell at the Crystal Palace in London. BadenPowell was impressed and he asked his sister, Agnes, to create a program just for girls. By 1910, the Guiding Movement had reached Canada and the first unit was formed in St. Catharine’s, Ontario. By 1912, there were units in every province, and many of Canada’s most forward-thinking women banded together to form the Canadian Girl Guides Association. Canada’s first Muslim Girl Guide troop, was formed in Ontario in 2013 included 13 Muslim girls, who were all newcomers to Canada from their home countries including Lebanon, Syria, Palestinian territories, Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya.

Muslim Girl Guides of BC: As the name clearly emphasizes that our girls should integrate into society, have adventure, and fun while continuing to feel proud of their Muslim DNA. Therefore, each scouting activity has been modified and tailored to incorporate the Islamic aspect to it. Muslim Girl Guides is a good way for the girls of our community to have their values as Muslims, but also appreciate the Cana-

dian outdoor experience. It gives a chance for girls to become more confident in their faith and religion, and it teaches them their rights and responsibilities as a Canadian citizen. Every month, the Muslim Girl Guides Group of Fraser Heights come together and act as family to one another. They help each other and support one another through encouragement. No matter what they do, new friendships are always made. The girls are encouraged to wear a hijab while being outdoor. Home color teams are made and the girls compete for points during games, activities, and Halaqa sessions. The volunteers who started the program are primarily Iqra Islamic School alumni who are currently in high school, but are thrilled to be part of this program to help put to practice their learning by engaging with the young girls at an early age and share their knowledge and love for their religion.

The high school youth volunteers play a major role in this program. Currently there are four main volunteers, each of them are assigned a group of 5 girls. These volunteers have their pre-selected color codes which are blue, green, red and pink. The volunteers help the teams win badges and points for doing good deeds, and also, help plan out the day, and make sure to incorporate fun and games into their routines. They welcome new members and help build a strong bond of friendships among girls who do not know each other. As a whole, the volunteers help in boosting up encouragement and confidence in the girls, and guide them when required.

While striving to be practicing muslimah role model for our little girls, the volunteers get the practical experience of time management, responsibility, conflict resolutions, problem solving and how to be a true guide for the girls who look up to them. The volunteer recruitment process is very easy. The program coordinator see a huge potential in all of the volunteers, and hopes that someday, they will be the leaders of the community for scouting programs. The Muslim Girl Guides have modified the Girl Guides Promise to match their Islamic teachings, and every member is required to know it by heart. The promise is as follows: • I love & fear Allah(SWT) • I obey the orders of Allah(SWT) • I honor my Country, and will serve

my Community For the month of March as part of their first field trip activity to learn about country and political system, the Girl Guides visited the Surrey/Tynehead area MLA office of Mr. Amrik Virk. They learned about feeling proud and confident of their religion, and of being a Canadian citizen when Mr. Amrik Virk said, “There is no reason in this country why you can’t be practicing Muslims, why you can’t do what you do, why you can’t carry on your customs...”

Mr. Virk had been very kind and friendly to the girls, and the meeting was very beneficial to the group. He encouraged the girls to bring out their best, and the girls had a really good experience. He talked about his struggles in life as to being different when he immigrated to Canada as young kid with his family. While answering all of the questions he also told the girls, “ there is no job that a boy can do that a girl can’t do”, and just this one sentence brought a complete new energy among girls that made them really proud and encouraged.

The girls were really engaged in the stories he shared about his family, his daughters, his life as a policeman, and his police dogs especially. “ I had lots of fun serving Canada as a policeman” he stated.

“We can count on these increasing, educated girls to be the guides and role models of BC! We wish them all the best.”

Future of Muslim Girl Guides: Muslim Girl Guides Program is still in the process for getting affiliation with the Girl Guides of Canada or Muslim Food Bank as

an independent scouting program. It will be heavily focused on outdoor activities for girls like hiking, archery, swimming, horse riding, and several more which are weather dependent. This program is not a school, it is more like a training program which will teach discipline, practical implementation of our basic Islamic values and help girls learn to create special bond of friendship and sisterhood. The essence of this program will be that Muslim youngsters of Muslim Girl Guides shall build character and skills for success in life. Girls shall get opportunities to develop qualities such as strong Islamic values, social conscience, and conviction about their own potential and self-worth.

