The Asian Star December 17 2022

Canada is developing high-speed train faster than an airplane

A Canadian company has unveiled plans for a fully electric train-style vehicle which could travel at 1,000 kilometers per hour and, it claims, would cost less than a plane ticket to travel on.

FluxJet was announced by TransPod in its home city of Toronto last month, with a scaled-down one-tonne version of what it terms the “plane-train hybrid” featuring in a live demonstration of its capabilities.

It’s based on similar principles to the

“hyperloop” concept made famous by US entrepreneur Elon Musk: FluxJet will be propelled at ultra-fast speeds

along a protected tube-guideway using groundbreaking technology based on a new field of physics called “veillance flux.” The pods are magnetically levitated and the vacuum tubes allow them to travel at great speed. The idea is that the train will operate exclusive on a network system dubbed the TransPod Line, with stations in major cities and key locations.

The proposed first phase of what will is

Continued on page 6

Intense arctic cold blast to hit Lower Mainland next week

Warm clothes and winter tires will be a must next week in the Lower Mainland with an intense cold front forecast to hit the region.

“A massive arctic blast (of air) is about to

hit B.C. just in time for the official transition into winter on Wednesday December 21,” .

“Although conditions across B.C. have been generally colder than average for

Sobeys parent company Empire Co. Ltd. has shared new details on a cyberattack that shut down its pharmacy services and other in-store functions last month.

The security breach in early November left customers unable to fill prescriptions for four days, while other in-store functions like self-checkout machines, gift card use and the redemption of loyalty points were offline for about a week.

The cybersecurity event is expected to cost $25 million after insurance recoveries, Empire said Thursday.

But the company, which owns drugstore chain Lawtons Drugs, declined to reveal the total cost of the disruption.

Continued on page 7

over a month now, the temperatures are expected to get even colder.”

The region could be hit with record-breaking cold next week.

Surrey city council voted 6-3 to reinstate the RCMP and to stop the transition to a municipal police force Monday night.

Halting the transition to a municipal police force was a key

Continued on page 6

China is growingly asserting itself and being proactive in areas directed toward US allies and partners in Indo-Pacific, Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said. The Pentagon said the US department of defence is closely watching the situation along the Line of Actual Control and slammed China for continuing to “amass forces and build military infrastructure along the socalled LAC”. Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said it is important to point out the growing trend by China to assert itself and ‘be proactive’ in areas directed toward US allies and partners in Indo-Pacific. “We will continue to remain steadfast in our commitment to ensure the security of our partners. We fully support India’s effort to de-escalate the situation,” Pat Ryder said. On December 9, there was a clash between the Indian soldiers and the Chinese troops at the Tawang sector in Arunachal Pradesh on the India-China border. Chinese troops tries to transgress the LAC and unilaterally change the status quo leading to a clash in which the Indian soldiers gave a firm and resolute response forcing the Chinese side to retreat. In his statement presented in Parliament. defence minister Rajnath Singh said there was no fatality and no serious injuries to the Indian soldiers. Continued on page 7

US sends stern message to China on Tawang clash: ‘Fully support India’s effort’

Surrey City Council gives final approval to scrap police transition

James Lee Busch has been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years in the high-profile 2019 killing of Metchosin, B.C.’s Martin Payne.

A 12-member jury found Busch guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday. His co-accused, Zachary Armitage, pleaded guilty to the same halfway through the trial, and will learn his fate on Tuesday.

Life imprisonment is the mandatory minimum for first- and second-degree murder in Canada.

Busch appeared in Vancouver’s B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday, shackled at the ankles. He declined to speak, but as he was led out of the courtroom by sheriffs, muttered quietly, “Is the party over then?”

Payne was murdered in his home on July 8, 2019, one day after Busch and Armitage

escaped the minimum-security William Head Institution, about eight kilometres from Payne’s house. The pair skirted the oceanside facility’s fencing by walking along the shoreline at low tide, according to prosecutors.

Payne’s daughters, Calla and Jessica Payne, read powerful victim impact statements in court that addressed, in part, years of missed memories and future opportunities with their father. Payne was a beloved mail carrier, described as goofy, fun-loving, and endlessly generous.

“When you experience a situation like this, it doesn’t just affect you, your family and your loved ones, it affects everyone in your extended circle, including future generations,” Calla said outside the courtroom.

Standing with family, who attended each day of the five-week trial, she said life behind bars is “never going to be enough” for her father’s killers.

Alberta contractor fined $2.8M for toxic spills that killed hundreds of fish in Coquitlam & Surrey

A construction contractor has been fined $2.8 million for releasing contaminated water into salmon-bearing creeks in Coquitlam and Surrey in 2017.

Michels Canada Co., a construction contractor based out of Nisku, Alberta, was ordered to pay the sum on Dec. 6, after pleading guilty to two charges under the Fisheries Act. “These creeks are inhabited by salmonids year round, and the presence of juvenile salmonids in these creeks during the summertime low flow period and hot weather emphasizes the importance of this habitat,” stated Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) on Dec. 8.

The company was conducting horizontal direction boring operations in both cities, which drills tunnels

underneath waterways, roads and rail when other methods are not possible.

Sediment-laden water, a byproduct of the boring process, was released through the storm sewer system in Coquitlam on Aug. 17, eventually flowing into Cape Horn Creek.

Less than two weeks later, the same spill occurred in Surrey’s sewer system, which flowed into Quibble Creek. Twenty dead fish were later discovered in Coquitlam’s creek, while 533 dead fish were discovered in Surrey’s creek.

Federal environmental officers collected samples from the water, dead fish and other evidence related to the spills and found drilling fluids deposits in the water that were deemed harmful.

Man charged, dozens of stolen presents recovered in Vancouver ‘porch pirate’ crackdown

Police in Vancouver have recovered thousands of dollars’ worth of stolen Christmas presents following a crackdown on so-called porch pirates in the city.

In a news release Thursday, the Vancouver Police Department said dozens of packages have since been returned to their rightful owners after an investigation targeting these types of thefts.

“Every year, the holiday season brings an increase in parcel thefts, as the convenience of online shopping creates easy opportunities for thieves,” said Const. Tania Visintin in the release.

“The porch pirates follow vans for Amazon, UPS, and other delivery companies, then steal packages from people’s doorsteps after drivers drop them off.”

3 murders in Lower Mainland in past 24 hours

There have been three homicides in Metro Vancouver in past 24 hours.

Sgt. Timothy Pierotti from the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said the first one occurred on Dec. 13, around 11 a.m. in North Vancouver.

Officers responded to a disturbance in a unit on West 3rd Street near Chesterfield Avenue and found a 68-year-old woman in medical distress from being stabbed. “North Vancouver officers located a suspect on scene who was immediately arrested,” Pierotti said. The victim has been identified as 68-year-old Domingo Santos of North Vancouver, he added.

On Wednesday, 46-year-old Anthony del Rosario, Santos’ nephew, was charged with second-degree murder Pierotti added. “At the time, we’re still working to determine the motive,” Pierotti said, adding del Rosario was known to the North Vancouver RCMP.

IHIT also acquired a second file on Tuesday when the Upper Fraser Valley RCMP was called to a home near Windsor Street just off Yale Road around 6 p.m. Officers found a 34-year-old man at the scene who was suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries, Pierotti said. Shortly after the shooting, around 6:45 p.m., Chilliwack RCMP found a burned SUV left in a parking lot by the Tzeachten Sports Field.

Pierotti said it is not known if the two instances are linked.

“We do believe this was a targeted incident,” he added.

The victim has been identified as 34-year-old Michael d’Lerma of Chilliwack. Pierotti said he was known to the police but it is not known if the shooting is linked to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict. He added that d’Lerma did not reside at that home and was a guest at the time. In addition, IHIT was called to Mission on Wednesday after a man died from a stabbing inside a Mission home.

Around 7 a.m., Mission RCMP officers responded to a home in the 33800-block of 4th Avenue, near Mary Street.

When officers arrived they found a man suffering from stab wounds who later died on the scene. “Police officers remain on scene and will be in the area throughout the day canvassing for witnesses,” Pierotti said. “If you have any information regarding this incident and have yet to speak with police, please reach out to IHIT immediately.” He added that all evidence suggests this was a targeted incident.

Anyone with information about any of these incidents is asked to call IHIT at 1-877-551-4448

When asked if there has been an increase in homicides in the Lower Mainland recently, Pierotti said he

has not done any statistical analysis to investigate but there has been a “large volume of files come in this calendar year.”

He also said there is no indication to suggest these three files are connected.

Govt make housing announcement in downtown eastside

The province and the City of Vancouver are unveiling a plan to build 90 modular housing units to help alleviate homelessness in the Downtown Eastside.

The temporary homes will provide 24/7 supports to residents and allow people to have a place to stay while more permanent housing is found.

As he made the announcement, B.C. Premier David Eby said the move supports a plan to address homelessness and unsafe encampments. Those currently living in shelters will be able to move into the modular homes. Eby went on to say that will create more room for people living on the street or in the CRAB Park and East Hasting Street encampments to move into shelters.

The homes will be located at 1500 Main Street and 2132 Ash Street. They will

open in March 2023 and be in operation for at least three years. The province is providing $6.9 million for the project, while the city is providing the land. Vancouver mayor Ken Sim applauded the province’s commitment to help with homelessness.

“We are in the midst of one of the greatest crises facing our city’s history, Today’s announcement from the Province makes meaningful progress toward achieving our shared goal of securing quality housing for our city’s most vulnerable residents,” he told reporters at a news conference.

Eby said this is part of an immediate response to get people off the streets, and that other announcements and supports would target renters through a rebate,

OPINION

Liberals and Conservatives wrestle over the legacy of pandemic spending

One of the most awe-inspiring accounts of government activity ever produced can be found on page 254 of the spring budget — table A1.13, under the heading “Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan.”

According to that table, the federal government committed roughly $352.2 billion toward responding to the pandemic, almost

all of it distributed over the last three fiscal years. A substantial portion of that spending — $69.4 billion — was directed toward health and safety measures. But the greater share — $282.8 billion — covers fiscal support measures for individuals and businesses.

That is, from any perspective, an incredible amount of money. For the sake of comparison,

the federal government spent a total of $314.6 billion on all of its many programs and initiatives in 2018-2019, the last COVID-free fiscal year.

Much of that pandemic spending went to programs that were conceived on the fly and implemented in a matter of weeks — programs like the emergency response benefit and the wage subsidy. And a lot of that money got spent very quickly — $209.7 billion was distributed in the 2020-2021 fiscal year. The Liberal government made a conscious choice to prioritize speed over precision. Given the circumstances, it decided that getting support to Canadians was more important than making sure that every dollar went only to those who absolutely needed it. Double-checking the eligibility of recipients would come after.

