The Asian Star November 24 2018

www.theasianstar.com Vol 17 - Issue 47

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Clerk of the BC legislature, Sergeant-at-Arms suspended pending criminal investigation The two highest-ranking unelected officials in British Columbia’s legislature were escorted out of their offices on Tuesday by Victoria Police as the politicians they served learned of a sweeping RCMP criminal investigation that has required the appointment of two special prosecutors.

The legislature’s Clerk of the House, Craig James, and Sergeant-at-Arms Gary Lenz were whisked out of the House and into the Speaker’s office immediately after Question Period, where they watched on a television screen as MLAs voted to suspend them from their duties pending an investigation.

In a news conference on Wednesday, Special Adviser Alan Mullen said he was first brought on in January, after concerns were raised by Speaker Darryl Plecas. “I was brought in for a number of different reasons in January. There were just regular concerns about a lot of different things, including this,� he said in a news conference. Mullen said that he passed along the information he’d gathered to the RCMP and Victoria police in August. The B.C. Prosecution Service said in a statement the RCMP then contacted it in September.

This week, House leaders introduced the motion to put the men on leave, which passed Continued on page 7

Public input needed in real estate money laundering The B.C. government’s expert panel on money laundering in real estate is seeking input from British Columbians.

The panel has launched a public consultation to help shape its recommendations on how to better protect B.C.’s real estate sector from those seeking to launder the proceeds of crime. “We’re hoping to actually hear from everyone because, certainly, money laundering impacts

everyone in British Columbia,� said Finance Minister Carole James, who appointed the panel earlier in the fall. It followed two independent reports that revealed how the province’s real estate market is susceptible to criminal activity and market manipulation. The panel will be accepting responses from individuals, stakeholders or organizations by email or through Continued on page 7

Calgary cab driver convicted of sexual assault hiding in Pakistan A Canada-wide warrant has been issued for a Calgary cab driver who failed for show for sentencing after being convicted of sexual assault on a passed-out fare. Nadeem Irshad, 37 (pictured), was convicted June 25 and was due in court for sentencing on Friday. He is described as being five feet 10 inches and 195 pounds with black

hair and brown eyes. Irshad was convicted of sexual assault after forcing a passed-out fare to perform oral sex on him in the back of his cab in 2014.

Cab driver Muhammed Irshad was found guilty of sexually assaulting a fare who was passed out in the back of his cab in July 2014.

Continued on page 6

Amritsar attack was planned in Lahore by Canada-based pro-Khalistani groups - Probe Investigations into the Amritsar grenade attack on Sunday have revealed that the strike was planned in Lahore with the involvement of proKhalistani Sikh diaspora in Germany and Canada, according to top security officials in

New Delhi who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The officials characterised this as a desperate attempt to revive militancy in Punjab and said it might not work. According to the officials, a Continued on page 6

BC College of Physicians wants ‘Dr. Lipjob’ sent to jail It was a dramatic denouncement midway through a private Botox party at the back of a Vancouver salon in July, in the fashionable Yaletown neighbourhood.

The woman allegedly injecting Botox was confronted by a salon manager brandishing a cellphone with a CBC News article on it about “Dr. Lipjob� — a fake doctor already subject to a court order brought by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of

Tel:604-591-5423

British Columbia. “I showed her the article, said to her and everyone present that she was not a real doctor and demanded that she leave immediately before

Rajdeep Kaur Khakh

I called the police,â€? said Justin Voitic in an affidavit filed as part of a new application by the college asking a judge to punish Rajdeep Kaur Khakh with prison time and fines. “[She] appeared shaken up and quickly packed up her things‌ She thanked me, which I assume was for giving her the opportunity to leave,â€? said Voitic.

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www.theasianstar.com Vol 17 - Issue 47

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Kelowna Sikh temple vandalized by racist graffiti Racist graffiti on a Sikh temple in Kelowna is drawing words of condemnation.

The graffiti scrawled on a wall at the Gurdwara Guru Amardas Darbar Sikh Society was discovered on Monday as the congregation was gathering. The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) has been in contact with members and is offering support.

Amanpreet Singh Hundal, the WSO’s vicepresident for B.C., who also lives in Kelowna, said in a statement he was “disappointed” by what happened.

“We believe it is ignorance and fear that drives racism, and the Sikh community will continue to reach out to educate and build bridges despite incidents like this,”

he said. “Local gurdwaras in Kelowna regularly host high school students for tours and information sessions on the Sikh faith and those will continue. Whoever vandalized the gurdwara would have been better served to actually learn more about the Sikh community by going inside the gurdwara to ask questions and enjoying the free meal available to all visitors.

Kelowna is our home and racist incidents like this won’t faze us.” The statement said that the gurdwara has been vandalized once in the past, but that police were not contacted at that time.

Politics behind why Richmond mayor Brodie was denied Metro Vancouver Chairmanship Sometimes, politics is a noble battle of ideas, where winners are decided by reasoned public debate in the town square. How the chair of Metro Vancouver was decided on Friday was not one of those times. Instead, it

was a question of regional alliances and lastminute anger causing a long-term mayor to lose an election he was presumed to win. On Friday, Burnaby Coun. Sav Dhaliwal was Continued on page 6

New Council approves plan for free parking near Surrey Memorial Hospital & City Hall Surrey council took a formal step on Monday to eliminate pay parking at the city hall parkade and on the street near Surrey Memorial Hospital, fulfilling a campaign promise.

C o u n c i l approved a corporate report by the city’s engineering department that recommended two-hour free parking at the two sites. It also

voted to authorize city staff to bring forward the necessary bylaw amendment for the required readings.

Free parking will be limited to two hours in order to ensure parking turnover and that “external users,” such as park-and-ride users, don’t hog the spots.

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Major players not optimistic about Metro Vancouver’s housing market prospects Metro Vancouver’s turbocharged residential real estate market is showing signs of slowing, with sales plunging, prices edging down and a large swath of properties hitting the market.

It is enough to temper the enthusiasm of some longtime boosters of the market.

Chip Wilson, for example, has for years been bullish on the region’s residential real estate market, which in October saw the benchmark price for all homes in the region up 76.8% compared with five years earlier.

His own home at 3085 Point Grey Road is the priciest in the province, with an assessed value of more than $78.8 million – up more

than 124 per cent in the past five years.

Wilson also owns rental-apartment buildings through his Low Tide Properties.

When Business in Vancouver asked Wilson on October 24 whether it is a good time to buy Vancouver real estate, he did not skip a beat before answering, “Absolutely not.”

Wilson’s comment came four days after the most recent civic elections and he did not sound pleased with the result.

“We have three levels of left-wing government,” he said. “Money will go to where it is most loved, and investment here is very, very, very difficult right now.”

Continued on page 6

India’s 1st women’s hockey team enjoys smooth skating in Alberta Women hockey players from India say they’re skating better than ever now that they’re on Alberta ice.

India’s top female hockey players learned the game against the odds, on frozen Himalayan ponds and in second-hand gear nabbed from brothers. Now their hard work has brought them to Canada and its slick indoor rinks, under the guidance of one of the world’s top female hockey players, Hayley Wickenheiser. They’re in Alberta this week for the Wickenheiser Female World Hockey Festival in Calgary and exhibition games in Airdrie.

“The ice is quite rough back home. It’s quite hard to play. But when you compare it with the indoor rinks here, it’s like, you know, the Continued on page 6

American killed in flurry of arrows by Indian tribesmen defend their Islands In North Sentinel Island near Andaman and Nicobar they are hunter-gatherers who live on a remote, forested island in the Indian Ocean.

They do not use money. They resist contact with the outside world — and have been known to sling arrows at outsiders who approach their shores. They are the Sentinelese, one of the last tribes untouched by modern civilization.

And they may have just committed murder.

An American man described in local media as either an adventure tourist or a Christian missionary has been killed by tribesman on North Sentinel Island, Indian police said Wednesday. As of nightfall, they were still trying to recover his Continued on page 6

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OPINION

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Birth tourism growing issue in Canada

There were 102 babies born to surrogate moms in British Columbia in 2016 and 2017. Of those, 45 were babies for parents from other countries. Parents who travelled here to have their child delivered in Canada, who before they left picked up a Canadian citizenship for their child and who left Canadian taxpayers with the bills for the pregnancy of their surrogate mom as well as costs for the delivery and postnatal care of their newborn. We know this thanks to reporting by freelance Globe and Mail writer Alison Motluk, who earlier this month wrote about Canada increasingly becoming a destination for international surrogacy.

It’s understandable that foreign parents, especially those who may need to turn to surrogacy to have a child, would find Canada and a bonus Canadian citizenship for their child attractive. Surrogacy is prohibited in many countries and few countries permit surrogacy for non-residents, let alone pay for costs associated with the surrogate mom’s

pregnancy, delivery and postnatal care costs.

Without doubt, some of those parents are likely desperate to have children and may have few options. On compassionate grounds, their desire to seek surrogacy here may be compelling. However, an open-door policy for birth tourism is also troubling.

Why is citizenship being handed out to the children of birth tourists as a going away prize?

Citizenship is a privilege, something often earned at great cost and difficulty for the many millions of Canadians who immigrated to this country and made it their home.

Why on earth should Canadian taxpayers foot the hospital bills for foreign couples who want to have their babies in this country – $3,000 to $6,000 for uneventful births to potentially more than $90,000 for premature babies with complications? Is birth tourism something we should be encouraging?

And although B.C. tracks residency data on parents, other provinces don’t.

So we’re not even sure of the scope of birth tourism in this country, let alone its costs. As Brian Lilley wrote in the Sun on this issue, Real Women of Canada wants Ottawa to close loopholes that permit taxpayer subsidization for foreign surrogacy – something many European countries have already done. Without such change, there’s little doubt Canada increasingly will become a destination for birth tourism.

Canada is losing control on immigration Canada is on track to receive more asylum applications in 2018 than any previous year since the Immigration and Refugee Board started tracking this information in 1989.

This, after 6,465 asylum seekers submitted applications in October alone. So much for immigration minister Ahmed Hussen’s assertion that the numbers were going down and that the Trudeau government had everything under control. This year, Canada is on track to receive more than 55,000 refugee applications, compared to 50,385 in 2017 and 23,870 in 2016. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sent out his infamous tweet in January 2017 inviting the world’s refugees to come to Canada, and since then, 100,000 self-selected and unscreened migrants have taken him up on the offer. Over 37,000 of these migrants crossed into Canada illegally along the US border. These asylum seekers fall outside Canada’s official targets for immigration and refugee numbers. This means Canada could accept more than double the number of refugees it laid out in its annual immigration plan submitted to Parliament. The Trudeau government told Canadians we’d welcome 43,000 refugees in 2018; instead we could welcome more than 98,000 — most of whom have not yet been determined to be legitimate refugees, but will be given all the same benefits nonetheless.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018 From page 1

Calgary cab driver convicted of sexual assault hiding in Pakistan The woman — whose identity is protected by a publication ban — had been picked up after partying downtown during Stampede week. The victim, in her 20s at the time of the assault, memorized Irshad’s licence plate and called police after she woke up to being assaulted in the back of the taxi. The victim testified that she collapsed on the floor of her bedroom after returning home, crying on the floor and feeling “in shock and ashamed and sad.” The woman’s boyfriend had been sleeping and woke up and called police, who arrived and initiated an investigation. Last month, Irshad was supposed to appear in court for a sentencing hearing. At that time, prosecutor Melissa Bond and defence lawyer David Chow appeared before Justice Michele Hollins and indicated that not only had Irshad missed a pre-sentence psychiatric assessment

appointment, he had also travelled to Pakistan to visit family. Chow indicated to the judge that he believed his client had every intention of returning to Canada before his next court appearance. To ensure he was back in the country for that date, the judge ordered that Irshad appear on Nov. 8 to ensure he had made up the missed appointment and would be ready for the sentencing hearing. Bond also requested that Irshad surrender his passport at that time. Irshad never showed up, however. After asking to be removed as counsel of record, Chow is no longer representing Irshad.

Anyone with information on Irshad’s whereabouts is asked to call Calgary police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Major players not optimistic about housing market prospects From page 3 Wilson does not plan to sell his residential real estate holdings, and he expects to develop some of his commercial properties, but he said Vancouver is “not an environment where a smart person would invest.” Housingpolicy watchers, however, say there are bigger forces at play in determining the region’s home prices than who sits in the Vancouver mayor’s chair. They include new home supply, mortgage rates and the level of foreign-buyer interest in Metro Vancouver as a safe haven for investment in the face of such measures as B.C.’s tax on home purchases by foreign buyers, which rose to 20 per cent in February.

It is also unclear how different new mayor (and former NDP MP) Kennedy Stewart’s real estate initiatives will be compared with those

of former mayor (and former NDP MLA) Gregor Robertson. “I don’t know that Kennedy Stewart’s policies sound much different,” said real estate analyst Tsur Somerville, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. “If you look at what he is proposing, there are some changes, but they’re not radically different changes. City council is interestingly split, with a larger NPA [Non-Partisan Association] presence, but then you’ve got a more fractured left-ofcentre [faction]. I think it’s hard to figure out what is going to happen there.” Somerville said most housing-related discussion among the three levels of government will centre on how to fund social housing. “The biggest threat to the sustainability of Vancouver is not whether the [city’s] empty-homes tax is one per cent, two per cent or three per cent.

Amritsar attack was planned in Lahore by Canada-based pro-Khalistani groups - Probe From page 1 module, broadly identified (one the blast also point towards Pakistan with person has been arrested the officials said), definitive markings on the pin. However, was used for the attack with an Islamist there is no panic within the national security network used for transfer of weapons (in this establishment the officials added because case, Pakistan-made grenades) to the actual such incidents happen occasionally in Punjab perpetrators. but that there is no chance of the state veering A high-level meeting convened by National towards militancy again or the local populace Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, who himself supporting the separatists. The officials said directly handled Sikh militancy in 1980- the grenade is a fragmentation-type one 90s, reviewed the Nirankari Bhawan blast at used against personnel. Even as the internal Rajasansi in Amritsar on Tuesday and came security establishment and Punjab Police are to the conclusion that the entire plot was trying to piece together the entire chain of hatched across the border with the direct events, intelligence agencies have pointed to involvement of Pakistani Inter-Services the possible role of the network established Intelligence. The meeting was attended by Kashmiri Al Qaida commander, Zakir

by Home Secretary, Rajiv Gauba, Punjab Musa, who studied in Mohali from 2010 Director General of Police, Suresh Arora, and to 2013. According to the security officials, Intelligence chiefs. The attack in Amritsar the blast was planned with the help of some comes amidst intelligence that Pakistan has fringe elements of the Sikh diaspora that activated the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) helped identify locals to be used in the attack network to strike in the Indian hinterland and funding it. The officials added that the before the general elections next year. Senior locals may have also been mercenaries. The government officials told Hindustan Times weapons and grenades were arranged either on condition of anonymity that a forensic through the Musa network or using Jaish analysis of the HG-84 grenade used in couriers from across the border.

Politics behind why Richmond mayor Brodie was denied Metro Vancouver Chairmanship

From page 3

chosen to head the regional government, which oversees water and waste issues, various parks and housing initiatives and an annual budget of over $700 million. For his services, he’ll make an extra $77,474 per year on top of his council salary. Dhaliwal defeated Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie and Delta Coun. (and former mayor) Lois Jackson in a secret ballot.

Which means there’s no public record of who voted for Dhaliwal or what their reasons were.

Newly elected Metro Vancouver chair Sav Dhaliwal has formerly served as president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities and Lower Mainland Local Government Association.

With former chair Greg Moore and vice-chair Raymond Louie gone from municipal politics, the last month has seen plenty of intrigue around who would fill those positions, both open for the first time since 2011. As late as Wednesday evening, informed sources had been telling multiple reporters that Brodie would be nominated as mayor and Dhaliwal as vice-chair. The pairing had a certain logic to it: after a municipal election season with so much turnover of mayors, Brodie was the longeststanding leader left in Metro Vancouver (running Richmond since 2001), and is generally seen as a steady presence.

From page 3

India’s 1st women’s hockey team enjoys smooth skating in Alberta difference is huge,” goalie Noor Jahan told the Calgary Eyeopener on Tuesday.

Jahan remembers coaches trying to teach moves and the team struggling to learn them. Now they’re performing those without issue on indoor rinks in Alberta. “We were not so dumb. We can actually do those things,” Jahan said. “It was just the surface of the ice that was … just making it difficult.”

Team India practised on frozen ponds back home. In Airdrie, they say the ice is much smoother. This photo is from their game on Monday against Bantam B Rockies. India has had a national men’s team since 1989 but women first represented India internationally in hockey in 2016. Jahan was dubbed the top goaltender in that competition.

Jahan, who is from the rural northern region of Ladakh, started playing because her cousin was on the national team, winning medals, trophies and praise from her family. She borrowed his old skates, which were too big for her. That’s how team defensive player Diskit Angmo learned, too. Her brother played for the national team.

“We used to steal the gear from our brother,” she said. “It was too large for us, but then still we used to wear it and manage.” Determination Other women were encouraged to

start playing, too. The group even built their own rink by flooding and brushing a frozen pond. In their part of the Himalayan mountains — 3,657 metres above sea level — the temperature can drop to –30 C. They looked up to the men, who at the time were the only examples they knew of athletes in the sport. “We didn’t know that women do play hockey,” Angmo said.

Two of the players pose with Olympian Hayley Wickenheiser. The pro athlete brought Team India to Alberta to play in her annual women’s hockey festival.

After searching online, she found out women play, and at high levels, around the world. Their own story reached the ears of Wickenheiser, a four-time hockey Olympian, who is an advocate for women in sport and now assistant director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Wickenheiser visited the team at its home rink in India in January. The worldclass athlete said the air was so thin, she was breathless about 20 seconds into her first scrimmage. With former Edmonton Oilers captain Andrew Ference and others, Wickenheiser brought new hockey gear and taught hockey skills to the young women players.

After the full-contact games against the spectacular backdrop, they invited the team to Wickenheiser’s hockey festival, nicknamed WickFest.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018 From page 1

Public input needed in real estate money laundering

the government website until Dec. 14.

“I expect that we’ll hear from people, experts that work in the real estate market, people who work in the finance area, but we’re leaving it open to anyone who has knowledge of money laundering in real estate, or who wants to contribute,” James said.