They will learn to be loyal, honest, considerate, caring, unselfish, brave, cooperative, responsible, kind, courteous, and respectful Muslim leaders following the steps of our Great role-model, Sayyida Fatima AlZahraa.

Muslim Girl Guides unit can be started in each neighborhood with minimum 12 and maximum 20 members in each group. For more information on joining Muslim Girl Guides of BC as a volunteer or a member, contact us at MuslimGirlGuides.BC@gmail.com.

Pakistani in Vancouver facebook group Hosts “Have Chai with Us” meet and greet

W hil e the pe ril s of social medi a have been l amented by many , there is no shortage of its pos itive use either. O ne such exa mpl e was set on April 8 when volunteers from the P aki stani in V ancouver F acebook group organiz ed a meet and greet event for newcomers in V ancouver.

The pu rpos e of the event, “ H ave C hai with U s” ” , was twofol d; to pr ovide an avenue for newcomers to social iz e with the l ocal P aki staniC anadi an community in B ritish C ol umbia and to bring forward issues faced by them so they can be ad dr essed where pos sibl e by the community at l arge.

The event was hel d at S trawberry H il l s l ibrary in S urrey . A fter some mingl ing time, the formal pr ogram began with the recitation of the hol y Q uran and the introduc tion of the group’ s mission by D r. Z anbka M al ik. M isbah N aseer, the M C of the event, then aske d the vol unteers to introdu ce themsel ves to the group.

W omen of various expe riences incl udi ng medi cine, educ ation, information technol ogy , pr oj ect management, engineering as wel l as two with expe rience with settl ement agencies introduc ed themsel ves and offered their help in various areas.

M isbah N aseer then l ed a n icebreake r activity with R ahil a J ibril which gave everyone a chance to l earn more about each other. This was fol l owed by a brainstorming and Q & A session l ed by H umaira I mtiaz with Y asera S aami in which the guests brought forward different issues incl udi ng social activities, dr iver l icensing pr ocess, immigration, spons orship and citiz enship pr ocesses. W hil e some que stions were fielded on the spot, the volunteers made a note of al l issues and pr omised to get back to the group with compl ete information and guida nce. The event ende d with a Dua by Anjum Rafiq followed by tea and assortment of refreshments contributed b y s ome of the vol unteers.

The F acebook group P aki stani in V ancouver was founde d by D r. Z anbka M al ik 7 ye ars with the intention to connect P aki stani community in V ancouver, bring harmony , share information and hel p each other.

D r. M al ik has organiz ed many initiatives with the vol unteers from the community , and “ H ave C hai with U s” is j ust the beginning of a l ong term initiative to serve the newcomers in V ancouver.

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Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

PAKISTAN

Pride of Pakistan: Malala Yousafzai becomes honorary Canadian citizen

By Michel COMTE O ttawa ( A F P ) obel P eace l aureate M al al a Y ousafz ai became onl y the sixt h p erson to receive honorary C anadi an citiz enship W edne sda y , as she cal l ed on the country to be bol d in advoc ating for girl s’ educ ation.

W earing a bright orange scarf to cover her head in accorda nce with M usl im tradi tion, the P aki stani activist was wel comed to the seat of C anada ’ s de mocracy

by P rime M inister J ustin Trude au.

A t age 1 9, Y ousafz ai is the younge st pe rson to spe ak to C anadi an members of pa rl iament and senators in a j oint session.

S he is al so the younge st to receive honorary C anadi an citiz enship - - a pr ivil ege previously granted to five others including N el son M ande l a, the D al ai L ama and M ya nmar’ s A ung S an S uu K yi . “ D ear C anad a, I ’ m ask ing y ou to l ead once again, ” she said , to a stand ing ovation.

S he urged C anada to use its turn as pr eside nt of the G roup of S even ( G 7) indus trialized nations in 2018 to press for the educ ation of girl s and r efugees.

