The Asian Star - June 8, 2024

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Conservative leader calls on Liberal government to release names of MPs accused of helping foreign states

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that Canadians have a right to know the names of the MPs accused in an explosive new intelligence report of “wittingly” working on behalf of foreign state actors. On Monday, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP), a cross-party committee of MPs and senators with top security clearances, released a heavily redacted document alleging some parliamentarians have actively helped foreign governments like China and India meddle in Canadian politics.

“The national security committee indicates there are members of this House who

have knowingly worked for foreign hostile governments. Canadians have a right to know who and what is the information,” Poilievre said during question period Wednesday. “Who are they?”

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AG

Nikki Sharma and NDP gov’t criticized for lack of action on caste discrimination

By Umendra Singh:

Supporters of the Dalit community are critical of the provincial Attorney General Nikki Sharma and the provincial parliamentary secretary responsible for anti-racism, Mable Elmore, for downplaying the negative impacts of casteism in our society.

Sharma, Elmore and Richmond New Westminster NDP MLA Aman Singh spoke at the launching of the new anti-racism reporting helpline last week.

“I am grateful to the Asian Star for asking the question about what the government is doing to prevent caste discrimination to AG Sharma and Mable Elmore, but I am very disappointed in their response,’ Jay Birdi, long time anti caste advocate and the executive director of Chetna Association of Canada, said.

“I want to commend the BC government for this anti racism phone line, which is needed, and anti racism is the government’s focus,” he said.

Continued on Page 10...

In a move more shocking than a Bollywood film climax, the INDIA bloc, led by the Samajwadi Party, has won 43 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. This seismic shift in the political landscape is particularly astonishing given the BJP’s dominant presence in the state since 2017.

The BJP, which has enjoyed a full-majority government in UP and decimated the Opposition in the 2014 and 2019 elections, finds itself on the back foot as the 2024 results roll in.

Continued on Page 10...

Air Canada expands service to India, to offer non-stop flights from Toronto to Mumbai

Air Canada says it is ramping up its flights to India this year including new non-stop service from Toronto to Mumbai.

The airline says the flights between Toronto and Mumbai will run four times a week starting Oct. 27. In addition, Air Canada says it will boost its service from Montreal to Delhi to daily flights.

For those travelling from Western Canada, the airline says it will offer daily seasonal flights from Calgary to Delhi, via London starting in Oct. 27.

Flights from Vancouver to London will also connect conveniently to flights to Delhi this winter. In total, Air Canada says it will operate 25 weekly flights to India.

BJP looses UP in a shocker

Jay Birdi (left) and Rashpal Bhardwaj

Bank of Canada cuts key interest rate to 4.75%

The Bank of Canada has lowered its key interest rate to 4.75 per cent, marking the bank’s first rate cut since March 2020.

Bank governor Tiff Macklem said in opening remarks that the bank’s monetary policy no longer needs to be as restrictive.

“We’ve come a long way in the fight against inflation. And our confidence that inflation will continue to move closer to the two per cent target has increased over recent months,” Macklem said.

Economists were largely expecting the move. The inflation rate has moved closer to the bank’s two per cent goal in recent months, coming in at 2.7 per cent in April, with the bank’s preferred core measures of inflation also easing throughout the spring. Meanwhile, quarterly GDP numbers released last week were weaker than expected: the economy grew by 1.7 per cent during the first three months of the year, increasing the likelihood of a cut.

steadily approaching the bank’s two per cent goal, Macklem said.

“We don’t want monetary policy to be more restrictive than it needs to be to get inflation back to target. But if we lower our policy interest rate too quickly, we could jeopardize the progress we’ve made,” he said.

“It’s a small cut, but I think a grand gesture,” said Royce Mendes, managing director and head of macro strategy at Desjardins. He noted that the Bank of Canada is the first of the G7 central banks to begin cutting rates.

With many homeowners set to renew their mortgages in the next few months, “if the bank had left interest rates high for too long, we could have tipped the economy into an unnecessary recession,” he noted.

B.C. Hydro customers can now apply to pay more for electricity in the afternoon and evening, and less overnight.

The new time-of-day pricing plan is available to residential users of the power provider.

Those who opt into the new pricing scheme will receive a five-cent discount on every kilowatt hour of electricity used from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. They will also be charged an additional five cents on every kilowatt hour used from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., which is when residential electricity usage spikes. The company says the new plan could benefit people who can shift electrical use, such as charging electric vehicles or running heavy appliances, to off-peak hours.

What is a kilowatt hour?

A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the most common billing unit for energy delivered to consumers.

So if you use a 100-watt light bulb for 10 hours, you’ve used 1 kWh of electricity.

How does it apply to B.C. Hydro billing?

Currently, B.C. Hydro charges customers 10.97 cents per kWh for the first 675 kWh used in an average 30-day billing period.

If the 675 kWh threshold is passed, all additional electricity usage is charged at a rate of 14.08 cents kWh. So, leaving that light bulb on for 10 hours costs 10.97 cents until you pass the threshold, at which point it will cost 14.08 cents. Under the new tiered system, the cost would be five cents per kWh less during off-peak hours (11 p.m. to 7 a.m. local time) and five cents per kWh more during peak hours (4 p.m. to 9 p.m. local time).

How to sign up

After a cycle of aggressive interest rate hikes, the Bank of Canada last hiked the rate to five per cent in July 2023 and held it there until Wednesday’s cut.

RBC, Scotiabank, BMO, TD Bank and CIBC had cut their prime lending rates to 6.95 per cent from 7.20 per cent as of 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Lowering rates too quickly could jeopardize progress: Macklem

But Macklem stressed that the Bank of Canada is going to take things “one meeting at a time.”

Canadians can reasonably expect more cuts so long as inflation continues to ease, and the bank maintains its confidence that inflation is

“They want to get rates down, but they’ll do it in a gradual way, and it’ll probably be a less pronounced rate-cutting cycle than we’ve seen in prior decades, because we’re not in the midst of a recession. What we’re trying to do right now is fend one off.”

CIBC economist Andrew Grantham wrote in a note to clients that “with core inflation decelerating and growth remaining tepid there wasn’t a good excuse to not begin the process of moving rates lower today.”

He expects the Bank of Canada to lower interest rates by another 25 basis points at its next meeting, on July 24, with another two cuts after that before the end of the year.

Tu Nguyen, an economist with RSM Canada, noted that a single rate cut won’t revive the economy overnight.

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To calculate kilowatt-hours, take the wattage of any household appliance, multiply that by how many hours you think it’s used, and divide that by 1,000.

B.C. Hydro is offering an online tool that analyzes past electricity usage and calculates your costs under the new plan. Those who wish to do so can also opt in to the time-of-day pricing rate online by logging in to their B.C. Hydro account.

The federal government will not release the names of parliamentarians who this week were accused in a national-security watchdog report of knowingly working with foreign states to meddle in Canadian democracy, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Thursday.

The Conservatives demanded in Wednesday’s Question Period that the government release the names of the federal politicians who are accused in intelligence documents of being “semi-witting or witting” participants in foreign state’s efforts

to interfere in Canadian politics.

The minority Liberals avoided directly responding to those demands, but pressed on Thursday by Conservative MP Frank Caputo on the House Public Safety committee, Mr. LeBlanc flatly rejected the demands.

“No,” he said in response to a yes or no question on releasing the names of parliamentarians. Mr. LeBlanc said releasing the names would be counter to Canada’s democratic and judicial processes.

