The Asian Star May 21 2022

www.theasianstar.com Vol 22 - Issue 16

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Cases in BC hospitals fall as 6th wave shows signs of peaking The number of people in British Columbia hospitals with COVID-19 has fallen to its lowest point in nearly a month, according to the province’s latest weekly update.

The B.C. Centre for Disease Control reported Thursday that there were 540 cases in hospital, a drop of 56 from last week, including 49 in intensive care, a drop of five.

Under B.C.’s “census” reporting model, all positive cases are counted regardless of the

reason the patient was admitted to hospital.

The BCCDC also reported 1,645 weekly cases, current as of May 14, however limited access to PCR testing means the true figure is likely much higher.

The update comes after the independent B.C. COVID-19 Modelling Group released its own report Wednesday suggesting the pandemic’s sixth wave has peaked amid growing immunity to the Omicron variant.

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BC drivers pay highest gas taxes in Canada Federation. “If Premier John Horgan truly The Canadian Taxpayers Federation cares about affordability, he should scrap B.C.’s released its annual report showing that carbon taxes, and save hardworking drivers in Vancouver are paying the B.C. families $18 every time per litre highest gasoline taxes in Canada. ..54¢ .. re .. lit .. r s they fill-up their minivan.” pe xe ta “These sky high ¢ 7 s 4 a ver g r litre ..........

Vancouver is tied with gasoline taxes punish Vancou gas taxes .. s ......41¢ pe xe ria the city of Montreal for people for driving to Victo of BC gas ta st the highest gasoline taxes in Canada. work, going to school and Re Vancouver drivers pay 54 for buying food,” said Kris Sims, cents in taxes per litre of gasoline.

B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers

Continued on page 7

Alberta Premier Jason Kenney to quit Premier Jason Kenney threw Alberta politics into a tailspin on Wednesday when he narrowly won a United Conservative Party leadership review vote only to announce he was quitting the top job anyway.

To gasps of surprise from a few hundred supporters at an invite-only event in Calgary, Kenney said the 51.4 per cent support he received was not enough to stay on.

“The result is not what I hoped for or frankly what I expected,” Kenney said at the Spruce Meadows equestrian centre before a crowd that included several cabinet ministers.

“While 51 per cent of the vote passes the constitutional threshold of a majority, it clearly is not adequate support to continue on as leader.

“That is why tonight I’ve informed the president of the party of my intention to step down as leader of the United Conservative Party.

Western Canada’s tallest tower coming to Lougheed SkyTrain in Burnaby The proposed four-tower, mixed-use Pinnacle Lougheed redevelopment immediately next to SkyTrain’s Lougheed Town Centre Station is packed with superlatives. Newly released revised details and artistic renderings ahead of the rezoning application’s public hearing on May 31 with Burnaby City Council show the immense scale and heights that confirms not only Metro Vancouver’s new tallest buildings, but also the tallest tower in Canada west of Toronto. The tallest tower will be 850 ft (259 metres) with 80 storeys, making it 191 ft (58 metres) taller than the 2008-built Living Shangri-La in downtown Vancouver. It would also be taller than Metro Vancouver’s all other future tallest towers proposed, planned, or already under construction.

In fact, this tower would be

Aishwarya Rai walks the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Wednesday attended the premiere of Tom Cruise starrer Top Gun: Maverick. Dressed in a black-floral gown, Aishwarya’s look received a thumbs-up from fans. Earlier in the day, she met old friend and Hollywood star Eva Longoria. Eva posted a video on her Instagram stories, calling Aishwarya her “favourite person of all time”. This year, Aishwarya is attending the film festival with her husband Abhishek Bachchan and daughter

Continued on page 12

even taller than the 823-ft (251-metre) Stantec Tower in Edmonton, built in 2019, and the 810-ft (247-metre) Brookfield Place East in Calgary, built in 2017. It would also be equivalent to being the sixth-tallest building in Toronto today. And this project does not end with a single significant tall tower, as two other towers in the complex would rank as the new secondand third-tallest buildings in Metro Vancouver today and likely well into the future.

This tallest tower is within the first phase on the northeast parcel of Pinnacle Lougheed, which includes a secondary tower reaching 782 ft (239 metres) with 73 storeys — Metro Vancouver’s thirdtallest building. Both firstphase towers are physically attached to each other.

Woman separated from family during 1947 partition reunites after 75 years The woman was born to a Sikh family and during the violence of the partition, she was separated from them. She was then adopted and raised by a Muslim couple who gave her the new name Mumtaz Bibi.

According to meda, Mumtaz was an infant when she was found lying on the body

of her mother who was killed by a mob.

Muslim couple named Muhammad Iqbal and Allah Rakhi adopted her as a child and raised her as their own daughter.

After the partition, Muhammad Iqbal and his family settled in Varika Tian village, district Sheikhupura, Punjab, Pakistan.

Continued on page 8

Vancouver real estate downturn has started Vancouver’s real estate sector is in a downturn that could steepen regardless of whether the province falls into recession.

How painful the hit to the housing market will be for homeowners is an open question.

High immigration, and migration from the rest of Canada, may stimulate sufficient demand for housing to prop up the provincial economy and soften any recessionary blow.

Metro Vancouver home prices are falling,

Oakwyn Realty Ltd. broker Steve Saretsky said.

He said he is seeing some homes in areas such as Coquitlam’s Westwood Plateau that have sold for about 15 per cent less than similar neighbouring houses did a few months ago.

Saretsky has also seen some homebuyers consider walking away from their deposits and cancelling purchase commitments. Those buyers have to be told of the risks of such a Continued on page 7

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, May 21, 2022

B.C.’s latest COVID-19 wave has peaked: independent report Craig James, former B.C. legislature clerk, guilty of fraud, breach of trust The B.C. legislature’s former clerk, who was accused of misspending money from the public purse, has been found guilty of fraud and breach of trust. Craig James pleaded not guilty to two counts of fraud over $5,000 and three counts of breach of trust by a public officer based on allegations of misspending stemming from his time serving as clerk between 2011 and 2018. On Thursday, the judge found him not guilty of all other similar charges related to a $258,000 retirement fund and the use of a wood splitter. Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes, of the B.C. Supreme Court, said James dishonestly

described clothing he purchased as work attire when he knew it was not.

Holmes said he breached the standard of conduct expected of a public official and his purpose was a dishonest one to benefit himself. Crown prosecutors argued during the trial that James used his position, which they likened to the CEO of the legislative assembly, to take advantage of weaknesses in policy to enrich himself. However, the defence said James was transparent with each of his claims, which were overseen by multiple responsible individuals who raised only “a handful of questions” over half a decade and never lodged a complaint.

British Columbia appears to be past the peak of its second Omicron variant-driven wave of COVID-19, according to a new report.

The data, released Wednesday by the independent B.C. COVID-19 modelling group, based its conclusion on confirmed cases among people over the age of 70, hospitalization data and wastewater monitoring.

“While the second Omicron wave appears to be peaking at a lower level than the first Omicron wave (BA.1 driven), hospital occupancy and cases are still higher than any previous time in the pandemic, prior to Omicron,” the report states.

“In the models, the smaller peaks are due to natural immunity from Omicron infections and enhanced vaccination immunity from boosters.”

The report notes that cases among those

aged 70 and older have begun to decline, though not significantly. The age group is used in place of the general population because access to PCR testing has been curtailed among younger age groups.

The report states hospital admissions have began dropping in May, and are expected to continue to decline through June. The model projects the number of people with COVID-19 in hospital to fall below 400 by mid-June.

However, with 596 people in hospital as of B.C.’s last weekly report, hospitalizations continue to significantly exceed the peak recorded in any preOmicron wave of 515 on April 28, 2021.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said the independent group’s reflected what provincial health officials were seeing.

Public hearings begin on Vancouver’s divisive Broadway Plan

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A public hearing into a sweeping development plan that could reshape Vancouver’s skyline got underway Wednesday, with more than 200 people signed up to comment on the proposed Broadway Plan.

The plan is meant to guide development along the city’s Broadway corridor over the next 30 years and take advantage of the completion of the new $2.8 billion Broadway subway.

“The plan is a generational city-building opportunity for positive change on Vancouver’s most pressing issues,” said Theresa O’Donnell, the city’s director of planning, as staff presented the plan to council.

“It will deliver new homes and jobs close to transit, it will provide market rental and below-market rental and social housing opportunities in all neighborhoods.”

The proposal would allow redevelopment within nearly 500 city blocks in an area already considered the province’s second largest employment corridor, and home to about a quarter of the city’s existing purpose-built rentals.

It would allow towers of up to 40 storeys near transit stations and between 20 to 30 storeys in numerous so-called centre/shoulder areas.

