The Asian Star April 16 2022

www.theasianstar.com Vol 21 - Issue 11

Saturday, April 16, 2022

South Asian couple from Surrey in disbelief after lottery win A simple trip to the Real Canadian Superstore led a BC couple to a massive lottery win. Jamail and Manjinder Khatra’s (pic) BC lottery ticket ended up winning them the guaranteed $1 million prize through BCLC’s Lotto 6/49 draw.

The Surrey couple purchased their ticket from the Superstore located on 104 Avenue. Jamail popped into a gas station on his way home from work to check the ticket, and he could not believe what he saw. “I checked the ticket on March 29, and I saw a million dollars and didn’t believe it,” he said. “I went home and looked on

Continued on page 2

Russian billionaire is behind mansion that housed Prince Harry and Meghan, leaked files show It’s been an international enigma for the last two years: Who really owns the lavish Vancouver Island estate where Prince Harry and Meghan wintered in 2020 as they reportedly hashed out their plan to step back from official royal duties?

Is it the Russian-born billionaire who several media outlets linked to the property? Is it Canadian mining magnate Frank Giustra, as (erroneously) reported by the New York Post’s Page Six? CBC and Radio-Canada found the answer,

and it does indeed involve a Russian, but it wasn’t easy — it took an international leak of tax-haven data, access to a company’s internal records and intense research. All that, experts say, shows once again just how opaque Canada is when it comes to assets like real estate and who owns it.

“It is very easy for criminals around the world to be laundering their dirty money in Canada and buying real estate,” said Kevin Comeau, a lawyer and financial Continued on page 7

Continued on page 7

Indian wife of UK finance minister is richer than Britain’s Queen Elizabeth

Apple is making iPhone 13 in India now Apple is moving some iPhone 13 manufacturing to India, a move that could boost the entire smartphone industry. As a result of the global pandemic, Apple has been working to diversify its supply chain, moving some manufacturing outside of China. While the company already manufactures some older models in India, moving some iPhone 13 production there could improve manufacturing for its rivals. Apple’s market share may be dwarfed by the Android ecosystem,

Tel:604-591-5423

Akshata Murty, the Indian wife of embattled British finance minister Rishi Sunak, daughter of a self-made tech billionaire and a formidable engineer and philanthropist mother, is richer than Queen Elizabeth.

Sunak, once seen as a future prime minister, has seen his popularity sink because of surging consumer prices, while recent reports that Murty’s foreign earnings are shielded from British tax authorities have added to the pressure.

Her father, N.R. Narayana

Murthy, 75, co-founded tech giant Infosys in 1981, the outsourcing behemoth that helped drive India’s remarkable transformation into the “back office of the world”.

Borrowing 10,000 rupees (US$130) from his wife Sudha to help create it, the firm is now worth around US$100 billion and was the first Indian company to list on Wall Street. One of only two non-Americans in Fortune magazine’s list . See more on page 19

US congratulates new Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif

Vancouver is officially host city candidate for 2026 FIFA World Cup It has been an exciting few weeks for Canadian soccer fans and some more exciting news for those in British Columbia just came down the pipe this morning.

FIFA announced that Vancouver has officially become a candidate to host games at BC Place during the 2026 Men’s World Cup.

The United States has congratulated Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (pic) and said it values the relationship between the two countries and is looking forward to continuing the longstanding cooperation, signalling Washington’s intent to improve ties with Islamabad under the new regime. Pakistan’s relations with the US have been lukewarm, especially under the Biden administration. The ties touched a new low after former prime minister Imran Khan, who was ousted last week through a Parliament vote, accused the US of conspiring to dislodge his government. The US government has bluntly denied the allegations multiple times.

“Pakistan has been an important partner on wide-ranging mutual interests for nearly 75 years and we value our relationship,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.

Bollywood mega-stars Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt wed in intimate Mumbai ceremony

Actor Ranbir Kapoor & Alia Bhatt tied the knot in Mumbai on Thursday. see story on page 13

Doctor says end of vaccine card in BC too soon as BA.2 variant spreads It’s too early to drop all COVID-19 restrictions, including proof of vaccination at indoor venues, as infections rise in British Columbia due to a “let it rip” approach for managing the virus, a retired emergency room doctor says. Dr. Lyne Filiatrault said the end of the vaccine card on Friday after masks were no longer required earlier this month sends the wrong message as the highly transmissible BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is spreading quickly.

“We think there’s going to be another BA.2 wave and we don’t think it’s going to be any different

than what other jurisdictions are seeing, like Ontario and Quebec, because we’re making the same errors,” said Filiatrault, who speaks for Protect Our Province B.C., a group of health-care professionals, scientists and advocates calling for evidence-based policies.

However, Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said there’s no longer a need for the vaccine card in a province where 91 per cent of residents aged 12 and up have received two doses of a vaccine.

Continued on page 7

MANMOHAN SEKHON M.Sc., M.Phill Life and Health insurance Advisor

604-358-0590 Unit 252 - 8138, 128 St, Surrey, BC V3W 1R1 www.manmohansekhon.com

2

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Vigil held for international student shot dead outside Toronto subway station

Apple is making iPhone 13 in India now but the company remains one of the largest individual manufacturers, and continues to dominate certain segments of the industry. Wherever Apple sets up shop for manufacturing, entire ecosystems of support companies and skilled labor spring up. China has always been Apple’s top manufacturing center, thanks to it being the home of Foxconn.

However, Apple has been working to reduce its reliance on a single country or region. India was a natural choice since it already has a tech-centric workforce.

To be clear, like Apple, Android manufacturers already build some of their phones in India. However, few

companies have the supply chain prowess Apple is known for. In addition, since the iPhone 13 is the first model to be released in India at the same time as the US, producing the high-tech flagship model in-country is only going to boost the existing manufacturing ecosystem.

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke of the importance of such an ecosystem when talking about why China was so critical to the company’s success: The products we do require really advanced tooling, and the precision that you have to have, the tooling and working with the materials that we do are state of the art. And the tooling skill is very deep here.

A vigil was held on Sunday for a 21-yearold international student who was shot and killed outside of a downtown Toronto subway station earlier this week.

Family, friends, and colleagues of Kartik Vasudev gathered at Nathan Phillips Square and held a moment of silence for the Indian student who was studying marketing at Seneca College and had

CPX

NOW HIRING!

OWNER OPERATORS - Teams and Singles SIGN ON BONUS!* TEAMS - UP TO $12,000 SINGLES - UP TO $6,000

JOIN OUR TEAM!

TAKE HOME NET, AFTER DEDUCTIONS: - $1.75 PER MILE (UP TO 33K PER MONTH AS TEAMS) - $1.50 PER MILE (UP TO 20K PER MONTH AS SINGLE)

REFER AN OWNER OPERATOR AND EARN: $1000 PER HIRE! WALK IN INTERVIEW AT: 105 - 5355 152ND ST SURREY, BC V3S 5A5

CALL US TODAY! RANJITA DUTTA - 604-803-4349 JACINTA DEOL - 604-358-8455 SEND YOUR CV TO : DRIVERS@CPX.CA

www.cpx.ca

arrived in Canada just four months ago.

“As an international student myself, this tragedy has greatly impacted me as many international students have given up so much to move here,” Ritik Sharma, president of the Seneca Student Federation, said. “My heart is broken.”

‘A brutal murder’: Father of Indian international student shot and killed in Toronto speaks out. 21-yearold student was on way to work when shot dead outside Toronto subway station Vasudev was on his way to work Thursday evening when he was shot outside of Sherbourne subway station in Toronto’s St. James Town neighbourhood. An off-duty paramedic at the scene administered first aid to Kartik before he was rushed to St. Michael’s Hospital and pronounced deceased.

No arrests have been made in the shooting, but police have said the suspect is a Black male standing five-foot-six to five-foot-seven inches tall with a medium build who was last seen carrying a handgun and walking south on Glen Road toward Howard Street.

Vasudev’s father Jitesh spoke with CTV News Toronto from India on Saturday and described the killing as a “brutal murder” that saw his son shot as many as seven times.

Kartik Vasudev, 21, is shown in an image provided to CP24 by his family.

Seneca College President David Agnew was present at Sunday’s ceremony and spoke about the seemingly “random” nature of the shooting.

“It is beyond comprehension for all of us.

I can’t imagine, as a parent, the feelings of his parents right now, so many thousands of miles away,” he said. “I know that they will draw great comfort from seeing all of you here knowing that your thoughts and your prayers are with them as well as we seek answers to why this possibly could have happened.”

The Consulate General of India is currently working with Vasudev’s family to bring his body back to India. A GoFundMe page with of goal of raising $50,000 to support his family has been established. At time of writing, nearly $25,000 has been raised.

Toronto Police arrest man who shot dead Indian student

Toronto Police identified the suspect as Richard Jonathan Edwin, who was charged with another homicide last Saturday.

The Toronto Police on Tuesday announced that a 39-year-old man, who is believed to have shot and killed 21-year-old Indian student Kartik Vasudev in Canada, has been arrested.

The victim, Kartik Vasudev, who hailed from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, India had moved to Canada in January to pursue higher education, according to his family.

Kartik was shot on Thursday evening at the Glen Road entrance to Sherbourne TTC station in St James Town. He was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

“Kartik was just outside the Sherbourne subway station last Thursday when he was approached by a stranger...Unprovoked, this man shot Kartik multiple times, killing him,” Toronto Police Service chief James Ramer told reporters.

The police identified the suspect as Richard Jonathan Edwin, who was charged with another homicide last Saturday.

Edwin’s second victim was Elijah Eleazar Mahepath (35), who was walking westbound on the north side of Dundas Street East near George Street, police said.

Ramer told the reporters that the suspect behind both the homicides was in police custody and described the incidents as “random attacks”.

Detective Sergeant Terry Browne of the Homicide Department, Toronto Police, said Kartik was shot “multiple times” and he was in a “defenceless position” the whole time.

3

Saturday, April 16, 2022 From bus driver to millionaire, Surrey man wins massive lottery jackpot The road to retirement is a lot shorter for a bus driver in Surrey after he matched all six numbers in recent Lotto 6/49 draw. Nang (Paul) Trinh is driving off with an incredible $18.7 million prize after matching all six numbers from the April 6, 2022 Lotto 6/49 draw. “It’s a dream come true,” he said. “I always thought about it, but never thought I would win.”

Trinh was hosting a family dinner when he decided to check his ticket on the BCLC Lotto! app and when he scanned it, he heard the “you’re a winner” music.

“I noticed there were a lot of zeros, so I asked my dad how much the jackpot was,” Trinh told BCLC. “He said it was $18.7 million. I checked it a bunch of times and then I realized I won.”

Trinh now plans to retire early and book some vacations to China and Japan

US man arrested after crossing into BC border with loaded handguns An American who illegally crossed the border into Canada while carrying various weapons late last month was quickly caught by police, according to the RCMP. Mounties said John Wright, a U.S. citizen, was accused of illegally entering the country on March 31 at the Surrey Peace Arch State Park border.

