The Asian Star November 12 2022

A 1,700-year-old Hindu temple in India has revealed it is sitting on a fortune of $40 billion after finally counting its huge fortune.

Every year, around 40million devotees visit the Venkateswara Temple, also known as the Tirupati Balaji, in the hills of the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, and donate gold jewellery, bundles of cash and prized possessions, to the God Venkateswara.

Despite being one of the most popular religious sites in the world, the vast riches of the so-called ‘temple of wealth’ were not known and an audit had never been carried

Continued on page 20

Record-breaking cold sets in across BC

Canadian intelligence officials have warned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that China has allegedly been targeting Canada with a vast campaign of foreign interference, including funding a clandestine network of at least 11 federal candidates running in the 2019 election.

In a report on Monday (Nov 7), Canadian Global Television Network’s news and current affairs division Global News cited sources as saying that Trudeau had been alerted by the officials.

Delivered to the prime minister and several Cabinet members in a series of briefings and memos first presented in January, the allegations included other detailed examples of Beijing’s efforts to further its influence and, in turn, subvert Canada’s democratic process, sources said.

World population set to hit eight billion on Tuesday, Nov 15

The world’s population is set to hit eight billion next week in a key milestone for humanity, according to the United Nations.

The UN Population Division said that the population will continue to grow in the decades to come, with life expectancy set to

increase to an average of 77.2 years by 2050. By November 15, the number of humans on Earth will grow to eight

Continued on page 6

Hot on the heels of a record-breaking warm October, winter is offering up some recordbreaking cold days for November. Thirteen temperaturerecordswerebrokenacrossB.C.on Wednesday. Global Okanagan meteorologist Peter Quinlan said it’s due to an arctic high-pressure system parked over the Rockies.

Continued on page 7

Island Nations want China & India to

Day

pay for climate damage

Highly polluting emerging economies including China and India should pay into a climate compensation fund to help countries rebuild after climate change-driven disasters, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda said. Prime Minister Gaston Browne, speaking on behalf of the Association of Small Island States (AOSIS), said the world’s first- and third-biggest greenhouse gas emitters – though still emerging economies – have a responsibility to pay into a fund.

See story on page 2

Continued on page 22

Trudeau warned that China funded 11 candidates in 2019 election

Members of Indian Ex-Servicemen Society of BC gather to honour Remembrance Day in Cloverdale, Surrey, BC.

Indian Ex-Servicemen Society of BC honour Remembrance

China trying to subvert democracy

‘Temple of Wealth’ has $40 billion in gold, silver & cash

South Asian Business Association of BC donates $15,000 to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation

For your anniversary, you might expect your significant other to make you a nice dinner, but you wouldn’t expect them to make you a millionaire.

One Surrey couple just had the best anniversary after bringing home $1 million in prize money from the Lotto Max draw on October 21.

Michelle and Ben Tessarolo will be celebrating their 20th anniversary with a little extra cash in the bank now after winning a Maxmillions prize. “We were at home watching TV, and I thought my Lotto! app must have an error, and then we double-checked our numbers

online,” said Michelle Tessarolo in a release. Next up for the couple is an Alaskan cruise and maybe they will buy a lakeside home in the interior so they can enjoy the outdoors after they retire. Winning the money makes the couple feel excited, they said. “It will better prepare us for retirement and allow us to have some savings.”

Although a million dollars won’t take you far in Vancouver’s real estate market, what would you do if you won?

Police seek public assistance in search for missing Surrey woman

Police are seeking public assistance in finding a missing 56-yearold woman from Surrey, B.C. Traci Johal was last seen leaving her home in the 6600-block of 120th Street on foot around 2 a.m. on Nov. 8. Her family reported her missing at 11:38 p.m., as it is unusual for her not to be contact with them, police said in a Wednesday news release. Johal is described as a South Asian woman, about five-feet-six-inches tall and 125 pounds with dyed dark blond shoulderlength hair. She was last seen wearing a white blouse, black or grey leggings, a black sweater and black running shoes. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is asked to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.

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SABA also present trophy to the winning team of the tournament 2022 held at Hazelmere Golf & Tennis club in Surrey in August.

SABA (South Asian Business Association of BC) donated $15,000 to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, The amount was collected from SABA golf tournament 2022. At the same time SABA also present trophy to the winning team of the tournament 2022 held at Hazelmere Golf & Tennis club Surrey in August.

Couple wins $1 million in Lotto Max on their 20th wedding anniversay

SABA (South Asian Business Association of BC donates $15,000 to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation

BC estimates $1 billion for repairs in last year’s flooding

A year after torrential rain-fuelled mudslides, debris flows and flooding hammered critical transportation corridors in southwestern B.C., the provincial government estimates that permanent repairs to the Coquihalla, Trans-Canada and Nicola highways will cost $1 billion. The permanent repair costs, however, will not be confirmed until the companies contracted to do the work come back with finalized designs. Those designs will require higher standards to account for what is expected to be more frequent and severe weather events fuelled by climate change, such as those that caused the deadly flooding in November 2021. “As the ministry completes the (request for proposal) processes, signs contracts and confirms designs for more of the permanent repair work, more detailed cost

information will be provided,” B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure spokesman Eugene Law said in a written statement in response to Postmedia News questions. The temporary repairs of highways and bridges damaged or washed away by the torrential rains is estimated at $210 million. That includes more than $100 million for the 69-kilometre Nicola Highway between Merritt and Spences Bridge that follows the Coldwater River. The slides, debris flows and deadly flooding in mid-November 2021 were caused by high-intensity rainfall in two to three days. Melting snow also contributed to the flooding. The highintensity rains, in long bands carried from the tropics, are known as atmospheric rivers.

Permanent repairs have begun in some places along the Coquihalla, including to

Incoming premier David Eby says province will take over coordinating approach to Downtown Eastside - BC

With the situation getting worse in the Downtown Eastside, incomingB.C. premier David Eby says the province will take over running a coordinated approach to address issues in the Downtown Eastside.

In an interview with media, Eby said the problems in the community are the worst he has seen, and managing it has become too big for the City of Vancouver.

“I have not seen it look worse. And I have not seen a worse situation for people than I have right now. I think we need to bottom line what is happening. It is far beyond what the city can handle on its own,” Eby said.

Eby explained a “bottom line” approach means the province will take on the

role of coordinating the services and measuring the outcomes.

This includes working with both the federal government and the City of Vancouver. It also means coordinating service delivery from the Vancouver Police Department, the court system and a wide way of social service providers.

The first step will be to put in place an immediate encampment plan to address the ongoing concerns with tents on East Hastings Street.

“I don’t support encampments,” Eby said.

“I don’t think they are a solution to homelessness. I don’t think they are safe for people who live in them. I have seen too many

Shri Thanedar becomes the 5th Indian American elected to US Congress

Indian American entrepreneur Shri Thanedar made history by becoming the first desi politician to win a seat in the United States (US) House of Representatives from the state of Michigan. Taking to Twitter after the election was called in his favour, Thanedar said, “We did it! With early returns showing us receiving 89.2 percent of the vote, I’m honored to be the next Representative in Congress for the 13th District!”

The 67-year-old joins the so called ‘Samosa Caucus of Indian Americans’ in the US House, which includes Ami Bera, Pramila Jayapal, Ro Khanna, and Raja Krishnamoorthi – all of whom are poised to win from their respective seats in the midterms. Here’s a closer look at his journey.

Humble Beginnings

Thanedar spent the first 24 years of his life in Belgaum and Dharwad, Karnataka, and Mumbai, Maharashtra. “I grew up in poverty in India, in a family of 10, where I remember going to the river to get drinking water. After my father retired, it fell to me to care for my family, so I worked as a janitor,” Thanedar says on his website.

More than the passion for studying, what compelled Thanedar to educate himself and perform well at his studies was his commitment towards his family, who were undergoing immense financial difficulties at the time. At the age of 18, he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, and went on to do his Masters in the subject from the University of Bombay – a degree he finished with a distinction and a gold medal. He also had a brief stint as a scientist at Mumbai’s Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.

To the Land of Dreams

In 1979, Thanedar came to the US to pursue a PhD at the University of Akron. To sustain himself financially, he took up a job as a teaching assistant, and sent a portion of his salary back him to his family. He also said that he had purchased a car at the time, and used to sleep in it while he was working on his research at the university due to the paucity of money. After years of working as a scientist and a scholar, Thanedar decided to try his hand at entrepreneurship. Over a span of 25 years in the private industry, and painstaking attempts towards raising finances, he managed to create several businesses, such as Chemir, Azopharma, and Avomeen Analytical Services. ntry Into Politics

Despite having earned a millionaire status and the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award by Ernst and Young thrice, something was missing from his life. He wanted to do more, and found that his passion now lay in politics. In 2018, he threw his hat in the ring in the Democratic primary, and contested for the post of Michigan’s Governor – which he lost.

Some of his poll promises at the time included a a $15 minimum wage, and paid sick leave for working people. “I’ll never forget what it’s like to live in poverty, and I’ll never stop working to lift families out of it,” he had said.

Later, however, he became a member of the Michigan State House in 2020, and beat as many as eight candidates to become the frontrunner in the Democratic primary. He then went on to represent the third district in the Michigan House. In the 2022 midterms, Thanedar ran from the 13th Congressional District of Michigan.

OPINION

MP Cheryl Gallant says federal government profiting off inflation

Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke Member of Parliament (MP) Cheryl Gallant is sharing her thoughts on the fall economic outlook. Gallant says the federal government is profiting off inflation and has collected an extra $40.1-billion dollars that did not go towards paying off the deficit. Gallant says

higher prices means more taxes collected.

The local MP says putting more money into the economy would be great, but notes the government is borrowing at a time when interest rates are climbing to the highest they’ve been in 40-years and generations to come will be paying for it.

Gallant has a hard time finding any positives in the fall economic outlook and says even the items that look good will cost us far more.

The fiscal update projects a $36.4-billion deficit for the current fiscal year but projects a surplus of $4.5-billion five years from now.

Ontario’s Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy says while they welcome many of the initiatives included in the Fall Economic Statement, they can’t help but notice the absence of support to move transformational projects forward that are critical to Ontario and Canada’s economic success.

Unifor National President Lana Payne says there are several encouraging items in the statement, but adds solutions have to be introduced to permanently fix Employment Insurance.

HIGHLIGHTS

Tax credits for clean electricity and lowemitting hydrogen production.

Permanently eliminating student loan interest. Doubling the GST credit for 6-months. Canada Dental Benefit to cover dental expenses for their children under 12.

Quarterly Canada Workers Benefit.

New strategy to boost immigration to a record 500,000 new arrivals by 2025.

$500 top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit.

Lowering Credit Card Transaction Fees for Small Businesses.

Doubling the First-Time Home Buyers’ Tax Credit to provide up to $1,500 in direct support to home buyers.

Crack down on house flipping by ensuring that profits from properties held for less than 12 months are fully taxed.

Multigenerational Home Renovation Tax Credit to provide up to $7,500 in support for constructing a secondary suite.