The plan has sparked fierce public debate, some of which was on display at council Wednesday.

“People desperate for affordable housing are being hoodwinked into thinking all these towers will provide what they need,” speaker Gareth Sirotnik told council.

“Tower clusters do just the opposite, they raise rents all around, and for smaller more unaffordable spaces that already exist in very large numbers in all the shoulder areas of the Broadway corridor.”

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, May 21, 2022

NDP slammed over record breaking gas prices BC Premier John Horgan and the NDP faced harsh criticism from the newlyminted leader of the official opposition, Kevin Falcon, during Question Period on Monday afternoon. And, as expected, the state of gas prices in the province were a huge point of contention.

Over the weekend, fuel prices in parts of BC hit another record high of $2.33 per litre. The criticism pointed at the BC NDP stemmed from a planned rebuild of the Royal BC Museum which is expected to cost $789 million — at a time when many BC residents are struggling to just hit a full tank of gas without breaking the bank.

The cost for the museum project actually adds up to more than $1 billion when factoring in the building of a separate facility in Colwood.

The opposition has been asking Horgan to cancel the museum project, especially in light of the rising cost of fuel in the province.

MLAs from other parties have also been criticizing the move, and BC Liberal Leader, Kevin Falcon, calls it a “vanity” project.

Falcon and Horgan traded blows, with Horgan seeming to point to the past to suggest that many of the issues that plague BC including high gas and housing prices were inherited from when the BC Liberal Party was in power.

Horgan celebrated and touted the amount of money British Columbians received through ICBC rebates.

“We are doing what we can,” Horgan said in multiple retorts.

“I know the NDP mean well,” said Falcon. “The problem is, they just don’t know what they’re doing. And the fact of the matter is that there is a huge gap I would call it a chasm, between NDP

The 215 missing children ‘brought us together,’ says Kúkpi7 Casimir ahead of memorial It’s been nearly a year since the news broke within Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc that 215 unmarked burial sites had been detected at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School site.

The gut-wrenching confirmation of Le Estcwicwéy — the missing — leaked first within the community, devastating many who found themselves at home alone at the time or reading it in a letter.

Painful memories of abuse, neglect and being stripped of everything it meant to be Indigenous resurfaced for those who survived the institution’s harrowing halls. All mourned deeply.

“It’s something that shook everyone to the core. It shook me to the core as parent, as a mother,” said Kúkpi7 Rosanne Casimir in a press conference on Wednesday.

“Every time I think about that or I see something on the news in regards to parents and children, it’s very traumatizing.”

Four days later, on May 27, 2021, Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc revealed news of Le Estcwicwéy to the rest of the world, making international headlines.

Grief and anger rippled across Canada, forcing its residents to reckon with the violence of its colonial foundation. Reporters flocked to Tk‘emlúpsemc territory as mourners laid little shoes at church and school doorsteps to honour those who never made it home from residential schools.

It was a moment of unity, said Casimir, who has since been launched into the national spotlight as a leader in the movement of truth and reconciliation for Indigenous peoples.

“The residential school impacted so many non-Indigenous people as well. It was children that brought us together.

rhetoric and the actual results that they achieve because the results when you look at it my friends, are terrible in every measure,” he added.

“We have the highest housing prices in North America in spite of the blizzard of new taxes that government put on the housing sector. We have the highest gas prices in North America the highest before the war started in Ukraine and the highest still today.”

Falcon also brought up a recent pay raise that Horgan and his cabinet was afforded.

Horgan responded by bringing up the fact that the BC NDP removed bridge tolls that the BC Liberals implemented, which according to the premier is saving residents $1,500 a year. He also brought up the BC NDP’s advances in minimum wage.

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Saturday, May 21, 2022

OPINION

By Sylvain Charlebois

Parents of toddlers are concerned about baby formula shortages due to a combination of factors.

A major recall in the United States affecting the top manufacturer of baby formula, coupled with supply chain challenges, has made things difficult for parents.

In the U.S., some parents are driving hours just to get the right product for

Canada has its own baby formula problem their baby. In more than six states, over 50 per cent of retail stores are out of stock.

Breast milk banks are getting organized, and many organizations are helping desperate American parents. If someone is looking for a product for their child, they will find it, but it may not be the product their baby is accustomed to and that, of course,

can be a problem for nervous parents.

But the big problem is the recall that occurred on Feb. 17.

Abbott Laboratories, the largest baby formula manufacturer in the U.S., voluntarily recalled its products manufactured in Sturgis, Mich., and closed the facility following reports that four infants had fallen ill from bacterial infections. Two toddlers allegedly died after having consumed formula produced in the plant.

A whistleblower report was submitted last year to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about what was going on at the plant. Abbott denies everything, based on evidence the company collected itself. Still, the plant in Michigan could be shut for another two months, if not more.

Regulators would typically expedite the opening of such an important plant. We saw this during COVID-19 with major meat plants, but the relationship with the FDA and Abbott is clearly fractured and messy.

When only three companies manufacture about 98 per cent of what’s consumed in the country, things will escalate when a recall occurs. The baby formula market is not that profitable since birth rates have been dropping in the U.S. When a market is shrinking, getting new players is challenging.

It’s not the first time baby formula has made international headlines. In 2008, China had a baby formula scandal when a top manufacturer opted to add melamine – a chemical used in plastic – to their baby formula. Thousands of toddlers were hospitalized, although few actually died. For months, Chinese leadership hid the scandal from the public because it didn’t want any bad publicity while it was hosting the Summer Olympics that year. This became one of the most significant food safety scandals in history.

And now the U.S. is dealing with its own baby formula headaches.

In Canada, the situation might be a little different. First, demand for baby formula is typically higher in most American states than in Canada. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, May 21, 2022

11 women report being followed by men in white van in Surrey The community activist behind The Kaur Movement says 11 Surrey women have now come to her saying they’ve been followed or harassed by men driving a white van.

Gurpreet Kaur posted on The Kaur Movement’s Instagram Tuesday warning women to beware of the van seen in the Panorama area and near Tamawanis Secondary. At the time, four women had messaged her about the van, but after the post gained traction several more came forward.

Most recently, a woman told Kaur she and her sister were followed by four men in a white van on Sunday for approximately one hour as they went to Walmart. At one point, the men apparently stopped and said “excuse

me” two or three times.

In another incident, a woman was walking her dog near 126th Street and 67th Avenue when someone allegedly exited a white van and tried to grab her and began hitting her dog. Some neighbours were across the street and came running to intervene, and the men apparently drove off.

In one instance, a mother said her child, in Grade 4, was approached near Beaver Creek Elementary by men in a white van who apparently told her to get inside quickly — and the scariest part was they knew the child’s name.

Surrey Schools associate director of communications Ritinder Matthew said the school board is aware of the incident.

Vancouver deluge sets record with a quarter month’s rainfall in one hour A Sunday afternoon downpour in Vancouver set a rainfall record, delivering a quarter of May’s average monthly rainfall in a single hour.

ItwastherainiestMay15onrecordforVancouver and White Rock, according to Environment Canada meteorologist Bobby Sekhon.

“We’re really in this unstable pattern where we saw this narrow band of rain develop on the South Coast yesterday evening, almost like thunderstorm clouds,” Sekhon said.

You might also like: Vancouver sees its windiest day in over 60 years Living near wildfire sites results in a higher risk for cancer, brain tumours Vancouver saw 24.3 millimetres of rain, breaking 1998’s previous record of 22.6 millimetres. It was even wetter in White Rock, with 27.4 millimetres of rain, breaking the previous record that stood for 57 years.

In particular, there was one hour in Vancouver Sunday afternoon that saw more than 16 millimetres of rain — about

a quarter of the average 65 millimetres the city receives over the entire month.

Vancouver usually receives 65 millimetres of rain on average during the month of May. (Environment and Climate Change Canada) “It produced quite the downpour,” Sekhon said. “It led to some issues there in some parts of Metro Vancouver.”

A user shared photos to Reddit of water spraying out of manholes on Alma Street during the rain. One commenter joked it was a “forbidden spray park.”

It was certainly a storm that could soak through a Goretex rain jacket, with some users saying it felt more like a monsoon than a spring shower.

Vancouver is scheduled to get a break from the wet weather on Monday and Tuesday, but wind and rainstorm is in forecast from Tuesday night to Wednesday. The city may see some sunny weather toward the end of the week, but the meteorologist said we’ll have to wait a little longer for a taste of summer.