Sunita Williams flies to space for third time

Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams flew to space for the third time on Wednesday along with a colleague, scripting history as the first members aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Boeing’s Crew Flight Test mission carrying Williams, and Butch Wilmore lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida after multiple delays. Williams, 58, is the pilot for the flight test while Wilmore,

61, is the commander of the mission. Williams also made history as the first woman to embark on such a mission. And it won’t be her first entry in the history books. She served as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 and then commander of Expedition 33. Boeing’s Crew Flight Test mission has been delayed for several years because of setbacks in the spacecraft’s development.

Tories demand a ‘secret’ carbon pricing analysis Liberals say doesn’t exist

The Conservatives are demanding that the Liberals release what they call a “secret report” that proves carbon pricing is harming Canadian families while the government says there simply is no such thing. At issue is a series of documents on economic impact of carbon pricing provided by Environment and Climate Change Canada to the parliamentary budget office in May.

They were requested by the PBO as it began to redo its own analysis of carbon pricing, after having to admit recently its reports in both 2022 and 2023 were faulty.

Both those reports said while families get more from carbon rebates than they pay directly in carbon pricing, those benefits are erased once wider economic impacts on productivity and wages are factored in. The analysis was only supposed to look at the economic impact of the consumer carbon levy but it also included the big industrial carbon price, known as the Output Based Pricing System, or OBPS for

short. The mistake was quietly noted on the PBO website in April but went unnoticed for nearly a month. Parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux has apologized for the mistake and for not being more transparent to MPs about it.

However he also insists that it’s not going to make a difference and that the new analysis, expected in the fall, will draw the same conclusions.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault this week said he is “somewhat troubled” by Giroux drawing such a conclusion before the proper numbers have been crunched.

During an appearance at a House of Commons committee on Monday, Giroux said he was quite comfortable making such an assumption because the government has produced an analysis that proves it. They just won’t make it public, he said. Giroux was responding to questions from Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull, the parliamentary secretary for finance, about how he can assume the new report will draw the same conclusions.

B.C. teachers critically overworked, understaffed: survey

A new survey from the BC Teachers Federation (BCTF) says teachers in the province are increasingly feeling burned out.

According to the federation, its second annual membership survey showed that teachers in B.C. need more support and time to successfully meet students’ needs.

The survey revealed that more than 58 per cent of teachers say their overall workload has increased since last year. Roughly 15 per cent of teachers said they were unlikely to still be teaching in the B.C. public education system within two years. BCTF president Clint Johnston told CityNews that teachers are feeling the pinch when it comes to extra help in the classroom.

“There’s just, in general, a lack of supports, and just not enough teachers means that you’re doing more work and burning out earlier as

The Vancouver International Airport welcomed 24.9 million passengers last year — a 31 per cent increase over 2022 and the third highest total in the airport’s history, according to an update that YVR’s CEO recently shared at city hall.

“It was a fantastic year,” Tamara Vrooman told Vancouver council May 28. Although the number of international flights remained lower than in 2019 — predominantly related to ongoing global geopolitical dynamics — it was the domestic and U.S. traffic that drove the increase in passengers.

Domestic passengers were up 21 per cent compared to 2022 and increased one per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. Transborder flights — between YVR and U.S. destinations — saw a 38.5 per cent increase

well,” said Johnston.

More than 60 per cent of teachers told the survey that a staffing increase of either oncall or specialist teachers would make a big difference to their workload, and 39.4 per cent called for more educational assistants. Only 13 per cent of survey respondents felt students with disabilities and diverse needs are getting their needs “completely” or “very much” met.

Johnston says teachers who say their workload has increased are also more likely to say they plan to leave teaching altogether.

In 2023, the airport experienced its busiest summer since 2019, with 7.2 million passengers from July to September — a 21.7 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2022, and on par with 2019.

Total number of passengers that travelled through the airport in the pre-pandemic year of 2019 was 26.3 million. That number dropped to 7.3 million in 2020 and seven million in 2021, before increasing to 19 million to end 2022.

The airport’s growth in 2023 is also connected to the addition of 13 new routes, including direct service to Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Nashville, Austin and Boston. There is also now direct service provided by Air Canada to Dubai. At the same time, nearly 320,000 tonnes of cargo passed through the airport — a number that is expected to increase as work continues

Canadian PM Trudeau congratulates Modi on election win, steps up ‘rule of law’ in relationship with India

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau congratulated his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on his victory in the General Election.

The Canadian PM wrote on X, “Congratulations to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his electoral victory.” “Canada stands ready to work with his government to advance the relationship between our nations’ peoples--anchored to human rights, diversity, and the rule of law,” he said. Trudeau wishes for Modi comes amidst strained ties between India

and Canada over Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing. Nijjar was designated a terrorist by the Indian government in 2020. He was shot dead in Surrey last June.

The video of his killing that reportedly surfaced in March this year showed Nijjar being shot by armed men outside a gurdwara in what has been described as an alleged “contract killing” by the Indian governmnet. India has, however, denied the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore test unique Starliner manual piloting capability on orbit

On the way to the International Space Station aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, Indianorigin astronaut Sunita Williams and her colleague Butch Wilmore tested out a unique capability of the spacecraft on orbit – manual piloting.

Williams flew to space for the third time on Wednesday along with Wilmore, scripting history as the first members aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a 25-hour flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

Williams, 58, is the pilot for the flight test while Wilmore, 61, is the commander of the mission. Although the spacecraft is usually autonomous, the crew used the hand controller to point and aim the spacecraft during about two hours of free-flight demonstrations.

During a far-field demo, they pointed Starliner’s nose toward the Earth so that its communications antenna on the back of the Service Module was pointed at the Tracking and Data Relay satellites. They then moved the Starliner so that its solar array pointed at the sun

if ever needed, Boeing said in a statement.

Next, they swung Starliner around and pointed the nose away from Earth to look at the stars. This was to show they could manually use the star trackers in the VESTA system to establish their attitude in space in case all three flight computers were to ever go out or be turned off at the same time.

Then, they manually sped Starliner up and then slowed it down, which slightly raised and then lowered their orbit. This was to show that the crew could manually break away from the space station orbit during rendezvous, if necessary.

Finally, the crew manually pointed Starliner in the orientation needed for entry into the Earth’s atmosphere, just in case they had to do that manually. During that manoeuvre, they again pointed the solar array at the sun to try a different method of confirming they could manually charge the batteries.

There is more manual piloting to come for this “pilot’s spacecraft” with Wilmore and

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Group of councillors call for overhaul of Metro Vancouver governance

A group of four councillors from around the region is calling for changes to how Metro Vancouver is governed.

Councillors Linda Annis of Surrey, Daniel Fontaine of New Westminster, Kash Heed of Richmond, and Ahmed Yousef of Maple Ridge want you, the voter, to elect municipal leaders to represent your city on Metro Vancouver boards — rather than local governments.

The group says, “Metro [Vancouver]’s current governance model with 41 appointed board members from 23 local governments is not working, and voters should have the final say on who represents them.”

Maple Ridge city councillor Ahmed Yousef told CityNews the current system lacks transparency and accountability, citing a turmoil surrounding the new wastewater treatment plant in North Vancouver. Yousef admits he’s light on the details of how the vote would actually work.

“I would like to propose the idea of having the electorate, the general public, be able to have a say in how Metro Vancouver looks, who’s on the board. Whether it be through a separate election or whether it be something that’s added to the ballot, for example, that’s yet to be determined. And that’s the part that I leave to the province,” said Yousef.

He says he’s not worried about low voter turnout for those ballots — in spite of dismal turnout at the last two municipal elections — he says residents in Metro Vancouver care about how their money is spent and how their infrastructure is managed.

