The Asian Star December 5 2020

www.theasianstar.com Vol 19 - Issue 44

Saturday, December 5, 2020

15-year-old Indian-American named first-ever TIME Magazine’s ‘Kid of the Year’ 15-year-old Indian-American Gitanjali Rao, a “brilliant” young scientist and inventor, has been named by TIME magazine as the first-ever ‘Kid of the Year’ for her “astonishing work” using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated

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India says Canadian PM is “Ill-informed” on Farmers’ protest India on Tuesday strongly reacted to comments by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other leaders there on protests by farmers, calling the remarks as “ill-informed” and “unwarranted” as the matter pertained to the internal affairs of a democratic country.

“We have seen some ill-informed comments

by Canadian leaders relating to farmers in India. Such comments are unwarranted, especially when pertaining to the internal affairs of a democratic country,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said.

In a terse message, the ministry further added that “it is also best that diplomatic conversations

are not misrepresented for political purposes.”

On Monday, Trudeau, backing the agitating farmers in India, said Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protests.

“The situation is concerning and we are all very worried about family and friends and I know that is a reality for many of you. Let me remind you, Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest,” he said speaking at an online event on Monday to mark the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev. Canada has a significant number of Indians and most of them are from Punjab.

Continued on page 10

Another person of Indian origin to hold powerful post in Biden administration

drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying. “The world belongs to those who shape it. And however uncertain that world may feel at a given moment, the reassuring reality seems to be that each new generation produces more of what these kids…have already achieved: positive impact, in all sizes,” Time said. Rao was selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees as TIME’s first-ever Kid of the Year. She was interviewed by actor and activist Angelina Jolie for the TIME special.

Continued on page 8

Neera Tanden shares struggle of her mother in realising American dream Indian-American Neera Tanden, who has raised in a suburb of Boston — a middlebeen nominated as the Director class kid. But when I was five, of the Office of Management my parents got divorced and my and Budget by President-elect mom was left on her own with two Joe Biden, on Tuesday shared children — and without a job,” said the inspiring story of her mother Tanden, who was born in Bedford, who immigrated to the US from Massachusetts to immigrant India. “Like the Vice Presidentparents from India.

After her elect’s (Kamala Harris) mother, parents divorced, Tanden’s mother Shyamala, my mother, Maya, was on welfare for nearly two was born in India. Like so many years before obtaining a job as a millions, across every generation, travel agent. “She faced a choice: she came to America to pursue a return to India, where at the time divorce better life,” said Tanden at the Biden Transition was stigmatized and opportunity would be headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware. “I was limited, or keep

Active cases close to 10,000 and Covid-19 deaths near 500 in BC 19 vaccine will be available in B.C. in the coming weeks, said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry on Thursday – as active cases move close to 10,000 and deaths near 500. Henry said Operation Immunize had been launched and the order of vaccine distribution was being determined.

There were 694 cases of COVID-19 reported between noon Wednesday and noon Thursday, and 12 deaths. Henry said there were 9,103 active cases of the disease in B.C., of which 325 were in hospital and 80 in intensive care. The death tally is now 481. Health Minister Adrian said that with 10,849 people in isolation after being exposed to the disease, and record numbers in hospital, healthcare workers were being tapped.

He said overall hospital bed capacity was at 80 per cent, and this time last year was over 100 per cent. However, many long-term care workers had become COVID sick, putting pressure on staffing. There were 694 cases of COVID-19 reported between noon Wednesday and noon Thursday, Continued on page 7

Continued on page 8

Federal Liberals to spend $100B to jolt post-pandemic economy after posting record $381B deficit The Liberal government is preparing to spend up to $100 billion to kick start the post-pandemic economy as it stares down a recordhigh deficit projection of more than $381 billion for this fiscal year.

In a long-awaited economic statement, tabled today, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said the government’s immediate priority is to do “whatever it takes” to help Canadians and businesses stay safe and solvent. The short-term stimulus package is valued at $70 billion to $100 billion over roughly three years. The government says the stimulus spending — intended to build a greener, more inclusive, more innovative and competitive economy — will launch after a vaccine is distributed and life begins to return to normal.

“When the virus is under control and our economy is ready for new growth, we will deploy an ambitious stimulus package to jumpstart our recovery,” Freeland said in a statement read in the House of Commons today.

Continued on page 13

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

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Vol 19 - Issue 44

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Premier defends splitting Metro Vancouver transit amongst three ministers

Hundreds join rally from Surrey to Vancouver to support farmers in India Hundreds of vehicles travelled in convoy from Surrey to downtown Vancouver on Wednesday to support farmers in India who are protesting government policy changes.

Organized by the B.C. Gurdwara Council, the convoy left Strawberry Hill at 12:45 p.m. and arrived by mid afternoon near the Indian consulate on Howe Street. The rally came as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi started talks with dozens of farm leaders in New Delhi to try to end the widespread demonstrations that have erupted against the imposition of new agricultural laws. Tens of thousands of agricultural workers from across India have gathered on the outskirts of the capital New Delhi for the last few days, demanding that the Modi administration roll back three new laws that they say will hurt their incomes and make farming in India harder.

The new laws seek to remove restrictions on marketing farm products and allow cultivators to engage with private companies to sell their

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crops, which farmers fear will prompt the government to stop making direct purchases at minimum state-set prices. “The government is dragging its feet because it feels this is a political agitation rather than issue-based

agitation and it is being sponsored by the opposition to embarrass the government,” said Arati Jerath, a New Delhi-based author and political analyst. But for farmers from Punjab and Haryana, it’s a “genuine issue” that’s forcing them to come to the streets, she added.

Premier John Horgan’s recent cabinet shuffle has split the multi-billion-dollar Metro Vancouver transit file amongst three provincial ministers, and it is not clear who is responsible for what.

Last week, Horgan named Rob Fleming as the new Minister of Transportation, giving him responsibility for provincial transit funding, federal agreements, and “infrastructure grants for B.C. Transit, TransLink and highways.” But he also named Environment Minister George Heyman as the minister responsible for TransLink, charging him in a mandate letter with “TransLink planning, policy and legislation” as well as the Mayors’ Council 10-year transit plan, the eventual Broadway subway line extension to the University of B.C., and future construction of a Surrey to Langley SkyTrain line.

In addition, he named Bowinn Ma as the Minister of State for Infrastructure, asking her to “move ahead with a replacement for the Massey crossing,” ensure the successful completion of the Pattullo Bridge Replacement Project, widen Highway 1 through the Fraser Valley, and coordinate on the Mayors’ Council

10-year plan. The premier’s decision to divide Lower Mainland transit funding, policy and specific projects amongst three different people has, initially at least, caused confusion.

“It has definitely been noticed, and there does appear to be a realignment not only in ministers but also some of the responsibility between the ministers,” said New Westminster Mayor Jonathan Coté, who chairs the TransLink Mayors’ Council.

“We’re still trying to get a handle and figure out where TransLink and the Mayors’ Council portfolio falls in under several different ministries there.