Help first-time home buyers to save up to $40,000 tax-free toward the purchase of their first home.

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VPD ‘social safety net’ report sparks debate as chief calls for more accountability in DTES - BC

A report commissioned by the Vancouver Police Department investigating the cost of the city’s “social safety net” was released Wednesday, alleging a lack of transparency and accountability in the response to the Downtown Eastside crisis.

The report, a summary of which was first detailed by Global News on Monday, has proven to be highly controversial.

“More than $5 billion a year is directed to Vancouver’s social safety net,” Police Chief Const. Adam Palmer said.

“This is a conservative underestimate of the total amount spent, which is comparable o the entire operating

budget of the National Hockey League.”

Palmer said around $1 million is being spent every day in the Downtown Eastside for community and social issues.

The report, which cost $142,000 to produce, was done in conjunction with HelpSeeker, an Alberta-based tech company which describes itself as a startup “focused on accelerating the digital transformation of the social safety net to maximize its equitable outcomes.”

There have been questions about the $5 billion figure, considering HelpSeeker included around $2 billion of direct federal transfers that go to all residents of Vancouver.

BC gang war incidents hit Delta three times in 72 hours: Police

North Delta the scene of three gangrelated incidents between Nov. 3-5 Delta police says they dealt with three incidents in a 72-hour period connected with the continuing B.C. gang war. The first incident occurred on Nov. 3 when a 22-year-old man was found with “significant gunshot injuries” in the area of 92A Avenue and 117 Street in North Delta.

Meanwhile, on Nov. 2 and 4, members of the department’s drug squad searched properties in North Delta and Richmond and found “drugs, cash, evidence of a drug trafficking operation and firearms.” Two people were arrested at the North Delta site, with charges pending. The third incident was on Nov. 5 when

police were alerted to a suspicious vehicle parked on Upper Canyon Road in North Delta. Police said the vehicle was unoccupied and determined that it had been stolen.

“Patrol officers recognized that the contents of the vehicle indicated the car was staged in the area to be utilized for further criminal activity — potentially acts of violence associated with the current

gang conflict,” the department said in a news release. Police monitored the vehicle and late on Saturday a person returned to the vehicle and was arrested on suspicion of firearms and theft offences. No charges have been laid.

Alberta Court of Appeal dismisses

unvaccinated

woman’s case for organ donation

A terminally ill woman’s bid to be readded to a transplant list she was removed from for refusing a COVID-19 vaccine has been rejected by Alberta’s highest court.

Alberta transplant doctors have made getting the vaccine mandatory for eligibility, but Annette Lewis refuses to be immunized for COVID-19.

There is a court-ordered publication ban that covers the organ Lewis is seeking a transplant for, the names of the doctors, and the hospital’s name and location.

Earlier this year, Court of King’s Bench Justice Paul Belzil found that the charter has no application when it comes to the COVID-19 vaccine requirement.

In October, Lewis took her case to the Court of Appeal of Alberta. Her lawyer urged the appellate court to step in, arguing the vaccine requirement was causing Lewis’s death by removing the chance for a transplant and the possibility that it would save her life.

Lawyers for Alberta Health Services and the doctors argued that the decision had been made by a clinical team that must make determinations about who is most in need as well as who has the best prospect of survival, citing the nearly 40 per cent death rate of transplant patients who contracted COVID-19 before the vaccines were available.

The appeal court upheld Belzil’s original finding, noting that medical decisions

In a new twist to Dera follower Pradeep Sharma’s murder in Kotkapura, Sidhu Moosewala murder accused Canada –based gangster Goldy Brar has claimed responsibility for the murder.

Punjab police official say they can neither deny nor confirm the claim at this juncture.

The claims were made by Goldy Brar via a social media post. Goldy Brar is hiding in Canada and is a close aide of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. The cyber crime wing of Punjab Police has begun investigations into

the claims made by Goldy Brar. In his post, Brar wrote: “I, Goldy Brar (Lawrence Bishnoi Group) take responsibility for the murder of Bargari sacrilege case accused Pardeep in Kotakpura today, “ adding, “For the past seven years, three governments have changed and they have not been able to give justice to the sacrilege incidents.” He wrote that whoever will disrespects any religion, the same will happen to him.” “The Hindu-Sikh brothers have taken this revenge together because Guru Sahib is common to all,” he added.

Canada-based Punjabi gangster Goldy Brar claims responsibility for Sirsa Dera follower killing

The trial has heard a surveillance video from outside the store during the incident in September last year is inconclusive in proving McCallum’s foot was run over.

A decision in the trial of former Surrey, B.C., mayor Doug McCallum comes down to his intention to mislead police by falsely accusing a woman to be suspected of committing offences, not whether she ran over his foot, a special prosecutor says. Richard Fowler told a provincial court judge on Wednesday that Doug McCallum made it clear in his statement to police on Sept. 4, 2021, that he wanted to “go after” a woman he said targeted him with her vehicle in a grocery store parking lot. McCallum was charged with public mischief last December.

In a videotaped statement already shown in court, McCallum told police he recognized the driver as Debi Johnstone as a campaigner for a group called Keep the RCMP in Surrey, in opposition to his plan to bring in a municipal police force.

McCallum lost the election to a mayor who ran on a promise to reverse his decision to stop the transition to the Surrey Police Service. He accused Johnstone of pinning him against his vehicle, running over his foot and “flooring it” out of the lot. He also said she had a history of harassing him during council meetings and that he wanted police to investigate her for harassment. “I really, on this one, want to go after her,” McCallum tells a Mountie in the video.

McCallum used the word “pinned” 11 times during the 45-minute statement, Fowler said during his closing arguments to the court.

The trial heard the former mayor told police he did some grocery shopping before visiting an emergency room where he was told he had a soft tissue injury to his left foot.

Surveillance video of the store parking lot is inconclusive on whether McCallum’s foot was run over because the area where he walks over to Johnstone’s vehicle is concealed by some shrubs.

However, the video clearly shows Johnstone had not committed any of the offences McCallum suggested, Fowler said.

“He was, in my respectful submission, pinned by no one,” he said. “This is not a trial about whether or not Mr. McCallum’s foot was run over,” Fowler said. “This is a trial about whether or not Mr. McCallum intentionally made false statements to the police with the intention of causing(Ms.)Johnstone to be suspected of having committed offences she had not. If, in fact, Mr. McCallum’s foot was run over, in my respectful submission he has intentionally exploited what was an obvious accident by deliberately characterizing it as something it was not.”

The Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt the elements of public mischief, Fowler said.

“You can be sure he made false statements. You can be sure he intended to mislead police. You can be sure he intended to cause (Debi) Johnstone to be suspected of having committed offences she did not. And you can be sure police commenced an investigation into his allegations.” Eric Gottardi, a defence lawyer for McCallum, said earlier Wednesday that his client should be acquitted of the public mischief charge because the Crown failed to prove he intended to mislead police by saying his foot was run over.

Gottardi said any embellishments in McCallum’s statement to police were due to confusion following a frightening incident.

“He is not trying to communicate a literal idea of being pinned. Even if he were, it doesn’t matter because the core complaint is she ran over his foot and drove away,” he said.

“Police were investigating a (motor vehicle incident) and if there were exaggerated details, the case law tells us that doesn’t matter.”

However, Fowler said McCallum’s detailed description of Johnstone and the make and model of her convertible Mustang, his recording of her licence plate and his conversation with another pro-RCMP campaigner afterwards in the parking lot show he was not confused. Johnstone has testified she swore at McCallum, yelled at him to resign,

World population set to hit eight billion on Tuesday,

From page 1

billion, more than three times higher than the 2.5 billion global headcount in 1950.

The increase in life expectancy, as well as the number of people of childbearing age, has meant the UN predicts the world’s population will continue growing to about 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and a peak of about 10.4 billion in the 2080s.

But the population growth rate, after a peak in the early 1960s, has decelerated dramatically to below 1 per cent in 2020, Rachel Snow of the UN Population Fund said.

That figure could potentially fall to around 0.5 percent by 2050 due to a continued decline in fertility rates, the United Nations projects.

The world’s population is set to hit eight billion by November 15 this year, a United Nations report has revealed

The world’s population is set to hit eight billion by November 15 this year, a United Nations report has revealed

In 2021, the average fertility rate was 2.3 children per woman over her lifetime, down from about five in 1950, according to the UN, which projects that number to fall to 2.1 by 2050.

‘We’ve reached a stage in the world where the majority of countries and the majority of people in this world are living in a country that is below replacement fertility,’ or roughly 2.1 children per woman, says Miss Snow.

A key factor driving global population growth is that average life expectancy continues to increase: 72.8 years in 2019, nine years more than in 1990. And the UN predicts an average life expectancy of 77.2 years by 2050.

The result, combined with the decline in fertility, is that the proportion of people over 65 is expected to rise from 10 per cent in 2022 to 16 percent in 2050.

This will have an impact on labour markets and national pension systems, while requiring much more elderly care.

Meanwhile, beneath the global averages are some major regional disparities.

For example, the UN projects that more than half of the population growth by 2050 will come from just eight countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines and Tanzania.

The average age in different regions is also meaningful, currently at 41.7 years in Europe versus 17.6 years in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to Miss Snow, who says the gap ‘has never been as large as it is today’.

The study for World Population Day revealed that the pace of mortality slowing means the world’s population will reach eight billion in just over four months time, 8.5 billion by 2030 and 10.4 billion by 2100 (pictured, the world’s population growth over the years)

China trying to subvert democracy

The report added that based on recent information from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), those efforts allegedly involved payments through intermediaries to candidates affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party, placing agents into the offices of Members of Parliament in order to influence policy, seeking to co-opt and corrupt former Canadian officials to gain leverage in Ottawa, and mounting aggressive campaigns to punish Canadian politicians whom the People’s Republic of China (PRC) views as threats to its interests.

The CSIS told Global News it could not answer some questions for this story.

From page 1 Visit our Website www.theasianstar.com

But the service confirmed it had identified the PRC’s foreign interference in Canada, which can include covert funding to influence election outcomes.

“The Chinese Communist Party is using all elements of state power to carry out activities that are a direct threat to our national security and sovereignty,” the CSIS stated.

Global News, however, said the briefings did not identify the 2019 candidates.

But it said the alleged election interference network included members from both the Liberal and Conservative parties, according to sources with knowledge of the briefings.

Crown says former Surrey mayor intentionally misled police with false allegations

Record-breaking cold sets in across BC

“(It) is funneling in the frigid air, pushing an arctic front south of the area,” Quinlan said. “The result has been record-breaking cold over the BC Interior. Temperatures will start to warm as the front begins to retreat into the long weekend.”

Click to play video: ‘Between Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon, there are well over 300 people sleeping outside in the cold’ 2:25 Between Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon, there are well over 300 people sleeping outside in the cold

The oldest record broken was in Salmon Arm. The Shuswap city saw temperatures plunge to -12 C Wednesday, breaking a record of -10.6 C set in 1911.