“I think it would actually help to engage [voters] a bit more in that now they have more of a stake in voting municipally,” said Yousef. “I’d like to see the entire institution re-examined and looked at as in 2024 — in order to be more resilient, more transparent, and more accountable and efficient, most importantly.”

Indian Man pleads guilty in international students fraud case Federal NDP proposes price cap on food staples if grocery companies don’t lower costs

Dressed in a red jumpsuit, Brijesh Mishra stood inside a Vancouver courtroom and apologized for a slew of Canadian immigration offences. Mishra, 37, was arrested after a Canadian Border Services Agency investigation tied him to dozens of fraudulent acceptance letters for Canadian colleges and universities that were provided to prospective international students from India between 2016 and 2020.

On Wednesday, Mishra pleaded guilty to three charges related to Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, including misrepresentation and communicating false information.

“I’m sorry,” he told the courtroom. “I cannot change the past, but I can make sure I do not do it again in the future.”

Mishra was arrested in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023. He entered Canada on a tourist visa, which was expired at the time of his arrest.

Crown and defence lawyers issued a joint sentencing submission asking for three years in prison, to which the judge agreed was sufficient.

Mishra’s time in custody since his 2023 arrest counts as time served, meaning he will serve an additional 19 months.

“I would say he did show genuine remorse,” said Gagan Nahal, Mishra’s defence lawyer. “The pleas that were entered today were clearly a demonstration of his remorse because he did have a right to run a trial in this.”

Nahal said 12 victims came forward during the course of the CBSA’s investigation.

Security report alleges treason by some politicians

A report by an all-party committee of parliamentarians created by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleges unnamed federal politicians have committed treason against Canada by working with foreign powers to further their own financial and political interests.

Alarmingly, it says that while they are few in number, they’re unlikely to be prosecuted under Canada’s existing laws and restrictive intelligence-sharing methods, even though their actions have caused long-term damage to Canada’s interests.

A redacted version of the report by members of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP),

given security clearance by the Trudeau government to view top secret documents and advise the PM on foreign interference, was released Monday. The government received the unredacted version in March.

It identifies China and India as engaged in ongoing examples of foreign interference that go far beyond attempting to influence the last two federal elections.

It alleges unnamed federal politicians — who could be MPs or Senators— betrayed their oaths of office and loyalty to Canada.

It does not identify the political parties these parliamentarians belong to, although logically it would appear that both Liberal and Conservative politicians may be involved.

As grocery prices continue to weigh heavily on the minds and pockets of Canadians, the federal NDP is proposing a price cap on food staples if the country’s largest grocers don’t agree to lower costs. In a statement, the party said that despite the federal government’s attempts to lower prices — mainly with the introduction of the Grocery Code of Conduct — food costs are still too high. “High grocery prices have been hurting families for months,” said party leader Jagmeet Singh.

“Canadians know that the problem is corporate greed. People are boycotting grocery stores because the Liberals and Conservatives have failed to protect Canadian consumers from price gouging or hold these massive corporations accountable.”

Canada’s Grocery Code of Conduct has been considered a significant attempt toward improving the resiliency and efficiency of the grocery supply chain. However, not all Canadian grocery chains have signed the code, leading to a delay in its implementation.

In May, Loblaw Companies Ltd. announced it was ready to sign the code after months of

hesitation and previous concerns.

“The Code now requires the participation of all major retailers and suppliers to help bring in a new era for Canada’s grocery industry, enhancing the relationship between retailers and suppliers, who both exist to best serve customers,” said Loblaw CEO Per Bank in a previous statement.

Neither Walmart nor Costco has signed the code yet, and some experts have noted that its terms will not work unless all industry players agree to participate.

stores.

Hackers may have accessed 22 B.C. government inboxes, data on 19 employees

Twenty-two British Columbia government email inboxes with sensitive personal information on 19 employees may have been accessed during a cyber attack on the province’s networks, the minister of public safety said on Monday.

Mike Farnworth said there’s no indication the general public’s information was compromised and investigators have not identified any misuse of the information the criminals may have accessed.

being an employee who had family information on their inbox,” he said.

Farnworth said the investigation into the attacks in April, which were made public in May, is continuing and evidence still points to state or state-sponsored actors as those responsible.

The minister would not provide details on where the employees work who were swept up in the breach, but said they are with the public service, not the government cabinet.

Fax: (778)654-9226 | Email: info@NaiyaGillLaw.ca www.NaiyaGillLaw.ca

“A handful of these inboxes contain sensitive personal information on 19 individuals. These were employee files, and with one exception

When the hack was revealed, Farnworth said the province upgraded its security systems in 2022, and it was those measures that detected the attacks.

DOJ charges four Indians for smuggling people across U.S.-Canada border in Washington for profit

Four people have been federally indicted by a grand jury in Seattle for their involvement in a human smuggling conspiracy to bring citizens of India into the United States across the U.S.-Canada border for profit, according to a Thursday afternoon U.S. Department of Justice press release.

The four people indicted have been linked to two smuggling events that occurred in November and December near Peace Arch Park in Blaine involving eight citizens of India, according to the DOJ press release. The four people indicted are Rajat Rajat, 26, of Santa Rosa, Calif.; Sushil Kumar, 35, also of Santa Rosa; Bobby Joe Green, 67, also of Santa Rosa; and Sneha, 20, an Indian

citizen who is in the U.S. on a student visa and goes by only her last name. Rajat was arrested in Chicago; Kumar and Green were arrested in Santa Rosa; and Sneha was arrested in Renton, Wash., and released on an appearance bond, the press release states.

All four were indicted and charged with one count of conspiracy to bring in and transport noncitizens for profit, eight counts of bringing a noncitizen into the U.S. at a place other than a designated Port of Entry and eight counts of attempted illegal transportation of a noncitizen for financial gain. All of the charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison, according to the release.

Canadians have even taken the matter of high grocery prices into their own hands by boycotting Loblaw

B.C. Jewish groups baffled, say teachers’ union won’t back Holocaust education group

The union representing B.C. teachers is facing pushback after it refused to fund a teachers’ association focused on Holocaust and antisemitism education.

A group of teachers set up the Holocaust and Antisemitism Education Association after the province announced last year that holocaust education would become a mandatory part of the Grade 10 curriculum.

“They came together to form an association that would help onboard the holocaust education piece, but also to help be a resource and advocate for battling anti-Semitism within the school space,” explained Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver CEO Ezra Shanken. “The spaces this creates is for teachers educating teachers, teachers raising awareness from teachers, colleagues raising awareness from colleagues.”

But in order to host professional development sessions funded by the union, the HAEA first needs to be recognized by the BC Teachers’ Federation as a Provincial Specialist

Association, or PSA.

On Wednesday, the association was notified by the Professional Specialist Association Council, a branch of the union, that its application had been denied.

“Despite this decision, PSAC was strongly of the opinion that they would like to find ways to help members of your association feel valued and included, and to support Holocaust education and fight against antisemitism in K-12 schools,” the council said in an email to the association.

“They passed a motion to solicit and encourage collaboration between your association and volunteer PSAs within the Council to support the creation and dissemination of your timely and important resources.” Shanken said the decision, which came without an explanation, has left teachers he’s spoken with rattled.

“(One teacher) said we call each other colleagues in the education space, and it feels like my colleagues hate me,” he said.

Scientific adviser appointed as B.C. sees rise in overdose-related brain injuries

British Columbia has announced the appointment of a chief scientific adviser to address a “growing population” of people who survived an overdose but were left with lifealtering brain injuries.

