The Asian Star November 19 2022

Chinese President confronts Trudeau over G20 talks being ‘leaked’ to the press

On the sidelines of a G20 meeting, Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his displeasure with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that details of the pair’s brief meeting Tuesday were “leaked” to the press. The rarely-captured interaction happened during the closing session of the G20 in Bali, Indonesia.

The video, recorded by a TV pool camera travelling as part of a media delegation following the prime minister, shows Xi telling Trudeau that it is not appropriate for details about Tuesday’s talk

to have been shared with the press. “Everything we discuss has been leaked to the paper, that’s not appropriate,” Xi says to Trudeau. “And that’s not the way the conversation was conducted,” he added. How China responded to Trudeau and what China talked about

Continued on page 7

Economic slowdown will impact low-income earners most, Bank of Canada boss says

Low-income Canadians are the hardest hit byhighinflationandwillbedisproportionately affected by the impending economic

India’s G20 presidency will be inclusive, decisive, actionoriented: PM Modi

India will formally begin its G20 presidency on December 1 and host the next summit in New Delhi in September 2023. India will make the G20 a “catalyst for global change” and its presidency of the group in 2023 will be inclusive and action-oriented, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday amid persisting differences among the world’s largest economies over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As the G20 presidency was handed over to India by Indonesia, Modi

Continued on page 6

slowdown, Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem said during a speech Monday.  While delivering opening remarks at a

central bank conference on diversity, equity and inclusion, Macklem noted that high inflation has harmful and uneven impacts.

Who will pay?

Continued on page 6

Premier designate David Eby vows to make Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside healthy, safe

British Columbia’s incoming premier says he will lead a government push to transform Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside from a neighbourhood of desperation into one that’s healthy and safe. David Eby, who will be sworn in on Friday as B.C.’s 37th premier, said his government will take charge of restoring the low-income area, which is plagued by crime, addiction, homelessness and mental health trouble. “Right now,

the people who live in tents and on the sidewalks, they’re not safe, and the broader community, they don’t have the feeling of safety about what’s happening in the Downtown Eastside,” he said in an interview. “We need to address that.” Eby, 46, has made a career of taking on big tasks, including defeating thenpremier Christy Clark in the 2013 election in her riding of Vancouver-Point Grey. Resolving contentious, complex issues is what governments should do, he said.

Global population doubles since 1974, hits 8 billion in 2022

The world’s population will cross 8 billion today, the UN estimates, doubling in 48 years from the time it hit the 4 billion mark in 1974. The next doubling will never happen. Although the world population will continue to grow for the next few decades, this will largely come because of fewer deaths and an increase in life expectancy, shows UN population data.

This also means that every billion adds to count of older people and hence pushes the global median age-the age that divides the

Continued on page 7

Loblaw’s profits up 30%, led by booming sales of high margin items

Loblaw Companies Ltd. reported its third-quarter profit rose about 30 per cent compared with a year ago.

The grocery and drugstore retailer says its net earnings available to common shareholders totalled $556 million, or $1.69 per diluted share, for the quarter ended Oct. 8. The result was up from $431 million, or $1.27 per diluted share, in the same quarter last year.

Revenue totalled $17.39 billion, up from $16.05 billion in its third quarter of 2021.

Food retail same-store sales rose

Continued on page 6

B.C. hospitals’ intensive care units over flowing with sick children

The number of kids admitted to intensive care in B.C. continues to climb.

The increase continues to put a strain on occupancy rates and wait times.

At BC Children’s Hospital Tuesday night, dozens of sick kids waited hours to be seen.

One of them was Deanna Conley’s teenage daughter.

Conley told Global News that she tried taking her to other hospitals but was turned away because of her daughter’s age.

She was stuck waiting at BC Children’s hospital for hours along with plenty of other sick children.

“It is insanely busy and we have been in line

for about an hour and we still have about 17 people in front of us just to get registered,” she said.

“There’s nowhere to sit, there’s nowhere to stand. It’s insane.”