The RCMP didn’t explain how Wright crossed the border, but said in a news release he “joined a Canadian woman in a waiting cab” and officers quickly arrested him. Three loaded handguns and a stun gun were reportedly seized by police.

“The excellent work of identifying and preventing an alleged armed individual from entering Canada is a demonstration of the BC RCMP Border Enforcement Team’s dedication to protecting Canadians from transnational criminal threats,” Supt. Bert Ferreira said in the news release. Mounties said Wright was charged with possession of a restricted firearm with ammunition, smuggling, and failing to comply contrary to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. He was remanded until a bail hearing and the RCMP’s federal serious and organized crime border integrity unit is continuing to investigate the situation.

Without giving details on how Wright was caught, the RCMP said it uses “the latest and most advanced technology” to monitor borders.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

Naiya Gill Professional Law Corporation www.ngplc.ca

BARRISTER, SOLICITOR & PUBLIC NOTARY

FIRST 15 MINUTES CONSULTATION FREE

IMMIGRATION LAW Immigration Appeal Refugee Claim PR Card Application PRRA / H&C Application Student / Visitor Visa Spousal Visa Work Permit Family Sponsorship Citizenship Application

— and will also be spending more time with his kids and playing more tennis.

He also plans to gift some of his prize to family and will treat everyone to a celebratory dinner.

LastyearinBC,lotteryplayersredeemedmore than $99 million in winnings from Lotto 6/49.

REAL ESTATE Home & Business Sale Purchase Mortgage line of Credit & Discharge CORPORATE LAW OFFICES IN ABBOTSFORD & SURREY

We do Commission the Documents by going to the Care Homes

ESTATE PLANNING

LEGAL AID

604 771 3089

naiya.gill@outlook.com

FAX:

778 564 9226

4

Saturday, April 16, 2022

OPINION

By Andrea Mrozek

BC is long on childcare promises, short on delivery

“I jump through the flaming hoops of death and I’m beyond frustrated.”

This is one British Columbia childcare provider’s description of the circus the government is running regarding the administration of childcare.

B.C. parents looking forward to $10-a-day childcare are in for disappointment. Provincial

mismanagement of childcare and disrespect for childcare operators has been going on for years, and it has hit a boiling point.

Government mismanagement was the overwhelming theme at a virtual roundtable to listen to childcare providers hosted by MLA Karin Kirkpatrick, critic for Education,

Children, Family Development and Childcare, on March 22. Childcare providers shared their concerns, some choking back tears.

It’s been in the news already that the B.C. government missed a recent deadline to provide subsidies to providers. This compels providers to ask parents to cover the additional costs on short notice and is just the latest example of what childcare providers experience.

One provider in the Okanagan spoke to staffing issues going back years. “We don’t have a labour shortage in childcare,” he said. “We have no problem finding good quality candidates.

We have a problem finding certificates.”

In other words, providers find candidates but the province won’t certify them. This predates COVID-19 and points to the idea that a wage grid with higher salaries may not be the solution for attracting and retaining staff if government approval of existing, willing candidates moves at a glacial pace. Another provider says she paid B.C.’s Early Childhood Educator Wage Enhancement out of her own pocket because she didn’t want her staff to go without it while waiting for the province to hand out funds announced in the fall. She says the government has downgraded expectations, noting “it’s no longer $10-a-day daycare, it’s an average of $20 a day.”

One 25-year veteran of childcare provision at a not-for-profit centre in a targeted, lowincome area said her situation is so bad she’s at risk of losing everything. “I’m in my 50s and I’m on my way out. I don’t think there are many more who will do this work.”

Hers is the very type of care governments have expressed interest in supporting, theoretically at least.

Another operator affirmed that the barriers between her for-profit and not-for-profit centres are the same.

One provider in Victoria expressed frustration with government rhetoric. She’s on the brink of quitting, which adds irony to announcements of 50 new spaces. “They (the government) are proud to add 50 spaces, but they are about to lose 200,” she said. “This is not the way I wanted to go out.”

www.theasianstar.com # 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2 Ph: 604-591-5423 Fax: 604-591-8615 E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com Editor: Umendra Singh Associate Editor: Chhavi Disawar Marketing and Sales: Ravi Cheema......................604-715-3847 Shamir Doshi....................604-649-7827 Harminder Kaur...............778-708-0481 Parminder Dhillon..........604-902-2858 Pre-Press: Iftikhar Ahmed

Design: Avee J Waseer Contributing writers: Jag Dhatt, Akash Sablok, Kamila Singh, Jay Bains, Hardam S. Mann Publication Mail Agreement No 428336012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept.

New address: # 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2 All advertising in The Asian Star is subject to the publishers’ approval and the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publishers against claims arising from publication of any advertisement submitted by the advertiser.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday,April April9,16, 2022 Saturday, 2022

BC employer fined $20,000 for knowingly exposing workers to asbestos A B.C. man operating a drywall recycling company has been fined $20,000 and banned from working with materials containing asbestos after knowingly exposing workers to the cancer-causing substance. Vivesh Kochher pleaded guilty in provincial court last month after a WorkSafeBC investigation that began in 2019.

Kochher was hit with a $20,000 fine plus victim surcharges, and is banned from work that involves managing, handling or disposing of asbestos-containing materials for three years.

“WorkSafeBC’s investigation determined that Mr. Kochher had failed to ensure the health and safety of between 13 and 15 workers, by knowingly exposing them to asbestoscontaining material,” said the workplace safety agency in a news release on Wednesday.

Kochher had defied a stop-work order that was issued on Sept. 21, 2019, by a WorkSafeBC officer who inspected a work site and found asbestos. He also failed to tell a third-party

contractor about asbestos on-site when he called the workers in on Nov. 11, a statutory holiday, while the stop-work order was in place, and failed to provide the personal protective equipment required by law.

The investigation said it appeared Kochher chose the date to minimize his risk of detection.

Charges were laid in November 2021 and he entered a guilty plea in March.

“More than half of all work-related fatalities are from occupational diseases, of which the majority are from exposure to asbestos,” said Al Johnson, head of prevention services at WorkSafeBC. “We cannot, and will not, tolerate employers endangering the lives of workers. There are profound consequences for this kind of egregious disregard for worker health and safety.”

Asbestos is the No. 1 killer of workers in B.C. There have been about 600 accepted claims for work-related deaths from asbestos exposure in the past decade.

Bank of Canada hikes benchmark interest rate to 1% The Bank of Canada hiked its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to one per cent on Wednesday in its latest move to rein in high inflation.

The bank’s rate impacts Canadian businesses and consumers by influencing the rates they pay and receive on things like mortgages, GICs and savings accounts.

The bank slashed its rate to barely above zero in March of 2020 when the pandemic began. While the move helped the economy to weather the unprecedented uncertainty of COVID-19, in recent months, inflation has come roaring back to its highest level in decades, prompting the central bank to start unwinding all that cheap credit.“Inflation is too high,” Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said at a press conference announcing the news. “We need higher interest rates.” It’s the second time in as many months that the bank has ratcheted its rate higher, and as such Wednesday’s move is both the bank’s

first back-to-back rate hike since 2017, as well as its biggest single hike since the year 2000.

Economists were expecting the move, and with inflation flirting with six per cent, they expect more to come, at least until the central bank’s rate gets up to two per cent — and possibly beyond.

The rate hike isn’t the only thing the bank is doing to remove stimulus from the economy, Previously in the pandemic, the bank began a program to buy up bonds as a way to keep money flowing and borrowing costs low. Known as “quantitative easing,” the bank has been signalling for a while that the bondbuying program may be coming to an end, and on Wednesday the bank announced it is now moving in the opposite direction, getting rid of all those bonds on its books as they expire.

“Maturing Government of Canada bonds on the bank’s balance sheet will no longer be replaced and, as a result, the size of the balance sheet will decline over time,” the bank said.

Port Coquitlam to stop construction of massive homes with illegal suites in floodplain No more ‘bonus rooms’ to be converted to living space in new home construction as Port Coquitlam moves to restrict what can be built on the floodplain. Owners of massive homes being built on Port Coquitlam’s floodplain won’t be allowed to turn lower-floor space into bedrooms and rental suites under proposed zoning changes.

And one home currently for sale for nearly $3 million in the city’s northeast is one example of a building that wouldn’t be allowed to have a large

living space on its lower floor if it was built after the proposed zoning amendments are approved.

The home, located at 3809 Inverness St., is listed as having nine bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

At the Tuesday, April 5 council meeting, a photo of the Inverness Street home was shown as an example of homes being built with large windows — and the potential for rooms — in space slightly below grade where water could seep in during a flood.

5

Surrey Council and Mayor ban ethics investigations six months before election Surrey City Councillor Linda Annis is worried that changes to the way the city’s ethics commissioner investigates will “lead to less transparency” in government.

She’s concerned about a suspension of investigations until election day, October 15.

The vote on a corporate report regarding the Code of Conduct bylaw passed with Councillors Annis, Jack Hundial and Brenda Locke opposed on April 11, according to a recording of the meeting.

Last night, the amended bylaw received three readings and will be considered for final adoption at the next council meeting.

The five “yes” votes came from Mayor Doug McCallum and the four remaining

members of his Safe Surrey slate.

Once the amendment is approved, Surrey’s ethics commissioner, Reece Harding, will be unable to accept new complaints until the next municipal election. “Six months is far too long, compared to much shorter pre-election investigation suspensions seen in other jurisdictions. No new issues could be investigated until late in 2022,” said Annis in a statement sent on April 11.

“The idea that anyone on council would turn a blind eye to ethics complaints for the next six months is stunning and shows a complete lack of respect for Surrey residents. The commissioner needs independence to do his job all year, even in the months leading up to an election.”

6

Saturday,April April16, 9, 2022 2022 Saturday,

we are

This is not an offering for sale, as an offering can only be made after the filing of a disclosure statement, and only in jurisdictions where qualified in accordance with applicable local laws. E.&O.E.

7

Saturday, April 16, 2022 From page 1

South Asian couple from Surrey in disbelief after lottery win

matched all of the numbers twice to make sure.”

From bus driver to millionaire: Canadian man wins massive lottery jackpot Canadian wins $34m jackpot: “I’m so accustomed to pinching pennies it hasn’t sunk in” (VIDEO) Naturally, the first person to hear the news was Jamail’s wife, Manjinder. She didn’t know what to say.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “I

brought him to Canada in the ’90s and he thanked me for it the day he found out and I wasn’t sure why he was saying that… then he told me we won the money!”

The BC couple doesn’t have any plans for the $1 million lottery prize yet, but Jamail feels it will play a major role for the couple.

“I feel very happy. It will change our lives.”

“We can’t believe this win,” added Manjinder.

BCLC players redeemed more than $99 million in prize winnings last year.

Russian billionaire is behind mansion that housed Prince Harry and Meghan, leaked files show transparency expert. “And we have no way of knowing who they are or [the] ability to chase their money. “ There is no suggestion of criminality surrounding the Mille Fleurs mansion in North Saanich, about 30 kilometres up island from Victoria. But it certainly shields its owner well.