“We should not ask children who flee their homes to al so give up their dr eams,” she said.

Y ousafz ai said Trude au al so must ask other worl d l ead ers to do more for edu cation. “ I f C anada l eads , I know the worl d wil l fol l ow, s he said.

Y ousafz ai had fought for ye ars for the right of girl s to educ ation in her strictl y M usl im home region in P aki stan.

S he l eap t to gl obal fame after a Tal iban gunman shot her in the head on a school bus in O ctober 201 2 for de fendi ng her

N

right to attend school .

S ince a successful ope ration fol l owing the attack, she has l ived in the B ritish city of B irmingham, where she continues to advoc ate for women’ s rights.

D uring a brief ceremony , Y ousafz ai was given the Canadian flag from atop the P eace Tower at the entrance of pa rl iament, and a copy of her 2013 book “ I A m M al al a” was add ed to the pa rl iamentary l ibrary .

P raise for Trude au S he thanke d her hosts and expr essed exc itement in pa rticul ar about meeting Trude au, whom she pr aised for spe aki ng out on behal f of women’ s rights, gende r equa l ity , and refugees “ dur ing a time where the worl d i s hope l ess.” “ I wanted to say that Trude au is an amaz ing pe rson and an inspi ration,” she said, l ater noting in her spe ech that “ he doe s yoga , he has tattoos... E veryone was tel l ing me ( to) shake the pr ime minister’ s hand and, l ike , l et us know how he l ooks in real ity .”

I n introduc ing Y ousafz ai to l awmake rs, Trude au p raised he r for her advo cacy . “ Y ours is a story of an ordi nary girl doi ng ext raordi nary things, an everyda y hero... a fearl ess advoc ate for girl s who wants nothing more than to see more ki ds in cl assrooms,” he said. “ A nd on top of that, you’ re impos sibl y humbl e. W e C anadi ans are al l about that.”

Trude au said his pa st expe rience as a teacher taught him “ that going to school is more than j ust l earning about how to read a nd w rite. “ E duc ation has the pow er to change the world,” he said. “It can end poverty, fight

cl imate change, pr event wars. B ut in orde r to achieve pr ogress, we al l have to make sure that al l chil dr en, girl s as wel l as boys , ge t to go to school .”

P ostpone d honor Y ousafz ai had been invited to C anada by the pr evious C onservative government in 2014 - - when she was awarde d the N obel P eace P riz e - - to receive C anadi an citiz enship in Toronto.

B ut the ceremony was pos tpone d due to the shooting of a ceremonial guard and an attack on pa rl iament the same da y .

Y ousafz ai de cried the viol ence, sayi ng: “ The man who attacke d P arl iament H il l cal l ed himsel f a M usl im. B ut he di d not share my faith. H e di d not share the faith of 1.5 bil l ion M usl ims l iving in pe ace around t he worl d.”

I n her spe ech, she chal l enged C anadi an youth to step up and make a difference. “ I wanted to tel l the chil dr en of C anada that when I was l ittl e, I used to wait to be an adul t to l ead. B ut I have l earned that even a chil d’ s voice can be heard across the worl d,” she said.

S he adde d she was humbl ed and honored to be given honorary citiz enship, “ though I stil l requi re a visa” to enter the country , she qui pe d.

The honor is mostl y sym bol ic, coming with no obligations or benefits.

E arl ier W edne sda y , Y ousafz ai j oined the pr ime minister’ s wife S ophi e G regoireTrude au for a tal k with stude nts at a l ocal high school . “ The message I am spr eadi ng around the worl d to our l eade rs, to our po l iticians, ( is) that they must pr ioritiz e educ ation for each and every chil d around the worl d,” she said.