There are 164 children are in critical care right now across British Columbia, according to the province.

A B.C. family doctor said she has seen a rise in respiratory illness in her younger patients as well.

”The respiratory virus incidents are rising and we’re seeing that in the community,” said Dr. Anna Wolak, a B.C. family physician.

“I know I’m not the only physician who’s being slammed with all these same-day appointments for all these little ones who are coming in sick.”

BC Green party leader calls for mask mandate to protect children as viral infections rise

Green Party leader Sonia Furstenau called on incoming premier David Eby Wednesday to reinstate a mask mandate in indoor public spaces to protect children.

“We’re calling on this government to make the decision to ensure that people are wearing masks in school, in public areas and on transit,” Furstenau said at a news conference at the Laurel Point Inn, where she was joined by Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi, a pediatric heart surgeon at B.C. Children’s Hospital and clinical professor of surgery at UBC School of Medicine Furstenau said wearing a mask takes minimal effort but protects others.  Gandhi noted the combination of multiple respiratory pathogens and changing immunity has resulted in a significant increase in viral infections in children across Canada, including

B.C., with some requiring hospitalization.

Combined with the primary-care crisis and hospital staffing shortages, that has created a perfect storm, he said, leading to “precarious” capacity for pediatric hospital emergency rooms and inpatients, and elective surgery being postponed.

“We must do whatever is necessary now to change the trajectory,” said Gandhi.

But despite calls from Furstenau, Gandhi and others for masks to be mandatory in schools and other public places, Dr. Bonnie Henry said at a news conference at the B.C. legislature on Wednesday that it’s not necessary.

“I don’t believe we need that heavy hand of a mandate to send a clear message that masks are an important tool that we can all use during this time,” said the provincial health officer.

Henry says the mask mandate was brought in when vaccination rates were low and gathering restrictions were in place. “In that context, masks were necessary in a wide range of situations. We are in a much different situation now.”

in most regions

The number of COVID-19 cases in B.C. hospitals climbed by 13 per cent in the last week, as test positivity across the province ticked upward. As of Nov. 17, there were 328 COVID cases in hospital, up from 290 the week prior, while the number of cases in critical care remained unchanged at 26, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.B.C.’s hospitalization model counts all cases in hospital, regardless of their reason for admission. The numbers do not reflect rising hospital admissions for other respiratory illnesses, including influenza and RSV, including a surge in children. On Wednesday, provincial officials strongly advised British Columbians to resume wearing masks in indoor public places due to rising pressure on the hospital system, but stopped short of implementing a mask mandate.

Click to play video: ‘B.C. health officials encourage masks indoor but no mask mandate’

cases in BC climb 13%, test-positivity rate up

Wage jumps 17 % from 2021, tops $24/hr in Metro Vancouver: report

A new report outlines how rising living costs are making it harder for B.C. families to make ends meet. Every year, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives publishes

a “living wage report” that calculates the hourly wage two parents must earn to support a family of four. “This would include food, shelter, child care and other Continued on page 22

B.C. Liberal Party to be re-named to BC United

Members of the BC Liberals have voted to change the party’s name to BC United.

Leader Kevin Falcon said 80 per cent of the voters who cast a ballot were in favour of the name change, and he was thrilled with the result.

The change first needs to be approved by members at convention, which Falcon said would likely be early next year.

It’s also up to them to decide when the change will be made, something Falcon said they want to be smart about.

He said if the NDP government and incoming premier, David Eby, called an election, he wouldn’t change the name immediately.

“I know that we did bring in fixed

election dates, but I also know that this government has broken those fixed election dates in the past,” Falcon said.

John Horgan’s New Democrat government won a majority after calling a snap election in October 2020.

Falcon said they want to be careful about their timing on any change.

About 8,100 of the party’s 45,000 members voted, which Falcon called a success.

“We’ve gone through a really robust process here that I’m really very proud of, it’s really engaged the membership.”

He dismissed concerns a name change might be confusing. “It’s not like we’re Coca-Cola,” he said.