It said Dr. Daniel Vigo is now B.C.’s chief scientific adviser for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders and has a goal to improve care for people with complex mental-health and addiction challenges. Premier David Eby said about 15,000 people in B.C. have died from toxic drugs since a public health emergency was declared in 2016, while many more survived but experienced brain injuries.

the province. He said Vigo will work alongside the provincial health officer, health authorities, Indigenous partners and people with lived experience.

Figures from the BC Centre for Disease Control show that 79 per cent of people who overdosed between January 2015 and December 2021 lived, but Eby said some suffer from life-altering brain injuries that affect their ability to function.

He said Vigo, who’s a psychiatrist and a public health specialist, will address the “rapidly emerging group” of people with the concurrent disorders who need specialized care. The premier said Vigo will analyze existing mental health and addiction services, while reviewing data and best practices from elsewhere to determine what could be done in

“He’ll advise us on new tools and give us advice to help this very specific group of people so they get the help they need, and our communities are safe and healthy for everyone,” Eby told a news conference Wednesday.

He said data from 2023 found patients with overlapping needs who live and get care in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside often suffer repeated health emergencies.

Eby told the news conference of one patient who went to the emergency room 180 times. Four other patients went to emergency more than 140 times, while 612 patients went 10 or more times, he said.

BC United candidate resigns after 2 more MLAs defect

One day after a high-ranking BC United MLA defected to the BC Conservatives, the official opposition lost another candidate in the upcoming provincial election.

Brandon Fonseca, who was set to run for BCU in the riding of Coquitlam-Maillardville, announced on social media Tuesday that he was resigning as a candidate for the party “effective immediately.”

In a series of posts, Fonseca said he had “joined BC United because I wanted to be part of the solution to David Eby’s BC.”

“However, it is clear from Kevin Falcon’s botched merger attempt that he does not have BC’s grass roots movement at heart. British Columbians have made it evident over the last couple of months that they want a common sense conservative government lead (sic)

by John Rustad,” Fonseca wrote just after 9 a.m. on X. “I therefore can no longer in good conscience stand as a candidate for Kevin Falcon’s BC United and allow David Eby to be re-elected due to a fractured free enterprise vote. I call on other BC United candidates to do the right thing and unite behind John Rustad’s movement.”

BC United had introduced Fonseca as its candidate in the Coquitlam-area riding in May.

On Monday, Surrey South MLA Elenore Sturko confirmed she was joining the BC Conservatives, with plans to run in the Surrey-Cloverdale riding for the party in the October election. The former RCMP officer explained she was defecting to “rebuild the coalition that’s needed to defeat the NDP.”

Man who slashed friend’s throat outside Nanaimo mall gets seven years

A man who confessed to impulsively slitting the throat of a friend at Port Place Shopping Centre in Nanaimo has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

Sean Carl John Patterson, 38, was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Serguei Chiliakhov on Jan. 22, 2023. Patterson pleaded guilty in December to the lesser offence of manslaughter and was sentenced Wednesday in B.C. Supreme Court.

Patterson slashed Chiliakhov in the neck during a brief interaction outside the mall around 7 p.m., according to a statement of facts agreed to by Patterson, his lawyer and Crown prosecutors. Chiliakhov suffered massive blood loss from the deep gash, leading to his death.

Police

Patterson addressed the court during his sentencing to offer an apology to Chiliakhov’s family.

“I’m sorry for the harm and grievance I’ve caused you. If I could take it back, I would,” he said. On the evening of Chiliakhov’s death, Patterson was angry after being denied entry to a nearby casino because he wouldn’t allow security staff to search his bag. He had been drinking and using methamphetamine with another man, according to the statement of facts read to the court by Crown prosecutor Nicholas Barber. At the time, Chiliakhov was in the mall parking lot trying to sell drugs. He had a conversation with two people. After a few minutes, Patterson joined them and the two others left.

truck’s ‘black box’ to trace B.C. double murder suspects’ steps

Two men accused in a 2021 double murder of Kamloops brothers may have made the job easier for investigators when their Ford pickup truck failed to catch fire, literally leaving hundreds of kilometres of trail for police to follow, according to what the jury heard on the first day of one of the men’s Vancouver trial.

Wade Cudmore and Anthony Graham have been charged with two counts each of firstdegree murder in the deaths of Carlo and Erick Fryer of Kamloops, after their bodies were found on a forest service road outside of Naramata in B.C.’s Interior in May 2021, according to the Crown’s opening remarks to judge and jury in Cudmore’s trial.

Police have yet to find Graham, who is the subject of a warrant.

Cudmore, who sat in the prisoner’s dock behind bulletproof glass in one of the Vancouver Law Courts’ fortified courtrooms, was wearing a grey summer suit, dark-rimmed glasses and his dark hair short as he listened with the packed courtroom as prosecutors laid out their case.

“A chop wound to Carlo Fryer’s head was … likely found to be the most significant injury leading to his death,” said Crown prosecutor Alexander Willms.

“Shotgun wounds that Erick Fryer sustained were likely to be his most significant wounds,” he said.

Two men accused of stealing $2.5 million worth of vehicles at B.C. port facilities have been arrested.

After three months of investigation, on May 22, 2024, Mohamed Wael Ozor, 29, and Omar Wael Ozor, 20, were each charged with 14 criminal offences in Surrey’s Provincial Court.

The charges included the theft of 29 vehicles across the Lower Mainland, including newer Range Rovers and Toyota Tundras, theft of a motor vehicle of over $5,000, as well as possession and trafficking of stolen property.

In February 2024, the Integrated Municipal Provincial Auto Crime Team (IMPACT)

began an investigation that identified two men from Delta who were allegedly stealing vehicles using sophisticated technology. During the investigation, with the assistance of Vancouver police, Delta police, Langley RCMP and Canada Border Services Agency, IMPACT intercepted several shipping containers with stolen vehicles at B.C. port facilities.

“New vehicle owners sometimes assume that built-in, anti-theft mechanisms and new technology means their vehicle is less likely to be stolen,” Acting Officer in Charge of IMPACT Eugene Lum said in a statement.

Parents file new claim seeking return of ransom paid to son’s killer in botched 2015 kidnapping

The parents of a Chinese international student kidnapped and killed in North Vancouver in 2015 are once again suing the perpetrator to recover more than $300,000 in ransom they paid.

This time, they’ve added his wife to the lawsuit based on the fact she lives in an expensive riverfront condo they allege was financed in part with the extorted money.

Cang Sun and Hua Li, now retired and still living in China, filed a civil suit against Tian Yi (Eddie) Zhang late last month in B.C. Supreme Court.

In 2017, Zhang pleaded guilty to manslaughter after being charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping, extortion and interference with a dead body. After serving time in a B.C. jail, Zhang was released on parole in 2023.

The court case heard Peng Sun was unintentionally strangled by

a zap strap around his neck while being held by Zhang and a co-accused, who has since had his charges stayed.

The notice of claim says Zhang contacted Sun and Li after the September 2015 kidnapping, demanding ransom payments in return for sparing their son’s life.