Pakistan refuses to budge on Jadhav coordi nate and organise espi onage and sab- di scuss the I ndi an spy issue. “ I t was not on

The top civil ian and mil itary l eade rship has de cide d not to bow dow n to any pr essure over the de ath sentence awarde d to I nd ian spy Kulbushan Jadhav. Chief of Army Staff G eneral Q amar J aved B aj wa on W edn esda y cal l ed on P rime M inister N awaz S harif at the PM House and took him into confide nce on the convicted R esearch and A nal y sis W ing ( R A W ) spy’ s trial and subseque nt sentencing by a F iel d G eneral C ourt M artial ( F G C M ) . B oth the l eade rs agreed that no compr omise can be made on country’ s security and stabil ity and that el ements threatening P aki stan’ s territorial integrity wil l be dealt with an iron fist. Kulbushan Jadhav was arrested on M arch 3, 2016, through a counter- intel l igence ope ration in B al ochistan’ s M ashke l area over his invol vement in espi onage and sabotage activities against P aki stan, I S P R had said in a statement on M onda y .

P aki stan had turned dow n I ndi a’ s reque st seeki ng consul ar access to J adha v l ast ye ar due to his invol vement in ‘ subversive activities’ in the country . J adha v was tried by the F G C M unde r S ection 59 of the P A A and Section 3 of the official Secret Act of 1923.

H e confessed before a magistrate and the court that he was taske d by R A W to p l an,

otage activities seeki ng to de stabil ise and wage war against P aki stan through impe d ing the efforts of law enforcement agencies for the restoration of pe ace in B al ochistan and K arachi, t he I S P R had s aid.

The army chief al so briefed the pr ime minister on current security situation in the country , accordi ng to a statement by the P M H ouse. The C O A S appr ised the P M about pr ogress in the ongoing ope ration R aadul F asaad i n the country .

The pr ime minister expr essed satisfaction over the gains made in the ope ration and ap pr eciated the rol e of armed forces for their matchless sacrifices towards the national goal of achieving pe ace in the country , the statement said. M inister of S tate for I nformation and B roadc asting M arya m A urangz eb al so said on W edne sda y that P aki stan wil l not tol erate threats from any country on matters rel ated to its national security . “ N o l aws have been viol ated in award ing the sentence,” she said, addi ng, “ D etail s of J adha v’ s invol vement have al ready been shared with different countries and it has been pr oved beyond doubt that he is an I ndian spy.” The minister, however, clarified that W edne sda y’ s cabinet meeting di dn’ t

cabinet’ s agenda nor was it di scussed dur ing the meeting,” she said . S itting al ongside M arya m, M inister of S tate for C api tal A dm inistration and D evel opm ent D ivision ( C A D D ) D r Tariq F az al C haudh ry said that the state di d not take revenge or fol l owed any di scrimination in the trial . “ I ndi a and international community must unde rstand that the de ath sentence was accordi ng to P aki stani l aws,” he said. “ W e di d not change any l aw and neither are we victimising anyone ,” he said, addi ng that action was take n after evide nce was col l ected and everyt hing was done in accorda nce with the exi sting l aws of the l and. A da y earl ier, D efence M inister K hawaj a A sif tol d U pe r H ouse of P arl iament that K ul bhushan Y ad av woul d get no concessions as due pr ocess of l aw was fol l owed w hil e sentencing him to de ath.

H itting out at N ew D el hi, the minister had said, “ They used the term p remedi tated murde r. A l l I want to say is it was pr emedi tated murde r in G uj arat. I t was pr emed itated murde r when S amj hota E xpr ess was attacke d. I t is pr emedi tated ki l l ings of K ashmiri yout hs in the H el d K ashmir, which continues unabated.”

F ol l owing the announcement of de ath sen-

tence on M onda y , I ndi a summoned P aki stan’ s H igh C ommissioner to N ew D el hi A bdul B asit and hande d over a de marche sayi ng, “ I f this sentence against an I ndi an citiz en, awarde d without observing basic norms of l aw and j ustice, is carried out, the government and pe opl e of I ndi a wil l regard it as a case of pr emedi tated m urde r.”

Jadhav has now 40 days to file an appeal against the F G C M in the army’ s court of appe al . I n case the court uphol ds F G C M verdi ct, J adha v woul d have the oppor tunity to seek mercy from the army chief and the pr eside nt of P aki stan, Source: Daily times Pakistan

F ormer J ammu and K ashmir chief minister and N ational C onference chief F arooq A bdul l ah on Tuesda y cal l ed on I ndi a to ‘ wake up’ , and warned N ew D el hi that: “ Y ou are l osing K ashmir.”

