The Asian Star October 7 2017

Vol 16 - Issue 36

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Tel:604-591-5423

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Vol 16 - Issue 36

BC referendum on proportional representation Delivering on a promise to give British Columbians a choice in how future elections will be decided, Attorney General David Eby has announced plans for a referendum on proportional representation. “Today we have taken the first step toward asking British Columbians if they want a change from the current voting system,” said Eby. “We are taking steps to modernize our democracy today, while giving people the power to decide the future of our most fundamental democratic institution.”

NDP bill calls for referendum on electoral reform by the end of Nov. 2018. 50% threshold to pass. Under proportional representation, voters elect representatives in proportion to the way they voted, not the current, first-past-thepost system where the candidate with the most votes wins.

Continued on page 6

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Tel:604-591-5423

Jagmeet Singh on path to the prime minister’s office New NDP leader Jagmeet Singh has his sights firmly set on the next federal election, and his path to the prime minister’s office runs through, well, everywhere.

The Ontario MPP took the helm of the federal party after a first-ballot victory in the long-running leadership race last weekend. Although Singh hasn’t conclusively ruled out running in a byelection for a seat in the House of Commons—he’s said he’s open to advice on the matter—he has repeatedly suggested he plans to use the months before

the 2019 contest to meet voters across the country.

The NDP currently has 44 MPs in the Commons, so the party will have to add a significant number to stand a chance of forming government at the federal level for the first time. Singh sees promise all across the country, particularly in the big cities. “We’re definitely going to pick up seats in Atlantic Canada again,” he said in an interview with Maclean’s this week. He also

Continued on page 7

Ottawa to examine possible changes to asylum system after Edmonton attack Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada is examining its asylum system and will consider whether changes need to be made in light of the terrorist attack in Edmonton allegedly committed by a Somali refugee who had been ordered

deported from the United States.

“We are looking into exactly what happened in this situation, but it’s certain that we have asylum processes that needed to be followed rule by rule,”

Continued on page 6

Surrey Police Officer of the Year The Surrey Board of Trade’s 21st Annual Surrey Police Officer of the Year Awards was held on Thursday, October 5 at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel. The presenting sponsors were the BC Lottery Corporation and Commissionaires BC. “The relationship between business and Police Officer of the Year Winner, Sergeant Winston Shorey the RCMP is important because we are both working towards a healthy and safe community for our residents and businesses,” says Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman. “The Surrey Board of Trade Continued on page 11

Why no terror charges against man who stabbed police?

An illegal immigrant from Somalia stabs a police officer repeatedly in downtown Edmonton last weekend . He then flees in his car, with an ISIS flag by his side. He later takes the wheel of a sturdy U Abdulahi Hasan haul truck and Sharif speeds down a busy road, deliberately slamming into pedestrians in an attempt to kill and injure. By a stroke of pure luck, only four pedestrians Continued on page 4

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EDITORIAL From page 1

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Why no terror charges against man who stabbed police?

injured. One would think that he would be charged with terrorism offences. But no! Not in politically correct Canada. He has been charged with driving offences and offences related to injuring people and causing grievous harm to innocent people. But no charges related to terrorism.

And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale are unable to explain why?

Ungrateful Abdulahi Sharif fled his home in Somalia for safety and freedom of North America in 2010-2011.

Customs and Border Protection in the U.S. revealed Sharif arrived, on foot, at a port of entry along the California-Mexico border, without any documents or legal status to enter the United States in 2011. He was ordered deported from USA, however, and slipped across the birder into Canada illegally and was welcomed here with open arms and granted

asylum and government assistance. Even though Canada and USA have a “safe third country” agreement under which a person

seeking refuge in North America is asked to apply for asylum in the country that he or she first arrived in, Canadian government allowed Sharif asylum here instead of sending him back to USA.

The government of Canada won’t disclose exactly why Sharif was ordered deported

by U.S. immigration officials, citing privacy laws (these privacy laws are designed to protect government incompetence from becoming known publicly).. And what private information about a terrorist trying to kill Canadians is the government trying to protect?

“According to U.S. authorities, he was not detained for criminal activity,” a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said . “Only individuals who are inadmissible, including for serious criminality, would be ineligible to make an asylum claim.” Being detained for immigration purposes in the United States would have no bearing on Sharif ’s ability to make an asylum claim in Canada, the spokesman said. Shortly after Sharif made his first court appearance as the sole suspect in two vehicle attacks, U.S. officials confirmed an immigration judge had ordered Sharif in 2011 be “removed to Somalia.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said they transferred Sharif into custody at a San Diego detention centre on July 15, 2011 after customs officers brought him there. Two months later, a judge ordered him returned to Somalia. ICE said Sharif waived his right to appeal. However, on Nov. 23, Sharif was released from custody “due to a lack of likelihood of his removal in the reasonably foreseeable future,” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

Sharif missed an appointment two months later, in January 2012, with the U.S. department overseeing deportations, and any efforts to locate him were unsuccessful - probability because they did not bother to look North in Canada.

The federal government should explain to Canadians what it is doing to protect Canadians from terrorists like Sharif - and why he is not facing any terror charges.

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

BC referendum on proportional representation

Legislation introduced on Wednesday will have voters submit their referendum ballot by mail. The ballots will be sent out in fall 2018, for a vote completed before the end of November. Approval for a change will need 50 per cent plus one vote province-wide and if the referendum passes, the new system would be enacted before the next provincial election, scheduled for 2021. In the meantime Eby says the government hopes to engage voters with debate and discussion about the potential change to how they elect MLAs. “All British Columbians will be encouraged to engage in this process,” said a release from Eby’s office.

All feedback received through the engagement process will be summarized and put in a report that will include a recommendation of suggested questions for

the referendum ballot. During the election campaign, the NDP promised to hold a referendum, saying the current system, “gives all of the power to make decisions to a party that doesn’t even get 50 per cent of the votes.”

The Greens campaigned on a promise to introduce a system of proportional representation. Party Leader Andrew Weaver said the exact form of electoral change would be a matter of negotiation. On Wednesday, the province also introduced legislation to amend the Constitution Act to reduce the number of seats required for recognized political party status from four to two. The legislation will also change the fixed date election to a Saturday in October from a Tuesday in May. Eby says the change will allow for a January budget to be debated and passed.

In 2005, 57 per cent of people voted in favour of a single-transferable vote system of proportional representation, which fell short of the 60 per cent threshold established by then-premier Gordon Campbell.

Four years later, voters were asked to vote on electoral reform but the provincial government actively campaigned against the proposal. The initiative received only 39 per cent support. There are several formats of proportional representation voting.

They include elections where voters rank candidates (single-transferable vote) or where a vote is cast for an individual and a second Eby says regardless of the referendum vote is cast for a party (Mixed-member results, any election called before July 1, 2021 proportional). would be conducted using the current firstpast-the-post system.

Ottawa to examine possible changes to asylum system From page 1 whole system and we’ll reflect on whether we need to do things differently in the future than the way they were done in 2012, but the priority is always making sure we’re defending the values and rights of Canadians while keeping our communities safe.”

Abdullahi Hasan Sharif, 30, crossed in to the United States on foot from Mexico in 2011 before he was ordered deported and travelled to Canada to claim asylum. He was investigated for alleged extremist beliefs in 2015, although no further action was taken. He stands accused of five counts of attempted murder in a series of incidents that involved driving into pedestrians and stabbing a police officer.

Mr. Sharif arrived in the United States via the San Ysidro, Calif., port of entry near Tijuana, Mexico, on July 12, 2011, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency. He was carrying no documents and had no legal status to enter the United States, the agency said on Wednesday, and was immediately taken into custody. The threat of potential terrorists crossing into the United States on foot has long been a preoccupation in the politicized battle over the U.S.-Mexico border.

A U.S. immigration judge ordered that Mr. Sharif be deported to Somalia in September, 2011, and within months he was released and evaded U.S. authorities. He arrived at a Canadian border point in 2012 and had his refugee claim confirmed later that year.

It’s not clear whether Mr. Sharif ever made a claim for asylum in the United States. An administrator at the federal immigration court in San Diego said she could not release that information, as did a spokeswoman for Immigration, Customs and Enforcement.

If he did make a claim, it was heard quickly. Mr. Sharif was processed in a matter of two months, which is in stark contrast to current estimates from the Southern California immigration courts, which are only now hearing asylum claims made four years ago.

Even if an applicant made an unsuccessful claim in the United States, he could still have his

Continued on next page

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Jagmeet Singh on his path to the prime minister’s office From page 1 pointed to the NDP’s long history in the Prairie provinces, and hopes to win back seats in Quebec, specifically in Montreal. There has been considerable conjecture as to the party’s ability to garner support in Quebec with Singh as leader; it’s where he’s headed next, to Montreal as well as to campaign in the upcoming Lac-Saint-Jean by-election.

While the party’s history gives him hope of success in some areas, in others he is drawing on his own personal connections. “Lots of endorsements in B.C. [in the leadership race],” he says, pointing to the time he’s spent in downtown Vancouver as well as suburban areas.

The ring of ridings around Toronto has been an increasingly important electoral battleground in recent contests, with the current Liberal and previous Conservative majority both relying on sweeps of the region.

Singh is targeting it, and the city core, as well.

“Toronto is where I have incredibly strong roots,” he says. “That’s going to be an area of growth for us for sure.”

Singh was similarly optimistic about the Peel region in the 2015 election, campaigning for the federal party there and telling the National Post that the communities who had previously voted Conservative “are going to move away from the party.” They did—just to the Liberals, with the NDP not managing even a second place finish in any of the 10 ridings in Brampton and Mississauga. As to why that happened, “I [want] to say something cheeky like, ‘I wasn’t leader yet,‘ ” Singh jokes.

His real answer is that the NDP’s campaign failed to connect with voters. “More than anything, people respond to a message, a campaign, that evokes emotion [and] really speaks to the hearts of people,” he

Ottawa to examine possible changes to asylum system From page 6 case heard in Canada. There is an exception to the Safe Third Country Agreement to allow people who have a family member in Canada to have their claim heard. And the definition of “family” under the agreement is broader than the one normally used in the immigration process, according to Raj Sharma, an Alberta immigration lawyer. It can include grandparents, and even uncles and aunts, he said.

In some cases, Mr. Sharma said, claims made in Canada are more likely to succeed because Canada not only protects those who meet the refugee definition under the United Nations convention, but also those considered “persons in need of protection.”

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Public documents on Stephen Harper’s 2012 India trip have vanished Documents about the expenses for former prime minister Stephen Harper’s 2012 trip to India, approved for public release this year by the RCMP, have disappeared, and the Mounties believe they have “purged” the papers. The Mounties claim they were following policy from Library and Archives Canada for disposing records. However, when asked for comment, the RCMP wouldn’t explain why the records were “purged.” The 219 pages dealt with the cost of flying Harper’s armoured limousines to India, and were approved for release under an access-to-information request earlier this year. The name of whoever made that request is confidential under federal law. Under access laws, once a document is released to the first person who requests it, it becomes freely available to everyone. But a month-and-ahalf later, the RCMP sent the following email: “Based on the information provided, a search for records was conducted in Ottawa, Ontario.

“Unfortunately, we were unable to locate records which respond to your request. Please be advised that it is our responsibility to abide by governmental policies, including the disposition schedules established by Library and Archives Canada. It is likely that any RCMP record that may have existed has been purged.” The RCMP directed any further questions to their own access office, which hasn’t yet responded. This doesn’t mean that all RCMP documents on the topic are gone, but the ones approved for public release are no longer available. There’s more.

All access documents released this year by the RCMP have disappeared from the government’s Open Government website, which lists completed access-to-information requests so that the public can find them. RCMP released more than 300 sets of access documents in 2014, and more than 800 in 2015, but all the 2016 documents are gone. When the website was checked as recently as late May, a long list of

RCMP documents existed on the site.

However, Library and Archives says it does not tell the RCMP or anyone else to destroy any documents, and has no policy on destroying them. The department gives authorization to destroy documents once they “no longer have operational utility,” it said in an email, but this “does not constitute a requirement to destroy, nor does it provide direction regarding the timing of records destruction.” It said the timing of records disposal is left up to individual departments. “It does matter,” said Bill Waiser, a veteran University of Saskatchewan historian who has used access to information to get research material. “If you are going to have an accountable government, then transparency is part of that. So why are these records being deleted from the website? “It’s very curious, especially when this government promised a more open and more transparent government as part of their election promise. “You never know today what is going to be historically important tomorrow. If you look at Indian residential school students or Japanese evacuees (during the Second World War), if you decided decades ago that those records were not important and were destroyed, where would be today?” he said.

Internal documents “tell the true history of the dynamics of the government of Canada, not the official version they would like us to have,” said Ottawa researcher Ken Rubin. He has done many thousands of access requests over several decades and said he has never heard of records being purged. The request about Harper’s limousines “may not have historic value but it has value. It’s not some trivial kind of fact,” and could be useful “the next time somebody wants to ship some special stuff for the PM.” The Canadian Taxpayers Federation says purging public documents deprives the public of information on government.

Canada’s largest grower ‘comfortable’ with federal government’s pot tax plan The federal government’s plan for a 10 per cent “sin tax” on legalized recreational marijuana sales sounds good to the head of Canada’s largest, publicly-traded marijuana producer. “This is sort of at the mid-to-low point on the models we ran. It’s a comfortable number. It works,” said Bruce Linton, founder and CEO of Canopy Growth Corp. He notes that it’s lower than the excise tax on other “optional or luxury products,” such as alcohol.

The federal government laid out its pot taxation plan on Tuesday during a meeting with the premiers. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed an excise tax of $1 per gram of cannabis for pot sales up to $10, with a floor of 10 per cent of the total price for pot selling over $10, once the drug is legalized in July 2018. That tax would be in addition to the federal and provincial sales taxes. So while the total amount of taxes paid will vary from

one province or territory to another, it could mean a combined tax rate of roughly 25 per cent in several provinces. All while the legal product tries to compete with black market producers who won’t pay any tax at all.

“We are able to sell our product now at about $7.50 a gram and we charge GST or HST on top of that even though it’s a medicine. To think it could retail for $10 and have the taxes embedded … that’s not a big stretch. And that’s at or below the average black market price.” Premiers resist federal proposals for excise tax on legal cannabis He believes legal producers will have an added advantage because they will be able to grow in larger quantities, while illegal producers have to contend with potential arrest. On top of that, he argues Canadians will prefer a regulated and legal source of cannabis over the uncertainty of an illegal product.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Mayor Robertson makes move to give locals first crack at condo pre-sales Mayor Gregor Robertson will this motion aims to give local residents the first opportunity introduce a motion at the next meeting of city council (Oct. 17) to purchase a new home,” said that he hopes will stop real estate Robertson. “In Vancouver’s red-hot housing market, local developers from offering out-ofprovince buyers first-crack at condo employers are crunched to pre-sale opportunities in Vancouver. retain talent, whether they’re doctors, tech workers, retailers, In a statement released on Friday, Robertson says the proposed policy, firefighters, teachers or nurses.

I regularly hear stories about which he intends to put in place by the end of the year, will prioritize people who work in Vancouver, sales of new homes in multi-family but are forced to move elsewhere in the region because they can’t developments to local residents find a place to live. At a time as part of the city’s new 10-year when we are seeing record levels housing strategy. The city defines of housing construction, local local residents as people who live and Vancouver Mayor residents should be able to get the work in Metro Vancouver and whose Robertson first shot at purchasing a home permanent address and place of work in new developments.” Vancouver developer is in the region, regardless of citizenship.

“My priority as mayor is to deliver new hikes fee for re-assigning a pre-sale condo in housing supply that is first and foremost for effort to dampen speculation Vancouver condo people who live and work in Vancouver, and developer cancels Langara West on Cambie

Another contender into BC Liberal leadership race, Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone expected to join British Columbia’s Liberal leadership race is expected to expand to eight candidates, with former transportation minister Todd Stone poised to enter the contest. The KamloopsSouth Thompson member of the legislature has scheduled three campaign-style events Tuesday stopping in Surrey, Victoria and finishing the day with an event at Thompson Rivers University in his hometown of Kamloops.

An email from former Liberal cabinet minister Peter Fassbender says B.C. needs a fresh vision to keep the province on track and Stone will make a special announcement about the Liberals party’s future.

Stone released a YouTube video in September

saying he was considering whether to run, then added that if he were to be leader, the B.C. Liberal Party would not accept the taxpayer subsidies that are being proposed by the minority New Democrats. Former Surrey mayor Dianne Watts announced her intentions for the party’s top job last month, along with 38-year-old Terrace businesswoman Lucy Sager and five current provincial Liberal politicians, Sam Sullivan, Mike Bernier, Andrew Wilkinson, Mike de Jong and Michael Lee. The first of six candidate debates is set for Oct. 15 in Surrey, with party members electing a new leader to replace former premier Christy Clark in early February.

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

BUDGET 2018 CONSULTATION SELECT STANDING COMMITTEE ON FINANCE AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES Chair: ( #," )% # ! #++#(' Deputy Chair: ' +",(' ',# ,('

What are your priorities for the 2018 provincial budget?