Surrey City Council votes to move ahead in re-establishing RCMP

The new city council in Surrey, B.C., has made its first major vote, opting to keep the RCMP instead of moving forward with the transition to a municipal police force.

Staff will now present a report to B.C. Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth on how the SPS would be dismantled.

Earlier Monday, the Surrey Police Board released a “financial backgrounder” it said showed scrapping the transition would cost more than $180 million in sunk costs and severance liability.

Board executive director Melissa Granum told Global News she questioned whether council had all the information it needed, particularly around finances and human

resources issues, to make an informed choice.

“Those re very, very expensive implications for the city, should the province decide to reverse this transition,” she said.

Locke said the city had yet to see those numbers, but that if council voted to disband the SPS, city staff would do their own complete financial analysis which would be included in their report to the province.

“The numbers that the Surrey Police Board are releasing as of today have never been released, so I can’t quantify anything they say because they’ve never shared them with us up until now,” she said.

“But I will tell you absolutely it is still in my mind the right thing to do to remain with the RCMP of jurisdiction.”

Workers

occupations now eligible under

from 16 new

new Canada immigration rule

The Government of Canada has said that it is working to welcome immigrants who bring the skills needed for the country’s economy to help address acute labour shortages.

Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada announced the implementation of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) 2021 for immigration programs managed under the Express Entry system. Using the new NOC categories will allow Canada to bring in global talent in high-demand sectors like health care, construction, and transportation. Nurse aides, long-term care aides, hospital attendants, elementary and secondary school teacher assistants, and transport truck drivers are examples of some of the 16 occupations now included in Express Entry.

The NOC system is used to track and categorize all jobs in the Canadian labour market and is updated to reflect changes in the economy and in the nature of work. The changes to the NOC system support the Minister’s commitment to expand pathways to permanent residency for temporary workers and international students, as more jobs will become eligible for the programs managed under Express Entry. Through this update, 16 occupations that were not previously eligible can now benefit from expanded pathways to permanent residency. “We are using all of the tools at our disposal to tackle labour shortages, particularly in key sectors like health care, construction, and transportation. These changes will support Canadians in need

of these services, and they will support employers by providing them with a more robust workforce who we can depend on to drive our economy forward into a prosperous future. I’m thrilled to announce expanded pathways to permanent residence in Canada for these in-demand workers,” said Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Foreign nationals with work experience in the following 16 occupations are now eligible to apply through Express Entry:

- Payroll administrators - Dental assistants and dental laboratory assistants

- Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates

- Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants

-Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants

-Sheriffs and Bailiffs -Correctional service officers -By-law enforcement and other regulatory officers -Estheticians, electrologists and related occupations

-Residential and commercial installers and servicers -Pest controllers and fumigators -Other repairers and servicers-Transport truck drivers -Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators -Heavy equipment operators -Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors

The National Occupational Classification (NOC) is the national reference for occupations in Canada. It provides a systematic classification structure that categorizes the entire range of occupational activity in Canada for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating occupational data for labour market

Here is a tale of two countries, with two very different stories to tell about foreign interference in elections Let’s start with the United States, and Paul Manafort. Manafort was a lawyer, and a friend and advisor to many U.S. presidents — Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, the Bushes. In 2016, he

was elevated to the position of manager of Donald J. Trump’s presidential campaign.

Manafort oversaw meetings between senior Trump operatives and shadowy Russian figures at Trump Tower. Around the same time, he was receiving millions of dollars secretly funneled to him by

pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.

In the same Summer, Manafort also quietly met with Russian intelligence operatives, to discuss “The Mariupol Plan,” which would separate eastern Ukraine so that it could be absorbed by Russia. Manafort gave the Russian agent internal Trump campaign polling data. Trump became suspicious that Manafort had not fully disclosed his connections to the Russians. He was demoted. Eventually, Manafort resigned from Trump’s campaign. Now, as far as we know, Paul Manafort didn’t kill anyone. He didn’t rob any banks at gunpoint. Much of his work for foreign nationals was done right out in the open.