According to a written statement from the province, the panel is tasked with investigating gaps in compliance and enforcement of existing laws, consumer protections, financial services regulations, regulation of real estate professionals, and jurisdictional gaps between B.C. and the federal government.

“We’re in the middle of a serious housing crisis and we need to be diligent to ensure that our housing market is not being used as a hub to launder money,” James said.

Clerk of the BC legislature, Sergeant-at-Arms suspended pending criminal investigation From page 1 unanimously.“The information that the speaker had, he felt it was relevant, important enough to present to the House leaders,” Mullen said in the news conference. “They looked at the information. They had their discussions. They felt it appropriate to make that motion, which they did.”

The B.C. Prosecution Service said in a statement it has assigned two special prosecutors to the case “to provide legal assistance and advice” to Mounties due to the possible “size and scope” of the investigation.

As he left his office with personal belongings in hand on Tuesday, James told reporters he did not know what the investigation was about and would be obtaining legal counsel.

“Somebody knows something, and I think out of the fairness principle, [we] should be informed before we’re placed on administrative leave exactly what it involves,” he said.

But Mullen said the news had to be handled as it was because of parliamentary procedure.

‘We have no idea’: Release reasons for RCMP investigation at B.C. Legislature, demands watchdog group “With these two appointed officers, you can’t just go to them and say something or give them the heads up, because it has to be a vote on the floor.

So that motion had to happen. The members had to vote on it and, then, that information be communicated to those officials,” he said.

“It’s an unfortunate place to be at.

I think everybody is coming together to make sure that the House can perform the duties, the members can do their jobs, and this place can function.”

The clerk of the house gives nonpartisan advice to the Speaker and can be consulted on procedural matters, as well as maintaining a record of all the legislature’s proceedings.

The sergeant-at-arms is responsible for maintaining order in the legislative chamber and other areas involved in the business of the house.

“We don’t want any gaps in our laws or regulations. Dirty money has no place in British Columbia.”

The panel’s recommendations are expected to inform the government how to prevent market manipulation and abuse, create worldclass regulatory standards, and drive illegal activity out of the province.

On Sunday, B.C. Attorney General David Eby also announced an anonymous

tip portal for reporting dirty money in horse racing, real estate and luxury cars.

Panel chair Maureen Maloney, former B.C. deputy attorney general, says the public’s input will be valuable.

“We need to know how our markets are being used to launder money before we can make recommendations, and it will help the panel to hear from British Columbians, especially those with direct knowledge of our real

estate sector and its legal framework,” said Maloney, an SFU professor of public policy.

“We encourage anyone with these insights and proposed solutions to come forward and have their voices heard.”

Maloney is joined on the panel by Tsur Somerville associate professor and director of the UBC Centre for Urban Economics and Real Estate, and Brigitte Unger, chair of economics of the public sector at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The panel’s final report and recommendations are due to be presented to the finance minister in March 2019.

Also due by March 2019 is a report on the scale and scope of verifiable illicit activity in the real estate market conducted by former RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German, who authored the June 2018 report Dirty Money, which looked into the prevalence of money laundering in B.C.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

Maldives’ President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih takes office on Saturday, seeking help from India and the United States to climb out from under a mountain of Chinese debt that his predecessor racked up in a breakneck development of the coral islands.

Maldives’ President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih takes office on Saturday, seeking help from India and the United States to climb out from under a mountain of Chinese debt that his predecessor racked up in a breakneck development of the coral islands. The surprise defeat of pro-China strongman Abdulla Yameen has opened a window for India, the strategic outpost’s traditional political partner, to regain ground lost to Beijing in their tussle for regional dominance.

Modi embraces Maldives’ as new leader takes office Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the highest ranking visitor at the inauguration at the national soccer stadium in the capital Male. By contrast, China’s highest-ranking attendee will be Culture and Tourism Minister Luo Shugang.

Modi’s presence signals the end of years of frosty relations because of Yameen’s embrace of China, a relationship that had deepened India’s anxieties about being encircled by countries leaning towards Beijing.

In Sri Lanka, an island nation to the southeast of India, the rivalry between New Delhi and Beijing has been one of the triggers for a political crisis in recent weeks.

The low-key Solih, a veteran lawmaker, has promised an “India first” policy in the Maldives,

saying the small nation of a little over 400,000 people needs solid ties with its immediate neighbour. His team is also reviewing millions of dollars of investments from China, as well as the related debt that the country has run up from Chinese lenders and how to restructure it.

Solih has said investigations will be launched to find out what happened and fix accountability, Adam Azim, a member of his transition committee, told reporters on Thursday.

“We were led to believe it’s about US$1.5 billion, the Chinese debt, but it could be worse,” said another member of Solih’s top economic team, which has been holding discussions with finance ministry officials during the transition following the election in September. He said the

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team had already reached out to India, the United States and Saudi Arabia for financial assistance so it could tackle the debt. “We straightaway need 200-300 million dollars to kick start the budgetary support,” the adviser said.

Modi stacks Indian central bank board with allies to turn heat up on governor As Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government turns up the heat on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor to do its bidding ahead of next year’s general election it is getting the central bank’s board to take on a much more powerful role, according to government officials and board members.

Now stacked with government nominees who can be counted on to support the administration, the board is being transformed from having a passive advisory role into a body that can exert pressure for policy change.

Some economists fear it could threaten the bank’s independence. Two board members told Reuters that government pressure for easier lending policies is likely to become abundantly clear at Monday’s board meeting – the first to be held since the extent of a deep rift between the RBI and the government became public knowledge. With the election due by May, and voters concerned about weak farm incomes and whether enough jobs are being created, Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is keen to stimulate the economy and sees the RBI’s hawkish stance as a barrier, said government officials and BJP allies.

The government has been pressing the Mumbai-based RBI and Governor Urjit Patel to accede to a range of demands that could help to boost demand. They include making it easier and cheaper for small businesses to borrow, easing lending curbs on 11 state-run banks which had debt and capital adequacy issues, and providing more liquidity to shadow lenders. They also want the government to have access to surplus reserves the RBI has built up - money that could be used for the administration’s populist programs including boosts to rural wages, fuel subsidies and buying crops at a guaranteed minimum price.

The RBI has hit back by questioning whether the government wanted to destroy its autonomy and warning that when this happened in Argentina in 2010, financial markets took fright. In the past week there have been signs of an uneasy truce as some government officials indicated they didn’t want Patel to resign and would allow some issues to be kicked down the road.

But at the same time, Modi supporters have made it clear they want major policy change, and a senior finance ministry official said some government backers on the board had been given the green light to push hard at Monday’s meeting. Spearheading that push is new board member S. Gurumurthy, a confidante of Modi’s. He is an accountant and columnist who was until recently coconvenor of the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, the economic wing of the Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which is the fountainhead of the BJP. In a speech last week, Gurumurthy lashed out at the RBI’s restrictions on bank lending, saying it was damaging the economy. “We are a bankdriven economy...in a bank-driven economy if you restrict the banks, you are restricting the economy, you are restricting the flow of funds into the economy,” he said. Under the colonial era RBI Act, the government can give the bank directions after consultations with the governor. That law establishes the primacy of the RBI board to do “all acts and things” subject to government directions.

Saturday, November 24, 2018 Liberal MP who resigned this week under treatment for gambling problem Raj Grewal, the Ontario MP who resigned his seat this week, is being treated for a gambling problem and has rung up considerable debts as a result of his addiction, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office confirmed Friday. Grewal has also been subject to inquiries by the RCMP around a matter being investigated by the federal ethics commissioner, Trudeau press secretary Chantal Gagnon told the National Post.

Grewal announced Thursday he was stepping down as MP for Brampton East riding, citing “personal and medical reasons.”

But it appears there is more to the story of his sudden resignation. “Earlier this week, Mr. Grewal told us that he is undergoing serious personal challenges, and that he is receiving treatment from a health professional related to a gambling problem that led him to incur

significant personal debts,” Gagnon said in a statement. “Based on these circumstances, we agreed that his decision to resign as Member of Parliament for Brampton East was the right one. We hope he receives the support he needs.” New Democrat MP Charlie Angus complained about Grewal earlier this year to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, noting that he had invited a businessman from the Brampton area to a number of receptions in India with Trudea and his delegation. “We are aware of inquiries by the RCMP regarding the circumstances that were the subject of a complaint to the Ethics Commissioner about Mr. Grewal earlier this year,” Gagnon said. Grewal could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jagmeet Singh says he will continue to run in Burnaby South Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he will continue to stand as his party’s candidate in the B.C. riding of Burnaby South, despite news this week that the Liberal MP in his home riding of Brampton is leaving politics. “I made it clear my decision to run in Burnaby South and I continue to remain clear on that decision,” he told reporters on Friday.

Singh’s statement comes hours after Brampton East Liberal MP Raj Grewal announced his decision to quit federal politics, citing “personal and medical reasons.” Singh, who held the Brampton riding at the provincial level until late 2017, had previously said he wanted to run in the riding at the federal level.

In early August, however, he announced he would be the NDP’s candidate in Burnaby South. A recent poll by Mainstreet Research suggested Singh was running third in the riding, echoing internal numbers both Liberal and NDP MPs have murmured about in the halls of Parliament. There is a feeling among Liberal ranks that they benefit from Singh

remaining the leader of an anemic NDP and don’t want to see him fail before the next election.

Under Singh’s tenure, a handful of NDP MPs have said they won’t run in the 2019 election or have already stepped aside. The party sits at 15.8 per cent support in CBC’s Poll Tracker, an aggregation of all publicly available polling data. That number would put it on track for its worst performance since 2004. Nevertheless, earlier this week, the Liberals confirmed they would not extend a “leader’s courtesy” and would put up a candidate to compete against Singh in Burnaby South. The byelection is to replace former NDP MP Kennedy Stewart, who stepped down for a successful run to be mayor of Vancouver. On Wednesday, several media outlets reported on an unnamed Liberal official confirming the prime minister intends to call the Burnaby South byelection early in the new year, with the date to be set for some point in February.

Man wanted on provincewide warrants for guns, assaults & theft related offences Osoyoos RCMP are asking for the public’s help locating a man wanted for numerous crimes who they say escaped house arrest while awaiting trial. Twenty-one-year-old Kael Austin Svendsen is wanted on eight provincewide warrants on 21 counts including possession of a firearm, careless use of a firearm, fraud, break and enter, assault, theft, mischief and possession of stolen property. Police say Svendsen, who was

placed under house arrest while awaiting trial in September, breached the terms of his house arrest and has not been seen since. He is described as: Caucasian. Five feet nine inches tall. Weighing 160 pounds With brown hair and brown eyes.

Osoyoos RCMP say he is known to frequent the Osoyoos and Oliver areas.

They’re asking anyone who spots him to call 911.

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Stop sending mail and parcels, Canada Post asks foreign services Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government gave one final push on Friday to bring the Canada Post labour dispute to a close, suggesting it will act quickly if rotating strikes continue beyond a Saturday midnight deadline for the latest contract offers from the Crown corporation.

Trudeau said last week that “all options will be on the table” to end postal disruptions if there was no progress in bargaining for new contracts. Decisions on how to end job actions by postal workers could come as early as Sunday, said a government source,

who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that “’all the options’ does include legislating.”

Canada Post makes new offer to employees as eBay calls on Ottawa to end strikes The prospect of bridging the impasse all but collapsed Friday when the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said it would not bring the latest offers to a vote of its members, although it said both sides remained at the bargaining table.

South Asian shooting victim identified as Jagvir Malhi The man killed in the shooting in Abbotsford has been identified as Jagvir Malhi, 19, and police say his death is linked to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict.

Police have not released his name, but he has been identified through various online sources.

They have also not said how Malhi’s killing is specifically tied to the gang conflict, including whether he, or someone he knew, was directly involved.

Malhi is a 2017 graduate of W. J. Mouat Secondary, where he played on the basketball team, and a criminology student at University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford.

A friend of Malhi’s told the Abbotsford

News that he was a “good kid” with no gang ties.

No new information has emerged into the shooting, which took place at about 3:30 p.m.

Monday in the area of Ross and Simpson roads in Abbotsford.

Police who arrived at the scene found Malhi gravely injured, and he was transported to hospital by air ambulance, but died shortly afterwards.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), which is leading the investigation, posted on Twitter on Tuesday morning that work is continuing in the investigation, but there are “no further details at this time” and nothing to report to media.

Liberals deepen federal deficit in response to Trump tax cuts The Liberal government is spending billions to help corporate Canada compete with the U.S. and to prop up struggling news organizations — showing a willingness to go deeper into deficit with no timeline for returning to a balanced budget. In his fall fiscal update, delivered this afternoon, Finance Minister Bill Morneau touted Canada’s strong economic performance but warned that global uncertainty, unpredictable oil prices, lingering trade disputes and deep tax cuts brought in by U.S. President Donald Trump are all posing serious challenges.

The fall economic statement delivers $17.6 billion in new spending over six years — about $16.5 billion of it in foregone revenue to boost Canadian business productivity.

We’re deficit-financing the corporate sector.

Those measures include a new tax writeoff scheme allowing manufacturers to immediately recoup the full cost of machinery and equipment, as well an immediate writeoff for clean energy equipment. There’s also a new accelerated capital cost allowance to encourage businesses of all sizes in all sectors to invest in assets that can drive long-term growth by allowing them to deduct the costs of those investments sooner. Finance Minister Bill Morneau joined Power & Politics Wednesday to explain the government’s fall economic update and why there’s no plan to return to a balanced budget. 8:22 “We could have ignored the concerns of business leaders, decided not to make the investments and the changes that are part of the fall economic statement, and we would have had a lower deficit as a result,” Morneau said.

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Federal gov’t move to end Canada Post strike, table back to work legislation Less than 24 hours before one of the busiest shopping days of the year, the federal government has tabled legislation that, once passed, would force Canada Post workers back on the job.

Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patty Hajdu introduced the bill in the House of Commons Thursday morning, alongside

a motion to accelerate its passage through the House of Commons.

Taking the step to legislate Canada Post back to work comes a day after a special mediator was re-appointed to help try to find a compromise following months of unsuccessful contract negotiations and rolling strikes that have led to a backlog of mail deliveries.

Canada Post strike reveals the

The man found dead underneath the Golden Ears Bridge over the weekend has been identified online as a full-patch Hells Angel with a long history of run-ins with the law.

The deceased was found covered in blood Sunday morning near Wharf Street in Maple Ridge, triggering a major police response involving more than a dozen cruisers.

About 45 minutes after officers arrived, a group of men wearing Hells Angels insignia showed up and crossed police tape to get closer to the scene. Men wearing Hells Angels insignia speak with RCMP officers

Maple Ridge murder victim identified as full-patch Hells Angel after crossing underneath police tape at a Maple Ridge, B.C. crime scene. Nov. 18, 2018.

“Guys, you need to leave right now or you’ll be arrested for obstruction. This is your only warning,” one officer told them. “This is your only warning. Leave right now. Right now!”

The men left peacefully after a brief exchange with police.

The victim has since been identified on social media as Chad Wilson, who first became a Hells Angel in San Diego and was charged with five counts of attempted murder

shifting nature of the postal service Liberals give notice for law to end Canada Post strike as sides dispute backlog Hajdu said it is not her intention to start debate on Bill C-89—called the “Postal Services Resumption and Continuation Act”— today, saying there is still time for Crown Corporation Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)

following a shootout with a rival biker gang in South Dakota back in 2006. Wilson claimed self defence and was acquitted, but did time for related weapons charges. According to international media, he was arrested in Spain in 2013 and accused of being involved in a smuggling ring that used a chartered boat to move 500 kilograms of cocaine into the country from Colombia. More recently, online posts indicate he helped found a new chapter of the biker gang called Hells Angels Hardside last year.

to come to a deal at the bargaining table.

This move has enraged the union, saying it undermines the negotiating process and has them on the offensive, likening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to his predecessor.

“Trudeau is showing his true colours and the anti-worker agenda shared with former prime minister Harper,” said CUPW and the Canadian Labour Congress in a joint statement.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team was called to lead the investigation into Wilson’s killing, but has not publicly identified him or commented on a potential cause of death.

The victim was found off the main road with blood on his hands and face. People living in the area told CTV News they didn’t hear anything unusual until authorities arrived on the scene.

Police have said the victim was known to them, and that early indications are that he was targeted. IHIT has promised to share more information on the killing Tuesday.

Complaint filed against Surrey naturopath-turned-councillor who campaigned as ‘physician’ A newly elected member of Surrey’s city council who campaigned as a “community physician” without always revealing that she is a naturopath is now the subject of a complaint to her regulatory body.

Coun. Allison Patton, who was voted in last month as part of Mayor Doug McCallum’s Safe Surrey Coalition slate, used her profession as a selling point during the campaign.

Patton described herself as “a community physician for over 17 years” in the biography on her campaign website, without noting that she is a naturopath. She also referenced

her “medical practice” in a campaign video, but did not mention that she practices naturopathy.

During the campaign, Patton’s bio also detailed her educational history, but leaves out her training in naturopathy.

(Safe Surrey Coalition) Patton updated her bio on the Safe Surrey Coalition website to read “community naturopathic physician” last week, after she was contacted by CBC.

A member of the public filed a complaint on Thursday with the College of Naturopathic Physicians of B.C., alleging that Patton’s campaign materials breached the college’s advertising policy.

College policy says naturopaths can describe themselves as physicians or doctors, but “the designation naturopathic physician must be used each time.”

According to the policy, “Physician, as a stand alone term, could imply another type of physician, for example an MD, even in a naturopathic setting.”

‘There was no intent to mislead’ In an email to CBC, Patton claimed she made it clearduringthecampaignthatsheisanaturopath.

“I have no desire to obfuscate that issue and I apologize to those who felt they were misled,” she said.

Patton did not respond to a follow-up question about who wrote her campaign biography, writing instead: “I can assure you that there was enough information out there that I was a naturopathic doctor. We can nitpick about [instances] where the information was not there.

“I can assure you there was no intent to mislead anyone.”

Ex-Autism B.C. board member Laurie Guerra says there was no such thing as an ‘anti-SOGI secret meeting’ However, the “community physician” label made it into at least two local news reports about the campaign and election in Surrey.

The naturopath college’s registrar, Howard Greenstein, said he could not comment on the complaint against Patton or the resulting investigation.