The lawsuit alleges a series of payments were sent to Zhang amounting to $356,592, of which $49,820 was recovered by police after his arrest. Some of the extorted money was demanded after their son was already dead, according to the claim. The parents seek the return of the remaining $306,772 — a sum, plus interest and costs, that was awarded to them in a court judgment in 2020. They say none of the money has been paid by Zhang since that ruling. Police

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The INDIA bloc’s triumph is not just a political victory but a narrative-defying twist that even the most seasoned analysts didn’t see coming. Just five years ago, the Opposition managed a mere 16 seats, making this year’s tally nothing short of extraordinary. One Twitter user lamented, “UP & Ayodhya are both shocking! Seems people don’t like development and less corruption.” Another disgruntled BJP member wrote on X, “One lesson Uttar Pradesh teaches us - no matter what you do for Hindus, they’ll either stay at home & not vote or they’ll be stupid & spineless. Reason why Congress always trusted Muslim appeasement.” The memes and comments flooding social media offer a blend of sadness and amusement, capturing the chaotic aftermath of the unexpected results. While some lament the electorate’s choices, others see the outcome as a much-needed shake-up in a state

long dominated by one party. Here are some memes and reactions. The INDIA bloc’s success in UP is a testament to their ability to galvanize voters and present a credible alternative to the BJP’s long-standing rule. It’s a wake-up call for the BJP, signaling that no political stronghold is impregnable and that the electorate’s loyalty cannot be taken for granted. This victory also underscores the dynamic nature of Indian democracy, where the electorate’s will can upend even the most entrenched political narratives. For the INDIA bloc, this win is a morale booster and a stepping stone towards greater national relevance.

As the dust settles, the BJP will need to introspect and possibly recalibrate its strategies, both in UP and nationwide. The INDIA bloc, on the other hand, must work to consolidate their gains and deliver on their promises to maintain this newfound support.

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But ignoring caste discrimination in our society is shameful. With growth of population in larger urban centres like Surrey, Abbotsford and Brampton (Ontario), caste discrimination has become more prevalent, Birdi said.

“We have been getting reports of more caste discrimination,” Birdi said.

He said for Sharma and Elmore and the BC government to pretend that not much work has been done on caste discrimination was very disappointing and not accurate. “For last several years, we have been trying to educate BC government about caste discrimination.

“Two years ago, we met with parliamentary secretary Elmore and gave her a comprehensive presentation on caste discrimination and its impacts in BC. We emphasised the need to add caste as a protective category,” Birdi said.

And in October of last year, there was a similar presentation at the University College of Fraser Valley at which Elmore was invited and several well-known educators and advocates made presentations on caste discrimination and its negative impact in BC, he said.

So, for senior government representatives to pretend nothing has been done or that they were not made aware of the prevalence and seriousness of caste discrimination is very disappointing, he said. Rashpal Bhardwaj, president of AISRO (Ambedkarite International Social Reform Organization) said his group fights caste discrimination not only in Canada but worldwide and makes government and agencies aware of caste discrimination wherever it occurs.

“We sent a letter to Education Minister Rachna Singh (Surrey Green Timbers NDP MLA) about caste discrimination, and we never heard back form her. That was very disappointing,” he said.

“The NDP government should learn

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Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, whose portfolio includes both the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and the RCMP, said in response that it would be inappropriate to release the names of MPs under suspicion.

“The leader of the opposition knows very well no government, including the government [of] which he was a member, is going to discuss particularities of intelligence information publicly. So he knows better than that,” he said.

He did suggest that Poilievre go through the process of obtaining a security clearance so he can review the confidential information cited in the report.

from Seattle on how to recognize that caste discrimination is major issue and how to prevent it,” he said.

“If the NDP government and its Ministers do not recognize that caste discrimination is a serious problem, the Dalit community will not support NDP in future,”: he said.’

Bhadrawaj said that the Dalit community was very disappointed with the NDP’s lack of support on the issue of preventing and fighting caste discrimination. He said it was imperative that the NDP government puts caste as a protected category in the human rights legislations.

“Why is Nikki Sharma (Attorney General) ignoring this issue? Is there a reason why she is ignoring it,” he asked. Bhadrawaj said that BC and Canada were becoming more like India –inheriting India’s caste system and discrimination at all levels of society based on caste. And politicians in BC and Canada are allowing castebased politics and caste based divisions to set in here by not speaking out because they are afraid that higher castes will not vote for them if they speak out about caste discrimination.

Both Birdi and Bhadrawaj said that the provincial NDP government needs to follow the example set in Seattle and California to bring in anti-caste discrimination policies.

Both also question why the multitude of South Asian MLAs in the NDP government, including those elected from Metro Vancouver and Surrey areas, were silent on this issue.

“He would be much more informed than he is now and we would invite him to do so, so he wouldn’t stand up and cast aspersions on the floor of the House of Commons without any information whatsoever,” LeBlanc said. LeBlanc has cast some doubt already on some of the report’s findings, and has suggested it left out important context. “The government’s concerns centre around the interpretation of intelligence reports, which lacked the necessary caveats inherent to intelligence, as well as the lack of acknowledgement of the full breadth of outreach that has been done with respect to informing parliamentarians about the threat posed by foreign interference,” he said the day the report was released.

Jay Birdi (left) and Rashpal Bhardwaj

PM ready to remove Biman as Deputy PM

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says if a decision requires removing National Federation Party (NFP) leader Professor Biman Prasad as deputy prime minister, he would do it.

Mr Rabuka was questioned by the media yesterday on whether his decision would be similar to that of when he removed the late Taufa Vakatale as deputy PM in the SVT government from 1997 to 1999.

“Yes, that is the same,” said Mr Rabuka.

sanctioned.

“I was waiting for an official report from the party to inform me as a party leader that the members acted in accordance with the directive of the party.

“I cannot have a deputy prime minister that does not work in accordance with my directive as Coalition leader, particularly when I said on the morning of Wednesday (May 22) ‘let us stick together until elections’.”

The Prime Minister said the party could be

“In which case they are not liable individually.

“It is the party that I will have to talk with.”

Mr Rabuka added despite their differences, the Coalition remained strong.

Meanwhile, The People’s Alliance party leader said the standoff between NFP and Minster for Women Lynda Tabuya was “unfortunate”.

“That was unfortunate because Honorable Tabuya did not consider our Cabinet stood by silently when she was going through her problems with the media before.”

Taxidriver’s body found

The body of a Tavua taxidriver who was missing since Saturday was found yesterday morning in a secluded spot in Matalevu, Tavua.

Police confirmed Nitesh Chand’s taxi was discovered near the Dokanaisuva Police Post on Sunday.

Mr Chand’s elder brother, Navin Chand yesterday said they had lost a very humble family member.

“He was a very good boy and very disciplined,” he said.

“He went missing from Saturday afternoon and we have been looking or him since then.

“His body was found yesterday morning

by a carrier driver who was taking children to school.” Mr Chand said his brother was separated from his wife and had two children aged four and three.

The Fiji Taxi Association general secretary Ashwin Lal said it’s shocking Mr Chand went missing around 6pm on Saturday.

“This is the third taxidriver who has been killed in this way and we ask for more patrols by police in the nights for the safety of our members,” he said.

“If there had been check-points on the highways in the night, I am sure those behind this crime could have been caught when they were driving the taxi to Suva.”

Police officer and former bank officer charged in $233,000 money laundering case

A police officer and former bank officer appeared in the $233,230.27 money laundering case in the Suva Magistrates Court this afternoon. They both have been granted bail on conditions of not to re-offend, two sureties each, a non-cash bond of $5,000 each, they are not allowed to change their address, they have to surrender their passport to the court, they cannot interfere with the witnesses and a stop departure has been issued against them.

Sofia Khan a former reconciliation officer at the ANZ Bank is charged with 8 counts

NZ commits more than NZ$19M to support development programmes in Fiji Ba

New Zealand has announced funding for several initiatives in Fiji worth more than NZ$19 million through New Zealand’s International Development Cooperation Programme.

These programmes include NZ$3.6 million in funding for Fiji’s Climate Relocation of Communities Trust Fund, funding of NZ$572,000 for an upgrade to the HighTemperature Forced Air Facility at Nadi International Airport alongside Australia to help Fijian horticultural exporters meet New Zealand’s strict biosecurity requirements.