The all-party Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services is holding public consultations on the 2018 provincial budget.

You are invited to participate in a variety of ways: 1 * + ', , )- %# " *#'!

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The consultation will close at 5:00 pm on Monday, October 16, 2017.

For more information, please visit www.leg.bc.ca/cmt/finance or contact:

Parliamentary Committees Office Room 224 Parliament Buildings Victoria BC V8V 1X4 Clerk Assistant: Susan Sourial

T 250-356-2933 Toll Free in BC 1-877-428-8337 FinanceCommittee@leg.bc.ca

Canadians think NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s religion could hurt his chances of winning an election: poll A huge majority of Canadians think it’s a good thing the country now has a major political party led by a visible minority, but they also think being a practising Sikh will hurt new NDP leader Jagmeet Singh’s chances in an election, according to a new Angus Reid poll.

Singh is the first visible minority to lead a major federal party and, although 70 per cent of Canadians think the milestone is good for the country, they’re not so sure how their friends and family will react.

Half of respondents to the poll said “some or most� of their family and friends wouldn’t vote for a party led by an observant Sikh man.

Seventy-seven per cent of Canadians agreed with the statement that “ultimately, a politician’s religious or cultural identity shouldn’t matter — only their policies should.�

The most resistance comes from Quebec.

Forty-seven per cent of Quebecers say they wouldn’t vote for an observant Sikh man.

That number peaks at 33 per cent in the rest of Canada.

In September, Quebec MP Pierre Nantel told a Radio-Canada reporter that Singh’s leadership bid doesn’t align with what Quebecers want to see in their political leaders, and that “ostentatious religious symbols� are “not compatible with power, with authority.� NDP MPs hastily distanced

themselves from Nantel’s comments, but they were followed up by similar comments

by Martine Ouellet, the leader of the federal Bloc QuĂŠbĂŠcois.

In a press release accompanying the poll, Angus Reid noted that in previous polls 37 per cent of Canadians said they wouldn’t vote for a party led by a Sikh or a man who wears a religious head-covering. With this new poll, Angus Reid says “it seems that Canadians have softened somewhat� on these issues.

Another hurdle for Singh to clear is simply getting Canadians to know who he is.

Only nine per cent of Canadians have a lot of familiarity with him, while nearly 70 per cent have either never heard of him or only vaguely recognize his name.

Singh can take solace in the fact that his profile is higher than Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s was after he won that party’s leadership. In May, 44 per cent of respondents said they’d never heard of Scheer, compared to 33 per cent for Singh.

In September, Singh rose to global prominence after being praised for his response to a woman who interrupted one of his campaign rallies, accusing him of ties to Sharia law and the Muslim Brotherhood.

A video of the confrontation has drawn more than 35 million views.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Insurance licensor suspends 21 Surrey agents over alleged cheating on exams BC’s licensing body for insurance agents suspects 21 Surrey life insurance agents colluded to cheat on their licensing exams.

“It’s unusual. Period,” said Insurance Council of British Columbia executive director Gerald Matier, who added the findings are so alarming, the council is in the process of suspending all 21 agents pending further hearings. Matier said an audit of exams written within the last year or so found an “odd” distribution of multiple-choice exams with near-identical right and wrong answers written between October 2016 and June 2017.

Then, it came to light those exams were all written by agents affiliated with one Surrey branch of World Financial Group, according to the council. Matier declined to say which branch. “So many people coming from the same location having pretty well the exact same answers — particularly on the ones that were wrong — that’s what kind of makes it look very unusual,” Matier said.

“We’ve never encountered it before....

We’ve caught the odd person cheating, but we’ve never found it at this level where there appears to be collusion involving more than one person.” Matier believes the cheating was a coordinated but low-tech effort.

The council suspects one person took the exam first, committed the answers to memory and then gave the sequence to the other alleged

cheaters, who copied them directly. That, he says, explains why the same right and wrong answers kept coming up. There are four versions of the licensing exams, Matier said, which means one or more people must have memorized all four answer sequences and passed them on. He says a test-taker could deduce which version they had by the first question on an exam, or, more simply, by the fact that the version is actually noted on the exam package. In a few cases, Matier said testtakers used the wrong answer sequences on some sections of their exams and then failed those sections. The allegations of cheating leave Matier with a question: Why put so much effort into cheating when you can just study? \“We don’t think the exam is too onerous,” he said. “We’re comfortable in believing that if you put in four weeks of studying in the courses that are available online ... you should be in a good position to write our exams. “I think anyone who’s cheated obviously brings into question their competency — certainly brings into question their trustworthiness and their ability to act in good faith.” The accused agents are entitled to hearings to prove they did not cheat. If they can’t, they will lose their licences. Matier said the council will decide if each individual agent will get an opportunity to rewrite the exams or instead be permanently banned from selling insurance.

Couple claims largest lottery prize in Alberta history Buying chicken feed at the corner store ticket at the same time they bought the big landed Brett McCoy and Robin Walker winner. “I won $100, and I was pretty excited,” the biggest jackpot in Alberta history — a he said. “I remember thinking that I never win anything.” The identity of the winning couple whopping $60-million Lotto Max jackpot. was kept secret until The couple was together they were introduced when they bought the at an official cheque winning ticket from presentation in St. McLeod Trading Post in Albert on Wednesday. the hamlet of Peers, 35 The rumours in their kilometres northeast of small town had been Edson. “I ran into the store swirling.

As you’d to buy chicken feed and expect, the couple are some treats for my kids,” feeling overwhelmed Walker said in a statement.

“I grabbed all our lottery Brett McCoy and Robin Walker of Peers, Alberta by their good fortune. won the largest lottery jackpot in Alberta history.

“It still doesn’t seem tickets out of the glove compartment. “A whole bunch of numbers real,” Walker said. “I was pretty excited came up on the screen when I scanned the when I thought it was $60,000,” McCoy said. ticket. I thought, ‘That can’t be right.’ So, I “That would have taken care of a big chunk scanned the ticket again. “That’s when I’m of our mortgage.” The two met when they like, ‘Oh, my gosh. So I holler out the door. I’m both worked in the oilfield, where McCoy like, ‘Brett, get in here. You got to see this. We still hasn’t quit his job as a pipeline worker. won $60,000.’ “And so the clerk looks at me, Walker runs a hobby farm and is a stay-at‘Robin, you have to count the zeros.’ “ The home mom to her four children, aged four Lotto Max jackpot was from the Sept. 22 draw. to 16.

McCoy had cashed another winning lottery

Edmonton attack suspect had ‘genocidal beliefs,’ says former co-worker who reported him to police A former co-worker of the Somali refugee CBC News has identified as the man arrested in a weekend attack in Edmonton says Abdulahi Hasan Sharif was an ISIS sympathizer years before Saturday’s violent events, and that he had reported him to police. Terrorism charges are pending against the suspect, who is in custody.

Police haven’t released Sharif ’s name, but multiple sources have identified him to CBC. Sharif ’s former co-worker, who didn’t want to be identified out of concern for his safety, said: “He would rant. “It was very incoherent. He would just bounce from idea to idea, tangent to tangent, just about what he believed in and he definitely had genocidal beliefs, you could say. “He had major issues with polytheists. He said they need to die. That sort of thing. I only had a handful of conversations with him about it; those only occurred when there were just

two of us in the work room.” ‘We will not be divided’: Hundreds show support for victims of suspected terrorist attack Terrorism charges pending in Edmonton attacks Edmonton police investigate ‘acts of terrorism’ after officer stabbed, pedestrians run down Around 8:15 p.m. local time Saturday near Commonwealth Stadium, an Edmonton officer was struck by a Chevrolet Malibu while working crowd control for a CFL game. Const. Mike Chernyk, standing behind a barricade when he was hit, was sent flying into the air. A man got out of the Malibu and attacked Chernyk with a knife before fleeing on foot. More than three hours later, a white U-Haul van was pulled over at a checkstop on the city’s north side. A police officer recognized the driver’s name as similar to the name of the registered owner of the car that had struck the officer earlier.

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Vancouver council candidates square off in housing and homelessness forum A byelection debate in Vancouver on Thursday evening ended not with sparks flying, but with cordiality. “I think what’s exciting is we’ve talked about innovative ideas,” said NPA candidate Hector Bremner, one of five candidates on stage at St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church, as the night wrapped up.

Bremner, Vision Vancouver candidate Diego Cardona, Green candidate Pete Fry, OneCity candidate Judy Graves and Jean Swanson — an independent endorsed by COPE — discussed housing and homelessness for two hours in front of a crowd of about 100 people.

Sensible Vancouver candidate Mary Jean “Watermelon” Dunsdon, along with independents Gary Lee, Damian Murphy and Joshua Wasilenkoff, did not attend the forum.

The byelection was prompted after former Vision councillor Geoff Meggs resigned to become Premier John Horgan’s chief of staff.

Candidates were generally in agreement on issues of homelessness, and generally in agreement on the need for more help from

provincial and federal government. But there were still substantive disagreements between the five, particularly on Bremner’s proposal for large-scale rezoning of neighbourhoods, and on Swanson’s proposals to push for a rent freeze and a surtax on properties valued over $5 million. “It’s a crisis, everyone knows it’s a crisis, and we need a source of revenue to deal with it. And a mansion tax would provide that, and wouldn’t hurt people very much,” said Swanson, who credited her campaign with shaping discussion of the byelection. Fry, who has focused on a number of smaller policies and the effectiveness of a second Green Party member on Vancouver council rather than any one particular idea, was skeptical of Swanson’s approach. “My big thing is focusing on what we can actually do as a city,” he said. “Big bold ideas that are not fulfillable really breed political cynicism. It’s like an empty promise.

I’m far more interested in things we can do right here, right now.”

Man killed in head-on crash in Delta

One person is dead after a head-on collision in Delta on Thursday.

The crash happened between an SUV and a waste disposal Truck at about 12:10PM in the east-bound lanes of Nordel Way overpass at Highway 91, according to a police news release.

The driver of the SUV was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators have released very few details about the crash,

but police were advising local residents and commuters to avoid the area during afternoon

Khalsa Credit Union’s new logo Waheguru Ji Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

We are pleased to announce the results of Khalsa Credit Union’s rebranding exercise. Our members participated in choosing our new logo through online and in-Branch voting. This new logo, along with Branch upgrades, is an aspect of our rebranding, which continues to recognize the importance of Sikh values.

We value the input of our members and

respect their choice.

We thank the members that participated in this process. Khalsa Credit Union expects to continue to have input from our members for important issues like these. We commit to providing services tailored to our members’ needs.

Waheguru Ji Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Man acquitted in terror-related case to stay locked up during immigration review A man who was acquitted of terrorismrelated charges for posting online comments celebrating lone-wolf terrorists will remain locked up in British Columbia after the Immigration and Refugee Board ruled his release would endanger the public.

Adjudicator Trent Cook of the board’s immigration division said Thursday in an oral ruling that Othman Hamdan’s behaviour and online activity make it necessary to keep him incarcerated pending the outcome of an immigration review “While your posts may not be criminal, I cannot pretend that they do not exist. Nor can I ignore the impact that I think they are likely to have on those who read them and in turn on the Canadian public,” Cook told Hamdan. “In my view, anyone who actively promotes and calls on people to engage in terrorist activity is engaging in behaviour and conduct that puts

the Canadian public in danger, regardless of if that conduct meets the standard necessary to obtain a criminal conviction.” A date has not yet been set for Hamdan’s admissibility hearing to determine if he should remain in Canada. Hamdan, 35, is a Jordanian national of Palestinian descent who came to B.C. after living in the United States and was granted refugee status following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. BC Supreme Court judge found Hamdan not guilty in September of allegations of encouraging murder, assault, and instructing a person to carry out a terrorist activity, ruling that Hamdan’s comments might be offensive but they didn’t constitute inciting terrorism.

The allegations stemmed from 85 Facebook posts between September 2014 and July 2015, one of which reads, “Lone wolves, we salute you.”

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BC ‘very serious’ about closing loopholes in foreign buyers tax, minister says BC’s finance minister says she intends to address loopholes in the foreign buyers tax, but rent-to-own programs like the one offered by a North Vancouver developer are generally legal.

Carole James spoke to CBC News on Thursday, after it was revealed her ministry had found no legal issues with the Vancouver Rent-toOwn program from Apex Western Homes.

An ad from the developer promises to help foreign buyers “avoid” the 15 per cent tax.

“I can’t talk about about individual cases, but I can say that rent-to-own leases are legal. It is legal to have a rent-to-own lease.

It’s not legal to avoid taxes,” James said.

She added she was “very concerned” in general about programs that might allow homebuyers to dodge taxes.

“We’re very serious about ending tax loopholes and finding those tax loopholes,

and we’ll be investigating,” James said.

The Apex rent-to-own program allows buyers to offer a five per cent downpayment on a home and then enter into a lease agreement with the option to buy within five years. CEO Ray Vesely acknowledged earlier this week that it might have been a mistake to use the word “avoid” in a promotional video.

He said the program simply gives newcomers more time to obtain permanent residency or a work permit, making them exempt from the tax when they finally close on the purchase.

BC trafficking ring used dark web to sell fentanyl internationally Mounties in Kelowna say they’ve uncovered a sophisticated drug-trafficking ring that depended on the dark web and Bitcoin to sell fentanyl and carfentanil around the world.

Two residents of the Okanagan city — a 35-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman — have both been arrested after a year-long investigation into the operation, according to RCMP. “It has been indicated this may be one of the most significant and perhaps the most sophisticated fentanyl/carfentanil trafficking and exportation enterprises that has been uncovered in Canada to date,” RCMP Sgt. Alex Lynch said in a statement.

Kelowna RCMP worked with authorities from across Canada, the U.S. and Australia on the investigation, dubbed “Project E-Neophile.” The probe culminated with searches at a business in the 1500 block of Pandosy Street and a home in the 1100 block of Loseth Drive. “As many as 25 packages suspected of containing fentanyl

or carfentanil, destined for Canadian, American, European and Australian cities, were intercepted by authorities,” said RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey. Police also seized two guns, $68,000 US in the digital currency, Bitcoin, 120 grams of suspected fentanyl and carfentanil and more than three kilograms of unknown substances.

The investigation began in September 2016, focussing on two Kelowna residents suspected of importing fentanyl and carfentanil in bulk from overseas, according to RCMP. Police allege the suspects were using the dark web — sites that aren’t accessible by common search engines — to traffic in the deadly drugs, mailing packages to destinations across North America. The user profile connected to the suspects disappeared in November 2016, but a new profile popped up in July on a different dark web marketplace, allowing officers to obtain enough evidence for search warrants.

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BC experiments with ‘Lego block’ housing in fight against homelessness Stack them up.

Take them down. Move them around. Repeat.

What could easily pass as a description of the children’s toy Lego could also be a portrait of British Columbia’s latest tool in the fight against homelessness.

The province is turning to modular housing to help with a critical lack of short-term accommodation. Temporary modular housing involves the construction of small, self-contained living quarters, which can be shipped directly from a factory and quickly assembled.

Proponents applaud the technique not only for its cost savings, but also because it slashes delivery time from years to months.

“I liken it to being six months from idea to occupancy,” said Luke Harrison, CEO of the Vancouver Affordable Housing Agency.

Harrison’s organization has assembled 40 units, each about 23 square metres, in Vancouver as part of a pilot project.

Up to 600 more units are planned for the city with the help of $66 million from the provincial government.

Another 2,000 modular units are planned across B.C. over two years.

Permanent housing can take years to get approved and built, but prefabricated modules can quickly be moved to new locations and reassembled in new configurations depending on local needs. As a result, vacant sites waiting to be developed are suddenly candidates for temporary complexes that can house 50 or more people.

“It’s not a solution for everything, but it’s a great tool that we have in our arsenal now to deal with things like the homeless population that requires an urgent and critical response that just doesn’t come as easily through traditional forms of construction and development,” Harrison said.

Teacher shortage not a crisis, says public school employers’ association A representative for B.C.’s school employers says the province’s teacher shortage is not as dire as the B.C. Teachers’ Federation has claimed.

BCTF president Glen Hansman said that, one month into the school year, some students still don’t have a full-time teacher assigned to their classroom, and some specialist teachers are being redeployed to cover vacancies and absences.

He said there are more than 1,000 vacant contract and on-call teaching positions.

“We were resistant a month ago to use the term “crisis,” but there’s much more than a long way to go here,” Hansman said.

But Janet Stewart — the CEO of the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association, which represents the senior executives of B.C.’s 60 school districts — says the situation

is

not that bad.

“There are definitely challenges, and we wouldn’t want to underplay those challenges,” Stewart said. “However, we definitely would not be describing this situation as a crisis or chaotic.”

“By and large, what we’re hearing from districts [around the province] is that people have been able to manage quite well and have teachers in the classrooms.”

BC has been facing a teacher shortage for a number of reasons this year, chief of which is a Supreme Court of Canada decision on class size, requiring the province to hire enough teachers to match 2002 staffing levels.

The Ministry of Education says there are always vacancies at the start of the school year and that about 90 per cent of positions are occupied.