This isn’t Patton’s first taste of political controversy. In 2012, she was kicked out of the B.C. Conservative Party after calling for then-leader John Cummins’ resignation. She had been the party’s Surrey-White Rock constituency president.

Her expulsion was reversed a year later, and in 2015, the party’s president wrote to Patton to express his “sincere regret” for what happened.

Bethany Lindsay has more than a decade of experience in B.C. journalism, with a focus on the courts, health and social justice issues. She has also reported on human rights and crimes against humanity in Cambodia. Questions or news tips? Get in touch at bethany.lindsay@ cbc.ca or on Twitter through @bethanylindsay.

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Federal Liberals will not give Jagmeet Sing a free ride in Burnaby South Federal Liberals will not be extending a socalled “leader’s courtesy� to give the NDP’s Jagmeet Singh an easier way to the House of Commons. According to media reports a senior Liberal source unauthorized to speak on the matter confirmed that Liberals will run a candidate against Singh in an upcoming byelection in the British Columbia riding of Burnaby South. Byelections expected to be called early in the new year and take place in February. The gov’t will also call votes to fill vacancies in two other ridings: Quebec’s Outremont, previously held by former NDP leader Thomas Mulcair, and Ontario’s YorkSimcoe, left open by the exit of former Tory MP Peter Van Loan. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May announced in August that her party would not put up a candidate against the NDP leader, honouring an informal Canadian parliamentary tradition of clearing

some space for party leaders who don’t hold seats in the Commons. In 2002, governing Liberals and Progressive Conservatives did not run candidates against then-Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper when he sought a seat in a Calgary. The same courtesy was extended to a seatless Jean Chretien when the Liberal leader ran in a 1990 byelection.

In both cases, however, Harper and Chretien were leaders of the Official Opposition without the right to sit in the Commons. Singh, a former Ontario MPP, is the leader of a third party. In 2000, governing Liberals did not run a candidate against Progressive Conservative leader Joe Clark in a Nova Scotia byelection, even though he was the third party leader. Clark was, however, a former prime minister attempting to make a political comeback.

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Man arrested in sexual assault of young girl Vancouver Police have arrested a Prince George man in connection with a historical sexual assault involving a young girl and are seeking other potential victims and witnesses.

Kevin Alexander Roberts, 46 (pictured), was arrested on Monday after a victim, now an adult, reported the alleged crimes to Vancouver police. Sgt. Jason Robillard with the VPD says the offences — all connected to one victim — occurred in Vancouver and Prince George. Roberts is a truck driver who works on routes in B.C. and Alberta. He also worked as a school bus driver in the Prince George area. He was arrested in Chilliwack while he was in transit between routes. The Vancouver police believe there could be additional victims, who would have been between the ages of four to 18, at the

time of the offences. “[Investigators] do have evidence to suggest there are more survivors out there,� Robillard said. Sgt. Jason Robillard holds up a picture of Kevin Alexander Roberts. He said it is difficult to narrow the time-frame of the offences, as the victim’s identity is under a publication ban. “We’re looking back at anywhere upwards of 20-plus years to right until recent, right up to today,� he said. Robillard described Roberts as between five feet seven inches and five feet eight inches tall , weighing 210 pounds, bald with a goatee. He has a distinctive tattoo of a woman and a snake on his right upper arm. Police say Crown counsel has approved numerous charges against Roberts including sexual assault, sexual interference, sexual assault with a weapon and assault.

Federal gov’t studying birth tourism after new data shows it is more common than previously reported The federal government is studying the issue of “birth tourism� with a view to better understand the scope of this practice within Canada and its impacts.

This comes as new research published

by Policy Options today shows the number of non-Canadian residents giving birth in Canadian hospitals is much higher than in figures reported by Statistics Canada.

Using numbers from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, which captures billing information directly from hospitals, researcher Andrew Griffith found over 3,200 babies were born here to women who aren’t Canadian residents in 2016 – compared with the 313 babies recorded by Statistics Canada.

A petition tabled recently in the House of Commons by Liberal MP Joe Peschisolido calls on Canada to take stronger measures to end birth tourism, saying it abuses Canada’s social-welfare system.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen responded saying his department has commissioned further research in order to get a better picture of the scope of this issue and its impacts in Canada. Hussen also says Canada does not collect information on whether a woman is pregnant when entering Canada, nor can a woman be denied entry solely because she is pregnant or might give birth in Canada.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

Grocery store worker denies ‘spurious and vindictive’ defamation claims from his union A Vancouver grocery store employee whose union has accused him of unlawfully breaching a membership database and defaming union leaders says he “denies each and every allegation.” Jason Buckle filed a response last week to a lawsuit from the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union Local 1518 (UFCW), vigorously contesting the union’s accusations.

“The allegations against Buckle contained in the notice of claim are wholly unsupported by fact, spurious and vindictive,” the response says. Union alleges grocery store worker swiped data in ‘spiteful’ defamation campaign Buckle, who works at Urban Fare in Yaletown, says he will be asking for

repayment of his legal costs for defending himself. UFCW filed a lawsuit against Buckle and 10 unnamed John Does in B.C. Supreme Court in September, alleging they had “engaged in a campaign of vilification of the plaintiffs for the predominant purpose of destroying, diminishing or undermining their reputation.” The claim accuses Buckle and the unnamed defendants of accessing the union database, unsubscribing 700 UFCW members, and downloading the contact information of everyone in the database to spread false claims about union president Ivan Limpright, secretary-treasurer Kim Novak, and executive assistant to the president Patrick Johnson.

BC driving up national homicide rate, StatsCan report says British Columbia is one of the provinces responsible for a national increase in homicides in 2017, according to a Statistics Canada report. The homicide rate was also up significantly in Quebec. Across the country, there were 660 people killed by others last year, which is 48 more than in 2016. In British Columbia, 2017 saw 118 homicides, 30 more than the year before.

The Metro Vancouver area also had the unfortunate distinction of leading the country’s metro regions in terms of homicide increases. A Statistics Canada graphic shows the 2017 homicide totals for each Canadian province. According to Statistics Canada, the region reported 52 homicides last year, the highest number since 2009.

Across the country, gun-related homicides reached the highest rate in 25 years, with 266 fatal gunshot victims. In Metro Vancouver, 48 per cent of victims were killed by guns — that’s seven more than in 2016. The new Statistics Canada report reveals Indigenous victims are dramatically over-represented in the statistics. Indigenous people make up about five per cent of Canada’s overall population but, in 2017, they accounted for 24 per cent of homicide victims — an eight per cent increase from the previous year.

The report notes that while Canada saw the highest homicide rate last year in nearly a decade, the long-term trend is still downward.

BC woman receives highest fine possible for driving 215 km/h on Alberta highway A 30-year-old woman from British Columbia has received a $2,300 fine after being found guilty of driving 105 km/h over the posted speed limit on a northern Alberta highway.

The fine is the highest possible for speeding. “It’s certainly not common,” Const. Paul Banks of the Boyle RCMP said Wednesday of the speeding infraction. “Is it a once in a lifetime occurrence? No. We do see this from time to time. But it’s certainly not common.”

It happened on Highway 63, just north of Grassland, Alta., just after 9 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2017. An Alberta Sheriff conducting radar speed enforcement clocked a vehicle driving 215 km/h in a 110 km/h zone.

“This is an extreme and dangerous rate of speed, and the court has recognized that,” Banks said. “At high speeds your ability to react to something on the road, including other vehicles, people and animals is greatly reduced, as is your stopping distance. You also risk an increase in severity of injury when there is a collision.”

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Farmers petition BC over plans to curb ‘mega mansions’ on agricultural land amid speculation debate In Metro Vancouver, where stress over property prices permeate every facet of life, even farmland is part of the increasingly contentious debate.

The focus: “mega mansions” built on arable land. The province tabled a bill two weeks ago outlining significant changes to the Agricultural Land Reserve — a collection of land spanning roughly 5 million hectares, dedicated in 1973 to the prioritization and protection of agriculture — to include a mandate capping the size of so-called “monster homes.” This large home under construction is situated on the busy No. 2 road in Richmond. The city is an eclectic mix of blueberry farms, strip malls, rapid transit — and now “mega mansions” of up to 11,000 square feet sitting on parcels of farmable land.

This large home under construction is situated on the busy No. 2 road in Richmond.

The city is an eclectic mix of blueberry farms, strip malls, rapid transit — and now “mega mansions” of up to 11,000 square feet sitting on parcels of farmable land.

“The old government let wealthy speculators drive the price of farmland out of reach for young farmers and allowed some of our most valuable agricultural land to be damaged,” said B.C.’s Minister of Agriculture

Lana Popham in a release announcing the bill.

The legislative changes will stop “damaging” practices that make farms unaffordable for new farmers and threaten the short-term and long-term viability of the ALR. But in response to the new legislation, a coalition of 1,500 farmers and farming families — called the BC Farmland Owners Association (BCFOA) — sprung up in recent days to present the province with their concerns, particularly around the proposed reduction of home sizes. They argue it will have a negative impact on countless families.

In Richmond, a municipality located right next to Vancouver with rich arable land along highways and increasing residential development, the issue has been hotly contested for almost two years. The city is an eclectic mix of blueberry farms, strip malls, rapid transit — and now “mega mansions” of up to 11,000 square feet sitting on parcels of farmable land.

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Bank of Canada planning thorough review of inflation The Bank of Canada is preparing the most thorough review of its inflation targeting mandate in three decades to gauge whether it would be better off switching to a new framework, the central bank’s No. 2 official said.

In a speech Tuesday in Montreal, Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Wilkins said the central bank will do a “side-by-side

assessment” of alternatives to its inflation targeting regime. That framework is facing a serious challenge from historically low neutral rates, which may diminish the bank’s ability to combat future downturns and encourages households to take on excessive risk.

“There is no doubt that our inflationtargeting framework has promoted the

BC moves to phase out non-electric cars by 2040 British Columbia’s premier said on Tuesday his government will introduce legislation next year that will require all new light-duty cars and trucks sold in the province by 2040 to be electric or zero-emission vehicles.

An electric car charging station is seen in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada January 7, 2017. REUTERS/Chris Helgren Premier John Horgan said the government will phase in the sales t a r g e t s , which apply only to new vehicles. They will start at 10 percent by 2025, rising to 30 percent by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040.

To support the plan, British Columbia will expand its fastcharging network and spend an addition C$20 million ($15 million) this year on incentives for consumers who buy electric vehicles.

“We need to make clean energy vehicles more affordable, available and convenient,” Horgan said in a statement. He noted the targets were part of a longterm plan to achieve ambitious carbon emission reduction goals.

British Columbia offers credits

of up to C$5000 for the purchase or lease of new battery electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, and C$6000 for new hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. It plans to expand the incentive program over time.

The province follows Quebec, which passed legislation in 2016 targeting 15.5 percent of sales and leases be zero emission vehicles by 2020. A number of U.S. states, including California, have similar laws designed to increase the supply and sales of plug-in electric vehicles.

E le c t r ic vehicle sales are booming in Canada, more than doubling in the second quarter of 2018 compared with the same period of 2017, according to clean-tech data firm FleetCarma. But demand is still far lower than for conventional vehicles.

Tesla Inc’s (7201.T) Model 3 is the most popular electric car in Canada, followed by Nissan Motor Co’s (7201.T) Leaf and General Motor’s (GM.N) Chevrolet Bolt, according to FleetCarma.

The International Energy Agency said last week that electric vehicles and more efficient fuel technology will cut transportation demand for oil by 2040 more than previously expected. ($1 = 1.3301 Canadian dollars)

economic and financial well-being of Canadians,” Wilkins said in prepared remarks on the Bank of Canada’s preparations ahead of the mandate’s renewal in 2021. “A decade of experience in the post-crisis world, though, shows us it is not perfect. It is time to conduct a thorough review of the alternatives,” she said.

Canada’s economic Achilles heel: A mountain of household debt Mortgage risks fading as Bank of Canada sees

dramatic drop in highly indebted borrowers Banks’ advice to Stephen Poloz: Consider Alberta’s oil woes before plotting your next rate move The comments are the strongest indication yet that the central bank will seriously consider changes to a framework that came into effect in the early 1990s and requires the bank to narrowly focus on a single objective: to keep prices stable.

Vancouver Island remains strong in face of slowing BC economy: report According to a new economic analysis of B.C. by Central 1, a service provider for credit unions, Vancouver Island’s economy is wellpositioned, even though it is expected to slow somewhat along with the rest of the province.

The economy of British Columbia (measured by Gross Domestic Product) is forecast to slow from a growth of 3.8 per cent in 2017, to between 2.5 and 3 per cent over the next two years.

According to the report’s author Bryan Yu, a slowdown in the housing market is the major factor.

H o w e v e r , Vancouver Island is expected to outpace the provincial average on a number of fronts, including employment growth and home sales.

“The Vancouver Island market is still going to be pretty strong in overall growth,” said Yu, Central 1’s Deputy Chief Economist.

Home prices on the island as a whole are expected to rise about 2 percent per year in both 2019 and 2020. A lot of that growth is likely to be outside Victoria, in some of the smaller markets, like Nanaimo and Campbell River.

What is really helping the island’s economy, Yu explained, is that there has been, and will continue to be, a steady increase in population.

“We’re looking to maintain an above average growth of 1.3 to 1.5 percent.

That just means that you are going to see a continued flow of people coming to the island of various age groups and that’s going to continue to put pressure I think on overall home prices,” said Yu. It’ll also help employment growth.

“As long as you have people coming, they build businesses you are going to see economic activity driving the market,” he said.

Major growth in the tourism industry over the last few years has helped the job market.

The growth is slowing, but the industry is expected to maintain the current high level it’s now at.

“The restaurants that are probably quite busy right now, the hotels have very high occupancy rates, that’s going to continue in our view, as long as the Canadian dollar stays relatively low, really being a trigger for those tourism flows,” he said.

Overall, Yu’s take on the island’s economy is a good one.

“I think the island is actually in a very good position right now for the economy and I don’t see that really changing in the short to medium term.”

B.C. Housing Minister says high-end house prices dropping The British Columbia government says it’s already seeing positive results from the policies it put in place to address the housing crisis, but one expert says there’s still a long way to go.

Housing Minister Selina Robinson says the government is seeing some high-end house prices starting to drop.

“Right now we’ve got the speculation and empty home taxes, so part of what we need to do is monitor the impact that it has and continue to see what it does,” Robinson said in an interview Sunday.

But Andy Yan, the director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University, says that while very expensive houses are starting to show a decline in price, the numbers haven’t translated to mid- and lower-level units.

“Sixteen months is a little bit premature to know whether the polices are a success or failure,” Yan said, referring to the approximate time the NDP minority government has been in power.

“But the softening of the market and cooling of the market is something that is definitely happening.”

He said despite that softening, home ownership remains out of reach for many for middle- and lower-income families.

To tackle the issue, the provincial government is investing $7 billion on affordable housing over the next 10 years, and has developed a 30-point plan to increase affordability.

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Canadian cannabis investor gets lifetime US entry ban A Canadian investor travelling to Las Vegas, Nevada, to attend a prominent cannabis conference and tour a new cannabis facility has been issued a lifetime entry ban to the United States, according to an immigration lawyer he consulted.

“He was travelling straight from Vancouver to Vegas. When they found out he was going down to tour the marijuana facility and that he was an investor in marijuana, they gave him a lifetime ban,” said Len Saunders, an immigration lawyer based in the border town of Blaine, Wash., who was consulted by the individual after receiving the ban.

The individual, who invests in a Canadian

one of the largest gatherings of cannabis industry players. The conference attracted close to 25,000 investors, entrepreneurs, lenders, lobbyists and executives of major U.S. and Canadian licensed cannabis producers, among others.

According to Saunders, who has a transcript of the exchange, a U.S. border guard at Vancouver

cannabis business that has an operation in Nevada, received the ban on the morning of Nov. 14, as he travelled to Las Vegas to attend the Marijuana Business Conference & Expo,

Man charged with poppy donation tin theft Police arrested A 54-year-old man Dwayne Edward has been charged Zbucki, 54, of with the theft of Burnaby, early on a poppy donation Tuesday morning. tin from the New Zbucki, who has Westminster Royal a lengthy criminal Canadian Legion. record dating back On November 8, a to 2001, has been man entered the charged with one legion at 631 6th count of theft under Street to order food. $5,000.

“We are It was after he left A 54-year-old Burnaby resident, Dwayne Edward that staff noticed Zbucki, has been arrested and charged with an alleged thankful to the public for their assistance the donation tin poppy donation theft identifying Mr. for poppies was missing. The empty tin was later found Zbucki, which led to his arrest in Vancouver,” outside the legion. Investigators reviewed said New Westminster police Sgt. Jeff Scott. video surveillance, and say it appears the man “This past Remembrance Day was the 100th anniversary since the end of World War I, and concealed the tin while paying for his meal.

The New Westminster Police Department we are forever grateful to the men and women who protect our country and serve as peace released a photo of the man. keepers around the world.”

BC voters neck to neck on Referendum on proportional representation, With just days left to get a ballot in the mail for BC’s electoral referendum, a Research Co. poll shows a dead heat between those in favour and opposed to proportional representation.

The deadline to have ballots into Elections BC is November 30, but the two campaigns are urging voters to mail a ballot no later than this week. Voters also have an option to fill out or drop off completed ballots at referendum centres throughout BC but those centres have day-time hours only.

The latest poll results released by Research Co. Thursday show younger voters, 18 to 34, are more likely to be in favour of pro-rep. A majority of voters over 55 want to stick with the existing first-past-the-post system.

The results show an even split: 40 per cent definitely or probably in favour of firstpast-the-post and 40 per cent definitely or probably in favour of pro-rep.

Among the 800 people surveyed from Nov. 14 to Nov. 16, 15 per cent were undecided, including 20 per cent among woman.

“We are feeling the urgency of the impending deadline,” said Maria Dobrinskaya, a leader for the Yes campaign.

“We’re focused on getting out the vote — phoning, texting and carrying out activity on campuses. We are encouraged but we know it’s going to be close.”

Bill Tieleman, a leader for the No side, said their strategy is to have new advertising on radio and TV in the remaining days of voting.

“We feel confident that voters will look at this and stick with the system they know,” said Tieleman.