We’re looking forward to engaging with the new minsters and gain greater clarity on that.”

Coté added he is nonetheless optimistic because the ministerial mandate letters are so detailed and involve so many specific elements planned by the mayors.

“We are pleased to see the bulk of that work does appear to be in there, but now we’re trying to figure out the different relationship between the ministries,” he said.

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OPINION

By Aaron Wudrick, Federal Director Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Trudeau taking the federal debt to infinity and beyond

It’s official: the Trudeau government has taken the federal deficit from $19 billion to $381 billion in just nine months. That’s the staggering takeaway from Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s fall economic statement, and it means Canada’s total federal debt will for the first time shoot past $1 trillion in a few weeks. Critics will argue that with the global pandemic, all this spending is necessary

and with low interest rates it’s really nothing to worry about. This is wrong for at least four reasons.

First, even if some temporary emergency spending is necessary, it can’t explain why the Trudeau government has managed to get such poor returns.

Canada’s deficit has increased the most among its G7 peer countries and yet still has the highest unemployment rate. In fact, it sent a whopping $54 billion out the door to compensate Canadians

for $21 billion in lost income. Helping people out is one thing, but piling up new debt to send people two dollars for every one dollar they’ve lost is a very expensive way to miss the target.

Second, not all new government spending is even related to the pandemic. Many of the Trudeau government’s recent announcements – from green infrastructure to child care – are simply repackaged versions of their longstanding hobby horses, trotted out under the pretext of “reinventing” the economy.

And yet if there wasn’t enough money to pay for these things when the deficit was only $19 billion, how on earth can there be enough now that it’s $381 billion? Third, just because the government needs to spend on pandemic priorities, doesn’t mean it can’t save money elsewhere. A prudent government would look at lower priority areas and show some restraint. Something as obvious as rolling back the bureaucracy to the size it was in 2017 – two full years after Justin Trudeau came to office – would help save taxpayers at least $13 billion. It would also have the added benefit of demonstrating that those in government are willing to share the burden being borne by the millions of Canadians who have seen their jobs wiped out or their small businesses go bankrupt.

Finally, just because interest rates are low now doesn’t mean they will stay low forever, and it would be foolish to bet Canada’s fiscal house on this sweeping assumption. Even a one per cent increase in the effective interest rate would mean an additional $10 billion per year in interest costs. In spite of this, Freeland did not bother imposing any fiscal “guardrails” on spending or debt, suggesting that this could wait until after the economy had recovered.

But that rather defeats the purpose of having fiscal guardrails in the first place: the time you need them most is when you’re at risk of going over a cliff, not when there are no longer any cliffs in sight.

The fall economic statement should worry anyone concerned with Canada’s long-term economic future. Freeland needs to produce a full budget in early 2021 that contains real fiscal targets and a plan to get the deficit under control. If she does not and the current debt trajectory continues, our country will eventually face a fiscal reckoning that will make the painful cuts of the 1990s look like a walk in the park by comparison.

Aaron is Federal Director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

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Saturday, December 5, 2020 Dead woman with gunshot wound found inside vehicle in Surrey Police are investigating the murder of woman in Surrey Thursday morning.

Detectives from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team are in the area of 137th Street and 75A Avenue in Surrey where the body of a woman found inside a vehicle around 5:30 a.m.

Surrey RCMP made the discovery after responding to a report of a single-vehicle accident in an alleyway in the residential area of Newton.

Police say the woman, who appeared to be in her 30s, suffered a gunshot wound.

“Despite all efforts by first responders, the woman succumbed to her injuries,” said RCMP spokeswoman Cpl. Elenore Sturko, who added that police believe a second vehicle was involved in the shooting. “Police are

currently combing the area for any potential evidence, including video surveillance.”

Police say the shooting did not appear to be a random act.

IHIT spokesperson Sgt. Frank Jang said investigators have not yet identified the victim.

“Once we determine the identity of our victim then we will have a lot of information to work with,” Jang said. “Who she is, her background, what is the possible motive behind this — all these questions we hope to answer once we know who she is.”

Jang said the vehicle was registered to a woman in her late 20s.

How Canadians can get a $400 tax credit — no questions asked Since the COVID-19 pandemic first sent provinces into lockdown, millions of Canadians have begun to work from home. For many, there’s no return to the office in sight.

That means people may be spending more money on hydro and utilities, or that they may have had to upgrade their internet plan to accommodate daily Zoom calls.

How Canadians can get a $400 tax credit — no questions asked — for working from home during COVID-19 The federal government has acknowledged this in its Fall Economic Statement, which was released on Nov. 30, and announced that it would make it easier for Canadians to claim expenses up to $400.

“Millions of Canadians are unexpectedly working from home because of COVID-19.

They are turning their bedrooms, basements and kitchens into offices, and taking on increased household expenses to do their jobs,” the Liberal government said in its economic statement.

While Canadians working from home

were already entitled to deduct certain office expenses, the government said that the existing rules might be hard to understand, or place an unnecessary administrative burden on employers, so the Canada Revenue Agency will simplify the tax filing process.

“First-time claimants may not be familiar with the rules, and the claim process imposes an administrative burden on employers who are already dealing with the broader impacts of the pandemic and have to fill out additional information for their employees who qualify,” the economic statement says.

“To simplify the process for both taxpayers and businesses, the CRA will allow employees working from home in 2020 due to COVID-19 with modest expenses to claim up to $400, based on the amount of time working from home, without the need to track detailed expenses, and will generally not request that people provide a signed form from their employers.”

COVID-19 vaccine rollout system to be ready next month, approval expected soon COVID-19 vaccine should be available in Canada in a few weeks as the federal government signals its distribution system is almost ready to go.

In a briefing Thursday, Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Howard Njoo didn’t confirm any exact dates for the rollout, however, he did say Health Canada is expected to make the first vaccine decision soon.

“At this time, we’re preparing for one of the most ambitious and complex vaccination programs ever delivered in this country,” he said. “We will immunize as many Canadians as possible as quickly as possible.”

In the meantime, the country’s distribution plan is nearing finalization.

Major General Dany Fortin says the federal and provincial delivery systems will be having a dry run of vaccine distribution on Monday, and by Dec. 14, the system is expected to be ready to receive the vaccine.

Due to the cold storage requirements of some vaccines, doses will have to be delivered directly to provinces for distribution to Canadians.

Fortin adds Pfizer will be the first vaccine to arrive with deliveries expected in early January. Health officials have said previously they expected to approve vaccines around the same time as the U.S. and Europe.

Dr. Supriya Sharma, with Health Canada, says final critical data from Pfizer is expected Friday, and Moderna isn’t far behind.

Burnaby Hospital resumes regular ER admission following fire Fraser Health says regular admission has resumed through the emergency department at Burnaby Hospital, after a fire there last month.

The health authority says some restoration is complete and acknowledged the dedication of hospital staff, who are also dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak.

There are 60 patients and 42 staff associated with the outbreak at the hospital.

Fraser Health says 10 people have died.