For starters, unlike with most properties in B.C., you can’t find it in the provincial land registry.

That’s because the mansion isn’t registered as a single property, but is part of a stretch of oceanfront land on the Saanich Peninsula owned by a corporation called the Towner Bay Country Club. Each homeowner on the land has shares in the country club corresponding to their lot.

The club’s records are not public. But CBC/ Radio-Canada was able to review an internal spreadsheet that tracks club owners’ property tax. It lists a British Virgin Islands company called JEMC Management as the owner of Mille Fleurs. Corporate records in the British Virgin Islands don’t disclose a company’s shareholders.

So the ownership trail would normally stop cold here, but for a stroke of luck: The Pandora Papers — the huge cache of leaked tax-haven records obtained by the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and shared with CBC/RadioCanada — shows that JEMC Management is owned by another company, registered in the Bahamas, called Orland Properties.

Orland, in turn, is owned by a trust called the Andromeda Trust, formed under the laws of the Bailiwick of Jersey, a tiny tax haven off the coast of France. The trustee is a company whose sole officer lives in Cyprus.

Doctor says end of vaccine card in BC too soon From page 1 “It was more really about providing an incentive for people to get vaccinated,” Tostenson said. He said he believes 99 per cent of restaurants will no longer check for vaccination status even if they can choose to continue taking the step. The vaccine card was never required in fastfood establishments, which have not been cited as having outbreaks, he said, adding extra vigilance around sanitation is likely to continue in some restaurants. Filiatrault said sanitation isn’t the main issue involving a disease that is spread through the air, though ventilation still has not been highlighted as important, especially as BA.2 is highly transmissible.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

T 604 449 7500 TF 1 888 449 7573

F 604 449 7501 E info@rmlawyers.ca

205 - 7134 - King George Boulevard, Surrey, BC V3W 5A3

8

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Covid-19 cases in BC hospitals up 43% since mid-March The number of COVID-19 cases in B.C.’s hospitals has climbed by 40 in the last week, provincial health officers said in their second update since moving to weekly data reporting.

According to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control there were 364 cases in hospital as of Thursday,including36casesinICU,adropoftwo.

The number of cases in hospital is now up 43 per cent from it’s 2022 low of 254 on March 22. Since last Thursday, B.C. has confirmed another 1,760 new cases of COVID-19, however limited access to PCR testing means that figure significantly underestimates the true case count. The province conducted just 29,240 molecular tests over the last week.

Under the new reporting method, B.C. has also changed the way it counts deaths and is now providing data on hospital admissions, however,

both figures come with a one-week delay.

Of those admissions, 108 were in the Fraser Health region, 34 were in the Interior Health region, 14 were in the Northern Health region, 43 were in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and 34 were in the Island Health region.

Officials also recorded 23 fatalities. The figure for deaths now includes anyone that died in the week of April 3 to April 9 who had tested positive for COVID within the 30 days prior.

B.C. health officials acknowledge this figure likely overcounts fatalities, and say they will be providing future “retrospective evaluations” on the cause of death to better understand true COVID-19 mortality.

B.C. is no longer providing an update on the total number of first, second and third doses of vaccine administered.

9

Saturday, April 16, 2022 Surrey Mayor’s public mischief case adjourned to April 21 Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum’s trial date was expected to be set Thursday on his charge of public mischief but the matter was adjourned to April 21.

McCallum’s case went before a Judicial Case Manager on April 14 in Surrey provincial court. No plea has been entered yet.

He is charged with one count of public mischief contrary to Section 140(2) of the Criminal Code, stemming from an encounter last September between himself and a group that was gathering petition signatures outside the South Point Save-On-Foods store in South Surrey for a referendum on the policing transition.

The mayor claimed a car ran over his foot.

The Crown is proceeding summarily.

Criminal cases are prosecuted either by

indictment, summarily or a hybrid of the two.

Summary offences are the least serious of the three.

A person charged with an indictable offence is required to appear in court whereas someone accused of a summary offence is not, unless a judge says otherwise. A summary offence in B.C. is considered to be in the realm of petty crime and under the Criminal Code of Canada is the least serious type of offence.

After a 13-year break from the mayor’s chair, which he occupied from 1996 to 2005, McCallum was sworn in by a judge on Nov. 5, 2018 for his fourth term as Surrey’s mayor.

Surrey’s next civic election is on Oct. 15, in which McCallum is expected to run for a second consecutive term in office.

Senior left injured on Surrey roadway after hit-and-run Police are asking for the public’s help tracking down a hit-and-run suspect who allegedly left an injured senior lying on the roadway last month in Surrey.

Authorities said the 76-year-old victim was struck by a silver Chevrolet Cruz while crossing 76 Avenue on the evening of March 31.

The driver stayed in the vehicle, drove around the injured pedestrian and fled the scene, according to Surrey RCMP. “We are thankful that caring members of our community stopped to render assistance to the victim,” Const.

Gurvinder Ghag said in a news release.

“It is a small miracle that the injuries sustained were not more serious given the impact of the collision.”

Authorities said the victim was treated in hospital and released, and remains in recovery at home.

Investigators have already obtained video of the collision, and released a still image Tuesday showing a suspect vehicle and driver.

Authorities asked anyone with information on the suspect’s identity, or additional video captured in the area of 124 Street and 76 Avenue around 7 p.m. on the day of the collision, to contact the Surrey RCMP detachment at 604-599-0502.

Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

South Asian mand shot dead in Maple Ridge Homicide investigators have identified the man killed in an apparent targeted shooting in Maple Ridge Saturday afternoon.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says 41-yearold Darr Khunkhun, of Maple Ridge, was killed outside a gym on Lougheed Highway around 4:30 p.m.

Police said Khunkhun does not have a criminal record, but the shooting appears to be targeted, and any connection to the Lower Mainland gang conflict “remains to be determined.”

Investigators also released a photo and surveillance video of a suspect vehicle seen leaving the parking lot after the shooting.

Police described the vehicle as a “newer model red Honda four-door sedan with a sunroof.”

The brief surveillance video shows the vehicle leaving the parking lot and turning left, cutting off a reversing white pickup truck in the road as it exits.

Police did not share a licence plate number for the suspect vehicle.

“We are seeking this vehicle and its occupants, but warn you to not approach them,” said IHIT spokesperson Sgt. David Lee, in a statement.

“If you think you’ve seen this vehicle driving or parked, call the police.”

IHIT said it is working with the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, B.C.’s antigang police task force, to determine whether Saturday’s shooting is connected to gang activity.

Investigators are also gathering forensic and video evidence at the scene, police said.

IHIT asks anyone who has dash cam video from the area of Lougheed Highway and 226 Street around the time of the shooting to contact investigators.

10

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Push for vote on proposed 2030 Olympic bid fails at Vancouver council Vancouver voters likely won’t be asked whether they support a 2030 Olympic bid when they go to the polls for the municipal election in October.

Vancouver Coun. Colleen Hardwick, who is also running for mayor in that election, was seeking to have a plebiscite on the proposed games bid held along with the municipal vote.

Read more: 2030 Olympics: Indigenous-led bid takes next step to bring Games back to Vancouver However, when Hardwick brought her motion to council Tuesday night, she was unable to have the proposal seconded by another councillor or the mayor.

“That meant it didn’t get to the floor, so all the speakers that had signed up were basically told they would not have

an opportunity to speak,” Hardwick said.

“The early results of all the polling we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks since I pulled the motion at that time, which showed an 85 per cent rate in favour of having a vote, all of that was just shunted aside.”

The 2030 proposal is being described as the world’s first Indigenousled bid for an Olympic games.

In December, the City of Vancouver and the Resort Municipality of Whistler entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Lilwat, Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh nations to conduct a feasibility study on the idea.

Last month, incumbent Mayor Kennedy Stewart took to Twitter to argue holding a vote on the games would “essentially tear up” the MOU and urged other councillors not to support it.

BC teacher reprimanded for telling entire class was failing A British Columbia teacher has been reprimanded for failing to treat her students with “dignity and respect.”

Jasmine Kaur “lost her temper” with a student in a Grade 8 science class, the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation found.

Kaur “raised her voice” during the class on Oct. 28 last year, the Commissioner said, at one point telling the child – referred to as “Student A” – they were not passing the class.

She then told the student that “every teacher” at the unnamed Surrey school was “complaining” about them.

Kaur also said the student’s elementary school teacher had said the student “had done no work” in elementary school. The Commissioner’s report, which was published this week, added that Kaur then asked to see Student A’s workbook – but when the student refused, she took it out of the student’s bag herself.

After that, Kaur said she couldn’t “tolerate” the

student and told the child to leave the classroom.

When the student refused, Kaur “held onto Student A’s arm and pulled on it,” the Commissioner’s report explained.

The report also detailed an incident involving two other students – ”Student B” and “Student C.” “Student B was in the same class and interjected when Kaur suggested that Student C was off task because Student C had been sitting with Student A,” it explained.

“Kaur responded by speaking harshly to Student B, causing Student B to cry.”

Kaur was later disciplined by her school district.

Last month, she was officially reprimanded by the Commissioner.

She now must complete a course on creating a positive learning environment.

The Commissioner concluded: “Kaur failed to treat students with dignity and respect and [...] failed to model appropriate

PM Trudeau refers to ‘Genocide’ in Ukraine Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Wednesday it was “right” to describe Russia’s attacks in Ukraine as “genocide,” repeating US President Joe Biden’s accusation.

“I think it’s absolutely right that more and more people be talking and using the word genocide in terms of what Russia is doing, what Vladimir Putin has done,” Trudeau told reporters in Quebec, making him one of the first world leaders to use the term.

“We have seen this desire to attack civilians, to use sexual violence as a weapon of war,” he said. “This is completely unacceptable.”

Trudeau added that Canada was one of the first countries to initiate a process

at the International Criminal Court to hold Russia’s leader accountable for his “war crimes.”

Biden on Tuesday accused Putin of genocide, while giving a speech about gasoline prices.

“Your family budget, your ability to fill up your tank -- none of it should hinge on whether a dictator declares war and commits genocide half a world away,” Biden said at the event in Iowa.

The Biden administration has sought to blame sharp rises at US gas stations on Putin’s invasion of neighboring Ukraine, during which Russian troops have been accused of committing atrocities against civilians.

Lucky “Albertan” didn’t actually win a $70M Lotto Max jackpot After nearly two weeks of wondering about the lucky Albertan who won a whopping $70 million Lotto Max jackpot earlier this month, it turns out it wasn’t an Albertan at all.

The massive jackpot was won on April 1, and it was revealed that the winning ticket was purchased somewhere in Alberta.

Now the Western Canada Lottery Corporation (WCLC) says it was in fact a resident of Saskatchewan who won the enormous jackpot, after purchasing the ticket while in Alberta.

“The day following the draw a winner stepped forward, and following an extensive verification process we can now confirm that the winner of this record-setting jackpot lives

in Saskatchewan and purchased the ticket while travelling along Highway 1,” the WCLC said in a news release.