Nearly 2,000 distracted drivers in Vancouver get tickets in September Vancouver police issued 1,969 tickets to distracted drivers since Sept. 1, when the province launched its distracted driving campaign. The purpose of the campaign was to educate motorists and discourage the use of mobile devices while operating a 4,000-pound vehicle.

Police say the high number of tickets proves distracted driving is still a problem on Vancouver roads.

“If you know someone who just won’t give up their phone while

driving, maybe you can have some influence,” said VPD Sgt. Jason Robillard. “We have at least 1,969 reasons to remind our loved ones to pull over or leave the phone alone while driving.”

ICBC, which is studying the feasibility of offering discounts to drivers who disable their smartphones, says distracted driving accidents account for more than 27 per cent of all fatal car crashes in B.C., with an average of 78 deaths a year.

Whistler mayor does not want day trippers from Lower Mainland Whistler Mayor Nancy WilhelmMorden has a message for people visiting from the Lower Mainland: stay for more than a day, and take better care of the world-famous destination.

“We want to attract those people who enjoy and appreciate our community culture,” said Wilhelm-Morden.

“We don’t necessarily want people who are coming up for a day, packing a bag with their lunch in it, and not really appreciating the mountain culture that we have.”

The mayor’s message reflects a growing frustration by Whistler citizens who complain that some day visitors have marred the landscape, leaving litter and garbage. It’s sparked a debate about whether the resort town has become too popular.

“We have a significant machine that has to be fed, and if people are driving up to Whistler for the day ... that’s not going to sustain our economy, not by a long shot,” she said.

From ski resort to year-round destination Wilhelm-Morden’s comments came during an interview with CBC on the topic of whether Whistler is experiencing too much tourism as it changes its emphasis from a winter ski resort to a year-round destination.

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Mayor Hepner reiterates case for light rail in Surrey Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner is once again defending her city’s decision to build light rail instead of SkyTrain when rapid transit is expanded in the coming years. Hepner made the case for light rail during a speech at a Surrey Board of Trade luncheon, where she and TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond talked about the future of transit South of the Fraser. A 10-kilometre, 11-stop, light-rail line connecting Surrey’s SkyTrain stations to Newton and Guildford is part of the second phase of the Mayors’ 10-Year Vision for transportation in the region, with a 16-km, eight-stop extension to downtown Langley

five years after the first line is complete.

“Cities in Canada and around the globe have chosen light rail for its impact on city-shaping Kevin Desmond and peoplemoving,” Hepner told the business crowd. “In Surrey, we can’t do that with bus rapid transit … and we can’t do it with SkyTrain.” She

Two charged after police intercept cocaine shipped through Port of Vancouver Two Metro Vancouver residents will be back in court later this month on drug charges after police seized 132 kilograms of cocaine from a shipping container from Brazil.

Yan Chau (Andrew) Lam, 48, and Sok Wai (Gertrude) Cheong, 43, were arrested in February 2016 after a joint investigation between U.S. law enforcement agencies and the RCMP. The RCMP was first alerted to the illicit shipment 18 months ago after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in California discovered three roller suitcases inside a refrigerated container in transit to the Port of Vancouver. Photo of hockey bags filled with cocaine The U.S. agents found 110 packages containing more than 30 kilograms of cocaine inside the suitcases.

They notified their counterparts in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations which has an office in Vancouver.

The U.S. officers began collaborating closely with Canadian authorities to obtain further evidence about the circumstances surrounding the shipment and identify possible suspects. “We believe they were tailgating,” RCMP Supt. Cal Chrustie said.

“That’s when drug traffickers piggyback a

Langley boy hit by speeding car allegedly leaving scene of theft A 12-year-old Langley boy was sent to hospital after he was struck by a speeding car while riding his bike Tuesday evening.

Langley RCMP say the boy was struck by a Mazda Tribute at around 6 p.m. in the intersection of 204th Street and 40th Avenue.

aaaaaaa

The boy remains in hospital and is listed in critical condition. Police say the two men in the Mazda were fleeing the scene of a construction site where some toolswere stolen. According to an RCMP press release, a man in a Ford pickup truck chased after them and the two vehicles were reportedly speeding through the residential area – both disobeying traffic signs. Witnesses reported the Mazda blew through a stop sign and struck the young boy on the bike. The car was then rear-ended by the Ford pickup and the occupants of the Mazda took off on foot.

An off-duty police officer jogging in the area arrested one of the men.

Langley RCMP, with a police dog team, arrested the second man hiding in the yard of a home. Two men, aged 52 and 33, are in custody pending charges.

argued that with the growth that’s expected in Surrey over the next 25 or so years — at least 250,000 more people by 2041 — bus rapid transit won’t be able to handle the capacity, nor will the city’s roads be able to accommodate the cars.

Hepner said light rail has the capacity to shape the city in a way that SkyTrain can’t because of its flexibility in terms of where

it can go and the fact that it’s at street level.

She told the luncheon attendees that light rail could be extended to include areas such as Cloverdale, South Surrey and more of Langley in future. “The sheer geography of our city is a pretty significant argument in terms of covering us off with rapid transit as we grow into the largest populated city in the province,” Hepner said.

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Man charged in Edmonton attacks was ordered to deport from USA in 2011 The Somali refugee accused of stabbing an Edmonton police constable on the weekend and running down four pedestrians was ordered to be deported from the United States in 2011 by a U.S. immigration judge, CBC News has learned. In July 2011, U.S. Customs and Border Protection transferred Abdulahi Hasan Sharif into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, Calif., according to Jennifer D. Elzea, acting press secretary for the ICE office of public affairs. Two months later, on Sept. 22, 2011, an immigration judge ordered Sharif removed to Somalia. Sharif waived his right to appeal that decision. But Sharif was released on Nov. 23, 2011, on an ICE order of supervision, “due to a lack of likelihood of his removal in the reasonably foreseeable future,” Elzea said in a statement to media. Sharif failed to report to the ICE enforcement and removal operations centre on his scheduled date, Jan. 24, 2012. “Efforts by ERO San Diego to locate

him were not successful,” Elzea said. Sharif had Calgary immigration lawyer Michael Greene. no known criminal history at the time of his But Canada has made exceptions for minors or dealings with ICE, she said. Sharif crossed the people with family in Canada, Greene said.

“An asylum seeker or potential border into Canada in 2012, Public refugee claimant, even if they’ve been Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in the U.S., can still in some cases Monday in Ottawa. make a refugee claim here,” he said.

Goodale said Sharif arrived A spokesperson for the Office of the through a “regular port of entry” and obtained refugee status at the time.

Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada confirmed In 2012, immigration officials had no reason to red flag Sharif, Goodale in an email statement Tuesday that said. Events in Edmonton over the Sharif “entered Canada from the weekend in no way indicate that United States through a regular Port Abdulahi Hasan Canada’s screening process needs of Entry in 2012 and was found to be Sharif to be enhanced, or that the system a refugee later that year. “According failed, he said. It’s not known at to U.S. authorities, he was not present whether Sharif made an asylum claim detained for criminal activity,” the spokesperson while in the United States. added. “In general it is to be noted that only If he did make an asylum claim in the United individuals who are inadmissible, including States and that claim was rejected, normally for serious criminality, would be ineligible Sharif wouldn’t be able to make a claim in to make an asylum claim. Being detained for Canada under the Safe Third Country Rule, said immigration purposes in another country

would not prevent someone from being able to make an asylum claim in Canada.” Now facing 11 charges, including attempted murder, Sharif made a brief first appearance Tuesday in an Edmonton courtroom. Provincial court Judge Laura Stevens put the case over for six weeks to allow time for Sharif to get a lawyer and for the Crown to disclose whatever evidence it has.

Sharif, 30, is charged with five counts of attempted murder, four counts of criminal flight causing bodily harm, and one count each of dangerous driving and possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He remains in custody and his next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 14. Stevens said bail can be spoken to any time before then with a few days’ notice.

At his court appearance today, Sharif had bruises on his forehead and cheek that Edmonton police said resulted during two vehicle crashes on Saturday night. A Somali interpreter helped him during the proceedings.

Family of 4 hurt after vehicle rolls into ditch in Surrey A family of four from Bellingham was hurt in a crash in Surrey on Sunday afternoon, after their vehicle rolled into a ditch. Officers were called at 1:36 p.m. to the 4800 block of King George Boulevard, near Art Knapp. The family’s Honda CRV had rolled over into a ditch in the southbound

lane, after witnesses say the van was cut off by a motorcycle. “He was trying to cut people off, trying to get to where he was going,” witness Nina Houngbo said. “He cut us off, and then next thing you know he cut [the Honda] off, and that’s how they lost control of the car and ended up in the

ditch.” All four people were injured and taken to hospital. The driver, a 42-yearold woman, is in serious condition with life-threatening injuries. Surrey RCMP Cpl. Scotty Schumann said the woman was trapped inside the vehicle for 10 minutes before she was pulled out unconscious by paramedics and firemen. “She was revived at the scene ith CPR and was transported to hospital, where she remains today [Monday] and is still in critical condition,” Schumann said. A 15-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy were also in the Honda, along with a 49-year-old male. They escaped with minor injuries. Schumann could not

confirm how the four victims are related, but did confirm they all share the same last name. On Sunday, Sgt. David MacDonald said he did not know if the family was submerged in the water upside down while waiting for first responders, but the ditch is typically quite full and deep. MacDonald said it appeared the motorcycle forced the Honda “to take evasive action to prevent a collision, however it over-corrected.” The motorcyclist did not remain at the scene.

Schumann said an eyewitness noted the motorcycle’s licence plate, which police used to track down the registered owner.

Truckers face charges after allegedly trying to bring 11 people over border Two truck drivers from Quebec are facing multiple charges after allegedly trying to smuggle 11 people over the United States border into Canada. The Canada Border Services Agency says the truckers were stopped at the Ambassador Bridge crossing into Ontario while carrying a load of produce last month. The agency says the men aroused suspicion after failing to declare anything other than the produce shipment despite being away for a week.

It says agents searched the truck and found 11 foreign nationals from an unspecified country hidden in the sleeper area of the vehicle. The agency declined to provide details on their country of origin, only saying they were returned to the U.S. and were not charged with any offences. The two men, aged 42 and 50, are now facing 23 charges each under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. They include 11 counts of counselling, 11 counts of misrepresentation and withholding material facts, and one count of impeding an officer.

“CBSA officers are highly trained in interrogation, examination and investigative techniques,” said Rick Comerford, CBSA Regional Director General for southern Ontario. “This successful interception displays their ability to determine when a secondary examination is required and their commitment to ensuring that our borders are not used for illegal activity.”

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Former Liberal MP accuses party of ‘undemocratic’ — and illegal — nomination practices A former Liberal MP is accusing his party and current government members of being involved in illegal nomination practices in the run-up to the last federal election.

In a four-page letter sent to parliamentarians Wednesday, Paul Szabo alleges the Liberal Party condoned several breaches of Canadian election law leading to Sven Spengemann’s nomination as candidate in the Toronto-area riding of Mississauga-Lakeshore, including signing people up as members of the party without their knowledge, benefitting from corporate discounts and filing a false campaign return. The Liberal Party insists it ensures “integrity and fairness” in its process, however, and says the Commissioner of Canada Elections has investigated the

matter, which is now interview Wednesday. closed. Szabo believes “I’m pretty sure that Canada has a problem there are some people out with widespread, there who aren’t going to “undemocratic” be happy with me.” cherry-picking of candidates, though, In 2011, Szabo lost especially in sohis 17-year grip on called “safe” ridings, Mississauga South to those which a party a Conservative, Stella Former Liberal MP Paul Szabo believes it is certain Ambler. A few years to win. “Our political parties are often into the Conservative majority, he said aggressively involved in circumventing the it began to seem clear that in 2015 the rules,” he writes in the letter. “I’m a little Liberals would win back the seat, renamed bit apprehensive, because it’s stepping a Mississauga-Lakeshore.

In ridings a little bit outside the box. I’m focusing in party believes it will win, “the nomination on a particular case that I was very much meeting is more aggressive than the involved in,” Szabo told the Post in an

election campaign,” Szabo said, because whoever wins is expected to automatically vault into parliament.

Spengemann was interested in the seat and had contacted Szabo twice for help, Szabo told the Post. Ultimately, Szabo backed a different candidate, Julie Desjardins, and became her financial agent for the 2014 nomination race.

“By this time, (Spengemann) was dating (now-science minister) Kirsty Duncan, he was spending a lot of time with (nowinnovation minister) Navdeep Bains and with (now-parliamentary secretary for foreign affairs) Omar Alghabra and, as a matter of fact, he helped them run Justin (Trudeau)’s campaign in downtown Toronto.

Province OKs rent-to-own program that helps ‘avoid’ foreign buyers’ tax The B.C. finance ministry has reviewed a developer’s rent-to-own scheme that promises to help homebuyers “avoid paying the 15-per-cent foreign buyers’ tax” and found it doesn’t violate any law.

The Vancouver Rent to Own program from Apex Western Homes offers potential buyers a lease agreement on a home, with the option to buy within five years. That gives foreign buyers time to secure permanent residency or a work permit in Canada.

A video on the program’s website explains a bit further: “Did you know that you can buy a house in North Vancouver, one of the most desirable cities in the world, with only five per cent down? And if you’re a foreign buyer, you can avoid paying the 15 per cent foreign buyers’ tax?”

In an emailed statement Wednesday, the finance ministry said: “We have reviewed the structure of the rent-to-own model offered by this company.” A ministry spokesperson confirmed the government found no issues with the program.

However, the ministry added that rent-toown models in general cannot be used to avoid paying taxes, and stressed the government would crack down on schemes of this nature.

“The word ‘avoid’ sounds like tax avoidance to me,” Bell told CBC News, referring to the wording used by Apex.

“If the purpose of that structure is to avoid the tax, why would that not fall within the definition of tax avoidance?”

‘It’s actually a delay’ “I’m starting to suspect the word ‘avoid’ is a bad word,” Vesely said.

Instead, he said he’s trying to help newcomers get a foothold in the real estate market before prices shoot up even further.

“It’s actually a delay. It gives an opportunity for somebody to come here, live in the house that they’re purchasing, then in five years they get their permanent residency and when they close... they don’t have to pay the 15 per cent,” he said.

The price of the home is locked in at the beginning of the agreement, and a portion of the monthly rent goes toward the principal. If, after five years, the buyer still hasn’t obtained the necessary status in Canada, the foreign buyers’ tax will still apply.

According to the Vancouver Rent to Own website, the foreign buyers’ tax will still apply if the buyer hasn’t secured the proper status in Canada after five years.

Vesely first started thinking about the idea last year, when the B.C. government announced the additional 15-per-cent property transfer tax, initially levelled on buyers who weren’t permanent residents or citizens.

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BC begins to set rules for electoral reform referendum A promised referendum on changing B.C.’s electoral system will be conducted by mailin ballot next fall rather than being linked to the 2018 municipal elections. Attorney General David Eby introduced legislation Wednesday to authorize the vote, to be held “before the end of November 2018.”

The bill allows for more than one question.

If multiple types of electoral systems are proposed, voters could rank their choices in a preferential ballot instead of selecting just one option. The voting system that receives more than 50 per cent plus one of the votes cast would be introduced for the 2021 provincial election, the government said.

The NDP had promised the referendum on electoral reform during the election.

The power-sharing deal with the BC Greens that allowed the NDP to topple the Liberals and form a minority government

in July, said: “A referendum on proportional representation will take place in the fall of 2018, concurrent with the next municipal election.” The municipal election is set for Oct. 20, 2018. Eby said the government hoped at first to save money by holding both votes at the same time, but it soon became clear it would still cost more than a mail-in ballot. “The challenge we ran into is there’s different voters’ list for municipal elections than the referendum,” he said. “It’s a different group of people which would require the hiring of additional staff.” Eby said Wednesday the government will hold public consultations to develop the questions to be used on the ballot and to decide whether there should be public funding to the parties arguing for or against a proposed system on the ballot.

Shorter residency requirement for would-be Canadians set to take effect Important changes to Canadian citizenship rules, including how long a newcomer has to be in the country to be eligible, will take effect next week, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced Wednesday.

Speaking in the highly diverse community of Brampton, Ont., just northwest of Toronto, Hussen said the changes undo barriers the former Conservative government put in place.

“Something happened in the last number of years whereby the previous government had deliberately put obstacles, real barriers, to citizenship for permanent residents,” Hussen said.

“Those barriers were unnecessary.

They prolonged people’s steps to join the Canadian family, they made it really hard.” Under the changes that take effect Oct. 11, which Hussen called long-awaited, would-be citizens will have to have been in Canada for three of the last five years before they apply.

“That is really important because it will mean that many permanent residents will be able to apply for citizenship earlier and it will mean their path to citizenship will be eased,” Hussen said. The government under former prime minister Stephen Harper had tightened the eligibility rules to require

permanent residents to have been physically present in Canada for four years out of the last six immediately before applying for citizenship Another rule, requiring applicants to be in Canada for 183 days each year, has been causing “real hardship” and is being scrapped under implementation of Bill C-6. Permanent residents will now be allowed to go abroad to study, work or for family reasons without losing access to citizenship eligibility.