The most extreme shift in weather happened in the Puntzi Mountain area where the temperature skated to 27.7 C breaking a record of -20.2 C set in 2003.

According to Environment Canada records, it seems that the last real cold snap like this at this time was in 1986, as that’s when most of the previous temperature records were broken.

Abbotsford

New record of -4.6

Old record of -4.4 set in 1948

Blue River

New record of -21 C

Old record of -15.3 C set in 1986

Burns Lake Area

New record of -19.2 C Old record of -19 C set in 1986

Clearwater Area

New record of -13.6 C Old record of -13.5 C set in 1986

Dawson Creek Area

New record of -29.7 C

Old record of -28.9 C set in 1986

Mackenzie Area

New record of -26.6 C Old record of -23.0 C set in 1986

Port Hardy Area

New record of -6.4 C Old record of -3.9 C set in 1973

Sechelt Area

New record of -3 C Old record of -1.8 C set in 2012

Sparwood Area

New record of -21.4 C Old record of -20.3 C set in 1986

Squamish Area

New record of -3.8 C Old record of -2.5 C set in 1986

AOSIS wants a full commitment to launch a multibillion-dollar fund by 2024, after conference delegates for the first time in the history of international climate negotiations agreed to put the topic of loss and damage on the formal agenda.

Island Nations want China & India to pay for climate damage

Feds could reap $4.4 billion from extending windfall tax to other sectors: PBO

New analysis from the parliamentary budget officer suggests the federal government would pocket $4.4 billion in additional revenue if it extended the Canada Revenue Dividend to the oil and gas sector as well as big-box stores.

The dividend is a one-time 15 per cent windfall tax the Liberals plan to levy on excess profits made by banks and life insurers during the pandemic.

The PBO previously estimated that the dividend would bring in $3 billion in revenue from banks and life insurers over the next five years.

Two NDP members of Parliament asked the PBO to assess the financial impact of extending the temporary tax to the oil and gas sector and big-box stores.

In its analysis, the PBO found the federal government could raise an additional $4.4 billion in revenues by extending the tax to those sectors.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault recently lashed out at oil companies for making very limited investments in climate action even as massive inflation-driven profits allowed them to pad the wallets of shareholders.

Not long after those comments, the Liberals proposed a two per cent tax on share buybacks in the fall economic statement.

The tax aims to incentivize companies to spend their profits on growing their operations, but New Democrats say the tax doesn’t help Canadians who need relief.

“Canadians are living in a really tough time right now … the cost of everything is going up,” said NDP finance critic Daniel Blaikie.

Blaikie said corporations can find ways to get around the buyback tax, whereas a windfall tax would allow for less “wiggle room.”

Appeal court more than triples sentence of Calgary dad in abduction case

A Calgary father who abducted his daughter and hid her with family in Iraq in order to alienate the girl from her mother must surrender to police after the Alberta Court of Appeal increased his sentence from just over two years to eight years in prison.

AliAlAazawiwasconvictedinMay2021of abduction in contravention of a court order.

In June 2018, Zainab Mahdi initially consented to her then-10-year-old daughter Zahraa travelling to Egypt, but Al Aazawi was to return the girl in September.

Instead, he breached their courtordered parenting agreement and left the child in Iraq so that he could have complete control over her education.

‘Ongoing and life-altering situation’

On Tuesday, Alberta’s top court agreed with prosecutor Tom Spark and

described Al Aazawi’s actions as “cruel and reprehensible” and found the trial judge did not consider all aggravating factors when imposing the two-year sentence.

“Not many circumstances are worse than the ongoing and life-altering situation Mr. Al Aazawi imposed upon [Zahraa] and her mother,” reads part of the court’s 50-page decision.

‘She’s very angry,’ judge says of abducted childleftinIraqasdadsentencedto2yearsinjail

“[Al Aazawi] did not just ignore court orders; from the outset, he sought by his own means to reverse a parenting order, including by alienating [Zahraa] from her mother and coercing Ms. Mahdi to give up her parental rights.”

Al Aazawi’s lawyer, Balfour Der, argued for a sentence less than two years, but his appeal was dismissed.

Toxic drugs claimed the lives of at least 171 British Columbians in September 2022, putting the province on track to surpass 2,000 such deaths for a second consecutive year, according to data released by the BC Coroners Service.

“British Columbians are continuing to suffer the tragic effects of a toxic and volatile drug supply, with almost six members of our communities dying each day,”said Lisa Lapointe, chief coroner. “Both those who use drugs occasionally and those who are substance-dependent are at risk of sudden death from the unpredictable illicit market. Individuals who have been abstinent for a period of time or those who normally use stimulants are at increased risk. Their

opioid tolerance is low and the prevalence of fentanyl in the illicit supply is high.”

The 171 deaths in September is roughly the same as the total reported in August 2022 (169) and is equivalent to about 5.7 deaths per day. A total of 1,644 lives have been lost to toxic drugs between January and September 2022, which is the largest number ever recorded in the first nine months of a calendar year. Consistent with previous reporting, 71% of decedents in 2022 were between 30 and 59, and 79% were male.

September is the 24th consecutive month in which at least 150 deaths suspected to have been caused by illicit drug toxicity were reported to the BC Coroners Service.

Kelowna cop involved in disturbing wellness check pleads guilty

A British Columbia woman who was assaulted by an RCMP officer during a wellness check says she’s glad the officer has taken accountability for the damage she caused nearly three years ago.

Kelowna RCMP officer Const. Lacy Browning pleaded guilty to one count of assault on what was supposed to be the first day of her trial on Monday.

Browning was accused of punching Mona Wang and dragging the University of British Columbia student from her apartment in January 2020 after Wang’s boyfriend called police asking them to check on her.

Wang said Tuesday that she’s glad justice has prevailed. “Throughout all this time, I’ve had to really advocate for myself and

I know that I’m really privileged to be able to have my voice heard like this,” she said.

“And unfortunately, many people who have gone through the same thing will never be able to get the justice that they deserve.”

Surveillance video taken from inside an apartment building, which was disclosed as part of a civil lawsuit filed by Wang, shows the RCMP officer dragging Wang by the arms face down along a carpeted hallway, then stepping on her head in the lobby.

Statements of defence filed in the civil lawsuit from Browning, the Attorney General of Canada and B.C.’s solicitor general denied any wrongdoing, saying the officer used no more force than was reasonable and necessary.

Man wanted on Canada-wide warrant

for Surrey shooting

arrested in Vancouver

A man wanted on a Canadawide warrant after allegedly shooting a man in Surrey around New Year’s Eve has been arrested.

Tevain Lloyd, 28, was arrested in Vancouver on Monday, Nov. 7, according to the Surrey RCMP, more than two months after the warrant was issued. The police don’t say exactly when, where or how Lloyd was taken into custody, only that it was done “safely.”

Lloyd, who goes by “Gucci,” is facing charges of aggravated assault, discharging a firearm with intent, and using a firearm in the commission of an indictable offence.

He allegedly shot a man on Dec. 30 in central Surrey. Earlier this year police stated they believed the two knew each other at the time of the shooting.

Lloyd was first arrested in connection to the incident in Gastown in April 2022. He was released later that month, with conditions, and was supposed to appear in court on Aug. 4. Police say he failed to appear in court that day and a Canada-wide warrant was issued. Later in August, police put out a press release asking the public for help locating Lloyd.

More than 1,600 deaths from illicit drugs in first 9 months of the year

More than seven months after provincewide COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, new data from ICBC reveals less than one-third of fines issued for violating public health orders have been paid.

From breaking previous event or social gathering rules to not wearing masks during mandates, 2,909 provincial COVID19-related tickets have been issued as of Nov. 3 – for a total of $2,016,333 in fines.

But according to ICBC, which is responsible for collecting COVID-19 fines on behalf of the provincial government, only 921 tickets – or just under 32 per cent – have been paid, generating $503,777 in fines for the province.

“There isn’t much of a mechanism for government to enforce collection of unpaid COVID fines beyond restricting somebody’s ability to purchase car

insurance or renew their driver’s licence,” said lawyer Kyla Lee of Acumen Law.

Since July 2021, Refuse to Issue (RTI) can be applied to COVID-19 violation tickets allowing ICBC to not renew a person’s driver’s licence, permit, or vehicle licence and plates until their outstanding fine is paid.

“The reality is, at some point, you will pay that fine,” said Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth.

Two-hundred-and-fifty-two tickets or nine per cent are currently being disputed in court while 1,162, or 40 per cent, have been deemed guilty with $610,223 in fines owed.

ICBC sends unpaid provincial ticket files directly to collections as soon as the initial 30-day payment or dispute period ends, or if someone is found guilty in court.

PM says foreign actors playing ‘aggressive games’ with Canadian democracy, institutions

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says bad actors abroad are playing “aggressive games” with Canada’s democracy and pledged Monday to support Canadian security agencies tasked with countering foreign influence operations in Canada.

Trudeau was responding to a Global News story which reported that Canadian intelligence officials alerted him in January to a Chinese campaign of interference in the 2019 federal election.

Sources told Global a series of Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) briefing notes to the prime minister and several cabinet ministers said China covertly funded 11 candidates in the 2019 federal election. The sources told Global the

briefings did not identify the candidates.

The briefing notes further allege that China worked to get its agents employed in the offices of members of Parliament.

“Unfortunately we’re seeing that countries, state actors from around the world, whether it’s China or others, are continuing to play aggressive games with our institutions, with our democracies,” Trudeau told a news conference Monday.

“The world is changing, and sometimes in quite scary ways, and we need to make sure that those who are tasked with keeping us safe every single day are able to do that, and that’s why we’ll continue to invest in some of the tools and resources necessary to do that.”

Surrey mayor Brenda Locke hopes municipal police officers will switch to RCMP

After being sworn in this week, Surrey mayor Brenda Locke appeared to extend an olive branch to the more than 370 officers and staff hired so far by the city’s new Surrey Police Service. Locke, who campaigned on a promise to halt the transition to a municipal force and stick with the RCMP, said she wants the members of the Surrey Police Service to know she understands they are in an uncomfortable position. Following her inauguration, Locke said a report on halting the transition would be people-centric and officers and civilian staff would be cared for.

In an interview on Tuesday, Locke said she would like many of the Surrey Police Service officers to work for the RCMP. She has noted

it is no secret that Surrey is in dire need of more police officers.

“I have been talking and working with the Surrey RCMP about that very thing,” she said. But it might not be that simple. Rob Gordon, a professor emeritus of criminology at Simon Fraser University, said there may not be too many obstacles with former RCMP officers returning to the force, but it might be harder for municipal police officers as, for example, they have not trained at the RCMP depot in Regina. The RCMP trains recruits at that depot division, while in B.C., municipal police recruits get their training at the Justice Institute of B.C.

Health talks end with no agreement as feds walks away, blaming premiers

Ministers who gathered for meetings to address the national health crisis left Tuesday without assurances of more funding from their federal counterpart, who blamed premiers for giving them “marching orders” to stop negotiating.