The winner will be introduced to the public at a media event on April 19 and the AGLC says more information about the Alberta retailer who sold the ticket that netted the largest lottery jackpot in the history of our region will be released at that time.

The $70 million Lotto Max jackpot is the largest winning ticket sold by an Alberta retailer by a margin of $5 million.

The second-largest jackpot sold and won in Alberta was in October 2019, when a winner in Calgary took home a $65 million Lotto Max jackpot, previously the largest jackpot won in Western Canada.

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Here’s who can get free dental care under Canada’s new budget With the new budget having some dental care policies, it appears the government of Canada is beginning to see teeth as part of the human body.

According to the 2022 budget outline, a third of Canadians do not have dental insurance, and in 2018, more than one in five Canadians reported avoiding dental care because of the cost.

But that might finally start changing.

The budget has proposed $5.3 billion to Health Canada, so dental care can be provided to the Canadians who need it most.

The amount will be spread out over five years, and it could begin late this year or in early 2023.

There’s already $1.7 billion in funding in the works.

The program will cover kids under 12 years old in 2022 and then expand to include anyone under 18, seniors and people living with a disability in 2023. Full implementation would be reached by 2025.

The government says the program

will be restricted to families with an income of less than $90,000 annually.

Anyone making under $70,000 per year won’t have to make co-payments.

Last month, after the National Democratic Party (NDP) and the federal Liberal government joined hands, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau teased something of the sort being in the pipeline for Canadians.

“We’re using our power to get help to people. We are getting help for people who need their teeth fixed,” said Singh during a press conference on Tuesday.

“We’re getting help for people that need to buy their medication and can’t afford to.”

“It wasn’t less than a year ago that the Liberals voted against our dental care program that we were able to put into this agreement,” noted Singh.

Drug users can now legally buy pure Fentanyl for dirt cheap in Vancouver A harm-reduction organization in Vancouver is helping people addicted to opioids buy pharmaceuticalgrade fentanyl at street prices as an alternative to the illicit drug supply—a first in North America.

As first reported by the Globe and Mail, PHS Community Services Society launched its “enhanced access program” last week. The program connects people who buy illicit opioids with a nurse who helps them determine a fentanyl prescription and dosage that will suit their needs. Then the patients can purchase powder fentanyl capsules at one of PHS Community Services Society’s clinical sites.

PHS Community Services Society told VICE World News only people already in a safe supply program for opioids are prescribed the pharmagrade fentanyl, and they pay for their prescriptions to remove the financial incentive to re-sell the drugs.

The cost is $10 for one-tenth of a gram—which is called a “point” on the street and goes for the same price.

Dr. Christy Sutherland, medical director at PHS Community Services Society, told the Globe it seems “very strange” that she is coordinating fentanyl sales as a family doctor.

“But then, how many overdoses

do you need to do before this is the program that you launch?” she added.

British Columbia declared the overdose crisis a public health emergency in 2016. Since then, more than 8,500 people have died of drug overdoses, with last year being the deadliest on record.

The province already has prescription heroin and fentanyl replacement programs for people who are addicted to opioids. Some drug users told VICE World News that because fentanyl is the dominant street opioid, prescription heroin and other medical alternatives are not enough to keep their withdrawal and cravings at bay. Potent benzodiazepines, or tranquilizers, are now further contaminating the illicit fentanyl supply, causing more complicated overdoses.

The fentanyl powder capsules being sold via PHS Community Services Society can be used to smoke, snort, or inject, the Globe reports. They are cut with sugar and caffeine.

Last month, the Canadian government announced $3.5 million in funding to safe supply projects in Vancouver, Victoria, and Toronto.

However, harm reduction proponents have told VICE World News the programs aren’t meeting demand.

Canada needs to do ‘more, even faster’ with electric vehicles - PM Trudeau Prime Minister Justin Trudeau touted the benefits of the latest federal budget on Monday, highlighting spending on infrastructure for electric vehicles during a visit to Victoria.

“We need to do even more, even faster,” Trudeau said during an appearance on radio station CFAX. Last week’s federal budget placed an emphasis on transitioning to the green economy, which includes expanding the availability of zeroemission vehicles and charging stations.

“The other part of it is moving forward on the most ambitious and concrete emissions reduction plan this country has ever seen,” said Trudeau. The new national emissions reduction plan set a target of one in five new cars that are sold being

zero emission by 2026. By 2030, the target is 60 per cent. That is up from the 50 per cent goal set by the Liberals less than a year ago.

Three senior cabinet minister were also in B.C. and Yukon on Monday to discuss the budget.

International Development Minister Harjit Sajjan was scheduled to be in Kelowna, B.C., for a clean economy announcement and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson was slated to travel to Whitehorse to announce a clean energy partnership with Yukon and the Indigenous-run Tlingit Homeland Energy Limited Partnership.

Federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray was scheduled to be in Richmond, B.C., for an infrastructure announcement. Trudeau’s tour also included meetings scheduled with Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps and the City of Victoria Youth Advisory Council.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

11

PM Trudeau says he isn’t stepping down & will ‘be around for the next election’ Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has revealed that he won’t be stepping down and will “be around for the next election.”

During an episode of the Canadian comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes that aired on April 12, Trudeau came on to chat about the recent Liberal-NDP agreement, the federal Budget 2022 and his job.

He was asked by the host if the speculation that he might step down before the next election is true and he set the record straight. “I’m excited about the opportunity to keep delivering for Canadians. I’m excited about bringing forward a lot of strong ideas for the next mandate as well,” Trudeau said. “I’ll be around for the next election for you to continue to treat me so kindly.” The show’s host then went on to ask Trudeau not to step down because he’s needed for the jokes.

“That’s part of my job too, apparently,” Trudeau responded. he prime minister also talked about the Liberal-NDP deal

announced back in March, which will keep the minority Liberal government in power until 2025. “It’s an agreement to work together on the things we agree with and an agreement to disagree and continue to disagree on the things we don’t,” Trudeau said. A few weeks earlier, Jagmeet Singh was also on This Hour Has 22 Minutes and he explained that the Liberal-NDP deal started because of his baby.

“So, it started off right after the 2021 election. There was some conversation, it kind of fizzled out and then what started it again actually is really cute, [it] was the birth of my daughter,” he said.

Singh mentioned that Trudeau called him after his baby came into the world and that opened the door to having more conversations.

“In a lot of ways, this accord happened because of my daughter Anhad, so informally I think of this as the Anhad Accord,” he said.

“It’s kind of cute.”

Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

12

Star & Style

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Salman Khan’s cute stare into ‘Mystery Girl’s eyes Salman Khan is one of the greatest superstars of the current generation who has proved time and again that he is not just a capable actor but also a very bankable one. The actor’s bachelorhood has always been a topic of discussion for the fans and looks like Bhaijaan fans have now found a new angle on his love life.

A picture of the actor, sharing eye contact with a fan has lately been taking the internet by storm and fans seem to love the idea.

For the unversed, Salman is working on a series of projects this year and some of them are already creating a lot of hype amongst the fans. The third instalment of the Tiger series is currently in the production stage and will

reportedly hit the theatres in 2023. The movie, which is being bankrolled by Yash Raj Films is also expected to have Shah Rukh Khan in a cameo role which is adding to the anticipation around the film.

In a recent photograph going viral on Instagram, Salman Khan can be seen greeting a young beautiful woman with a sweet smile while she looks all smitten with him. The picture, clicked in a theatre, has Salman walking down the stairway while the lady is seated on the last seat of her row. She is seen resting her head on her right-hand palm while looking at him. This fan moment and eye contact is now leaving the internet with

Sonam Kapoor robbed of Rs 2.4 crore Parents-to-be Sonam Kapoor and husband Anand Ahuja were recently robbed of cash and jewellery worth Rs 2.4 crore from her Delhi residence.

Now finally the authorities have gotten their hands on the culprit, according to fresh reports.

For the unversed, a few days back it was reported that Sonam and Anand were left taken aback after they were robbed of crores from their Delhi residence. Read on to know all about the follow up on the case.

Now the police have arrested a woman named Aparna Ruth Wilson who worked as a nurse at Sonam Kapoor and husband Anand Ahuja‘s Delhi residence. The nurse was arrested along with her husband for stealing

the Bollywood actor and her husband’s cash and jewellery worth 2.4 crores.

Sonam and Anand’s Delhi house was robbed on February 11 and a police case was registered on February 23. It was Anand’s mom, Priya Ahuja who was the first one to rush to the Tughlaq Road police station and file a complaint about the huge heft.

The case was immediately lodged and Delhi Police were on their feet to take action against the robbers. Finally, after a few weeks of the mishap, the police have now gotten a hold of the culprits.

Speaking about the arrested, senior police said, “The Delhi Police Crime Branch along with a team of the Special Staff Branch of the New Delhi district conducted a raid in Sarita Vihar on Tuesday night.

Akshay in new teaser Vimal’ Universe is one of the biggest IP’s for the Hindi Film Industry. Ajay Devgn was the first to endorse the brand and recently Shah Rukh Khan entered the universe. Now it seems Akshay Kumar has entered the universe as well. Scroll down to know more.

A new teaser of Vimal ‘Bolo Zubaan Kesari’ has been released and in no time it went viral on social media.

Several netizens were disappointed with Khiladi Kumar joining the pan masala brand. The new teaser featured the silhouette of Kumar.

Many netizens began criticizing Akshay Kumar for joining hands with an

NOW ORDER ONLINE:

Mon-Fri - 12:00 - 9:30 Sat-Sun - 12:00 - 10:00

organisation known for producing chewable tobacco products that are injurious to health. Some even poked fun and started sharing memes from his previous movies.

Abhishek Bachchan Recalls How Villagers Filled In Trucks Came To See Him Shooting For Refugee As Everyone Wanted To See ‘Bachchan Ka Beta’ Ranbir Kapoor’s Wedding Ring For Alia Bhatt To Not Contain 4 Or 5 But 8 Diamonds & It’ll Be Fully Customised, Deets Inside!

A user shared two juxtaposed pictures of the superstar, one of them showing the actor’s teeth blackened.

13

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Raaj Kumar Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are now Mr and Mrs Kapoor As countdown began to the showbiz wedding, the details of which have been shrouded in enigmatic silence for the last several days, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt will be posing for pictures as a wedded couple after 7 pm on Thursday, according to sources. Alia’s mother Soni Razdan and Ranbir’s mom Neetu Kapoor on Wednesday evening confirmed that the wedding would indeed be held on Thursday. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor lock it with a kiss.

“Ranbir and Alia will pose for pictures after 7 pm today. Only one camera from each publication will be allowed,” Yusuf Ibrahim, Alia’s security in-charge, told reporters outside the ‘Vastu’ apartment building. Another member of the security team said the wedding ceremony would begin anytime after 3 pm.

And it begins! After years of the wedding rumours doing the rounds on social media, Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s wedding festivities have officially kick-started in Mumbai. The duo, who fell in love with each other, on the sets of Brahmastra, a couple of years back, are set to get hitched for life.