Last month, the health authority indicated

the fire seemed to be a source of transmission.

“At the time of the fire, the immediate safety of our patients was our priority, which meant that some were moved to areas of the hospital they normally would not be placed in a short period of time. As a result, the fire is considered to be a contributing factor to the outbreak,” reads the release in November.

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

Workers and employers of B.C. are doing their part.

Make sure you update and follow your COVID-19 safety plan as conditions change.

Help keep workers safe and keep businesses open.

Find resources at worksafebc.com #LetsDoOurPartBC

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

Covid-19: BC’s top doctor to add measures to indoor sports On the day the U.K. gave the world’s first COVID-19 vaccine approval, B.C.’s top doctor acknowledges the toll the virus is taking but asks everyone to keep doing their part to slow the spread.

“This is part of the solution to what we are going through, but it is going to be some time yet before we get there. It is, however, clear evidence that we do have light ahead,” Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Wednesday, adding teams are getting ready to rollout out the vaccines as soon as it is approved and arrives in B.C. This comes as Henry reported 834 new COVID-19 cases, and another 12 lives lost in the last day, prompting another call for British Columbians to take the health precautions seriously during the second surge.

“This virus continues to move and move quickly between us, and it takes lives,” Henry said. “We are continuing to see unchecked transmission in many places despite our efforts of public health teams, our contact tracing.”

Henry repeated her call against unnecessary travel, which is part of the recent provincial health measures in place

Covid-19 high-risk seniors to get vaccine first BC’s top doctor says seniors in long-term care homes and hospitals will be the first to get a vaccine against COVID-19 as the province rolls out an immunization program in the coming weeks.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says health officials worked with their federal counterparts today

on ways to facilitate the delivery of a vaccine as they anticipated various challenges that could come up in the immunization process.

Henry says limited amounts of a vaccine will be available at first, but more details about the plan will be provided next week.

In the meantime, she says everyone must stay committed to getting through the next few months, and noted that healthcare workers are tired from the pandemic.

Henry reported 694 new cases of COVID-19 today, for a total of 35,422 infections in the province.

There have been 12 more deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities in B.C. to 481.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2020.

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for another week.

“I cannot stop you by an order from getting into your car or going onto a plane.

But I’m asking in the strongest terms for us to stay put,” she said. “We continue to see the impact of this virus on our

communities, but on our health care system, and in particular on our seniors and elders in long term care.”

Henry narrowed in on adult indoor sports teams being riskier than originally thought, saying additional restrictions will be detailed later in the day.

Some sports could continue under the current restrictions if strict protocols were followed, but teams had already been instructed not to travel outside their regions.

Despite that, Henry said an adult hockey team still went from B.C. to Alberta to play, bringing the virus back with them and spreading it to dozens of people.

NDP to put forward Raj Chouhan as BC legislature Speaker NDP will nominate a longtime member the BC legislature to serve as Speaker.

Premier John Horgan says Raj Chouhan, who represents Burnaby-Edmonds, will be put forward on Monday as the party’s choice for Speaker when the legislature resumes sitting.

He was first elected in 2005.

Before entering politics, Chouhan was the founding president of the Canadian Farmworkers’ Union and was the director of bargaining for the Hospital Employees Union for 18 years.

If he is elected by legislature members to serve as Speaker, Chouhan will replace Darryl Plecas, who did not run in October’s provincial election.

Chouhan was the legislature’s assistant deputy Speaker before the election. of

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

15-year-old Indian-American named first-ever TIME Magazine’s ‘Kid of the Year’ “Observe, brainstorm, research, build and communicate,” Rao told about her process during a virtual talk with Jolie from her home in Colorado. She spoke about her “astonishing work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, and about her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over.

“Even over video chat, her brilliant mind and generous spirit shone through, along with her inspiring message to other young people: don’t try to fix every problem, just focus on one that excites you,” Time said.

“If I can do it,” she said in the interview, “anybody can do it.” Rao said her generation is facing many problems that they have never seen before. “But then at the same time, we’re facing old problems that still exist. Like, we’re sitting here in the middle of a new global pandemic, and we’re also like still facing human-rights issues. There are problems that we did not create but that we now have to solve, like climate change and cyberbullying with the introduction of technology,” she said.

“I think more than anything right now, we just need to find that one thing we’re passionate about and solve it. Even if it’s something as small as, I want to find an easy way to pick up litter. Everything makes a difference. Don’t feel pressured

From page 1

to come up with something big,” she said. When asked when she knew that science was her passion, Rao said she always wanted to put a smile on someone’s face.

“That was my everyday goal, just to make someone happy. And it soon turned into, How can we bring positivity and community to the place we live?” Rao added that she doesn’t look like “your typical scientist.

Everything I see on TV is that it’s an older, usually white man as a scientist. It’s weird to me that it was almost like people had assigned roles, regarding like their gender, their age, the colour of their skin.

“My goal has really shifted not only from creating my own devices to solve the world’s problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well. Because, from personal experience, it’s not easy when you don’t see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it, and anyone can do it,” she said.

She said when she was in second or third grade, she started thinking about how she can use science and technology to create social change. She said she was 10 when she told her parents that she wanted to research carbon nanotube sensor technology at the Denver Water Quality Research Lab. When asked by Jolie if Rao does things that kids her age do, she said “actually I spend more time doing 15-year-old things during the quarantine. I bake an ungodly amount. It’s not good, but it’s baking. And, like, it’s science too.”

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Another person of Indian origin to hold powerful post in Biden administration

f i g ht i n g for her American Dream. She stayed, and America c a m e through for her when times were tough. We relied on food stamps to eat. We relied on Section 8 vouchers to pay the rent.

We relied on the social safety net to get back on our feet,” she said.

“This country gave her a fair shot to reach for the middle class and she made it work.

She got a job as a travel agent, and before long, she was able to buy us our own home in Bedford, Massachusetts, and see her children off to college, and beyond,” Tanden said.

“I’m here today thanks to my mother’s grit, but also thanks to a country that had faith in us, that invested in her humanity, and in our dreams. I’m here today because of social programs. Because of budgetary choices. Because of a government that saw my mother’s dignity, and gave her a chance,” Tanden said.

Neil Makhija, the executive director of IMPACT, the leading Indian-American

advocacy and political action committee, said that Tanden understands the power of the American Dream.

She was raised in an immigrant family that benefited from America’s social safety net as a ladder to climb to the middle class, he said.

“Despite making it to the highest levels of government, she refused to forget where she came from, never backing down from the toughest battles to fight for the American worker.

“In Neera Tanden, President-elect Biden has chosen an ideal partner to restore the American dream because she has lived it,” he added.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Tanden is an eminently qualified nominee who would be the first woman of colour to ever run the Office of Management and Budget.