In the third such referendum in BC in 18 years, British Columbians are being asked to rank three pro-rep choices that use different methods to make the popular vote match the number of seats in the legislature.

Int e r n at i on a l Airport’s pre-clearance area asked the individual if he understood that an investment in the U.S. cannabis industry was a “violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act related to controlled substance trafficking.” “I learned that today,” the individual replied.

16

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Mississauga jewelry store workers wield swords to fend off would-be robbers Investigators say they’re looking for four suspects after surveillance video captured Mississauga jewelry store workers fending off would-be robbers with swords Wednesday afternoon. Peel Regional Police said officers responded to a call about a robbery at Ashok Jewellers on Airport Road and Beverley Street at around 12:15 p.m.

Video from inside the store appears to show an employee and a customer suddenly back away from a window as the suspects break the glass with some sort of object.

But as the robbers attempted to make their way into the store through the window, three store employees charge at them wielding swords.

Burnaby house gutted by fire believed to be home to squatters Burnaby crews were called to extinguish a fire at a vacant home on Saturday morning.

Assistant fire chief Barry Mawhinney said police called crews to the home at 6th Street and Wedgewood Street shortly before 9 a.m.

They arrived to find smoke billowing from three sides of the building.

Crews, however, held off on entering the property on the advice of police, Mawhinney said. “We’d had reports from RCMP that they’d had this house on file from previous incidents,” he said. “There was some question that we should be going in as to the nature of what may be inside, they’d had squatters and whatnot.” Crews fought the fire from the outside, and eventually opened up the home and conducted a search. Firefighters found

no one inside, and said they were unaware of anyone being injured.

Neighbour Gerry Hunter told Global News that the home and an adjacent vacant commercial property have become a magnet for homeless people in recent years. “There’s frequently a whole lot of rubbish around the area. The house had been boarded up partly,” he said. “There was definitely signs of habitation. At one point the whole [commercial] building itself had clearly been broken into.” Firefighters say the fire broke out in the basement of the home, but it is too early to speculate on a cause. A fire investigator is now trying to determine what happened.

RCMP officer dragged by vehicle at traffic stop suffers ‘significant injuries’ The car, described as a latemodel Mercedes Benz sedan, then fled the scene, dragging the Mountie with it.

The officer was taken to hospital and is expected to recover. Police said they are searching for a dark-coloured four-door with tinted windows and a dark interior.

The car may have damage to the driver’s side and possible damage or a crack to the windshield. Concert goers started throwing beers at rapper Pusha T while he was performing a song called “Infrared” in which he accuses Drake of using ghostwriters.

Man in life-threatening condition after fight breaks out at Pusha T concert in Toront Amanda Ferguson in her downtown apartment which she shares with boyfriend Chris Gerling. The two wonder if they will ever have enough money to buy a home in Toronto. ‘Renters are not secondclass citizens.’ Push is on to change culture, policy for long-term tenants The campus of St. Michael’s College School on Monday. Six teen boys have been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged sexual assault at the all-boys private school.

“Individuals were breaking the front glass window and trying to gain access to the store,” Const. “The employees and owner inside tried to obviously send them off and actually did well in the sense that they were able to send them off.” “The culprits did end up coming right back out the window.” Marttini said there were four suspects in total and that one of them was

brandishing a gun. While there were no injuries reported and no property was stolen, Marttini said police do not condone the use of swords by the employees. “It could have easily turned into a completely different situation. We could have been looking at numerous people being injured,” she said. “I have to say that property is not of equal value to a human being.”

South Asian acquitted in $5-million Alberta-U.S. cocaine trafficking A truck driver at the centre of a $5-million cocaine seizure at Alberta’s Coutts border crossing in 2016 has been acquitted of drug trafficking charges because there was reasonable doubt as to whether he knew about the drugs, a court has found.

Parmjeet Singh Sandhu of Ontario and Jasmail Singh Sander of British Columbia were both charged with drug trafficking after border officers discovered 83 one-kilogram packages of cocaine stashed in various locations around a semi-truck including behind a microwave, in a duffel bag, under a mattress and inside the truck’s two jockey boxes. Another 17 one-kilogram packages that were missed by border officers and a drug dog in the initial search were discovered by the truck’s owner when he had the vehicle serviced after it was returned from impound.

Eighty-three packages of cocaine seized on Oct. 10, 2016 by CBSA at the Coutts border crossing.

In a written statement released Friday, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Justice William Tilleman said that even though Sandhu’s evidence was “imperfect,” the Crown’s case suggesting Sandhu knew of the drugs was based “entirely on circumstantial evidence of possession.”

The Crown conceded the drugs were not stored in plain view and that there was “no direct evidence of where the drugs came from, who put them there, how, in what state or country, or when.”

There was no DNA or fingerprints found on the packages. Sandhu testified through an interpreter at trial that he was not aware there were drugs in the truck and that he and Sander never discussed drugs.

The 32-year-old junior relief driver said he never saw or touched any cocaine in the tractor and he never saw the packages being placed in the tractor at any point during the October trip to the United States.

Voting period for electoral reform referendum extended due to postal strike The voting period for the 2018 Referendum on Electoral Reform has been extended by a week.

Elections BC will now accept completed voting packages until 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 7. The original deadline was Nov. 30.

Chief Electoral Officer Anton Boegman said the office decided to push the deadline because rotating strikes at Canada Post have impacted accessibility.

“We have extended the deadline to ensure that voters are not prevented from participating through no fault of their own,” Boegman said in a statement Friday.

Anton Boegman, chief electoral officer with

Elections BC, said the agency is monitoring the Canada Post worker strike carefully.

Postal workers have been holding rotating walkouts across Canada for a month in an effort to back their contract demands, causing backlogs of unsorted mail and packages at postal depots.

On Tuesday, the federal government introduced legislation to force an end to the strikes — something leaders with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers have fiercely denounced, saying such a move would be unconstitutional.

The deadline to request a referendum voting package for those who have lost or misplaced theirs remains midnight Friday.

Ballots can be sent in by mail or delivered in person to a Referendum Service Office.

As of Wednesday, Elections BC has received an estimated 810,000 voting packages — or about 25 per cent of those eligible to vote.

Victoria police recommend child sex charges in 2 online luring investigations Two Victoria-area men are accused of luring underage children over the internet after separate investigations by police.

The first investigation centres on a 28-year-old man who investigators believe has been in Canada illegally since 2014, according to a police news release.

Officers began an undercover investigation into his activities at the beginning of the month.

“Through the course of the investigation, it became clear that the man wanted to sexually abuse a child,” the news release says.

‘I hope this hurts you’: B.C. man jailed for repeated sexual extortion of girls and women Officers arranged a meeting with the suspect at an apartment building on Nov. 8, and he was arrested on arrival.

Anushka unveils her figure at Madame Tussauds The lady’s going places. Anushka Sharma is a global power brand, and Madame Tussauds celebrated by unveiling her wax figure Nov. 19.

Given her popularity across countries, the wax museum at Singapore unveiled this first-ever interactive wax statue that will wow visitors.

Anushka’s life-like figure holds a phone, personally inviting visitors to snap a selfie

with her, which can be digitally shared with friends and family. She will be the first wax statue in the Singapore museum with this feature. The actress joins other stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan. In 2016, she featured on The Times of India ‘s ‘Most Engaging on Twitter’ list of Hindi film actors. Filmfare magazine’s fashion poll of 2015 voted her as being “Amazing with Androgyny”.

18

Saturday, November 24, 2018

19

Saturday, November 24, 2018

HOROSCOPE

Press release

Statement from Andrew Wilkinson and Teresa Wat on BC Multiculturalism Week “This week we celebrate the fact that we live in one of the most ethnically diverse provinces in Canada. Multiculturalism is integral to the prosperity, culture, and identity of British Columbia. “Culture shapes our values, beliefs, and behavior. At a time of increasing populism and intolerance, we must stand against discrimination, racism and xenophobia. “Our British Columbia makes inclusion

a way to attract talents from around the world to help build an innovative and dynamic economy. “We will continue to encourage our communities to celebrate the differences among us, because that’s what makes British Columbia a great place to live. We must keep working together to create a proud and diverse society that provides opportunity for everyone.�

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March 21 - April 20 The upbeat focus continues this week,

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Press release

ALR is for farming, not mega-homes or construction waste Honourable Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture When it comes to protecting farmland, the choice is obvious and the rationale is simple: the best farmland in our province should be used to grow food, not for mega-mansions and illegal garbage dumps.

Over the last 15 years, pressures on our farmland were allowed to grow, driving the cost of land out of reach for farmers, discouraging people from joining the profession and investing in food production, and allowing our valuable farmland to be damaged or lost, often permanently.

We’re fixing that. On Nov. 5, I introduced legislation that protects the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and makes it clear that farmland in the ALR is meant for farming.

The legislation addresses mega-mansions and speculation in the ALR so farmers can get onto the land and bring it into production. It cracks down on dumping construction waste and fill to protect our valuable, arable soil, and it reinstates one zone for all ALR land in British Columbia to make it clear that the entire ALR benefits from the same strong protection.

The number of mansions and lifestyle estates on ALR land in urban areas has steadily increased in recent years, inflating farmland prices and preventing new, often younger farmers from growing food. In April 2018, it was reported that after a new mega mansion was built on a nearly 20 acre lot assessed at $85,000, it was sold for $9.2 million. That’s more than $465,000 per acre, putting that land far out of reach for farmers.

By setting a maximum house size of 500 square metres (approximately 5,400 square feet) throughout the ALR, our government is putting a stop to the speculation and building of mega-mansions on our most valuable farmland.

The change does not affect existing houses.

Multi-generational farming families who live together and work their land will also still be able to build larger homes if needed through application to the ALC. Mega-mansions on the ALR were one of the main concerns we’ve heard from British Columbians expressed to an independent committee tasked with reviewing how we could revitalize the ALR and the ALC, and it is one on which the government is delivering.

British Columbians are also concerned about the illegal dumping of construction waste on the ALR. The damage of truckload after truckload of waste is often permanent, putting land out of production. This year alone, the ALC has dealt with 191 cases related to fill - 45% of all their compliance and enforcement files. Fill dumping can range from anywhere from eight truckloads to hundreds of thousands of truckloads on a single piece of land. At between $50 and $200 per truckload, you can see why some people find it more lucrative to farm fill rather than food. Under the new bill, dumping construction waste and other damaging substances on farmland will be prohibited, with strong penalties and new tools for enforcement. New offences for illegal fill and soil removal have been created under the new act with maximum penalties of $1 million or six months imprisonment for a first offence.

The return to one zone throughout the ALR will result in all land in the reserve being protected equally, with one set of decisionmaking criteria focused on preserving the ALR and encouraging farming and ranching. Farmers who wish to supplement their income through non-farming activities on their land will still be able to apply to the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) to do so. British Columbians support this approach, and so do B.C. farmers, with both the B.C. Agriculture Council and family farms championing a one-zone system in which all land in the ALR receives the same protection.

There’s more work to come. This is all part of our government’s ongoing commitment to revitalize the ALR and the ALC to protect farmland and farming in British Columbia.

The old government allowed pressures on our farmland to grow. For too long, people have used the ALR for mega-mansion estateliving and as illegal garbage dumps, but we’re changing that.

Our government is making it clear that farmland in the ALR is for British Columbians who farm it and support prosperity in our communities, and whose hard work will let us all put fresh, local food on our tables for years to come.

The importance of farmland in BC

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Bollywood

Aishwarya wished her little princess on Instagram

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Shah Rukh Khan & Kangana Ranaut will share their stories Shah Rukh Khan, Kangana Ranaut and Vijay Devarakonda will share their personal ‘Passion to Paycheck’ stories with a live audience as part of Signature Masterclass, to be held across six cities starting December 15. Shah Rukh will talk about his journey to the audience in Lucknow, while southern star Vijay will share his experience with the Hyderabad audience. Kangana will travel to Gurgaon, Kolkata, Guwahati and Pune.

Popular VJ-actor Cyrus Sahukar will host the interactions.

Looking forward to the experience, Shah Rukh said in a statement: “I came to Mumbai

from Delhi with nothing more than a passion to act. I had grown up amidst the great actors on the campus of the National School of Drama and that really inspired me. I am excited to have the opportunity to share my story with the audience through the Signature Masterclass platform.”

Kangana said: “My journey has been really personal and I dreamed that it would ever be one that could inspire people. I love the fact that I get the chance to share my story with people in such an intimate way. As a woman, I understand the struggles we undergo and through my masterclasses, I hope to inspire women and men alike to follow their passion irrespective of the barriers and challenges they face.”

Arjun is left embarrassed as Karan discusses his sex life Yesterday’s episode of Koffee with Karan saw Saif Ali Khan make an appearance on the show with daughter Sara Ali Khan. Sara will be making her debut soon with Kedarnath in which she stars with Sushant Singh Rajput.

Other stars who have made an appearance on the show are Alia Bhatt, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Aamir Khan and Varun Dhawan. Arjun Kapoor has also shot for the episode with sister Janhvi Kapoor. The promo of the next episode featuring Arjun and Janhvi released today.

In the promo, Karan says, “So, we’re really bonding like talking about our sex life,” and an embarrassed Arjun Kapoor replies by saying, “I need to look this side to realize I am sitting with my sister and talking” as Janhvi bursts into laughter. In another segment, the brothersister duo are competing in a game and Arjun is not able to answer any questions. Karan asks questions about the song, ‘I’m in love with the shape of you’ and Kim Kardashian West. Arjun vents out his frustration in jest by saying, “I was busy being an actor”.

Amitabh Bachchan pays off farmers’ loans worth $500,000 Amitabh Bachchan says he has cleared farmers’ loans worth more than 40m rupees ($560,000; £436,000).

He wrote on his blog on Tuesday that he had “taken care” of 1,398 farmers by paying off their debt, adding that he felt a “sense of accomplishment”.

All of the farmers are from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, where Bachchan was born. Tens of thousands of Indian farmers struggle with debt. For decades now, the farming industry has been blighted by drought, the depletion of the water table, declining productivity and a lack of modernisation.

Farm suicides have been linked to these issues - at least 300,000 farmers have taken their lives since 1995.

Bachchan, who is 76, remains one of India’s most popular and best-known actors.

He cleared loans that were owed

to the government-owned Bank of India, which has issued a “one time settlement document and certificate”, according to his blog post. He said that he had paid dues worth more than 40m rupees. Why Amitabh Bachchan is more than a superstar Amitabh Bachchan: ‘I succumbed to social media’ “I shall wish of course to give these settlements, these confirmations that their loans have been paid off, personally,” Bachchan wrote. Since it would difficult to bring all of the farmers to Mumbai city, where he lives, he said he had reserved a train coach to bring 70 of them to meet him to receive the bank documents They are expected to arrive on 26 November.

Earlier this year Bachchan paid off the loans of 350 farmers from Mumbai’s Maharashtra state.

Thousands of farmers in the state staged massive protests last year demanding loan waivers and better crop prices. Amitabh Bachchan has also been involved in controversy in connection with farm land. In 2007, a court ruled that a 90,000 sq ft plot had been illegally allocated to him.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

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Saturday, November 24, 2018 Any kind of fundamentalism is inconsistent with the message of Guru Nanak, who preached all religions had merit and it was necessary to learn from each other for harmonious living.

Societies worldwide are facing the challenges of terrorism and environmental degradation. What can we draw from the teachings of Guru Nanak to tide over these?

Three things in Guru Nanak’s life are very important. First is his emphasis on gender equality. Guru Nanak wanted men and women to be treated equally and his message was “so kyun manda aakhiye jit janmain rajjan”. Today in our own country atrocities against women and children are on the increase. It is, therefore, necessary to take Guru Nanak’s message to all nooks and corners of the country to emphasise the need for paying adequate attention to the wellbeing of our women and children.

Guru Nanak laid great emphasis on the

‘Equity and equality Guru Nanak’s basic message’ protection of environment — water, air and Mother Earth.

We end Japuji Sahib with a reference to the need to protect environment. The challenge is to live in harmony with nature.

Thirdly, the Guru emphasised the need for inter-faith harmony and sustained dialogue among religions and religious communities. He travelled the world to promote the culture of dialogue among various religious groups, whether it was the yogis of the Himalayas or the maulvis of Mecca.

His message is that all religions have merit and it is necessary to learn from each other to ensure harmonious living. This message of Guru Nanak is as relevant today as it was when

he lived.

The Guru preached a world without boundaries but we are living in a world increasingly defined by boundaries. Is this why the world is moving away from his teachings?

Well, the world will have to come back to the path shown by Guru Nanak Dev ji. It is true there is so much strife in our country, so many religious disputes and caste rivalries. These are not conducive to harmonious living and, therefore, the message of Guru Nanak of promoting inter-faith dialogue and harmony is paramount. Guru Nanak said ‘naa koi Hindu naa Musalman’. Everyone is to be

judged by what one does in his life.

Guru Nanak lived for the poor and shared his earnings. But world is becoming increasingly self-centred. .…

The basic message of Guru Nanak is equity and equality. Therefore, equitable distribution of income and wealth is an integral part of the teachings of Sikh Gurus.

Equitable distribution of income, dealing constructively with social and economic inequalities, is integral to the message Guru Nanak gave to the world.

Radicalism has been on the rise across the world. Is there a lesson to be drawn from Guru’s teachings?

All sorts of fundamentalism are inconsistent with the message of Guru Nanak and other Sikh Gurus. Caste barriers were decried by the Guru. He emphasised equality of human beings and, therefore, the need for promoting inter-faith dialogue.

24

Vol. 9 No. 47

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Saturday - November 24, 2018

In BC’s rugged north as Royal Dutch Shell PLC’s $31 billion (US) liquefied natural gas project sparks an economic boom in the remote region. BC’s housing boom is set to shift to the BC’s North Coast, a sparsely populated region usually synonymous with untamed wilderness, black bears and glacial fjords — is set for a turnaround as Shell and its four partners ramp up activity on Canada’s largest infrastructure project ever, according to

Tel: 604-591-5423

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Housing boom shifting towards North in BC Bryan Yu, deputy chief economist at Central 1 Credit Union. Residential home prices in the North Coast are set to surge faster than any other region in the province through 2020 as the project in Kitimat prepares to employ as many as 7,500 people at its peak, according to forecasts from Yu. In contrast, prices in Vancouver’s Lower Mainland area — once one of the hottest housing markets in North America — will fall, keeping the overall

provincial median price flat. More broadly, the real estate slowdown in Greater Vancouver — the province’s largest metropolitan area — will dampen British Columbia’s overall prospects.