This morning, apart from heavy wedding staff and security persons, cops were also seen arriving at the Vastu residence.

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt will tie the knot over the weekend. Their wedding with being followed by a special puja for Rishi Kapoor followed by a grand wedding reception in the ballroom of Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai.

As per the latest reports, it is already papped vs police outside Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s wedding venue.

Reportedly, Mumbai Police arrived at the venue to help maintain the law and order in the area. It is being reported that seeing Neetu Kapoor along with daughter Riddhima Kapoor, son-in-law Bharat Sahni and granddaughter Samira Sahni enter the Vastu residence, paps were seen blocking the car for their mandatory clicks.

Well, it was security personnel who asked cops to intervene and ask paps to not block any celebs’ cars in order to avoid any serious accidents on a happy occasion.

Following the request, cops addressed the same issue to paps and strictly instructed them to not block celebs’ cars. However, paps politely raised their concern and told cops that if they don’t stop cars they won’t get the photos of the celebs.

Reportedly, a spot resolution was made that the shutterbugs will click photos in an orderly and civil manner without mobbing the cars. Fair, right?

Meanwhile, security outside the residence was seen sealing guests’ phones’ front and back cameras in order to stop any inside photos or videos from getting leaked on social media.

Recently, Alia Bhatt’s brother Rahul Bhatt had opened up about the tight security on Alia and RK’s wedding. He told Aaj Tak, “Yusuf Bhai has taken over the security of Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor’s wedding. He has Mumbai’s best security force – 9/11 agency. He has been

John Abraham’s diet & workout John Abraham made his debut with 2003 erotic thriller, titled Jism, opposite Bipasha Basu. However, it was after Dhoom, that he became a household name. His ironed long locks and chiselled torso became a benchmark

John is one of the few celebrities who could rock a bare body shot. His enviable eightpack abs and beefy biceps are

enthusiasts. Achieving this feat is no cakewalk and it requires months-long

hard work and hours of sweating it out in the gym. That being said, now let’s dive deeper into

Batla House actor’s beefy body one may think that he may have a diet programme involving large quantities of food consumption. Contrary to the opinion, he eats small portions of protein-rich foods to keep him going through the

actor revealed to a leading daily in 2016

One of the greatest actors of Indiam cinema Raaj Kumar was born as Kulbhushan Pandit on October 8, 1926. A great Indian actor who appeared in Oscar-nominated film ‘Mother India’ in 1957 and starred over 70 films in career that spanned over four decades.

He died on July 3, 1996.

Kulbhushan Pandit was born in Loralai, Baluchistan, now in Pakistan, into a Kashmiri Pandit family.

In late 1940s, he moved to Bombay, where he became an inspector in Police.

He married with Jennifer Pandit, an Anglo-Indian, whom he met on flight where she was an air hostess.

Later she changed her name to Gayatri Kumar.

They had three children, Puru Raaj Kumar (an actor), Panini Raaj Kumar and daughter Vastavikta Pandit, who also made her screen debut in films.

Raaj Kumar made his acting debut in the 1952 film Rangili and appeared in films like Aabshar, Ghamand and Lakhon Mein Ek, but it was as Prince Naushazad in Sohrab Modi’s Nausherwan-E-Adil (1957) that he became famous. In 1957, he achieved prominence with

his brief role as the husband of Nargis in Mother India. He also worked alongside Shammi Kapoor in Ujala (1959). He followed this with the unglamorous role of a mill worker in Paigham (1959) alongside Dilip Kumar. In Sridhar’s Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Raaj Kumar played the role of a cancer patient for which he won the Filmfare Award in the Best supporting actor category. He was cast with Sunil Dutt, Shashi Kapoor and Balraj Sahni in Yash Chopra’s family drama Waqt in 1965. He became known for his distinct style of dialogue delivery.[6] His other notable films included Hamraaz (1967), Heer Raanjha (1971), Maryada (1971), Lal Patthar (1971) and Pakeezah (1972). After period of flops in the late 1970s and early 1980s, he had notable successes as supporting actor in Kudrat (1981), Ek Nai Paheli (1984), Marte Dam Tak (1987), Muqaddar Ka Faisla (1987) and Jung Baaz (1989). In 1991, he reunited with fellow veteran actor Dilip Kumar after 32 years in Subhash Ghai’s Saudagar. His last most hit film was Tirangaa and his final film was 1995’s God & Gun.

14

Real Estate

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Mortgage rates soar to highest level in over a decade — even wealthy home buyers are feeling the pain As interest rates on home loans surge above 5%, the pandemic-related boom in purchases of second homes is coming to a screeching halt.

Mortgage rates are soaring, and no one is being spared.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 5% as of the week ending April 14, representing an increase of 28 basis points from the previous week, Freddie Mac FMCC, +0.45% reported Thursday. One basis point is equal to one hundredth of a percentage point, or 1% of 1%.

It’s the first time since February 2011 that the benchmark mortgage product has reached the 5% mark. Mortgage rates now stand nearly 2 percentage points higher than they were during the popular spring home-buying season in 2021. This time last year the average rate on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 3.04%.

The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rose above the 4% threshold for the first time since 2018, averaging 4.17%. The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustablerate mortgage averaged 3.69%, rising 13 basis points from the previous week.

“As Americans contend with historically high inflation, the combination of rising mortgage rates, elevated home prices and tight inventory are making the pursuit of homeownership the most expensive in a generation,” Sam Khater, chief economist

at Freddie Mac, said in the report.

Earlier this week, the 10-year Treasury approached 2.8% but then subsided. Mortgage rates roughly track the direction of long-term bond yields, including the 10-year Treasury’s yield TMUBMUSD10Y, 2.829%.

Bond investors are taking a close look at inflation gauges and the Federal Reserve’s stance. Some analysts viewed the most recent consumer and producer price indexes as signaling a peak to inflation, but others argue it may be premature to declare a top.

Meanwhile, mortgage rates are moving higher — and that’s putting considerable p r e s s u r e on buyers.

“While this may still turn out to be a blip, it is increasingly looking as if a combination of substantially higher mortgage rates and a steep run-up in house prices is having a cooling effect on demand,” Joshua Shapiro, chief U.S. economist at MFR Inc., said in a research note, citing mortgage application data.

Indeed, data from the Mortgage Bankers Association in recent weeks has shown a downturn in applications for mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration, which economists see as an indication that first-time home

Landlord won’t rent to Coquitlam family because they are from Europe, woman claims Landlords have the upper hand when it comes to renting properties in Metro Vancouver. But one Coquitlam woman says things have even gotten worse in recent months since she started looking for a new home for herself, her husband and two children. “It’s crazy out there,” said Lisa, who asked that her last name not be used because she’s still trying to find decent accommodation for herself and her family.

“Next they’ll be wanting a blood test,” she added, noting how difficult it is to find an affordable place in the current market and with landlords demanding to know all sorts of private information to judge whether she would be a suitable tenant. In recent weeks, Lisa has has been asked to answer all sorts of questions that invade her privacy, from the make of her cars to what credit cards she has. One landlord wanted a screenshot of her latest bank statements.

But the most egregious personal question came on Monday when Lisa said she was asked by a prospective landlord what country she’s originally from.

Lisa, who is originally from Albania, told the landlord via Facebook Marketplace chat that she was from Europe. Lisa provided a screenshot of the message taht is attached to this story.

After answering this question, the landlord suddenly blocked her from the conversation.

When she tried to ask why he wanted the information, the chat message was denied and couldn’t be sent.

Lisa, who has been told in the past a landlord wouldn’t rent to her because she wasn’t among his preferred groups, says she feels hurt.

It was a home for rent for $5,300 a month and Lisa said she and her husband, who are both professionals, could afford the rent so why were they denied a view of the place.

Should you rent or buy a home? Why that calculation might be changing A home for sale in Guelph, Ont., went viral on TikTok this month when a user walked their audience through the property. It had a massive hole in the ceiling, was coated in filth and had burn marks on the front door. It was listed for more than $640,000 — and sold for $117,000 over asking. Stories like these aren’t uncommon in Canadian real estate, where the average selling price of a home has surged more than 50 per cent in the last two years, according to Reuters. But the headlines have led some Canadians to question whether they can — or should — take the plunge from renting a home to owning one.

In many ways, buying a home is seen as a marker of adulthood. Canadians have a

“deeply ingrained view” of housing as a “good, stable investment” and as something that everyone is “striving to buy,” said Paul Kershaw, founder of Generation Squeeze.

That view doesn’t come from thin air.

Housing prices have been growing and growing across the country in the last 20 years, with the national average home price in February 2022 jumping to more than $800,000 — a 20per cent increase from the same month last year, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. Because of this price increase, many view housing as a wise investment.

Instead of “throwing away your money” by giving it to a landlord, you’re building equity and — depending on the market — will

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Spiraling housing prices are an ‘intergenerational injustice’, says Canada’s deputy PM Canada’s finance minister has described the country’s out-of-control housing prices as an “intergenerational injustice”, as political leaders struggle to rein in a spiralling affordability crisis.

Chrystia Freeland, who also serves as Canada’s deputy prime minister, said the issue is her top domestic concern.

“We had a better shot at buying a home and starting a family than young people today, and we cannot have a Canada where the rising generation is shut out of the dream of home ownership,” she told reporters Monday, calling the current situation a “shock”.

Canada has the largest gap between incomes and house prices in the G7, according to the OECD, and two of its large cities, Vancouver and Toronto, often appear in rankings of global real estate bubbles.

In February, the country recorded its highest ever average selling price for a house, C$816,720 (US$647,340 or £497,101), with prices up 20% over the last year. The province of Nova Scotia had the largest increase of any region, with house prices leaping 35% since last year. The city of Kingston, Ontario, recorded the highest increase, with prices jumping 44%.

Politicians and economists have increasingly grown worried that such increases aren’t sustainable, but experts say there are no quick fixes to the crisis, which has been driven in part by low interest rates, market speculation and a shortage of new housing. Contractor’s sign stands outside a mansion currently under construction in a Vancouver neighbourhood

popular with Chinese buyers<br>A contractor’s sign stands outside a mansion currently under construction in a Vancouver neighbourhood popular with Chinese buyers September 9, 2014.

Chinese investors’ global hunt for prime real estate is helping drive Vancouver home prices to record highs and the city, long among top destinations for wealthy mainland buyers, is feeling the bonanza’s unwelcome side-effects. The latest wave of Chinese money is flowing into luxury hot spots.

But it has also started driving up housing costs elsewhere in a city which already ranks as North America’s least affordable urban market.

Picture taken September 9.

The Liberal government budget announced last week implemented a two-year ban on foreign house purchases in an effort to tame runaway prices. It also promised to invest C$10.14bn in housing and said it will accelerate the pace at which new houses are built, with Freeland blaming low housing stock as a prominent driver of price increases.

“We cannot have the fastest growing population in the G7 without also having the fastest growing housing stock,” she said.