It also includes NZ$7.5 million for the Government of Fiji’s economic reform programme, which is focused on improving fiscal management and sustainability, and economic resilience.

The programmes also include NZ$15.3 million funding for a New Zealand Plant and Food Research-led programme to support farmers in five Pacific countries, including Fiji, to adapt to the impacts of climate change on production and While speaking during a press conference

Ba Town is not safe on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, says Ba Industries PTE Ltd general manager Sanjay Badgujar.

During a ratepayers meeting with Local Government Minister Maciu Nalumisa on Tuesday, Mr Badgujar said the safety of residents was being threatened by people drinking in public.

“I have been staying in Ba Town for the last 15 years and I have seen the developments,” Mr Badgujar said.

“But in the past years, many liquor shops have opened. Now, we are being given permits for nightclubs.”

Mr Badgujar said there were more than 300 people roaming around town on Saturday.

“It has become unsafe,” he said.

“I stay beside the ANZ bank and there are no

street lights. Both gates on the side of my house are being used for drinking purposes.

“From 9pm to 2am, there can be about three to four police vehicles going around and taking all these drinkers, then coming back.”

Similar sentiments were echoed by resident Pradeep Chandra, who said his chain was snatched from around his neck while walking in town.

“This is a risk we face as we are exposed to these dangers in the night,” Mr Chandra said.

of fraudulent falsification of accounts and eight counts of money laundering while Jean Baleinabuli, a police officer, is charged with 20 counts of money laundering.

It is alleged that between 2nd May 2022 and 13th February 2023, Sofia Khan fraudulently falsified multiple accounts and stole $233,230.27 from ANZ which she laundered into her defacto partner, Jean Baleinabuli’s ANZ account.

The two then allegedly used the money to build and upgrade two houses in Nausori.

The case has been adjourned to 18th July.

following a discussion with Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says Fiji is a significant trading partner for them as it is their 24th biggest trading partner. He says there is $1.4 billion worth of two-way trade between Fiji and New Zealand and they strive to deliver $2 billion worth of trade by 2030. Meanwhile, Rabuka says more than 900 Fijians are currently working under the New Zealand Regional Seasonal Employers Scheme and they welcome New Zealand’s commitment to further support.

Rabuka says since Luxon’s arrival they have been reaffirming their commitment to the Duavata Partnership which is coming to maturity next year. Rabuka says their officials are reviewing the partnership with proposed highlevel consultations which are expected to take place later this year.

The Prime Minister further says in their discussion, they firmed up intention to pursue greater coordination in their respective foreign policy priorities.

‘Biggest upset in cricket history’ – Pakistan suffer USA shock to leave World Cup hopes in tatters

Pakistan suffered a massive setback in their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign as USA shocked them in Dallas, Texas on June 6.

USA dominated proceedings for most of the match as they handed Pakistan a shock defeat on Thursday. Earlier in the day, they sent Pakistan in to bat first. Three quick wickets in the powerplay, including a spectacular grab from Steven Taylor, set the tone for the hosts. Pakistan were 26-3 at one stage and managed only 159-7 in the first innings.

With a 38-ball 50, captain Monank Patel was the driving force behind USA’s reply. The match went down to the wire as a last-ball four by Nitish Kumar took it to the super over.

USA made 18-1 in the tie-breaker, partly assisted by Mohammad Amir’s wayward bowling, who bowled seven wides. Left-arm pacer Saurabh Netravalkar, who took 2-18 off his four overs earlier, was summoned by Monank

to defend the total. The equation came down to six from the last ball, but Netravalkar held his nerve as he gave away a single to hand his side a historic win. Before the tournament, they won a historic series against Bangladesh and entered the tournament high on confidence. They beat Canada comprehensively in their tournament opener.

The result brought out widespread reactions from the cricket community. Michael Vaughan, along with others, was critical of Pakistan’s performance as they crumbled under pressure, while praise for USA was universal.

With this loss, Pakistan complicated their path to the second round. They are placed third behind USA and India. Their best scenario to stay in the hunt is to beat India on June 9. If they can’t, they will have to hope USA lose their remaining matches against Ireland and India and need to win their final two group fixtures.

Pakistan police arrest 44 terrorists from Punjab province

Law enforcement agencies in Pakistan’s Punjab province have arrested 44 alleged terrorists of ISIS, Al-Qaeda and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who were plotting to attack important government installations and personalities, police said on Monday. The suspected terrorists have been arrested during the last month in combined intelligence operations in different parts of the province.

CTD said it conducted 794 intelligence-based operations in different cities of Punjab in which 44 suspected terrorists belonging to banned organisations — ISIS, Al-Qaeda, TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi — were arrested.

It said the arrested terrorists have been arrested in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Narowal, Sialkot, Khaniwal, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur.

Courts acquit Pak ex-PM Imran in 3 high-profile cases

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party founder Imran Khan was on Monday acquitted in three high-profile cases, including the cipher case, in a major relief to the beleaguered former prime minister who was sentenced to 10 years

in jail for making public a secret diplomatic communication.

The 71-year-old former cricketer-turnedpolitician has been in jail since August last year after being convicted in some of the 200 cases.

Rahul alleges Modi, Amit Shah ‘directly involved’ in stocks crash ‘scam’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were “directly involved” in what he described as the “biggest stock market scam” with retail investors losing Rs 30 lakh crore due to the market crashing after the Lok Sabha poll result, even as the BJP dismissed his charges as “baseless”.

Hitting back at Gandhi, the BJP accused him of conspiring to scare domestic and foreign investors. The stock market went down when the Congress was seen gaining in seats on the day of the poll result on June 4 but has now begun rising as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is set to return to office for a third consecutive term, it claimed.

Addressing a press conference here, Gandhi demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the “scam” and sought an inquiry into the alleged role of the prime minister, Union Home Minister and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in it, claiming they had advised retail investors to buy stock before the result, which is “unprecedented”.

Gandhi also alleged that Prime Minister Modi

and Shah knew how many seats the BJP was winning, but they “artificially” jacked up the stock prices with the help of “fake” and “fictitious” exit polls and the markets crashed when the actual result came out on June 4 leading to huge losses to retail investors.

“The common people of India lost Rs 30 lakh crore in the stock market on June 4...We demand a JPC investigation into this biggest-ever stock market scam,” the former Congress chief said.

“This is a criminal act and we demand a JPC to investigate the involvement of the prime minister, home minister and finance minister and who are the people who made the money in this ‘scam’,” he said referring to those behind the exit polls.

“I am saying that people very high up in the BJP have carried out the scam...they had partners who carried out these exit polls,” he said, questioning whether such exit polls were actually carried out on the ground and the methodology adopted.

Gandhi also asked who these investors were who invested huge sums before the exit polls and made money when the stocks rose thereafter a day before the actual result.

Supreme Court directs Himachal Pradesh to release water to help Delhi

The Supreme Court on Thursday directed the Himachal Pradesh Government to release 137 cusecs of its surplus water to Hathni Kund Barrage for its onward supply to Delhi to enable it to deal with peak summer water crisis.

“Since the State of Himachal Pradesh has no objection and is ready and willing to release the surplus drinking water available with it, we direct that the State of Himachal Pradesh shall release 137 Cusecs of surplus drinking water available with it from the upstream so that the water reaches Hathni Kund Barrage and reaches Delhi through Wazirabad Barrage,” a Vacation Bench

led by Justice PK Mishra said.