The province’s annual economic growth will slow to a range of about 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent through 2020, down from 3.8 per cent in 2017, Central 1 said in a report Tuesday.

That reflects a shift in fortunes. Three years ago when Vancouver’s economy was roaring

along as housing prices surged, the resourcedependent north was suffering a downturn.

Lumber exports were falling, mining projects faced dismal commodity prices, and more than a dozen LNG projects were stalled amid a global gas glut. In addition to the LNG project announced last month, the North Coast region is also benefiting from firmer demand for wood products and a booming port in nearby Prince Rupert, according to Central 1.

Home sale fall to six-year low Housing sales in the Vancouver region have fallen to their lowest level in six years as price declines extend beyond singlefamily detached properties to condos and townhouses. “The affordability situation is improving across all segments of the market,� said Josh Gordon, assistant professor at Simon Fraser University’s school of public policy. Greater Vancouver home sales in October Sales volume for detached houses, condos and townhomes While the Vancouver region remains by far the most expensive housing market in Canada, prices for condos and townhomes have slid over the past four months after a five-year rally.

By contrast, prices for detached houses

started their descent in mid-2016, before recovering in early 2017 and then heading down again in October, 2017.

Factors influencing the market include the B.C. government’s plan, unveiled in February, for what it calls a speculation and vacancy tax targeted primarily at out-of-province residents. “That tax announcement has curtailed speculative

buying, as we see in the lower sales totals.

Flipping activity has dropped off,�

Prof.

Gordon said in an interview on Friday.

Phil Moore, president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, said the number of listings has increased to a fouryear high. With 12,984 properties for sale on the Multiple Listing Service, that’s up 42.1 per cent from a year earlier. “For

home buyers, this means you have more selection to choose from,� Mr. Moore said in a statement. “For sellers, it means your home may face more competition, from other listings, in the marketplace.� Sales volume for all housing types in October decreased to 1,966 transactions, down 34.9 per cent from 3,022 sales in the same month of 2017.

Last month’s sales, the lowest for October since 2012, were 26.8 per cent under the 10year average for the month, according to the board. In Greater Vancouver, the monthover-month benchmark price (an industry representation of the typical home sold in an area) for all residential types has declined for five consecutive months, hitting $1,062,100 in October.

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25

Saturday, November 24, 2018 The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says home supply is rising and reaching levels not seen in roughly four years, even as the average price inches up year-over-year.

The board says the composite benchmark price for all homes was $1,062,100 in October -- up one per cent since October 2017, but down 3.3 per cent over the last three months.

Sales of all types of homes -- detached, townhomes and condos -- in October fell 34.9 per cent compared with the same month last year, dropping 26.8 per cent below the 10year October sales average.

Prices easing but Canada’s housing

Vancouver home sales drop below average last month market still ‘highly vulnerable’: CMHC Interest rates and anxiety on the rise in B.C. Meanwhile, nearly 4,900 new properties were listed for sale last month, up 7.4 per cent compared with October last year.

Nearly 13,000 homes are listed in Metro Vancouver or 42.1 per cent more than in October 2017. Board president Phil Moore says the additional supply gives home buyers more choice and home sellers more competition. Detached home sales fell 32.2 per cent in October compared with the same month last year, while the benchmark

Real estate market expected to mederate over next 2 years

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the country’s real estate market is expected to moderate over the next two years as the growth in housing prices is expected to slow to more in line with economic fundamentals.In its 2018 housing market outlook released today, the national housing agency projects housing starts and sales are both expected to decline

price fell to $1,524,000 marking a 5.1 per cent drop year-overyear and 3.9 per cent fall over the last three months.

Sales of townhomes declined 37.5 per cent and condos fell 35.7 per cent year-over-year.

The benchmark price for townhomes rose 4.4 per cent from last year to $829,200, while condo prices jumped 5.8 per cent to $683,500.

Over the past three months, townhome

in 2019 and 2020.It predicts housing starts for single and multi-unit starts will fall to between 193,700 and 204,500 in 2019, while sales are anticipated to be between 478,400 and 497,400 units. Prices are anticipated to range between $501,400 and $521,600.

CMHC says it expects economic indicators

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prices fell 2.8 per cent and condo prices dropped 3.1.

The threemonth price drop “is providing a little relief for those looking to buy compared to the all-time highs we’ve experienced over the last year,” says Moore.

26

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Saturday, November 24, 2018 South Asian Seniors Dementia Forum by Fraser Health BC, Grand Taj Banquet Hall on November 25 from 11:00am to 2:00pm Vedic Seniors Parivar Center of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey fully supports and appreciates the efforts of Regional Dementia Strategy of Fraser Health BC to have organized an important Dementia Forum for South Asian Community. We advise all our members to attend this important Health Forum and join local health experts to learn about Dementia diagnosis and management, information & services for patients and care givers.

Dr. Leena Jain will be Keynote Speaker

along with other health experts, and there will be questions and answers session after the presentation. The Dementia Forum will be held at Grand Taj Banquet hall 8388 - 128th street Surrey BC V3W 4G2 on November 25th 2018 Sunday from 11.00 am to 2.00 pm.

Registration at the Grand Taj Banquet hall will be free for all adults & seniors, Light refreshments will be provided.

For more info lease call Surendra Handa Coordinator Vedic Seniors Parivar Center Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

DREAM CARPET

29 17

30 18

LOCAL / NATIONAL

It is a number. A number that grew incrementally and in jumps, over days and weeks and months this year, with the stopping of each human heart, each of which belonged to someone who was loved by somebody.

8JUI 5PSPOUP T MBUFTU IPNJDJEF B TIPPUJOH PO 4VOEBZ JO UIF 8FTU )JMM OFJHICPVSIPPE PG Scarborough, the number has become a record.

8JUI EBZT UP HP JO 5PSPOUP has this year seen more homicides, 90, than any other year in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve covered crime, policing and injustices in the justice system for more than a quarter century. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen how policies intended to save lives are born from moments like this â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and often result in minor improvements, or nothing at all.

This number â&#x20AC;&#x201D;should remind us

Saturday, November 24, 2018

What can be done about Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homicide record how much we already know about what causes violent crime, and how to stop it.

Lawyer Annamaria Enenajor says â&#x20AC;&#x153;we need to resist the temptation to respond with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fire and furyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? to increased violence in the city.

Lawyer Annamaria Enenajor says â&#x20AC;&#x153;we need to resist the temptation to respond with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fire and furyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? to increased violence in the city. Toronto lawyer Annamaria Enenajor stresses the importance of understanding the context of the shootings and homicides â&#x20AC;&#x153;because they do not happen in a vacuum. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If our city is serious about tackling our rising murderâ&#x20AC;? numbers, she says, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we need to resist the temptation to respond with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;fire and furyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; empty rhetoric of being tough on offenders.â&#x20AC;?

Concert goers started throwing beers

at rapper Pusha T while he was performing a song called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Infraredâ&#x20AC;? in which he BDDVTFT %SBLF PG VTJOH HIPTUXSJUFST .BO JO MJGF UISFBUFOJOH DPOEJUJPO BÄ&#x2122;FS fight breaks out at Pusha T concert in Toronto Author and activist Harry Leslie Smith, pictured in his Belleville, Ont. apartment last year, has thrown a major scare into his followers after coming down with pneumonia and having his blood pressure drop.

Harry Leslie Smith, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest

rebel,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; hospitalized in Belleville. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;I did something that mattered, didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t I?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Amanda Ferguson in her downtown apartment which she shares with boyfriend Chris Gerling. The two wonder if they will ever have enough money to buy a home in Toronto.

A3FOUFST BSF OPU TFDPOE class citizens.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Push is on to change culture, policy for long-term tenants This piece is meant to give you some context for the record number â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and ways to move forward.

Police say Burnaby woman who died in crash had injuries â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;indicative of foul playâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; IHIT ( Integrated Homicide Investigation Team) says 34-year-old Nicole Porciello (pictured), who is also known as NicoleĂ&#x201A;

Hasselmann, died in hospital following a crash on Barnet Highway. The crash took place on Friday just before 10 pm on Barnet Highway, in Burnaby. According to police, a single vehicle, a 2017 charcoal grey Kia Sorento SUV, was found at the scene with an unconscious man inside, while a woman had been ejected from the car and was later found in a ditch. The woman, identified by IHIT as Nicole Porciello, was taken to hospital but didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t survive, while the man is expected to make a full recovery.

Police confirmed t h e pair were known to each other.

IHIT took over the investigation due to what they said was the â&#x20AC;&#x153;suspicious natureâ&#x20AC;? of Porcielloâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s death. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This incident is not believed to be random and there appears to be no risk to public safety,â&#x20AC;?

IHIT Cpl. Frank Jang said in a press release.

IHIT investigators are looking to speak to anyone who saw Porciello or the grey Kia Sorento at the following three locations: t CMPDL PG 3JEHFWJFX %SJWF #VSOBCZ t CMPDL PG $PMMFHF 1BSL 8BZ 1PSU .PPEZ t CMPDL PG #BSOFU )JHIXBZ #VSOBCZ

Chilliwack RCMP bust illegal pot processing facility under new Cannabis Act $IJMMJXBDL 3$.1 TBZ PÄ?DFST CVTUFE an illegal pot processing facility on 8FEOFTEBZ BÄ&#x2122;FS TFSWJOH B XBSSBOU under Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new Cannabis Act. 1PMJDF XJUI UIF $IJMMJXBDL 3$.1 T drug section, the Upper Fraser Valley 3FHJPOBM %FUBDINFOU 6'73% BOE & %JWJTJPO T DMBOEFTUJOF MBC UFBN BUUFOEFE to the property on Harvard Place.

Investigators said they seized about 113 kilograms of dried marijuana, a further 13 kilograms of cannabis resin/oil, extraction equipment, butane and propane. %FTQJUF MFHBMJ[BUJPO DPNNFSDJBMMZ producing or processing cannabis products without a proper licence remains a crime under the Cannabis Act. Penalties can range from fines under $5,000 or a short jail term up to 14 years in prison.

A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene, and could face charges of illegal production using chemicals to alter cannabis. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The use of these volatile chemicals pose a significant risk to the neighbouring tenants PG UIJT XBSFIPVTF w TBJE 6'73% PÄ?DFS JO DIBSHF 4VQU #SZPO .BTTJF JO B TUBUFNFOU iÄ&#x2021;F PÄ?DFST PG UIF 6'73% XJMM DPOUJOVF to work within new and existing legislation to ensure the safety of our community.â&#x20AC;?

Anyone with information about the incident JT BTLFE UP DPOUBDU UIF $IJMMJXBDL 3$.1

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Langley, Canmore & London â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;topâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coziest cities for 2018 Looking for a cozy getaway? One with little USBÄ?D BOE OBUVSF LOPDLJOH PO UIF EPPSTUFQ Look no further than Canmore, Alta., which recently â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;toppedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Expedia.caâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MJTU PG A$BOBEB T DP[JFTU DJUJFT GPS The website says a cozy city is â&#x20AC;&#x153;a place with attractions that provide warmth, relaxation, and community. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a city with a welcoming hotel at the end of the night. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a town that says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re family here.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;?

In making the list, which was created from hotel data, Expedia said each location had at least 100 reviews with a comfort score of 3.5 stars and higher.

Expedia then listed the top 55 cities, though it added the list was in no particular order. Yet in saying that, it listed Canmore as No. 1, with London, Ont., as No. 2 and Langley, B.C., BT /P 3PVOEJOH PVU UIF UPQ Ä&#x2022;WF XFSF %BSUNPVUI / 4 BOE 4VECVSZ 0OU In describing Canmore, Expedia wrote, i/FTUMFE BHBJOTU UIF 3PDLZ .PVOUBJOT Canmore is a place that inspires fire pits,

relaxing spas, and sights that take your breath away. Given how many glowing reviews we saw, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s definitely something magical about it.â&#x20AC;?

It also highlighted a few top attractions: 8JUI WJFXT UIBU MPPL PVU UP UIF Ä&#x2021;SFF 4JTUFST mountain range and a menu that includes craft soda along with sudsy pints, Grizzly Paw Pub & Brewing Company is a top-notch cozy bar to unwind in.

8IFO ZPV SF ready to have your muscles kneaded and joints popped, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing better than a TQB EBZ .BLF B EBUF at the best in the city, 7FSEF %BZ 4QB GPS pampering you deserve.

London, Ontario. A QBUJP BU 4U 3FHJT 5BWFSO PO %VOEBT 4USFFU JO Old East Village, London, Ont. A patio at St. 3FHJT 5BWFSO PO %VOEBT 4USFFU JO 0ME &BTU Village, London, Ont. For London, Expedia TBJE UIF 0OUBSJP DJUZ PG iPÄ&#x152;FST B MJUUMF bit of something for everyone seeking respite from the chill: comfort food, rare vinyl record shops, and tons of community events.

If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking for local stores with sweet

One-third of cannabis buyers still using illicit dealers, according to IPSOS poll One of the Canadian governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief aims in legalizing marijuana was to eliminate the black market.

And yet, one month after legalization came into effect on Oct. 17, a new Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of Global News reveals that of those who have purchased cannabis in the last month, 35 per cent went back to their pre-legalization sources. In other words, they skipped legal avenues in favour of their old dealer.

8IFUIFS UIBU T UIF CFHJOOJOH PG B HPPE or bad news trend depends on who you ask. At this early stage itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;much ado BCPVU OPUIJOH w TBZT +FOOJGFS .D-FPE .BDFZ WJDF QSFTJEFOU XJUI *QTPT â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of like Y2K where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re expecting this big change overnight and we havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seen it.â&#x20AC;?

So what can you expect to see moving forward? Legalization hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exactly been a smooth road, from legal retailers turning away XPVME CF CVZFST PO %BZ BÄ&#x2122;FS SVOOJOH PVU of stock to delivery mishaps and critiques over pricing to concerns about Quebecâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan to raise the legal age for smoking pot to 21, and medical marijuana shortages.

Legalization is a process not an act, TBZT "MMBO 3FXBL FYFDVUJWF EJSFDUPS with the Cannabis Council of Canada. i8F BSF DPNQFUJOH BHBJOTU WFSZ well established, very robust and very wealthy illicit market places serving Canadians for almost a hundred years.â&#x20AC;?

3FXBL JT IFBSUFOFE CZ UIF *QTPT Ä&#x2022;HVSFT Nearly three-quarters of the 2,402 Canadians surveyed said they had tried to purchase or did purchase cannabis after legalization.

However, where they got it varied:That itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only a third of Canadians sticking to the black NBSLFU JT BDUVBMMZ MPXFS UIBO 3FXBL UIPVHIU JU would be one month in â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a good news story. i8F UIPVHIU UIJT QSPDFTT would take more time,â&#x20AC;? he says. #VU XIJMF 3FXBL FYQFDUT NPSF Canadians will abandon the black market as regulatory kinks get worked out, Ian %BXLJOT DP GPVOEFS BOE QSJODJQBM BU Althing Consultancy, is not convinced. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s indicative of a much broader set of problems,â&#x20AC;? he says.

A slim majority of Canadians surveyed by Ipsos, 54 per cent, believe legalized cannabis

31 19

Bank of Canada to review policy framework The Bank of Canada will review its monetary policies and is open to making major changes, including a move away from its long-standing practice of targeting JOÄ&#x2DC;BUJPO B TFOJPS PÄ?DJBM TBJE PO 5VFTEBZ The deadline for the review is late 2021, when the central bank is due to renew its fiveyear inflation control agreement with the federal government. The inflation target has been 2 percent for the last 23 years.

Bank of Canada 4FOJPS %FQVUZ (PWFSOPS $BSPMZO 8JMLJOT TBJE that while the inflationtargeting framework has promoted the economic and financial well-being of Canadians, the decade since the fiscal crisis has shown it is not perfect. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is time to conduct a thorough

review of the alternatives,â&#x20AC;? she said in the prepared text of a lecture BU .D(JMM 6OJWFSTJUZ JO .POUSFBM 8JMLJOT TBJE UIF CBOL T FTUJNBUF PG UIF nominal neutral interest rate is lower than before the crisis, meaning it has less conventional policy firepower to use in a downturn.

The lower rate also means households and investors could take on excessive risk, leaving the economy exposed to boombust financial cycles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are several intriguing frameworks that merit further exploration, although none is perfect. That is why I want to see a side-by-side assessment of them,â&#x20AC;? she said.

MLA calls for greater transparency of NDP handling of sexual misconduct complaints Ä&#x2021;F "MCFSUB -FHJTMBUVSF XBT BTLFE .POEBZ to investigate accusations of sexual misconduct BHBJOTU UXP /FX %FNPDSBUJD 1BSUZ .-"T after a former memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s questioning of the party process for complaints.

'PSNFS /%1 BOE OPX "MCFSUB 1BSUZ NFNCFS ,BSFO .D1IFSTPO QSFWJPVTMZ WPJDFE DSJUJDJTN in a letter on Sunday to the House Speaker.

8IFO BTLFE IPX TIF UIPVHIU BMMFHBUJPOT were being handled within government DBVDVT .D1IFSTPO UPME $57 /FXT i* EPO U know. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big reason why I wrote the letter.â&#x20AC;? ,BSFO .D1IFSTPO IBT DBMMFE PO HSFBUFS USBOTQBSFODZ GSPN UIF /FX %FNPDSBUJD Party on the handling of two sexual misconduct complaints against its members.