Elected officials have increasingly made housing affordability the central focus of their re-election campaigns. Ontario premier Doug Ford, who faces voters in June, has blamed cities for slow zoning processes, arguing delays drive up costs.

Real Estate

15

Provinces launch ‘full-scale attack’ on home prices Provinces from B.C. to Nova Scotia are rolling out a wave of new measures aimed at reining in rampant home price appreciation, but many in the real estate industry question whether the moves alone will be enough to tame the country’s housing dragon.

A Bank of Montreal report last week, authored by economist Robert Kavcic, characterized the latest policy changes and the Bank of Canada’s anticipated interest rate moves as a “full-scale attack on Canada home prices.”

Among the new measures is a cooling off period introduced in B.C., that would give buyers an unspecified amount of time to be revealed later this year to change their minds after making an offer, leeway to pursue a home inspection or perform other due diligence. Ontario, meanwhile, increased its non-resident speculation tax to 20 per cent and expanded its coverage across the province. Nova Scotia also set its sights on non-resident taxes as more demand comes in from outside the province.

When asked directly if the cooling off period would slow B.C.’s hot housing market, Elton Ash, executive vice president at RE/ MAX, offered a blunt No. “The whole measure as the government is proposing is flawed,” Ash told the Financial Post, because a buyer can rescind their offer on a home, leaving the seller in the lurch.

“Ultimately, to realistically work towards controlling price appreciation, it’s supply. That’s purely what it is,” Ash said.

New homes under construction in Ottawa.

New homes under construction in Ottawa. Photo by Patrick Doyle/Reuters A similar measure had been previously

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

rolled out for pre-construction condominiums, allowing buyers a seven-day period to reconsider their decision. While Ash said the measure had no impact on condo valuations, it would be an apples to oranges comparison with the resale housing market.

“Of course, the reason it’s in there is to allow consumers a sober second thought as opposed to the hard sell tactics of a developer,” Ash said. “It’s a different environment.”

What Ash and other B.C. real estate professionals proposed instead was a five-day pre-offer period that would allow buyers to do their due diligence with property inspections, financing, appraisals, etc. Ash said this could remove unneeded stress from both the buyer and the seller.

Steve Saretsky, a real estate specialist at the Vancouver-based Saretsky Group, said the government’s aim should be to promote transparency in the house-hunting process, something that would ease the competitive frenzy that leads buyers to make rash decisions.

The cooling off period, he said, could come with some unintended consequences.

“I think it has the potential to backfire because you basically create a situation where maybe if everybody has a seven-day rescission period and you can use that to back out, you can basically just go and tie up two, three properties at a time to figure out which one that you want,” Saretsky told the Post.

“If you’re looking to create ‘more affordable housing’, I’m not sure this is actually going to help create a more affordable housing market.”

16

Saturday, April 16, 2022

India’s largest cement manufacturer may be sold Holcim Ltd., the world’s biggest cement maker, is considering a potential sale of businesses in India including Ambuja Cements Ltd., according to people familiar with the matter.

The Swiss giant is gauging interest in its controlling stake in Ambuja, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Holcim controls 63.1% of Ambuja, which has a market value of about $9.6 billion.

Deliberations are in the early stages and may not lead to a transaction, the people said. Shares of Ambuja have gained more than 20% this month, partially fueled by market speculation about a potential merger.

A representative for Holcim declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Ambuja couldn’t immediately be reached for comment outside regular business hours in Mumbai.

Holcim has been selling off non-core assets to reduce debt and diversify through acquisitions. It divested its Brazilian unit for $1 billion in September and is also planning to sell its business in Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, the company agreed to buy Malarkey Roofing Products in December

and Firestone Building Products in early 2021, as Chief Executive Officer Jan Jenisch adds new construction businesses outside of traditional cement.

The median economist in the survey projected that the Fed will take the federal funds rate’s midpoint range to 2.125% by the end of 2022, and then to 2.875% by December 2023— close to the Fed’s own projections Premium Recession risk is rising, economists say Earlier this month, NMDC disclosed (provisional) physical performance for the year. The company ended FY22 on a strong note, with annual production and sales of 42.15 million tonne (MT) and 40.70MT Premium NMDC coasting along on spree of price hikes In the past year, the Nifty Bank index has risen by around 18%, marginally underperforming Nifty50’s 20% returns.

Banking stocks have been among key casualties of the selling by foreign institutional investors in recent months Premium Banking sector’s Q4 results set to shine Swarup Mohanty, director & CEO, Mirae Asset Investment Managers (India) Premium

Financing Option Available 1899

.99

$

CENTAURI FOLDING 36V 300W

Infosys is looking to hire 50,000 employees this year while expecting the attrition rate to come down Infosys’ attrition worsened more in the January-March quarter reaching at 27.7% from 25.5% in the previous quarter.

Also, the IT major’s attrition rate is worse in the industry compared to other Indian peers.

The company is looking to hire 50,000 employees in FY23 as against 85,000 it hired in FY22. Infosys, India’s secondbiggest information technology (IT) company in terms of market capitalisation, continues to be the biggest victim of the talent war with a high number of employees leaving the organisation.

Infosys’ attrition worsened more in the January-March quarter reaching at 27.7% from 25.5% in the previous quarter. The IT major’s attrition rate is worse in the industry compared to other Indian peers, even more than TCS’ attrition rate of 17.4% in the same quarter. However, the management at Infosys said the attrition rate has come down on a quarterly basis as against the

www.armadascooters.com BUY NOW and PAY LATER FINANCING

AVENGER 60V ELECTRIC

BATTALION III 60V 1000W

PREDATOR ELECTRIC MOTO 72V

Larry Mah 604.765.3589

INVADER II ELECTRIC

LTM (last twelve months) data disclosed.

Moreover, it expects the attrition rate to decline gradually as it also kicks off hikes from April 1.

“Attrition for the quarter has come down by close to 5% both in percentage and absolute headcount. So we talked that last quarter attrition had actually stabilised… of course the tail effect will continue to climb.

Good news is we have seen stability and of course the intervention we are looking at like the April 1 hike plan, we should continue to see some improvement in them,” said Nilanjan Roy, chief financial officer at Infosys.

Further, the company is looking to hire more than 50,000 employees in FY23 as against 85,000 it hired in FY22. Infosys has an employee base of 3.14 lakh, half of what TCS has.

The company’s net profit for the March quarter rose about 12% to ₹5,686 crore with revenue growth of 22.7% year-on-year at ₹32,276 crore. Infosys has set a revenue growth guidance of 13-15% for FY23.

"No Gas, License or Registration Required" armadascooters@gmail.com

IAL SPEC N IO EDIT

MANTIS SUPREME 72V

17

INDIA

Saturday, April 16, 2022

COMBATANT II 72V 500W

ION 60V 500W ELECTRIC

RETALIATOR 72V 500W

Central Warehouse Showroom/Parts Depot

Technical Service Center

13890 104th Ave., Surrey, BC

14333 - 104th Ave., Surrey, BC

18

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Ancient stone jars in India remain a mystery to modern researchers Ancient stone jars have been found at excavation sites across Southeast Asia, from India to Indonesia. To solve this ageold mystery, archaeologists surveyed largely ignored sites in the Indian state of Assam.

There are likely many more sites left to discover.

Archaeologists in Southeast Asia have repeatedly stumbled upon excavation sites filled to the brim with large stone jars, many of which have yet to be dated. The artifacts are as mysterious as the communities that left them behind, though current research estimates these ancient craftsmen lived sometime between the late second millennium BC

and the early 13th century.

The purpose of these jars remains up for debate. In Laos, bodies were found around the jars.

Some contained skeletal remains, suggesting they may have been used in ancient mortuary rituals.

This same hypothesis has also been extended to the stone jars found in Indonesia and is supported by the excavation of urn burials in their direct vicinity.

The stone jar sites in Laos and Indonesia have become the subject of many scholarly

Security forces gun down 4 LeT terrorists in J-K’s Shopian Four Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian district on Thursday, while three Army personnel lost their lives and five others were injured as their vehicle met with an accident on way to the site of the gunbattle, officials said. On receiving information about the presence of terrorists at Badigam in Shopian’s Zainapora area, the security forces had launched a cordon-and-search operation, a police official said. During the operation, the terrorists fired upon the forces, which led to an encounter, he added.

In the exchange of fire, four terrorists were killed, the official said. Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said the slain ultras were members of proscribed terror outfit LeT.“LeT #terrorists neutralised in today’s #encounter were active in Shopian & adjacent areas of Pulwama. They were involved in 6 #terror crimes including attacks on outside labourers. Hunt for their associates like Aijaz of Pulwama is on & they

will be neutralised soon,” Kumar wrote on Twitter. Meanwhile, three Army personnel lost their lives and five others were injured after the vehicle they were traveling in overturned near Kanipora village of Shopian district en route to the encounter site at Badigam. Owing to wet road conditions, the driver seemingly lost control over the vehicle and it skidded off the road.

The eight injured soldiers were shifted to District Hospital Shopian, where two of them were declared dead. One soldier had received minor injuries and was discharged from the hospital. The five other injured soldiers were evacuated to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar, where one of them succumbed to his injuries, taking the toll to three. Four soldiers are presently being treated at the 92 Base Hospital.

Ministry of Defence spokesperson said from Srinagar that reports of the accident having been caused by a stone-pelting incident are false.

Biggest Selection, Unbeatable Prices.

Shop Paragon for all your Restaurant Equipment and Supplies at the Lowest Prices — Guaranteed!*

ON SALE THIS MONTH!

*See website for Price Match terms and conditions.

Prices in effect until May 6, 2022, while quantities last.

Visit us online for more great deals!

paragondirect.ca (604) 255-9991 760 East Hastings Street, Vancouver

articles. However, attention from researchers has occurred at the expense of other sites, such as those located in Myanmar and India. According to archaeologists Tilok Thakuria, Uttam Bathari, and Nicholas Skopal, this has made it difficult to investigate the cultural phenomenon’s true scale.

Given that these geographically separated communities engaged in the production of similarly looking objects, it is possible that they may have had sustained contact

with each other. Consequently, studying the jar sites of other countries might help researchers better understand the jar sites in Laos and Indonesia and vice versa.

With this in mind, the aforementioned archaeologists set out to investigate a number of jar sites in the Indian province of Assam.

Several of these sites were discovered as early as 1929. However, they had not yet been studied with modern analytical tools, meaning there was no available data from this region to place in a broader context alongside studies from different sites.

RSS says Thackeray memorial at Shivaji Park disrupting shakha, seeks alternative plot from BMC In letter written last year, RSS says BMC allotted a 1,755-square-metre plot at Shivaji Park, near the area where Thackeray’s memorial now stands, to the organisation in 1967. he Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has complained that the memorial of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray at Mumbai’s historic

Shivaji Park has been disrupting the outfit’s shakha adjacent to it. It has asked the Mumbai civic body to give it an alternative spot.

The matter was discussed in a letter dated 26 October 2021, from the RSS to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The letter has only come to light now.