Another key change also taking effect will be how time spent in Canada before foreigners become permanent residents is counted. Currently, the time people are in the country -studying, working, visiting, or as refugees -- does not count as being present for citizenship-eligibility purposes, even if they have been here for years. Hussen called that “unfortunate.” The new rules, he said, will allow such individuals to count half the time they have spent in Canada to a maximum of one year, meaning that once they become permanent residents, they would only need to be in the country for an additional two years to apply for citizenship.

‘Whale’ gamblers identified by BCLC also placed big bets on BC real estate Paul King Jin, the alleged suspect at the centre of a major RCMP probe into money laundering and underground banking, is connected through big B.C. real estate loans to “high-risk” VIP gamblers from China, a Postmedia investigation shows.

The RCMP’s investigation, dubbed E-Pirate, alleges that Jin and his associates used an illegal cash exchange business in Richmond to lend suspected drug dealer cash to high-roller gamblers who, with

troubling ease, used massive wads of small bills to buy chips in B.C. casinos. These ultra-wealthy Chinese ‘whale’ gamblers, who were recruited in Macau casinos, could pay back these loans in China, thus ending up with cash in Canada while avoiding China’s tight capitalexport controls. While the RCMP and B.C. government have focused on alleged money laundering using B.C. casinos and underground banks in Mainland

China and Richmond, investigators have not apparently traced whether these Chinese VIPs sometimes cashed in their chips for B.C. casino cheques in order to fund real estate investments and luxury homes in B.C. It would be odd if they didn’t, according to experts on the Macau gambling model. In Macau style junkets — which are designed specifically to get big money out of China — gambling is often a secondary consideration. “Once they’re done gambling, they can take their winnings in U.S. funds or Hong Kong dollars and invest it in property or offshore tax havens,” explains a Business Insider report, citing a legal study on Macau casino junkets. “In many cases, there will be no actual transfer of funds, but rather a simple balancing of accounts between credits in mainland China and debits in Macau.” BCLC documents, obtained by Postmedia through freedom of information requests, allege that 36 VIP gamblers, mostly from China, were linked to massive cash drops from Jin’s network.

Postmedia’s cross-referencing of B.C. civil court filings, land title documents and BCLC documents suggests that B.C. real estate was indeed a big bet for a number of these “high-risk” VIPs. In 2014, one high-roller was able to take $645,000 in small bills dropped off to him.

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NATIONAL

Saturday, October 7, 2017

NDP to defend Trans Mountain pipeline approval in the court The BC government will be in court next month defending its approval of the expansion of the Kinder Morgan oil pipeline – even though it will seek, in another courtroom, to force Ottawa to withdraw its consent for the project. Environment Minister George Heyman said in an interview on Tuesday his government will fight the Squamish Nation in B.C. Supreme Court over the provincial certificate of approval the BC Liberals granted.

It is an uncomfortable position for Mr. Heyman’s NDP government, but he said he has no legal avenue to avoid defending a decision made by the previous cabinet.

The $7.4-billion Trans Mountain expansion

project would triple the capacity of the Kinder Morgan pipeline that carries Alberta oil to the West Coast. It would increase the number of oil tankers travelling B.C. waters to overseas markets from a total of 15 in 2016 to an estimated 34 every month. The NDP government assumed power in July and consulted government lawyers about how to reverse the province’s approval. The new cabinet was advised it is stuck with defending the provincial decision in the judicial review that the Squamish Nation requested. The NDP government also has intervenor status in a case under way this week in which the Federal Court of Appeal is hearing 14 applications to overturn Ottawa’s

Russia vows reprisal as House passes Magnitsky bill targeting human-rights abusers The House of Commons passed a Canada-style Magnitsky bill Wednesday that will soon give Ottawa the power to sanction human-rights abusers around the world, prompting the Russian government to threaten tit-for-tat measures on Canadian officials when the legislation becomes law.

The House unanimously voted in favour of the bill Wednesday night, sending it to the Senate for final approval over the coming weeks. Although the legislation is named after Russian whistle-blower Sergei Magnitsky, who accused Russian officials of a massive tax-fraud regime before being beaten to death in a Moscow jail in 2009, it is meant to sanction human-rights abusers around the world. After months of threats in response to the legislation, Russia made its retaliation plan clear on Wednesday.

“We warn again that in case the pressure of the sanctions put on us increases … we will widen likewise the list of Canadian officials banned from entering Russia,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in an Interfax news agency report. To a large extent, [the bill] simply copies the odious American ‘Magnitsky Act’ and is set to further undermine Russian-Canadian relations.”

A number of Canadian officials, including Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, were banned from entering Russia in 2014 after Canada sanctioned members of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s circle over the annexation of Crimea. Canada will become the fourth country to pass Magnitsky-style sanctions when Bill S-226 becomes law.

Ottawa announces $800M settlement with Indigenous survivors of Sixties Scoop The Canadian government has reached an agreement in principle with survivors of the Sixties Scoop worth some $800 million, Crown-Indigenous Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett announced Friday morning, putting an end to years of fractious legal action. She said the move will “begin to right the wrongs” caused by forcibly removing Indigenous children from their birth families.

“They have lived their lives not being able to be proud Indigenous people,”

Bennett said of the then children who were adopted out of their home communities.

“They have lived their lives not having secure personal cultural identity. That was robbed away. Someone thought that a non-Indigenous family somewhere else in the world was going to do a better job.”

Indigenous survivors from as far away as Scotland, northern California, and many places in between, were on hand for the landmark announcement on Friday.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Canada adds 10,000 jobs in September Canada’s economy added 10,000 jobs last month, about what economists were expecting, as a surge in full-time work was offset by a loss of part-time positions.

Statistics Canada reported Friday that the jobless rate stayed at 6.2 per cent during the month, tying an almost nine-year low dating back to October 2008.

It was the tenth month in a row that the economy added jobs. That’s the longest streak of monthly job gains since 2009, the beginning of the financial crisis. The economy added 112,000 full-time jobs during the month, the data agency calculated in its monthly Labour Force Survey. But that surge came at the expense of an almost equally large loss of 102,000 part-time jobs.

Despite the relatively modest headline number, Bank of Montreal economist Doug Porter noted that the gain in full-time jobs is the second-largest increase on records dating

back 40 years. Hurricanes push U.S. monthly job number down for 1st time since 2010 “Make no mistake, this is a strong report despite the somewhat sub-par headline job gain,” he said.

He added that hourly wages rose at a 2.2 per cent annual pace during the month — the fastest pace since the spring of 2016. “A fulltime jobs bonanza and the ongoing rebound in wages were the obvious highlights.”

Much of the gains came in Ontario, which added 35,000 jobs. Every other province either added a small number of jobs or lost a few thousand, led by Alberta (7,800 jobs), while Quebec lost 7,600 and British Columbia lost 6,700. The job surge pushed Ontario’s jobless rate down to 5.6 per cent, its lowest since the height of the tech boom in 2000.

British Columbia’s jobless rate remained the lowest in the country, however, at 4.9 per cent.

Landing your first job in Canada

W

e’ve all felt the emotional highs and lows that come with job hunting.

If you are new to the city or country, those emotions of excitement and angst may intensify as you search for a job in an unfamiliar market.

“Deciding to leave the familiar and move to a new country is a major decision,” says Ivy Chiu, Senior Director, Cultural Markets, RBC. “Taking steps to build your network before you begin your job search will help set you up for success in today’s labour market.”

Consider these tips: Start your search before you arrive: Technology has made it easier to start your job search before you arrive in Canada. Check out popular sites (www.workopolis.com) to look for jobs in your industry.

Find Workshops: There are many associations that offer free career assistance for newcomers including services such as resume building, skillsbuilding and interview practice. Find one in your neighbourhood and take advantage of the services offered, and use it this opportunity to build your network as well. In Toronto, one of the popular associations is ACCES Employment (accesemployment.ca) which connects employers with qualified employees from diverse backgrounds.

Sign up for internships and volunteer opportunities: While earning an income is the first priority for many, as you navigate through the job market, seek out opportunities to gain experience, network and discover what career path you wish to pursue. You never know –it may lead to a promising career you hadn’t considered.

Cross check credentials: You may be coming with a set of skills from home that needs updating in Canada. Find out what updates you need to make prior to applying to jobs in your specific field.

Build language proficiency: If English or French is not your first language, build your proficiency by signing up for a language course. Remember that business acumen is different than just knowing the language. Seek out associations (http://bit.ly/2uMMrrM) that may offer the service for free or at a discount.

Searching for a job will likely always come with the same flurry of emotions. Taking the steps to be prepared and put your best foot forward will help as you navigate your way through the process.

For more newcomers advice, please visit rbc.com/newcomers

New Brunswick MP kicked off 2 committees for breaking Liberal ranks on tax changes Saint John-Rothesay Liberal MP Wayne Long has been kicked off two parliamentary committees for breaking party ranks over proposed small business tax changes. Long confirmed he was removed Thursday from the standing committee on human resources, skills, social development and the status of persons with disabilities, as well as the standing committee on access to information, privacy and ethics.

“I am deeply disappointed to be removed from my committees, but I respect and understand the party’s decision,” he said in an emailed statement to CBC News.

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done on HUMA and take pride especially in producing the National Report on Poverty Reduction.”

Liberal MP told he could face ‘consequences’ for breaking party ranks over tax changes Morneau says changes to tax proposals will be needed after weeks of outcry On Tuesday, Long supported a failed Conservative move that would have extended the consultation period on the federal government’s proposed changes

to the small business tax regime. He had a “difficult conversation” with Liberal whip Pablo Rodriquez. “I don’t know if there will be consequences,” Long told CBC News at the time. “But I have been told there may be consequences, and I’m certainly prepared and ready to accept any decision the party makes.”

Long had said he would be “disappointed” if he was kicked out of caucus, but he could not sit by as the government pushed ahead with changes his constituents overwhelmingly oppose. His riding has the largest concentration of small businesses in the country, he said, and many doctors who work at the Saint John Regional Hospital.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau has indicated he plans to make changes to the Liberals’ controversial tax change proposals announced in mid-July. “Changes are going to be required,” Morneau said Tuesday after facing questions in the Senate. “For those pieces of legislation that we’ve already drafted, we’ll take into account what people have told us to determine how we go forward from here.”

FINANCE

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Bangladesh scuttles boats, jails captains to curb Rohingya influx Bangladesh has destroyed at least 30 wooden fishing boats to deter local captains from smuggling Rohingya refugees and illegal drugs across the border from strifetorn Myanmar, officials said Thursday.

Border guards seized the vessels and arrested the captains after they were intercepted Tuesday evening bringing more than 700 Rohingya Muslims across the river from Myanmar’s westernmost Rakhine state.

The boatmen were also caught in possession of about 100,000 “yaba” pills, an illegal stimulant popular in Bangladesh, said a border guard official.

More than half a million Rohingya have fled ethnic bloodshed in Rakhine since late August, many by boat across the Naf River which divides Myanmar and Bangladesh.

“These brokers (boatmen) were smuggling people,” one border guard told AFP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media.

“We were asked to destroy the 30 boats.

These are hand-pulled vessels, not run by engines”, he added, saying non-motorised boats were used to avoid detection.

A government official confirmed 39 people, mostly Rohingya living in Bangladesh, were jailed for six months for “excessively charging” refugees for passage across the Naf. “The BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) has done an appropriate job,” Zahid Siddique, a local magistrate and government administrator, told AFP. Gangs of boat owners, crew and fishermen have been charging the fleeing Rohingya upwards of $250 for the two-hour journey

that normally costs no more than $5.

Bangladesh’s elite Rapid Action Battalion this week rescued 20 Rohingya being held hostage by local gangs demanding huge fares from the refugees.Some arriving in Shah Porir Dwip told AFP that boatmen

Rohingya refugees

had demanded they hand over gold, jewels and cash before taking them across.

The boatmen are accused of not just trafficking people but drugs from Myanmar, with border guards discovering 100,000 “yaba” pills inside the seized vessels.

The BGB officer said the drugsa blend of methamphetamine and caffeine popular among Bangladeshi youth- were concealed inside the boats.

A Muslim taking advantage of another Muslim’’s misery. Such hypocrites are filled in the Muslim community, they themselves do most of the wrongs, but never fail to blame the non Muslims for their min... Read MoreSiriusSam Sam

Pakistan’s ISI has clear links with terror, runs its own policy: USA US Joint Chiefs of the Senate hearing.

Staff chairman General Joseph Dunford said on Still, both Dunford Tuesday that Pakistan’s and Mattis said they’re willing to work with intelligence agency has links with terrorist Pakistan “one more groups, according time” before taking punitive measures to a Washington publication media. against the country.

US defense secretary Afghan mujahideen war lords of Soviet era James Mattis said that “We need to try Pakistan’s Inter-Services one more time to Intelligence even “ appears to run its own policy”. make this strategy work with them, by, “It is clear to me that the Inter-Services with and through the Pakistanis, and if Intelligence has connections with terrorist our best efforts fail, President (Donald) groups,” said Dunford, in his testimony at Trump is prepared to take whatever

No Indian troops in Afghanistan because of Pakistan, says USA that they’re vulnerable to any WASHINGTON: US Indian Army people from defence secretary Jim Mattis has said that India’s decision their western flank, that’s not necessary,” Mattis said. not to send its troops to The defence secretary Afghanistan was in view of Pakistan’s considerations insisted that an open border trade between India and as this would bring in new Pakistan would help in complexities in the region.

Mattis praised India’s bringing regional stability.

“If there’s any way for contributions to the war-torn Pakistan and India to open country before lawmakers US Defence Secretary, Jim Mattis at House Armed Services their border to trade at great economic advantage to both Committee, saying New of the countries, it would Delhi has adopted a holistic approach in its assistance towards Afghanistan. be a big help across the region,” he said.

Stability can follow economics as much “It is really a very holistic approach that India is taking. You’ll notice I left off (Indian) as stability enables economics, he added. He boots (soldiers) on the ground because of the hoped that they will eventually see that happen.

“I believe India wants that to happen, but complexity that would bring to Pakistan,” Mattis said in response to a question from it’s very hard to do that if your concern is Congressman Doug Lamborn during the that you open the border to one thing, and Congressional hearing on South Asia. you get something else,” Mattis said in an “We’re trying to make this an inclusive oblique reference to cross-border infiltration. strategy and we don’t want them to get a sense

Suu Kyi stripped of Oxford honour over Rohingya refugees criticism Suu Kyi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, An honour bestowed on Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi by the city of Oxford has close links to the city of Oxford, having has been withdrawn as a reaction to her lived in Park Town with her family and earlier attended perceived inadequate St Hugh’s response to the plight College from of Rohingya Muslims 1964 until 1967. in the country.

The ‘Freedom of The city Oxford’ had been council’s move granted to the de comes days facto leader of after her alma Myanmar in 1997 for Aung San Suu Kyi mater, St Hugh’s, her “long struggle removed her for democracy” by the Oxford City Council. portrait from the main college entrance.+ While the exact reasons for the A cross-party motion was unanimously passed by the council portrait’s removal were attributed to a new yesterday which said it was “no longer replacement, there is a wider view that appropriate” for her to hold the honour. the allegations of ethnic cleansing of the Oxford City Council leader Bob Rohingya Muslims fleeing their homes to Price supported the motion to remove Bangladesh is likely to be behind the move.

Nearly 500,000 people belonging to her honour and confirmed it was an “unprecedented step” for the local authority. Myanmar’s Rohingya minority+ have The city council will hold a been displaced after violence allegedly special meeting to confirm that the instigated by the country’s military, honour is removed on November 27. causing a major humanitarian crisis.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Shahkot trucker’s daughter makes it to NZ police It was a proud moment for a truck driver’s family at Bajwa Kalan village in Shahkot when his daughter Prabhdeep Kaur (19) made it to the New Zealand Police.

Lehmber Singh had moved to Auckland about 17 years ago when his youngest child, Prabhdeep, was just two. He toiled all these years to secure a better future for his three kids.

He is a satisfied man today.

“I was waiting for this day. After completing high school, Prabhdeep had Prabhdeep Kaur with her mother started her over a year-long Hardeep Kaur training in the police. But when her final selection came two days ago, has been very I was not with her,” said Lehmber, who is at his native village with his brother’s family.

“Since then, congratulatory messages are pouring in. Prabhdeep has been asked to join the force on November 9.

I am waiting to be with my family back there in these exciting moments,” he said.

Lehmber shared, “Since childhood, my daughter had been dreaming to join the police. I made her take up sports as physical strength is the biggest test for cops there.

She emerged as a fine hockey player. I would even keep my grocery store closed there to accompany her for her matches.”

Talking about the struggle in his life, Lehmber, who is a matriculate, said, “I

Four arrested after farmer’s suicide leads cops to extortionists About a month after a farmer ended his life by jumping before a train, the police today revealed that the victim was being blackmailed by a gang of extortionists. An investigation was carried out on the complaint of the deceased’s wife.

On September 11, Charanpal Singh (52) of Bhallur village had left his home for Kotkapura. On September 14, his body was found on a railway track near Talwandi Bhai in Ferozepur.