British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix, who co-chaired the second day of the gatherings Tuesday with federal Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, said the federal government withdrew from a joint statement on the talks and excluded itself from a news conference.

Duclos referred to a statement issued earlier Tuesday by the Council of the Federation, the group representing all premiers, before talks wrapped up. In the statement, the

premiers said they were disappointed with the lack of a federal response to an ongoing request from provinces and territories to get 35 per cent of health-care costs covered by Ottawa, up from 22 per cent.

However, Duclos declined to say at a separate news conference whether he came to the table with more cash, adding only that premiers did not want health ministers to accept any conditions, like providing data on the health-care workforce.

“Unfortunately, despite (Monday’s) gesture of good faith, provincial and territorial colleagues, our colleagues, have received marching orders by their premiers not to make further progress,” Duclos said.

Only 32% of COVID-19 fines paid to date: ICBC

Inflation, COVID-19 holding Canadians back from holiday travel, poll suggests - National

High inflation and COVID-19 are dampening some Canadians’ hopes for travelling as the holiday season approaches, a new poll indicates.

Right now, 77 per cent of 1,001 Canadians Ipsos surveyed exclusively for Global News in October said they’re comfortable travelling within Canada over the holidays, while 55 per cent said the same for international travel.

For those who aren’t comfortable travelling, 65 per cent of them said high prices for hotels and tickets, for example, are holding them back, and 61 per cent said they’re either afraid of catching COVID-19 or remain anxious about relaxed travel restrictions.

The Ipsos survey comes as officials are worrying over a potential recession during a winter where respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and influenza are expected to circulate more widely.

As a result, some Canadians are reigning in their expectations for travel over the historically busy holiday season, said Sean Simpson, senior vice-president with Ipsos Public Affairs Canada.

“All of this on a balance of scales is causing many Canadians to say it just may not be worth it,” he told Global News.

“If they can save money, save their health, save their headache and avoid some of that international travel, some think that that may be the way to go.”

BC Children’s Hospital diagnoses first person in the world with rare gene mutation

Researchers at BC Children’s Hospital have diagnosed a young man with a genetic condition that nobody else in the world has.

Ebrahim Aldalati is the first person in the world to be diagnosed with a specific gene mutation condition. The 23-year-old from Syria has an unknown mutation to a gene that controls the production of a protein key to determining how immune cells function.

The gene and protein have been studied for two decades in mice, but Aldalati is the first person in the world to be diagnosed as being totally deficient in NFAT1.

“People are doing this work because we realize we can now make these lifechanging diagnoses,” said Dr. Stuart Turvey with the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute. “We are very good at it here at BC Children’s Hospital and we have been

able to lead the world with this example.”

As a boy, Aldalati had a lot of trouble moving his knees, ankles, elbows and hips.

He would also get sick with a lot of fevers and colds and developed a rare form of cancer. No one could figure out what was going wrong and at the age of 15, Aldalati and his family arrived in Canada and into the care of BC Children’s Hospital. BC Children’s Hospital’s Rare Disease Discovery Hub, led by Turvey, began to look at Aldalati’s case, wondering if there was a single cause.

Blood and tissue samples allowed researchers to study his cells directly and Dr. Mehul Sharma discovered the startling truth.

“This work is ground-breaking,” Sharma said. “It gives him an answer as to what has caused all his problems.”

Sharma family searches for missing hockey jersey that belonged to teen killed in crash

A Surrey family is appealing for the return of a special jersey that belonged to Ronin Sharma, one of the three teen hockey players killed in a car crash last year.

The well-autographed Pittsburgh Penguins jersey was left in a Blacktop taxi on a ride from Vancouver to Surrey, according to a Facebook post by Natasha Sharma. No date or time for the cab ride is noted.

“This jersey holds significant value to our family as it belonged to my younger brother, Ronin Sharma, a 16-year-old who passed away in a tragic car accident on August 21, 2021,” says a post on Vancouver’s Lost and Found page.

“This jersey is a Pittsburgh Penguins jersey with ‘Sharma 71’ on the back. Our family appreciates anything you can do to help us locate this jersey. We would really like this important piece back to our family.”

Sharma and two other hockeyplaying friends, Caleb Reimer and Parker Magnuson, were killed when their vehicle left the road and hit a tree in the Fraser Heights area of Surrey.

Sharma says the family contacted the taxi company, “but have been told the jersey was not in the cab and now we are unsure of where it may have ended up.”

Those who know where the jersey is can direct-message Natasha via her Facebook post, or on Instagram. com/roninsharmafoundation.

Former Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum’s trial ends, verdict expected in two weeks

Judge Reginald Harris said late Wednesday afternoon that he would announce the verdict in ex-Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum’s public mischief trial sometime during the week of Nov. 21.

Harris originally said he could deliver the judgment in a week’s time after McCallum’s defence team and the special prosecutor finished closing arguments in the Surrey Provincial Court trial.

He agreed to the delay due to lawyers’ schedules and estimated he would need a two-hour session to recite his reasons.

McCallum, who lost the mayoralty to Brenda Locke in the Oct. 15 civic election, pleaded not guilty when the trial began Oct. 31. He did not testify.

Special prosecutor Richard Fowler said Wednesday that if McCallum’s foot had been run over in a Save-On-Foods parking lot last year, then he exploited an obvious accident to seek revenge against a Keep the RCMP in Surrey [KTRIS] protester.

“This is not a trial about whether or not Mr. McCallum’s foot was run over,” Fowler told Harris. “This is a trial about whether or not Mr. McCallum, with the intent to mislead, made false statements to the police, with the intention of causing Ms. [Debi] Johnstone to be suspected of having committed offences she had not committed.”

McCallum originally accused Johnstone of driving over his foot and speeding away in her Mustang convertible on Sept. 4, 2021. He was instead charged with public mischief. There were no eyewitnesses to the incident and video evidence was inconclusive,

because a shrub obscured McCallum’s lower leg and Johnstone’s rear wheel.

Fowler told Harris that he had proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt, because evidence disproved McCallum’s allegations that Johnstone drove towards him, pinned him to his vehicle, ran over his foot and sped away.

McCallum called 9-1-1 more than two hours after the incident, after going grocery shopping and speaking to KTRIS leader Ivan Scott at a petition kiosk outside the store. He spent two hours at the Peace Arch Hospital emergency ward, where a doctor found no fracture or visible swelling, only a contusion on the top of his left foot. McCallum then attended a 45-minute interview with an RCMP officer.

“Mr. McCallum’s statement, or statements were not spontaneous utterances at the scene of an accident, the side of the road, they were not simply reckless hyperbole,” Fowler said. “They weren’t statements that were made in the heat of the moment, with no time to quietly reflect upon what had just happened, or what the statement maker had just experienced.”

Instead, McCallum told an RCMP officer in a video recorded interview 11 times that Johnstone had pinned him to his vehicle.

“He was pinned by no one and pinned by nothing,” Fowler said.

Video evidence played in court showed that McCallum originally responded to Johnstone by walking 15 feet from his car to where Johnstone had stopped, swore at him and urged him to resign. Fowler said McCallum chose to stand beside Johnstone’s vehicle

Natasha

Community news

South Asian Adults & Seniors - In Person Yoga classes on 14th & 17th Nov. 2022 from 10.00 am to 11.15 am.

Pure Vegetarian lunch will be served in the dining hall to all seniors who attend Yoga on Thursdays.

Live Certificates will be issued to all retirees from India on November 13th 2022 (Sunday) at Lakshmi Narayan Temple Surrey BC, 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre members those are going on Cruise & Tour of Eastern Mediterranean(Europe) for 14 days and specially those are taking the local bus from Lakshmi Narayan Temple on November 17th 2022 to go to Vancouver airport, are requested to reach Shanti Niketan hall 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC, at 1.00 pm along with their travelling luggage and necessary Travel documents.

For more info call: 604 - 507 - 9945 for registration or further details.

Kajol shares memorable pictures

Kajol shared some picture-perfect moments from her get-together with mom Tanuja, sister Tanishaa Mukerji and a few other family members on her Instagram profile on Monday. Our favourite picture is the one in which Kajol can be seen posing with Tanuja and Tanishaa as she smiles with all her heart. The trio can be seen dressed in their festive best. “When the clan is gathered, the house is blessed,” Kajol captioned the post. She added the hashtags #withtheoriginals, #lettherebelight and #loveallaround to her post. In the comments section of Kajol’s post, Tanishaa dropped heart emojis. Kajol loves to delight her Instafam with pictures from her fam-jam sessions. On

Diwali, Kajol shared a picture with husband Ajay Devgn, daughter Nysa and son Yug and she wrote: “Family says it all.” In terms of work, Kajol was last seen in the Netflix film Tribhanga, which marked her digital debut. Produced by Ajay Devgn, Tribhanga was directed by Renuka Sahane and it also starred Tanvi Azmi and Mithila Palkar. She will next be seen be seen in Revathy’s Salaam Venky. Tanishaa and Kajol’s mother Tanuja is a veteran actress who has featured in some of the most iconic films in Bollywood. Her filmography includes classics like Haathi Mere Saathi, Bandish, Anokha Rishta, Jewel Thief, Jeene Ki Raah, Suhaagan, Swarg Narak and Anubhav to name a few.

Priyank Chopra

Chopra was born on 18 July 1982 in Jamshedpur, Bihar (present-day Jharkhand), to Ashok and Madhu Chopra, both physicians in the Indian Army. Her father was a Punjabi Hindu from Ambala. [4][5][6] Her mother, Madhu Chopra from Jharkhand is the eldest daughter of Dr. Manohar Kishan Akhouri, a former Congress veteran, and Madhu Jyotsna Akhouri, a former member of Bihar Legislative Assembly.

Chopra’s maternal grandmother, Mrs. Akhouri, was a Malayali Jacobite Syrian Christian originally named Mary John, belonging to the Kavalappara family of Kumarakom, Kottayam district, Kerala.Chopra has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven years her junior.

Bollywood actresses Parineeti Chopra, Meera Chopra, and Mannara Chopra are cousins. Due to Chopra’s parents’ professions as military physicians, the family was posted in a number of places in India, including Delhi, Chandigarh, Ambala, Ladakh, Lucknow, Bareilly, and Pune. [13] Among the schools she attended were

La Martiniere Girls’ School in Lucknow and St. Maria Goretti College in Bareilly. In an interview published in Daily News and Analysis, Chopra said that she did not mind travelling regularly and changing schools; she welcomed it as a new experience and a way to discover India’s multicultural society. Among the many places that she lived, Chopra has fond memories as a child of playing in the valleys of Leh, in the cold northwestern Indian desert region of Ladakh. She had said, “I think I was in Class 4 when I was in Leh. My brother was just born. My dad was in the army and was posted there. I stayed in Leh for a year, and my memories of that place are tremendous. We were all army kids there. We weren’t living in houses, we were in bunkers in the valley and there was a stupa right on top of a hill which used to overlook our valley. We used to race up to the top of the stupa”.[18] She now considers Bareilly her home town, and maintains strong connections there.