I n a stinging interview with I ndi aToda y , A bdul l ah, who is contesting by- pol l s in S rinagar, urged I ndi a and P aki stan to hol d tal ks to beat the threat of terrorism. “ W hether you l ike it or not, y ou have to tal k to P aki stan. I f yo u want to beat the threat of the terrorists, then you better start tal ki ng now,” he said, appa rentl y addr essing the I ndi an government. “ Y ou better wake up, and start thinki ng on not a mil itary sol ution, but a pol itical way ,” he said, cautioning the government against the use of force in I ndi a- hel d K ashmir. “ A nd come dow n from yo ur high horses... I am seeing a very bad situ-

“ The yout h is on boil , which I have not seen before,” he said.

A bdul l ah, who served as the chief minister of I ndi a- hel d J ammu and K ashmir from 1982 to 1984, also held Pakistan partially respons ibl e for the situation in K ashmir. “ The situation is qu ite bad, and don’ t tel l me P aki stan is not a pa rty to this pr obl em,” he adde d.

The N ational C onference chief urged al l stake hol de rs to “ start mendi ng our fences and start control l ing the pr esent pr obl em.” “ L et’ s tal k to the yout h, H urriya t, other l eade rs, and come to a sol ution,” he reasoned.

I n the l atest surge of viol ence in I ndi a- hel d K ashmir, at l east six pe opl e were ki l l ed and more than two doz en inj ured on A pr il 9, when pol ice cl ashed with pr otesters

hel d K ashmir region. S uspe cted sepa ratist factions in K ashmir had cal l ed for a boy cott of the vote, resul ting in heightened security and l ow voter turnout when the pol l ing began.

The former minister’ s words fol l ow a da y after P aki stan hande d the de ath sentence to I ndi an spy K ul bhushan J adha v, and an I ndi an campa ign to ‘ di pl omatical l y isol ate’ P aki stan by terming it a ‘ spons or of terrorism’ in the backdr op. B oth countries have l ocke d horns over the K ashmir issue since H iz bul M uj ahid een commande r B urhan W ani was ki l l ed by government forces in J ul y 2016.

V iol ent pr otests raged in hel d K ashmir after W ani’ s murde r, and I ndi an forces steppe d up a crackdow n against pr otesters to que l l the di ssent, al so impos ing a curfew

in the region for months.The freque ncy of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control has al so risen since the second hal f of 2016. Exchanges of fire across the border have been repor ted spor adi cal l y since the new ye ar began.

S ource : The Dawn

‘You are losing Kashmir,’ former Jammu and Kashmir CM warns India ation,” he said. dur ing a by- el ection in S rinagar in I ndi a-

23 A

Rajab 17. 1438 April 14, 2017

MIRAC S PL O E RS TPSE C I A L

Malik’s hundred carries Pakistan to series victory

command ing p erformance to secure a vice- l ik e grip on eighth p l ace d oesn’ t sound l ik e an esp ecial l y formid abl e achievement, but it was a much-needed boost off the back of a troubl ing few months for P ak istan crick et. A 1 1 3 - run p artnership between veterans S hoaib M al ik - who reached his ninth O D I century with the six to seal victory - and M ohammad H afeez enabl ed P ak istan to canter to a six - wick et win and cl inch the three- match series 2 - 1 . P ak istan’s chase of 234 got off to an eventful start, with a first-ball wicket, a nasty coll ision between A hmed S hehz ad and B abar A z am, a d rop p ed catch at mid - on and a bril l iant grab by wick etk eep er S hai H op e al l crammed into a lively first six overs. Babar ed ged S hannon G abriel into his stump s l ess than three overs l ater, and the up shot from a frenetic op ening P owerp l ay was P ak istan had l ost three wick ets for 4 5 and , for the ump teenth time, were l ook ing wobbl y . The one p ositive P ak istan coul d gl ean from the situation was that H afeez and M al ik were at the crease together, and with 4 3 0 O D I s between them, they rep resented vast ex p erience, if nothing el se. I t showed , too, with the p air ensuring they mad e survival their main p riority for the nex t hour or so amid some testing sp in bowl ing by D evend ra B ishoo and A shl ey N urse, and they sl owl y began to turn the game in P ak istan’ s favour. B y the time H afeez hol ed out to d eep sq uare l eg, the visitors need ed l ess than 1 0 0 to win. S k ip p er S arfraz A hmed then j oined