Saturday, December 5, 2020

BC has no plans to mandate COVID-19 vaccine, top doctor says

As talk of a COVID-19 vaccine intensifies around the world, B.C.’s top doctor is making it clear she does “not expect” immunization will be mandatory in the province.“We have no mandatory immunizations in this country and in this province, and we do not expect that COVID immunization will be mandatory either. Having said that, there are some key positions where we know the risk of transmission … can be very high,” Dr. Bonnie Henry on Wednesday.She noted that she would be strongly recommending workers in certain industries, such as those working at long-term care homes, which have been hit hard during the pandemic, roll up their sleeves. “So we will be strongly encouraging everybody in those settings to be immunized and if people are thinking about going into those settings and don’t believe in immunization, then they should look for other things to do,” she said.Health Minister Adrian Dix added that what has proven effective so far is engaging with people, rather than forcing them to get immunized. “I think

it’s nice to talk about a situation of broad immunization, and we’re looking forward to that.

Initially, we are going to get the vaccine that we get and make the decisions based on public health advice required to deliver that vaccine,” he explained. Adrian Dix added the province would provide as much information as possible to people in order to engage, educate, and involve them “in those important decision.” He says doing so isn’t just the moral thing to do, but the most effective.

Earlier on Wednesday, UK became the first western country to approve COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use. Health Canada is in the final stages of reviewing vaccine candidates from Pfizer and competitor Moderna, with a decision expected this month.

Henry affirmed she has full confidence that a COVID-19 vaccine that is deemed ready and approved for use in Canada will be safe and effective.

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

How Canadians can get a $400 tax credit — no questions asked — for working from home during COVID-19 Since the COVID-19 pandemic first sent provinces into lockdown, millions of Canadians have begun to work from home.

For many, there’s no return to the office in sight.

That means people may be spending more money on hydro and utilities, or that they may have had to upgrade their internet plan to accommodate daily Zoom calls. The federal government has acknowledged this in its Fall Economic Statement, which was released on Nov. 30, and announced that it would make it easier for Canadians to claim expenses up to $400.

“Millions of Canadians are unexpectedly working from home because of COVID-19.

They are turning their bedrooms, basements and kitchens into offices, and taking on increased household expenses to do their jobs,” the Liberal

government said in its economic statement.

While Canadians working from home were already entitled to deduct certain office expenses, the government said that the existing rules might be hard to understand, or place an unnecessary administrative burden on employers, so the Canada Revenue Agency will simplify the tax filing process. “First-time claimants may not be familiar with the rules, and the claim process imposes an administrative burden on employers who are already dealing with the broader impacts of the pandemic and have to fill out additional information for their employees who qualify,” the economic statement says.

“To simplify the process for both taxpayers and businesses, the CRA will allow employees working from home in 2020 due to COVID-19 with modest expenses to claim up to $400, based on the amount of time working from

home, without the need to track detailed expenses, and will generally not request that people provide a signed form from their employers.” Previously, employers had to fill out Form T2200, Declaration of Conditions of Employment for staff who wanted to claim expenses. That may still be the case for Canadians who want to claim more than $400.

The government said the CRA will release further details in the coming weeks but, in the meantime, the existing “work-space-in-thehome expenses” credit for salaried employees — as opposed to people who are self-employed — can give some indication of what you will be able to claim on your next tax return.

Under the current rules, you may only claim expenses that will not be reimbursed by your employer and they must be used directly in your work.

Active cases close to 10,000 and Covid-19 deaths near 500 in BC 12 deaths. Henry said there were 9,103 active cases of the disease in B.C., of which 325 were in hospital and 80 in intensive care. The death tally is now 481. Health Minister Adrian said that with 10,849 people in isolation after being exposed to the disease, and record numbers in hospital, healthcare workers were being tapped. He said overall hospital bed capacity was at 80 per cent, and this time last year was over 100 per cent. However, many long-term care workers had become COVID sick, putting pressure on staffing. “Structured child and youth programs and sport are permitted,” she said, “but must meet and follow the ViaSport Phase 2 requirements. We know the restrictions put an added burden on what is an already difficult time for all of us, but they are what is required right now.” Henry said the intent of the new orders were to reduce the opportunity for virus spread, at a time when case numbers were escalating. She said adult athletes gathering for beer or coffee after the game had played a major role in the spread of the disease among teammates. Ten to 15 per cent of all B.C.’s 35,422 cases were linked to fitness and sports activities, Henry said.

India says Canadian PM “Ill-informed” on Farmers’ protest From page 1

“We believe in the importance of dialogue and that is why we have reached out through multiple means directly to Indian authorities to highlight our concerns,” Trudeau said in the video posted on his Twitter account.

Canada’’s Indian-origin Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan too expressed concern over the situation.

“The reports of peaceful protesters being

brutalized in India are very troubling. Many of my constituents have family there and are worried about the safety of their loved ones. Healthy democracies allow peaceful protest. I urge those involved to uphold this fundamental right,” he tweeted on Sunday.

Thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and several other states have been protesting for six consecutive days at the borders of the national capital against three farm laws.

The farmers have expressed apprehension that the Centre’’s farm laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the “mercy” of big corporates.

The government has maintained that the new laws will provide farmers with better opportunities. It has also accused the opposition parties of misleading farmers.

Saturday, December 5, 2020

West Vancouver gas leak forces evacuation of five homes Five homes in West Vancouver have been evacuated after a gas line was ruptured by construction crews Thursday morning.

It happened along Taylor Way at Marine Drive — near Park Royal — around 3 a.m.

“We’re called for a natural gas leak due to construction,” Assistant Fire Chief Matt Furlot tells NEWS 1130, describing the leak as coming from a “major gas line.”

David is among the people who got a wakeup call and was told to leave his home.

“Well, apparently, they’ve been drilling

to put in a new fiber optic line down Taylor Way and they apparently struck a major gas line,” he explains, adding he and the others affected are being asked to stay out of their homes for the remainder of the day.

The intersection will be closed until further notice with crews expected to remain on scene for most of Thursday.

FortisBC says it’s working to repair the damaged gas line. West Vancouver police are helping with traffic control in the area.

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

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LOCAL

Saturday, December 5, 2020 Old-timers hockey team spreads Covid-19 to dozens of people in BC after return from Alberta An old-timers hockey team travelled from the Interior Health region into Alberta and returned with sick players, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Wednesday.

Those players then spread the disease to dozens of people, including family and workmates. “There’s a hockey team in the Interior that travelled to Alberta and has come back, and now there are dozens of people who are infected and it has spread in the community,” Henry said.

“I’m not going to give them away because I understand and what I’m hearing from my

colleagues around the province, is it’s not unique. But I will say it was an adult hockey team that felt it was important to continue their travel and games across the border.”

Henry reported 834 cases of COVID-19 between noon Tuesday and noon Wednesday and 12 deaths.

In Alberta, over the same period, there were 1,685 new cases and 10 deaths. Alberta has 17,144 active cases of the disease while B.C. has 8,941.

There are 97 people in intensive care in Alberta suffering from COVID-19, and 79 in B.C.