At 13, Chopra moved to the United States to study, living with her aunt, and attending schools in Newton, Massachusetts, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, after a stop in Queens, New York, as her aunt’s family also moved frequently.

She started her year with a bang with A Thursday and Dasvi. Yami’s career graph is soaring high. Meanwhile, the actress has interesting films in her kitty including, Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Lost, Amit Rai’s OMG 2, Aditya Dhar Dhoom Dhaam, and another one which will soon be announced. Yami mentioned that Lost will probably be her next release. “It’s an investigative-drama with an undertone of an emotionalthriller. It has a very realistic tone, a lot of human-drama, nothing pretentious - it is what it is in today’s time. I play a crime beat journalist in it, and in its own subtle way it touches about media integrity in today’s time. So you can take it literally or metaphorically, there is something which is lost, there is someone who is lost. I’m so excited for a film like that. I am very proud of it,” disclosed the actress. Yami mentioned that she had a great time while shooting for Oh My God 2 with her co-stars. For Akshay she shared “He is a very good producer also, and someone who is very passionate about this film. When

I was given the narration I could feel that he really wants to make it with the right team. Of course, whatever chance I got to work with Pankaj Tripathi also, such a fantastic actor. With the new writing, there is another perspective which is very relevant, talked about, yet not talked about. So that will be interesting to see,” Yami concluded.

Yami Gautam

Dharmendra still young at heart

Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon are currently all over the place, promoting their upcoming film, ‘Bhediya’. The onscreen couple stepped out in the city today for a promotional event.

Dressed in their stylish outfits, Varun and Kriti were a sight for sore eyes. While Varun looked dashing in a white t-shirt, blue jeans and red checkered shirt, Kriti looked stunning in a neon cut-out mini dress.

Varun and Kriti showed off their sizzling chemistry in front of the paparazzi as they struck some stylish poses together for the camera. Kriti was also seen signing coffee mugs for her fans. This is the second time Varun and Kriti have come together

for a film. Earlier, they had worked together in Rohit Shetty’s ‘Dilwale’. The film also starred Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in lead roles.

‘Bhediya’ is the third film in Dinesh Vijan’s horrorcomedy universe after ‘Stree’ starring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor and ‘Roohi’ starring Rajkummar

Rao and Janhvi Kapoor. Apart from Varun and Kriti, ‘Bhediya’ also features Deepak Dobriyal and Abhishek Banerjee in key roles. It is slated to hit the theatres on November 25, 2022.

Katrina talks about her wedding

Talking about the wedding, Katrina on Kapil Sharma’s show was asked about the joota chupai ritual during her wedding. The actor responded in Hindi, “I was hearing very loud noises behind me. As I turned, I saw everyone fighting and pulling the shoes toward themselves. There were my sisters and Vicky’s friends. They were literally fighting.”

When Archana Puran Singh asked Katrina who won the fight, she answered, “Pata nahin. Actually maine pucha nahin. Main khudki shaadi me itna busy thi (I don’t know. I was so busy that I couldn’t ask).” Katrina dated Vicky in secret for almost two years before tying the

Alia

knot. She said she noticed him first in the promo of Vicky’s 2018 film Manmarziyaan.

Katrina has a number of films in the pipeline. She will be seen in Tiger 3 alongside Salman Khan. She also has director Sriram Raghavan’s next Merry Christmas opposite Vijay Sethupathi. She is also a part of Farhan Akhtar’s Jee Le Zaraa co-starring Alia Bhatt and Priyanka Chopra.

Vicky, on the other hand, will be next seen in Govinda Naam Mera with Bhumi Pednekar and Kiara Advani. Apart from this, he also has director Meghna Gulzar’s next Sam Bahadur.

Bhatt

to compete for best actress

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Alia Bhatt starrer ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ has officially started its campaign for the prestigious British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards 2023.

According to reports, the 76th BAFTA Awards will take place at the Royal Festival Hall in London in February 2023. Any film released during the qualifying period in the UK is reportedly eligible for the award, regardless of its country of origin or language. ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ will not just compete for the Best Foreign Film category (officially

called Best Film Not in the English Language) but also for other major categories. Alia Bhatt, who is currently celebrating the birth of her baby girl, is also going to compete for the Best Actress award with other stars. ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ is another addition to the number of foreignlanguage films that are aiming to cross over into mainstream races. Meanwhile, SS Rajamouli’s ‘RRR’, which also stars Alia Bhatt, is also eyeing to make it big at the Oscars. As per reports, it is a frontrunner to bag a few nominations as well, something

Dharmendra, Dharam Singh Deol, for him, it can be said that ‘Age is just a number’. The fitness and vivacity of Bollywood’s Veteran actor remains intact even at this young age of 86. Dharam pa ji is still young at heart. Dharmendra takes care of his health and he is very active at social media as well. He does not let his fans miss any chance to get entertained.

By sharing the news on social media, Dharmendra fulfilled the proverb of ‘Ek Panth Do Kaaj’. The video of Dharam Pa ji shared on Instagram in which He is seen cycling and grinding wheat at the same time. The fans are once stunned by

the act of this actor. Cycling, wearing tracksuit and a cap, Dharmendra has reminded the fans of the past movies such as Sholay. The caption with the video read ‘Cycling, cycling, cycling and grinding mill…and grinding… and grinding.. haha’. Seeing Dharmendra doing workouts as well as grinding wheat, the fans once again came down in praise of him. One wrote ’86 years old young boy… Yeh hai garam dharam’ and the other wrote ‘You are very down to earth’. May God give you a

Varun Dhawan, Kriti Sanon and their sizzling chemistry

With record Canadian immigration targets, housing fears soar

Finding enough workers to assemble pre-built walls and floors at the Etobicoke plant where Paul Askett manages manufacturing is a grind.

He’s hoping that a record wave of new Canadians expected over the next three years will help. Demand for the factory’s product — installed in Ontario housing — is surging, but Askett says the assembly floor crew is usually short by about 10 per cent.

“It’s definitely been a hurdle. That’s for sure. The pandemic has kind of changed everything for us,” said Askett, the vice-president of manufacturing for Brockport Home Systems.

This construction business is one of many sectors struggling to find workers, with about one million jobs sitting vacant across the country.

To help, Canada has just announced record immigration targets — 1.5-million new Canadians within the next three years — with plans to bring in 500,000

people in 2025. Federal officials say that will help boost the economy, but the targets have also spiked anxiety about where all these new citizens will make their homes, given the country’s ongoing housing crisis. Newcomers need more than just housing Askett says he’s encouraged by the new targets as his company often hires and trains new Canadians.

“For us it’s definitely positive news,” he said. “Yeah, we look forward to any newcomers because we can coach, we can train and advance people and hopefully give them gainful employment.”

Vancouver property tax expert Paul Sullivan, of Ryan ULC, a global business tax software and real estate consulting firm, says Canada needs a better plan to both boost a battered economy and ensure there’s enough housing and services for incoming Canadians.

Only 1%

detached homes sold in past week fetched over asking price

Only three of the 30 detached homes that sold in the City of Vancouver over the past week got more than asking price — and even then only barely. In what could be a sign of the times, those three properties fetched 0.3 per cent, 0.6 per cent and 1.5 per cent over asking price. By contrast, four of the remaining 27 homes that sold for under asking price did so by more than 10 per cent.

This is based on information provided by real estate website Zealty.ca, which tracks original asking price and lists how much properties sold for and when.

Residential real estate values across B.C. have been falling since March 2022, when the Bank of Canada began interest rate hikes in a bid to stave off inflation.

These rates are adopted by commercial lenders so the monthly cost of servicing a mortgage goes up so buyers can afford less house. This also comes as potential buyers face other increased costs, like food and gasoline.

Here’s a look at the four Vancouver detached homes that sold for more than 10 per cent under asking: 6561 Heather Street — 13.9 per cent under at $5.15 million

Brand new Oakridge home on a large lot was listed for just shy of $6 million ($5.98 million) and sat on the market for 157 days before selling. The owners of this expensive home will have to pay more than $16,000 a year in property tax alone. This

4,700 square foot home had an assessed value of $4.85 million on July 1, 2021.

4763 West 2nd Avenue — 12.4 per cent under at $20 million

An 11,000 square foot house that almost no one in Vancouver could afford sits on a 32,000 square foot lot and has a pool and tennis court and is beautiful in every way. It was listed on May 1, 2022 for $22.8 million and was on the market for 165 days before selling. It is assessed at $14.6 million.

4357 West 16th Avenue — 11.3 per cent under at $1.86 million

This old small home on a full-sized lot on a busy street in Point Grey was listed for $2.098 million and sold after 32 days. The asking price was slightly higher than its $2.044 million assessed value. The owner had purchased the home in December 2020, at the start of the short-lived pandemic boom, for $1.5 million so made a couple of hundred thousand dollars.

6535 Maple Street — 10.5 per cent under at $3.4 million

This renovated 3,700 square foot home in Kerrisdale was listed for $3.798 million on Aug. 24, 2022 and sold 52 days later. The home was most recently assessed at $3.6 million so sold under that value.

According to the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver’s monthly market report for October, home sale activity across Metro Vancouver for all classes of homes was well below historical averages.

Slow BC home sales putting pressure on rental market

The factors that drove “unprecedented demand” in the BC housing market are “unwinding,” according to a new report from the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA), prompting them to forecast that suggests the market will remain slow moving into next year. Those factors include record low mortgage rates, buyer preference for extra space, and remote work opportunities.

Low mortgage rates have seen a stunning reversal since the pandemic began, and the BCREA says five-year fixed mortgage rates have increased over 300 basis points since the beginning of the year to nearly 5.5%. This is the highest mortgage rates have been since back in 2007. Due to buyers being “forced to the sidelines” by high qualifying rates, the BCREA suggests that the rental market is feeling the pressure, saying that “rents are rising at double-digit rates in most cities.” The BCREA forecasts that 2022 will end with 82,345 units sold. It

expects that number to fall by another 11% next year to 72,960 units, pointing to higher interest rates and a “difficult 2023 ahead for the Canadian economy” as primary factors. However, the slow sales have had one positive effect; an increase in inventory, though BCREA points out, that is borne from record lows.

BCREA suggests that BC was once thought to be on a path of prosperity that could’ve lasted several years, but now that “has been knocked off course.”

Home sales in BC are trending around 30% below average.

“Price levels have fallen from their peak earlier this year, so even flat prices from current levels will translate to the provincial average price being down about 5% in 2023.”

The BCREA goes so far as to say, as other financial analysts have, that a mild recession could impact Canada next year, though it is not inevitable.

of Vancouver

Mississauga mansion drops listing price by $5.5 million over 2 years

While real estate in and around Toronto is generally known as a guaranteed profit-maker for anyone who has the coin to purchase property and simply sit on it for a few years (or even months), the market has been frightfully slow lately, causing disquiet among experts.

This slowdown has caused some to lower prices, drawing out listing times longer than expected.