Malik at the crease, the pair picking off the p oor d el iveries with consummate ease in a strol l toward s their target. Toward s the end , M al ik was p l ay ing with such ease that he gave himsel f the chance of a century , which he comp l eted in sty l e with a straight six off Jason Holder. It might not always have been smooth sail ing, but in the end , it was unq uestionabl y cl inical . W est I nd ies wil l rue a fail ure to tak e p rop er ad vantage of the review sy stem for the second game running. W hen H afeez was on 3 9 , N urse, arguabl y the most consistent p erformer for his sid e al l series, sp un one sharp l y back into him, the bal l strik ing the top of his front p ad . H awk - E y e showed it woul d have been given out on review, but H ol d er d ecid ed against going to the third ump ire. I t was one among a series of errors W est I nd ies committed in the field - dropped catches playing a starring rol e once again - and by the time Hafeez was finally dismissed, the telling bl ows had l ong since been struck . W est I nd ies had managed to scrap to 2 3 3 d esp ite being sq ueez ed for runs d uring much of the first half of their innings. Having slipped to 68 for 3 with a run rate well under four, H op e and J ason M ohammed combined for a 101-run partnership - the first three-figure p artnership for W est I nd ies this y ear - to set their team on course for what was at l east a comp etitive total . The heart of W est I nd ies’ innings was stifled by a sustained spell of p ressure from P ak istan’ s sp inners, a sp el l that, in hind sight p roved d ecisive. I mad

W asim was the p ick of the bowl ers, bol stering his cred ential s as a genuine O D I al l round er fol l owing on from his imp ressive batting p erformance in the p revious match.

H e was the maj or reason for W est I nd ies’ sl uggishness d uring the mid d l e overs, consistentl y bowl ing on a good l ine and getting the bal l to sp in away from the right- hand ers. H afeez p rovid ed him abl e sup p ort, and their combined bowling figures of 17-1-451 ap tl y tol d the story of the mid d l e overs.

B ut even when their run rate sl ip p ed to as l ow as 3 .3 4 runs p er over, W est I nd ies had one metric in their favour: seven wick ets in hand . I nch by inch, M ohammed and H op e began to cl imb their way back into the contest, M ohammed l aunching H asan A l i for six es in consecutive overs and setting his team up for the final push. However, just as

the hosts l ook ed l ik e they were ey eing 2 5 0 , M ohammad A mir and J unaid K han took over from S had ab K han, who had an ind ifferent d ay with the bal l - d esp ite p ick ing up the wick ets of H op e and J onathan C arter conced ing 5 7 runs in his eight overs. The q ual ity of P ak istan’ s q uick s shone through with a sp l end id bowl ing p erformance d uring the d eath overs, the two l eft- armers regul arl y l and ing y ork ers with surgical p recision that the batsmen struggl ed to get underneath. Only 29 runs came off the last five overs as the momentum West Indies had threatened to buil d up was p unctured severel y . R uns in short sup p l y was a famil iar theme for the hosts al l evening, cul minating in a resul t they - and their fans - have become al l too famil iar with of l ate.