The police had shut the case terming it a routine suicide by a farmer. But the victim’s wife, Manjit Kaur, approached the police and demanded a probe.

The police then traced the call record of the deceased that led to the exposure of an extortion racket. They have identified three women and four men and registered a case under Sections 306, 506, 388, 201 and 120B IPC (abetment of suicide, extortion and causing disappearance of evidence) against them. Four among them, including two women, have been arrested.

The police claimed Parminder Kaur alias Amni, Sukhpreet Kaur alias Raman of Muktsar and Pooja of Kotkapura lured Charanpal Singh to Wara Daraka village and made a video of him in an objectionable position.

The women and their four associates — Randeep Singh and Lakhbir Singh of Wara Daraka, Gurpreet Singh of Maan Singh Wala and Sukhdev Singh of Bhallur village — demanded Rs 10 lakh from the farmer.

was driving truck in Shahkot and pursued the occupation when I moved to New Zealand. I used to ferry catering items to airports. Later, I set up a fruits and vegetables shop.

But since all my children are settled now, I chose to hang up boots and enjoy a long holiday at my village.”

While Prabhdeep could not be contacted, her brother Jagdeep, who runs an architecture firm in New Zealand, said: “A lot of incidents of violence against women take place here and Prabhdeep touchy about such cases.

PUNJAB

23

Akal Takht summons former CM Bhattal and Arjun Singh Badal Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Meanwhile, the Jathedar also summoned Singh condemned former CM Rajinder Kaur the president of Gurdwara Chhota Bhattal and Arjun Singh Badal (son of Finance Ghallughara in Qadian, Master Johar Singh, Minister Manpreet Badal) for not appearing before Takht to submit their apology for visiting the Sirsa dera ahead of the Assembly elections early this year.

The Jathedar said: “Both Bhattal and Arjun are directed to appear before Akal Takht as early as possible otherwise they will face stern action.”

Akal Takht had, on April 17, awarded ‘tankhah’ (religious punishment) to 39 Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh (second from right) at Akal political leaders after finding them Takht in Amritsar on Thursday. guilty of violating its May 2007 edict to boycott dera head Gurmeet Ram Rahim on October 13 to clarify his stance over Singh over his alleged impersonation of the controversy that was triggered after Guru Gobind Singh. Akali leader Janmeja the alleged involvement of a top gurdwara Singh Sekhon, Bhattal and Arjun had failed management official in a sex scandal. to turn up. Sekhon, however, appeared on May 6 and abided by the norms of “tankhah”.

24

PUNJAB

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Honeypreet misleading investigation: Haryana Police Haryana Police claimed that Honeypreet Insan, the closest aide of jailed Dera Sacha Sauda sect chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, is misleading police in the investigation into her role in violence in Panchkula and elsewhere after the August 25 conviction of Ram Rahim on two counts of rape.

Panchkula Police Commissioner A.S. Chawla told media persons here that Honeypreet was not fully cooperating with the police in investigation and was evasive in her replies.

“She is misleading the police,” Chawla said.

The officer said Honeypreet, who was on the run from law for 38 days after she was booked for sedition, stayed in Bathinda for a few days and also in Rajasthan and Delhi.

Chawla said efforts were on to nab other two top functionaries of the sect, Aditya Insan and Pawan Insan, who were also on the run since August 25.

Honeypreet a close of Gurmeet Ram Rahim for more than a decade “We will arrest the other people on the run as well,” he said. Honeypreet, whose real name is Priyanka Taneja, was on Wednesday sent to six-day police remand by a court in Panchkula. She was arrested from neighbouring Punjab.

Panchkula police escort Honeypreet to Bathinda A police team from Panchkula today brought Honeypreet, the adopted daughter of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, to the city for an investigation regarding her stay while in hiding.

Sukhdeep Kaur, who was also arrested along with Honeypreet, was part of the investigation as she is the owner of the house which the Haryana police visited and searched for more than an hour. The police team reached the house at Nayi Basti, Street 2, at 1.05 pm. They entered the house after breaking open the lock of the gate. They stayed there for around one-and-a-half hours.

Sources said the Haryana police seized some documents and made a video and clicked some pictures.

While no official of the Bathinda police accompanied them inside the house, they made security arrangement outside to maintain law and order. The team wrapped up its investigation at 2.50 pm and left the spot without talking to anyone. Sukhdeep is the wife of Iqbal Singh, a key member of the dera management. Iqbal Singh, a native of Balluana, had left the village a decade ago. The family still has a palatial house there, besides the one in Bathinda.

The local police were informed that the Haryana police would visit both houses. But they returned to Panchkula without going to Balluana, saying that they are done with this part of the investigation, it is learnt.

Gurdaspur BJP candidate Salaria accused of rape Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar on Friday said BJP candidate for the Gurdaspur bypoll, Swaran Salaria, should have come

clean on the rape case against him at the time of filing his nomination. Jakhar, the Congress nominee for the October 11 bypoll, said those involved in such crimes would have to answer the people of Punjab, whose cultural ethos were being endangered by these kind of political leaders. Speaking at a meeting earlier, Jakhar exhorted people to cast their votes judiciously, and not to elect such

“immoral people” to any institution.

The Punjab Congress had yesterday urged the Election Commission to cancel Salaria’s candidature alleging he had failed to inform the poll body about the rape case filed against him in Mumbai.

Salaria, however, today said the Congress was indulging in “character assassination” by alleging that he concealed information about the case.

Jakhar also said unemployment was one of the biggest issues being faced by Punjab. “Instead of providing the promised jobs to youths,

Akal Takht excommunicates Langah Akal Takht today excommunicated former Akali minister Sucha Singh Langah from the community for hurting Sikh sentiments after his arrest in a rape case. The decision was taken at a meeting of the five High Priests in the light of complaints to Akal Takht.

Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh pronounced the ‘hukumnama’ (edict) from the podium of the highest temporal seat of Sikhs. “Langah has brought disrepute to the Sikhs with such immoral, disgraceful and blasphemous acts.

Akal Takht has taken cognisance of the news reports and a number of complaints received against him from the Sikh Sangat after his video went viral and he was booked.

An expert panel’s suggestion was sought

and after deliberations, the five High Priests unanimously decided to excommunicate him,” he said.

He announced that though Langah had been discharged from all positions, be it with the SGPC or SAD, if he was still associated with any Sikh organisation, he should be immediately removed and no “ardas” should be performed in his name. PPCC general secretary Amarjit Singh Tikka had forwarded the video clip to the Jathedar, seeking strict action against the senior Akali leader. Various Sikh organisations had also called for strict action.

Langah, a baptised Sikh, was in the race to become the SGPC president when Kirpal Singh Badungar occupied the coveted seat.

Vigilance nabs ASI taking Rs 10,000 bribe The State Vigilance Bureau (VB), during its ongoing campaign against corruption today nabbed ASI Tarsem Chand red-handed while accepting a bribe of Rs 10,000.

Disclosing this here an official spokesman of the Vigilance Bureau said ASI Tarsem Chand posted at Police Post Ajit Singh Nagar, Police Station Sangrur City was nabbed red-handed based on a

complaint by Ram Parkash Singh of village Khanpur Fakiran, district Sangrur.

The Complainant has approached the VB and alleged that the accused ASI had already taken Rs 15,000 in two instalments to help him in a police case and was demanding Rs. 10,000 more.

After verifying this information, the Vigilance team laid a trap and the accused ASI was arrested on the spot taking a bribe of Rs. 3,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

INDIA

25

US oil export to India will increase jobs: Perry Yashwant Sinha dares BJP to take action against him Export of American crude oil to India will to the White House during which the leaders create jobs, economic stability and national committed to expanding and elevating bilateral security in both countries, US Energy energy cooperation through a Strategic Energy Secretary Rick Perry has said, days after the Partnership. “We expect this first shipment first-ever shipment of US crude oil landed of crude oil will be followed by many more as in Odisha. The shipment, loaded at Saint both the Indian Oil Corporation and Bharat James, Louisiana, and Freeport, Petroleum have placed orders for Texas, terminals last month, over 2 million barrels from the United States,” said Tom Vajda, docked at Paradip port in Office Director for the India Desk Odisha on October 2. “This event represents the growing in the South and Central Asia Bureau of the State Department. and important strategic energy US crude oil shipments to India partnership between the US and India, and I look forward have the potential to boost to exploring new opportunities bilateral trade by up to USD 2 billion. “Not only does this to expand the role of reliable, US Energy Secretary week’s shipment demonstrate the responsible, and efficient energy Rick Perry sources with our allies,” Perry strength of the US-India bilateral said on Thursday. Following PM Modi’s relationship, but also how our relationship visit to the US, Indian companies ramped up with India continues to benefit the American purchases of American crude. To encourage economy,” Vajda said. Buying US crude has US crude purchases, the government has become attractive for Indian refiners after the allowed refiners to use a foreign rather than differential between Brent (the benchmark an Indian-owned vessel for the purchase. crude or marker crude.

Indian refiners typically have to use domestic vessels for their crude imports. In a blog post on Thursday, the US State Department said increased Indian purchases of US crude oil are a direct outcome of the June visit of Modi

Doordarshan, Akashwani reduced to ‘His Modi Voice’, alleges Mayawati BSP chief Mayawati on Friday accused the Centre of ending the importance of Doordarshan and Akashwani and alleged that the public broadcaster has been virtually reduced to a “His Modi Voice”. Mayawati also alleged that independent writers, authors and journalists are being targeted by the government. “The BJP government in the Centre has made Doordarshan and Akashwani as ‘His Modi Voice’, and ended their importance. By indirect control on the private media channels, efforts are being made to end their independence. Apart from this, independent writers, authors and journalists are being targeted, which is known to all,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged in a statement.

Current UN structures were designed for bygone era: India Continuing to push for reform and expansion of the UN Security Council, India has said that the current structures of the United Nations were designed for a bygone era by a handful of nation states. Yedla Umasankar, First Secretary at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, told a UN General Assembly committee that effective multilateralism and international rule of law require that the global governance structures should reflect contemporary realities.

“For retaining legitimacy and effectiveness, fundamental reform of these structures, especially the Security Council is needed,” he said yesterday while participating in a debate on “rule of law at the national and international levels”.

India along with Brazil, Germany and Japan have been pushing for the expansion of the UN Security Council.

Under fire from BJP for his criticism the economy, Sinha said the renewed interest of the Modi government’s stewardship of in Mahabharata characters brought to the economy, senior leader mind “Duryodhan and Dushashan”.

Yashwant Sinha dared the party “Kauravas were 100 brothers but if to take action against him and I ask you to name a third brother, said he did not care. you cannot. So, out of 100, only two “That will be the best day of became infamous,” he said. Shalya my life, because I am not doing was the ruler of the kingdom of anything that calls for action,” Madra and brother of Madri, one Sinha said, adding that BJP was of the wives of King Pandu. He was Yashwant Sinha as much “my party as anybody expected to fight on the side of the else’s” for which “I have given Pandavas in Kurukshetra. However, he sweat and blood”. Sinha was answering a switched sides and became Karna’s charioteer. query about BJP initiating disciplinary action Sinha accused government leadership of against him, after he released a book titled trying to derail the debate on economy by Tidings of the Troubled Times’ by Congress “entangling” his critique in red herrings like leader Manish Tewari. “tiff between father and son” and his being Sinha said he was an “elder statesman” and denied the job of Brics Bank chairman. “But “beyond caring” — a barb to remind that the debate (on economy) has started. Had it he had been put in the BJP’s ‘margdarshak not, would somebody have given a one-andmandal’ after PM Narendra Modi assumed a-quarter hour long speech last evening,” he power. Getting back at the PM for his remark said, referring to Modi’s presentation on the that ‘Shalya’ were spreading pessimism on economy on Wednesday.

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INDIA

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Threshold for composition scheme raised to Rs 1 cr In a relief to small and medium enterprises, the Goods and Services Tax Council headed

by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday raised turnover threshold for businesses to avail themselves of the composition scheme — which allows them to pay 1-5 per cent tax without going through tedious formalities — to Rs 1 crore.

Addressing the press after the 22nd meeting of the council, the finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday said that the biggest problem was export rates of the Micro, Small and Medium enterprises on some goods and revenue collections, which he said was not representative because it was in the “transitional phase”. For exporters, credit is blocked, affecting liquidity, he said. He said that exporters would get cheques of refunds because setting up the online system will

take longer.

Refund cheques for July exports will be processed

by Oct 10 and refund cheques Former RBI governor Yaga for August Venugopal Reddy exports will be processed by October 18, Jaitley said.

He acknowledged that there was a heavy compliance burden on small companies although their taxes were low, and announced that tax compliance for MSME would be relaxed. The council raised the turnover threshold for businesses to avail themselves of the composition scheme to Rs 1 crore.

Rahul questions Modi why are Chinese troops widening existing roads at Doklam China is now upgrading and widening its existing motorable road in the Bhutanese territory of Doklam after Indian troops stopped People’s Liberation Army from extending it towards the Jampheri Ridge+ , which overlooks the strategically-vulnerable Siliguri Corridor or so-called “Chicken’s Neck” area, in mid-June. India has not yet objected to China’s fresh road-construction activity, which is around 10-km from the earlier troop face-off site+ , because it is not southwards towards the militarily-sensitive Jampheri Ridge area like before. “The PLA is now using the construction material and bulldozers it had brought to the face-off site at Doklam to improve the road it built in the region some years ago,” said a source. “China is reinforcing its claim on the Doklam territory (India backs Bhutan’s claim on it) by upgrading the road around 10-km north and east of the earlier face-off site. The

PLA has been controlling the road for some years and regularly sends patrols to the area,” he added. This comes a time when both India and China are maintaining stepped-up

Rahul Gandhi visits Chamunda Mata Temple near Rajkot in Gujarat. military force-levels near the Sikkim-BhutanTibet tri-junction despite the rival troops having disengaged from the actual face-off site at Doklam on August 28.

Sasikala granted five-day parole from prison

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Jailed AIADMK leader VK Sasikala was granted parole for five days by prison authorities in Karnataka to meet her husband, who underwent a liver and kidney transplant at a Chennai hospital. Sasikala had sought parole for 15 days, but she has been granted it for five days, jail authorities said. After her first application was rejected on “technical grounds” on October 3 for not producing certain requisite documents, Sasikala had filed a fresh plea for parole. She is expected to leave for Chennai in the afternoon. Rajya Sabha member from Tamil Nadu Navneet Krishnan has given an undertaking for Sasikala’s parole, her lawyer Krisnappana told reporters outside the jail premises. “Rs 1,000 surety also has been deposited,” he added.

Around 100 supporters of Sasikala gathered outside the jail premises. Krisnappana said Sasikala’s nephew TTV Dhinakaran had arrived at the jail and was completing the parole formalities. Tamil Nadu Police had earlier issued an NOC to the Karnataka government for granting parole to Sasikala, he said.

Sasikala’s husband, M Natarajan (74), underwent the liver and kidney transplant on October 3 with the organs harvested from a brain-dead youth, according to Gleneagles Global Health City hospital in Chennai.

Sasikala has been in Parapana Agrahara central jail here since February this year after the Supreme Court upheld her conviction by a special court in a disproportionate assets case.

Her relatives Ilavarasi and VN Sudhakaran are also serving four-year jail terms.

Woman raped and strangulated to death in Muzaffarnagar A 25-year-old woman was allegedly raped and strangulated to death at Biharigarh road in Bhopa area here, police said on Friday. The body of the woman was found in the fields by a farmer on Thursday evening, they said.

“Though the post-mortem report is still awaited, there are indications that the woman was first raped and then strangulated to death,” Station House Officer Vijay Singh said

Saturday, October 7, 2017

SUPERSTORE

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FIJI

By Umendra Singh

F

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Prime Minister Bainimarama feted in Surrey

ijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama was in Surrey this past week to drum up support for his Fiji First Party as the general election loomsnext year. As has become his trademark when visiting Canada, Prime Minister Bainimarama held two business dinners - one targeting the Muslim community and one for everyone else.

Last Tuesday evening, he attended a dinner organized by a Fiji Muslim Business organization. On Wednesday evening, just over a hundred people paid $40 each to attend a business dinner organized by the Fiji Canada Business Association at Crown Palace Banquet Hall in Surrey. Pictured above are some scenes from that dinner. The Prim Minister spoke highly of his government’s achievements at the

dinner attended largely by Fiji Indians now living in Metro Vancouver. As also has become his trademark, Bainimarama shied away from press and publicity as he said in his speech that his government had done wonders for Fiji and doubled the country’s GDP. Bainimarama’s newly appointed honorary consul general in Vancouver, Bobby Naicker, known for his Denny’s Restaurants links, did not do the Prime Minister any favours by keeping him away from the press and the general public.

But then Naicker has zero experience in politics and diplomacy and can’t be blamed for his inaptitude in affairs of the state. After all, he was not appointed because of his skill in diplomacy or politics.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, October 7, 2017

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Armed forces chief chairs a marathon meeting over security concerns Army chief General Bajwa reviewed the security challenges facing the country, including the situation along the Line of Control, with top commanders during a marathon meeting here, a media report said today. A special Corps Commanders Conference held yesterday continued for seven hours, according to security

officials, the Dawn reported.