When looking at homes on the pricier end, you can find multi-million dollar mansions like one in Mississauga that, though it was listed for $30 million just two years ago, is now back on the market for a dramatic $5.5 million less.

1343 blythe roadThe sprawling home at 1343 Blythe Road has more than anyone could ever need: seven bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, multiple garages (one of them heated) and nearly 20,000 square feet of

living space on over 10 gated acres of land.

1343 blythe roadIt was specially designed to have gorgeous views from every single room, to maximize the feeling of coziness with radiant heat in every part of the house, and with noise-dampening features to feel private.

1343 blythe roadFuture owners can enjoy two separate walk-in closets that are each the size of a large bedroom, a six-piece bathroom and a separate powder room in the primary bedroom before they head to their large private gym to work out and start their day.

1343 blythe roadIn the evenings, they can

entertain guests with a game of pool on the house’s games level — complete with bar, multiple games tables and a giant TV area.

Or, a swim in the backyard pool as friends marvel at the threestorey grand entranceway, coffered ceilings, countless french doors, four-storey elevator and spectacular views of the nearby river and forested ravine.

1343 blythe roadIt’s a luxurious home at an equally luxurious cost, and the fact that the listing price has gone down nearly 20 per

cent from what it was in fall 2020 may make it a steal for whoever falls in love with it.

1343 blythe roadIt also shows that the market is clearly not as strong as the owners were hoping, though many online seem to think the home is just priced way too high for what it is, regardless of market conditions.

The property has been languishing at this listing price for months, and while homes in the region have definitely been sitting on the market for way longer on average lately, in this case, we are dealing with a not-so-average home that requires a not-so-average buyer.

Lowering the price, as this owner did when they relisted the home for less than they had tried to previously, is of course a key tactic of trying to find that buyer, and something GTA sellers are doing a lot more often these days if they’re not pulling their listings completely — even

Multi-million dollar home in West Vancouver bulldozed after being built without permits - BC

A West Vancouver home allegedly built almost entirely without permits or inspections has now been demolished, ending a bylaw and legal dispute that dates back to 2014.

In October 2017, the District of West Vancouver filed a court petition seeking a court order to demolish the home at 733 20th St., alleging it was completed despite numerous stop-work orders being put on the site while it was still under construction in 2014.

In 2013, the owners applied for permits to do renovations and build an addition on the existing home. Those were approved in 2014 but West Vancouver staff learned from neighbours in February that year that the building had been mostly demolished without permits, according to the district’s court claim

Raven Garrow, the owner, submitted an application to build a new home on the site, but the district rejected the plans because they encroached on the legally required setbacks, the district’s petition stated.

By 2017, a new house had been built, which district staff visited and found numerous safety deficiencies: a leaking hosepipe bib flooding the yard with six to eight inches of water

and submerging electrical outlets, mould in the basement and a buckling exterior wall, according to affidavits filed in court. The home had also been completed without the necessary plumbing, electrical or structural inspections, the district alleged.

At the time the district filed its petition in 2017, the owners had already filed their own petition, seeking a court declaration that the

house was in fact properly permitted from the original plans approved by the district in 2014.

Before the matter could be heard in court, one of the mortgage lenders for the property filed its own petition intervening in the case, seeking foreclosure. The case became bogged down in further litigation and was delayed by COVID-19, until March of this year when a B.C. Supreme Court judge approved the Vancouver Community Credit Union’s request to foreclose on the property, court documents show.

“This process ultimately led to the resolution of the unlawful construction via foreclosure, sale of the property to a third party with full knowledge that the district would continue to pursue correction of the unlawful conditions to resolution,

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

PM Modi unveils logo, theme and website of India’s G20 Presidency

India will assume presidency of the grouping of the world’s 20 largest economies on December 1, following the G20 Summit hosted by Indonesia in Bali during November 15-16.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday unveiled India’s logo, theme and website for its presidency of the G20, which reflects the country’s message and overarching priorities to the world. The G20 logo, created with the four colours of India’s national flag, comprises of earth sitting atop a lotus. The seven petals in the logo signify the seven seas and the coming together of seven continents at G20 India 2023. The earth reflects India’s pro-planet approach to life and from this, it derives the theme of G20 India 2023 – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: One Earth, One Family, One Future. Addressing the event via video conference, Prime Minister Modi said he was glad that thousands of people shared their ideas and suggestions for G20 logo and theme.

“India’s G20 presidency is coming at a time of crisis and chaos in the world. The

world is going through the aftereffects of disruptive once-in-a-century pandemic, conflicts and lot of economic uncertainty,” he said. “The symbol of lotus in the G20 logo is a representation of hope in these times. No matter how adverse the circumstances, the lotus still blooms.”

“In Indian culture, both the goddesses of knowledge and prosperity are seated on a lotus. This is what the world needs the most today. Shared knowledge that helps us overcome our circumstances and shared prosperity that reaches the last person at the last mile. This is why the earth is place on lotus too. The seven petals on the lotus in the logo are also significant. It represent the seven continents. Seven is also the number of notes in the universal language of music. In music, when the seven notes come together, they create perfect harmony,” PM Modi added.

India will be taking over as president of the G20 next month in a “significant step” in the evolution of the country’s foreign policy with the vision of the

prime minister to “undertake leadership roles on the global stage”, the ministry of external affairs said in a statement.

“The G20 presidency offers a unique

opportunity for India to contribute to the global agenda on pressing issues of international importance. The logo, theme, and website of our G20 presidency would reflect India’s message and overarching priorities to the world,” the ministry said.

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Three Indian entrepreneurs named 2022 Asia Power Businesswomen list

Ghazal Alagh, Namita Thapar and Soma Mandal are the three Indian women entrepreneurs who have been named in the 2022 Forbes list of powerful businessmen in the Asia-Pacific region.

Honouring these trailblazers, the list named 20 women from the Asia-Pacific region, including three Indian women. Ghazal Alagh, Namita Thapar and Soma Mandal are the three entrepreneurs honoured by Forbes. Apart from India, the 2022 list features three women each from Indonesia, Japan, and Australia as well. The list includes two women each from Singapore, South Korea and Thailand, and one woman each from China and Taiwan. The women selected are on the basis of their achievements while running their businesses alongside displaying effective leadership through the course of their careers.

Indian women featured 34-year-old

Ghazal Alagh is the co-founder of Honasa Consumer, a company that houses care brands like Ayuga, Aqualogica, The Derma Co and Mamaearth. Soma Mondal also features on the list. Mondal’s list of achievements is high and inspirational. She was the first woman to chair the state-run Steel Authority of India Ltd. The organisation’s annual revenue has grown by fifty per cent with profits surging threefold ever since Mondal took charge of the company last year becoming the first woman leader at the company.

The executive director of Emcure Pharma Namita Thapar is the third entrepreneur honoured on the list. Thapar is not only a powerful businesswoman, but she is also an author and runs her YouTube channel titled Unconditon Yourself With Namita Thapar.

India insists on new global climate finance target by 2024

At the ongoing UN climate summit, India has asserted that developing countries require a “substantive enhancement” in climate finance from rich countries by 2024 as the previouslyset goal of USD 100 billion per year by 2020 was miniscule given the scale of their needs, official said on Thursday.

At COP15 in Copenhagen in 2009, developed countries had committed to jointly mobilise USD 100 billion

per year by 2020 to help developing countries tackle the effects of climate change. Rich countries, however, have repeatedly failed in delivering this finance.

Developing countries, including India, are pushing rich countries to agree to a new global climate finance target -- also known as the new collective quantified goal on climate finance (NCQG) -- which they say should be in trillions as the costs of addressing and adapting to climate change have grown.

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England beat India by 10 wickets, set up into final against Pakistan

India suffered a 10-wicket drubbing defeat by England in the second semi final of T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia on an embarrassing note on Thursday (November 10).

England thus entered into the final where they will take on Pakistan at historic MCG grounds in Australia on Sunday.

Put in to bat first, India made168 for 6 after Virat Kohli’s 50 and Hardik Pandya’s 63 in their alloted 20 overs.

In reply, England made a mockery of the chase as they romped home with 4 overs to spare, with Alex Hales (86) and Jos Buttler (80) producing commanding 50’s during their unbroken opening partnership

stand. While the Indian bowlers cut a sorry figure and stayed wicket-less, Chris Jordan returned with 3 for 43 for England.

India vs Eng T20 World Cup 2022 Semi Final Match Squad

India: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Deepak Hooda, Harshal Patel, Rishabh Pant (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal

England: Jos Buttler (Captain, wicket keeper), Ben Stokes, Alex Hales, Harry Brook, Phil Salt, Dawid Malan, Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Chris Woakes, David Willey.

DMK, allies wants Governor dismissed, accuse him of instigating communal hatred

The conflict between the Tamil Nadu government and Governor RN Ravi escalated after the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) urged President Droupadi Murmu to remove the latter from his post. The party, in its memorandum to the President, alleged that the Governor violated his Constitutional oath and levelled a series of allegations against him. Among others, the DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance (SPA) took exception to his “praising Sanatana Dharma” and charged Ravi with “instigating communal hatred.”

The memorandum dated November 2, 2022 has been submitted with the

President’s office, the DMK said on Tuesday. The petition, signed by SPA members of Parliament and submitted with the President’s office, also listed out the pending bills with the Raj Bhavan, including one seeking exemption to the state from the ambit of the NEET and questioned the delay for the assent. Ravi and the MK Stalinled government have been at loggerheads over a number of issues, including NEET, and the purported delay in handing over the probe into the October 23 Coimbatore explosion to the National Investigation Agency by the state government.

An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred near Dipayal Silgadhi in western Nepal’s district Doti at 1.57am on Wednesday tremors were felt in India from Vadodara, Gujarat, in the west to Siliguri, West Bengal, in the east up to Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, in the south, said the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The earthquake killed at least six persons in the Himalayan nation and damaged several buildings.

A preliminary report by NCS said the agency had received more than 260 ‘felt reports’ through its website and mobile app from Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Punjab, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal.

The epicentre in western Nepal lies 85 km south-east of Dharchula in Uttarakhand, 90 km east-south-east of Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand, 140 Km northeast of Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, 150 Km east- south-east of Almorah in Uttarakhand, 260 Km north of Lucknow and 380 Km east-north-east of Delhi.

The event was well recorded by 85 broadband seismic stations of NCS. The analysis of seismic data showed that the event is located between Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) and Main Central Thrust (MCT) and guarded by North Almora Thrust (NAT) and South Almora Thrust (SAT) that provide a very apt location for triggering

Twitter fires 90% of staff in India in latest workforcecuts

Only 12 employees remain, with 70% of cuts made to product and engineering departments. Twitter has fired more than 90% of its staff in India, reducing its workforce to just 12 people, following the social media giant’s controversial takeover.

While positions were slashed in marketing, public policy and corporate communications, 70% of job cuts in India were made in product and engineering, bringing into question the new company’s new strategy and key focus.