Federal govt to spend $100B to jolt post-pandemic economy after posting record $381B deficit From page 1 Ottawa signals plans to create Canada-wide child care system, collect digital sales taxes Highlights of the Trudeau government’s 2020 fall economic update “Spending roughly three to four per cent of GDP, over three years, our government will make carefully judged, targeted and meaningful investments to create jobs and boost growth.” Freeland said the stimulus program will help guard against long-term damage to the economy. She said government debt is highly affordable now, due to Canada’s strong past economic performance and low interest rates. The minister said the risks associated with not providing enough economic support right now outweigh those involved in spending too much. Freeland said the government will not repeat the “mistakes” made following the 2008 recession, when the federal government introduced austerity measures to

rein in spending. After some initial stimulus spending, then-prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government cut federal spending across the board with a deficit reduction action plan (DRAP) that downsized the budgets of most departments and agencies by five to 10 per cent.

Freeland said the government will track progress by monitoring economic indicators — such as the employment rate and total hours worked — to determine when to end the stimulus spending. The government unveiled a record deficit of $381 billion in its fiscal update, along with spending plans for more pandemic relief and a huge stimulus plan to jolt the economy post-pandemic. 2:18 In the meantime, the government plans to make investments that will serve as what it calls a down-payment on “transformative initiatives,” such as Canada-wide early learning and child care, job training and green initiatives.

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Another man facing charges in Canada in connection with CRA telephone scam RCMP say a man with ties to Mississauga, Ont. is facing charges in connection with various transnational telephone frauds, including the infamous Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) telephone scam.

On Thursday, authorities announced the charges as part of their ongoing investigation called Operation Octavia, which commenced in October 2018 to combat the CRA telephone tax schemes and other related frauds.

According to the RCMP, telephone fraudsters operating outside of Canada have been targeting the Canadian public since 2014. In the CRA telephone scam, callers from India impersonate CRA, RCMP, or other federal agents in order to intimidate victims into paying non-existent fines or taxes.

During the investigation, the RCMP said they have uncovered “money mules,” “money mule managers,” and money launderers operating within Canada and overseas.

That scheme alone has cost victims

a cumulative total of more than $18.5 million since 2014, the RCMP said.

The fraudsters’ other scams, including the “Bank investigator” and “Tech support” scams, have resulted in victim losses of more than $34 million, according to the announcement.

Despite a number of police raids on illegal call centres in India and arrests made in Canada, the RCMP said the telephone fraudsters continue to operate and target Canadians.

To date, the RCMP said nine individuals have been charged in relation to Project Octavia.

“Fraud, like violent crime, has devastating consequences on its victims. Those whose conscience does not deter them from preying on the vulnerable, will be held accountable by the rule of law,” Staff Sgt. Ken Derakhshan, acting Officer in Charge of the GTA Financial Crime Section in Milton, Ont., said in a press release.

Thomas Pao, 25, of Mississauga, Ont. has been charged with fraud over $5,000, possession of proceeds of crime, and laundering of the proceeds of crime.

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Saturday, December 5, 2020

BC residents worried about COVID-19 deficit, business survey finds With B.C.’s operating deficit heading past the $13 billion mark due to COVID-19, more than four out of five B.C. residents are concerned that tax increases and service cuts are coming, according to a new survey from the Business Council of B.C. The business group commissioned a public opinion survey from Ipsos Public Affairs to test support for its “Stronger Tomorrow, Starting Today” recovery plan, to support businesses hit hardest by the pandemic and public health

measures to contain it. The plan includes placing a time limit on municipal project approvals and restructuring B.C.’s sales tax to give the private sector a better chance to invest and recover.

The survey was conducted shortly after Premier John Horgan won a majority mandate in the Oct. 24 election. It found 81 per cent agreement that the B.C. government should do more to support businesses, and 79 per cent are concerned that the NDP’s election promises are going to lead to higher taxes or debt.

Canada plans to clamp new tax on foreign home buyers Canada is readying a new tax on foreign home buyers to help tamp down on speculative purchases from overseas, cited as a factor behind sharp rises in housing prices in some markets that have left many Canadians unable to afford homes.

The new tax was mentioned in a fiscal document published on Monday, though few details were given. The timing and scope of the measures would likely be outlined in the spring budget, expected in March or April, a senior government source said.

“Speculative demand from foreign, nonresident investors contributes to unaffordable housing prices for many Canadians,” the government said in its Fall Economic Statement.

“The government is committed to ensuring that foreign, non-resident owners, who simply use Canada as a place to passively store their wealth in housing, pay their fair share.”

Foreign speculators were blamed for driving up home prices in Vancouver and Toronto earlier this decade, prompting British Columbia and Ontario to impose land-transfer

taxes on foreign buyers in some markets.

British Columbia has a 20% land-transfer tax for foreign buyers in some regions, along with an additional speculation levy on empty homes, while Ontario’s 15% tax applies to foreign buyers investing in certain cities.

Those measures helped slow speculation and led to some price corrections, though current levels of foreign demand are unclear due to a lack of national statistics on overseas ownership.

Canada home prices have risen 88.3% in the last decade, and were up 10.9% in October compared with the previous year, according to data from the Canadian Real Estate Association.

Recent housing gains have been driven by detached properties in smaller centers, as Canadians flee densely-packed city centers for homes with backyards and home offices amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Canadian government is also expanding the first-time home buyers incentive, aimed at helping millennial and immigrants gain a foothold in the housing market.

Environment Canada warning for colder, snowy winter in Metro Vancouver actually impact us here in B.C.,” says Castellan.

While La Niña was identified back in August, it didn’t have a significant bearing on local weather at that time. But mid to late December onward, B.C. will likely see colder than normal temperatures, with a much higher level of certainty than Environment Canada will normally give for seasonal projections, Castellan explains.

After that, the pattern is expected to continue into spring.

So, while winter will take some time to get significantly colder, once it does, it isn’t likely to warm up anytime soon.

“And it’s not to say that we’re not going to have warmer weeks here and there of course but it’s just the conceptual model with La Niña is that we’ll see colder than normal overall, and particularly in the northern half of the province,” he notes. “But this also holds true for the South Coast as well.”

Freezing levels will also be lower due to colder temperatures, which means that there is a greater likelihood the Lower Mainland will see snow around sea level. In addition, the proportion of snow to rain is typically higher during a La Niña pattern.

“You get three or four different snow events, as opposed to just kind of half an event or one event in the winter and it kind of returns to slush right away like on a regular winter,” adds Castellan.

“You’re stacking the deck, in terms of getting snow, maybe more frequently or longer because it might be cold after, and then you can have snow to toboggan for a few days, not just a one-hit-wonder.”

December is expected to be the “oddball” in Metro Vancouver’s meteorological winter forecast, and Castellan says snow is likely in the months that follow.

If you’re hoping to celebrate a white Christmas in Vancouver this year, you might be in luck.

But Environment Canada isn’t making any promises.

While the first days of December have been sunny and mild, Canada’s federal weather department calls for a colder, snowier winter overall.