20 32

NATIONAL

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Canadian health care spending expected to increase by 4.2% over last year: report Canada is expected to dole out $253.5 CJMMJPO JO UPUBM IFBMUI TQFOEJOH JO PS BCPVU QFS $BOBEJBO BDDPSEJOH UP B Canadian Institute for Health Information report. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a 4.2 per cent increase over last year, and adds up to almost 11.3 per cent of our gross domestic product, says the notfor-profit organization that studies national health care data. Canada is expected to dole out $253.5 billion in total health spending JO PS BCPVU QFS $BOBEJBO according to a Canadian Institute for Health Information report. Canada is expected to dole out $253.5 billion in total health spending JO PS BCPVU QFS $BOBEJBO according to a Canadian Institute for Health Information report. (Toronto Star file photo)

Increases in health spending are typically tied to economic growth, said Jordan Hunt, the organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manager of pharmaceutical information. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Health spending grows when the economy grows and might shrink when the economy shrinks,â&#x20AC;? Hunt said in an interview .POEBZ i0WFS UIF QBTU EFDBEF Â&#x2030; JU IBT CFFO TUBCMF JO UFSNT PG JUT TIBSF PG (%1 i8F EJE TFF B CJU IJHIFS QVCMJD IFBMUI spending per person in urban areas versus those living in rural areas â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a little less than $200 per person,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the first time it was something we looked at, at a high level.â&#x20AC;?

As the conversation about federal pharmacare gathers steam, the study indicates that Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drug spending

Former AGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appointment caps day of confusion at BC Legislature A day of confusion at the BC Legislature has concluded with the appointment PG GPSNFS #$ BUUPSOFZ HFOFSBM 8BMMZ Oppal to assist in the criminal investigation of two senior administrators.

Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appointment came after opposition leaders revealed that House Speaker %BSSZM 1MFDBT IBE USJFE UP BQQPJOU IJT GSJFOE BOE TQFDJBM BEWJTFS "MMFO .VMMFO UP SFQMBDF POF PG UIPTF TFOJPS PÄ?

DJBMT XIP XFSF CPUI escorted out of the legislature earlier this week.

That led to a day filled with more confusion in the legislatureâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s halls as news conferences were scheduled and then cancelled, and written statements were promised and then delayed â&#x20AC;&#x201D; all in the midst of a scandal that already includes two special QSPTFDVUPST BOE BO 3$.1 JOWFTUJHBUJPO

4QFDJBM "EWJTFS "MBO .VMMFO BOOPVODFT UIF BQQPJOUNFOU PG 8BMMZ 0QQBM .VMMFO BOOPVODFE Ä&#x2021; VSTEBZ BÄ&#x2122; FSOPPO that former judge and attorney general 8BMMZ 0QQBM IBT CFFO BQQPJOUFE BT TFDPOE special adviser to to the speaker. 0:32 8IBU T UIF QVCMJD T ASJHIU UP LOPX about B.C. Legislature investigation?

At the root of Thursdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commotion is the investigation into Sergeant-at-Arms Gary Lenz and Clerk of the House Craig James, who were both put on indefinite leave Tuesday, pending a criminal investigation.

As questions continued to swirl about the allegations against the two men, Opposition )PVTF -FBEFS .BSZ 1PMBL BEEFE ZFU BOPUIFS twist Thursday morning, when she read a sworn statement out loud to reporters.

New $10 bill featuring Viola Desmond enters circulation The sister of the late Nova Scotia civil rights pioneer and businesswoman Viola %FTNPOE 8BOEB 3PCTPO TUJMM finds it hardAto believe A that her A big sister is the new face of the $10 bill â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and the first Canadian woman to be featured on a regularly circulating banknote.

The sister of the late Nova Scotia civil rights pioneer Viola %FTNPOE 3PCTPO TBJE UIF NPWF to include a black woman on the bill is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;giant step forwardâ&#x20AC;?

JO DPOUJOVJOH %FTNPOE T work toward equality.

In an interview, she said she has EJÄ?

DVMUZ QVUUJOH IFS FYDJUFNFOU JOUP XPSET â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m so grateful and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy,â&#x20AC;? said 3PCTPO XIP UVSOT OFYU NPOUI iÄ&#x2021; PTF are sort of mundane words, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m looking for a word that would describe it, and all I can say is what the kids say today: itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awesome!â&#x20AC;?

3PCTPO XJMM NBLF UIF Ä&#x2022; STU QVSDIBTF XJUI UIF OFX CJMM EVSJOH B DFSFNPOZ .POEBZ BU UIF $BOBEJBO .VTFVN GPS )VNBO 3JHIUT JO 8JOOJQFH XIFSF #BOL PG $BOBEB HPWFSOPS Stephen Poloz and museum president John :PVOH XJMM PÄ?

DJBMMZ MBVODI UIF CBOLOPUF 'PS IFS Ä&#x2022; STU QVSDIBTF 3PCTPO QMBOT UP CVZ a book co-written by her and Cape Breton 6OJWFSTJUZ QSPGFTTPS (SBIBN 3FZOPMET BCPVU %FTNPOE T MJGF BOE MFHBDZ BOE HJWF it to her 12-year-old granddaughter so she

can learn more about her great-auntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s story.

3PCTPO TBJE IFS HSBOEEBVHIUFS IBT shown a longtime interest in %FTNPOE EFTQJUF CFJOH CPSO decades after her death in 1965. â&#x20AC;&#x153;She said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;You know nan, when I get my first ten dollar bill with aunt Viola on it, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to frame it, and put it on a wall, and never, FWFS TQFOE JU wA 3PCTPO TBJE 0O /PW %FTNPOE was arrested after refusing to leave a whites-only section PG UIF 3PTFMBOE Ä&#x2021; FBUSF in New Glasgow, N.S., in an incident that has since become one of the most high-profile cases of racial discrimination in Canadian history.

It would take 63 years for /PWB 4DPUJB UP JTTVF %FTNPOE B posthumous apology and pardon.

3PCTPO IBT TQFOU ZFBST FEVDBUJOH children and adults alike about how her sisterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s case helped shine a light on Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s burgeoning civil rights movement.

She said the new billâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national circulation will lead to even more awareness about %FTNPOE T TUPSZ BOE UIF XJEFS JTTVF of racial discrimination in Canada. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a giant step forward into knowledge about who we are, where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been, and where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still

B.C. researcher argues anti-Alberta oil campaigns about protecting U.S. interests, not environment Anti-oil campaigns have called Albertaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s industry â&#x20AC;&#x153;the tar sands,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Albertaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dirty oilâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most embarrassing secret.â&#x20AC;?

But during an interview with Global Edmonton anchor Jennifer Crosby on .POEBZ B #SJUJTI $PMVNCJB SFTFBSDIFS said the campaign against Alberta oil is more about American economic interests than protecting the environment.

Vivian Krause has been researching the oilsands for nearly a decade and she told her studies have led her to believe the push against the oilsands is funded by American philanthropists in an effort to land-lock Alberta oil so it cannot reach overseas markets, where it would attain a higher price per barrel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;About $90 million over the last 10 years has gone towards various efforts to restrict oil and gas development and export from Alberta. The problem that I see with this is that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to cap and restrict Alberta production, but thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no such campaign in Texas,â&#x20AC;? Krause said.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure the reason they are doing it is because of the environment and because of climate-related problems, but the trouble is itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not helping the environment because the oil, if it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come from Alberta, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just coming from some other country.â&#x20AC;?

Krause said the campaign was originally funded by charitable organizations from California and the philanthropic PSHBOJ[BUJPO 3PDLFGFMMFS #SPUIFST Fund, which was created with funding GSPN UIF GBNPVT 3PDLFGFMMFS GBNJMZ Krause said the group got together around the time of the Iraq war and California energy crisis in 2003-2004 and strategized how to get control of the United Statesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; domestic energy policy. She said the group now funds the Tides Foundation in San Francisco and UIF /FX 7FOUVSF 'VOE JO 8BTIJOHUPO % $ â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think they have four goals, three of which are great: renewable energy, FOFSHZ FÄ?

DJFODZ FOFSHZ TFDVSJUZ UIBU T all good. But itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the fourth goal â&#x20AC;&#x201D; this idea of keeping Canada out of the global market â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where I think we

Saturday, November 24, 2018 Liberals not cutting corporate tax, instead reveal $16B plan to boost competitiveness with US There will be no corporate tax cuts in Canada akin to the package introduced by Donald Trump’s administration earlier this year. Instead, Finance Minister Bill Morneau introduced on Wednesday a package of tax write-offs and investments that the government says will effectively reduce the corporate tax rate in Canada from 17 per cent to 13.8 per cent.

Liberals say it’s a $16-billion answer to Canada’s competitiveness concerns.

Those measures come after U.S. President Donald Trump brought in a package of tax reforms in 2017 to slash the corporate tax rate there from 29.8 per cent to 18.7 per cent at an added cost to the U.S. deficit of roughly $1.5 trillion over the next decade. “The U.S federal tax reform has significantly reduced the overall tax advantage that Canada has built over the years, posing important challenges that, if left unaddressed, could have significant impacts on investment, jobs and the economic prospects of middle

class Canadians,” the fiscal outlook states.

As a result of that risk, the package of tax write-offs proposed by the government will do three things. First, manufacturers and processors that acquire new machinery and equipment after Nov. 20, 2018, will immediately be eligible to write-off the full cost in their tax returns for the year that new equipment is put into use.

Second, businesses buying certain kinds of clean energy equipment after Nov. 20, 2018, will also be eligible to fully write off those costs as part of a push to get more businesses investing in clean technology.

Both write-offs will be phased out starting in 2024 and will no longer be available after 2027. Third, the plan will also triple the amount companies can deduct from their tax returns for capital investments in their first year of use through what will be known as the Accelerated Investment Incentive.

Highlights of Bill Morneau’s 2018 fiscal update Finance Minister Bill Morneau delivered his fall economic statement Wednesday.

Here are the highlights of his fiscal update:Growth: 2 per cent forecast next year (up from 1.6) — and slightly higher inflation.

Unemployment rate: 5.8 per cent next year, down from 5.9.Projected deficit: $18.1 billion for current fiscal year. Revised 2017-2018 deficit: $19 billion, down $0.9 billion.Debt: Expected to grow by $96.7 billion to $765 billion by 2023-24. Debt-to-GDP ratio projected to fall each year, to 28.5 by 2023-24.

New measures announced today: $17.6 billion over 6 years. Biggest move: $14.4 billion to allow businesses to write off some capital costs more quickly.Trade: Infrastructure spending moved up and other measures to promote trade. The goal is to boost overseas exports by 50 per cent by 2025. Liberals deepen federal

deficit in response to Trump tax cuts Morneau’s update bolsters struggling media with $600M in tax measures Francophone media: $14.6 million over 5 years to create digital platform for TV5Monde, a channel created by Frenchlanguage public broadcasters.

Strategic Innovation Fund: Additional $800 million over 5 years, including $100 million for forestry sector. Social Finance Fund: $755 million over 10 years to help charities and non-profits fund social projects. Wild fish stocks: $202 million more over 5 years to support sustainability.

Nutrition North: $62.6 million over 5 years and $10.4M per year after that for food security program. Avalanche Canada: $25 million onetime endowment to promote avalanche safety.

Tories accuse Trudeau of bribing media with tax breaks The Conservative Opposition is accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of trying to bribe Canadian media to secure favourable media coverage in the run-up to next year’s federal election.

The accusations came a day after Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced in the fall economic update that the government was introducing $600 million in tax credits and incentives to help the media industry over the next five years.

“Justin Trudeau thinks it is the job of the media to shower him with praise and coincidentally, in an election year, he’s forcing Canadian taxpayers to dole out $600 million in order to try and buy Trudeau the media’s support as he goes to the polls,” Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre told reporters Thursday.

Some of the money is expected to go toward a new tax credit for media organizations to support the production of content. Another tax credit will be aimed at subscribers to digital news outlets. The plan will also allow non-profit media outlets to apply for charitable status.

“It certainly gives the impression of potentially affecting, not necessarily individual journalists, but the organizations, the companies, the

employers that they work for,” said Conservative MP Peter Kent, a retired journalist himself.

“When the media, or media organizations, or in fact, individual journalist jobs are dependent on government subsidies that is the antithesis of a free and independent press,” he added. Conservative MP Michelle Rempel said the policy amounted to “instituting state-run journalism.”The Liberals defended the move in the House of Commons on Thursday, saying that journalists in Canada were capable of performing their jobs with integrity, regardless of the funding models of their employers.

Asked directly whether he thought the new program will compromise the work of journalists, Poilievre was unequivocal.

“So, Justin Trudeau and this system he’s setting up will determine whether your mortgage gets paid. And you say that will have absolutely no impact on the nature of your coverage. Well I think you can forgive us for being just a little skeptical about that claim,” he said. “What Justin Trudeau is telling you is: Here’s a half billion dollars; don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

NATIONAL

33

34

INDIA

Saturday, November 24, 2018

‘‘Your Dada, Dadis sided with British”

Congress leader Kapil Sibal tells Modi Congress leader Kapil Sibal hit back at PM Modi’s jibe at Rahul Gandhi, and said that his party’s ancestors were siding with the British government while Jawaharlal Nehru was laying the foundation of ‘modern industrial India’. PM Modi had attacked Congress president Rahul Gandhi a day before at a rally in Chattisgarh’s Ambikapur.

He asked the Congress to give an account of what four generations of Gandhi family had done for the nation.

“They are roaming around giving speeches here. What has (CM) Raman Singh done? He has not done this, not done that. I want to ask them. When did you realise that all this must happen?

When you were sitting for four generations, why did you not do it? Did you lay a water pipeline somewhere? Did your Nana Nani Dada Dadi lay them? And Raman Singh uprooted them?... Why are you fooling the country? First you must give an account of why you did not do anything.”

Sibal took to Twitter for his retort on the PM’s comments.

Modiji asks Rahulji : “ Did your Nana Nani Dada Dadi lay ... water pipelines....

Ask how you got drinking water at platform when you were young Nehruji laid the foundation of a modern industrial India. But your party’s Nana Nani’s Dada Dadi’s collaborated with the British !

— Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) November

17, 2018 He later intensified his attack, and questioned whether the prime minister knew anything about the history of India.

“I don’t think PM ponders over what he says.

I want to ask the PM who built the Hirakud dam, Sardar Sarovar dam, Tehri dam, Bhakra dam? The dada- dadi of Modi ji or his party? Does he know anything about the history of India?”

He added that ‘they’ (the party’s ancestors) collaborated with the British during the 1942 Quint-India movement. “They were the ones who were collaborating with the British. In the 1942 Quit-India movement they sided with the British. That was the conduct of their daddadis and nana-nanis. Unfortunately he doesn’t even know about his own dadadadis, I wish he did.”

Earlier on Saturday, Former Union Minister P Chidambaram too hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for targeting the Congress, reminding him of the party’s legacy by listing fifteen names of its presidents from outside the Nehru-Gandhi family.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had at the same rally in Chhattisgarh challenged the Congress party to make someone from outside the Gandhi family the party chief at least for five years in order for him to believe the legacy of Jawaharlal Nehru.

Why India wants to buy the MH-60 ‘Romeo’ helicopters from the US he multi-role MH-60 ‘Romeo’ Seahawk helicopters are advanced naval machines with sensors, missiles and torpedoes. India wants to buy 24 from the US. New Delhi: India wants to buy 24 multi-role MH-60 ‘Romeo’ anti-submarine helicopters from the United States at an estimated cost of $2 billion.

Quoting defence industry sources, a PTI report Saturday said the government-togovernment deal is expected to be finalised in a few months.

This follows a letter from India to the US for an “urgent requirement” of the 24 helicopters for the Indian Navy. In August, the Defence Acquisition Council had approved the procurement of these helicopters, as well as 111 utility helicopters.

The MH-60 ‘Romeo’ Seahawk helicopters are advanced naval machines equipped with sophisticated combat systems – sensors, missiles and torpedoes – to track and hunt enemy boats.

According to Lockheed Martin, the top American manufacturer of the MH-60 choppers, they are deployed by the US Navy as its primary anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface weapons system for open ocean and littoral zones. Naval forces of many countries, including the Royal Australian Navy, also deploy these choppers.

For the Indian Navy, the choppers are set to employ Hellfire air-to-surface missiles and Mark 54 anti-submarine torpedoes.

The submarine hunters will have anti-

surface warfare capabilities too, which means they will be capable of detecting surface threats and taking action against enemy ships. The choppers are also capable of performing other non-combat maritime roles such as search and rescue, logistics support, personnel transport, medical evacuation and surveillance. They will be able to operate from frigates, destroyers, cruisers and aircraft carriers. The helicopters are expected to be delivered between 2020 and 2024, if the deal is finalised soon.However, this attempt has been made after a delay of almost a decade, despite repeated push from the Indian Navy. The helicopters are expected to provide a big boost to the navy, which is grappling with a dwindling and ageing British-built Sea King fleet. The deal is also crucial because China has been making aggressive forays into the Indian Ocean Region while expanding its naval forces, in order to become a “blue water navy”.

Last year, the Indian Navy had issued a global request for information for 111 utility and 123 multi-role helicopters.

According to reports, while the emergency procurement of the 24 ‘Romeo’ helicopters will be done under the US Foreign Military Sales programme, the deal will also have an offset requirement, entailing the long-term manufacture of 123 multi-role helicopters in India. ThePrint’s YouTube channel is now active and buzzing. Please subscribe here.

European Union seeks closer military ties with India In signs of enhanced strategic partnership and growing importance of India as an emerging economy, European Union (EU) Commission has adopted a Joint Communication strategy to strengthen cooperation with India. The Joint Communication replaces the Commission Communication last brought out in 2004 and will be discussed and endorsed by European Parliament and Council in December.

Prioritising security through a rules based global order, the paper seeks to consolidate EU-India dialogue on multilateral issues and coordinate positions on issues in UN, WTO and G20. EU Ambassador to India Tomasz Kozlowski hoped that the two sides would deepen their military cooperation with converging interests in the Indo-Pacific.

“We are proposing to India to establish military to military contacts since EU has military missions in West Indian Ocean. We are consulting each other closely in Afghanistan, Iran and Maldives specially,” said the envoy.

The Ambassador stressed that EU while not being a military or defence alliance, has certain military capabilities which

will strengthen further following latest council meeting which agreed upon 17 projects among member states in defence industry, infrastructure and procurement.

Sources in India suggest that New Delhi so far has been more comfortable engaging with EU member states individually or in groupings rather than en bloc on defence cooperation.

However, the envoy stated that EU has been able to deploy its naval force Atlanta in the Indian Ocean to fight piracy, number of missions are operational to develop capacity in African countries and so it is keen to establish closer exchanges with India.

“EU naval force and Indian navy conducted PASSEX in October 2017 for first time.

We have invited India to cooperating on escorting EU WFP (World Food Programme) naval vessels transporting food to Somalia.