Loblaws Superstore workers in BC vote in favour of strike Workers at Loblaws Superstore and distribution centres in British Columbia have overwhelmingly voted in favour of a strike. bulletin issued late Wednesday afternoon by UFCW 247, the union representing thousands of workers across the province, indicated 97% of their members working for the supermarket chain approved proceeding with labour action.

“Thank you to all of you who have voted, every vote counts and your support for the strike mandate was a necessary to tell the Company that unless they bargain fairly, the employees could withdraw their labour. This is an important tool to push Loblaws to come back to the table and this strong mandate sends Loblaws a strong message about their last offer,” reads the bulletin.

“The strike vote saw a strong turnout from Loblaws union members across the province.

We have notified the Company of the results and the pressure is now on the Company to

return to the table.” With workers voting to strike, the union can serve Loblaws with 72 hours notice of strike action. This ability is valid for three months after the vote.

A successful strike vote does not necessarily mean there will be labour action and impacts to store operations, but it provides the union leadership with the tool of the option of last resort.

Contract discussions have been underway since last year, with the union and company returning to the bargaining table this past March and April.

Earlier this month, workers also rejected a “memorandum of settlement’ with their employer by a vote of 78%.

According to the union, “it has been made abundantly clear that the current wage classifications are not working and that there is a high level of dissatisfaction from the membership.”

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New gun laws take effect in Canada The federal government has implemented new laws to track the sale of guns, but is it enough to protect victims of gun violence?

After a weekend where Canadians watched as eight U.S. cities fell victim to gun violence, with ABC News reporting at least 65 people were shot over a 72-hour period from May 13 to May 15, the Canadian government is introducing new gun control laws.

The new legislation will, according to the feds, “better regulate sales and transfers of non-restricted firearms.” The new laws took effect Wednesday, May 18.

In a May 11 news release, Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino announced that “individuals and businesses transferring or selling a non-restricted firearm will need to confirm the recipient’s

identity and check the validity of their firearms license with the Registrar of Firearms prior to completing the transfer.”

“We are taking action to keep Canadians safe from gun violence,” Mendicino said in a statement. “[These] regulations will help ensure that firearms do not end up in the wrong hands, assist police in tracing guns used in crime, and are part of the broader strategy to keep communities safe.”

The release also pointed to other federal government efforts related to gun control, from “banning assault-style firearms to strengthening protections at [Canada’s] borders.”

Additionally, the new gun control provisions would require gun sellers to “retain sales and inventory records related to non-restricted firearms, as was the case until 2005.”

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Saturday, May 21, 2022

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Saturday, May 21, 2022 From page 1

BC drivers pay highest gas taxes

Victoria has pump price tax of 47 cents per litre. Rest of B.C. pays 41 cents in taxes per litre of gasoline. Diesel carries a tax of 47 cents per litre in Vancouver. The national data is detailed in the 23rd annual Gas Tax Honesty Day report released by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.

A second carbon tax embedded within fuel regulations adds an average of 14 cents more per litre to the cost of gasoline and 15 cents per litre of diesel in B.C. With B.C.’s second carbon tax factored in, filling up a minivan in Vancouver costs more than $50 just in the taxes. Filling up a light duty pick up truck in Prince George costs more than $66 in taxes.

“Last year, BC govt took more than $2.5 billion from taxpayers in fuel taxes and the carbon tax,” said Sims. “B.C. drivers deserve to know what these hidden taxes cost them.”

The complete Gas Tax Honesty Day report can be read HERE.

A Note for our Readers: As you may know, we’re working hard to stop Prime Minister Trudeau’s attempt to add a 2nd carbon tax upon Canadian taxpayers. If you are against this tax, would you take a moment today to read and consider signing the petition below? When you do, your name will be added to the growing list of tens of thousands across our country who want to tell the government that we are opposed to these new taxes. Please take a moment to read the petition below and consider signing it today.

To Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: The federal government is introducing new fuel standard regulations to require industry to reduce the carbon content of fossil fuels. If industry can’t meet the standard, they’ll have to pay Trudeau’s second carbon tax. This tax will ultimately hit already struggling families and businesses. It’s bad enough that taxpayers are already paying for one carbon tax. Canadians certainly can’t afford a second carbon tax.

Vancouver real estate downturn has started move, which could scuttle several real estate transactions and invite lawsuits from others involved to compensate for any lost money.

If the home involved in the cancelled sale later sells at a 10 per cent discount, the courts could force the original buyer who walked away from that sale to compensate the original owner for the difference in the home’s value, Saretsky said.

He added that this situation is not yet commonplace.

“It’s interesting to see that we went from having everybody freaking out, just frothing at the mouth to get into the housing market four months ago, to all of a sudden, having them say, ‘Oh, hey, maybe I should walk away from a deposit,’” he said. “It’s a pretty big change.”

Covid -19 ases in BC hospitals fall as 6th wave shows signs of peaking Under its weekly reporting regime, B.C. health officials also provide preliminary data on hospital admissions, though with a one-week delay.

According to the latest report, B.C. saw 334 admissions between May 8 and May 14, however, the BC CDC says the figures are provisional and expected to be revised up.

The latest weekly data also reports 59 deaths between May 8 and May 14, a figure that is also preliminary and expected to be revised upward.

As an example, the 59 deaths detailed in the last report have since been revised upward to 84.

The fatality figure also comes with another caveat: the province’s “all cause mortality” model includes all deaths in the reporting period who tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 30 days.

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Saturday, May 21, 2022 Woman separated from family during partition reunites with brothers after 75 years growing years, Mumtaz’s new parents did not tell her that she was adopted. When Iqbal’s health started to get worse two years, he told Mumtaz about her history and her Sikh family in India.

Mumtaz has a son named Shahbaz then who started searching for her family in India.

He found some leads on social media. The mother and her son found out about the village Sidrana in Patiala district of Punjab. It was the place where Mumtaz’s birth father settled with his family after the partition after being removed from their ancestral home which later became part of newly formed Pakistan.

The families then connected on social media and Mumtaz’s brothers Gurumeet Singh, Narendra Singh and Amrinder Singh reached Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur along with other family members to meet

Mumtaz. The brothers and their long lost sister finally saw each other after 75 years.

The Kartarpur corridor has Gurdwara Darbar Sahib linked in Pakistan. It is said to be the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism. Another shrine named Dera Baba Nanak is situated in Gurdaspur district in Punjab. Indians and Pakistani nationals can access the Kartarpur corridor without visa.

Mumtaz Bibi is one of the many women who were separated from their families during partition due to the atrocities that took place at the time. Many Hindu women were taken in by Muslim family in good or bad faith and they lived in Pakistan since then. The same happened to many Muslim women who later lived with Hindu families.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Missing person to locate: Reshmi Mani The Burnaby RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in locating 52-year-old Reshmi Mani. Reshmi was in the area of Inman Avenue and Moscrop Street when last seen on the morning of Friday, January 7.

South Asian woman wearing a blue shirt Description of Reshmi: South Asian woman, 5’3” tall, 110 pounds, Black hair, Brown eyes Reshmi’s family and friends, as well as police, are concerned about Reshmi’s well-being and are asking the public to share the information provided above. Police are asking anyone who

may have seen Reshmi or have information on her whereabouts to call the Burnaby RCMP at 604646-9999. It they wish to remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).

Released by Cpl. Michael Kalanj Media Relations Officer Burnaby RCMP burnaby. rcmp-grc.gc.ca (English only) 6355 Deer Lake Avenue, Burnaby, BC, V5G 2J2 Office: 604-646-9566 Fax: 604-646-9704 Email: burnaby_rcmp_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

Alleged B.C. gangster fights extradition from the U.S. to Canada An alleged B.C. gangster captured in Puerto Rico earlier this year says the Canadian government has not provided any proof he committed crimes in Canada and says the extradition request should be dropped unless more evidence can be disclosed.

Conor D’Monte is the subject of the extradition order due to “alleged participation in the murder of Kevin Leclair (and conspiracy to murder the Bacon Brothers),” according to court documents filed in Puerto Rico.

The alleged former UN Gang leader had been on the run for more than a decade after being wanted in the 2009 shooting death of Leclair.

However, the documents state D’Monte “has yet to be convicted of anything.”

The documents state the “extradition consists of a single document: a redacted

affidavit provided by a police official, Terrence Murphy (hereinafter the “Murphy affidavit”), containing his “summarized” understanding of information purportedly provided by three cooperating witnesses.

“In other words, involving multiple levels of hearsay and interpretation.” The LeClair murder came at the height of a violent and highly public gang war between the Red Scorpions and the UN gang in B.C.’s Lower Mainland.

A second man, 24-year-old Jonathan Barber, was also killed in the shooting.