Dec. 1 marks the first day of meteorological winter, and Environment Canada Meteorologist Armel Castellan tells Vancouver Is Awesome in a phone interview that the department confirms a moderate to strong La Niña pattern for this winter.

And while this is typically a strong indicator of cold weather and snowfall, Castellan notes that the first half of December won’t be particularly cold.

“December by itself is going to be warmer than normal,” he explains. “We’re entering a really dry stretch until at least the seventh, maybe the eighth or so--where we’re not going to see any rain or snow for most of B.C. “All of it is being pushed up with this atmospheric river into the northern panhandle--this range is huge.”

La Niña Winter: The Canadian Government defines La Niña as “the appearance of cooler than normal waters in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean”—A.K.A. the waters off B.C.’s coast. Sometimes also referred to as “a cold event”, the climate pattern is generally considered to be the opposite of El Niño, and is usually great news for skiers and snowboarders hoping for a season full of champagne powder.

“This year we have entered into a linear pattern and it’s almost 100% going to stick around for December, January, and February--and beyond.

It’s a moderate to strong La Niña and with that, what we call a teleconnection is when it’s going to

Interim Opposition Leader Shirley Bond takes on personal critic role Press release

Interim Leader of the Official Opposition and MLA for Prince George-Valemount Shirley Bond has personally taken on the role of BC Liberal Critic for Seniors Services and Long Term Care (LTC) as of Monday.

“Those who know me well, know that I care deeply about seniors in my community and beyond and it is more important now than ever that they have a strong advocate to ensure their voices are heard in Victoria,” said Bond. “Seniors, especially those in long term care, have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and it’s effects on our society. We have a responsibility to do better and I will work hard on behalf of all B.C. seniors and their families.”

Shirley Bond was named Interim Leader last Monday and sworn in as a re-elected MLA on Friday at a virtual ceremony held by the Legislature.

“The BC Liberal critics announced today will make sure there is an integrated response to the health and economic crisis that our province is currently facing. I believe in leading by example and taking on a critic role myself was very important to me,” added Bond. “Our BC Liberal caucus is ready to get to work as we hold John Horgan and the NDP accountable for the promises they made to the people of British Columbia, and push for the important actions needed during these unprecedented times.”

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, December 5, 2020 Pedestrian dies after being struck by vehicle on Highway 1 in Abbotsford The collision takes place on early Wednesday morning between Clearbrook and McCallum roads . A pedestrian died in Abbotsford early Wednesday morning (Dec. 2) after being struck by a vehicle on Highway 1.

Abbotsford Police Sgt. Judy Bird said emergency services were called at around 3 a.m. after the collision occurred in the westbound lanes between the Clearbrook Road and McCallum Road exits.

She said the male pedestrian was pronounced dead on the scene. Bird said the driver had called police, remained on the scene and has been cooperating with the investigation.

“He did not sustain any injuries

but was severely shaken,” Bird said.

She said the name of the deceased man is not being released.

The freeway was closed until 7:45 a.m.

Bird said the Integrated Collision Analysis Reconstruction Team, police investigators and B.C. Coroners Service are continuing to investigate, but speed or impairment are not considered to be factors.

Any witnesses or those with CCTV or dash-cam footage who were travelling on or near Highway 1 between 2:45 and 3 a.m. are asked to call the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225.

Surrey RCMP recover stolen semi-trailer and its $200K of cargo O n Sunday (Nov. 29), police received a report of the stolen semi-trailer from a businesses in the 1170-block of Tannery Road, according to a release from Surrey RCMP Tuesday (Dec. 1).

RCMP say a stolen semi-trailer, containing “approximately $200,000 worth of cargo,” has been recovered.

Police say the cargo was found in separate location than the trailer.

Officers gathered “helpful evidence” from the caller, which “led them to a nearby industrial site” in the 12300-block of 104th Avenue.

Surrey RCMP said the trailer had been abandoned and “emptied of its high-value cargo.”

Later that day, around 3 p.m., “through conventional investigative techniques,” officers found where

the cargo was being stored in the 10600-block of Timberland Road.

Police said that no arrests have been made as officers “work to identify the suspects involved in this theft operation.”

“This appeared to be a carefully planned act as it’s not an easy task stealing a semitrailer,” said Staff Sergeant Dave Wise, Surrey RCMP Watch Commander.

“The recovery of the high-value stolen items was a result of good investigative techniques coupled with crucial information provided by the caller.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or solvecrime.ca.

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Premier Horgan says province prepared to patch holes in new federal sick-pay benefits Premier John Horgan says the province is prepared to fill gaps in the federal government’s sick-leave program but needs more information on possible cracks in the plan to help employers and employees fight the spread of COVID-19.

Horgan said Wednesday he’s heard informal reports about holes in the recent program, but requires direct evidence or data that detail any problems before taking action.

“We do know that the sick-pay benefit that we worked so hard with the federal government to establish has gaps and holes,” he told a news conference.

Horgan said he will first take his government’s concerns about the sick leave program to the federal government for possible solutions.

“It’s suggestions and solutions like those that have been proposed that we want to bring to the federal government so we can work collaboratively with them to make sure that the services that people need are there for them when they need them,” he said.

The federal benefits program was implemented last month to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at workplaces by covering the income of workers who previously didn’t get sick pay and may go to work as a result.

“It’s all critically important that we

have this seamless approach to how we deal with sick time, how we make sure people do not go to the workplace when they are not feeling well,” said Horgan. “That’s how community transmission begins.”

He said workers should not be denied pay when they are preventing COVID-19’s spread.

“We were grateful to the federal government for taking the national leadership that they did and if there are gaps, as they say, and we can identify those by looking at the data and following through to see where we can fill those gaps, we’re absolutely prepared to do that,” he said.

Horgan said he will investigate reports that some B.C. workers are being told by employers not to come to work due to COVID-19 but are not receiving sick pay.

“I want to fix that gap and those are the very things we talked about with the federal government when we encouraged them to put in place a national program,” Horgan said.

“I want to see the evidence, the data, that demonstrates there are such examples.”

Horgan said the session of the legislature that starts on Monday will last two weeks at most. The NDP wants to pass legislation to ensure it can deliver its COVID-19 relief election promise of $1,000 for most families and $500 for individuals.

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US opposes release of Pakistani Canadia Tahawwur Rana who is facing extradition to India US Government moved a motion in federal court in California opposing the release of Pakistani-origin Canadian businessman Tahawwur Rana, who has been declared a fugitive by India for his involvement in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case, describing him a flight risk. Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was re-arrested on June 10 in Los Angeles on an extradition request by India for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike in which 166 people, including six Americans, were killed.

Pakistani-American LeT terrorist Headley was involved in plotting the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He was made an approver in the case, and is currently serving a 35-year prison term in the US for his role in the attack. Rana is a declared fugitive in India. His extradition hearing is scheduled for February 12.