But in the United States of America, where they take these things seriously, Paul Manafort was seen to have broken the law. Not long after he worked for Trump, Manafort was charged with conspiracy, money laundering, tax and bank fraud, witness tampering, failing to register as a foreign agent and lying to federal officials, which is a crime in the U.S.

After multiple trials and delays, Manafort was sent away for seven years. In the dying days of his regime, however, Donald Trump pardoned his former advisor, saying he’d been the victim of “prosecutorial overreach.” So, Trump’s pardon notwithstanding, that’s how the U.S. deals with political players who secretly get money from foreign nations to influence policy and politicians. They don’t mess around. What about Canada?

Well, this week we learned from Global News that the Chinese regime has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to Canadian politicians and campaign operatives. At least 11 candidates received money from the Chinese during the 2019 federal election.

Global has reported that these clandestine operations were run out of the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa, and the Chinese Consulate in Toronto. They used various front organizations as well.

This is completely against Canadian law.

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Why are identities of candidates paid by China during election remain secret

Warren Kinsella

Hydro-Québec employee charged with spying for China

A Hydro-Québec employee accused of sending trade secrets to China has been charged with espionage.

The employee, Yuesheng Wang, 35, was arrested on Monday morning at his home in Candiac, Que., following an RCMP investigation.

Wang appeared in court on Tuesday via videoconference, from the RCMP detention centre in Montreal, using a Mandarin interpreter. His next appearance is Friday.

He is accused of fraud for obtaining trade secrets, unauthorized use of a computer, breach of trust by a public officer and obtaining trade secrets, a charge under the Security of Information Act (SIA). The crimes were allegedly committed between February 2018 and October 2022.

A man in a suit is talking, holding a clicker in one hand.

Yuesheng Wang faces four charges under the Security of Information Act and the Criminal Code of Canada. (Yuesheng Wang/LinkedIn)

“This investigation is very significant and sends a clear message,” said Insp. David Beaudoin, who leads the RCMP’s

Integrated National Security Enforcement team, which conducted the investigation into Wang. “We do believe the investigation shows that the actions undertaken by Mr. Wang are criminal in nature.”

The RCMP says Wang published academic papers and filed patents in connection with Chinese universities without the permission of Hydro-Québec.

The SIA, formerly known as the Official Secrets Act, is an act of Parliament that addresses national security concerns.

This is the first time that the obtaining trade secrets charge has been laid under the SIA, Beaudoin said. The charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

The investigation began in August 2022 after Hydro-Québec’s corporate security branch filed a complaint about Wang, Beaudoin said.

When corporate security grew suspicious, Beaudoin said they took “preventative measures” against Wang, who has since been fired from his job as a researcher at Hydro-Québec’s Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage (CETEES).

A flu epidemic has been declared in Canada with the latest public health data showing cases of influenza are rising rapidly across the country.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada’s Flu Watch Report, flu activity has crossed the seasonal threshold, marking the official start of an epidemic.

“All surveillance indicators are increasing and most are above expected levels typical of this time of year,” reads the latest weekly report from the agency.

Those indicators include self-reporting and visits to doctors for flu-like symptoms.

The data shows the weekly percentage of positive tests for influenza from

Oct. 30 to Nov. 5 increased to 11.7 per cent, from 6.3 per cent the week prior. flu epidemic CanadaThe shaded area represents the maximum and minimum number of influenza tests or percentage of tests positive reported by week from seasons 2014-2015 to 2019-2020. Data from week 11 of the 2019-2020 season onwards are excluded from the historical comparison due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Public Health Agency of Canada

Public health officials have warned that hospitals across the country are already overburdened with flu, RSV, COVID-19 and other infections, and that is leading to growing calls for mask mandates.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck Canada, all levels of government had to respond to keep all Canadians safe. People deserve to know why certain decisions were taken, what mistakes were made and if their government acted appropriately. In order to ensure accountability and transparency for Canadians, today NDP Health Critic Don Davies called on the federal government to launch an independent public inquiry into Canada’s COVID-19 preparedness and response under the federal Inquiries Act.