Karnataka govt set to serve eggs on mid-day meal menu in more districts, despite opposition In order to tackle malnutrition among children, the BJP government in Karnataka is planning to expand its initiative of serving eggs in midday meals to more schools across the district.

The state government had last year introduced the scheme in seven districts of north Karnataka, namely Bidar, Raichur, Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Koppal, Ballari and Vijayapura, but faced stiff opposition from Lingayat, Jain and other communities. The scheme was implemented from December 2021 to March 2022.

The proposal, once finalised, will

be tabled before the state cabinet, The Indian Express reported. The government will bear the tentative cost of around Rs 6.50 per egg, which was Rs 6 earlier.

If the proposal is passed, Karnataka will be among the few BJP ruled states and first major state ruled by the party to include eggs in the scheme by the central government.

The mission of the mid-day meal programme, a flagship initiative of the Indian government launched in 1995, is to meet the nutritional needs of school-going children.

India

Saturday, April 16, 2022

India may benefit from Sri Lanka’s problems The government expects trouble at Colombo port to push traffic at Indian ports by around 50,000 TEUs in April-June. The political and economic uncertainties in Sri Lanka and congestion at Colombo Port, that country’s biggest and busiest, are expected to force more ships to turn to Indian ports in the first quarter of 2022-23, senior government officials said.

Officials said initial estimates suggest around 50,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of cargo are expected to expected to be diverted to Indian ports in April-June.

TEU is a measure of capacity of a container port. “Our estimates suggest that Chennai Port, V.O. Chidambaranar Port (in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu) and Cochin Port will see increased traffic for at least the next three months. The initial study says that 50,000 TEU more cargo traffic will be diverted to these ports in the next three months,” a senior government official said.

Cochin Port started seeing the benefits of this diversion in March. According to data from the Cochin Port Trust, the transhipment volume at the International Container Transshipment Facility (ICTT) in Kochi rose to 13,609 TEUs in March 2022 compared with 8,394 TEUs in March 2021. According to industry estimates, Colombo handles around 40 percent of

Indian transhipment cargo and any disruptions there cause a ripple effect on Indian container trade, making it harder for cargo interests in the region to find other solutions, particularly when vessel capacity is so tight. Transhipment is when cargo from a vessel is transferred to another for onward shipment.

“We have already started receiving updates from liners on delays and non-performance of shipment in Colombo Port. Port closure would definitely worsen the situation and will force ships into Indian ports,” a logistics pricing manager said.

Senior officials from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), the country’s largest container port located in Navi Mumbai, and Nhava Sheva said they are in discussion with Maersk, the world’s largest shipping company, to divert export shipments from eastern ports in India like the Kolkata and Chennai to the western ports in order to avoid any delays in shipments. “Around four block trains have been run between the inland container depot in Durgapur (West Bengal) and JNPT in the last two weeks,” a senior JNPT official told Moneycontrol.

Officials added that due to congestion at Colombo, Maersk has been facing delays in its ME2 service which connects countries in Europe with West Asia

Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

19

British Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s wife agrees to pay UK tax on all of her income Boris Johnson’s most senior Cabinet minister and presumed leadership contender Rishi Sunak has hit political trouble after it was reported his wife did not pay tax on income earned overseas and also that he held a U.S. green card for almost two years after becoming chancellor. Chancellor Sunak has faced a series of questions about his tax and residency arrangements and those used by his wife Akshata Murty after the Independent reported Murty has non-domiciled status.

This means she pays a fee of £30,000 a year in order to register as a “non dom” and does not pay tax on earnings from outside the U.K., an arrangement that the Guardian estimated may have saved her £20 million in tax. “Non dom” status has long been controversial in British public life, particularly since some of those who declare they are domiciled abroad, like Murty, spend most of their time in the U.K. The revelation raised eyebrows because of Sunak’s role setting taxes across the country and because his wife’s status remained undeclared for more than two years since he took over at the Treasury in February 2020.

Murty issued a statement Friday evening in which she announced she would no longer claim this status and therefore would pay U.K. tax on all of her income. The statement said the arrangement was “entirely legal” but added: “It has become clear that many do not feel it is compatible with my husband’s role as chancellor. I understand and appreciate the British sense of fairness and I do not wish my tax status to be a distraction for my husband or to affect my family.”

Sunak and Murty represent the ultimate British-Indian power couple. Sunak ascended

to high office after attending an exclusive public school, Oxford and Stanford universities and working as a hedge fund manager, while Murty is part of one of India’s wealthiest families.

She earns money from shares in the business founded by her father, software company Infosys, which is estimated to be worth £3.5 billion. Labour leader Keir Starmer said it would be “breathtaking hypocrisy” if she was reducing her bill while the chancellor raised taxes for the British public. Sunak lashed out at press coverage of his wife, accusing journalists of “unpleasant smears,” adding: “I would hope

that most fair-minded people would understand — though I appreciate that it is a confusing situation that she is from another country.” Sky News later reported Sunak held a U.S. green card after becoming the U.K.’s finance minister, which usually requires the holder to be a permanent resident of the U.S. Confirming the reports Friday, the chancellor’s spokeswoman said: “Rishi Sunak had a green card when he lived and worked in the U.S. Under U.S. law, you are not presumed to be a U.S. resident just by dint of holding a green card.” She said he “followed all guidance and continued to file U.S. tax returns, but specifically as a non-resident, in full compliance with the law.”

20

INDIA

Saturday, April 16, 2022

India’s TikTok alternative thrives after ban on Chinese apps Jiya Kiran Valambhia’s success story as a social media influencer is a well-recognized one within the age of TikTok. Every day she uploads a brief clip for her 300,000 followers that includes her doing dance strikes such because the thumka hip shake or the dhak dhak chest thump, set to hit Bollywood songs.

Jiya, the daughter of a carpenter, earns about $500 a month by endorsing smartphone makers and on-line tutoring and gaming corporations.

However as a result of she lives in Jamnagar, a small city in western India, none of this occurs on TikTok. The central authorities banned the app in 2020 as a part of a broader crackdown on Chinese language tech providers, which it says are a menace to its sovereignty and safety. So the 14-year-old Jiya makes use of Josh, an area app designed to imitate the TikTok expertise.

The rapid set off for the ban on Chinese language tech merchandise was clashes in June

2020 between the 2 international locations’ army forces. With tensions excessive after the incident, Indian officers mentioned they feared Chinese language-made shopper web merchandise resembling TikTok and WeChat might be used for espionage.

TikTok’s father or mother firm, ByteDance Ltd., mentioned on the time that it complied with all Indian legal guidelines and hadn’t shared details about Indian customers with the Chinese language authorities. However within the two years since, the federal government has continued so as to add Chinese language providers to a blacklist that now incorporates greater than 200 of them.

Like many situations of technonationalism, a rising world development, the measure has include business advantages for native corporations. Dozens of homegrown Indian startups constructing quick video, gaming,

Modi calls U.S. and India “natural partners” in meeting with Biden India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a virtual meeting with President Biden on Monday that he believes the U.S. will play an “integral part” in India’s development over the next 25 years, hailing the world’s two largest democracies as “natural partners.”

Why it matters: The Biden administration has made strengthening the U.S. relationship with India a cornerstone of its strategy for confronting

China in the Indo-Pacific, but has found itself at odds with the nationalist Modi government on a number of key issues.

That includes the war in Ukraine, where India has refused to condemn or sanction its longtime military partner Russia.

Since Modi’s election in 2014, India has experienced democratic backsliding and frequent outbreaks of anti-Muslim mob violence, as well as other human rights concerns.

Uber drivers turning off AC to protest low pay as temperatures soar As the Indian summer heats up, commuters using Uber and Ola in major cities are having to sweat it out.

Drivers for the app-based ride-hailing companies are refusing to turn on their air conditioning in an effort to push for increased commissions, following a series of fuel price hikes. The campaign, which was launched late last month by a trade union, Indian Federation of App-based Transport Workers (IFAT), in the southern city of Hyderabad, has spread to other metro cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Lucknow.

The intention is not to inconvenience commuters but to create awareness about issues faced by the drivers, Shaik Salauddin,

national general secretary of IFAT, told Rest of World. “We have tried to negotiate better pay with these app-based companies for years, but they don’t hear our grievances,” he said.

“That’s why we came up with the campaign.”

The drivers plan to keep the air conditioning off until the government sets a basic rate for app-based cabs, just as it has done in many other taxi services, he added.

In 2018, the New Delhi transport department fixed 16 rupees (21 cents) per kilometer as the base fare for air-conditioned taxis. But several Ola and Uber drivers who spoke to Rest of World in New Delhi said they are paid between 10 rupees and 12 rupees (13–16 cents) per kilometer from the companies.

Hindi not national language, will never let it be: Siddaramaiah hits back at Amit Shah Asserting that Hindi is not India’s national language, former Karnataka Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Friday, April 8, accused the ruling BJP of trying to unleash its agenda of “cultural terrorism” against non-Hindi speaking states. Taking offence to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s comment regarding the official language, the Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka assembly accused him of betraying the former’s home state Gujarat and mother-tongue Gujarati for Hindi, for his political agenda.

Shah on Thursday said Hindi should be accepted as an alternative to English and not to local languages. Presiding over the 37th meeting of the Parliamentary Official Language Committee, Shah had said Prime

Minister Narendra Modi has decided that the medium of running the government is the official language and this will “definitely increase the importance of Hindi”. He also said that people from different states should talk to each other in Hindi — the “language of India” — and not English.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi has decided that the medium of running the government is the Official Language, and this will definitely increase the importance of Hindi. Now the time has come to make the Official Language an important part of the unity of the country. When citizens of States who speak other languages communicate with each other, it should be in the language of India,” Amit Shah said.

India hopes ‘Pharma City’ will break China’s grip on industry On the edge of Hyderabad in southern India, a vast patch of arid shrub-land the size of about 14,000 football fields is becoming a testing ground for a model that could help wean the world off its dependence on Chinese drug ingredients.

This empty site of the Hyderabad Pharma City, marked out by scuffed sign posts and a

rubble-strewn access road is expected to attract about $8.4 billion and employ 560,000 people in hundreds of sprawling plants. Within two years once land is allotted, officials say, it will be rolling out vital raw ingredients for medicines like penicillin, ibuprofen and anti-malarials that make their way around the world.

21

Saturday, April 16, 2022

FIJI

Punjab Officers who met Kejriwal were sent for training, will send them again: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said the Punjab bureaucrats and officials with whom Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had a meeting a few days ago had been sent by him for training purposes.

Rubbishing the claims that he was being sidelined, he said the opposition’s objections to the same were “criticism for the sake of criticism”, as he was making all key decisions in the state.

Addressing a gathering at an auditorium

on the occasion of the 131st birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar at the Dr B R Ambedkar Government College here, Mann said attempts were being made to undermine the basic character of the Constitution, which needed to be nipped in the bud.

Mann said the AAP government had taken power away from those sitting in palaces and given it to the common man only due to the democratic set-up envisioned by Ambedkar.