Hitman Cory Vallee was convicted of firstdegree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for pulling the trigger in the slaying, after being captured in Mexico in 2014. Vallee had an appeal dismissed in his case last month.

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Canada formally bans China’s Huawei, ZTE from 5G networks Huawei and ZTE cannot be part of the development of the country’s 5G telecommunications network, the Canadian government announced Thursday.

The decision follows years of geopolitical manoeuvring and delays after Beijing arbitrarily detained two Canadians for more than 1,000 days. It ends a tumultuous waiting period over the fate of the Chinese company in the evolving Canadian 5G landscape.

Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne spoke about the decision alongside Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino after North American financial markets closed on Thursday.

Mendicino said the government will “prohibit the inclusion of products, and services from highrisk vendors in our telecommunications system,” and introduce new legislation to protect Canada’s critical telecommunications infrastructure.

“We are announcing our intention to prohibit the inclusion of Huawei and ZTE’s products and services in Canada’s

telecommunications systems,” said Champagne.

“We’ll take any actions necessary to safeguard our telecommunications infrastructure.”

He said providers who already have equipment from the firms must remove it and replace it in keeping with timelines the government will be setting out.

Champagne was then asked whether the government will compensate firms for that removal.

“The simple answer is no,” he said.

The move comes amid deepening global concerns about Beijing’s disregard for international laws and human rights, and eight months after the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor from Chinese prisons earlier this fall.

They had been detained in what is widely viewed as retaliation by Beijing for the arrest of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou by Canadian authorities in December 2018. That arrest came after American authorities sought her extradition on allegations of bank fraud and skirting sanctions.

10

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Federal Liberals reject NDP call to hike GST rebate, Canada Child Benefit cheques The federal government is looking to help Canadian families feeling the pinch of inflation without contributing further to the problem, the prime minister said Wednesday as his government rejected a call from the NDP to hike GST rebates and the Canada Child Benefit. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh wanted the government to double the GST rebate and add $500 to every Canada Child Benefit as inflation continues to rise.

Statistics Canada reported Wednesday that the consumer price index rose 6.8 per cent in April, the highest monthly increase since January 1991. Overall food costs rose 8.8 per cent, and gasoline, stimulated by the effects of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, soared 36 per cent, compared to April a year earlier.

“Salaries have only gone up by 3.3 per cent,”

Singh said during question period. “All of this to say, workers are experiencing a massive pay cut all the while oil and gas companies are enjoying massive profits. The prime minister can do something instead of just standing by.” Singh wants Trudeau to fund the benefit increases by redirecting a $2.6-billion tax credit promised in the recent budget to help companies build carbon capture and storage systems. Most of that would likely go to oil and gas companies, and the NDP says it is a massive subsidy to companies that are making record profits because of the same soaring gas prices harming Canadian families.

The NDP brought an opposition day motion this week seeking support from other parties for the idea. They only got that support from the Bloc Quebecois, as the Liberals and Conservatives both voted against the motion Wednesday afternoon.

Inviting Iran to Vancouver soccer friendly not ‘a very good idea’: Prime Minister Trudeau A Metro man who lost friends when Iran shot down a Ukrainian airliner is rejecting calls from some Iranian Canadians to cancel a friendly match between the Canadian and Iranian World Cup soccer teams in Vancouver.

“I do not mix those guys playing for the national team with the Iranian government,” said Navid Sorkhou.

“They’re proud football players and we shouldn’t punish them for playing.” Sorkhou — whose friend and fellow engineer Ardalan EbnoddinHamidi died with his wife and son on Flight 752 — is going to the game himself. Sorkhou thinks the game is a certain sellout because of the big Iranian community in the Lower Mainland, many of whom are excited to see the team play here. “I have no doubt that they will be welcome in Canada,” he said. “There will be

Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies launched in Surrey The Guru Nanak Institute of Global Studies was launched in Surrey this week.

The online-only institute, or GNI, aims to be an “academic environment for research and teaching on Sikh philosophy, history, literature, culture, and devotional music in an interdisciplinary manner.”

The non-profit institute is a PTIB, or Private Training Institution Branch, founded in 2021 to commemorate Guru Nanak’s 550th anniversary.

Registration is now open for GNI’s three programs, which are Sikh Studies Diploma, Punjabi Studies Certificate and Gurmat Music Diploma.

A news conference about “first of its kind institution” was held at Surrey City Hall on Tuesday morning, May 17.

“We are committed to promoting our values of service to humanity, cross-

cultural understanding, the lifelong pursuit of learning, critical thinking, and diversity in all its forms,” said Gian Singh Sandhu, GNI board chair.

“We will ensure equal and open access to all prospective students by alleviating funding and other financial barriers. We firmly believe that no student should be denied education due to a lack of financial means and to support this philosophy we have a very liberal scholarship and bursary policy.”

More details are posted to gurunanakinstitute.ca, including GNI’s board of directors and faculty, along with the courses offered and registration information.

Tuesday’s announcement included messages of support from both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and B.C. Premier John Horgan.

people protesting,” he predicted.

“They will want to have their voices heard by the Iranian government.”

But Sorkhou sees that as a good thing. “It could spark something in Iran,” he said, noting the expatriate community here is mostly opposed to the Iranian government. Hamed Esmaeilion, spokesperson for the Association of Families of Flight PS752 Victims, says his group has been against the match since it was first rumoured.

But the issue took centre stage Tuesday when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked about it by a reporter, who said families who had lost loved ones considered the game a “slap in the face.” “This was a choice by Soccer Canada,” Trudeau said in St. John’s. “I think it wasn’t a very good idea to invite the Iranian soccer team here to Canada.

Vancouver-area surgeon launches non-profit food truck to give back to community A Vancouver-area surgeon, inspired to try to give back to the community during the COVID-19 pandemic, has launched a food truck that will fundraise for charities and employ people struggling to make ends meet.

Dr. Sharadh Sampath says the Cultivate food truck will start by parking outside of Metro Vancouver hospitals, giving health-care workers a chance to pick up a healthy meal on their breaks while contributing to a good cause.

“It kind of built up momentum during COVID because, obviously, folks that were having a rough go before COVID were having a substantially worse time during COVID,” he said.

He says while he’s worked hard to achieve the success that he has in his life, he recognizes that his relatively privileged circumstances played a role as well. “If I didn’t have all this, I wouldn’t be

able to do what I do. And so I’m all about evening that playing field the best we can,” he explains.

“This is the first foray in trying to help to make that happen for some folks who may not otherwise have had that chance.”

The truck is getting back up and running after a hiatus brought about by rising gas and food costs and Sampath says he hopes raising some awareness about what he’s trying to do will help the endeavour succeed, and hopefully give other people considering trying to make a difference some motivation.

“That’s one of the metrics of success. If somebody kind of hears about the truck and thinks, ‘Well, if this guy can do it, I can do something similar in my community and help where I live.’ That would be great,” he says.

Saturday, May 21, 2022 Indian mother’s hospital stay leaves Maple Ridge couple with massive medical bills Family members will be left to cover up to $280,000 in medical costs.

A Lower Mainland family has been left with crippling medical bills after their mother, visiting from India, needed medical care.

Tejinderdeep Jhajj of Maple Ridge and his sister Mandeep Buttar of Surrey have organized an online fundraiser, after they were left with up to $280,000 in medical bills.

Amarpal Kaur was visiting her family when she suffered a broken leg, explained her daughter-in-law Prabhjot Pandher.

She suffered a fractured tibia that required surgery. The cost was approximately $25,000, but she had insurance that would cover the costs to a maximum of $100,000.

But two weeks after the surgery, she contracted Guillain-Barré syndrome

(GBS) – a disorder that caused her body’s immune system to attack her nerves.

The GBS left her suffering from paralysis, and her family in shock.

Amarpal was diagnosed in March, and spent two weeks in Surrey Memorial Hospital, including five days in the intensive care ward, because her condition was critical.

She was unable to eat or move on her own.

As soon as possible, the family had their mother stabilized and flown back to her home in the Punjab. She is receiving therapy, and it may be a year before she fully regains her health, said Pandher.

But the family was left with medical bills that amount to $280,000, which are not covered by any levels of government.

They have at best $100,000 worth of coverage through insurance, she said.

Despite witnesses and photos, still no RCMP arrests’ in Coastal GasLink attack Nearly three months after masked, axewielding assailants attacked a B.C. work camp in the dead of night, a team of more than 40 RCMP investigators have yet to announce any leads into the identities, funding or methods of those responsible. On Feb. 17, between 20 and 40 masked attackers carrying torches, flare guns and axes swarmed a Coastal GasLink work camp near Houston, B.C., doing several million dollars in damage.