“Throughout the pandemic New Democrats identified the eventual need for a fully independent, comprehensive and penetrating review of Canada’s COVID-19 preparedness and response,” said Davies. “With the emergency pandemic conditions behind us, now is the time to act to ensure transparency and accountability from government and to make sure lessons are learned for any future pandemics.”

To date, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

has deferred questions about a COVID-19 inquiry, saying there will be time for a “lessons learned” exercise some day in the future. Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos has noted that a government decision could come “soon” on what kind of review should be held. However, when asked if it should be independent, he would only say a “strong” review is necessary.

“It’s unacceptable that the Liberals won’t commit to an independent review of Canada’s response to the most severe pandemic in a century,” added Davies. “We can’t put politics above public health. Instead of papering over the federal government’s inadequacies and failures, we must leave no stone unturned to learn from past mistakes and prepare for future threats.”

Many prominent public health and security experts, including Dr. David Naylor, former chair of the federal review of the 2003 SARS epidemic, have called for the federal government to launch an

Federal NDP calls for independent review of government’s COVID-19 response

Canada is officially in flu epidemic after crossing seasonal threshold

India’s G20 presidency will

decisive, action-oriented: PM Modi

From page 1

for collective action on global challenges such as food and energy security. Indonesian President Joko Widodo banged a gavel and symbolically handed it over to Modi to mark the change of presidency at the closing session of the G20 Summit in Bali.

In an address at the closing session, Modi noted India is taking charge of the G20 at a “time when the world is simultaneously grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, rising food and energy prices and the longterm ill-effects of the pandemic”. He congratulated Widodo for his “efficient leadership” of the G20 in difficult times.

Speaking in Hindi, he said: “At such a time, the world is looking at the G20 with hope. Today, I want to assure that India’s G20 presidency will be inclusive, ambitious, decisive and action-oriented.” “Together, we will make the G20 a catalyst for global change,” he added.

In an apparent reference to global tensions and divisions triggered by the Ukraine conflict, Modi said future generations won’t be able to take advantage of economic growth without peace and security. “The G20 has to convey a strong message in favour of peace and harmony. All these priorities are fully embodied in the theme of India’s G-20 chairmanship – ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” he emphasised.

India will formally begin its presidency on December 1 and host the next summit in New Delhi in September 2023. Modi said India will strive to ensure the G20 “acts as a global prime mover to envision new ideas and accelerate collective action”. The benefits of development should be universal and all-inclusive, and extended to everyone with compassion and solidarity, he said. Highlighting the role of women in global development, he said, “We have to maintain priority on women-led development even in our G20 agenda.”

Noting that the “sense of ownership over natural resources” is creating conflict, Modi said this is the main cause of the plight of the environment. A sense of trusteeship is the solution for the planet’s safe future and India’s LiFE or ‘Lifestyle for Environment’ can make a contribution in this context.

Modi said it was a “very auspicious coincidence” that India assumed the G20 presidency in “this holy island of Bali”, which has an age-old relationship with India. This is also a proud occasion for Indians as the country will organise G20

meetings in different cities and states.

“Our guests will get full experience of India’s amazing diversity, inclusive traditions and cultural richness. We wish that all of you will participate in this unique celebration in India, the ‘Mother of Democracy’,” he added.

Earlier, Modi told the summit’s session on digital transformation that India’s G20 presidency will focus on bridging the digital divide, especially in developing countries, and ensuring greater benefits from digital technologies.

“The principle of ‘data for development’ will be an integral part of the overall theme of our presidency, ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’,” he said. India is making digital access public but there is a huge digital divide at the international level and citizens of most developing countries don’t have “any kind of digital identity” while only 50 nations have digital payment systems, he said, speaking in Hindi. “Can we take a pledge together that in the next 10 years, we will bring digital transformation in the life of every human being, so that no person in the world will be deprived of the benefits of digital technology,” he said.