So it’s not all that surprising that at least some of that support ended up in the hands of people and business owners who didn’t technically deserve it.

But last week’s report by the auditor general is still a significant piece of a consequential debate about the legacy of the government’s extraordinary actions during an extraordinary emergency.

That report was not a complete repudiation. In fact, the report’s summary begins on a rather positive note for the government.

“With its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government of Canada set an objective of helping Canadians as quickly as possible. The COVID-19 emergency programs that we audited achieved that objective,” Karen Hogan wrote.

“They quickly offered financial relief to individuals and employers, prevented a rise in poverty, mitigated income inequalities and helped the economy to recover from the effects of the pandemic.”

This is essentially the government’s argument — that the support mitigated hardship and set up the economy to bounce back quickly from the forced shutdowns of the pandemic. If support payments made it easier for people to stay home, those programs probably also reduced the number of people who were infected with COVID-19. But after reviewing $210.7 billion of the total spending, the auditor general also found that at least $4.6 billion went to people and businesses ineligible to receive it.

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Woman’s killing in Coquitlam linked to suicide by her estranged spouse during traffic stop in Surrey

A recent killing in Coquitlam is being linked to a suicide two days later during a traffic stop in Surrey.

Last Thursday, a woman was shot and killed while sitting in her car near Lambert Way and Turner Avenue in Coquitlam.

Police have confirmed to Global News she was 39-year-old Stephanie Forster, an award-winning social and tech entrepreneur.

“We’re appealing to anyone who knew Ms. Forster to please contact police,” Sgt. Timothy Pierotti with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in an interview.

Two days later, her estranged husband, Gianluigi Derossi, was pulled over by police at 100 Avenue and 152 Street in Surrey. A recent killing in Coquitlam is being linked to a suicide two days later during a traffic stop in Surrey.

Last Thursday, a woman was shot and killed while sitting in her car near Lambert Way and Turner Avenue in Coquitlam.

Police have confirmed to Global News she was 39-year-old Stephanie Forster, an award-winning social and tech entrepreneur.

“We’re appealing to anyone who knew

Ms. Forster to please contact police,” Sgt. Timothy Pierotti with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in an interview.

Two days later, her estranged husband, Gianluigi Derossi, was pulled over by police at 100 Avenue and 152 Street in Surrey. Moments into the traffic stop, he shot himself and died later in hospital, Global News has learned.

“We’re familiar with Mr. Derossi and familiar with her background with him,” Pierotti said, adding that investigators had been hoping to speak to him about Forster’s death. Derossi had been due in court this week on a charge of “fear of injury/damage to property” related to an incident that occurred back in September. He had been ordered not to communicate with Forster, and not to go to her residence, workplace or school as a result.

Court documents indicate he was later charged with breaching his conditions on Oct. 2. Global News has also learned Derossi also went by the name Reza Moeinian, a convicted “romance fraudster.”

TransLink releasing a new Compass card shaped as a mini-train

TransLink is selling one of the coolest Compass Cards just in time for Christmas! With the new Compass Card, you can add a little bit of joy to your or others’ commute with a small model SkyTrain car that lights up when tapped.

In the past, locals have gotten very excited about products like the Compass Mini. So there may just be similar lines to get a hold of the limitedly available keychain.

“Customers can use their Compass MiniTrain to tap in and out when travelling on transit. Load Stored Value and fare products online, at a Compass Vending Machine, by

phone, or in person,” TransLink explains. Starting Wednesday, for its initial release, TransLink has 3,000 blue adult and 2,000 orange concession Compass Mini-Train for sale. One person can only pick up four passes.

“Just like any other Compass product, there is a $6 refundable deposit when picking up your Mini-Train,” TransLink added. You can pick up the new pass Monday to Friday, between 9 am to 5 pm, at the TransLink Customer Service Centre inside Waterfront Station.

The divisive debate over who should provide policinginSurreyisbackontheagendaMonday.

City council is set to decide whether or not to endorse a plan to keep the RCMP.

According to a staff report, stopping the police transition would save taxpayers an estimated $235.4 million over five years.

However,thechiefoftheSurreyPoliceService says he wasn’t consulted about the report.

“We believe that there’s some errors in the assumptions that were taken there,” said Chief Norm Lipinski, adding that the SPS believes the report is “incomplete.”

Several councillors also say the numbers in the report don’t add up.

“We first of all saw a number of in excess of $500 million from Surrey Connect under Brenda Locke’s leadership,” said Linda Annis, a Surrey First councillor.

“We’ve seen these numbers today and the Surrey Police Service are saying that the cost will be just over $100 million. Clearly, we can’t make a decision without the facts. The residents of Surrey, at the very least, deserve to know the facts if they can’t have a referendum,” she said.

RCMP visit Richmond friendship society in investigation into Chinese ‘police’ stations

A friendship society in Richmond, B.C., has become a focus in an RCMP investigation into allegations of secret Chinese “police” stations operating in Canada.

Officers visited the Canada Wenzhou Friendship Society on Saturday and conducted interviews with people who live nearby in the suburb south of Vancouver.

CBC spoke with neighbours who confirmed RCMP officers spoke with them, asking if they’d seen anything suspicious, and a marked cruiser was still parked outside the building on Tuesday.

The police activity comes after the Spanish human rights group Safeguard Defenders published a report revealing the existence of two additional Chinese “police service

stations” being operated within Canada, including one in the Vancouver area. Another three stations in the Toronto area are already under police investigation.

Safeguard Defenders alleges the stations are involved in “persuasion to return” operations. The group says evidence shows individuals connected to these stations have been involved in convincing nationals suspected of committing crimes to return to China to face criminal proceedings.

Mountieswon’tsaywhythey’reinvestigating the Canada Wenzhou Friendship Society specifically but sent a statement saying they are looking into “criminal activity at so-called ‘police’ stations nationally.”

Stopping Surrey’s policing transition could save taxpayers $235M, report says

Three suspects arrested after BC RCMP Federal Policing executes search warrants in Surrey, White Rock

Federal investigators have seized more than $200,000 cash as well as gold bars, cryptocurrency, luxury vehicles, including a McLaren supercar and a custom hot rod, and motorcycles – all suspected of being proceeds of crime – after search warrants were executed in Surrey and White Rock, RCMP announced Tuesday (Dec. 13).

Additionally, three suspects have been arrested, accused of laundering $14 million in proceeds of crime.

Stemming from an investigation launched in early 2019, the BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) Financial Integrity (FI) unit investigated an online cannabis business that was allegedly distributing drugs through mail, RCMP said in a release.

During the investigation, approximately $14 million in alleged proceeds of crime was found laundered through various companies, and bank accounts.

Through a major case investigation, FSOC FI was able to follow the money through bank accounts, to the acquisition of real estate, high-end vehicles, and luxury goods, RCMP said.

The search warrants were executed on Nov. 30 on associated locations in the cities of Surrey and White Rock, with the main commercial drug site concealed in a rental home hidden in a residential community several blocks from an elementary school.

The searches uncovered a large, commercial-scale illegal cannabis operation, RCMP said, including a large

From page 1

campaign promise of Mayor Brenda Locke’s. With the latest vote by council, that promise is one step closer to being kept.  “They have been the police for 70 years in Surrey and they have done an extraordinary job,” said Mayor Brenda Locke, adding that the city can’t afford to move forward with the transition.

According to a staff report, stopping the police transition would save taxpayers an estimated $235.4 million over five years. Locke said the price of staying the course and replacing the Mounties with the Surrey Police Service is simply too high, “For the residents of this city, for the budget of this city, (it’s)

amount of drugs and several firearms.

“Money laundering is a serious offence that is often connected to organized crime. It poses a major threat to the security of our nation and jeopardizes the stability of our financial institutions,” said RCMP Cpl.

Arash Seyed of BC RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime (FSOC) Financial Integrity (FI) unit at a press conference in Surrey Tuesday.

“Therefore, the BC RCMP (FSOC FI) unit takes a comprehensive approach to investigating money laundering offences and works closely with our partners to dispute and dismantle the criminal networks involved in these offenses.”

Offence-related property, such as cannabis-related items, packaging, promotional material, business documentation, shipping material, and computers were also seized from the locations.

Because of the complex nature of the case and the other partners involved, Seyed said it was not at the RCMP’s discretion to display the seized vehicles and items related to the arrests.

The three people charged are no longer in custody, he said.

The successful suppression of this criminal organization’s activities demonstrates the BC RCMP Financial Integrity program’s effectiveness in combating money laundering offences, that can be extremely challenging to investigate due to their high degree of complexity, said RCMP Insp. David Gray.

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Canada is developing high-speed train faster than an airplane

estimated to be a $18 billion infrastructure project will be linking the Canadian cities of Calgary and Edmonton -- some 300 kilometers apart, or a three-hour drive.

FluxJet boasts travel speeds faster than a plane and three times that of a high-speed train, meaning that it would cut the journey time down to 45 minutes. Earlier this year the TransPod announced that it has so far secured $550 million finance for the endeavor. The project is currently in the research and development phase, focusing on environmental assessment and land acquisition.

Sebastien Gendron, co-founder and CEO of TransPod, tells CNN that “The first phase of construction consists of the connection of the Edmonton airport, which is planned to start at the end of 2023, and the full line connecting Calgary to Edmonton in 2027.”

The network will transport up to 54 passengers and 10 tonnes of cargo at a time in FluxJet vehicles, with trains departing every two minutes, according to TransPod’s vision. The company says the new system will help cut highway traffic massively, as well as reducing CO2 emissions by around 636,000 tonnes per year.

It claims that riding the FluxJet will cost around 44% less than a plane ticket for the same journey, but with no timeline

Surrey City Council gives final approval to scrap police transition

enormous,” Locke said on Tuesday.

“It is really important to the taxpayer that we do our very best to take care of the taxpayer dollars. And I think this report was very clear that this city is going to, must stick to the RCMP,” she continued.

However, the reports estimate is being disputed, with critics saying it is not accurate.

The SPS, for its part, says that the cost of the transition over five years is $99 million, less

than half of the figure Locke cited.

“How many times can you flip flop? And if it’s not this issue, is that another issue for a municipality? I don’t think it serves the citizens of surrey to go through this exercise perhaps every four years,” said Chief Norm Lipinski .

The SPS said it’s disappointed it wasn’t consulted, adding that the report doesn’t factor in other costs, including the money already spent on infrastructure as well as severance and firing 375 employees who will be without a job if the transition is stopped.

yet announced for when the public might expect to travel on a FluxJet, or which other cities might feature in this multi-billiondollar network, those projections do seem to involve a fair amount of conjecture about how the next few years might pan out. TransPod says that its focus is on firstin-the-world designs and technological breakthroughs and it’s “developing every aspect of a new tube-transportation system, from design to systems engineering, from the ground up, all in-house and with our partners.”