India has shown readiness to cooperate on escorting the ships,” added the envoy.

EU has also offered use of its civilian surveillance tools in Indian Ocean as well as satellite observation system Copernicus to

Invest in India, Kovind urges diaspora in Australia President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday said Australia was a key partner in India’s flagship programmes and invited the diaspora to invest in India and be a part of the country’s transformational journey.

Kovind, the first-ever Indian head of state to visit the country, arrived in Sydney from Vietnam along with his wife Savita Kovind on their second leg of two nation visit.

Speaking at an event in Sydney, Kovind told the diaspora: “I invite each one of you to join us in our transformational journey.

You can contribute with your ideas, your business models and your investment profiles.

“We count Australia as a key partner in our national flagship programmes — Make in India, Skill India, Clean India and Digital India. We are keen to leverage Australian technology... you can play an important part in pushing this engagement.”

The President highlighted the long history of Indians in Australia since the 20th century. “It is remarkable that the community continues to remain committed to preserving and nurturing its culture and tradition. It is a matter of pride for us that the Indian community in Australia is highly respected. —

PUNJAB

Saturday, November 24, 2018

CM gives eligibility certificates to welfare scheme beneficiaries Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today distributed eligibility certificates among beneficiaries of the Mahatma Gandhi Sarbat Vikas Yojana (MGSVY) at a districtlevel camp held at Government College for Women in Ludhiana. More than 1,500 beneficiaries attended the camp and got themselves enrolled under the scheme.

The Chief Minister said nearly 9 lakh people had been assisted to avail of the benefits of welfare schemes. From now on, district-level camps under the MGSVY will be organised on the 20th of every month to assist beneficiaries. The Rural Development Department and his office would monitor the progress of the programme, he said.

Capt said the scheme aims at reaching out

to the disadvantaged sections of society and providing them benefits of various welfare schemes. He said the scheme was launched in December 2017 with door-to-door surveys in districts, followed by camps for village clusters till August 2018. Subsequently, camps were also held at the district and subdivisional levels on October 2 to identify eligible beneficiaries.

Earlier, local MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, in his address, thanked the CM for fulfilling another promise of his government. He said this scheme would go a long way to help the needy.

Those present on the occasion included Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Congress MLAs Surinder Dawar, Sanjay Talwar, Kuldeep Singh Vaid, Ludhiana Municipal Corporation Mayor

Court puts Singla and SAD leader on 6-month probation A local court today put Cabinet Minister Vijay Inder Singla and SAD leader Surinderpal Singh Sibia on probation for six months in a case related to alleged disruption of railway traffic

at Sangrur in May 2015. Both said they would challenge the decision in the higher court.

“The Railway authorities had filed a complaint under Section 174 of the Railway Act against Singla and Sibia on May 5, 2015,

7 get life imprisonment in honour killing case A court in Punjab sentenced seven people, including father & maternal uncle of girl, to life imprisonment in which they allegedly killed the lover of their daughter in honour killing.

They were awarded life imprisonment for killing 18-year-old male of Mehmoodran village, Ludhiana, who had fallen in love with their daughter.

The convicts are Jagdish Kumar, father of the girl; Munish Saharan, her maternal uncle; Lakhbir Singh, Jagdeep Singh, Saurav Kumar, Sukhvinder Singh and Sanjiv Kumar.

The court of Additional Sessions Judge also imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 on each of them. Of this amount, Rs 2 lakh will be paid to the victim’s family as compensation.

A case against them was registered at the sadar police station on March 22, 2012, following the statement of Kuldeep Singh, father of the victim.

Court summons Kapurthala SSP in Radhe Maa case Acting on a contempt petition alleging that the Kapurthala Senior Superintendent of Police was purposely not initiating action as “highly placed” political leaders were backing Sukhvinder Kaur, aka Radhe Maa, Justice Nirmaljit Kaur of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today summoned the officer. Justice Kaur fixed December 18 as the next date of hearing. The developments took place on a petition filed by Surinder Mittal. He was seeking directions for initiating contempt proceedings against the respondent officer for alleged wilful disobedience of an order passed by the High Court on December 15, 2015.

In his petition, Mittal alleged it was clear that the respondent officer had intentionally violated the HC order and made himself liable to be preceded under the Contempt of Courts Act.

in a local court for allegedly disrupting the rail traffic on May 2, 2015. Chief Judicial Magistrate Deepika today put Singla and Sibia on six-month probation,” said Sumir Fatta, counsel of Singla.

35

Over 3,500 Sikh pilgrims arrive in Lahore to attend Guru Nanak’s birthday celebrations Over 3,500 Sikh pilgrims arrived in Lahore, after their arrival Sikh pilgrims left for Nankana Sahib Gurudwara Janamesthan, the birthplace of Guru Nanak, where Guru Nanak’s Gurpurb birthday will be celebrated on November 23.

Over 3,000 Sikh pilgrims arrived in Lahore on Wednesday to take part in the festivities ahead of the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Senator Anwar Lal, Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Tahir Ehsan, Secretary Tariq Wazir and Sikh Gurdwaras Parbandhak Committee President Tara Singh were among officials from Pakistan who greeted Sikh ‘yatris’ at Wagah border. “Sikh pilgrims arrived on two special trains. The third train is expected to arrive with another 700 yatris,” Sikh group

leader Amerjeet Singh also congratulated Pakistani people on birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad’s Eid Milad-un Nabi.

He said Pakistan government to issue at least 10,000 visas for Sikhs for next year for birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. He thanked Pakistan government for resuming Kartarpur Sahib border in district Narowal, Pakistan for Sikh yatris.

36

INDIA

Saturday, November 24, 2018

European Union cautions India against stressing on mandatory local Data storage The European Union has suggested that the Indian government, which is in the process of making a data protection law, should not stress on data localisation as apart from being unnecessary and potentially harmful to the cause of data protection, any such measure would create unnecessary costs, difficulties and uncertainties that could hamper business and investments. The caution with regard to data localisation being part of a proposed data protection law is part of EU’s responses to the draft Data Protection Bill drafted by Justice Srikrishna committee which is being processed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. As is known, most global companies present in India who deal with data have been opposing

data localisation, which basically means that whatever data is generated in the country should either be stored within the country or at least a mirror copy of it should be stored in the country. “As a matter of economic policy, such an approach (data localisation) will create significant costs for companies — in particular, foreign ones — linked to setting up additional processing/storage facilities, duplicating such infrastructure etc and is thus likely to have negative effects on trade and investment. If implemented, this kind of provision would also likely hinder data transfers and complicate the facilitation of commercial exchanges, including in the context of EU-India bilateral negotiations on a possible free trade agreement,” EU has said.

Corruption peaking under prime minister Modi, alleges former PM Manmohan Singh In a rare public attack on the ruling BJP, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today accused his successor Narendra Modi of presiding over a corrupt government, saying graft had peaked in the last four and a half years. Demanding a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Rafale deal, Singh said the BJP government had indulged in “lipa poti” of UPA schemes and dealt a blow to the economy with “ill-conceived decisions of demonetisation and a flawed GST coupled with tax terrorism”.

Singh, a Congress star campaigner for all election-bound states, was addressing the press in Indore as part of election canvassing in Madhya Pradesh which goes to the polls on November 28. “This government came to power on the promise to usher transparency and fight corruption. A few months are left for its term to end but we have only witnessed corruption peaking under Modi. The acts of omission and commission in Rafale deal need thorough investigation by a JPC. PM Modi is not going for the JPC which gives an impression something is amiss. This is raising suspicion in the minds of the people,” said Singh, who took 22 questions from local journalists answering queries, including

the charge that he ran a remote-control government.

“That’s wrong. The success of my government was because the party and government were on one page. There was no difference of opinion,” said Singh, defending the record of UPA against graft.

Asked why the Congress was reduced to few states if the UPA performed so well, Singh argued: “The reason was the ability of the Opposition to mislead the media and the general public about the so-called corruption and we were not able to carry the conviction to convey our point of view.” The former PM said he had no hesitation in saying that the Modi government had “failed on every front”. He asked people to “get rid of BJP government”.

On whether he wanted to challenge PM Modi on anything, Singh said: “I need not challenge him. That task will be accomplished by people in the upcoming elections.” In a statement earlier today, Singh renewed his attacks on demonetisation and GST, describing the former as a “deliberate and designed attack on the savings of small and medium businesses, farmers and housewives”. He said while ills of note ban could not be undone, the Congress, if elected in 2019, will simplify GST.

Jammu & Kashmir assembly dissolved after rival alliances claim to form gov’t On a day of hectic political developments, J&K governor Satya Pal Malik g dissolved the Legislative Assembly following rival claims to form the government. The Governor passed an order dissolving the Assembly in exercise of the powers conferred upon him under Section 53 of the Constitution of Jammu and Kashmir. The dissolution followed rival alliances — led by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Sajjad Lone-led Peoples Conference — staking claim to government formation. In a letter to the Governor, PDP president and former CM Mehbooba Mufti said her party was the largest in the Assembly with 29 MLAs, and the Congress and National Conference had decided to extend support to her party. “The NC has a strength of 15 and the Congress 12. That takes our collective strength to 56. Since I am presently in Srinagar, it would not be possible to call on you immediately and this is to keep you informed that we would be seeking your convenience shortly to stake the claim for forming the government,” Mehbooba, who is also the leader of the PDP legislature party, wrote to the Governor. However, her letter was not received at Raj Bhavan. “Have been trying to send this letter. Strangely, the fax is not received. Tried to contact His Excellency

on phone. Not available. Hope you see it,” Mehbooba disclosed the development on her Twitter handle. She, later, also sent an email. Sajjad Lone countered the claim by writing to the Governor and staking claim to form the government with BJP’s backing.

He claimed the support of 18 MLAs, besides the 25-member BJP, contending it was more than the required number. Former CM Omar Abdullah turned witty at the development, saying, “J&K Raj Bhavan needs a new fax machine urgently.” The PDP rushed its Member of Legislative Council Firdous Ahmad Tak, who was in Jammu, to Raj Bhavan with a letter written by his party president.

He, however, could not deliver it before the decision on dissolution of the Assembly was announced. He gave vent to his anger on Twitter: “Brutal murder of democracy. JK has been stabbed again, @jandkgovernor plays Delhi agent.” Earlier in the day, arch rivals PDP, NC and Congress announced they were nearing a “mahagathbandhan” to form government in the state, which has been under Governor’s rule since June 20 when the former coalition government broke apart following BJP’s withdrawal of support to the Mufti-led coalition government.

10 years jail for loot & murder case A special court here convicted a notorious criminal in a case of loot and murder and sentenced him to 10 years in jail.

Additional District Sessions Judge Arun Pathak also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Sanoj Kumar after holding

him guilty under the gangster act.

According to prosecution, Kumar and his gang shot dead two farmers, who were returning after selling their produce, and looted cash from them near Kadikheda village here on January 26, 2010.

Man held for brutal killing of his rival in love affair A 20-year-old man was arrested on November 20 from Satara in western Maharashtra for allegedly beheading a 19-yearold waiter from Mumbai in Nallasopara in Palghar district, the police said Wednesday.

According to police, the accused Vikas Varak allegedly killed Vikas Bhavdhane whom he perceived as his rival in his love affair with a girl.

Tulinj police in Palghar had found the

head of the victim wrapped in a plastic and his body in a nullah on November 19.

A senior police official said Varak allegedly called Bhavdhane to an isolated spot near Valaipada on the night of November 18 under some pretext and attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon.

Police have registered a case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)

Saturday, November 24, 2018

37

38

SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, November 24, 2018

More than 50 killed as suicide bomber blew himself in Kabul banqet hall A suicide bomber blew himself up in a banquet hall where Islamic scholars gathered in Kabul on Tuesday, killing more than 50 people, Gov’t officials said.

Security forces arrive at the site of a suicide bomb attack in Kabul. Najib Danish, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, said more than 80 other people had been injured.

“A suicide bomber detonated his explosives inside a wedding hall where Islamic religious scholars had gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad’s birth,” Danish said. The banquet room is in the Uranus wedding hall, a complex housing several large reception rooms near Kabul airport. “Hundreds of Islamic scholars and their followers had gathered to recite verses from the holy Quran to observe the Eid Milad-un-Nabi festival at the private banquet hall,” said a spokesman for Kabul police.

Officials at Kabul’s Emergency Hospital said 30 ambulances had rushed to the scene and over 40 people were critically wounded.

Sri Lanka reinstates top detective after an outcry

Sunni Taliban militant group and a local Islamic State affiliate have in the past attacked religious scholars aligned with the government — who have decreed that suicide attacks are forbidden by Islam. But the Taliban said in a statement that “our men were not involved in the Kabul blast and we condemn the loss of human lives”. The radical Sunni militant group Islamic State has mostly focused its major attacks on Afghan soil on Shi’ite Muslim sites of worship, regarding Shi’ites as heretics. President Ghani called Tuesday’s attack “unIslamic” and “unforgivable”.

He declared Wednesday a day of mourning.

Afghan security forces have struggled to prevent attacks by Islamist militants since most NATO combat troops withdrew in 2014.

Despite diplomatic efforts to end the 17-year war, in recent months the security situation has deteriorated sharply. Kabul gov’t control redueces to 56 percent on Afghan territory, from 72 percent in 2015, according to US government report.

Sri Lank has been politically paralysed of protest, as he is also lead investigator in since October 26, when President Maithripala several other high-profile cases involving Sirisena controversially sacked prime the family of former president Rajapakse. minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (pictured), The detective was also investigating the 2009 and replaced him with former rival Mahinda assassination of high-profile editor Lasantha Rajapakse. Removing detective Nishantha Wickrematunga. Military intelligence has Silva was seen as the latest twist in the ongoing crisis, as Sirisena struck up a new alliance with Rajapakse.

Mr President, if you try to stand in the way of justice … you will fail Ahimsa Wickremesinghe, daughter of murdered journalist An internal memo by police chief Pujith Jayasundara, who had removed Silva on Sunday, said that the detective was being transferred back to the been implicated in that killing, which drew Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to widespread international condemnation. meet “urgent service requirements”. This Following Silva’s removal, Wickrematunga’s came after Silva had secured a court order daughter Ahimsa wrote a scathing open to arrest Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne, letter from her home in Melbourne the country’s most senior military officer. accusing President Sirisena of sabotaging Wijegunaratne is accused of protecting a navy the investigation. “Mr President, if you try intelligence officer who was allegedly involved to stand in the way of justice for my father in the abduction and killing of 11 children and other victims of brutality, you will fail,” between 2008 and 2009. Despite the court Ahimsa said in her four-page letter, released Woman killed her Pakistani boyfriend after he dumped her, order, Wijegunaratne is evading arrest while to the media on Tuesday before Silva’s holding on to his official position. He denies reinstatement. cooked & served remains to dogs & friends Prosecutors in the United Arab Emirates his plans to marry another from their country. the charges. Silva’s removal sparked a chorus are accusing a Moroccan woman of killing The newspaper on Tuesday reported that her boyfriend, then butchering and cooking the man was killed three months ago, but that India & Nepal agree to set up hotline for checking cross border smuggling his body and serving his remains to Pakistani the crime only came to light in recent days India and Nepal have decided to set up with the chief of India’s Directorate of Revenue workers in a traditional rice and meat dish after the man’s brother went looking for him known as machboos. and found a human tooth inside the woman’s a hotline to ensure effective coordination Intelligence, DP Dash and Director General, The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi says blender. between them to check smuggling, officials Customs, Nepal, Toyam Raya, they said. prosecutors in Al-Ain emirate say the woman Full investigation is underway, Police say said on Wednesday. In a meeting, various Start the conversation, or Read more at The was arrested on suspicion of killing her the woman will face trial if found guilty. matters of mutual cooperation were discussed Times of India. boyfriend of seven years after he told her of

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, November 24, 2018 As an unstable coalition Flying fists & pelted bottles – warring politicians shock Sri Lanka falls apart, in Sri Lanka been shocking, he said. “This is had appeared to brandish a Members of Parliament are resisting the return the breaking-up of parliament knife at opponents. (It had of former strongman president Mahinda by a group of people claiming actually been a steel letter Rajapaksa.

A pro-Rajapaksa member of to be the government.” A few opener, the MP clarified parliament confronts police escorting the hours earlier, legislators allied to on Friday.)

The fighting, house’s speaker. In 1987 grenades ripped Mahinda Rajapaksa, the country’s broadcast around the world, through Sri Lanka’s parliament, killing two former strongman president, graphically illustrated a crisis people and narrowly missing the country’s had trashed Sri Lanka’s national that has left the Indian Ocean president and prime minister.

Ranil assembly, attacking police officers island without an agreed prime Wickremesinghe, who until three weeks ago with fists, chairs, even a copy of minister or cabinet, a currency occupied the prime minister’s office, had the country’s constitution, and at record lows, and a paralysed been in the building that day, he reminded dousing opposing lawmakers civil service. On Saturday the journalists on Friday. “I’ve been here when a with streams of water mixed bomb was thrown,” he said. Even so, the scenes with chilli. During a parliamentary brawl the Sri Lankan president, Maithripala Sirisena, was in Sri Lanka’s parliament this past week have previous day, an MP allied to Wickremesinghe still refusing to accept that Rajapaksa, whom he had tried to appoint as prime minister in a

Maldives new president sworn in

hastily convened ceremony three weeks ago, did not have the confidence of parliament.

Doing so would almost certainly mean having to restore Wickremesinghe to the position: something the president says he could never tolerate, “even for one hour”. Sri Lanka has been the arena of a larger geopolitical tussle between India, the region’s traditional giant, and China, its rich and rising challenger. The country of 22 million has also been struggling to reconcile with its Tamil minority after a brutal three-decade civil war, and seek justice for the corruption and abuses alleged to have flourished under Rajapaksa’s earlier 10year rule. Sri Lanka’s former president and newly appointed prime minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Pakistan has no grounds to complain about US president Trump’s rebuke

PM Modi says ‘looking forward to strengthen ties with Maldives’ PM Modi held talks with Solih after attending his swearing-in ceremony. The two leaders, while noting the resilience of the relations between India and the Maldives, expressed confidence in the renewal of the close bonds of cooperation and friendship with the election of Solih as the President of the Maldives.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India is looking forward to working closely with new Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to strengthen bilateral relations with the strategic Indian Ocean island nation. During their meeting, both leaders agreed on the importance of maintaining peace and security in the Indian Ocean and being mindful of each other’s concerns and aspirations for the stability of the region.