Digital issues and reforms of multilateral financial institutions are among the focus areas for India’s G20 presidency.

Modi said proper use of digital technologies can be a force multiplier in the global fight against poverty, and digital solutions can aid the fight against climate change. But such benefits will be realised when digital access is inclusive.

“India’s experience...has shown us that if we make digital architecture inclusive, it can bring about socio-economic transformation. Digital use can bring scale and speed. Transparency can be brought in governance,” he said, noting India has developed digital public goods whose “basic architecture has in-built democratic principles”. These solutions are based on open source, open APIs and open standards that are interoperable and public. Citing the example of India’s Unified Payment Interface (UPI), he said more than 40% of global real-time payment transactions last year were done through UPI. India ensured financial inclusion by opening 460 million new bank accounts using digital identity and the open source CoWIN platform ensured the success of the largest vaccination campaign, he said.

Economic slowdown will impact low-income earners most, Bank of Canada boss says

From page 1

“High inflation affects everyone, but lower-income households feel the burden of high inflation the most,” the governor said. “Lower-income Canadians will also be disproportionately affected by the slowdown.”

He said the swift pace of the recovery and rebound in employment were mitigating factors for those most affected by the pandemic -- lowincome Canadians, youth and women.

“We are still learning about the longerterm effects of the pandemic, but the scarring we were worried about wasn’t as pervasive as we had feared,” he said. “Economic growth came roaring back quickly, and workers did not remain on the sidelines for long.” The governor said there is “no easy out” to restore price stability but that the ultimate outcome of raising interest rates will be better for all Canadians.

The Bank of Canada has aggressively raised interest rates this year in response to inflation reaching highs not seen in nearly four decades. Since March, the central bank has raised its key interest rate six consecutive times, bringing it from 0.25 per cent to 3.75 per cent.

Higher interest rates are expected to

cool the economy significantly, with a risk that the rapid rate hiking may push the economy into a recession.

Labour groups have been vocal about the Bank of Canada’s efforts to clamp down on inflation, raising concerns about what the slowdown will mean for workers.

The governor has previously said unemployment will rise as the economy cools but that its not expected to reach high levels by historical standards.

While not substitutes to higher interest rates, Macklem said increasing supply in the economy will help ease inflation, adding that the more that can be done to help supply grow the less demand will need to be suppressed.

Macklem also spoke about the inequities in the economics discipline. Speaking to the theme of the conference, Macklem said economics is having a “Me Too” reckoning and acknowledged women in the field have to face the added burden of harassment.

He said he has worked to create a culture of respect at the Bank of Canada and acknowledged his female colleagues have faced harassment he has never had to face.

“Let me be clear. Harassment of any kind can never be ignored, or excused, or brushed away.”

From page

cent, while drugstore samestore sales added 7.7 per cent.

Sales were led by strong performance in the grocer’s discount banners, including No Frills and Real Canadian Superstore, the company said.

The grocer also noted a continued shift to private label brands such as President’s Choice and No Name. Loblaw said Canadian retail food inflation remained among the lowest of G7 countries but that “global inflationary forces continued to increase the cost of food in the quarter.”

“Loblaw’s efforts to moderate cost increases and provide superior value to customers through its PC Optimum

Program and promotions resulted in strong sales and stable gross margins in food retail,” the company said in a report to shareholders.

Higher-margin sales offset flat food margins

In its drugstores like Shoppers Drug Mart, revenues benefited from elevated sales of higher-margin categories like beauty, cough and cold, Loblaw said.

On an adjusted basis, Loblaw says it earned $2.01 per diluted share, up from an adjusted profit of $1.59 per diluted share a year ago.

Analysts on average had expected a profit of $1.96 per share and $16.85 billion in revenue, according to estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.

be inclusive,

Loblaw’s profits up 30%, led by booming sales of high margin items

Chinese President confronts Trudeau over G20 talks being ‘leaked’ to the press

during Tuesday’s meeting is unclear.