The magnetically levitated Fluxjet trains will shoot down their guideways using aerodynamic and propulsion systems that have been designed to reduce friction. TransPod says the experience will “feel like accelerating smoothly on a jet runway, and then coasting at full speed inside the tube guideway.”

Gendron tells CNN that his team estimates that FluxJet will be transporting its first public transport passengers before 2035. And as for plans beyond CalgaryEdmonton, he says that, “Discussions are already happening in Texas to connect Dallas to San Antonio, in the UAE to connect Dubai to Abu Dhabi and in Australia to connect Sydney to Brisbane.”

The plan is slated to be sent to Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth by Thursday.

CTV News spoke to Farnworth on Tuesday about what he will be looking for when he reviews the plan.

“The critical priority for me as solicitor general is whatever plan is presented ensures it’s safe and adequate policing remains in Surrey,” he said.

“And also how they would propose to re-staff. And, at the same time, I have to ensure that does not impinge on safe and adequate policing in the rest of the province,” he continued.

Re-staffing may be tricky as a recent survey by the Surrey Police Union found that 94 per cent of its membership are not interested in joining the Mounties.

US sends stern message to China on Tawang clash:

‘Fully support India’s effort’

Following the face-off, the local commander of the Indian Army held a flag meeting with his counterpart on December 11.

This is the second major face-off between the Indian and the Chinese troops after Galwan in 2020 while talks regarding the border issues are going on between the two sides. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US is closely monitoring the situation and is glad to note that there was a quick disengagement.

India and the United States recently held the 18th edition of the two country’s joint military exercise ‘Yudh Abhyas’ in Uttarakhand about 100 km from the Line of Actual Control to which China expressed its objection and said it violated the spirit of the two agreements

Cyberattack cost $25 million major grocery chain says

to provide the gross amount,” Matt Reindel, chief financial officer of Empire and Sobeys, said during a call with analysts to discuss the company’s latest financial results.

“We are estimating a net impact of $25 million to net earnings. This estimate includes certain business losses, such as shrink and additional labour, and then direct costs such as IT professional expenses and legal expenses.”

It remains unclear whether any personal information was stolen during the breach, or if Sobeys paid any sort of ransom.

Michael Medline, president and CEO of Empire and Sobeys, said the company took action as soon as the cyber “intrusion” was discovered.

“We immediately began to isolate the source and shut down certain systems to prevent further spread and to protect our operations and our data,” he said during the conference call.

“This ensured that we were able to run our stores with little disruption and with thankfully no interruption to our supply chain. But this event and our precautionary response did cause some temporary problems.”

While customer-facing services have been fully restored for some time, the company said it’s continuing to bring information and administrative systems back online in a phased approach.

Empire said its in-house security team is still investigating the event with the assistance of leading cyber defence firms.

If the investigation finds data has been removed from its systems, Empire said it will take “all required steps with privacy regulators and impacted individuals.”

Empire reported earnings of $189.9 million or 73 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from $175.4 million or 66 cents per share in the same quarter last year.

Sales in what was the second quarter of the company’s 2023 financial year totalled $7.64 billion, up from $7.32 billion in the same quarter last year.

signed between New Delhi and Beijing.

Both India and US rejected China’s opposition to the joint exercise and said no third country is allowed to comment on such matters. While India said the IndiaUS exercise had nothing to do with the 1993 and 1996 agreements, the US said it was none of China’s business to comment.

Three Indian Army troops -- Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Jat regiment and Sikh Light Infantry -- thwarted the attack from the Chinese troops who came armed with clubs, sticks and other equipment, reports said. The Indian side was prepared and when the attack took place, one of the units was being relieved by a new unit. Chinese troops came with drones apparently to shoot the entire clash, reports said.

Heads up, frequent flyers; if you’ve got some Christmas travel coming up, you might want to plan ahead, as YVR is cautioning travellers that its busiest day is almost here.

That day is Thursday, December 22, and YVR estimates that 63,664 passengers are expected.

While that might seem like an unfathomable number of airport passengers in one day, it’s not YVRs busiest. Instead, YVR had a more active day on December 20, 2019, when it greeted 75,877 passengers.

Around 1.8 million passengers are expected to fly through YVR this holiday season, and YVR has offered some tips to make a potentially hectic day at the airport slightly less crazy.

To help deal with the increase in traffic, YVR is expanding YVR EXPRESS, allowing travellers within Canada to reserve a spot in the security screening line.

YVR is also suggesting passengers check their flight status at YVR.ca and consider checking in online, as most airlines offer that service. You can also prebook parking if you’re driving, but YVR says to consider taking the Canada Line.

One key piece of advice, likely common sense to any frequent flyer, is to arrive early. Delays can occur for many reasons, including your commute to the airport. You can also speed things up by having documentation ready for airport staff.

That might also be a reason to bring your Nintendo Switch to help pass the time. To help avoid delays while you’re in the screening line, it might be a good idea to know what you can and can’t bring with you when you travel.

Murder of Victoria teen Reena Virk subject of new television series

One of British Columbia’s most notorious murders is the subject of an upcoming television series currently in production in the province.

Under The Bridge will tell the story of the 1997 killing of 14-year-old Reena Virk, who was swarmed and beaten by a group of teenagers and drowned in the Gorge waterway in Saanich, B.C.

The series is based on the book of the same name by author Rebecca Godfrey, who grew up in Victoria and later settled in upstate New York before her death in October.

Publisher Simon and Schuster says the story “takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls — and boy — accused of a savage murder,” adding the series will be available on the streaming service Hulu.

The eight-episode Under The Bridge is now filming in B.C. and is scheduled to remain in

productionuntilApril,accordingtoCreativeBC.

A filming notice posted online showed the production was filming residential street scenes last week in New Westminster, B.C.

Retired Saanich police DetectiveStaff Sgt. Chris Horsley told CTV News on Wednesday that the Saanich Police Department consulted on the show.

“It certainly took off and was a far bigger story than I think anyone anticipated,” Horsley said. “I suppose the unusual nature of the crime is testament to why they are doing the production even now 25 years later.”

Actors Lily Gladstone, Riley Keough, Chloe Guidry and Archie Panjabi have taken roles in the series, according to entertainment news sites Deadline and Variety. Actor Ezra Faroque Khan will play Virk’s father while Keough will play the book’s author, Variety reports.

South Asian man fined $10,000 for flying drone near forest fire

A man who flew a drone near a wildfire in Jasper National Park has received a $10,000 fine.

Judge Jeffrey Champion doled out the penalty to Rajwinder Singh under the Canada National Parks Act in provincial court Thursday and gave him until June 8, 2023, to pay the fine.

The details of the fine were confirmed by a provincial court spokesperson.

Flying a drone in a national park is illegal and carries a maximum fine of $25,000.

It’s also illegal to fly an aircraft, including a drone, within 9.3 kilometres of a forest fire without permission under Canadian Aviation Regulations.

Wardens in Jasper National Park seized

four drones and charged four people under the National Parks Act for flying too close to the Chetamon wildfire in September.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 9, 2022.

The penalty was steep for one person caught operating a drone during the Chetamon wildfire.

Rajwinder Singh must pay a fine of $10,000 before June 8, 2023. It is the largest fine ever issued for illegal drone operation in any place operated by Parks Canada.

During his court date on Dec. 8, Singh pleaded guilty to the charge of operating an aircraft without a permit under section 2(3) of the Aircraft Access Regulations of the Canada National Parks Act.

A major house fire in East Vancouver sent one woman to hospital Monday night.

The fire broke out just before 9 p.m. near Nanaimo Street and 27th Avenue.

Vancouver Fire Chief Karen Fry said one woman was trapped on the balcony when crews arrived.

“It was my understanding that she was screaming for help when we arrived on scene and our crews sprung into action quickly,” Fry said.

She said three other people were in the house at the time of the fire. Two were treated for smoke inhalation but didn’t need to be taken to hospital.

While crews were in the middle

of battling the fire, a driver ran over a fire hose. Fry said the driver was promptly ticketed at the scene.

“It’s very disturbing,” Fry said. “You’re putting our firefighters at risk whenever you drive over a fire hose.” According to Fry, a driver ran over a hose a couple of years ago which resulted in a firefighter breaking a leg and being off work for well over a year.

She had a message for anyone who decides to drive over a working hose in the future: “This is a serious situation, we have zero tolerance for it. You will be charged, you will be ticketed, and you will be fined.”

There is no word yet on what sparked the fire.

Three men charged in Prince George

drug

trafficking bust linked to Hells Angels

Three men have been charged with a combined 17 drug and firearms offences after RCMP busted an alleged drug trafficking operation linked to the Hells Angels near Prince George, B.C.

Arrest warrants have been issued for 49-year-old Derek Timmins, 53-yearold Garth Goodkey, and 35-yearold Daniel Wilson of Prince George, RCMP said in a Thursday news release.

The investigation began in 2019, and quickly uncovered links between the suspects and “full-patch” members of the Hells Angels, according to police.

In February last year, members of B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit carried out seven search warrants and seized 1.7 kilograms of cocaine, 3,000 pills, MDMA, LSD, 958 cannabis plants, and more than 70 kilograms of cannabis and cannabis resin. Officers also found three trucks, $40,000 in

cash, 29 firearms, ammunition, a money counter, and a ring worth more than $100,000.

“In addition to items seized from the search warrants, three residences have been restrained and a large diamond ring … is now subject to a civil forfeiture proceeding,” RCMP wrote in the release.

Four men and a woman were arrested in the 2021 raid and released without charges at the time.

Charges against Timmins, Goodkey and Wilson were approved Thursday.

Each faces one count or more related to the trafficking of cocaine or cannabis, and trafficking in association with or for the benefit of a criminal organization. Wilson is further charged with storing firearms in a careless manner, while Goodkey is charged with trafficking prohibited weapons and magazines,

Woman with serious injuries rescued from burning house in East Vancouver

Canada will give Ukraine $115 million to help rebuild its basic infrastructure as many people in the country face a winter without electricity, heat or running water.

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland is set to make the announcement in Paris, at an international pledging conference where governments are set to make their commitments to rebuild the war-torn country. The money is coming from tariff revenues imposed upon imports of Russian and Belarusian goods. The Canadian government revoked most favoured nation status from both countries in the spring. Without that status, which WTO countries generally give each other, any goods imported into Canada from those countries pay 35 per cent tariffs.

In recent months, Russia has fired missiles on the country’s basic infrastructure damaging power lines and generating plants, leaving many people in Ukraine without power. G7 leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, met virtually Monday with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In advance of the conference, Freeland said the government would do all it could to help Ukraine through winter.

“The brave people of Ukraine continue to need the world’s support as they fight for their freedom and democracy, and Canada will continue to do everything we can to ensure they can make it through the winter and beat back Putin’s barbaric invasion.