But in a rare move, the army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) did not issue any official statement following the marathon special meeting of top military commanders, the report said. The meeting focused on the visit of General Bajwa to Kabul

At least 18 dead in suicide blast at Jhal Magsi shrine in Balochistan At least 18 people, including a police constable, were killed and 24 others injured on Thursday in a suspected suicide bombing at Dargah Fatehpur in the Jhal Magsi district of Balochistan, police officials said.

The attacker tried to enter the Dargah Fatehpur in the Jhal Magsi district of Balochistan and blew himself up when he was stopped by the police at the main entrance, Deputy Commissioner Asadullah Kakar told the media.

K a k a r confirmed the death toll and said one police constable was killed while attempting to stop the suicide bomber from entering the shrine.

Two other policemen were also injured in the blast. Rescue officials fear that the death toll could rise as the blast took place when there was a heavy rush of devotees who had gathered at the shrine to pay their

respect.

Devotees gather at the shrine of the revered Sufi saint every Thursday to participate in a dhamaal and prayers.

Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti told the media that so far it appeared to be a suicide attack.

where he met Afghan leadership in order to remove misunderstandings and restore trust, sources were quoted as saying by the report.

The situation at the Line of Control (LoC) and continuous unprovoked firing by Indian security forces was also discussed, it said. The conference denied to give a befitting response to

the firing by Indian troops targeting the civilian population, the report said. The situation in Kashmir was also discussed and the meeting agreed to continue the diplomatic and political support for the Kashmiris’ struggle for their right of self- determination, it said.

Pakistan is close to decision on Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mercy petition The Pakistan army on Thursday said it is close to a decision on the mercy petition of Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav+ who has been sentenced to death by a military court on charges of spying.

Jadhav, a 46-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was in April sentenced to death

by Pakistan’s Field General Court Martial on charges of his alleged “involvement in espionage and sabotage activities” against Pakistan.

“Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mercy petition has come to the army chief. There is

a process, everything goes through a process but I can assure that it is near finalisation and we will give you news about this very soon,” Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Army spokesman told a news briefing.

Jadhav in June had sought clemency from the Pakistan Army chief over the death sentence after his plea to an appellate court was rejected. Under the law, he is eligible to appeal for clemency to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and if rejected, subsequently to the Pakistan President.

Trump is ready for any step if Pakistan doesn’t mend its ways: US defence secretary

“Investigations are still continuing and the injured have been moved to the district headquarters hospital in Jhal Magsi,” Bugti said. Balochistan government spokesman Anwarul Haq Kakar confirmed that it was a suicide attack. Initial probe showed that the blast occurred when a sufi dance called dhamal was going in the premises of the

President Donald Trump is prepared to take “whatever steps necessary” against Pakistan if it does not “change its behaviour” and continues to support terror groups, defence secretary Jim Mattis has said. Mattis also warned Pakistan of global “diplomatic isolation” and losing its Non-NATO ally status if it failed to take action against safe havens to terrorists on its soil. “If our best efforts fail, President Trump is prepared to take whatever steps necessary,” Mattis told members of the powerful House Armed Services Committee during a Congressional

testimony on South Asia and Afghanistan on Wednesday. He was asked a series of questions by Congressmen who expressed their frustration on Pakistan not taking actions against terror groups. Without much elaboration, Mattis said the US has “enormously powerful number of options” if Pakistan does not follow through and be a better promoter of stability in the region.

“Right now, I would like to think we will be successful,” Mattis said. “With the growing consensus against terrorism, they’ll find themselves diplomatically isolated.”

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NRI

Saturday, October 7, 2017

US lawmaker lauds Indian-Americans for opening ‘homes, hearts and wallets’ A top American lawmaker has lauded the role of the Indian-American volunteers in the relief and reconstruction work during and post hurricane Harvey in the US state of Texas.

Republican Congressman Ted Poe, in a speech in the house of represnetatives, said stories of “Harvey Heroes” continue to bring people together and “make us grateful for the incredible people that we call neighbours”.

Poe, whose district includes northern parts of Houston in Texas, hailed IndianAmericans for opening their “homes, hearts, and wallets” to help Houston recover the catastrophic effect of the hurricane. There are many uplifting stories of those who grabbed their personal boats and set out in the waters to rescue individuals, many of whom they did not know, he said. Indian-Americans

have already raised over USD 1.6 million. 700 Indian-American volunteers have dedicated more than 24,000 hours to their city, and together they have distributed over 28,000 meals to the locals in need, Poe said. The Congressman also highlighted how a group of Indian- Americans, led by Houstonian Jiten Agrawal, made their way through the unparalleled flooding after the hurricane to reach a student apartment complex near the University of Houston, that had been flooded and was without power. These volunteer rescuers brought food and water to over 180 students and helped transport them back to their families and to safe locations. “We are grateful to these volunteers, some of the many ‘Harvey Heroes’, for helping Houstonians get through a very difficult time.

Hindu American group condemns killing of Hindus in Myanmar An eminent Hindu group in the US has Foundation (HAF) senior director and author expressed concern over reports that a mass of Hindus in South Asia & the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights, grave containing the bodies of 28 Hindu villagers has 2017. There were likely been discovered in conflictmore mass graves yet wreaked Myanmar’s to be discovered, as the Rakhine state. The Myanmar recently-discovered dead authorities have accused appeared to be from a Muslim Rohingya militants group of 100 Hindus attacked on August 25, of killing 28 Hindu villagers by the Arkin Rohingya whose bodies were allegedly found in a mass grave. “The Salvation Army -- a Myanmar Hindu community international community militant group run by and the government of Rohingya emigres in Myanmar must work together towards a peaceful Saudi Arabia, the HAF said. Shame on this writer solution to this complex conflict -- one which and media group trying to confuse people. Why upholds the rights of civilians of all communities doesn’’t WESTERN media gone to place where involved,” said Samir Kalra, Hindu American bodies have been found.

Indian-American couple pledges $200 million to transform healthcare in India With a $200 million commitment, an Indian American doctor couple has teamed up with a Florida university to bring world class medical education to India and potentially transform healthcare in the country.

With Zambia-born India-educated cardiologist Kiran Patel and his paediatrician wife Pallavi Patel’s gift, the Nova Southeastern University (NSU) located in picturesque Fort Lauderdale, near Miami, will open a new campus in Tampa, 400 km away.

In addition to the donation, Patel said that he was committed to spend $200 million by 2019 to set up a 40 hectare campus near Vadodara in Gujarat with Nova willing to expand their operations to India.nova Lectures will be beamed to classes in Tampa with live interaction with professors from here.

Later, the same concept will be used for the

proposed college in India, the Patels told IANS in an interview. American professors would be positioned in India and Indian professors brought here to sort of guide the trainers to academically produce students of the same calibre as those graduating in the US. Going a step further the college will be accredited with American bodies to start residency in India, Kiran Patel said.

Indian entrepreneur wins UK business award for innovative IT solutions A Ghana-based Indian entrepreneur has Sasmal, who has his roots in West Bengal. won a prestigious business award in the UK “For example, in Ghana we are currently for his efforts to bring innovative carrying out the largest household data collection and IT solutions to Africa. Birendra streets and building mapping Sasmal, CEO of Subah, bagged exercise in African history. the International Business “The information gathered Person of the Year at the Asian from this three-year project Achievers Awards in London last will enable the government to week, for turning the company properly plan the expansion of into a thriving IT, telecoms and municipal services including manufacturing success story with Birendra Sasmal operations across West Africa. roads, schools, medical “We are successful because we are very facilities etc - and apply property taxes focused on providing innovative solutions consistently to maximise its revenues,” he to solve problems that are being experienced added. Headquartered in Accra, Ghana, the not only in Africa but across the world,” said Subah Group employs around 350 people with

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Kareena Kapoor shines bright as she heads for the shoot of Veere Di Wedding

K

areena Kapoor Khan looks flawless even as she steps out of her car

in the capital since the last month and returned to Mumbai only to celebrate her birthday with family and friends.

There is literally no such time when Bebo doesn’t look flawless. Even when the actress is caught off guard she manages to look perfect. Kareena who is currently shooting for Veere Di Wedding in Delhi recently returned back to the bay to catch up the screening of Saif ’s Chef.

Birthday celebrations are over for Kareena Kapoor Khan as she left for Delhi today afternoon. The actress is shooting for her next project

Tom Alter, Padma Shri actor and writer, dies aged 67

V

eteran film, television and theatre actor and Padma Shri Tom Alter has died aged 67. The renowned actor and one-time sports writer and author had been battling stage four skin cancer.

Alter acted in over 300 movies apart from numerous TV shows, most famously as the gangster Keshav Kalsi in the hit soap opera Junoon which ran for a record five years during the 1990s. In addition to acting, Alter also ventured into direction and was a sports journalist in the 80s and 90s. He was the first person to interview Sachin Tendulkar for TV when the cricketer was yet to

debut for India. Alter has written three books, one non-fiction and two fiction, and in 2008 was awarded the prestigious Padma Shri by the Indian government in recognition for his services to the field of arts and cinema.

A statement released on behalf of his family said: “It is with sadness we announce the death of Tom Alter, actor, writer, director, Padma Shri, and our dear husband and father. Tom passed away Friday night at home with his family and close family members in attendance. We ask for their privacy to be respected at this time.”

Fans want to see more of your desi look

J

hanvi Kapoor is one of the most loved star kids on the block and this even before she has set her foot in the industry. Sridevi’s elder daughter has surely got her impeccable sense of style from her mother. While earlier Sridevi left everyone wanting for more with her stylish attire, Jhanvi continues the trend now. One would expect a teenager to rock casuals and chic western attire mainly, but Jhanvi left everyone floored with her ethnic looks. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the actress has redefined the traditional attire and set a high standards for other star kids. The star kid, who is a paparazzi favourite, is often snapped outside her dance class these days. Guess what’s her go-to attire for the dance session? The star kid is

often seen killing it in a loose printed kurta with patiala bottoms or palazzo pants. We are sure that after seeing these attires of Jhanvi, youngsters would consider her to be their role model. Nevertheless, Jhanvi’s western game, too, is on point. Everytime the star kid is seen attending B-town parties, she leaves us floored with her chic attire – be it in a mini sequined dress or a silver backless number. This has made it difficult for us to decide as to which attire of hers we liked more. So, we put up a poll for you to vote for your favourite Jhanvi Kapoor look – the desi avatar or the chic western look.

SRK would love to host Bigg Boss but conditions apply!

Y

ou think of Bigg Boss, you think of Salman Khan.

The actor has been hosting the reality show for the past 8 seasons. And the fans are not bored at all.

They love tuning in to the channel every weekend to watch Salman do his shenanigans. But what if someone was to give stiff competition to Salman on Bigg Boss. Well, Shah Rukh Khan, for one, doesn’t mind giving a shot to this seemingly impossible idea. Shah Rukh will be now seen hosting the motivational talk show Ted Talks – Nayi Soch. It will clash with Bigg Boss 11 on the weekends. Salman, too, had joked about this upcoming show on the premiere episode of BB11. Today, at the launch event of his new show, SRK was questioned if he’d ever take up hosting Salman’s show, if given

a chance. “I have hosted several shows. But honestly I have not been approached for such kind of show, yet. If I will have time, I will. If it gives good money. Having said that, I am not charging for TED as much as the other actors are for their respective shows,” the actor said, but not without a few chuckled between his sentences. Well, we don’t think Salman’s massive fandom would let go off their superstar so easily.

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Bollywood

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Sonam brings Jani-Khosla back to Bollywood 15 years after working on Devdas, designer duo returns to craft outfits for Veere Di Wedding SONIL DEDHIA sonil.dedhia@mid-day.com FIFTEEN years after they enabled Sanjay Leela Bhansali to create the visual magnificence that he did in Devdas (2002) by customising the celebrated outfits for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit-Nene, couturiers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are set to return to Bollywood with Veere Di Wedding.

It took a fair share of convincing, we hear, but, the National Award-winning designers have given their nod to create the traditional outfits for the wedding sequences of the Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Swara Bhaskarstarrer. A source tells midday that the designers will scroll through archives to dig out their finest creations for the leading ladies.

Confirming the news to mid-day, Khosla says, “We haven’t worked on a film since Devdas because we have been busy growing our brand. So, we are excited to be part of this project. This was the ideal film for us to return with, because it re-

volves around a wedding; we love Indian weddings.”

Khosla heaps praise on producer Rhea Kapoor, who, much like sister Sonam, “knows a lot about fashion and styling”.

With TV czarina Ekta Kapoor, who Khosla describes as “a trendsetter in television” also being co-producer, the designer acknowledges that there are several minds involved in the visual depiction of the sequences. “We have decided that we will work as per a brief that everybody agrees to.”

Given that the duo has been designing outfits for Kapoor since she made her debut in Saawariya (2007), Jani says the decision to return with this film was fitting.

“Sonam has always been a trendsetter.

This will be the first time we will be working with Kareena, and we are looking forward to it. We will be able to showcase some of our most amazing and elaborate designs,” say the duo.

Janak Toprani

Celebs shower praise on comedy

Kareena Kapoor Khan; (right) Sonam Kapoor; (left) Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla; (inset) Still from Devdas

FILMQUEST Entertainment’s rib-tickling comedy, Call For Fun, marks the debut of nine fresh faces and is backed by a National Awardwinning technical team. Directed by Janak Toprani and produced by Hardik Patel, the film is gearing up for release on October 6. Ahead of its release, here’s what industry veterans feel about the youth-centric comedy.

Ronnie Screwvala: I have known Janak from our theatre days and with his flair for comedy, I’m sure he’ll make a smooth transition to films.

Anand Mahindra: Janak was an accountant at the Mahindra Group. He left the job to pursue his passion for theatre. I have no doubt that he’ll make a successful foray into films.

Prem Chopra: It will be a refreshing change to see a film convey a social message through humour.

Ram Madhvani: I’ve been part of Janak’s theatre group

called Creators. He’s a gem, I wish him much success.

Sharman Joshi: Every production that Janak helmed earned acclaim in the world of theatre. Call For Fun will leave a mark in films too.

Ranjeet: I have seen so many comedies and yet this film’s trailer made me laugh so hard. I enjoyed the film thoroughly!

Parmeet Sethi: It’s a film that every teen in this country needs to watch. Full marks to Janak for putting the entire project together in less than six months.

Harry Baweja: Janak is extremely talented. He has what it takes to make a film adroitly, just like he has previously helmed acclaimed plays time and again!

Bharat Dabholkar: Kudos to Janak for taking a huge risk of launching nine newcomers. I wish him great success and look forward to many more such films in the future.

What Akshay Kumar did? when couple forgot their wedding date In times when breakups and divorce have become a regular thing, Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna are writing their love story even after 16 years of their marriage. They, undoubtedly, are the power couple of the tinsel town. They might have contrasting character traits but when it comes to loving each other Akshay and Twinkle give some hard relationship goals to their fans. However, just like us, they too experience moments when one of them forgets another’s birthday or their wedding anniversary. But what is untypical about them is they don’t lose their calm and have perfect ways of making up for it.

In a recent video shared by Khiladi Kumar

Oct

6

MUAVZA *ing: Annu Kapoor , Akhilendra Mishra

Oct

6

on his social media accounts, Twinkle finds it difficult to recall their wedding date and she asks him about it. Surprisingly, instead of getting angry about it, Akshay tries to comprehend what he did wrong to make his better half forget an important date of their lives. To make his beloved ‘Tina’ remember the date forever,

Akshay has a special present for her. Sharing the video, the Gold actor wrote, “You can’t put a price tag on love but some things just help you express it a little better :)” Though the video is a TVC, the love in their eyes and their chemistry is giving us the feels. Akshay

New Released Bollywood Films Oct

6

Oct

has time and again maintained that Twinkle is her biggest critic and his support system.

Twinkle too calls Akshay her best friend and we can’t forget her comments on Koffee With Karan. She was just unstoppable. In another hilarious moment, Akshay read out the speech written by Twinkle at an award show where she proudly took the credit for him being the ‘Man of the Decade’ at the Vogue Beauty Awards.

On the work front, Akshay is currently seen judging the comedy show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. He will be next seen in PadMan also starring Sonam Kapoor and Gold which marks the Bollywood debut of Mouni Roy.

6

Tu Mera Sunday *ing: Barun Sobti , Shahana Goswami, Vishal

Oct

6

Call for Fun

Chef

I’M Not A Terrorist

*ing: Zaan Khan , Charu Asopa,

*ing: Saif Ali Khan , Svar Kamble

*ing: Gulshan Grover , Rahul Dev

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Bollywood

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“Tu Hai Mera Sunday”A bunch of football enthusiasts get together Tu Hai Mera Sunday movie cast: ensemble cast plays well together, Barun Sobti, Shahana Goswami, especially in the falling-in-likeVishal Malhotra, Avinash Tiwary, and-something-more segments between Arjun and Kavi (why don’t we see more of the talented Shahana?), and in the unlikely bonding between Rashid and the young mother of two energetic hearingimpaired boys.