In the wake of the attack, a statement

by B.C. Premier John Horgan called it a “violent and criminal act” and promised a “thorough investigation to identify and apprehend those responsible.” Within hours, the B.C. RCMP announced they had earmarked 40 investigators for the case.

Just last week, another violent incident — this time in Montreal — appeared to be linked to the Coastal GasLink project.

A Jaguar and Land Rover parked in the driveway of RBC executive Michael Fortier were both lit on fire. Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal are currently investigating the arson’s connection to a string of recent vandalism incidents targeting the homes of RBC executives, ostensibly due to the bank’s financing of the Coastal GasLink project.

The Feb. 17 incident, which happened to occur during a brief period when the Emergencies Act was in force to clear anti-mandate blockades in Ottawa, was also prominently mentioned during last Wednesday’s Conservative leadership debate.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

11

BC Liberals promise to scrap Royal BC Museum & Massey tunnel project Hours after being sworn in as the MLA for Vancouver-Quilchena, Liberal leader Kevin Falcon vowed to stop a nearly $800 million rebuild of the Royal BC Museum if elected premier in the next provincial election.

The future of the Massey Tunnel replacement is once again in the spotlight.

BC Liberal leader Kevin Falcon promised to stop the proposed eight-lane tunnel replacement if elected premier in the next election and bring back the plan for a 10-lane bridge.

The previous Liberal government had secured an environmental assessment certificate for the 10-lane, $3.5-billion bridge over the Fraser River to replace the Massey Tunnel. If it had not been cancelled by the current government, the bridge would have opened this year.

“At a time when British Columbians are struggling, the highest housing prices, the highest gas prices, the premier thinks this is the right time for a vanity museum project,” Falcon told reporters.

“Nowhere in the budget can I see any capital spending. Nowhere can I see a budget plan.” The B.C. government is set to spend three-quarters of a billion dollars to build a brand new Royal BC Museum in Victoria. The province is spending $789-million on the new project.

The current museum will close its doors for the rebuild in September.

The building is seismically unsafe and two floors of the museum are underground. The cost of addressing those two issues is adding to the high price tag.

“It is not seismically safe. It has been, in my opinion, ignored by governments for the past 20 years. I was briefed as an opposition member back in 2010 the member was in cabinet at that time and it was abundantly clear to the then CEO of the Royal BC Museum that something needed to be done to protect and preserve our collective history,” B.C. Premier John Horgan said.

Driver gets 17 years for ‘catastrophic’ crash that killed GTA mom, her three daughters A judge has sentenced a Caledon driver who tested at eight times the legal limit for THC to 17 years for “gambling with other people’s lives” and causing a 2020 crash that killed a schoolteacher and her three young daughters.

The deaths of Caledon mom Karolina Ciasullo, 37, and her three daughters, six-yearold Klara, three-year-old Lilianna and oneyear-old Mila were “100 per cent” avoidable, Ontario court Judge Sandra Caponecchia said, sentencing Brady Robertson, 21, in a Brampton courthouse on Monday.

“The results of Mr. Robertson’s actions were catastrophic. The impact of the victims’ deaths will last a lifetime,” Caponecchia

said Monday, calling the Brampton crash on June 18, 2020 a tragedy that has left a grieving father and husband “physically and emotionally unwell,” and has had a profound impact on first responders, extended family and the wider community.

Accounting for nearly three years’ credit for time served, Robertson is left with a prison term of 14 years and two months.

Even though Robertson’s sentence is “precedent-setting,” it is “still a slap in the face” to the victims’ family, said Connie Ciasullo, Karolina’s sister-in-law, speaking to reporters outside the courthouse.

12

Star & Style

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walks the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival Aaradhya Bachchan. At the L’Oreal after-party, Eva introduced her 3-year-old son Santiago to Aishwarya and her daughter Aaradhya via a video call. Apart from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, several other Bollywood celebrities, including Deepika Padukone, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, music maestro AR Rahman ,Tamannaah Bhatia, Pooja Hegde and Urvashi Rautela are attending the film gala this year. The 2022 Cannes Film Market has also selected India as the ‘country of honour‘.

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Saturday, May 21, 2022

Salman Khan’s warm wishes for the launch of Escaype Live Everyone’s excited for the upcoming social thriller ‘Escaype Live’ on Disney + Hotstar but one special person who is truly happy for the launch is none other than the superstar Salman Khan. The megastar posted on his social media account offering his best wishes for the launch of the social thriller - Escaype Live!

Salman said, “Big Nite Tonight For You All.. Best

Wishes for your new show. #EscaypeLive @ waluschaa @sktorigins @rahultewary .” One of the producers of the show, Rahul Kumar Tewary expressed his gratitude towards Salman for promoting the web series. He said, “Thank you So much bhai ????@ beingsalmankhan ???? love always Few hours to go Posted @withregram

I’ve come to Cannes as representative of ‘brand India’: Pooja Hegde Pooja Hegde is extremely proud to represent India at the Cannes Film festival 2022.

During the inauguration of Indian pavilion at the 75th edition of the event, Pooja said, “I’ve not come (to the Cannes Film Festival) with a brand, but I’ve come with brand India. I’ve come (here) as a representative. It’s an honour for me to be very honest to come (here) as an Indian

actor celebrating Indian cinema.” he festival is special this year for India as it has been chosen as the ‘Country of Honour’ at Marche Du Film.

On the work front, she will next feature in Salman Khan’s ‘Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali’. The film also stars Aayush Sharma and Zaheer Iqbal. Apart from that, Pooja is also part of Rohit Shetty’s film ‘Cikrus’ starring Ranveer Singh.

Deepika dances as Mame Khan sings at Cannes 2022 At the inauguration of India Pavilion, Deepika Padukone was spotted dancing as folk singer Mame Khan sang.

Minister for I&B, Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Thakur and Deepika Padukone inaugurated India Pavilion today at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. India is the ‘Country of Honour’ at the Marche’ Du Film, organised alongside Cannes, and therefore it was a grand moment for all the

Indian artists and dignitaries present. During the press conference, folk singer Mame Khan started singing a beautiful melody which forced actors Deepika Padukone, Tamannaah Bhatia and Pooja Hegde to break into a dance. A video of the same is now going viral.

India Pavilion was inaugurated at the Cannes. Stalwarts from Deepika Padukone to R. Madhavan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui to AR Rahman, Tamannaah Bhatia to Pooja Hegde, among

Shehnaaz Gill in saree & gajra Shehnaz Gill to star in Salman Khan’s Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali. The film also stars Venkatesh and Pooja Hegde. Now, confirms that the actress has begun shooting for the film.In the video, Shehnaaz was seen getting down from her vanity van. She was dressed up in saree and ready for the shoot. She was wearing a gajra. Shehnaz Gill was last seen in Diljit Dosanjh’s film. The filming of Kabhi Eid Kabhi Diwali kicked off last week. Salman Khan unveiled his the look.

14

Real Estate

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Price fixing has sent Realtor commissions soaring in an already hot market, lawsuit alleges Much of the discussion about Canada’s real estate market has been dominated by the meteoric rise in the cost of housing.

But what’s often missing from that conversation is the parallel increase in what Canadians pay in real estate commissions nearly every time a home is bought or sold.

For example, a brokerage representing a buyer in 2005 in the Greater Toronto Area would have earned a commission of about $8,795 on the average single-family home — while in December 2021, the buyer’s brokerage would earn about $36,230, or four times more on that same home, according to Dr. Panle Jia Barwick, a leading economist on the real estate industries commission structure.

To put that jump in perspective, the median household income increased by just 14 per cent between 2005 and 2019, after adjusting for inflation.

That discrepancy is just one of the points laid out in a recent lawsuit, alleging price-fixing and anticompetitive

behaviour in Canada’s real estate market.

In the Greater Toronto Area, the average real estate commission exceeds $62,000 before tax. (Patrick Morrell/CBC) The classaction case launched on behalf of Toronto resident Mark Sunderland on April 9, 2021, claims that some of the country’s largest brokerages, including ReMax, Century 21, and IproRealty Ltd. among others, as well as the Canadian Real Estate Association and the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board, have “conspired, agreed or arranged with each other to fix, maintain, i n c r e a s e or control the price … for buyer brokerage services in the GTA.” Commission structures vary across the country, but typically real estate agents and their brokerage charge a percentage-based commission on the sale price of a home. In Alberta and B.C., it’s seven per cent on the first $100,000 and three per cent on the balance.

In other parts of the country, commissions range between four and five percent.

Canadian home prices fall 6% in April, down for 2nd month in a row Canadian home prices fell six per cent to $746,000 in April, as higher interest rates poured cold water on a red-hot real estate market.