Trade minister apologizes for breaking conflict of interest rules, but refuses to resign

International Trade Minister Mary Ng has apologized after Canada’s conflict of interest and ethics commissioner concluded she placed herself in a conflict of interest through her involvement in a decision by her office to award contracts to a friend’s company.

Ng’s office signed contracts for media and communications training with public relations agency Pomp & Circumstance, co-founded and run by Amanda Alvaro.

The commissioner stated in his report, released Tuesday, that Ng and Alvaro are friends according to the definition in the Conflict of Interest Act. Alvaro is a regular panellist on CBC’s Power & Politics.

The contracts were signed on behalf of the minister in March 2019 and April 2020.

“Minister Ng twice failed to recognize a potential conflict of interest involving a friend, an oversight of her obligations under the Conflict of Interest Act,” Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion said in a news release. “There is simply no excuse for contracting with a friend’s company.”

In a statement posted to Twitter Tuesday, Ng apologized.

“I take full responsibility for my actions. I should have recused myself and apologize to all for not having done so,” Ng said in the statement.

“At no time was there an issue of any personal benefit for me, nor any intention for anyone to benefit inappropriately.” Conservative MP James Bezan asked the commissioner in May 2022 to examine the April 2020 contract.

BC doctor speaks out over respiratory illness-related deaths

A B.C. doctor is calling for more to be done to protect children from influenzarelated illness, which experts say has claimed more lives in recent weeks than typical respiratory virus seasons.

Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi, a clinical professor of surgery at UBC, says in the early stages of the pandemic, the elderly were the most vulnerable but now it’s children who are most at risk. “I’ve taken care of the sickest of sick children over three decades as a heart surgeon. Seeing them die of respiratory illnesses like influenza is just truly heartbreaking,” Gandhi said. The pediatric cardiac surgeon in

Vancouver says recently, he’s had to transition from the operating room to support patients with respiratory illnesses.

“Kids are dying from this and we just don’t see that in a normal flu year. There are kids requiring very intense forms of life support like ventilators or ECMO heart-lung by-pass machines,” Gandhi told Global News.

Gandhi believes the current crisis affecting children is a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, in part because of how various strains of the virus can damage the immune system.

Provinces must commit to health-care reform, Trudeau says as health systems strain

The federal and provincial governments appear deadlocked in their negotiations on the future of health care in Canada, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s latest comments suggest he will not be the one to blink first.

In a year-end interview with The Canadian Press on Monday, Trudeau said he’s not willing to kick health-care reform down the road any further, even as provincial premiers clamour for more federal funds to bolster their ailing health systems.

“It wouldn’t be the right thing to do to just throw more money at the problem and sit back and watch the problem not get fixed because we didn’t use this moment to say, ‘No, no, no, it’s time to improve the system,’” Trudeau said.

The stalemate is happening while children’s hospitals across the country are inundated with kids suffering from respiratory diseases. In some cases, hospitals have been overwhelmed by the calamitous combination of record numbers of sick patients and critically low numbers of staff to treat them. The problem goes back to more than a year ago, when provinces first demanded a sit-down with the prime minister to talk about longterm and sustainable funding increases after pandemic strain left them with large backlogs and a burnt-out workforce.

They want to see Ottawa cover 35 per cent of health-care costs across the country, up from the current 22 per cent, by increasing the Canada Health Transfer.

Canada to give $115 million to help rebuild Ukraine’s energy, water infrastructure

One of British Columbia’s most respected labour mediators has been called in to try and break an impasse in contract negotiations for the province’s paramedics.

Vince Ready arrived Thursday morning and has signed on for two days with the Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. and their provincial employer, according to union president Troy Clifford.

“To see if he can assess where we are at and where we can get some common ground and help us get to those key issues … see how far apart we are and where we can get from there — so we’re optimistic,” Clifford told Global News.

“But if we don’t get some significant progress in the near future, we’re going to have to look at escalating to whether we go to the membership for a mandate for job action. We don’t want to get there. Our

message to the government is — with the surplus and the opportunity to fix the ambulance service — now is the time.”

Health Minister Adrian Dix confirmed Ready’s participation in negotiations, and said he remains optimistic both sides can reach a deal. The negotiations come amid persistent reports of paramedic staffing and ambulance delays, particularly in rural parts of the province. At least two cases of people dying while waiting for ambulances were reported this summer.

Paramedics and their employer began negotiations on Oct. 3 and, according to the union, have logged more than 25 bargaining sessions in the months since.

Despite those efforts, Clifford said there has been “no significant progress” on the union’s key priorities.

$100K reward offered for tips on Coastal GasLink camp attack

The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association of B.C. is offering a $100,000 reward for information about an attack on Coastal GasLink employees at a northern work site in February.

RCMP say a group of about 20 people armed with axes attacked security guards and smashed vehicle windows at the site near Houston, wrecking heavy machinery and throwing smoke bombs at officers arriving on the scene.

Association president Chris Gardner says the reward will go to anyone providing information leading to arrests and charges against the “thugs and criminals” behind the attack, which RCMP say

caused millions of dollars in damage.

Anonymous tips are being taken through the Crime Stoppers tip lines and will be passed on to police.

Linda Annis, executive director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers, says it’s reasonable for anyone with information about the attack to fear retaliation.

But

she says the group had never identified any informants, nor has any ever had to testify in court.

Canada reverses immigration decision to make it easier for families to pay medical insurance

Thousands of foreign nationals hoping to live in Canada are elated after Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced changes to how people coming to the country on a super visa can pay for their medical insurance.

Thousands of foreign nationals hoping to live in Canada are elated after Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced changes to how people coming to the country on a super visa can pay for their medical insurance.

Launched in 2011, the super visa program allows permanent residents (PR) and citizens to invite their non-resident parents and grandparents to stay with them in Canada for up to five years at a time.

But to do so, they have been required to pay for medical insurance up-front annually — a sometimes prohibitive price tag which varies depending on age and coverage but is an average of $1,500 for a 65-year-old and potentially higher as applicants get older.

While applicants could previously

pay in monthly instalments, that changed in August when the department announced it would require annual up-front payments.

That prompted a backlash, including an online petition arguing the new payment system was punitive toward families seeking to be reunited and was resulting in fewer applications being granted.

But this week, the department confirmed its decision has been reversed, and families can once again make monthly payments. The move has been welcomed by applicants, as well as insurance and immigration experts, as a way to make it easier for families to reunite.

That’s a relief for Amritpal Singh, who lives in Surrey, B.C. and is hoping to invite his parents, who are in India, to come live with him next summer.

He says the prospect of paying for a full year of medical insurance for each of them was daunting, and he welcomes the chance to break it down into smaller payments.

A new report on vehicle insurance in B.C., and how rates are more expensive in nearly every other province, is facing criticism.

The report, done by Ernst and Young, was released last week, with ICBC issuing a press release with the headline ‘B.C. drivers pay among the lowest auto insurance rates in Canada.’

The 42-page report compared various scenarios of drivers and their insurance rates. In all, there were 30 profiles across nine provinces, with Quebec being the exception. However, shortly after the report was issued, two insurance agencies came out and said the report “should be taken with a grain of salt.”

“Any time we see a monopoly insurance company putting out a report extolling the virtues of a monopoly company, we should really take it with a healthy dose of skepticism,” said Aaron Sutherland, vice-president of the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

“And this latest report from ICBC is no exception. To that, it presents a skewed picture of prices across the country in comparison to itself.”

Sutherland said there were

holes in the report, such as why Quebec wasn’t included.

In the report, it was noted that “information at the granular level of detail required for the comparisons was not available in Quebec.”

The report also noted that rates from other provinces were collected from a broad sample of quotes obtained online.

“ICBC is comparing a no-fault insurance market with markets where you can still sue for pain and suffering,” said Sutherland. “That’s not really an apples-to-apples comparison.

“But there is one province in Canada that is a no-fault province but also has competition of choice, and that’s Quebec. That was the one province that ICBC omitted from its comparison and I think that was deliberate.”

Sutherland claims the average driver pays $900 a year for vehicle insurance in Quebec, while the average B.C. driver pays $1,200.

“If you want to talk about what is a more effective auto insurance system under a no-fault model, it’s pretty clear that Quebec is where we should be looking,” said Sutherland.

Visit

Website www.theasianstar.com

Veteran B.C. mediator Vince Ready deployed to break

paramedic contract impasse

Kajol praises SRK

Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan’s professional relationship goes back a long way. The two actors have worked together on numerous Bollywood hits, and are often regarded as one of Hindi cinema’s most beloved on-screen pairs. In an appearance on the Beerbiceps podcast, Kajol attempted to decode the secret to Shah Rukh’s sustained stardom, and recalled a couple of anecdotes as well. She said, “Shah Rukh is one of those people who recognised very early on who he was on screen, who he was expected to be, and pretty much lived up to those expectations. I remember once on his birthday, I was like, ‘It’s your birthday, I’m coming to see you’.

He said, ‘Come, come, but today’s not a good day’. I said, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘I have to go out, I have to meet all these people, at the end of the day, my birthday’s not my own anymore. I belong to these people’. And that’s who he is.”

Community news

Season’s get together and group birthday celebrations

Last chance to register by paying your share of $30.00 each, to attend Christmas, Get Together and group Birthday celebrations on Dec. 26th 2022 (Monday) at Ultimate Banquet hall #200 - 8072 - 120th street Surrey BC from 6.00 pm to 9.30 pm. We have to pay $45.00, per person to the Banquet hall and

our sponsors will cover the balance and the drinks. For group birthday celebration, there will be cake cutting ceremony and everybody will be served piece of cake along with the desserts. The members having their birthday between October 2nd to Dec. 31st will contribute $5.00 extra to cover the cost of cake. For more info call: 604 - 507 - 9945 for registration or further details.

Name change

I,

Ganganagar (Rajisthan) India 335038 and presently residing at 12-15065 58 Avenue, Surrey BC Canada V3S 8Z5, do hereby change my name from Gurkirat Singh to Gurkirat Grewal with immediate effect.

BJP activists in Uttar Pradesh seek boycott of Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone-starrer ‘Pathaan’

After Madhya Pradesh Minister Narottam Mishra, it is now the BJP activists in Uttar Pradesh who are demanding a boycott of Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone-starrer ‘Pathaan’ for insulting ‘Sanatan sanskriti’.

BJP leader Rajesh Kesarwani said, “Vulgarity with saffron colour was being committed in a song in the movie and it is an insult to the Hindu community and Sanatan culture. Hence, we have expressed our concern.” The BJP leaders have also demanded that the state government ban the movie in Uttar Pradesh with immediate effect and initiate stringent action against the makers.

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Wednesday termed the costumes and scenes in the film “obscene and condemnable”. “Actor Deepika Padukone’s costume is highly objectionable and the song has been shot with a dirty mindset.