In a motion filed before the US District Court Judge in Los Angeles Jacqueline Chelonian on Monday, US attorney Nicola T Hanna urged the court to deny Rana’s motion for release for failure to prove that he is not a flight risk or that special circumstances exist and continue to detain him pending resolution of this extradition proceeding. Hanna’s motion comes in opposition to the latest effort of Rana to avoid detention pending extradition,

by capitalising on the developments of the pandemic.

Rana’s attorney has argued that pandemic warrants his release from custody.

Hanna said a fugitive facing extradition is entitled to bail only if he can demonstrate that he is not a flight risk, is not a danger to the community, and that “special circumstances” warrant his release from custody.

Rana has said the Bureau of Prison (BOP) was unable to manage the pandemic and as such he should be released. Hanna argued: “In addition to ignoring the BOP’s ability to manage the pandemic, Rana ignores the significant increase of cases in the population in which he wishes to be released,” Hanna said.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

Saturday, December 5, 2020

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INDIA

Saturday, December 5, 2020

India to get more submarines & drones India will soon move forward for getting six more submarines and has shifted its gaze to have more unmanned systems, all clearly aimed at tackling China at sea.

Chief of Indian Navy Admiral Karambir Singh, addressing a press conference on Thursday, said: “We are going to the Defence Acquisition Council for issuing a request for proposal (RFP), the second stage of the tender is expected.”

“We have focus on unmanned systems,” Admiral Karambir Singh said in a reply to a

No breakthrough in farmers agitation

To say that Thursday’s meeting was a complete washout will be incorrect. There appeared to be some movement forward even though the deadlock remains.

The BJP-led Centre appeared to soften stance, agreeing to some amendments and also conceding to some points raised by farmers’ leaders.

Though farmer leaders, who remained firm on their stated stance of repealing the five contentious laws – the three farm Acts, Air Ordinance and power legislation – said they would decide whether to attend the next meeting on December 5 after consultations on Friday.

“We will decide tomorrow whether or not to attend the meeting on December 5,” farmer leader Jagmohan Singh told The Tribune.

Farmers, who refused to even have “sarkari khana and chai” during the marathon seven-hour plus meeting at the Vigyan

question on the recent lease of two unmanned predator drones from the US company General Atomics.

Predators, he said, were capable platforms with endurance of 33 hours.

“The picture generated by the drones comes only to us,” he said.

Navy would consider deployment of these drones over the Himalayas if the Army and the IAF ask for it.

“We are looking maritime theatre command with positivity,” the Admiral said, adding that, the Andaman Nicobar command would be part of it.

World’s largest vaccine maker sues trial volunteer who alleged side effects The world’s largest vaccine producer, Serum Institute of India, has sued a COVID-19 vaccine trial participant who alleged that the trial caused him “serious side effects”.

In filing a INR 1 billion ($13.5 million) defamation case, the firm rejected the charges by the 40-year-old businessman, from the southern Indian city of Chennai, as “malicious”.

The firm has also said the man’s illness had nothing to do with the vaccine trials. “The volunteer is falsely laying the blame for his medical problems on the COVID vaccine trial,” said a statement issued by the Serum Institute, the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer by the number of doses produced and sold globally.

Emergency drug regulator approval for Covid-19 vaccine

by December end AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria on Thursday pinned his hopes on the five COVID-19 vaccine candidates which are in advanced stages of clinical trial in India, stating they are logistically feasible for distribution in both urban and rural areas.

His assertion comes amid PfizerBioNTech’s anti-coronavirus vaccine getting emergency clearance in the UK, paving the way for mass vaccinations against the deadly novel coronavirus from as early as next week.

Dr Guleria expressed hope that by the end of this month or early next month, at least one of the five vaccines being locally-tested should get emergency use authorisation from the drug regulator to be administered to the public starting with priority groups.

According to sources, global pharma giant Pfizer had talks with the Indian

government late August, but since then there has been no development.

During a briefing last month, NITI Aayog member (Health) Dr V K Paul, who also heads the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration, said that sufficient doses of the Pfizer vaccine as required for the Indian population will not be available but the government is examining the possibilities and will work out a strategy (for its procurement and distribution) in case the vaccine gets regulatory approvals.

The requirement of an extreme low temperature of -70 deg C for storing the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer poses a big challenge for its delivery in a developing nation like India, especially in its smaller towns and rural areas where maintaining such cold chain facilities would be very difficult, Guleria said.

The lawyers of the vaccine volunteer have called the defamation suit an “intimidation attempt.” The participant alleged that undergoing the trials caused a “neurological and psychological” breakdown that impaired his cognitive abilities. “Our client states that the severe trauma he went through from 11th October 2020, because of the ‘Acute Neuro Encephalopathy’ that he suffered, is an extreme side-effect of the test vaccine that he took on 1st October 2020,” said the anonymous participant’s legal representative in a notice. The man is demanding a compensation of INR 50 million ($676,000) from the Serum Institute, and has asked for the trials to be halted immediately.

Honey sold by major brands in India adulterated with sugar & sweet syrupsays CSE Honey sold by several major brands in India has been found adulterated with sugar syrup, the environment watchdog CSE claimed Wednesday. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) food researchers selected 13 top and smaller brands of processed and raw honey being sold in India to check their purity. They found 77 per cent of the samples adulterated with the addition of sugar syrup.

Out of the 22 samples checked, only five passed all the tests. “Honey samples from leading brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis Himalaya, all failed the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) test,” the study said. There was no immediate reply to queries mailed to Dabur, Emami (Zandu) and Patanjali on the CSE findings, while spokespersons for Baidyanath and other companies couldn’t be contacted immediately.

Samples of these brands were first tested at the

Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, the Spice King, dies at 97 India’s spice king and MDH Masala owner Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, familiar to all those who watched him in his company’s ads over the years, died in New Delhi on Thursday morning. He was 97.

Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, who was awarded the country’s third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan last year, was undergoing treatment at the Mata Chanan Devi Hospital where he breathed his last, sources said.

According to reports, he was undergoing post-COVID treatment and suffered a cardiac arrest in the morning.

India’s spice king and MDH Masala owner Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, familiar to all those who watched him in his company’s ads over the years, died in New Delhi on Thursday morning. He was 97.

Gulati, who was awarded the country’s third-highest civilian award Padma

Bhushan last year, was undergoing treatment at the Mata Chanan Devi Hospital where he breathed his last, sources said.

According to reports, he was undergoing post-COVID treatment and suffered a cardiac arrest in the morning.

Mahashay Dharampal Gulati was born on 27th March 1923 in Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan.

Dharampal moved to India after partition 1947. Mahashay Dharampal Gulati opened his first store in Delhi.

Despite humble beginning, according to the company’s website, MDH spices are not just popular in India but are also exported to USA, Canada, UK, Europe, South East Asia, Japan, UAE and Saudi Arabia. The company has its own offices in London, UK. MDH also opened state of art manufacturing unit in UAE.

UK author Anita gets prize for story on Jallianwala Bagh British Indian journalist and author Anita Anand’s book that tells the story of a young man caught up in the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar has won a prestigious history-literary prize in the UK. ‘The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge and the Raj’ beat six other titles for the

PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize for History 2020, awarded annually for a non-fiction book of specifically historical content.