Enforcement Directorate grills Punjab ex-CM Channi in sand mining PMLA case Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi was questioned for over six hours by the ED in a money laundering investigation linked to an alleged sand mining case in the state, officials said on Thursday.

The federal agency recorded the statement of the 59-year-old Congress leader under the Prevention of Money

Laundering Act (PMLA) and he left the Enforcement Directorate’s zonal office in Jalandhar late on Wednesday night.

Channi’s nephew Bhupinder Singh alias Honey was arrested in the case by the agency days before the February 20 Punjab Assembly polls. A charge sheet was filed against him and others named in the case early this month.

Perpetrators of post-matric scholarship scheme will soon be behind bars - CM Bhagwant Mann Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday exhorted people to uphold the spirit of the Constitution drafted by BR Ambedkar.

Addressing a gathering at a state-level function to mark the 131st birth anniversary of Babasaheb at Dr BR Ambedkar Government College here, Mann said nefarious attempts are being made to undermine the basic character of the Constitution drafted by the great jurist and statesman.

He said that unfortunately, these attempts are being made by some of our own

people and thus need to be nipped in the bud for which people have to join hands.

The CM said Babasaheb had empowered the people through the Constitution by giving them the right to vote. He said that only due to this power, political giants like Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Manpreet Singh Badal, Bikram Singh Majithia and several others had been decimated by the people from the state’s political canvas.

Mann said democracy is a pillar of the Constitution.

Pakistan From page 1

USA congratulates new PM Shehbaz Sharif, says values relationship with Islamabad

“Pakistan has been an important partner on wide-ranging mutual interests for nearly 75 years and we value our relationship,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The United States congratulates newly-elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and we look forward to continuing our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan’s government,” he said.

Blinken said the US views a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan as essential for the interests of both the countries.

However, President Joe Biden is yet to make a customary call to Prime Minister Sharif, 70, since his appointment on Monday. Biden had not made any such call to former premier Khan also till his last day in office on Sunday.

Sharif may take some time to appoint his Cabinet Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif may take some time to appoint a new Cabinet as he knows the fragile nature of the ruling alliance and wants to take along all his allies, according to a media report on Wednesday.

Sources in the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) told Dawn newspaper that the leadership

of both parties had decided to accommodate all allied parties in the federal Cabinet and give them the ministries of their choice.

They said the ruling coalition comprised eight political parties and four independents, and since Sharif had become the Prime Minister with a mere twovote margin, he did not want to start his stint in the office

Journalists move to YouTube as political upheaval forces them off TV Out of jobs after a change in government, Pakistan’s TV journalists are turning to YouTube to reach the country’s growing number of internet users. When Imran Riaz Khan lost his job as an anchor at Pakistan’s Samaa TV

last weekend, he joined a growing list of journalists who’ve found themselves out of work amid the country’s political turmoil.

Luckily, Riaz Khan has a YouTube channel with 2.6 million subscribers to fall back on.

Immigration authorities on high alert to catch fleeing govt officials from flying abroad after Imran Khan’s ouster Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Pakistan’s premier investigation agency, has put its immigration staff at all international airports on high alert with a directive to stop any government official linked to the Imran Khan regime from travelling abroad without a No-Objection Certificate, a media report said on Sunday.

The move came hours after Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted through a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, the Dawn news reported.

FIA’s immigration staff at all international airports of the country was placed on high alert and directed to stop all those government officials who intend to travel abroad without an NOC, it said.

MP’s wife says she is not a resident of Buca Village Niko Nawaikula’s spouse Miliakere says she is not a resident or permanent resident of Buca Village.

The 61-year-old says she opted not to move to her husband’s village because she had to look after her bedridden mother and grandson.

Miliakere says her mother resides with her at their residence in Koronivia, Nausori and her grandson came in from Australia to Fiji who she also cares for.

She adds that her husband, Opposition

MP Nikolau Nawaikula was adamant about moving back to Buca after they retired in 2015.

However, certain family circumstances restricted her from moving immediately to the village with her husband.

The mother of four says she does travel with her husband to his village from time to time but every time she returns to their home in Koronivia.

It is alleged that the SODELPA MP gave false information about his residence to the Secretary-General of Parliament

Daugunu and Fiji Rugby all set for Vancouver Fiji Airways Fijian 7s captain Tevita Daugunu believes last week was a different ball game altogether and they’ll have to be better in Vancouver, Canada this weekend.

Speaking to World Rugby after the captain’s photo-shoot today, Daugunu says they’re hoping to maintain their standards from last week.

He adds preparation is going really well so far, getting back to the training board, looking at their mistakes and working on them.

Daugunu says this Series is really special now as all the teams are competitive.

Fresh from their victory in Singapore, Fiji will face the USA, Kenya and England in pool A. Meanwhile, the team captains visited the Chief Joe Mathias Center in North Vancouver where they were greeted by a Squamish First Nation Elder and met Squamish artist Ray Natraoro who has designed the medals for this year’s tournament.

South Africa are the defending champions and arrive in Canada as 2022 Series leaders with 98 points ahead of Australia and Argentina who are equal in second place on 83 points.

Fiji investigates arrival of Russian oligarch’s vessel, questions captain Fiji police investigated on Thursday the arrival of a luxury vessel suspected of being owned by a Russian oligarch, questioning its captain about how he brought the boat to the Pacific island nation.

Fiji newspapers reported that police had seized the superyacht Amadea, owned by a Russian billionaire, Suleiman Kerimov, who has been sanctioned by the United States, Britain and the European Union, and detained its crew.

AsuperyachtagentinFiji,whosaidherepresented the Amadea, told Reuters the reports were “not fully factual including ownership of the vessel”.

“I do not know who the owner is. There is evidence being released to the police in Fiji,” the agent, Chase Smith of Baobab Marine,

told Reuters in a telephone interview.

He said two sets of lawyers were handling the situation, and he continued to act for the Amadea and its crew.

An official at the National Police Command and Control Centre told Reuters the captain of the vessel, which arrived on Tuesday, was being questioned about how it came to Fiji without customs clearance.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, lawmakers and businessmen have faced wide-reaching sanctions in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a special military operation, while European countries have seized property including villas and boats.

22

Saturday, April 16, 2022

Liberals fail to protect Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people Press release

NDP Critic for the Status of Women, Leah Gazan (Winnipeg Centre) is asking why the Liberal government didn’t allocate new funding in last week’s budget to implement the 231 Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG). Since the inquiry released its findings in 2019, the Liberals have yet to release a national action plan with targets, timelines and funding to address this ongoing genocide, and their inaction is costing Indigenous women their lives.

“Rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls have dramatically increased during the pandemic, and the Liberal government keeps stalling on implementing all Calls for Justice,” said Gazan. “Last week’s budget was yet another opportunity for the Liberals to show that they are truly committed to a plan backed by real funding to implement the Calls for Justice, but again they’re failing to do what’s necessary.

They chose to give billions to big oil companies

while leaving out much needed investments to make life safer for Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. This is unacceptable.”

In the lead up to the budget, Gazan has called on the Liberals numerous times to include immediate, targeted and adequate funding to implement the 231 Calls for Justice. While Indigenous women are at least 4.5 times more likely to be murdered than non-indigenous women, the Liberals are showing no signs of an action plan to heed the calls of the National Inquiry into MMIWG. New Democrats are calling on the Liberals to act urgently on this matter to save lives.

“Our lives are valuable. We are not disposable,” said Gazan. “The government must implement a national action plan with timelines and resources to address this crisis.

Too many families are mourning the loss of their loved-ones and waiting for answers.

The Liberals must act urgently to save lives.”

NDP Media Centre media@ndp.ca

By Parm Bains, MP Steveston—Richmond East

Budget 2022

AS your Member of Parliament for StevestonRichmond East I am focused on the social and economic needs for the future of our community. Last week’s Budget 2022 gives us the tools we need to overcome the challenges facing our community, but also take advantage of opportunities to grow our economy.

During the worst of the pandemic Canadians needed their government to step up for them when they needed their government most.

As Canada emerges from the pandemic, Budget 2022: A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable is our plan to build a greener economy and ensure Canada remains an affordable place to live.

As a lifelong resident of Richmond, I have seen family and friends move away from our community because they could not afford to buy a home. To stop young families and professionals from leaving Richmond, we are investing $4 billion over five years to launch a new Housing Accelerator Fund. The fund will be responsive to the needs and realities of cities and communities.

It provides upfront funding for investments in municipal housing planning and delivery

processes that will speed up housing development.

We will also introduce a Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit, which would provide up to $7,500 in support for constructing a secondary suite for a senior or an adult.

We know that affordability issues are not limited to the housing market but include medical costs.

In fact, in 2018 one in five Canadians avoided going to the dentist due to costs. This is why we are developing Canada’s first national dental care program with an investment of $5 billion over five years. Available for families making less than $90,000 a year, coverage begins with under 12-yearolds in 2022, and then expand to under 18-yearolds, seniors, and persons living with a disability in 2023, with full implementation by 2025.

Preparing Canadian business to be international leaders in renewable technology is critical for our future growth. This is why Budget 2022 will invest $1 billion over 5 years for the Canadian Innovation and Investment Agency.

This new agency will work with Canadian businesses to help them make the investments they need to innovate, grow, create jobs, and be competitive in the changing global economy.

Your one-stop location for gardening, home decor, Jacuzzi spas and much, much more 4391 King George Blvd.

Surrey, BC V3Z 1G6

Gazebos and Pergolas

Bagged Soils & Fertilizers

Art Knapp’s Outdoor Living Centre is proud to carry the full line of Visscher gazebos and pergolas.

Art Knapp's Garden Centre in Surrey carries a wide assortment of bulk materials and landscape products like soil, mulch, lava rock, gravel and manure.

Wood materials for all Visscher structures are sourced in Canada and are graded, cut and painted in their own facilities, which allows them to provide a consistently high-quality product.

The majority of items listed on this page are available by the tractor scoop or bag it yourself in our supplied bags.

Hot Sauce ‘Wall of Flame’ Art Knapps carries lines from Belize, Mexico, Louisiana, Jamaica, and other parts of the globe.

For the daring, we even carry the infamous Trinidad Scorpion, one of the hottest sauces in the world.

Brand names available off the shelf include: Marie Sharps, Dave’s Insanity line, Blair’s Death, Louisiana Gold, and House of Q.

OUR STAFF WILL BE HAPPY TO TAKE YOUR CALL

Art Knapp Surrey location only

Outdoor Garden and Nursery Ready to shop for your spring

selection and healthy plants at our outdoor garden centre and nursery. From inidividual plants to large flats, shade to sun, perennial or annual; we can provide all your plant needs.

While Quantities Last

604-596-9201

23

Saturday, April 16, 2022

HAPPY VAISAKHI

Make your money work

GROWTH PLUS FLEXIBILITY

Boost your saving power with our Bright Term Rate.

604-419-8888 • gffg.com *Limited time offer, terms and conditions apply. Redeemable after 90 days at 1.00%. No partial redemption allowed. G&F Financial Group is a trade name of Gulf and Fraser Fishermen’s Credit Union.

24

Saturday, April 16, 2022