The scenes and costumes of the songs should be changed, or we will have to take a decision on its screening in Madhya Pradesh,” Mishra said while accusing the actor of supporting the ‘Tukde Tukde’ gang. Notably, leader of opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly Govind Singh has also expressed his anger on costumes in the song. “The scenes of the song and costumes are highly objectionable. Such things are not acceptable in Indian culture,” Singh said.

Kareena Kapoor

Sharmila Tagore turned 78. Sharmila Tagore is celebrating her 78th birthday on December 8, on this occasion, she received sweet wish from her daughter-in-law Kareena Kapoor as well.

Kareena shared happy moments, posing with her mother-in-law Sharmila and wrote birthday note that reads, “Happy Birthday to my gorgeous mother-in-law,” followed by heart emoticon. In the image, both actresses are twinning in black outfits. They paired their look with beautiful floral print shawls. Kareena’s daughter Sara Ali Khan also shared her birthday post wishing her “dearest Badi Ammi”. She shared a throwback picture with Sharmila Tagore and a recent photo and wrote a sweet birthday note that read, “Happiest birthday my dearest Badi Amma. Thank you for being our rock

Sonakshi named PETA Person of the year 2022

Sweet Sonakshi Sinha, who was most recently seen in the film ‘Double XL’ and will be seen in OTT series ‘Dahaad’, has been named PETA’s 2022 Person of the Year.

The animal rights non-profit organisation conferred upon her the title in order to celebrate her actions to help spare the lives of animals killed for fashion and her strong advocacy for dogs and cats in need.

This year, Sinha appeared in a campaign against the use of animal leather for PETA India, in which she brandished a bag dripping with blood to raise awareness of the more than 1.4 billion cows, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, and other animals who are killed in horrific ways to be turned into leather accessories for the end user.

She advocates for animal- and Earthfriendly vegan leather which are made

from pineapple leaves, cork, fruit waste, and mushrooms.

“Exploited animals have a hero in Sonakshi Sinha,” said PETA India Vice President of Celebrity and Public Relations Sachin Bangera. “Whether she is inspiring vegan fashion, encouraging dog adoption from shelters, or helping fight crimes against animals, PETA India recognises Sonakshi for being an animal rights powerhouse.”

Past recipients of PETA India’s Person of the Year Award include former Supreme Court Justice K.S. Panicker Radhakrishnan, cricketer Virat Kohli, comedian Kapil Sharma; and actors Alia Bhatt, John Abraham, Anushka Sharma, Sunny Leone, R. Madhavan, Jacqueline Fernandez, Hema Malini, and Sonam Kapoor Ahuja.

Salman Khan welcomes the stars Huma Qureshi, Sonakshi Sinha, Zaheer Iqbal in Bigg Boss.

Gurkirat Singh S/o Surender Pal Singh, holder of Indian Passport No. R5390408 issued at Vancouver BC on 23/08/2017, permanent resident of Village 19Z, Tehsil Sri

Ashok Kumar

One

Ashok Kumar was born as Kumudlal Ganguly on 13 October , 1911. Also known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and fondly called Dadamoni Ashok Kumar was a great actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was member of the cinematic, charismatic Ganguly family.

He was honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1988, the highest national award for cinema artists, by the Government of India and also received the Padma Bhushan in 1999 for his contributions to Indian cinema.

Ashok Kumar was born Kumudlal Ganguly to a Bengali Hindu Brahmin family in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency, British India (present-day Bihar, India).

His father, Kunjlal Ganguly, was a lawyer while his mother, Gouri Devi, was a house wife. Kumudlal was the eldest of four children. His only sister was Sati Devi.

Next was his brother, Kalyan, more than 14 years younger (born in1927), who later took the screen name Anoop Kumar. The youngest of the family was Abhas Kumar Ganguly (born in 1929), whose screen name was Kishore Kumar (one of the best artist, actor, and singer). Although the eldest by several years, Kumudlal Ganguly outlived all his siblings.

While still teenager and well before he had even given thought to a career in films, the young Kumudlal was married to Shobha, a girl of his own Brahmin community and

Ananya Panday made her acting career debut in 2019 with teen film Student of the Year 2, co-starring Tiger Shroff and Tara Sutaria, which was produced by Dharma Productions.

Writing for Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath felt that Panday showed potential in an unremarkable film. The film underperformed at the box office.

similar family background

Ashok Kumar was educated at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, Kolkata, where he studied to become a lawyer. However, his heart was not in his law studies. Ganguly was more interested in cinema, in which he dreamt of working as technician.

He started emerging from Devika Rani’s shadow owing to pairing opposite Leela Chitnis, another actress who was senior to him in age as well as stature. Back-to-back successes with Kangan (1939), Bandhan (1940) and Azad (1940) saw Ashok Kumar emerge as a popular actor in his own right. The success of Jhoola (1941), in which he starred opposite Leela Chitnis, established him as one of the most bankable actors of the era.

The Gyan Mukherjee directed 1943 movie Kismet, featuring Ashok Kumar as the first anti-hero in Indian Cinema smashed all existing box office records, becoming the first Hindi movie to gross 1 crore at the box office. The success of Kismet made Ashok Kumar the first superstar of Indian cinema. Such was his popularity at the time that, in the words of Manto, “Ashok’s popularity grew each passing day. He seldom ventured out, but wherever he was spotted, he was mobbed. Traffic would come to a stop and often the police would have to use lathis to disperse his fans.”

Ananya Panday

Anna M. M. Vetticad from Firstpost wrote, “The surprise in this ensemble is Ananya Panday who brings a gravitas to Tia’s confusion and innocence that makes you wonder why she chose to debut with the hollow gloss of Student of the Year 2”.

Hema Malini took Twitter to share series of photos from an intimate birthday celebrations of star of yester years, Dharmendra. His photo with daughters Esha Deol, Ahana Deol, and son-in-law Bharat Takhtani, there were few more photos of popular Bollywood couple Hema & Dharam.

Panday next starred in Pati Patni Aur Woh (2019), a remake of the 1978 film of the same name, alongside Kartik Aaryan and Bhumi Pednekar. She played a secretary who indulges in an affair with a married man, which was portrayed by Ranjeeta Kaur in the original India Today mentioned that Pandey is “bland and boring with no spice.” With a worldwide gross of ₹1.15 billion (US$14 million), it emerged as a commercial success.

Panday won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her performance in both Student of the Year 2 and Pati Patni Aur Woh.

In 2020, Panday appeared in the action film Khaali Peeli, starring Ishaan Khatter. The film was released digitally on Zee Plex. She next appeared alongside Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi in the 2022 romantic drama Gehraiyaan, which released on Amazon Prime Video.

Her final release of the year came with Vijay Deverakonda in Puri Jagannadh’s action film Liger, a bilingual production in Hindi and Telugu.

The film was a critical and commercial failure, with Panday’s performance being panned.

Panday will next appear in the comingof-age film Kho Gaye Hum Kahan alongside Chaturvedi and Adarsh Gourav, and in the spiritual sequel Dream Girl 2 alongside Ayushmann Khurrana.

AnanyaPandaywasbornon30October1998 to actor Chunky Panday and costume designer Bhavna Panday. She studied at Dhirubhai Ambani International School until 2017. She participated in Vanity Fair’s Le Bal des débutantes event in Paris in 2017.

In 2019, Panday launched an initiative named So Positive to create awareness about social media bullying, prevent negativity and build a positive community.

of the greatest actors of Indian cinema

Happy Birthday to you, Dharm

Strata tries to charge B.C. woman $14K in ‘move-in’ fees for Airbnb guests

A B.C. woman who faced $14,000 in fines for renting out her Burnaby condo for shortterm accommodations has had her bill cleared by the province’s Civil Resolution Tribunal.

Jeannie Frost has won her claim against Strata Plan BCS3463, which is listed as the owner of 9009 Cornerstone Mews, on Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus.

The strata wanted Frost to pay a $200 move-in fee for each of 56 times Airbnb guests rented her space between 2016 and 2020, according to the decision by CRT member Micah Carmody.

In a letter sent in March, the strata informed Frost of the move-in fees, as well as $50 fines she faced for breaking a bylaw contravention that requires tenants to provide a form when new occupants take over a property.

While the strata argued the move-in fees create accountability, Carmody found there wasn’t evidence to support the charges were reasonable.

“I do not agree that a fee imposed for each occupancy change creates accountability. It is not like a damage deposit that is returned to Ms. Frost or the occupant if they cause no damage,” Carmody wrote in the decision.

With no photos of damage to common property, or invoices showing maintenance costs accrued, the CRT also found a $50 fee for moves that don’t involve furniture was unreasonable.

Frost has owned a unit in the residential building since 2009. The agreements she made through Airbnb were licenses, not tenancies, Carmody ruled. As a result, Frost was not required to provide any documentation regarding bylaw contravention.

Court orders City of Vancouver to reconsider rejected tower at Keefer Street

A controversial Chinatown condo development rejected by the City of Vancouver more than five years ago may have another shot at life.

Vancouver’s Development Permit Board voted down the proposed 111-unit development at 105 Keefer St. in November 2017 — the fifth and final time the proposal failed to win approval.

But on Friday, a B.C. Supreme Court judge ordered the board to take another look at the proposal.

In the ruling, posted Monday, Justice Jan Brongers dismissed developer Beedie Holdings Ltd.’s arguments that it had been denied procedural fairness and that the permit board lacked the authority to scuttle the project.

But she found the board’s decision was nevertheless “substantively unreasonable” because the board had failed to provide adequate reasons for its decision. In its petition for judicial review, Beedie argued that there had not been a single recent case in which the Development Permit Board had outright refused a permit. Instead, the board’s standard practice was to approve applications, subject to conditions.

The developer argued that accordingly, the board was obligated to explain why

it had departed from this longstanding practice, and that since it hadn’t, its decision was unreasonable.The city denied there had been any departure from past practice, and that the board had provided a detailed enough explanation for its decision to meet its legal requirements.

The ruling notes Beedie provided an affidavit showing that of 111 permit applications considered between 2012 and 2017, Beedie’s was the only one that was rejected outright. Other applications, had been permitted, though with conditions that had to be satisfied before the permit was granted.

Brongers concluded that the board’s Nov. 6, 2017, decision to reject the DP Application without indicating what conditions Beedie would have needed to obtain the board’s approval was “a departure from past practice that violated Beedie’s legitimate expectations.”

“In these circumstances, the Board had a burden to explain and justify this departure in its reasons,” Brongers ruled.

“However, I have searched in vain for such a justificatory explanation in the transcript of the Board members’ remarks made at the November 6, 2017 meeting, and in the November 16, 2017 letter to Beedie that confirmed the denial of the DP Application.