Terming it “an existential problem” for Delhi, the Bench – which also included Justice KV Viswanathan -- directed the Haryana Government to facilitate further release of the water received from Himachal Pradesh at Hathni Kund Barrage to Wazirabad Barrage to save the national capital from acute water shortage.

“Considering the urgency in the matter, we direct the State of Himachal Pradesh to release the surplus drinking water by tomorrow i.e. on 07th June, 2024 with prior intimation to the Haryana Government,” it said.

US National Security Adviser Sullivan to visit New Delhi to engage new govt on shared India-US priorities: White House

US President Joe Biden’s National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will visit India to engage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led new government on shared priorities, including the trusted, strategic technology partnership, the White House said, as the two top leaders seek to deepen the bilateral partnership.

Sullivan’s visit was discussed during the phone call President Biden made to Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday to congratulate him on his reelection for a historic third term.

“President Joseph R Biden, Jr spoke today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to congratulate him and the National Democratic Alliance on their historic victory in India’s general election,” the White House said in a readout of the call.

to deepening the US-India Comprehensive and Global Strategic Partnership and to advancing their shared vision of a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region, it said.

“The two leaders also discussed National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s upcoming travel to New Delhi to engage the new government on shared US-India priorities, including the trusted, strategic technology partnership,” the White House said.

Prime Minister Modi, responding to Biden’s congratulatory message, replied that he was “happy to receive call from my friend President @ JoeBiden. Deeply value his warm words of felicitations and his appreciation for the Indian democracy.”

Centre tells states to be prepared to meet challenges of heat wave, forest fires

The Centre on Thursday stressed the need for states to be better prepared to meet challenges related to heat wave and forest fires, ensure no loss of life and to minimise damage.

At a meeting of the National Crisis Management Committee (NCMC), Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba also gave an assurance to the states and Union territories that the central ministries and departments are closely engaging with them to ensure optimum preparedness and for implementing timely mitigation and response measures, according to an official statement.

The issue of heat wave and forest fires was discussed at a meeting of the NCMC, chaired by the cabinet secretary who took stock of the preparedness of the central and state governments.

Chief secretaries of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat,

Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Odisha, Delhi, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, and senior officials from Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh also attended the meting through video-conferencing. Top officials of the central government also attended the meeting.

The cabinet secretary observed that states and Union territories need to be better prepared to meet the associated challenges related to heat wave and forest fires to ensure no loss of life and to minimise damage. He stressed the importance of preparatory measures as outlined by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the statement said.

Biden also commended the people of India for participating in the elections, with nearly 650 million going to the polls to vote, the readout said. The two leaders emphasised their commitment

“Conveyed that India-US Comprehensive Global Partnership is poised to witness many new landmarks in the years to come. Our partnership will continue to be a force for global good for the benefit of humanity,” Modi wrote on X.

Spurned by Male, Israel asks tourists to head to India

Maldives’ spurning of Israeli tourists will be a gain for beaches in Goa, Kerala, Lakshadweep and Andamans, if a recent X post from Tel Aviv’s mission in New Delhi is an indication.

“Since the Maldives is no longer welcoming Israelis, here are some beautiful and amazing

Indian beaches where Israeli tourists are warmly welcomed and treated with utmost hospitality,” posted the Israeli embassy in India. To lend credibility, it said its “recommendations were based on the places visited by our diplomats”.

Indian voters reject Modi’s vision for one-party state in win for competitive democracy

The opposition obituaries had been written. According to most polls, India’s election was a foregone conclusion.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing, Hindu-nationalist alliance was expected to secure a supermajority – and with it the power to enact radical change unopposed.

To Modi’s critics and opponents, India was on the fast track to becoming a de-facto oneparty state. But as Trump’s victory of 2016, Brexit and countless other upsets of recent years have shown, opinion polls and analysts can often get it spectacularly wrong.

Going into this election, Modi had set a goal of winning 400 seats in the lower house of parliament, or Lok Sabha. But as results began to trickle in Tuesday night, it quickly became clear his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party wouldn’t even have enough to form a simple majority. Instead, for the first time since coming to power a decade ago, Modi will be reliant on longstanding local coalition partners to keep him in government.

In what opposition parties have declared as a victory for pluralism, voters in the world’s largest democracy partially rejected Modi’s populist vision for a Hindu-first nation, reducing the BJP’s share of the vote by 63 seats – bringing its total down to 240, far below the 272 required for a parliamentary majority.

Opposition parties meanwhile won 235 seats, while BJP’s coalition partners secured 52 seats.

Tuesday’s result is a humbling moment for a leader who declared he was sent by God and whose lead in the polls was lauded by supporters as unassailable.

The BJP’s inability to secure an outright majority “pricks the bubble of Modi’s authority,” wrote political scientist Pratap

Bhanu Mehta Tuesday night.

Modi is “not the indomitable vehicle for History … Today, he is just another politician, cut to size by the people.”

Modi’s victory Tuesday makes him the first leader since India’s founding prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru to secure a third five-year term. Since assuming power in 2014, Modi has attained levels of popularity not seen in decades, owing to a raft of development and welfare programs, mixed with a strident brand of Hindu nationalism in a country where about 80% of the population are followers of the polytheistic faith.

Under Modi’s leadership, the country of 1.4 billion people has become the world’s fastestgrowing major economy and a modern global power, making strides in technology and space. Yet, despite these successes, poverty and youth unemployment persist – particularly in rural areas – and the wealth gap has widened.

Modi has spoken of having a vision of India for the next 1,000 years and wants to turn it into a developed nation by 2047. He has made clear his ambitions of transforming the constitutionally secular country into a Hindu-first state, most recently inaugurating a grand temple on the site of a desecrated mosque.

Kangana Ranaut slapped at Chandigarh airport by CISF constable over her farmer agitation comment

Actress and BJP MP-elect Kangana Ranaut said she was hit in the face and abused by a woman CISF constable during security check at the Chandigarh airport on Thursday, the ugly fracas breaking out two days after she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

Constable Kulwinder Kaur, who appeared to be upset with Ranaut over her stance on the farmer protests, has been suspended and an FIR lodged against her, officials said.

The Central Industrial Security Force, tasked with providing security at airports, has also ordered a court of inquiry. In a video statement titled ‘Shocking rise in terror and violence in Punjab’ posted on X after she landed in Delhi, the actress said she was safe and fine.

me. I asked her why she did it and she said she supports the farmer protests.” “I am safe but my concern is that terrorism is increasing in Punjab... How do we handle that?”

Another video doing the rounds of social media showed the agitated constable talking to people presumably after the incident.

“Kangana had made a statement that farmers were protesting in Delhi just because they had been paid Rs 100 or Rs 200. At the

Recapping in detail what had happened, Ranaut said she had been getting a lot of calls from the media and her well-wishers. The constable, she said, came towards her from the side.

“She hit me in the face and started abusing

time, my mother was one of the protesters,” she said in the purported video.

Terming the incident a serious matter, National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma called for serious action and said the panel had taken up the matter with the CISF.

India sends humanitarian aid to Cuba

India has extended humanitarian assistance to Cuba in the form of a consignment of about 90 tonnes of nine Made-in-India Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) that left Mundra Port on Sunday, the MEA said. These APIs

would be used by the Cuban drug manufacturers to produce essential antibiotics needed for treatment of chronic communicable diseases, it said in a statement. Cuba has been badly affected by shortage of essential goods, food items and medicines.

Dust storm in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh; trees uprooted, heavy rain leads to power cuts

Powerful dust storms followed by heavy rain disrupted life in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on Wednesday night with electric poles, towers and trees uprooted in many areas.