Solih, 54, the Maldivian Democratic Party’s candidate, had surprisingly defeated strongman Abdulla Yameen in the election

held on Sept. 23. During the swearing-in ceremony of Solih, Modi was sitting beside former Maldivian presidents Mohamed Nasheed and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga also attended the ceremony.

Modi congratulated President Solih and also interacted with leaders from the Maldives and other parts of the world during the oath taking ceremony at the National Stadium.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Raveesh Kumar said that President Solih in his address to the People’s Majlis (Parliament) asserted that the Maldives will endeavour to fortify its existing ties with India.

Maldives President Solih in his address to the People’s Majlis :We will endeavour to fortify existing ties with India.

President Trump was right to rebuke Pakistan, and he ought to have gone even further in doing so. Naturally, Pakistan’s populist government doesn’t see it that way. It was enraged by this Trump tweet on Monday: ....We no longer pay Pakistan the $Billions because they would take our money and do nothing for us, Bin Laden being a prime example, Afghanistan being another. They were just one of many countries that take from the United States without giving anything in return. That’s ENDING! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2018 This provoked a warning from Pakistan’s foreign minister that Trump’s words “could seriously undermine” Pakistan’s “vital cooperation” with U.S. peacemaking efforts in Afghanistan. Pakistan’s foreign minister is a seasoned politician who understands US politics. He knows the US will take his words as a veiled threat to unleash the Haqqani network against the Afghan government. Pakistan’s new prime minister, Imran Khan, also responded to

Trump. Trump’s false assertions add insult to the injury Pak has suffered in US WoT in terms of lives lost & destabilised & economic costs.

He needs to be informed abt historical facts.

Pak has suffered enough fighting US’s war. Now we will do what is best for our people & our interests — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) November 19, 2018.

But the foreign minister’s veiled threat to reenergize terrorist violence against Afghan and U.S. interests really helps explain why Trump finds the Pakistani government to be so useless in the first place. This new threat is an outrage that must not go unanswered. Yet the broader issue here is that Trump is correct about Pakistan’s policies on counterterrorism and Afghanistan. While many Pakistani soldiers and some intelligence and police officers have courageously confronted terrorists, others in the government have conspired with those same terrorists. Instead of cooperating earnestly to stabilize the Afghan government and to prevent terrorist safe havens on their soil.

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FIJI

Saturday, November 24, 2018

New cabinet sworn-in New government in Fiji Seruiratu takes on defence and has onlyslightly reshuffled national security from Ratu its front bench after gaining Inoke Kubuabola who did not pwoer for next four years. The run. former head of Fiji’s consumer The prime minister Frank watchdog Premila Kumar takes Bainimarama retains iTaukei on the heavyweight portfolios Affairs, the sugar industry of industry, trade and tourism, and foreign affairs. Ministers local government and housing. retaining their portfolios Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum loses include Mereseini Vuniwaqa education to Rosy Akbar but with women and children retains the role of Attorney and poverty alleviation, Semi PM Voreqe Bainimarama Koroilavesau with fisheries and General and four other portfolios including economy.

Osea Naiqamu with the forestry portfolio.

Health has been taken up by newcomer Parveen Bala has been appointed and prominent local surgeon Ifereimi Minister for Employment, Productivity Waqainabete. The government whip in and Industrial Relations held formerly by the last term Ashneel Sudhakar has been Jone Usamate who now has responsibility promoted to the role of Minister of Lands for infrastructure, transport, disaster and Resources, vacated by Faiyaz Koya management and meteorological services. who lost his seat. The leader of FijiFirst Mahendra Reddy takes on agriculture, Frank Bainimarama announces the party’s rural and maritime development as well as candidates for the 2018 election Inia waterways and the environment.

NFP leader says gov’t got slim majority only because Fiji First wrote constitution to favour itself Election campaigns are usually intense and sometimes even acrimonious and divisive. The 2018 election campaign was no exception. The heat of the campaign is now over. The scrutiny of the election count is not. When there is a result as close as this one, we owe it to our supporters and to the country to ensure that it is correct. The official result is that the Fiji First Party has won the election. We of course respect that result. We are looking carefully at it. If a legal challenge is merited we will bring one. But if it is not merited, we will not. We are looking at the evidence and taking advice. I cannot say anything more about this now.

For the moment, and based on the official result, it is appropriate to congratulate the Fiji First Party for its lead in the polls.

I want to acknowledge the great restraint and tolerance demonstrated by all our people both during the campaign and during the balloting. It is a real credit to them.

I ask everyone to maintain that same calmness and unity, whatever the final result proves to be. Whatever we feel about the current election outcome, instability and division would be worse.

The election result was close. The official results show that Fiji First received only 147 more votes than the opposition parties. Its majority in Parliament has been slashed from 14 to 3.

Even that majority comes only because of a special formula that Fiji First chose for itself in 2014. On a simple proportionate count, Fiji First’s majority would be 1 seat. The lead is marginal, probably most embarrassing result for a ruling party, and nothing to gloat about.

On a result that close, whoever is in the government should think carefully. If so many people have voted for alternative policies and platforms, a good government would show respect to that.

This election result is a rejection of Fiji First’s dictatorial and bulldozing style of government. If it is smart, it will change the way it governs.

The election may be over, but our problems are not. They are the same as they were before the election. We have serious poverty and economic inequality. We have a failing sugar industry, under-developed opportunities in agriculture and poor public services including education and health. Fiji’s score on NCDs and domestic violence are rampant and amongst the highest in the world.

We can fix these problems faster if we work together. If the government wishes to work positively with the opposition parties on Fiji’s problems, we are ready. We will do it from the Opposition. We will always scrutinize and criticize, because that is the Opposition’s job.

The government’s job is to accept that scrutiny and criticism and to change where needed.

That is what democratic governments do.

Rabuka: Expect robust debates Social Democratic Liberal Party leader Sitiveni Rabuka says Fijians should expect robust discussions from SODELPA when they enter Parliament. The former prime minister said they knew they would be representing almost 50 per cent of the voting population in Parliament. The party received the second highest votes of 181,072, equivalent to 39.85 per cent of the 458,532 votes cast. SODELPA will make up 21 seats of the 24-member Opposition in the new Parliament make-up.

“It would be a more effective Opposition because we are now established. We know that we are representing almost 50 per cent of the voters,” Mr Rabuka said. “We have their backing and we’d like to thank them and would like to assure them that we will fight their cause to the best of our ability in Parliament and contribute effectively to national debate

and also to national policy formulation.”

Looking back, he said it had been good, but the journey had been a hard fight. “We have not accepted the results. We feel the grievances that we have brought to the attention of the Electoral Commission are unsatisfactorily answered, but in the meantime as far as we are concerned, this is the worst case,” he said.

“This worst case is very good because it shows a six-seat improvement which is 60 per cent of our achievement in 2014. “As I’ve said right from the beginning of the campaign and awareness, it’s always very difficult to unseat an incumbent party. What we have achieved is a reflection of the amount of work and dedication shown by the party workers; those in the constituencies and in the last few days by the volunteers who had come forward to support us.”

SODELPA nominates Rabuka as leader of the Opposition There were no objections from the Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA) caucus when it nominated former prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka as leader of the Opposition to Parliament. Rabuka said he was confident of his appointment and he was ready to take on the role.

“I am the party nominee and I was the only one nominated by the caucus, but that will be moved in Parliament and voted on by members of the Opposition,” Mr Rabuka said.

“I have a good team to back me up and we will continue to participate without prejudice.”

Rabuka hands in resignation as SODELPA Leader but party has not accepted it Sitiveni Rabuka has handed in his resignation as SODELPA Leader and has been nominated to be Opposition Leader. Rabuka officially handed in his resignation to the SODELPA Management Board yesterday afternoon.

SODELPA Party President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu says they have acknowledged the receipt of the resignation letter of Rabuka.

Ratu Naiqama says there are some conditions that will need to be met by Rabuka before a new party leader is elected. Rabuka will continue as SODELPA Party leader until a new leader is elected.

Rabuka says they will not be making a decision until after two years before the next election. The former Prime Minister was the only person nominated by the SODELPA caucus

to be Opposition leader. The SODELPA caucus consists of the 21 SODELPA candidates that have made it into parliament.

Rabuka has also confirmed that Lynda Tabuya has been elected to be SODELPA’s Whip in parliament. He says they have also considered a draft Memorandum of Understanding to guide them on their working relationship with the National Federation Party. Rabuka adds the National Federation Party will have to consider the draft Memorandum of Understanding and make recommendations for changes. Rabuka says that the members want to complete the legal query of the result of the 2018 general election.

Man jailed for 18 years for raping younger sister A 36-year-old man from Sigatoka who raped his nine-year-old sister has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

The incident occurred when the victim was placed under the care of her older

brother after her mother was imprisoned for killing her sister.

Judge Justice Aruna Aluthge delivered the sentence and said child rape was one of the most severe forms of sexual violence.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, November 24, 2018 Pakistan has extended talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) after the two sides failed to agree on the terms of a bailout package, a finance ministry official said on Tuesday, with a final deal now expected by mid-January.

IMF, Pakistan extend bailout talks Pakistan negotiating its second IMF bailout since 2013 and talks had been expected to conclude this month during a visit by an IMF delegation to Islamabad. Finance ministry

USA suspend $1.66 billion in security aid to Pakistan US suspended its $1.66 billion security assistance to Pakistan on Wednesday, after President Trump tweet accused Pakistan of not doing enough against combatting terrorism, Pentagon said.

“USD 1.66 billion of security assistance to Pakistan is suspended,” On November 19, Trump launched a frontal attack on Pakistan for not acting against the terror pads on its soil and gave the example of 9/11 mastermind alQaeda chief Osama Bin Laden who was hiding in Abbottabad, allegedly under the protection of its military. “Of course we should have captured Osama Bin Laden long before we did.

I pointed him out in my book just BEFORE the attack on the World Trade Center. President Clinton famously missed his shot. We paid

Pakistan Billions of Dollars & they never told us he was living there. Fools!” Trump wrote on his Twitter handle. Trump had also said that Pakistan was just another country which took money from the US and did nothing. “We no longer pay Pakistan the $Billions because they would take our money and do nothing for us, Bin Laden being a prime example, Afghanistan being another. They were just one of many countries that take from the United States without giving anything in return. That’s ENDING!” he tweeted.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan reacted sharply to his tweets, saying that few allies have sacrificed or helped the US as much as Pakistan in its war on terror.

Asia’s family hunted door to door The family of a Christian Pakistani woman acquitted of blasphemy charges last month have reportedly been driven into hiding by hardline religious groups trying to hunt them down.

Asia Bibi, whose exoneration sparked protests in Pakistan over the past three weeks, is already in protective custody, the Guardian reports. But her family is now in hiding as they hope to be granted asylum in Europe or North America. Bibi’s lawyer has already fled the country. “Mullahs had been reported in their neighborhood going from house to house showing photos of family members on their phones, trying to hunt them down,” John Pontifex of Catholic group Aid to the Church in Need U.K. (ACN) told the Guardian. “The family have had to move from place to place to avoid detection.”

Court acquitted Bibi in late October of blasphemy charges. She had previously been sentenced to death, and was held on death row for eight years. After her acquittal, Bibi was released from prison and transferred to Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, under heavy security. Her release was met with widespread protests by hardline Muslim groups, who have blocked roads and clashed with police while calling for Bibi to be hanged. Multiple European countries are in discussion with Pakistan over Bibi’s asylum request. Spain and France are thought to have made an offer to shelter the tormented mother of five, the Guardian reports. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also confirmed that his country was in asylum talks with Pakistan, but declined to provide more details due to the “delicate domestic context.”

PM Khan in Malaysia, likely to seek monetary aid Prime Minister Imran Khan left for Malaysia on November 20. Prime minister will hold one-onone talks with Malaysia’s counterpaert Mahatir Mohamad.

According to Foreign Office Spokesperson.

This would be the first state visit by any foreign leader to Malaysia since Malaysian PM assumed office in May. The visit is an opportunity likely to seek moneytary aid and to strengthen friendly ties between the two countries.

Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad thanks Earlier on October 18, PM Khan (right) for visiting Malaysia. prime minister and his Malaysian counterpart underscored the close and cordial relations expressed firm resolve to further expand between the two countries. bilateral ties during a telephone call. Khan PM Khan highlighted the need for conveyed the immense respect of the people exchanges between the two countries, as well as of Pakistan and his own for Prime Minister collaboration at an operational level to benefit Mahathir as a statesman and global leader. He from each other’s expertise.

7 injured in blast at mosque in Chaman More than 7 people were injured in explosion in Chaman. According to police, the blast occurred during evening prayers in a local mosque at Taj Road area of Chaman city.

Law enforcement agencies and rescue workers rushed to the site and evacuated the injured to the district headquarter hospital for medical treatment. Security agencies had cordoned off the area and opened investigation into the incident. The blast had caused stampede inside

the mosque. “The powerful explosion has caused partial damage to the mosque,” Chaman SSP Attaullah Shah said.

The SSP added: “Bomb disposal team from Quetta has collected evidence from the crime scene and sent to the forensic lab Lahore. We don’t have the details regarding the kind of explosion but the details would be shared after the lab report.” So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

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Another 20 percent of distance after failing to reach an agreement has to be covered.” Ahmed spokesman Noor Ahmed said there were still said Pakistan would “stay engaged” with IMF some issues to be ironed out. “We have covered officials to resolve the outstanding issues and a lot of areas in terms of convergence of views,” “over the next two weeks we will bridge those Ahmed told Reuters. “But there is some more gaps”. A final deal is now expected to be signed distance to be covered and that’s not much. off by mid-January.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

Indian-origin professor in US accused of using his students as servants

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A prominent Indian-origin professor in USA has been accused of exploiting his students and compelling them to do his personal work, an American daily has claimed. Ashim Mitra, a pharmacy professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, made his students tend his lawn, look after his dog and water the house plants, sometimes for weeks at a time when he and his wife were away, the Kansas City Star reported. They hauled equipment and bused tables at his social events, the newspaper said quoting nearly 12 of Professor Mitra’s former students. Kamesh Kuchimanchi, a former student, told the daily that he considered his life at UMKC “nothing more than modern slavery.” He alleged that Professor Mitra exploited cultural kinship with students from India. When Mr Kuchimanchi once told him that wouldn’t be a servant, “he threatened

to kick me out of the university and force me to lose my visa and lose everything.” One of Professor Mitra’s colleague is suing him and university officials. Miridu Mukherji filed two related lawsuits in Jackson County Circuit Court - one in 2016 and one in 2018, the report said.

According to allegations in pending litigation, the university not only knew about Professor Mitra’s behavior but also overlooked complaints for years.

Court documents obtained by the daily show that after one colleague filed a formal complaint, the university investigated, but the probe involved talking to only one student.

In a statement to the daily through his attorney, Professor Mitra said, “Over the years, I have invited graduate students to my home where they have done work related to their courses of study, and at times eaten meals prepared by my wife.

Four NRIs arrested over fireworks on Diwali According to a statement released by Singapore Police, the four NRI’s were involved in three different cases.

The police were alerted to loud sounds at different places on November 6th. A 28-year-old man arrested for the incident at Yishun Street on 7th November. Two men arrested for the incident on Bukit Batok West Avenue on 6th November. A 25-year-old was arrested on November 8th after the loud noise was reported on Seng Road. Four men have been charged in court on 9 November 2018 with the discharge of dangerous fireworks under Section 3(1)(b) of the Dangerous Fireworks Act, Chapter 72, police said. A video posted on Facebook page SG Road Vigilante – SGRV shows fireworks and the police vehicle running towards it.

The Strait Times has identified the accused as Hariprasanth (18), Elvis Xavier Fernandez (25), Jeevan Arjoon (28) and Alagappan Singaram (54).

Discharging fireworks in Singapore since August 1, 1972, is illegal. The accused face a maximum fine of SGD 10,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both. “Members of the public are reminded that it is an offence to possess, sell, transport, send, deliver, distribute or import any dangerous fireworks. The Police have zero tolerance against acts that endanger the lives or safety of others as well as cause undue alarm to the public, and will not hesitate to take action against those who blatantly disregard the law,” the police said in a statement.

NRI executive takes charge of European bank’s sustainability team The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Monday announced the appointment of Nandita Parshad, an Indian-origin senior executive, as the head of its consolidated new sustainable infrastructure group within the multilateral organisation. Nandita Parshad, currently Managing Director for Energy and Natural Resources at the EBRD, in her new role will lead the bank’s engagement in environmental, transport and energy sectors in 38 countries across three continents with a particular focus on decarbonisation and sustainable financing, a statement said. “Green investments increasingly require a complex

approach combining energy, emissions, water and waste,” said Ms Parshad, who was born in Kolkata and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. “This integration is shown in the emergence of a number of important cross-cutting themes such as electrification of trains, buses and electric vehicles, water-energy nexus, including the growing role of desalination, as well as green, sustainable cities. By joining efforts of bankers structuring energy and infrastructure projects, we will capitalise on a common ethos and working model,” she said.

NRI female cop fired after homeless man kicked out of the station

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An Indian-origin Scotland Yard police constable (PC) has been dismissed from her job without notice for failing to exercise reasonable care in her treatment and monitoring of a homeless man after ejecting him from a police station in west London.

PC Bhupinder Kalsi was fired following a Metropolitan Police Unsatisfactory Police Performance meeting on Monday, which found that her performance was grossly incompetent and she was guilty of unsatisfactory performance.

Pericles Malagardis, a Greek national who was sleeping at Heathrow Airport, had gone to Uxbridge police station to collect his dog on a cold day in March 2016. The 63-year-old died

of hypothermia after he was made to leave the police station for smoking inside the station.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the independent police watchdog, had referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider charges of gross negligence manslaughter. “We found there was not enough evidence to prosecute for any offences and took no further action,” the CPS said. However, an internal disciplinary panel found that Kalsi “did not provide information requested by the London Ambulance Service regarding actions taken to support Mr Malagardis, and failed to follow instruction and training when dealing with unresponsive casualties”, after he was found unconscious on the pavement.

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