Homes sales & prices dropping in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows

With rising interest rates cooling an overheated housing market, realtors in Maple Ridge say they are seeing a return to more normal conditions.

November is typically a quiet month of market activity, but home sales and listing totals have lagged below the region’s longterm averages, according to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV). The board reports home sales in the region totalled 1,614 in November 2022, which is less than half of the 3,428 sales recorded in November 2021. Last month’s sales were also 36.9 per cent below the 10-year November sales average.

Locally, it’s the same story in Maple Ridge/ Pitt Meadows. In the months of September, October and November of 2021 there were 349 house sales, but the same three months in 2022 saw 200 sales – a drop of 42.7 per cent. Townhouses also dropped from 144 sales to 95 in the same period, year over year, for a 34 per cent drop. And apartment sales dropped from 172 in 2021, to 74 in 2022. That’s a drop of 57 per cent.

“There are listings, and it’s a great market for buyers,” said Faulkner. “They have time to look at a variety of homes and make thoughtful decisions.”

“They aren’t having to make

big decisions in a weekend.”

The market had been so hot that buyers were forced to make offers with no subjects. Now, they can attach conditions to their purchases – such as subject to the sale of their own home, she said.

“It’s a typical market, where a house can be on the market for 30 to 60 days, and there is nothing wrong with it.”

Over the past six months, local prices are down almost 20 per cent for a house.

Across the Lower Mainland they have dropped 14 per cent to a benchmarch of $1.65 million. In Maple Ridge they are down 18 per cent to $1.18 million and in Pitt Meadows down 20 per cent to $1.16 million.

Townhouses are down 15 per cent to $730,000 in Maple Ridge, and down nine per cent to $840,000 in Pitt Meadows. Across the Lower Mainland, the benchmark has dropped 11 per cent to $915,000.

Apartment prices have dropped 10 per cent in both cities, to $518,000 in Maple Ridge and $583,000 in Pitt Meadows. Across the region, the benchmark price is $671,000, down eight per cent.

“Heading into 2023, the market continues the trend of shifting toward historical averages and typical seasonal norms,” said Andrew Lis, REBGV’s director, economics and data analytics. “Whether t

Why the mortgage stress test is likely here to stay, even as qualifying rates hit 8%

Last week’s Bank of Canada interest rate hike has pushed the qualifying rate under Canada’s mortgage stress test to above eight per cent for many borrowers, raising questions about whether the test is too strict. The concerns come as regulators prepare to announce a review of the stress test on Dec. 15. On Friday, the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI), Canada’s top banking regulator, poured cold water on calls to amend the formula amid soaring interest rates, which have climbed 400 basis points so far this year, “We see great risk in speculating on the mortgage rate cycle, and we do not consider the minimum qualifying rate to be a tool to manage the demand for housing,” OSFI superintendent Peter Routledge said in a statement. “We see the minimum qualifying rate as an underwriting practice that adds an important safety buffer to residential mortgage portfolios, the largest exposure Canadian lenders have on their books.”

In 2018, the Canadian government rolled out the mortgage stress test. Since then, federally regulated lenders have been

forced to ensure borrowers could still afford their payments at an interest rate two percentage points higher than the contract rate being offered.

With the big banks now offering a prime lending rate of 6.45 per cent following the latest Bank of Canada rate increase, the qualifying rate for many mortgages will exceed eight per cent.

Dan Eisner, chief executive of True North Mortgage, said that since Wednesday’s rate hike, a homebuyer must earn around $200,000 a year to afford a million-dollar home.

“A typical client has $10,000 worth of credit card debt and a car payment so you’re going to have to be making about $200,000 a year to buy that home with a 20 per cent down payment … given that you have some other debt,” Eisner said in an interview.

Average home prices in Toronto and Vancouver both exceed the million dollar threshold, while the national average home price stood at $644,643 in

October, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association.

While OSFI put the emphasis on protecting lending portfolios, the stress test does so by giving borrowers a buffer in the event interest rates rise or their personal financial situation changes, such as through job loss or a drop in income. It also ensures borrowers have some protection against other changes in the economy, such as recessions or the climbing cost of living. Currently, all of those issues are at play.

Even before Routledge’s statement was released on Friday, most mortgage industry professionals suspected that OSFI planned to leave things as they are when it announces its review this week. “I would say that the stress test is proving its value,” Robert Hogue, assistant chief economist at the Royal Bank of Canada said in an interview last week. “It was

largely designed to protect against what we’ve experienced since March — a sharp rise in interest rates — and to ensure that the vast majority of borrowers are able to manage the increase and not get in trouble. This is a very important safeguard tool that is in the policymakers’ toolbox.”

While Hogue said a case could be made to soften the buffer as the odds that rates rise by another two percentage points have diminished, he said there is still too much uncertainty about the path of the economy.

“I suspect that OSFI is going to leave things as they are,” he said. Bank of Montreal economist Robert Kavcic said he sympathizes with borrowers.

“Fundamentally, the issue here is that the stress test was really designed to operate in an extraordinarily low interest rate environment, under the assumption that that period was not normal,” Kavcic said in an interview. “Now that we’ve gotten back to a period that’s more normal, I can sympathize with the question out there, ‘Do we still need to qualify people 200 basis points above rates that are on the ground today?’ ”

Low income renters can now apply for one-time $500 housing benefit top-up

For many Canadians, rising inflation and the high cost of living have made it even more challenging to find a safe and affordable place to call home. Renter households are four times more likely to experience core housing needs than homeowners. That is why the Government of Canada has taken concrete action to help renters who need it most.

Today, the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue, and the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of

Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, are taking action and announcing that applications for the new one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit are now open. This benefit is a one-time payment of $500 to eligible lower-income renters experiencing housing affordability challenges. Canadians must meet all the following

conditions to be eligible for the new benefit: have filed a 2021 tax return; be at least 15 years of age as of December 1, 2022; be a resident in Canada in 2022 for tax purposes; have an adjusted family net income of $20,000 or less for individuals, or $35,000 or less for families; have paid at least 30% of their 2021 adjusted

family net income on rent for their principal residence in the 2022 calendar year; and be able to provide their 2022 address(es) and landlord’s contact information. Eligible applicants can quickly and easily apply for the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit through their Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) My Account. If applicants are registering for My Account for the first time, they will not need to wait for their security code in the mail; they can still access limited services in My Account

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Bangladesh arrests chief of largest Islamist party as protests to oust PM spreads

Bangladeshi police have arrested the chief of the country’s largest Islamist party, days after it announced that it would join the main opposition in protests to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Counter-terrorism officers arrested Jamaat-e-Islami party emir Shafiqur Rahman in Dhaka, police spokesman Faruq Ahmed said, without elaborating on the charges.

A spokesman for Jamaat – the country’s third-largest political party, which has been banned from contesting elections since 2012 – condemned the arrest of the 64-year-old, saying it was intended to “scuttle the opposition’s anti-government movement”. “This is just another episode of the unjust oppression continuing against the party for the last 15 years,” said Jamaat publicity secretary Matiur Rahman Akand.

For years, Jamaat was a major ally of the right-of-centre main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Their coalition ruled the country between 2001 and 2006.

But after Ms Hasina came to power in 2009, Jamaat’s entire leadership was arrested

and tried for war crimes dating back to the country’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan. Five of its top leaders were hanged between 2013 and 2016 after they were found guilty by a war crimes court.

The party called the trials politically motivated and part of a wider vendetta against its leaders. Hundreds of party activists were shot dead and tens of thousands detained after they staged violent protests against the executions.

The fresh arrest of Jamaat’s chief came days after two of the BNP’s leaders were arrested on charges of inciting violence on the eve of a giant anti-government rally last Saturday.

The BNP has demanded Ms Hasina step down and let a caretaker government hold a free and fair election.

The opposition says a credible vote under her is impossible after she was accused of rigging the past two general elections in 2014 and 2018.

Jamaat and several left-leaning and centrist parties have supported the BNP’s

demands. They also announced that they would hold protests jointly with the BNP. Police in November also arrested

Mr Rahman’s son, Mr Rafat Sadik Saifullah, on extremism charges and remanded him in custody under Bangladesh’s harsh anti-terrorism laws.

prides itself on supplying the best for those who want to guarantee they are growing something natural and chemical free. If you are looking for non-GMO seeds, racks of organic seeds, salad mixes, seed tapes, wild flower containers sprinkle for covering large areas, Art Knapps is your one-stop shop.

The Tata Group plans to open 100 small exclusiveApplestoresacrossIndia,according to a report on Monday (December 12).

A report in Economic Times (ET) cited two people aware of the development.

Apple is tying up with Tata-owned Infiniti Retail, which runs the Croma store chain, for the venture, they said, as per the report. Infiniti Retail will become an Apple franchisee partner and intends to open 100 such outlets of 500-600 sq ft each at malls as well as high-street and neighbourhood locations, it added.

“Tata has already started discussions with premium malls and high streets for space,” a retail consultant aware of the development told ET.

According to him, the lease terms include details of brands and stores that can’t be opened near the outlet, and this is similar to the terms that Apple insists on.

In September, a Bloomberg report said that the Tata Group is in talks with a Taiwanese supplier to Apple to establish an electronics manufacturing joint venture in India to assemble iPhones in the country.

The discussions with Wistron Corp. are aimed at making Tata a force in technology manufacturing, and the Tata Group wants to tap the Taiwanese company’s expertise in product development, supply chain and assembly, the report cited

Mukesh Ambani to buy Arsenal from Stan Kroenke over Manchester United or Liverpool

Indian multi-billionaire Mukesh Ambani has a significant interest in purchasing a Premier League club and has been tipped to choose Arsenal over Liverpool or Manchester United and for a particular reason, according to reports.

Despite the recent news surrounding Fenway Sports Group (FSG), who own Liverpool, and The Glazer family, who own Man United, both seeking outside investment, Ambani would seemingly prefer to purchase the Gunners.

In 2008, Ambani bought IPL cricket team Mumbai Indians and also went on to help create Indian football’s Super

League and he seemingly has his next major move in sport planned out. FSG have been at the helm of the Merseyside club for 12 years and despite releasing a statement insisting they are “fully committed to the success” of the Reds, new investment opportunities are being sought-after.

However, Indian media outlet ABP News claimed that a representative of Ambani’s Mumbai-based Reliance Industries firm branded the reports as ‘fake’. The Athletic are now reporting that Ambani would rather purchase the north London outfit, rather than Man Utd or Liverpool. The main reason given is simple - his son is an Arsenal supporter.

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Significance of Chinese incursion into the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh

Beijing’s claim to Arunachal Pradesh is historically untenable but it has geopolitical motives .