Home sales fell 12 per cent nationally in April, with the biggest drops seen in big cities like Toronto, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Monday.

Prices peaked at a record high of more than $816,000 in February this year and average home prices have now declined for two months in a row. In March, the average price stood at $796,000, before falling another six per cent in April, which is typically a strong month for the housing market.

“Following a recordbreaking couple of years, housing markets in many parts of Canada have cooled off pretty sharply over the last two months, in line with a jump in interest rates and buyer fatigue,” CREA chair Jill Oudil said in a statement.

CREA says the average selling price can be misleading because it is easily skewed by expensive and numerous sales in big cities like Toronto and Vancouver. It highlights a different number called the House Price Index (HPI) as a better gauge of the market because it adjusts for the volume and type of homes sold.

Brace yourself: Interest rates could be headed up even faster and higher than we thought The HPI shrank by 0.6 per cent in April, the first monthly decline in two years.

While prices are down from their recent peak, they remain up by about seven per cent from where they were a year ago.

Still, the numbers paint a picture of a housing market cooling from its feverish activity just a few months ago. While the

numbers revealed Monday are national in scope, the national average is being dragged down by Toronto, where average selling prices are down by about $80,000 since March.

Realtor Daniel Foch says it’s not yet a buyer’s market, but things are showing signs of heading that way. For now, it’s what he calls a “beauty pageant market.”

“If a product really stands out and it’s underpriced, it will attract a lot of the buyers from that price range. But you’re not seeing it across every single [property],” he said in an interview.

Buyers fed up with blind bidding, other shenanigans in redhot real estate market While he doesn’t expect a major correction because there are still many well-financed buyers eager to get in, he has heard of cases of buyers trying to back out of expensive deals they committed to earlier this year.

“The challenge is if you default on the transaction and the seller wants that money, you’re still going to be held liable for that difference anyway. So in most cases, unfortunately, you’re best off to honour the contract because at least you end up with the house,” he said.

A problem for sellers — and some buyers, too Lower prices may be welcome news for buyers trying to get into the market, but they’re anxiety-inducing for those trying to sell — especially if they’ve already bought somewhere else.

Some who bought at the highs assuming their lenders would loan them a certain

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Inside a $4.7M two-storey condo unit in Toronto A dramatic two-storey condo up for sale in Toronto may be a sign that the luxury market is still going strong.

While the broader Canadian real estate market experienced a slowdown in sales in April thanks to the Bank of Canada’s rapid interest rate hikes, the luxury market has so far continued to see strong demand.

Toronto’s luxury real estate market is “alive and well”, says Sotheby’s International Realty Canada broker Paul Maranger, with sales of properties over $4 million in the city increasing 28 per cent between April and mid-May year-over-year.

The 6,470-square foot condo, listed for $4.7 million, is certainly a unique listing on the current

market. Owned by philanthropist Salah Bachir, the former president of Cineplex Media, the unit features six bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Apartment at 2045 Lake Shore Blvd.

W in Toronto, Ont. The condominium features separate but equally spacious units stacked on top of each other, with a staircase connecting the two apartments. The units are identical and were connected in 2011,

with the help of architectural firm Kohn Shnier.

Each floor features its own dining, kitchen, and living areas, as well as three bedrooms.

Maranger, who is the listing agent for the property, sees the unit as being a perfect fit for a multigenerational family, or one that has relatives visiting frequently from far away.

“If you have family visiting for two or three months or the year, it’s pretty wonderful for them to be able to stay in their own apartment and not in a basement,” he said.

“They get to look out the window at Lake Ontario, and you can see the mist from Niagara Falls.

It’s like a luxury hotel.”

Apartment at 2405 Lake Shore Blvd W in Toronto, Ont. (Sotheby's International Realty Canada) Apartment at 2405 Lake Shore Blvd W in Toronto, Ont. The condo is located in the Palace Pier building, and features many high-end amenities, including valet parking, a spa, private restaurant, library and shuttle bus to Union Station in downtown Toronto.

Real Estate

15

Home prices are falling for first time in two years Increasing mortgage rates slowed home sales in April from the frenzied pace they started the year at, the Canadian Real Estate Association said Monday.

The association found the number of homes sold dropped by 25.7 per cent to 54,894 last month from 73,907 in April 2021, when the country set a record for the month.

On a monthover-month basis, sales in April were down 12.6 per cent compared with March, but still ranked as the third-highest April sales figure, just behind 2021 and 2016.

“The demand fever in Canadian housing has broken and, who would have thought, all it took was a nudge in interest rates by the Bank of Canada to change sentiment,” said BMO Capital Markets senior analyst Robert Kavcic, in a note to investors.

CREA attributed much of the slowdown to fixed mortgage rates, which have been on the rise since 2021, but have been more impactful in recent months. The association pointed out that typical discounted five-year fixed rates have leaped from about three to

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four per cent over the span of a month.

The rate is also weighing on how buyers fare with the mortgage stress test, which once required those with uninsured mortgages – borrowers with a down payment of at least 20 per cent – to carry a mortgage rate of either two percentage points above the contract rate, or 5.25 per cent, w hiche ver is greater.

For fixed borrowers, CREA said the stress test just m o v e d from 5.25 per cent to the low six per cent range, another roughly one per cent increase in a month.

“People are nervous. They are thinking, ‘if I take on this mortgage, when mortgage rates are going up and the price to (live) is more, what is going to happen?” said Anita Springate-Renaud, a Toronto broker with Engel & Volkers.

She noticed that many homes were still getting multiple offers last month, but instead of 20 offers, two or three was becoming the norm.

16

Saturday, May 21, 2022

The US is preparing a military aid package for India to deepen security ties and reduce the country’s dependence on Russian weapons, people familiar with the matter said.

The package under consideration would include foreign military financing of as much as $500 million dollars, according to one person, which would make India one of the largest recipients of such aid behind Israel and Egypt.

It’s unclear when the deal would be announced, or what weapons would be included.

The effort is part of a much larger initiative

US seeks to wean India from Russia weapons with arms-aid package

by President Joe Biden’s administration to court India as a long-term security partner, despite its reluctance to criticize Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, according to a senior US official who asked not to be named.

Washington wants to be seen as a reliable partner for India across the board, the official added, and the administration is working with other nations including France to make sure Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has the equipment it needs.

While India is already diversifying its military platforms away from Russia, the US wants to help make that happen faster, the official said.

The major challenge remains how to provide India major platforms like fighter jets, naval ships and battle tanks, the official said, adding that the administration is looking for a breakthrough in

This preference for sons over daughters - described as “son preference” - is rooted in the traditional belief that a male child would carry forward the family name and look after the parents in their old age, while daughters would leave them for their matrimonial homes and cost them dowries.

Campaigners say this has resulted in a sex ratio that is heavily skewed in favour of men and has long been India’s shame.

Just a few months ago, Hijab wearing students were marked out as a threat to law and order

by Hindutva groups backed by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s BJP government. They threatened to start wearing saffron shawls if Muslim women were were allowed to nwear the Hijab. If law and order is indeed a priority for the

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wheat would be fulfilled, officials said. On the other hand, as many as 47 countries have sought food grains from India, with many others hinting they would also need them.

The decision came amid widespread loss of yield due to abnormal heat waves in the major wheat-growing states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Large parts of the

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state government, what then are we to make of the weapons training camp held by the Bajrang Dal recently at an educational institution in Kodagu? Between May 5 and 11, the campus of Sai Shankar Educational Institute in Kodagu’s Ponnampet was used by Bajrang Dal to hold an annual program. Organisers claim that

India’s wheat export ban hits global trade As wheat exports from India trickled to a stop, anxious importing nations have started putting in diplomatic requests as the list of countries seeking the grain continues to increase, officials told Moneycontrol.

About a dozen countries have reached out to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), seeking clarification on whether their requests for Indian

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one of these areas. The financing package being discussed would do little to make those types of systems -- which can cost billions or tens of billions of dollars -- more affordable, but it would be a significant symbolic sign of support.

India’s Foreign Ministry didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Outrage over Bajrang Dal’s camp in Karnataka

India’s preference for sons over daughters remains A new Indian government survey shows that there have been improvements in the country’s sex ratio, but an overwhelming majority still desires a male child, writes the BBC’s Shadab Nazmi in Delhi.

Nearly 80% of those surveyed said they wanted at least one son in their lifetime, according to the latest figures from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the most comprehensive household survey of Indian society by the government.

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INDIA

Saturday, May 21, 2022

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INDIA

Saturday, May 21, 2022

How cricket-crazy India scripted world badminton glory Last Sunday, May 15, India showed up to play in the final against Indonesia - the most successful country in the history of the team event - with an appetite for an unlikely win.