Source: Cricinfo

Canada, U.S., Mexico want quick answer on 2026 World Cup bid orth A merican bid to host the 2 0 2 6 annual meeting on the eve of the op ening the technical bid req uirements, the bid d ing p resid ent D ecio d e M aria said

The N W orl d C up has ask ed F I F A for a d ecision in June 2018, two years ahead of schedule. In a l etter seen by The A ssociated P ress, the soccer fed erations from the U nited S tates, C anad a and M ex ico ask ed F I F A to consid er their req uest nex t month in B ahrain at its annual congress. The bid , l aunched in N ew Y ork on M ond ay , is l ik el y the onl y real istic op tion for F I F A ’ s 2 1 1 member fed erations who are sched ul ed to choose the 2 0 2 6 host in M ay 2 0 2 0 . That timetabl e coul d be fast- track ed on M ay 1 1 in M anama. The ad d ed agend a item, written in the l etter d ated M arch 1 1 , ask s F I F A members to mak e a “ p rincip l e d ecision” for the 2 0 2 6 tournament to be “ j ointl y and coop erativel y organiz ed ” in N orth A merica. I f ap p roved , F I F A coul d then ask the bid to show the Z urich- based ad ministration it meets al l technical and op erational d emand s by a M arch 3 1 d ead l ine. That would allow time to prepare a confirmation of the 2 0 2 6 hosts at the nex t congress in M oscow. The R ussian cap ital hosts the

match of the 2018 World Cup. FIFA bidd ing rul es have mad e the N orth A merican bid a strong favorite to win because E urop e and A sia cannot p resent a cand id ate. Those continents are bl ock ed because they wil l have staged the p revious two ed itions in R ussia and Q atar. S outh A merica and A frica can rival the U .S .- l ed bid , though B raz il hosted in 2 0 1 4 and S outh A frica in 2 0 1 0 .

I t was 1 6 y ears earl ier that the W orl d C up l ast came to the C O N C A C A F region, when the U nited S tates hosted a 1 9 9 4 ed ition that set record s for total attend ance and average p er game. A rgentina and U ruguay — the original W orl d C up host in 1 9 3 0 — are focused on a centenary tournament in 2 0 3 0 , however. A l though M orocco has been speculated as a potential bidder for a fifth time, A frica is seen as l ack ing facil ities even for a co- hosting bid for an ex p and ed 48-team World Cup. The 16 extra teams from 2 0 2 6 wil l ad d to d emand for stad iums, training camp s, hotel s and transp ort. “ S houl d the coop erative bid ... not satisfy

p rocess wil l be re- op ened to al l M ember A ssociations und er the cond itions set out by the F I F A C ouncil , ” the N orth A merican officials wrote in their letter. The U.S.l ed bid ex p ects 6 0 games to be p l ay ed in that country , with 1 0 in C anad a and 1 0 in Mexico. Although FIFA has final say on the match sched ul e, the bid al so p rop oses p l ay ing al l k nock out games from the q uarterfinals and later in the United States. The final week of the tournament should coincid e with the 2 5 0 th anniversary of the D ecl aration of I nd ep end ence on J ul y 4 , 2 0 2 6 . “ A W orl d C up in N orth A merica, with 6 0 games in the U nited S tates, woul d be by far the most successful W orl d C up in the history of F I F A in terms of economics, ” said S unil G ul ati, the U .S . S occer F ed eration p resid ent and a member of the F I F A C ouncil. Mexico will push to kick off the 32-day tournament at the A z teca S tad ium in M ex ico City, which hosted the final in 1970 and 1986. “If we could get the opening match, it woul d be historic, ” M ex ico fed eration

M ond ay , ack nowl ed ging that some think his country shoul d stage more games. “ This is a good sol ution.” The N orth A merican p rop osal is one of five topics that FIFA members will d iscuss in B ahrain, accord ing to the agend a p ubl ished Tuesd ay . A l so, the P al estinian fed eration wants F I F A to act against I srael for al l owing cl ubs from W est B ank settl ements to p l ay in its national l eague, and I raq is ask ing F I F A to l ift a ban on p l ay ing games in the country for security reasons. All Iraq’s “home” games in 2018 W orl d C up q ual ify ing have been p l ay ed in neutral I ran or M al ay sia. F I F A members wil l al so be ask ed to consid er the “ el ection or d ismissal ” l ead ers of its j ud icial bod ies, incl ud ing the ethics committee. The A sian confed eration has l ed criticism of the ethics p anel s for barring a Q atari cand id ate from sched ul ed el ections for F I F A C ouncil seats in S ep tember.

Source: CBC News

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