Trudeau, who interrupts Xi, responds by highlighting the importance of “free and open” dialogue in Canada and the freedom of the press.

“In Canada, We believe in free and open and frank dialogue and that is what we will continue to have,” Trudeau says. “We will continue to look to work constructively together but there will be things we will disagree on.” The tough talk comes one day after Trudeau pulled Xi aside at Tuesday’s opening session of the G20 for a roughly 10 minute talk. While specifics were not released, topics including climate change, North Korea’s missile launches, human rights, China’s interference in Canada and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were brought up. Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly, who also spoke to her Chinese counterpart Tuesday, described the interactions as “respectful.”

“It was a good conversation and it is important indeed to keep channels open,” said Joly, “I said to my counterpart (that) it was on China’s shoulders to show that it was respecting international norms.”

Trudeau and Xi ended their conversation by shaking hands and

Global population doubles since 1974, hits 8 billion in 2022

From page 1

population in two parts of equal numbers. In 1974, the median age of the global population was 20.6 years, meaning half of the world was younger than 22.2 years while the other half was older than that age. The current global median age is 30.5 years.

World Population 8 billion: As per the United Nations estimates, the world’s population reached 8 billion on November 15, 2022. The latest projections by the global body suggested that the global population could grow to around 8.5 billion in 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050, and 10.4 billion in 2100. The annual World Population Prospect Report also notes that the global population is growing at its slowest rate since 1950, having fallen to less than one percent in 2020. While it took 12 years for the global population to grow from 7 billion to 8 billion, it will take approximately 15 years- until 2037- for it to reach 9 billion, a sign that the overall growth rate of the global population has been slowing.

1. In the year 2022, the two most populous regions were both in Asia: Eastern and South Eastern Asia with 2.3 billion people and Central and Southern Asia with 2.1 billion. India and China,

leaving in opposite directions.

Asked about the exchange by reporters afterwards, and whether he had offered Xi any assurances that the content of their conversation wouldn’t be shared, the prime minister spoke about the importance of keeping Canadians “apprised of what it is we’re doing and the conversations we’re having here.”

“Not every conversation is always going to be easy, but it’s extremely important that we continue to stand up for the things that are important for Canadians,” Trudeau said.

“Canada trusts its citizens with information about the conversations that we have in their name, as a government. I think it’s important that

Winter ‘Freedom Convoy’ blockades cost billions to Canada’s economy, inquiry hears

Transport Canada estimates as much as $3.9 billion in trade activity was halted because of border blockades across the country related to protests against COVID-19 restrictions last winter, a public inquiry heard Wednesday.

The Public Order Emergency Commission, which is probing the Liberal government’s decision to invoke the Emergencies Act, reviewed emails between staff for various federal ministers who were hearing from businesses frustrated with border blockades between Feb. 8 and 9.

Protesters rode big-rigs, pickup trucks and other vehicles decorated with Canadian flags to Ottawa and several border crossings to protest vaccine mandates for cross-border truckers, COVID-19 restrictions, and the Trudeau government.

At various points in early 2022, protesters blockaded border crossings in Windsor, Ont., the small town of Coutts, Alta., Emerson, Man., and the Pacific Highway in Surrey, B.C.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau referred to the economic impact of the blockades and the undermining of Canada’s economic and national security in the emergency declaration Feb. 14.

The emails show that in the leadup to the decision, motor companies expressed concerns to Transport Minister Omar Alghabra’s office about having to shut down their manufacturing plants because of the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor.

Metro, the grocery store chain, told Alghabra’s office that “if this goes on for longer it will have a more profound impact.”

Several motor companies shut down or reported they were close to doing so because parts and staff could not get over the border at the Ambassador Bridge, Canada’s busiest crossing.

Coast Capital Savings, a Canadian credit union, has announced some layoffs. While no specific numbers have been released, a statement to Daily Hive from Coast Capital suggests the move has impacted 4% of its workforce.