The India men’s team has little tradition of success at the world championship in this sport. But their Thomas Cup win has all the makings of a defining sporting moment - rarity, incredulity and impact.

Singles player Lakshya Sen hustled from a game down against world number five Anthony Sinisuka Ginting to first put India in the lead at 1-0.

Next, doubles duo Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty came back from four match points down against three-time

world champions Mohammad Ahsan and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo to bring the lead up to 2-0.

Rankireddy and Shetty had previously lost to one half of this opposing pair 11 times in a row.

The final act was left to former world number one Kidambi Srikanth, who hadn’t lost a match all week. Srikanth played the match of his life in this final - with gif-worthy reflex returns, signature smash-follow up charges and a final cross-court smash that will inhabit highlight reels for posterity.

India’s Kidambi Srikanth hits a return against Indonesia’s Jonatan Christie during the men’s finals of the Thomas and Uber Cup badminton tournament in Bangkok on May 15, 2022.

Sri Lanka PM says country has run out of petrol, economy ‘extremely precarious’ Sri Lanka’s new Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in his first address to the nation on Monday said the country has run out of petrol, adding the economy is extremely precarious. “We have run out of petrol… At the moment, we only have petrol stocks for a single day,” the 73-year-old United National Party (UNP) leader said, explaining the island nation is unable to find dollars to finance essential imports.

A diesel shipment using an Indian credit line arrived in the country on Sunday, but is yet to be distributed across the island. “Due to the diesel shipment that arrived yesterday, the lack of diesel will be resolved to some extent. Under the Indian credit line, two more diesel shipments are due to arrive on the 18th May and 1st June.

In addition, two petrol shipments are expected on 18th and 29th May,” PM Wickremesinghe said.

“For over 40 days 3 ships with crude oil and

furnace oil have been anchored within the maritime zone of Sri Lanka. We are working to obtain dollars in the open market to pay for these shipments,” he added. He said a quarter of electricity in Lanka is generated through oil. Therefore, there is a possibility that the daily power outages will increase to 15 hours a day. “However, we have already obtained money to avert this crisis,” he said.

In his first televised address to the nation after becoming the Prime Minister last week, he said, US dollars will be sourced from open markets to pay for petrol, crude, and furnace oil shipments currently in Sri Lankan waters.

Warning of hardships in the coming months, Wickremesinghe said, “The next couple of months will be the most difficult ones of our lives,” adding that he has “no desire to hide the truth and to lie to the public.”

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INDIA

Saturday, May 21, 2022

Foreign ministers of India, China, Russia to meet at BRICS The BRICS meeting of the foreign ministers via video, to be hosted

by China, will take place in the backdrop of the Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the dragging Covid-19 pandemic, which is showing signs of resurgence in pockets of the world. Foreign ministers of the five BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) will meet on Thursday via video link in the run up to the bloc’s leadership summit late next month, the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Wednesday.

The meeting of the foreign ministers, to be hosted by China, will take place in the backdrop of the Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the dragging Covid-19 pandemic,

which is showing signs of resurgence in pockets of the world.

It will be the first time that Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar, his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, Russia’s Sergey Lavrov, Brazil’s Carlos Alberto França, and South Africa’s minister for international relations and cooperation Naledi Pandor will meet on the same platform after Moscow launched a war against Kyiv in February.

While China has blamed the ongoing war in Ukraine on the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO) aggressive expansion plans, all but absolving Russia, the remaining three have maintained neutral position,

Biden to travel to Japan for Quad Summit, have bilateral meetings with PM Modi US President Joe Biden would travel to Japan for the second inperson Quad summit during which he would hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his national security advisor said Wednesday. Formed with Australia, India, Japan, and the United States, Quad was an initiative of the Trump Administration, which Biden has elevated to the leadership

level. There have so far been three summits, two of them virtual.

“We believe that this summit will demonstrate both in substance and in vision that democracies can deliver and that these four nations working together will defend and uphold the principles of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters during the daily White House news conference.

18th century Indian man who fought casteism declared Saint by the Vatican Devasahayam, who converted to Christianity in the 18th century in the then kingdom of Travancore, was declared a saint by Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Devasahayam, also known as Lazarus, is the first Indian layman to get sainthood for what the Vatican calls “enduring increasing hardships”.

Born Neelakandan Pillai in Hindu upper caste family in present-day Kanyakumari, he worked at Travancore palace. In 1745, he converted to Christianity and took the names of Devasahayam and Lazarus. He

went on to fight against caste discrimination and was persecuted and then killed.

In 2012, the Vatican recognised his martyrdom after a rigorous process.

Devasahayam was chosen for the sainthood after a woman in her seventh month of pregnancy testified to a “miracle” after praying to him in 2013.

The woman said that her foetus had been declared “medically dead” and that there was no movement. However, she said, she experienced movement “after praying to the martyr”.

Gujarat AIMIM leader arrested over ‘derogatory’ post on ‘Shivling’ inside Gyanvapi mosque Hindu organizations made a representation before the Ahmedabad police for action against Qureshi, a spokesperson of the Hyderabad-based party in Gujarat, after his tweet appeared on Tuesday evening.

A leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in Gujarat was arrested on Wednesday by the Ahmedabad police for allegedly

making derogatory remark on Hindu deities on Twitter in connection with the Gyanvapi mosque row, an official said. ACP, Crime Branch, JM Yadav said Danish Qureshi, a panelist on news channel debates, was arrested after his purported post on the micro blogging site on reports about discovery of a ‘Shivling’ inside Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque complex during a court-mandated videography survey drew criticism from some quarters.

Girl commits suicide after boyfriend blocked her on WhatsApp A 20-year-old woman hanged herself to death at her boyfriend’s house located along the railway tracks in suburban Dahisar apparently after he blocked her number on WhatsApp following an argument with her, a police official said on Wednesday. The woman, identified as Pranali Lokare, was found hanging on Monday morning, he said.

“The deceased and her 27-year-old boyfriend knew each other for the last six months. On Sunday night, both of them attended someone’s wedding, following which the woman insisted that she wanted to stay at his place overnight.

However, he did not entertain her demand and asked her to go home,” the official said.

Flood condition worsens in Assam, landlsides in Arunachal; 9 killed The flood situation in Assam deteriorated on Wednesday with the number of affected increasing to 6.62 lakh in 27 districts and the toll rising to nine with one more person losing his life in Darrang district, an official bulletin said.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority said that at present 1,413 villages are under water and Nagaon is the worst hit district where 2.88 lakh people are reeling under the calamity.

In Cachar nearly 1.2 lakh people and in Hojai more than 1.07 lakh people were affected, it said.

The other affected districts are Bajali, Baksa, Barpeta, Biswanath, Bongaigaon, Charaideo, Darrang, Dhemaji, Dibrugarh, Dima Hasao, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Kamrup, Kamrup Metropolitan, Karbi Anglong West, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Morigaon, Nalbari, Sonitpur, Tamulpur and Udalguri.

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Saturday, May 21, 2022

FIJI

Punjab Punjab Cabinet to hire retired patwaris on contract Punjab cabinet, led by Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann, decided to hire retired patwaris / kanungos on a contractual basis against 1,766 regular posts to bring in efficiency in the functioning of Revenue Department.

The decision comes in wake of recent protests by the revenue officers, affecting the work in the department. The decision has been opposed by the serving staff for long. “We understand that the government is making a stop-gap arrangement till the 1,000-odd

previously recruited patwaris join the duty after posting. But along with taking the services of retired patwaris, it should have also decided to recruit more staff against the remaining 2,000 posts,” said Mohan Singh Bhedpura, Punjab representative in the AllIndia Kanungo Association. The Cabinet accorded ex-post facto approval to fill these posts on a contract basis for initially one year in rural circles (except urban/semi-urban).

Navjot Sidhu gets 1-year jail in road rage case The Supreme Court Thursday imposed a sentence of one-year rigorous imprisonment on cricketer-turnedpolitician Navjot Singh Sidhu in a 1988 road rage case, saying any “undue sympathy” to impose an inadequate sentence would do more harm to the justice system and undermine the public confidence in the efficacy of law. The apex court said in

the given circumstances, tempers may have been lost but then the consequences of the loss of temper must be borne.

The top court, while allowing the review plea filed by the complainant on the issue of the sentence, said it is a case where some “germane facts for sentencing” appear to have been lost sight of while imposing only a fine on the Congress leader.

Femal comedy artist arrested for hurting Sikh sentiments and Jassi Talhan of Guru Ravidass Tiger Force said the comedian poked fun at Sikhs and tried to undermine the community. Meanwhile, Bharti posted a video on the social media to apologise for the incident, saying she didn’t intend to hurt anyone’s feelings.