Dhaimade is clearly skilled at creating

Rasika Duggal, Nakul Bhalla, Maanvi Gagroo, Jay Upadhyay, Shiv Subramaniam Tu Hai Mera Sunday movie director: Milind Dhaimade Tu Hai Mera Sunday rating: Three and a half stars A bunch of football enthusiasts get together for a Sunday game on Juhu beach in Mumbai. This one-line premise blossoms into a lovely slice-oflife film, which shines a light on Mumbai’s diversity, and on how sport can become a unifiercum-healing agent in the best way possible. It also tells us that there is always a way out, even if the problem looks insurmountable.

Arjun (Sobti) is a charmer who has chucked the fast track corporate maze to explore other ways, and whose chance encounter with a shaky old man (Subramanyam) and his attractive daughter Kavi (Goswami) gets this thing rolling.

Arjun and his pals, all of whom come from different backgrounds, as their names clearly suggest—Dominic, Rashid, Jayesh, Mehernosh— look forward to this Sunday ritual, as a way of de-stressing, letting their hair down, and just, you know, hanging.

The strength of the film is in its writing, intensely rooted and real. The characters have messy backstories and relationships, which gives them depth: Dominic’s (Malhotra) harried mother has to deal with two permanently squabbling sons; Rashid (Tiwary) is a love‘em-and-leave-‘em type who chances upon a potentially life-altering bright-eyed young woman (Duggal); Jayesh (Udadhyay) lives with his large, noisy Gujarati joint family; and Mehernosh (Bhalla) is a putupon, increasingly-frustrated office drone till one day something snaps.

The detailing is spot on. Only in a few places does it feel a tad underlined, but on the whole, it is thoroughly good-natured. The

life-like characters who feel as if they are people you could know, tics and all. ‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’ is a feel-good, light-hearted yarn. And it comes at a time when that precious, vanishing space—middleof-the-road and realistic, not too shiny or too drab but just right—

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

HOROSCOPE Aries

Libra

March 21 - April 20

Sept. 24 - Oct 22

Your love life and connections to your colleagues will be on agenda this week.

Regarding work, you might have to attend discussions and consultations. Whatever the relationship, you’ll fare better if you can avoid

time of the full moon on Thursday, however.

But as long as you don’t say anything you

show up with opportunities and options you might never have considered otherwise.

A positive focus on your sign could make you eager to express yourself and share what is most important to you. There may be some things that need a solution that you’re more hesitant to talk about.

The coming week could be an opportunity to listen to your intuition and gently broach the subject with a friend or trusted

Scorpio

Taurus

Oct 23 - Nov 22

April 21 - May 20 Luscious Venus makes some leading aspects this week. In fact, the days up to start of the weekend could rekindle the romance in a long-term relationship or encourage a budding connection to become more intimate. However, Full moon could see you keeping private certain feelings between you and another. You have a lot of fun together, and no one else needs to know about it. The weekend could see a more serious side of your personality, when being conscientious could bring rewards.

Gemini

An intense aspect early in the week could mean you’re compulsively drawn to someone

things. This could be a temporary phase, but it could leave you feeling frustrated if the person in question doesn’t feel the same way about you. Thursday’s full moon in your wellness sector might encourage you to forget about your discipline and routines and go all out to enjoy yourself. Try not to overdo it!

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22

May 20 - June 21 There could be a lot of discussion at home at the start of the week, and this could lead to some decisions that positively transform a key situation. On another note, your social life sparkles, particularly when the full moon in lively Aries could be the perfect time to hold a celebration or grand occasion. Know that it could be very boisterous, though.

Putting yourself in your partner’s shoes over the weekend could help you understand his or her perspective.

Cancer

You may draw some fascinating opportunities to you, but it’s also possible that you could resist them. This is unusual, as you’re the kind of person who delights in anything new and fresh. You may have mixed feelings that cause you to delay a decision. If you need more time, take it, but this option could work out even if it requires hard work. Your social life sparkles this week and over the weekend, with a lively encounter to brighten your days.

Capricorn

June 22 - July 23

Dec 23 - Jan 20

You could be your own enemy this week, but it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’ve convinced yourself that there is nothing you can do, accomplishing something could

a break and try to have a more positive approach. Think that you can do it and keep

accomplish whatever you put your mind to if you stick with it.

Leo

While you may be inspired to follow a new path that shows plenty of promise, you might feel edgy if it means moving too far outside your comfort zone. It’s really a question of belief.

This can be a good time to jettison any that are outdated and holding you back. Nevertheless, a full moon in Aries on Thursday could bring some drama to the home front. It is also excellent for a celebration or get-together, even if it is a little boisterous.

Aquarius

June 24 - August 23 There is a possibility that you could earn more money, but there is also a chance that you’ll spend it all before the week is up.

Making some wise investments, such as channeling extra cash into a creative project, could be worthwhile. And as long as you don’t decide to make some expensive romantic gestures around the time of Thursday’s full

! " have a more serious bias, but a heart-to-heart talk could be very revealing.

Virgo

Jan 21 - Feb 19 If you’re thinking about going on a trip, the full moon might encourage you to go for it. If you’ve been busy with various tasks and chores or aspects of your life have been intense lately, getting away from it all might seem like the perfect way to unwind and feel good. There is a focus on change and transformation that could see you letting go of situations that no longer serve you.

Pisces

August 24 - Sept 24

Feb 20 - March 20

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! certain family members, and this might continue over the course of the week. However, this could also encourage you to have a discussion to resolve this matter. If things reach a critical point, this could be a good thing because the energy around the situation is ripe for change.

Be willing to listen to others’ feelings and you

$

after all. A compromise is possible.

& ' regarding a goal or plan, and this might make it hard to progress as much as you’d like over

#

their shoes could help you understand their thoughts and feelings. You don’t have to agree, but a compromise might help you to make the best of an awkward situation. Key insights could also change your perspective concerning

Mithun’s son Mahaakshay has a fanboy moment

M

ithun‘s son Mahaakshay a.k.a.

Mimoh took to his Instagram to share a picture where he is seen alongside famous pornstar, Kayden Kross. Going solely by the way he captioned the image, it seems he is big fan of Kayden’s work and it was no less that a fanboy moment for him. In fact he went on to claim this meet his as a dream come true moment for him. He was awestruck as well starstruck like any die hard fan would be. He wrote in his caption, “That moment when you meet the Beautiful and oh so humble @clubkayden !!! #awestruck #dreamcometrue #fanboy #fanboymoment #kaydenkross

#kayden #starstruck�

Kareena and Saif attend sister Soha ’s birthday Saif and Kareena went to attend aunt Soha’s birthday . Dressed in a blue baby suit, Taimur looked as intrigued as always to find the attention of all the camera lenses on him. Both Kareena and Saif chose to go to the party in their casual chic avatar. While Saif wore a t-shirt and shorts, Kareena also opted for a loose t-shirt and flared pants. However, Saif seems to be suffering from a leg injury as he had a bandage on his foot. Irrespective of the injury, Chef actor Saif looked happy to be with Taimur whom he has been missing a lot because of his hectic work schedule.

Sunny Leone singing “trippy trippy�

The first song “Trippy Trippy� from upcoming film Bhoomi, Trippy Trippy song is composed by SachinJigar in the voice of Neha Kakkar, Benny Dayal, Brijesh Shandilya & Badshah Gulshan Kumar and Legend Studios presents An Omung Kumar Film BHOOMI Produced by Bhushan Kumar, Krishan Kumar, Sandeep Singh.

Bhoomi is an upcoming Indian film starring Sanjay Dutt, Aditi Rao Hydari, Sidhant Gupta in lead roles.

The film is scheduled for release in September, 2017.

Sunny Leone, who was last seen in an item song in Baadshaho, will be appearing in an upcoming episode of the show. While we won’t know which movie she will be promoting on the show, since she will be next seen in an item song in Bhoomi as well as the female lead in Teraa Intezaar. Sunny had shot for her episode for the show at Mehboob Studios.

BOLLYWOOD PERSONALITIES’ BIRTHDAYS

SOHA ALI KHAN OCTOBER 4

FREIDA PINTO OCTOBER 18

AMITABH BACHCHAN OCTOBER 11

KAREENA KAPOOR SEPTEMBER 21

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Hrithik says he never met Kangna in private Hrithik Roshan has finally broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his alleged affair with actress Kangana Ranaut and the accusations leveled against him. In the statement shared by Hrithik on Twitter, he avoids taking Kangana’s name but addresses her as ‘the lady in question’. Hrithik Roshan says that he has worked with Kangana Ranaut, but claims to have never met her in private. He also says that he has been ‘dragged into a dirty perverse mess’.

Hrithik Roshan also says that he is not fighting against an allegation of an affair. He says he is aware of his faults and that he is ‘human’.

He brings to notice that the only proof of the alleged affair is a photoshopped image that’s been circulating in the media and which has been ‘exposed’ by his friends including his exwife Sussanne Khan. Hrithik Roshan goes on to say that he has surrendered all his devices to the cyber cell in the light of the police complaint, but the ‘other party’ has failed to do so.

Amitabh has a connection with Sidharth Malhotra and Sonakshi Sinha’s Ittefaq

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opular track ‘Raat Baaqi Baat Baaqi’ from megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s film “Namak Halal” will be recreated for the remake of 1969 thriller “Ittefaq”.

The new version, starring Sidharth Malhotra, Sonakshi Sinha and Akshaye Khanna, will be produced by Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan and Juno Chopra.

‘Raat Baaqi Baat Baaqi’ was sung by Bappi Lahiri and Asha Bhosle in Namak Halal. “It’s a song less film. We will have

a promotional song but it won’t be part of the film. We have got this song ‘Raat Baaki Baat Baaki’. It will be composed by Tanishk

Bollywood

5

6

Bollywood

Saturday, October 7, 2017

have you heard?

THEN

NOW

VIEW TO A THRILL

PIC/YOGEN SHAH

The great big dance-off The long-in-the-making Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar and Amy Jacksonstarrer 2.0 still has a song shoot left.

Word is Amy has begun dance rehearsals for Shankar’s bilingual (Tamil and Hindi). The UK import, who plays a robot, will get jiggy with the Thailaiva in the sci-fi thriller. The song, with multiple costume changes, is slated to be shot later this month. Jackson has been downing energy drinks to keep up with the pace. Remember Rajinikanth runs until the treadmill gets tired! The Republic Day 2018 release will unveil its first look next month.

Sonakshi Sinha, Sidharth Malhotra and Akshaye Khanna-starrer Ittefaq’s trailer will be launched today. The thriller, a remake of the 1969 Rajesh Khanna and Nanda-starrer of the same name, marks Abhay Chopra’s directorial debut

Celebrations continue New mum Soha Ali Khan turned 39 yesterday. It was a small celebration at home as the actor delivered a baby girl, Inaaya Naumi, on September 29. Soha and her baby have their birthdays four days apart. Brother Saif Ali Khan, who was in Dubai for the promotions for Chef, picked up gifts for his niece as well as Soha, Kareena Kapoor and Taimur.

OMG! Uday is unrecognisable We did a double take when we saw this snapshot of Uday Chopra (right). The Dhoom franchise actor looked a far cry from his usual hunky self with grey hair. Aditya Chopra’s brother seems to have let himself go.

On Wednesday, he was papped while exiting Emraan Hashmi’s home in Bandra. Uday, who is based in the US, looks after the

home banner’s international division. He used to be active on Twitter with his sharp-witted posts, but for a while now he has steered clear of social networking.

Last seen on the big screen in Dhoom 3 (2013), he found himself in the news due to his rumoured relationship with Nargis Fakhri. Buzz is that they have split. Has Uday found comfort in food?

Mistaken identity

What a crowd Initially, there were two films clashing at the box office on November 10 — Vineet Kumar’s Mukkebaaz and Kapil Sharma’s Firangi. The makers of the Rajkummmar Rao-starrer Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana later chose the same date. Yesterday, the producers of Irrfan Khan’s next film, Qarib Qarib Single, announced that the social drama will release on November 10. The film has Malayalam actress Parvathy as his co-actor. The more the merrier, but won’t it wreck the box office collections of each?

Tinge of nostalgia Parvathy Omanakuttan’s film career may not be happening, but she is creating ripples on social media. The Pizza (2014) actor, who was also seen on Khatron Ke Khiladi last year, recently posted a picture on Instagram. Several social media users mistook her for Sonam Kapoor. The resemblance is uncanny.

From the spectacles to her hair, pout and dress. Sonam certainly won’t be amused.

Yesterday, Shabana Azmi was on an emotional trip. October 4 is special because hubby Javed Akhtar, who she fondly calls Jadu, set foot in filmdom to chase his dreams on that day. She wrote on Facebook, “It was on October 4, 1964 that Javed Akhtar arrived in Bombay at the age of 19, with two pairs of clothes, a few books and lots of dreams. Today marks the 53rd year of that arrival. He slept on the streets, at Khar railway station, graduated to studio compounds, dressing rooms and Mahakali caves.

He went without food for days. On his most desolate day he told himself, “Things will change, I wasn’t born to die on the streets..” Respect for his indomitable will and for the person he is — rising above bitterness and anger to become the compassionate person he is. Proud of you Jadu.” Though Azmi is currently on an all-girls road trip in Italy with her besties, she did not forget the date.

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

Sonam brings Jani-Khosla back to Bollywood 15 years after working on Devdas, designer duo returns to craft outfits for Veere Di Wedding SONIL DEDHIA sonil.dedhia@mid-day.com FIFTEEN years after they enabled Sanjay Leela Bhansali to create the visual magnificence that he did in Devdas (2002) by customising the celebrated outfits for Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Madhuri Dixit-Nene, couturiers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla are set to return to Bollywood with Veere Di Wedding.

It took a fair share of convincing, we hear, but, the National Award-winning designers have given their nod to create the traditional outfits for the wedding sequences of the Sonam Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Swara Bhaskarstarrer. A source tells midday that the designers will scroll through archives to dig out their finest creations for the leading ladies.

Confirming the news to mid-day, Khosla says, “We haven’t worked on a film since Devdas because we have been busy growing our brand. So, we are excited to be part of this project. This was the ideal film for us to return with, because it re-

volves around a wedding; we love Indian weddings.”

Khosla heaps praise on producer Rhea Kapoor, who, much like sister Sonam, “knows a lot about fashion and styling”.

With TV czarina Ekta Kapoor, who Khosla describes as “a trendsetter in television” also being co-producer, the designer acknowledges that there are several minds involved in the visual depiction of the sequences. “We have decided that we will work as per a brief that everybody agrees to.”

Given that the duo has been designing outfits for Kapoor since she made her debut in Saawariya (2007), Jani says the decision to return with this film was fitting.

“Sonam has always been a trendsetter.

This will be the first time we will be working with Kareena, and we are looking forward to it. We will be able to showcase some of our most amazing and elaborate designs,” say the duo.

Janak Toprani

Celebs shower praise on comedy

Kareena Kapoor Khan; (right) Sonam Kapoor; (left) Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla; (inset) Still from Devdas

FILMQUEST Entertainment’s rib-tickling comedy, Call For Fun, marks the debut of nine fresh faces and is backed by a National Awardwinning technical team. Directed by Janak Toprani and produced by Hardik Patel, the film is gearing up for release on October 6. Ahead of its release, here’s what industry veterans feel about the youth-centric comedy.

Ronnie Screwvala: I have known Janak from our theatre days and with his flair for comedy, I’m sure he’ll make a smooth transition to films.

Anand Mahindra: Janak was an accountant at the Mahindra Group. He left the job to pursue his passion for theatre. I have no doubt that he’ll make a successful foray into films.

Prem Chopra: It will be a refreshing change to see a film convey a social message through humour.

Ram Madhvani: I’ve been part of Janak’s theatre group

called Creators. He’s a gem, I wish him much success.

Sharman Joshi: Every production that Janak helmed earned acclaim in the world of theatre. Call For Fun will leave a mark in films too.

Ranjeet: I have seen so many comedies and yet this film’s trailer made me laugh so hard. I enjoyed the film thoroughly!

Parmeet Sethi: It’s a film that every teen in this country needs to watch. Full marks to Janak for putting the entire project together in less than six months.

Harry Baweja: Janak is extremely talented. He has what it takes to make a film adroitly, just like he has previously helmed acclaimed plays time and again!

Bharat Dabholkar: Kudos to Janak for taking a huge risk of launching nine newcomers. I wish him great success and look forward to many more such films in the future.

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

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CIBC celebrates Diwali with unique commemorative Gold & Silver coins

ust in time for Diwali, CIBC is once again exclusively offering Canadians limited edition unique festive Gold and Silver coins to commemorate this year’s celebration. CIBC is the only bank in Canada to offer these unique Diwali coins.

This year, CIBC is offering two exclusive coin designs: Diwali Lakshmi and Diwali Khanda. The Diwali Lakshmi coins are unique as they have Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi on one side and Om on the other side. CIBC offers this design in both a 1oz 99.99% pure (24 karat) Gold coin, and a 1oz 99.99% pure Silver coin; the 1oz silver coin is prized at $54.95.