The impact was seen in Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali, Patiala and Ludhiana also where trees and poles were seen uprooted on the roads. There was no power supply in Ludhiana’s Ghumar Mandi and Civil Lines for over 8-10 hours and the voltage remained fluctuating.

Sixty-two electricity poles in Sahnewal area fell due to high-velocity winds, resulting which there was no power in Sahnewal, Gyaspura and Kanganwal areas.

In city areas, the trees fell and damaged the wires and there was no power for several hours. The board officials maintain that it will take a few hours to rectify the problem.

On Wednesday, a 40-ft-high unipole split into two and damaged five vehicles in the parking lot of the Oxford Street in Zirakpur, as storm and showers lashed the tricity. No one was injured

As a result, thousands of residents had a sleepless night in hot weather conditions.

The weather agency has predicted heat wave conditions at isolated places in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan for Thursday.

Punjab ex-CM Charanjit Channi’s margin bigger than PM Narendra Modi’s

Jalandhar: Supporters of former Punjab CM Charanjit Channi were buoyed over the fact that his winning margin was more than that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Varanasi. While Channi won with a huge margin of 1.76 lakh votes, the PM won by 1.52 lakh votes. “We are happy our leader has got even a more decisive mandate than that of the PM,” said Amritpal Bhonsle, Congress coordinator in Jalandhar.

Battle of nerves in Ferozepur Ferozepur: It became a battle of nerves in Ferozepur as all four main candidates, at some point of time, were leading the contest. However, the Congress finally won by a slender margin of 3,262 votes. The SAD couldn’t continue its winning spree in Ferozepur from where it had won for the past six consecutive terms since 1998 and the Congress broke the jinx of losing the LS poll here since 1985.

Neelam got 409, Prithivi Pal 434, Gagandeep 610, Ramesh Kumar 652, Gurpreet Singh Rattan 738, Balwinder Singh 857 and Rajinder Kumar Sharma 900.

3 leaders get dislodged in Jalandhar

Jalandhar: The polls have marred the career of at least three big leaders from Jalandhar. Phillaur Congress MLA Vikramjit Chaudhary, who was suspended for turning rebel against Channi, is in crossroads after the latter’s win. Likewise, Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural will find it difficult to get back into political scene again. Also, former Congress MP MS Kaypee, who contested against Channi, lost his security deposit.

Congress leader’s nephew booked Abohar: Harman Baghla, a nephew of city Congress president Subhash Baghla, has been booked for defying the Election Commission’s guidelines that no person would take a mobile phone to the polling booth or make videos. In a complaint, SDM-cum-Assistant Returning Officer said Harman, a resident of Nai Abadi, went to the polling booth and filmed a video and it was circulated on social media.

Randhawa’s patience pays off Gurdaspur: Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa was ready to go to the counting centre early in the morning from his native Dharowali village. However, someone advised him to exercise restraint and he waited till he got a lead of 15,000 votes. When he reached the venue, his followers started dancing to the beats of drum. His patience paid off as his lead had increased to over 50,000 by then.

7 Independents get under 1,000 votes Amritsar: Among the 30 contenders who were in the fray for the Amritsar Parliamentary seat, seven Independents couldn’t cross the mark of 1,000 votes. One Independent, Dilbagh Singh, has got the lowest votes at 391 while

No SAD opponent has won from Majitha Amritsar: SAD’s bastion Majitha is the only segment in Amritsar which could never be conquered by any opponent. The fact was witnessed since the SAD’s former minister Bikram Singh Majithia came into politics. In the current polls, SAD candidate Anil Joshi grabbed got 40,981 votes, distantly followed by AAP’s Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal who polled 28,530 votes, Congress’s GS Aujla 16,505 and BJP’s Taranjit Singh Sandhu 8,056.

Ghubaya wins by lowest margin in state

Ferozepur: The lowest winning margin in Punjab was on the Ferozepur seat, where Sher Singh Ghubaya of the Congress defeated AAP’s Jagdeep Singh Kaka Brar by 3,242 votes. The highest margin was in Khadoor Sahib, where Independent Amritpal Singh won by a margin of 1,97,120 votes, defeating Kulbir Singh Zira of the Congress.

Amethi winner’s Malerkotla connection

Malerkotla: The newest MP from Amethi, Kishori Lal Sharma, has made history by defeating Smriti Irani with a greater margin than that of PM Narendra Modi. He is the son of late Amar Chand Sharma and his wife Sita Devi. He won by a margin of 1,67,196 votes. Sharma’s kin in Malerkotla celebrated his victory in front of the bakery where he used to help his father after school.

Punjab elects 7 Congress, 2 radicals to Parliament

Having lost power to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the 2022 Assembly elections, the Congress stamped its authority in the parliamentary elections by bagging seven of the 13 seats in Punjab.

The big talking point was the huge victory of jailed radical leader and self-styled Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh from Khadoor Sahib and Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa from Faridkot. Amritpal polled 4,04,430 votes and won by a margin of 1,97,120 votes, the highest in the state, against his

Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir candidates win elections from prison; What the rules say on jailed MPs

Two candidates currently lodged in prison on terror charges emerged winners in the just-concluded parliamentary election, giving rise to an unusual situation for the 18th Lok Sabha to be formed in the coming days.

While the law will keep them from attending the proceedings of the new House, they do have the constitutional right to take oath as Members of Parliament.

The Election Commission declared the results of the Lok Sabha polls on Tuesday. While pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal Singh won Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib seat, terror financing accused Sheikh Abdul Rashid, also known as Engineer Rashid, emerged victorious on Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla seat.

Engineer Rashid has been lodged in Tihar jail since August 9, 2019, on charges of terror financing. Singh was arrested in April 2023 under the National Security Act and sent to the Dibrugarh prison in Assam.

The question now arises if these jailed newly elected MPs will be allowed to take the oath, and

if yes, how. Explaining the legalities involved, Constitution expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general PDT Achari emphasised the importance of following the constitutional provisions in such cases.

Being sworn in as a Member of Parliament is a constitutional right, he said.

But because they are currently in prison, Engineer Rashid and Singh must seek permission from authorities to be escorted to Parliament for the oath-taking ceremony.

Once they have taken the oath, they will have to return to prison. To further explain the legalities, Achari cited Article 101(4) of the Constitution which deals with the absence of members from both Houses of Parliament without prior sanction of the Chair.

He said that after they have taken oath, they will write to the Speaker, informing him or her about their inability to attend the House. The Speaker will then refer their requests to the House Committee on Absence of Members.

Pakistan issues 962 visas to Sikh pilgrims on occasion of ‘Martyrdom Day’ of Guru Arjun Dev

The Pakistan High Commission has issued 962 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to facilitate their participation at events on the occasion of ‘Martyrdom Day’ of Guru Arjun Dev.

Owing to the Nanakshahi Calendar row that has led to the mismatch of dates, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has yet again skipped from sending any request to

nearest rival, Kulbir Singh Zira of the Congress. The Congress won the Amritsar (GS Aujla), Jalandhar (Charanjit Singh Channi), Ludhiana (Amrinder Singh Raja Warring), Fatehgarh Sahib (Amar Singh), Ferozepur (Sher Singh Ghubaya), Patiala (Dr Dharamvira Gandhi) and the Gurdaspur (Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa) seats. The ruling AAP could get only three seats — Hoshiaprur (Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal), Anandpur Sahib (Malwinder Singh Kang) and Sangrur (Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer).

the Pakistan embassy for sending ‘jathas’ for the occasion.

Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) follows the original Nanakshahi Calendar and observes the occasions accordingly. The SGPC would observe the occasion on June 10, while the same event would be held in Pakistan on June 16.