The Jalandhar Rural police have booked comedian Bharti Singh for allegedly hurting Sikh sentiments after one of her videos went viral. Complainants Lakhvir Singh of Shaheedan Tarna Dal

Farmers call off the protest after most demands met “Tuhannu ki lagda hai, sannu sadkan te rulan da shauk hai,” says a group of farmers from Barari Kalan in Fatehgarh Sahib, as they squat on a road in the sweltering heat.

Though happy at the favourable resolution of the stand-off with the Punjab Government today, they wonder why no one hears out

the “annadatas” till they are forced to protest on the streets. “We are not against the direct seeding of rice,” says Joginder Singh, resident of Dall village in Tarn Taran. “But we need water to irrigate the fields and power to run the motors. The power supply is erratic.

Pakistan Pakistani Billionaire buys fighter jets for Ukraine Pakistani billionaire Mohammad Zahoor has given Ukraine fighter jets to aid in their battle as Russia’s invasion of the country continues, according to his wife.

Zahoor’s wife, the Ukrainian singer

Kamaliya Zahoor (known professionally as simply Kamaliya), said that her husband and other wealthy friends had been quietly helping Ukraine in its fight against Russia, Ukraine’s TSN reported on Wednesday.

Former envoy to Italy dismissed for sexually harassing colleague Pakistan’s former ambassador to Italy Nadeem Riaz has been dismissed by the Federal Ombudsperson for sexually harassing his colleague Saira Imdad Ali after the latter won her complaint filed in 2018 against the then envoy.

Although the Ombudsperson ordered

dismissal of the envoy, he had already retired in 2020, as the case continued for four years.

This means that the dismissal is symbolic.

In addition to being dismissed, the accused was also fined a penalty of 5 million rupees.

Perpetual arrest warrants issued for former finance minister Ishaq Dar An Accountability court issued perpetual arrest warrants for former finance minister Ishaq Dar in assets beyond means case.

Accountability Court judge, Muhammad Bashir, while hearing the corruption case against Ishaq Dar and others, ruled that there will be no proceedings until Dar was arrested and presented before the court and the decision

on the acquittal applications filed by three coaccused including former president National Bank of Pakistan (NBP), Saeed Ahmed, Naeem Mehmood and Mansoor Rizvi - two directors of Dar’s companies would be issued only after that.

The counsels for three co-accused during the previous hearing held on May 11 requested the court to adjourn the case.

3 soldiers, 3 children killed in suicide blast near Miranshah Three soldiers and as many children were martyred after a suicide blast occurred in the vicinity of Miranshah, North Waziristan, the InterServices Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.

In a brief statement, the military’s media affairs wing identified the martyred soldiers as 33-year-

old Lance Havaldar Zubair Qadir from Pakpattan, 21-year-old Sepoy Uzair Asfar from Haripur and 22-year-old Sepoy Qasim Maqsood from Multan.

Meanwhile, the children were identified as 11-year-old Ahmed Hassan, eightyear-old Ahsan and four-year-old Anum.

“Intelligence agencies are investigating to

Beijing urges Pakistan to stop terror attacks on Chinese nationals Pakistan has been urged to “ensure” further terrorist attacks against Chinese nationals do not happen after last month’s suicide bombing in Karachi.

In a telephone call with Pakistan’s

new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Premier Li Keqiang said China had been shocked and outraged by the attack.

Three Chinese teachers from a Confucius Institute and their local driver were killed

Court to decide whether US can seize a Russian yacht in Fiji At Lautoka harbor in the heart of Fiji’s sugar cane region, five U.S. federal agents boarded the Russian-owned Amadea, a luxurious superyacht the length of a football field.

“They want to take 20 crew and sail east!” the ship’s captain wrote in a frantic May 5 WhatsApp message to lawyer Feizal Haniff, who represents the company that legally owns the superyacht.

“When?” Haniff wrote back, court

documents obtained by The Associated Press show. “Please hold. Please hold. Can you hold. I need a judge. I am dialing everyone.”

The case highlights the thorny legal ground the U.S. is finding itself on as it tries to seize assets of Russian oligarchs around the world.

Those intentions are welcomed by many governments and citizens who oppose the war in Ukraine, but some actions are raising questions about how far U.S. jurisdiction extends.

NFP will not form a coalition govt with FijiFirst – Biman The National Federation Party will not form a coalition or partnership with the FijiFirst party, says its leader, Professor Biman Prasad.

Prof Prasad made the comments while speaking at a party meeting in Malolo, Nadi on Monday night.

“The NFP doesn’t want to partner with a party

that has brought this country to its knees,” he said.

The NFP leader said the party had decided to work with The People’s Alliance party for now.

“We have a history of working with Sitiveni Rabuka and the agreement with his party is based on a number of important principles like democracy, good governance and inclusivity.

Video showing arrest of Fiji bus driver reignites debate about police use of excessive force Fiji police have suspended an officer pending an investigation after a video showing what appeared to be the use of excessive force against a bus driver during an arrest was shared widely in the Pacific country.

The video appears to show a police officer attempting to remove a handcuffed bus driver from his bus in Labasa on Vanua

Levu, Fiji’s second largest island on Monday.

In the video, which was shared thousands of times and prompted hundreds of comments condemning the apparent conduct, a policeman is seen shouting and pointing at the bus driver, before the officer wraps his hands around the man’s neck and appears to slam his head against the seat several times.

MP was claiming more in parliamentary allowances The sixth witness in the case against Social Democratic Liberal Party Member of Parliament Ratu Suliano Matanitobua informed the court that he had made changes to the allowance claims submitted by Ratu Suliano.

Senior Finance Officer of Parliament, Sarwesh Narayan highlighted this in court when he took the stand this afternoon.

Ratu Suliano is charged with one count of

giving false information to a public servant and one count of obtaining a financial advantage.He allegedly falsely stated that his permanent place of residence was Namosi Village, in Namosi.

The MP allegedly obtained over $38,300 between August 2019 and April 2020.

Narayan informed the court that he had reduced the allowances that were to be paid to the MP.

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INDIA

Saturday, May 21, 2022

MLA Stewart statement on Family Doctor Day demonstrations Kelowna West MLA Ben Stewart released the following statement in support of family doctors, and those in need of doctors, making their voices heard to government on Family Doctor Day: “Today on Family Doctor Day, people around the province are gathering to express to government their concerns about the state of health care in B.C. “Right now, 1 in 5 British Columbians do not have a family doctor and the problem is only getting worse. There is a critical need for longitudinal care, but as evidenced by today’s demonstrations, for far too many people it is simply not available.

Press release

“Without family doctors, people are forced to go to walk-in clinics, emergency rooms and urgent and primary care centres, which are frequently over-capacity and chronically understaffed. People want an ongoing relationship with the same doctor who knows their history, who they trust with their personal health.

“Family doctors are necessary for providing preventative medicine that keeps people healthy and reduces pressure on the entire health care system — but right now, family doctors are not getting the value and support they need. They tell us they are unable to make ends meet because of rising costs.

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BC Liberals table bill to force government to allow Indigenous names on documents

BC Liberal MLA Doug Clovechok introduced a bill today that would allow Indigenous language characters on birth certificates, adoption papers, and pieces of government identification in British Columbia.

“Indigenous people were stripped of their traditional names by the residential school system and this bill directly responds to one of the 94 Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” said Clovechok, MLA for Columbia River-Revelstoke.

“Indigenous applicants being denied their names have been told by government that current software won’t tolerate special characters. It’s unacceptable that John Horgan has one billion dollars for a vanity museum project, but can’t afford software that will permit Indigenous people to use their rightful names. This bill would force them to take action.”

The Indigenous Names Statutes Amendment Act would allow for characters other than Latin alphabetic letters to be officially accepted and recognized on important government documents, like birth certificates, in the case of

British Columbians with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis ancestry. “The traditional names given to Indigenous children carry deep cultural meaning. Being able to have documents like birth certificates reflect true cultural names in Indigenous languages is not just symbolic, but a matter of profound personal identity. They have meaning,” added Clovechok. “So many Indigenous names use characters, numbers, and symbols which for far too long have been ineligible on official provincial documents.

John Horgan and the NDP must recognize that it is their duty to find a way to accommodate Indigenous names going forward.”

The inspiration for the bill was a letter sent to Clovechok from a grade 12 student named Emme Abbs from Golden, B.C. Her passion for the reclamation of Indigenous names for residential school survivors and their families helped drive MLA Clovechok, an adopted member of the Weasel Traveller family of the Piikani First Nation, to put this important Private Member’s Bill forward.

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