On December 9, China raked up the issue of Arunachal Pradesh, which it calls “Southern Tibet”, by violating the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Tawang sector. In the clash that followed the incursion, 20 Indian soldiers and a much higher number Chinese were reportedly injured. Though the status quo ante was quickly restored through local commander-level talks, the Chinese intrusion cannot be taken as a one-

in an area which is very sensitive.

Unlike the border region of Ladakh, which is both sparsely populated and distant from mainland India, Arunachal Pradesh is populated and near other populated Indian States. During the 1962 war, China had briefly occupied Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, then known as the North Eastern Frontier Agency (NEFA). Therefore, any Chinese incursions into Arunachal Pradesh could well unsettle India militarily and politically.

Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi stressed that India has become the thirdlargest aviation market in the world, thanks to the efforts of the people after opening the first phase of Mopa international airport in Goa. According to Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, the nation has made every effort to increase the “Ease of Travel” for visitors during the past eight years.

off incident that can be brushed under the carpet as another LAC violation. Beijing’s aggressive intrusion can be seen as an attempt to keep the issue of sovereignty over Arunachal Pradesh alive so that this can be used to give anxious moments to India as and when a need arises. But French Tibetologist, Claude Arpi, thinks that China could be trying to put pressure on India to concede Aksai Chin, and in return, secure legitimate control over Arunachal Pradesh in a swap at a later date.

There could be a current perspective too. With New Delhi getting close to the US politically and militarily, and as a consequence, constantly talking about making the Indo-Pacific region free from China’s hegemonic moves, China feels the need to needle India

A further reason for unsettling India, at this point of time, is the massive preparation India is making for the G20 meetings it will be hosting in 2023. China is irked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s bid to use the summit to showcase India’s claim to be a regional and global power. China has consistently challenged India’s bid to claim this status. The 1962 war was primarily meant to puncture Nehruvian India’s bid to lead Asia.

Earlier on, China began issuing “stapled passports” to Indians who had worked in Arunachal Pradesh. This was to conceptually “delink” the State from India. Apart from showing Arunachal Pradesh as part of China in their maps, the Chinese also renamed 15 places in that State. More recently they set up a new village in an area in Arunachal Pradesh they still occupy, and abducted Arunachal locals describing them as “intruders”. On its part, India completely integrated Arunachal Pradesh with it by changing its name from North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) to Arunachal Pradesh and conferring Statehood on it.

The airport was built to boost tourism and aviation connectivity in the coastal state. In honour of the late BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Goa, Mr. Manohar Parrikar, Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi said that the airport will be called Manohar International Airport.

The airport at Mopa will be Goa’s second; the other is in Dabolim. With a price tag of US$ 347 million (Rs. 2,870 crores), the airport was constructed under

the concept of sustainable infrastructure. The airport is intended to accelerate the state’s socioeconomic growth. The airport’s first phase will serve about 4.4 million passengers annually (MPPA), with a saturation level of 33 MPPA. The airport is equipped with cutting-edge technology such as stabilroad, robomatic hollow precast walls, 3-D monolithic precast structures, and 5G compatible IT infrastructure. The airport, which has a runway large enough to accommodate the largest aircraft in the world, 14 parking spaces, and a facility for aircraft night parking, self-baggage drop facilities, stateof-the-art, and independent air navigation infrastructure, etc., demonstrates the government’s push for enabling infrastructure with high-end facilities.

Centre to order 15 more C-295s from Tata-Airbus’ Vadodara facility: Report

The Centre is planning to acquire 15 additional C-295 military transport aircraft for the Navy and Coast Guard under the Rs 21,935 crore Tata-Airbus project. This is in addition to 56 twinturboprop C-295 aircraft, which were originally planned to be delivered to India, as reported by the Times of India (TOI).

Out of 15, nine C-295s will be acquired for the Navy and six for Coast Guard. The TOI report added that they would be equipped with multi-mode radars,

electro-optic cameras and sonobuoys.

Airbus Defence and Space in Spain will modify an initial couple of planes. The rest will be manufactured in the Tata-Airbus facility in Vadodara. On October 30, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the facility.

The first “Made in India” C-295, which will be able to carry 71 soldiers, is expected to roll out in September 2026.

The report added that the 15 additional aircraftarelikelytocostaroundRs18,000crore.

India now third largest aviation market in the world: PM Modi

Rs 1.25 lakh cr of black money confiscated by Modi govt: Ashwini Vaishnaw

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said that around ₹ 1.25 lakh crore of black money have been recovered by the Government so far and disproportionate assets worth ₹ 4,600 crore have been attached.

Recalling a remark by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi where he said that only 15 paise of a rupee kept for the welfare of the poor reaches the poor, the union minister pointed out that “today 100 per cent amount reaches the beneficiaries through DBT (Direct Bank Transfers).”

“Then PM Rajeev Gandhi said that 85 per cent of schemes just go away and do not reach the people, but today ₹ 26 lakh crore rupees have been directly transferred to people’s account and the saving is close to ₹ 2.25 lakh crore, so imagine that much of saving has to happen direct benefit to the people have received,” the minister told ANI.

Speaking about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Good Governance model, the Union minister said that the “PM has a clear vision that the country should not go towards shortcut politics but good governance.”

“PM has prepared a digital structure to make sure that good governance reaches every person in the country,” he said.

“Good governance has multiple dimensions-- first one is digital dimension, use of digital technology starting from 45 crore Jan Dhan accounts, getting 135 crore aadhars, once that structure is in its place, direct benefit started going to the account of the people,” Mr Vaishnaw explained.

He also underlined other dimensions of good governance due to digitisation. “Where many countries are still struggling with their vaccination programme, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India has completed 216 crore vaccinations using a digital platform- CoWIN,” Mr Vaishnav said.

The minister pointed out that close to 125 crore farmers have also enrolled at the platform e-NAM (an electronic trading portal for connecting the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Mandis for creating a national market for agricultural commodities).

BSNL 5G Services to Be Rolled Out Across 1.35 Lakh Towers in 5-7 Months, Telecom Minister SaysBSNL 5G Services to Be Rolled Out Across 1.35 Lakh Towers in 5-7 Months, Telecom Minister Says

Congress leader arrested amid backlash over remarks on PM Modi

Congress leader and former Madhya Pradesh minister Raja Pateriya was detained on Tuesday in connection with his controversial remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pateriya was detained from his residence a day after he was booked for allegedly asking people to “kill”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “save” the Constitution. In the video, Pateriya was heard clarifying that by “killing” he meant defeating Modi electorally but the objectionable comment triggered a huge backlash.

“Modi will end the elections. Modi will divide on the basis of religion, caste and language. The future of Dalits, tribals and minorities is in danger. If you want to save the Constitution, then be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him,” the state Congress vice-president said while addressing a meeting of Congress workers at Powai town in Panna district. The FIR against the former state

minister for technical education was registered by Panna police on the directions of state home minister Narottam Mishra after the video went viral. The video triggered a political row as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the Congress. Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the “reality of those who are undertaking Bharat Jodo Yatra is coming to the fore”. “Congress people are not able to compete with PM Narendra Modi in the field, that’s why a Congress leader is talking about killing him. This is the height of hatred. True feelings of Congress are being revealed. An FIR is being registered against him and law will take its course,” Chouhan said in a statement.

After the backlash, Pateriya released a clarification video saying, “I am a follower of Gandhi ji and Gandhi’s followers can not talk about murder. The video has been misinterpreted.”

Former Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Raghuram Rajan briefly joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra by walking alongside Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Wednesday, as the march passed through Sawai Madhopur city in Rajasthan.

The Congress tweeted a photo of Rajan with Gandhi, who is leading the journey, with the message, “The number of people standing up against hate, to unite the country, says that we will succeed.”

Rajan had served as the RBI governor from 2013 to 2016. He is also Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His distinguished career also includes his stint as the Chief Economist and Director of Research at the International Monetary Fund from 2003 to 2006.

During his tenure as the RBI governor,

Rajan had been critical of the financial measures taken by the Narendra Modi government, including demonetisation.

However, earlier this year, speaking at an event in Raipur, the former RBI governor had said that India has sufficient foreign exchange reserves and would not land in an economic mess like neighbours Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The BJP quickly retorted to Rajan joining the march, saying that he “fancies himself as the next Manmohan Singh.”

“Raghuram Rajan, former RBI Governor, a Congress appointee, joining Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra is not a surprise. He fancies himself as the next Manmohan Singh. Just that his commentary on India’s economy should be discarded with disdain. It is coloured and opportunistic…,” tweeted Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP’s IT cell.

teenager jumps off Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Indian-American

The 16-year-old boy’s bicycle, phone and bag were found on the bridge. The twelfth grader is believed to have jumped off the bridge at around 4.58 pm on Tuesday, they said. The coastal guards said they immediately carried out a two-hour search and...

An Indian-American teenager is believed to have jumped off the famous Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and died, according to his parents and officials of the US Coastal Guards.

The 16-year-old boy’s bicycle, phone and bag were found on the bridge. The twelfth graderisbelievedtohavejumpedoffthebridge at around 4.58 pm on Tuesday, they said. The coastal guards said they immediately

Days after clashes between Indian and Chinese troops on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday asked why doesn’t India stop its trade with China.

He took to Twitter to pose this question in Hindi.

“Why don’t we stop our trade with China? Most of the commodities

carried out a two-hour search and rescue operation after they confirmed they saw “a human” jumping from the bridge. They said there is little reason to believe that the boy is alive.

Community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria said this is fourth incident involving an Indian American jumping off the Golden Bridge in an apparent suicide attempt.

According to Bridge Rail Foundation, a non-profit organisation that works towards ending suicides on the Golden Gate Bridge, 25 people ended their lives here last year and nearly 2,000 suicide cases have been reported since the bridge opened in 1937.

imported from China are manufactured in India. That way, China will get a lesson, and jobs will come up in India,” Kejriwal wrote on the micro-blogging site.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told Parliament that the Indian Army thwarted an attempt by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to “unilaterally” change the status quo at Yangtse area in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh on December 9.

Why don’t we stop our trade with China, asks Kejriwal

Former RBI governor joins Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

The scheme of free travel for women, started by the previous Congress government, is causing a loss of Rs 1 crore daily for the state-run Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC). Following delays in clearing these dues on time, the PRTC is struggling to carry out expansion and release salaries and pensions on time.

As per estimates, the PRTC is still awaiting Rs 187 crore from the Punjab

Government in lieu of this free travel scheme. From around Rs 100 crore pending in June, the amount has now crossed Rs 187 crore. The government had last month released Rs 50 crore to the PRTC for the disbursal of salaries and pensions.

It is learnt that the government has failed to reimburse Rs 187 crore related to the scheme to the PRTC.

Governor Banwarilal Purohit hits back at Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for writing him a letter regarding the repatriation of UT Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Chahal, stating that the CM was not apprised of the issue by his top officers. The Governor has said he himself told the Chief Secretary,

Punjab, of the proposed repatriation of Chahal on November 28, almost a fortnight before the officer was given his marching orders. In a second salvo fired at Mann, the Governor has also raised the issue of rape of a woman by now arrested AIG Ashish Kapoor and asked Mann to urgently look into the matter.