In addition to the Diwali Lakshmi coin, CIBC’s Diwali Khanda coins are designed with the Khanda on one side and the IK Onkar on the other side. This design is available in a 10g 99.99% (24 karat) pure Gold coin, and a 1oz 99.99% pure Silver coin. The silver Diwali Khanda coin is $59.99.

All of the Diwali coins are packaged in a beautiful black box with an attractive red cover in celebration of Diwali. In addition to our medallions, enjoy CIBC’s competitive pricing on gold and silver bullion bars and coins. All of our products are of the highest industry standard; pure gold (24-karat) and pure silver at 99.99%. They are a gift to give during the

Diwali season; great for family and friends of all ages. In addition to being a thoughtful gift, the coins can be a timely investment option.

Over the past 10 years gold has provided positive returns. Precious Metals purchases are tax exempt in Ontario, and therefore, HST is not payable on the purchase of any CIBC Gold and Silver coins. Diwali and bullion products are available to order at any CIBC Banking Centre or online at cibc.com/preciousmetals for free and secure delivery to your home or to your closest CIBC Banking Centre. Place your order by October 11th so that you can receive the coins

by October 19th (Diwali)*.

This year, CIBC is gifting one lucky client with a 1 oz Gold Diwali coin**.

Any precious metals purchase made between October 1stto October 31st will automatically enter a client into the contest. We have also stocked select Banking Centres with a limited supply to offer you the ability to pick up your medallion when you purchase it. Please call the banking centre in advance to ensure availability. The coins are highly popular, and we have sold out in previous years! Coins are only available while supplies last.

Thank you and Happy Diwali!

Devil s Descent

2

HOUSE #

HOUSE #

1 October 6-31 12530-72 Ave, Surrey

MINI-HAUNTS FOR KIDS 12 & UNDER!!

For Tickets & Full Schedule Visit:

PottersHouseOfHorrors.com

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

Celebrate Diwali with the new Quality Street Tin

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eginning today, Quality Street chocolates and caramels are now available in newly redesigned tins, just in time for Diwali celebrations.

The new Quality Street tin design contains an assortment of imported chocolates and caramels and this year Quality Street introduces a new indulgent sweet: honeycomb crunch. Each chocolate and caramel is individually wrapped in bright jewel colours making it an excellent gift choice that is sure to make any Diwali celebration brighter.

For the past few years, Quality Street has celebrated Diwali with the Canadian South Asian community. These newly designed tins and new honeycomb crunch sweet will spark joy and excitement during this holiday as the perfect gift for family and friends to share.

On October 21st and 22nd, Nestlé Canada

Quality Street will also showcase the new tin design at DiwaliFest, a free indoor event at the Bramalea Centre Mall in Brampton celebrating this South Asian festival of lights.

A B O U T DIWALI Diwali is one of the most wellknown South

‘Money has never kept me going’ SRK

‘I truly believe that in this rush, hatred and running around, we have forgotten love.’

‘I am not just the best lover in the world as I have shown myself in the films, I am love itself, I truly believe in the power of love.’

There’s nothing Shah Rukh Khan doesn’t have in life. God has been kind to him in every aspect of his life, professionally, financially and emotionally, and the superstar accepts that.

“Never ever have I done anything for the love of money,” he says, at the launch of his new television show TED Talks India Nayi Soch, in Mumbai.

“Money has never kept me going, it never will.

I am very well to do,” he adds.

He has some advice for youngsters: “If you really desire something, one of the things that will surely follow is money. It’s the least important of the pegs that you should try to fill in when you are trying to do something as a job, work, love, hobby... Money is not going to be a problem at the end of it all. I say it from the point of view of being a lower middle class boy, who has had a bigger share of financial benefits from the work I do than I ever imagined, dreamed of, in my wildest dreams.”

“I have started feeling, lately, since I turned 50, that it has become easier in this world to hate, be blatantly aggressive, to put your thoughts out there because ‘I think so.’ It’s very nice, maybe it will bring about a great change in the world.

But I truly believe that in this rush, hatred and running around, we have forgotten love,” he says.

“I am not just the best lover in the world as I have shown myself in the films, I am love itself,” he says. “I truly believe in the power

Asian festivals.

It is known as the ‘festival of lights’ because houses, shops and public places are decorated with diyas, candles and colourful lights on this occasion.

In Canada, as in India, the festival is a time for fall cleaning, wearing new clothes, and exchanging gifts, sweets and chocolates.

ABOUT NESTLÉ CANADA Backed by more than a century of research and experience, Nestlé Canada’s vision is to be Canada’s number one food and beverage company, helping Canadians live healthier and happier lives. Nestlé in Canada manufactures some of the world’s most recognized and trusted brands, including BLACK MAGIC, GOOD START, HÄAGEN-DAZS, KIT KAT, LEAN CUISINE, NESCAFÉ, NESQUIK, NESTLÉ DRUMSTICK, NESTLÉ PROFESSIONAL, NESTLÉ PURE LIFE, STOUFFER’S and Nestlé Purina BENEFUL. Nestlé in Canada employs approximately 3,600 people in 21 manufacturing sites, sales offices and distribution centres across the country.

For more information, please visit http:// diwali.qualitystreet.ca/

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Classifieds / Jobs

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Community / News

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Saturday, October 7, 2017

Katrina bani crusader Kaif may team up with Shahid for the first time for Toilet: Ek Prem Katha director’s social drama UPALA KBR hitlist@mid-day.com KATRINA Kaif is sitting pretty with big projects that see her collaborating with the three Khans — Tiger Zinda Hai opposite Salman, Thugs Of Hindostan with Aamir and Aanand L Rai’s dwarf film that reunites her with Shah Rukh.

Now, mid-day has learnt that the actor has been approached to play Shahid Kapoor’s love interest in the social entertainer Roshni (tentative title). Helmed by Toilet: Ek Prem Katha director Shree Narayan Singh and penned by Rustom scriptwriter Vipul K Rawal, the drama revolves around the common man’s fight against the power distribution companies in the country that make its consumers cough up huge amounts for bills.

Said a source from the creative team, “Shree Narayan Singh gave Katrina a narration before she left for Los

‘Shree Narayan Singh gave Katrina a narration before she left for Los Angeles. She loved the story and is keen to work with him’ A source

‘Don’t want another controversy’ Quelling rumours of their latest offering being a sequel to Pehredaar Piya Ki, lead actor Tejaswi Prakash says team has “rectified” the mistakes it made in the previous show

Still from the promo of the new show

PEHREDAAR Piya Ki found itself in an unenviable spot of being one of the most controversial shows, when it was aired in July. Slammed for its objectionable content that revolved around an 18-year-old woman getting married to a nine-year-old boy, the show was pulled off air in August after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting led by Smriti Irani intervened in the matter.

Now, the team has returned with their latest offering. The promo, which was released yesterday, sees lead actor Tejaswi Prakash in her

Diya avatar. Rumours suggest that the new show is a sequel to Pehredaar, with a time leap of 10 years.

However, speaking to mid-day, Prakash insists that it has “nothing to do with our last show”. “This one will have a new name and a new concept altogether. We are not showing any flashbacks, nor are we showing a time leap where the boy [character of Ratan Maan Singh] who I was married to, has grown up. We don’t want another controversy,” she says matter-of-factly.

Point out that the central characters of the previous show have been retained and she says,

Perfectionist Kapoor adopts no-phone policy on Fanney Khan set SONIL DEDHIA sonil.dedhia@mid-day.com

Angeles. She loved the story and is keen to collaborate with him.

She has already asked her team to work out further details.”

While Kapoor plays a lawyer who raises his voice against the power distribution companies, the female lead will be seen playing his philosopher and guide who joins him in his fight for justice.

If she gives her nod to the film, it will mark her first outing with Kapoor. Besides believing Kaif to be a perfect fit for the role, the director was also keen on signing on a leading lady who hasn’t shared screen space with Kapoor before.

The source added, “The creative team loved the fresh pairing of Shahid and Katrina.

She is in Los Angeles to apparently chart out her debut in Hollywood.

Once she returns, she is expected to sign on the dotted line after finalising the dates and remuneration.”

When we reached out to Singh, he said, “I haven’t decided on the female lead yet.”

SONIL DEDHIA sonil.dedhia@mid-day.com

Strictly work calling Anil

“Pehredaar Piya Ki was a muchtalked about show. So, the producers decided to retain the names of the characters this time too. That way, it would be easier for the audience to connect with these characters.”

Ask Prakash her viewpoint on the controversial show and she measures her words carefully. “In hindsight, I do believe that a lot of things could have been done differently. But I am happy that we have rectified it. I am glad that the producers stood by us and the channel also gave us another chance. We have managed to put together this one in barely 20 days,” she says of the show that will be aired in November.

GIVE Anil Kapoor a role he can sink his teeth into and the actor will happily go the extra mile for it.

Case in point being his next, Fanney Khan, which sees him collaborating with producer Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. The actor will be seen playing an aspiring singer in the musical that also stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. To achieve the haggard look of a struggling musician, Kapoor had gone off salt and sugar for twenty days. Now, the actor has gone a step further — he has adopted a no-phone policy on the set, in his bid to portray his role without any distraction.

Says a unit source, “Anil has not been carrying his phone to the sets since he wants to be completely focussed on his character. He feels that a good script, a good role and above all, a good team makes all the difference.

And he has got that combination in this film.”

While some film units impose the policy to avoid pictures being leaked from the set, Kapoor has made the choice of his own accord.

“Not carrying cell phones was a conscious decision so that I don’t get distracted for even a second.”

The actor feels that apart from physical transformation, an artiste also needs to mentally align with the character he plays. “Every character requires the same amount of commitment and that is what I am doing with this one.”

‘Every character requires the same amount of commitment and that is exactly what I am doing’

Vol. 8 No. 36 - Saturday - October 7, 2017

Prices still on fire in Vancouver’s tale of two markets

V

ancouver detached properties continue to see limited price increases one year after the British Columbia government brought in a 15 per cent tax on foreign buyers.

Statistics from the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver released Tuesday show the benchmark price for a detached home reached $1,617,300 in September, a 2.9 per cent increase from a year ago, but only a 0.1 per cent increase from August. By comparison, the benchmark price for an apartment property was $635,800, a 21.7 per increase from a year ago and a 1.4 per cent increase from just August. “It’s a split market and has been unfolding over the last year almost since the foreign tax went into effect,� said Doug Porter, chief economist with Bank Of Montreal. “Our view is that in some respects the condo market is the real market in Vancouver and the detached market is driven by foreign investors and seen the biggest reversal. The condo market is driven by real underlying events like employment and population growth.�

The board said there were 2,821 units sold in the region in September, 2017, a 25.2 per cent increase from a year ago but a 7.3 per cent decrease from the 3,043 homes sold in August. Sales from last month were 13.1 per cent above the 10-year average for September. “Our detached homes market is balanced today, while apartment and townhome sales remain in sellers’ market territory,� said Jill Oudil, president of the board. Overall, 5,375 new homes were listed for sale on the Multiple Listing Service in Metro Vancouver last month, a 12 per cent increase from a year ago and a 26.6 per cent increase from August.

The total number of homes listed in Metro Vancouver last month was 9,466, a 1.2 per cent increase from a year but a 7.5 per cent jump from just last month. “Detached homes made up 30 per cent of all sales in September and represented 62 per cent of all the homes listed for sale on the MLS,� Oudil said. “This dynamic has slowed the pace of upward pressure that we’ve seen on detached home prices in our market over the last few years.� The sales-to-active listings ratio for September 2017 was 29.8 per cent for all properties but 14.6 per cent for detached homes, 42.3 per cent for townhomes, and 60.4 per cent for apartments. “Generally, analysts say that downward pressure on home prices Continued on page 15

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14

Real Estate

Saturday, October 7, 2017

Experts worried by BC’s financial reliance on real estate

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conomists in BC are raising concerns over the province’s financial reliance on booming real estate market and the new government’s promise to try and cool the market down.

The 2016/17 public accounts released earlier this week recorded a $2.7 billion surplus. Real estate revenue accounted for a big part of that high number, largely due to a 32 per cent growth in the Property Transfer Tax revenue, which brought in roughly $2 billion in total revenue last fiscal year.

While speaking on The Early Edition Tsur Somerville, a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, said beyond the Property Transfer Tax the income from the hot real estate market feeds several other government revenue streams.

He used examples like the personal income tax on a home builder, the income tax of a real estate agent and the tax on furniture or home appliances, all of which are tied to the strength of the market. Somerville noted that in BC real estate accounts for a larger share of government revenues than it does in any other province. Lindsay Tedds, an economist at the University of Victoria, agrees that the current framework of BC’s economy relies heavily on the strength of the market.

“Much as we like to point to Alberta being so reliant on their oil revenues, we are very reliant on the real estate industry to prop up our economy,” said Tedds. That is why Somerville is concerned that during the most recent provincial election campaign the BC NDP promised to cool the hot housing market. “If you slow down the real estate industry, because it’s an overly large part of our economy, you’re going to have some

repercussions,” said Somerville.

“It’s not a healthy situation to be that dependant on real estate, so the adjustment is going to be a little bit painful no matter what happens.” At this point however, Somerville said despite the NDP’s promises of cooling the market, so far their strategies are more geared towards making it easier for people at the bottom end of the market to buy property.

“It’s hard for government to come in and change markets. When you try to blow up a market, you really don’t know where things are going to go,” said Somerville.

Real Estate

Saturday, October 7, 2017

15

Developer hikes pre-sale reassignment condo fee in bid to dampen speculation

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evelopers of a prominent condo project in Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s West End, which wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be completed until 2019, are hiking the fee they charge for letting a pre-sale buyer of a unit re-assign (sell) their contract to another buyer, as Condo sales and prices are on fire.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the latest example of developers and buyers figuring out who benefits when there are steep gains in value. This is happening because prices are climbing in the years between when a buyer signs a pre-sale contract and when a condo is completed, handed over for occupancy, and the sale is legally complete. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a reflection of amount of speculation in the pre-sale condo market. The Real Estate Council imposed new rules on the â&#x20AC;&#x153;assigningâ&#x20AC;? of single-family homes in May 2016, but these were not extended to apply to pre-sales by developers of condos. In late 2015, Reliance Properties Ltd. and Jim Pattison Developments started to pre-sell condos at their One Burrard Place.

This will be a 53-storey tower off the Burrard Bridge at Drake Street that is destined to be one of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tallest and most luxurious.

At that time, prices started at $400,000 for a 450-square-foot unit, or about $890

a square foot. By early 2016, all 354 of the units were pre-sold. Since then, condo prices have rocketed and the per-square-foot cost of a similar unit would be about $1,250, an increase of about 40 per cent, according to realtors. In the past few weeks, Reliance has been telling buyers who want to sell their rights to a completed condo before the units are completed that they have to sign a â&#x20AC;&#x153;modifiedâ&#x20AC;? agreement. It stipulates that instead of paying the developer 1.5 per cent of the initial purchase price to get permission for an assignment sale, they have to pay 25 per cent of the profit made on the assignment.

To illustrate with random numbers: If, in the past, if Buyer A bought a pre-sale condo for $500,000, he or she could assign it to Buyer B for $600,000 by paying the developer 1.5 per cent of $500,000, or $7,500. Now, the developer is charging 25 per cent of the $100,000 profit, or $25,000.

The change is designed to discourage speculation, says Jon Stovell, president of Reliance Properties. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There has already been a regulatory shift in the single-family market where it is automatic in all contracts that if there is any â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;assignment liftâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the proceeds will go back to

the homeowner,â&#x20AC;? says Stovell, referring to the Real Estate Councilâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new rules in May 2016 about the re-assigning of single-family homes before the sale is registered.

In recent months, Stovell says there has been a rapid increase in requests by buyers to re-assign pre-sale condo units at One Burrard. As well, there have been reports of â&#x20AC;&#x153;unauthorized advertising of (One Burrard) assignmentsâ&#x20AC;? online, in particular on private realtor websites and through emails and social media.

Stovell says the new policy aims to dampen this activity and create a â&#x20AC;&#x153;level playing fieldâ&#x20AC;? for all buyers seeking to assign. There was also a need to balance the needs of â&#x20AC;&#x153;purchasers with bona fide reasons (such as a sudden

Condo prices still on fire in Vancouverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tale of two markets From page 13 per cent mark for a sustained period, while The index price for all properties was home prices often experience upward pressure $1,037,300 in September, a 10.9 increase from when it surpasses 20 per cent over several a year ago and a 0.7 increase over the last months,â&#x20AC;? the board noted, in its release. month.

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#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

change in personal circumstance, including death, divorce or a job change) who may need a way to assign a condo purchase.â&#x20AC;?

Some buyers in the midst of assigning to a second buyer are irate that the developer is suddenly taking a slice of what they consider as gains made on a risk they the buyer took.

To this, Stovell says buyers are welcome to wait to sell the condos when they are completed, handed over and the sale is finalized. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to gauge the number of buyers seeking to re-assign units this far ahead of the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s completion. They donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tend to get listed on the MLS until later, but there at least a dozen postings for One Burrard Place assignments on other sites and apps.

16

Garry Grewal

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