The judges described it as a “genuine historical classic” that would be read for decades to come.

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Punjab Former Punjab DGP Sumedh Saini gets bail in murder case The Supreme Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini in the 1991 Balwant Singh Multani murder case, “considering the fact that the impugned FIR has been lodged by the brother of the deceased after a period of almost 29 years from the date of incident.”

“We are of the opinion that the appellant (Saini) has made out a case for anticipatory

bail,” said a Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan which had on September 15 granted him interim protection from arrest.

It also took note of the fact that the offence of murder under Section 302 IPC was added subsequently to the case on the basis of the statements of Jagir Singh and Kuldip Singh who turned approvers in the case.

Kejriwal cornered, says Chief Minister Amarinder Singh In a scathing response to his Delhi counterpart’s attack on him over the farmers’ issue, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday lashed out at Arvind Kejriwal for indulging in “double-speak”.

Slamming the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader for undermining the farmers’ fight

by notifying one of the Central laws in Delhi, Captain Amarinder trashed Kejriwal’s assertion that states were helpless against the Central laws. He said it was clear that the AAP leader did not even want to try to fight the draconian legislations.

CM Amarinder Singh appeals to farmers to resolve crisis Reiterating Punjab’s position seeking early resolution of the farm laws’ deadlock, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday urged the Centre to rethink its stand on the legislations while appealing to farmers to find an early solution to the problem that was adversely impacting the

state’s economy and also posed a serious danger to national security, a press release by the Punjab government read. In an important message to farmers after meeting Home Minister Amit Shah, Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh said the prolonged protests were impacting national security and Punjab economy and must be resolved soon.

Elder brother of Dr Gulzar Cheema denied ambulance service by health officals in Punjab Covid-19 infected elder brother of Dr Gulzar Cheema, former Health Minister of BC, was denied ambulance service by health officials in Punjab. When reports of the incident reached DC M.Ishfaq, he held informal probe in which officials revealed that ambulances were not available because of the “CM’s visit” to Dera Baba Nanak for the 550th birth anniversary

of Guru Nanak Dev. DC has now launched a comprehensive probe to identify and nail the guilty. Senior citizen Dilbagh Singh Lally Cheema (69) is brother of Gulzar Singh Cheema a former Health Minister of British Columbia, Canada from 2001 till 2004. Lally Cheema complained of acute respiratory problem in the morning. Suspecting that he might have contracted the virus, he asked his family to shift him to Amritsar’s Fortis Hospital.

CM Amarinder Singh appeals to farmers to resolve crisis Reiterating Punjab’s position seeking early resolution of the farm laws’ deadlock, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Thursday urged the Centre to rethink its stand on the legislations while appealing to farmers

to find an early solution to the problem that was adversely impacting the state’s economy and also posed a serious danger to national security, a press release by the Punjab government read.

Pakistan 3,000 political protesters arrested for violating Covid-19 protocol 3,000 activists of PDM (Pakistan Democratic Movement), including former PM Raza Gilani’s sons, arrested by Punjab Police for holding an anti-govt rally in violation of Covid-19 public safety guidelines.

PDM organised rally in Sothern Punajb city of Multan after days of conflict between city administration and opposition workers over having the event at time when during second wave of Covid-19, federal and provincial govt already warned against large gatherings because

of spike in Covid cases.

PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party) and PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) , also pledged to hold march to the capital next month in protest of govt policies.

The police on Tuesday arrested over 3,000 opposition activists.

Firdous Ashiq Awan , Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister said the FIR had been registered against the organisers of the PDM rally in Multan for committing various violations of the law.

Azad Kashmir govt signs agreement with China to build 700MW hydropower project The government in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir has signed agreements with a Chinese company and a local renewable energy firm for the construction of 700MW hydropower project at an estimated cost of USD 1.35 billion in the region as part of the ambitious China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a media report said on Wednesday.

China Gezhouba Group and its local partner

Laraib Group Pakistan are the shareholders of the ‘Azad Pattan Hydropower Project’, which is located on Jhelum river in Sadhanoti district of PoK, Dawn newspaper reported.

The consortium of lenders consists of China Development Bank, China Construction Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Bank of China, the paper said.

15 year jail for spokesperson of Hafiz Saeed’s JuD Anti-terrorism court handed 15 years jail to a spokesperson of Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed’s Jammat-ud-Dawah (JuD).

Yahya Mujahid was last month awarded collective imprisonment of 32 years in two terror financing cases by the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC).

Besides Mujahid, the ATC Lahore on Wednesday also awarded 15 years imprisonment to JuD’s senior leader Zafar Iqbal and six months jail term to Prof Hafiz Abdul Rehman

Makki, brother-in-law of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed.

Earlier, the ATC Lahore had sentenced Iqbal for 26 years imprisonment in three such cases.

ATC Judge Ijaz Ahmad Buttar announced the verdict in FIR 42 of 2019 under different provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

The three convicts were present in the court when the judge announced the verdict.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Punjab police had registered as many as 41 FIRs against JuD leaders.

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Six SODELPA MPs charged and appear in court for abusing allowances Six SODELPA parliamentarians who appeared in the Suva Magistrates Court earlier today for allegedly abusing parliamentary allowances, have been released on bail.

The six MPs, Adi Litia Qionibaravi, Ratu Suliano Matanitobua, Niko Nawaikula, Salote Radrodro, Simione Rasova and Peceli Vosanibola appeared before Chief Magistrate Usaia Ratuvili.

They are each charged with one count of giving false information to a public servant and one count of obtaining a financial advantage.

It is alleged that they gave false information to the Secretary-General to Parliament, Viniana Namosimalua while claiming for allowances. FICAC earlier confirmed that it was investigating eight Opposition MPs and one government MP for allegedly breaching eligibility requirements for travel and accommodation allowances.

The nature of the complaint alleges that these MPs claimed travel and accommodation allowances they were not entitled to.

Sinu was subjected to cruel and inhumane treatment at the hands of police officers – Raj The Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission says it has established that Mesake Sinu was subjected to cruel, inhumane, degrading or disproportionately severe treatment at the hands of the police officers, which resulted in his death on October 12th in Nadi.

Director Ashwin Raj says this is based on witness statements, the death certificate and post mortem examination findings which state extensive intracranial haemorrhage due to severe traumatic head injury as a consequence of blunt force trauma.

FijiFirst MP, Vijendra Prakash charged by FICAC for alleged abuse of allowances FijiFirst MP, Vijendra Prakash has been charged by FICAC for allegedly abusing parliamentary allowances, and appeared in the Suva Magistrates Court earlier this afternoon.

Prakash has been granted bail by Magistrate Waleen George. He is charged with one count of giving false information to a public servant and one count of obtaining a financial advantage.

It is alleged that Prakash gave false information last year regarding his residential address to the Secretary-General to Parliament, Viniana Namosimalua while claiming for allowances.

He allegedly used false information to claim $33,000 in allowances.

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