US based mastermind in behind murder of cloth merchent

The probe into the murder of a Nakodar-based cloth merchant and his gunman led the Punjab Police to a USbased operative who was allegedly trying to put in place a gang to create terror and run an extortion racket in the border state.

He has been identified as Amandeep Singh Purewal, a resident of Yuba County in California and the mastermind of

the crime, DGP Gaurav Yadav said.

Fiji’s main opposition leader disputes election results

Fiji’s main opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka said Thursday that he did not have faith in the vote count of the country’s general elections.

Rabuka, whose People’s Alliance Party is one of the favorites to win the elections held on Wednesday, made these remarks following a technical glitch in the app used by the Fijian Elections Office.

“Before the glitch we were actually ahead in the count. But when the system came back on there was a big change, not in our favor,” Rabuka said at a press conference in Suva.

On Wednesday night, the elections

office suspended the provisional results following a glitch in the app used by the public to track them.

At that time, the People’s Alliance Party was leading, with 2,600 votes, compared to 667 for incumbent Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama’s FijiFirst Party, public broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.

After the app was restored at around 2:30 am, the results showed the ruling party in the lead with 65,949 votes compared to 50,348 for the People’s Alliance Party, with 531 of the 2,071 polling stations counted, it added.

SODELPA demands full count of all votes

The Social Democratic Liberal Party is demanding a full count of the votes cast in the 2022 General Election.

In a press conference this afternoon, SODELPA Leader Viliame Gavoka says they are concerned with the manner of the counting of the provisional results, particularly with the glitch issue.

2014 and the 2018 General Elections.

“We need to be very clear that it was done properly. Any question mark will affect the type of democracy that we will have going forward. We got to have absolute faith that it was done properly and that those who are going to govern us were elected in a transparent manner.”

Pakistan

Court admits plea seeking former PM Imran Khan’s disqualification

Islamabad high court on Wednesday admitted a petition seeking former Pakistan PM Imran Khan’s disqualification as a lawmaker on grounds of him concealing the existence of his allegedly illegitimate daughter, Tyrian White, while filing his nomination papers.

The gifts worth about Rs6 billion and meant for national depository (Toshakhana) were bought by then prime minister Imran Khan for Rs15 million, according

Azeem Rafiq, a 31-year-old BritishPakistani former cricketer, has been forced to leave the UK after his allegations about institutional racism at the Yorkshire County

Bhupinder Singh, alias Timmy Chawla, 39, and his gunman Mandeep Singh were shot dead by five assailants in Nakodar on December 7. Three of the five suspected shooters involved in the killing were arrested from Bathinda. The DGP said Purewal made Timmy his first target and gave Polls have closed in Fiji with Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama vow to respect the election results, the general elections being seen as test of Pacific nation Fiji’s democracy..

The plea has been scheduled for hearing on December 20, making this the second such case against Imran after his disputed disqualification by the country’s election commission in October for allegedly withholding information about his assets and liabilities.

tv anchor

to new report into the Toshakhana) scandal.

The valuables received from foreign countries were allegedly wrongly valued, said a TV anchor on Wednesday.

British-Pakistani cricketer forced to leave UK over racist remarks

Cricket Club (CCC) last year created a storm.

However, speaking for the second time to a British parliamentary select committee, Rafiq said he has “been driven out of

Pakistan’s default risk won’t subside until IMF comes aboard: Former minister

Ruling PML-N party’s own former finance minister Miftah Ismail said that Pakistan’s default risk won’t subside until and unless the International Monetary Fund (IMF) came to the table. “IMF is the lender of last resort […] and when it comes on board, other lenders like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank agree to provide us with loans.

“But if that connection with the IMF breaks or a programme is suspended then other loans stop as well and after that you can’t save Pakistan,” he said.

Pakistan entered a $6bn IMF programme in 2019 and its ninth review is currently pending with remote talks being held between IMF officials and the government for the release of $1.18bn.

Country is facing gas supply shortage for all provinces

Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has officially announced that all provinces of the country will experience at least 16 hours of gas loadshedding this winter as national reserves have been almost depleted. This is a reality that the citizens of Pakistan have begrudgingly come to terms with as the gas crisis has been looming over our heads for quite some time now. The smart thing to do would have been to set up the framework for alternative sources of energy

back when the gas crisis was relatively new and manageable, but we failed to act. The hope is that instead of depriving the population once again, we will use this opportunity to explore other avenues and reduce our reliability of gas.

The gas crisis is one of Pakistan’s major issues and it becomes more prominent amid winter season. Extended hours of loadshedding or low-pressure gas put millions to the test across the country.

Gavoka claims this is the same issue that occurred in

SODELPA candidate Jope Koroisavou says SODELPA is demanding a full manual count and periodic updates.

Bainimarama vows to respect election result as polls close

The vote on Wednesday was the third democratic election in Fiji since Bainimarama, who seized power in a coup in 2006, introduced a new constitution in 2013.

Government yet to pay Rs 187 cr to PRTC for free travel facility to women

CM Bhagwant Mann was not apprised of issue by his officers, says Punjab Governor

Imran Khan bought gifts worth Rs6 billion for Rs15 million, claims

Dave Hayer (BA ’82) and his wife Isabelle have a long-lasting connection with SFU. The pair met for the first time in an elevator in the Bennett Library in 1979 while they were both SFU students. They tied the knot in 1981, and welcomed their first child in 1984; three of their four children would also go on to become proud SFU graduates. Dave, who has been an invaluable member of SFU’s India Advisory Council since 2006, continues to provide his guidance and leadership to strengthen the university’s engagement with India and the local South Asian diaspora. As children of immigrant parents who share a belief in building stronger communities through service and philanthropy, Dave and Isabelle made a generous gift to support SFU students studying journalism through the Dave Sukhdip Singh Hayer and Marie Isabelle Martinez Hayer Bursary in Journalism. The endowed fund means they will provide that support in perpetuity. Dave and Isabelle recently spoke with SFU about their inspiration to give—and why it’s critical to invest in journalists today.

IT’S WONDERFUL THAT SFU HAS SUCH A SPECIAL PLACE IN THE LIFE OF YOUR FAMILY! COULD YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE AND WHY YOU WERE INSPIRED TO GIVE?

Dave: Isabelle and I both worked tirelessly throughout our studies to make ends meet. My father owned a trucking company and would drive one of his trucks out five to six times a week carrying gravel, sand, dirt, as well as blacktop and salt for the roads. I remember helping him wash these trucks every Saturday and Sunday. He also had a newspaper business in the 1970s, so I spent much of my time supporting him with that as well. I began my studies at Douglas College in 1977 and took on a part-time position at their student newspaper The Other Press. Two years later, I transferred to SFU but continued to work at the publication throughout my studies until 1982.

If I wasn’t working hard, I was studying hard. I used to go to the library in the morning and stay in the same cubicle until they closed at night.

Isabelle: It was difficult for me to attend SFU because my parents had a restaurant on the Sunshine Coast and relied on my help. I would commute regularly from the Sunshine Coast

Press release

Building better democracies through journalism

WORKED IN PUBLISHING FOR MANY YEARS. IS THIS WHY YOU WANTED TO DIRECT YOUR GIFT IN THIS WAY?

Dave: We face a lot of challenges in journalism when it comes to misinformation. In this day and age, it’s difficult to tell what is true. We wanted to support a student with a passion for the field, and to encourage them to think

critically and have robust conversations about the media. The role of the media is to provide accurate and important information for citizens to participate in political life. For this to happen, we need news to represent a wide range of issues from many different perspectives and with a diversity of voices, but today we see a lot of people doing harm and spreading fake news.

to SFU to attend class so that I could manage both commitments. The struggle that I faced is just one of the reasons why we want to support students—because I really had a difficult time balancing family responsibilities with my desire to further my education. Unfortunately, there weren’t as many support systems in place at the time to help students that were facing similar struggles. We cherish the SFU structure that we have seen develop over the years and its commitment to providing equity-based awards for students. Our personal struggles may have made us more resilient, but it’s financial support that transforms lives and opens opportunities.

Dave: Yes, SFU is very close to our hearts. Whenever I was stressed, I would drive up Burnaby Mountain, and it’s like another world. It’s a beautiful university—except maybe in the winter, when you get stuck in the snow!

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO ESTABLISH AN ENDOWED BURSARY INSTEAD OF ANOTHER TYPE OF AWARD?

Dave: We worked with the staff at SFU to decide what would be the right fit for us. In the end, we felt good going with a bursary because it prioritizes financial need and students who might not otherwise be able to attend university. We think it’s important that all students, regardless of their grades or circumstances, are able to pursue postsecondary studies if they want to.

Isabelle: By making it an endowment, we wanted to encourage other donors to contribute so the fund can grow and provide support for many generations to come.

DAVE, YOU HAVE STRONG TIES TO JOURNALISM. YOUR FATHER, TARA SINGH HAYER, WAS A WELL-KNOWN JOURNALIST AND FOUNDER OF INDO-CANADIAN TIMES, WHO DIED FIGHTING FOR HIS BELIEFS. YOU ALSO

Press release

2021 Canada’s Volunteer Awards Recipient

Surrey, BC - Progressive Intercultural Community Services (PICS) Society has been selected as the 2021 recipient of the Canada’s Volunteer Awards in the Social Innovator category for British Columbia and the North Region.

The Canada’s Volunteer Awards ceremony took place on December 5, 2022 in Ottawa where Honorable Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, presented PICS Society’s President and CEO Satbir Singh Cheema and Senior’s Housing Director Inderjeet Singh Hundal with the 2021 Social Innovator Award.

to their communities through volunteering. This aligns with the Government of Canada’s interest in promoting innovative solutions to local problems. The goal of the awards is to inspire Canadian from all walks of life to find new ways of making a difference in their communities and PICS Society has done just that.”

Minister of Families, Children and Social Development (middle), presenting PICS Society’s President and CEO Satbir Singh Cheema and Senior’s Housing Director Inderjeet Singh Hundal

It was a moment to cherish for the staff and volunteers of PICS Society as their dedication to their community was recognized at the National level by the Government of Canada, Right Honorable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Honorable Minister Karina Gould.

“This award recognizes the contributions that individuals, groups and socially responsible businesses and social enterprises and innovative not for profit organizations make

PICS Society is grateful to be recognized and presented with this special award. We will continue to serve, uplift and empower the community around us.

with 2021 Social Innovator Award. In picture: Inderjeet Singh Hundal (Left), Honorable Karina Gould, P.C., M.P. (Centre) and Satbir Singh Cheema (Right).