Despite Elon Musk denying rumours of plans to axe up to 75% of Twitter staff globally, the latest mass layoffs bring into question his credibility. Twitter didn’t have a huge workforce presence in India, but this week it has been drastically reduced, with over 90% of staff in the region let go. Exact numbers aren’t being shared at this point, but what is known is that previously there were around 200 members of Twitter

staff based in India. Now, there are 12. Of these cuts, 70% are reported to be in product and engineering. Twitter reduced its global headcount by roughly 3,700 workers last week, with financial pressure cited as the primary reason for considering the cuts. When faced with hostility on Twitter due to the cuts, Musk cited the company’s $4 million dollar a day loss, and that he had no choice but to make the drastic headcount reduction. The decision to monetize the blue tick and fire major stockholders, like former-CEO Parg Arawal, support the financial theory, but others suggest that the move was simply to monopolize his power. The pressure on existing employees has been mounting for weeks, with one report by Verge, suggesting Twitter engineers, in particular, were in the firing line.

India felt tremors as Earthquake hits Nepal T-20 Cricket World Cup 2022

The Biden administration is committed to work with India on its transition away from Russia, the White House has said.

It said there are a number of countries that have learned the hard way of the fact that Moscow is not a reliable source of energy or security.

When it comes to India’s relationship with Russia, the US has consistently made the point that it is a relationship, that developed and was cemented over the course of decades, really came to be during the Cold War at a time when the United States was not in a position to be an economic partner, a security partner, a military partner to India, State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at a news conference here Tuesday.

That has changed. That’s changed over the past 25 or so years. It’s really a legacy, a bipartisan legacy that this country has achieved over the course of the past quarter century. President George W Bush’s administration was really the first to put this into effect, he said Price said the US has sought to deepen its partnership with India in every sector, including economics, security and military cooperation.

Now, this is a transition that we’ve always been clear eyed will not take place overnight, over the course of even a few months or probably even over the course of a couple of years. India is a large country, a vast country, a large economy

BJP wins Bihar’s Gopalganj bypolls, Owasi may have shaped victory

According to the Election Commission’s data, AIMIM candidate Abdul Salam polled 12,214 votes — around seven times more than the winning margin of the BJP candidate, Kusum Devi. Devi received 70,053 (41.6%) votes while RJD’s Mohan Prasad Gupta polled 68,259 (40.53%) votes. BJP candidate Kusum Devi may have won the Gopalganj byelection by a narrow margin of just 1,794 votes over the RJD candidate, Mohan Prasad Gupta, but the post-result data showed that Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM, which fielded Abdul Salam, played a crucial role in shaping the BJP’s victory.

According to the Election Commission’s

data, AIMIM candidate Abdul Salam polled 12,214 votes — about seven times more than the winning margin of the BJP candidate, Kusum Devi. Devi received 70,053 (41.6%) votes while Mohan Prasad Gupta polled 68,259 (40.53%) votes. Interestingly, had Owaisi not fielded a candidate in Gopalganj, the BJP would not have managed to win the seat, as the election commission data shows. Another interesting observation is that RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s brother-inlaw Sadhu Yadav was also instrumental in damaging the RJD’s chances. Sadhu Yadav’s wife Indira Yadav contested

before Modi

From page 1

known and an audit had never been carried out until now. But now, it has been revealed the holy site has more than ten tonnes of gold, 2.5 tonnes of jewellery, £17billion in bank deposits and 960 properties across India.

Its remarkable total holdings of £26billion put it on the same level as Nestle India, the state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, and major banks. The temple is run by a trust set up by Britons in 1933 and many Hindus believe they have to visit it once to achieve spiritual fulfilment.

Venkateswara is a form of Vishnu believed to have appeared on earth to rid mankind from strife.

Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jnr, named after the temple, told The Times: ‘It attracts worshippersfromeverycornerofthecountry.

‘People don’t come once, they come again and again, for every special occasion. It defeats rational explanation but it fulfils a need in Hindus. The site is also known as the ‘rich man’s temple’ and is very popular with tycoons and entrepreneurs who hope it will bring them fortune.

It is believed it accrued most of its current wealth during the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565 when diamonds and gold were donated.

The emperor was a regular visitor and he gilded the roof with his own gold and jewels before installing a statue of himself there.

Later on, neighbouring rulers went on pilgrimages to the temple and offered their own lavish donations. During colonisation, it passed into the hands of the East India Company.

India to initiate Rupee trade beyond Russia

On the lines of an arrangement being worked out with Russia, India is in talks with Sri Lanka, the Maldives and multiple south east Asian, African and Latin American countries to initiate trading in the Indian Rupee.

The countries in these geographies have shown interest in opening Special Rupee Vostro or SRV accounts, The Indian Express has learnt. A Vostro account is an account held by a bank that allows the customers to deposit money on behalf of another bank.

Read in Explained |Explained: What RBI nod to allow international trade settlements in rupees means The Reserve Bank of India had

announced guidelines on overseas trade in Indian Rupee in July. In part, this is also aimed at curtailing India’s dollar dependence for trade, and indirectly strengthen the domestic currency.

The first country to open a special Rupee Vostro account is Russia, which has increased supply of discounted crude to India post the Ukraine war. In September, government-owned UCO Bank received the RBI’s approval to open a special vostro account with Gazprombank of Russia and in October, Sberbank and VTB Bank –the largest and second-largest banks of Russia – opened special vostro accounts in their respective branches in Delhi.

As the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) seeks a seventh term in Gujarat, one of the ruling party’s biggest challenges is to woo young voters who may neither have any memories of the Congress rule in the state, nor any of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s early years as the chief minister.

Ahead of the Gujarat polls in December, the BJP is making a special effort to reach out to this section of voters with social media advertisements, repeated appeals by PM Modi in his Gujarat rallies, and by highlighting projects such as the Narmada water project.

“The young voters, say [those] between 18 and 35 years of age, have no memories of the pre-1995 era, when the Congress was in power. We have to tell them how people had to walk for kilometres in search of water,

how difficult agriculture and horticulture were in the far-flung arid regions of Gujarat and how [water] tankers were a necessity,” a Gujarat BJP functionary told ThePrint.

“Today’s young voters have not seen the difficult days, and what was luxury for us then, is necessity for them now.”

According to the functionary, young voters are the most likely to accept the Opposition’s anti-incumbency campaign.

Of the total voting population of 4.9 crore in Gujarat, 4.61 lakh are first-time voters, those in the age group of 18-19 years.

According to BJP sources, the party has instructed its on-ground cadre to identify first-time voters in every household in the state and to help them get registered to vote.

Why 10% quota for ‘economically weak’

India has caused an uproar

Politicians and activists in India have raised concerns over the country’s Supreme Court upholding a controversial government decision to implement a 10 percent quota in jobs and education for the so-called Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) of society.

A 2019 constitutional amendment to reserve 10 percent of seats for the EWS category in education and public employment was upheld by three of five Supreme Court judges on Monday – the first time India has moved away from affirmative action based on caste or tribe. Activists say the new quota will only serve the interests of historically privileged castes, calling it a “violation” of

in

the constitution’s fundamental safeguards provided to its most marginalised people. In a ruling released upholding the decision, the three Supreme Court judges said there was reasonable justification for treating economically weaker sections of society as a separate class.

But one of the two dissenting judges, Justice S Ravindra Bhat, said the top court has “sanctioned an exclusionary and discriminatory principle” by upholding the decision. “Our constitution does not speak the language of exclusion. In my considered opinion, the amendment is the language of exclusion and violates the principle of justice, and thereby the basic structure,” he said.

We are committed to work with India on its transition away from Russia: US

BJP tries to woo a generation that doesn’t remember ‘difficult days’

‘Temple of Wealth’ has $40 billion in gold, silver & cash

Punjab

Gurdwara panel opposes Indian Uniform Civil Code

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, the body that manages Sikh places of worship in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, on Wednesday, adopted a resolution to oppose the Union government’s plan to implement the Uniform Civil Code across the country.

“It was said that this plan is another step towards making the country a Hindu Rashtra,” the Sikh body said in a statement after a meeting in which

several resolutions were adopted.

A Uniform Civil Code involves having a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all Indians. A Uniform Civil Code involves having a common set of laws governing marriage, divorce, succession and adoption for all Indians, instead of allowing different personal laws for persons of different faiths.

Sirsa Dera follower accused of sacrilege shot dead

Pardeep Singh was opening his dairy shop in Kotkapura when he was shot dead and the incident was caught on a CCTV camera installed nearby. His gunman also sustained bullet injuries.

Pardeep Singh was an accused in the theft case of a ‘bir’ of Guru Granth Sahib from a gurdwara in Burj Jawahar Singh Wala. The incident dates back to 2015. He was on bail and had

been given police cover.

This is the seventh Dera follower killed in Punjab since the first sacrilege case reported from Burj Jawahar Singh Wala in Faridkot on June 1, 2015. Those murdered are Gurdev Singh (June 13, 2016); Sat Pal Sharma and his son Ramesh Kumar Sharma (Jaghera village, Khanna on February 25, 2017);

Row erupts over Kamal Nath’s presence at Sikh event

A row erupted after Congress leader Kamal Nath was honoured at Sikh event on Tuesday on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti in Indore , Madhya Pradesh. This angered hymn singer, Manpreet Singh Kanpuri,

who slammed the organisers over an invitation to Kamal Nath accused of a role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi.

In a viral video, Kanpuri can be seen expressing his disapproval minutes after Kamal Nath had left the venue. He also criticised the organisers of the event.

Pakistan

Former PM Imran ‘abandons’ designs to sway new Army Chief’s selection

After repeatedly calling for a consultative process before picking the new army chief, ousted prime minister Imran Khan now does not see any problem if the appointment is made by the Shehbaz Sharif government.

In an interaction with journalists at his Zaman Park residence on Tuesday, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman offered a fresh take on the issue of appointing a new chief of army staff.

When asked whether he had demanded that the appointment of a new chief be made in consultation with him and/ or his party, Mr Khan said: “No…

they can appoint whoever they want.”

Earlier, in several public meetings and remarks made over the course of the past several months, Mr Khan had declared that “the Sharifs and the Zardaris” were unfit to make the appointment to the top military slot on the basis that “thieves cannot be allowed to appoint the next army chief”.

But when a journalist asked Mr Khan on Tuesday whether incumbent army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa was being given an extension, the former premier responded with: “This is a billion-dollar question.”

Foreign Minister seeks compensation for damages caused by floods

Pakistan’s foreign minister repeated calls for compensation for the unprecedented destruction caused to the country by this summer’s flooding, saying debt relief could be a mechanism for doing so.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari told The Associated Press on Wednesday at the U.N. climate summit in Egypt that the

world is unequipped to deal with weatherrelated disasters of this scale and urged countries to find ways to address the issue.

“There’s no pot of gold sitting anywhere or no financial international mechanism really available to deal with the tragedy of this scale,” he said.

Imran Khan asks President to investigate intelligence agency

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan asks President of Pakistan to initiate inquiry into the news conference held by the intelligence agency, which he has accused of orchestrating the attack on him.

In a letter to the President, Imran Khan referred to the event held last month by Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum, chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). “How can two military bureaucrats do a highly political press conference targeting

the leader of the largest federal political party,” wrote Imran Khan, the head of PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) party.

At the unprecedented news conference on October 27, intelligence agency chief, Anjum was accompanied by Lt., Gen. Babar Iftikhar, the chief of media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). Imran Khan is recovering at his ancestral home in Lahore, after he was discharged from hospital on Sunday.

Fiji’s radical plan to escape rising sea levels

In Fiji , the climate crisis means dozens of villages could soon be underwater. Relocating so many communities is an epic undertaking. But now there is a plan – and the rest of the world is watching communities will be forced to move, but

how exactly to do it. At present, 42 Fijian villages have been earmarked for potential relocation in the next five to 10 years, owing to the impacts of climate crisis. Six have already been moved. Every new cyclone or disaster brings with it the risk

Thousands to go without water

Thousands of people in areas around the greater Suva area are expected to be without water in the coming days.

A statement released by the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF) yesterday highlighted that part of the water outage was because of a rupture on the Waimanu Raw Water Rising Main because of unplanned power fluctuations at the station.

“It will be shut down in order to allow

our technical team to safely access and excavate the site to assess and determine the extent of the damage prior to carrying out repairs,” WAF said in the statement.

“As these two pumps and main contribute to over 40 per cent of the flow into the Tamavua Water Treatment Plant, production at the Tamavua Water Treatment Plant will be affected significantly.

Fijian Police directed to drop charges against Prof Biman

Fijian Police have been directed not to lay any charges against National Federation Party (NFP) leader Professor Biman Prasad. Director of Public Prosecutions Christopher Pryde said in a statement: “The police docket was reviewed by the ODPP in the usual manner but our conclusion was that there is insufficient evidence for a reasonable prospect of

conviction were the matter to proceed to court.

“As part of our review, we analysed the charges proposed by the police as well as other possible charges and available defences.

“We also noted the representations provided to us by Professor Prasad’s lawyers.

“As the matter does not meet the evidentiary threshold, police have been directed not to file any charges.”

Fiji’s top cop and public prosecutor clash over decision to drop charges

An extraordinary stoush has erupted between Fiji’s police commissioner and director of public prosecutions (DPP), just weeks out from the country’s national election. The dispute surrounds charges laid against high-profile opposition MP Biman Prasad, who was last month accused of “insulting the

modesty” of another politician’s wife.

Police alleged Professor Prasad, leader of the National Federation Party (NFP), forcefully hugged Ari Taniguchi and attempted to kiss her on the lips.

Ms Taniguchi is married to former NFP provisional candidate Hiroshi Taniguchi.

Waiting period for US visa to significantly fall by mid-2023: Official

The official said the wait time for B1, B2 (business and tourism) visas is also being brought down from around nine months. The official also said India is expected to move to the number two place from current number three in terms of the number of visas being issued by the US. The waiting period for issuance of American visas is expected to see a significant fall by summer of 2023 and the number is projected to reach around 1.2 million, a senior official of the US embassy said on Thursday.

“India is number one priority for Washington (for issuance of visas).

Our aim is to bring the situation to the pre-Covid-19 level by the middle of next year,” the official said. India has been one of the very few countries where applications for US visas saw a major upswing after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were lifted. Considering the long wait time for grant of visas, the US is also rolling out a series of initiatives including hiring of more personnel and increasing the “drop box” facilities, the official said. The plan is to issue around one lakh visas every month.

The official said the US has already identified H (H1B) and L category visas for Indians as its priority and nearly 1,00,000 slots were released recently for those wanting to renew the visas. The wait time for certain categories has already been brought down to around nine months from earlier 450 days.

The official said the wait time for B1, B2 (business and tourism) visas is also being brought down from around nine months. The official also said India is expected to move to the number two place from current number three in terms of the number of visas being issued by the US. Currently, Mexico and China are ahead of India.

The official said priority is also being accorded to cut the waiting time for the students’ visas, especially for those looking for renewal of their visas. The process used to apply for renewal of a US visa without the visa interview is known as the drop box facility. Broadly, the applicants having a US visa within a span of the last four years are eligible for drop box facility.

Indian Ex-Servicemen Society of BC

By Harvinder Sandhu & Steven Purewal

This Remembrance Day let us remember the service of our Indian servicemen.

It is not common knowledge among the younger generation, especially the ones born here in Canada, that we, Indians from India, were in both World Wars fighting alongside the British army in Europe, and in the Far East against the Japanese army in the second World War. In fact, there are many Indian soldiers buried at Flanders Field along with their British counterparts yet we don’t teach this history of the world wars here.

Here’s a little silver of this history: This year as we begin to contemplate Remembrance Day, many of the stories that will be shared will touch on the immense sacrifices of Canadians in two World Wars. What is rarely discussed, is that Canada was fighting as part of British Empire, and in so doing, was fighting alongside other British subjects as brothers-in-arms. In fact, in one of the most iconic moments in Canadian history, Punjabi soldiers came to the assistance of Canadian troops at a most desperate hour.

Having reinforced the British Expeditionary Force at Ypres in October 1914, troops from Punjab’s Lahore Division (British Indian Army) were again deployed to Ypres 6 months later when Germany resorted to chemical weapons to shatter Canadian defences. Standing stoically alongside Canadians amidst the carnage wrought by poison gasses, the Punjabis helped secure a pivotal moment in this country’s nation-building saga.

It could well be considered Canada’s greatest battle as it ‘created’ the Canadian Army; it set the tenor, the style and the esprit de corps that forged a fearsome reputation for Canadian troops that would carry

them through the subsequent campaigns of WW1 to the iconic Battle of Vimy Ridge.

Many of these battles would feature Punjabi troops fighting alongside Canadians, including Festubert 1915, Somme 1916, Vimy, Cambria and Passchendaele 1917.

Ultimately more than 74,000 South Asians were killed in WW1; casualties on the Western Front are buried or commemorated alongside Canadians in 115 cemeteries in France and Belgium.

In a cruel and ironic twist of fate, however, the Punjabi brothers-inarms that were there in Flanders Fields during the battle in which the Poppy iconically came to be framed as the very symbol of Remembrance would go unremembered in Canada.

Yet, the above statistics and story is not common knowledge in the world, let alone here in Canada!

I was privileged to meet members of Indian Ex-Servicemen Society members recently, and after learning what they do, The Asian Star Newspaper wanted to bring their story and mission to the attention of our Indian readers.

Captain Mohinder Singh Jaswal took the time to explain what this society is all about. “We are here to support each other and to help our brothers in arms and the families left behind of those who have passed on.”

The society provides a place for the members to congregate, a place they can bring their grievances and to get help.

“One of the ways we have been able to help is to get widows of soldiers who have served

India records over 1,000 new COVID-19 cases in 24 hours

India reported 1,016 new Covid-19 cases, taking the coronavirus tally to 4,46,63,968 on Thursday.

The active cases dipped to 13,187, according to the Union Health Ministry data

updated on Thursday.

The country also reported three new deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 5,30,514.

CO2 pollution from fossil fuel to hit all time high

Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, the main driver of climate change, are on track to rise one percent in 2022 to reach an all-time high, scientists said Friday at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt.

Emissions from oil, fuelled by the continuing rebound in aviation, will likely rise more than two percent compared to last year, while emissions from coal -- thought by some to have peaked in 2014 -- will hit a new record.

“Oil is more driven by the recovery from Covid, and coal and gas are more driven by events in Ukraine,” Glen Peters, research director at CICERO climate research institute in Norway, told AFP.

Global CO2 emissions from all sources -- including deforestation and land use -- will top out at 40.6 billion tonnes, just below the record level in 2019, the first peer-reviewed projections for 2022 showed.

garage fire

Nine Indians were among 10 people who died early Thursday when a major fire broke out in the garage below a cramped living quarters that housed foreign workers here in the Maldivian capital, authorities said.

The fire broke out in the M. Nirufehi area near the Maaveyo Mosque around 12:30 am.

Ramdhir Singh, Welfare Officer, working in the Indian High Commission here, told PTI that 10 people were confirmed dead, of which eight were Indian nationals. “We are yet to ascertain the nationalities

the pension benefits due to them. We have to fight the Indian government to get the monies for these widows and their families. We have been able to successfully help over hundred families,” shares Cpt. Jaswal.

The society raises funds to pay for the space they rent where the members can gather for support, and plan how they can amplify our Indian soldiers’ contributions in both world wars. Indian soldiers as recently as twenty some years ago were disallowed to enter a Legion Hall here in Newton, Surrey because of the turban. This fight to keep the turban on when in the Surrey Legion Hall was fought all the way to the British throne where it was decreed by the Queen that if the Indian soldiers can fight, and die in the fight while wearing their turban, they then can wear their turban in the legion halls.

Disrespect from some of the mainstream veteran community is slowly being replaced with respect. “In recent years we have been acknowledged at the BC Assembly in recognition of our brothers’

of the two other victims,” he added.

The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF), which was active on site with an emergency response team, said that the recovered bodies included nine Indians, and one Bangladeshi national, The Edition news portal reported.

“Authorities are currently investigating the scene of incidence, and attempting to scan the area for possible further casualties,” the MNDF said. In New Delhi, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam

who fought along with Canadian counterparts in Europe and Asia. We have been invited to come share our stories.”

The hope is for all to know, including our own Indian children, that we Indians, as part of the British Empire, fought alongside Canadian and British counterparts, and deserve just as much recognition and respect as the Canadian soldiers here on Remembrance Day.

The society works hard to bring awareness of this story to the younger generation by sharing their story at local schools. All the members volunteer their time with a minimal salary for the secretary. The society is always in need of funds for their rental space and to have monies to carry out their work. Anyone interested in helping to bring awareness to our contributions in the world wars can help out the Indian Ex-Servicemen Society of BC with donations so they can go on to share and educate the general population of how we have a long history of being there for Canada even before we moved here.

Let’s also remember our Indian brothers’ now and in future years on Remembrance Day!

BC Liberal statement on Indigenous Veterans Day

MLA for Vancouver-Langara and Official Opposition Critic for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Michael Lee released the following statement for Indigenous Veterans Day:

“Today, on Indigenous Veterans Day, we honour and remember the military service of First Nations, Inuit and Métis veterans.

“It’s a time to commemorate the many selfless sacrifices made by Indigenous Peoples and their families to protect the rights and freedoms we all enjoy today.

“Some of the highest decorated soldiers, aviators and sailors in our military history are Indigenous and have

significantly contributed to Canada’s efforts during conflict and peace.

“They did this despite the systemic mistreatment many Indigenous Peoples received back home. They believed in a bright and peaceful future for all generations to come.

“On behalf of the entire BC Liberal Caucus, we send our gratitude to the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit veterans serving today and all those who have done so in the past.

“Many made the ultimate sacrifice, and they will not be forgotten. We hold their family and loved ones close to our hearts.

“Lest we forget.”

Lt., Jarnail Singh Cheema

Press release

Indians among 10 killed in Maldives

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