According to some numbers from Indeed, Coast Capital employs between 1,000 and 5,000 people, meaning anywhere from 40 to 200 people may have been let go as part of the layoffs. Calvin MacInnis, CEO and president of Coast Capital Savings, announced the news via a LinkedIn post.

“Today was hard,” he said. MacInnis’ suggested that the move was due to the restructuring of the teams at Coast Capital which meant “saying goodbye to some of our colleagues and friends.”

“There isn’t an easy way to make these changes,” MacInnis said.

“This decision points to the changes we need to make to ensure we are successful in

meeting our members’ needs – today and in the future. It is in no way a reflection of the contributions of these individuals. They are talented people who have helped make our financial cooperative what it is today.”

MacInnis called on other employers in his network to reach out if they had holes they needed to fill. “Right now, we’re focused on helping our colleagues and friends through this change while continuing [to] be a trusted financial partner to our members.”

In a statement, a Coast Capital spokesperson reiterated MacInnis’ words, saying they’re committed to helping those impacted find new roles.

“As Calvin mentioned, these changes are not a reflection of the contributions of the individuals impacted, they are talented people who have each contributed to our organization,” they added.

This year has been a rough one for layoffs across various sectors in BC

An Edmonton doctor who over-billed Alberta Health for more than $800,000 in a single year has been sentenced to four years in prison. Court of King’s Bench Justice Paul Belzil on Thursday imposed the sentence on Dr. Yifei Shi, who admitted to a count of fraud over $5,000 for claiming she provided psychiatric services to almost every patient who used her family medicine clinic in west Edmonton.

Crown prosecutors Megan Rosborough and Leah Boyd had asked for a sentence of five years, while defence lawyer Kent Teskey suggested two-and-a-half. The Crown argued the only apparent motive for the crime was “unadulterated greed.”

“Yifei Shi was a mature individual

who had the privilege of employment in a job earning over $500,000 per year,” Rosborough said in a written submission.

“She had every advantage in life: education, wealth and a great job. She used all of these advantages to perpetrate ongoing misappropriations against Alberta Health.” The total value of the misappropriations “is so high that there are few comparable physician embezzlement cases across Canada,” Rosborough added.

Shi began practicing medicine in Alberta in 2013. Under Alberta’s public fee-forservice health-care model, she was entitled to claim billings from Alberta Health using codes for specific medical services.

Because of the large number of claims,

A man sentenced to nine months in prison and six months probation for four times selling cocaine and oxycodone in a dial-a-dope drug deal to Surrey Mounties has been denied a reduced sentence he requested on appeal, to take care of his mother after his sister was murdered.

Tenzin Jamyang Garie, 26, pleaded guilty to drug trafficking and possession and was seeking 18 months house arrest, but a Surrey Provincial Court judge handed down the prison sentence instead. On appeal, Garie asked the British Columbia Court of Appeals in Vancouver for a suspended sentence or 90 days in prison because his personal circumstances have changed following the murder of his sister last month and his mother

suffers hardship when he is incarcerated. The court heard that Gary’s sister was a victim of a double murder in Burnaby.

Garie was convicted on November 16, 2021, filed his appeal five days later, was allowed to appeal and was released on bail on November 30 last year. He sought to serve his sentence in the community because, since his sister’s death, he and his brother “have assumed responsibility for the care and financial support of their mother, who is on leave of absence,” Sunni Judge StrombergStein in her decision of November 10th.

She also noted that once the C-5 bill introduced by the Trudeau administration is proclaimed, a conditional sentencing order (CSO) would become “an available

Surrey man charged after CNN journalist threatened online

A Surrey man has been charged with threatening CNN anchor Erin Burnett and her family via Twitter and YouTube after an investigation by RCMP, New York police and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Nicholas Ryan Hedgecoe Sullivan is slated to appear in provincial court Friday for a first appearance related to five counts of uttering death threats against Burnett, her family and CNN employees through social media. B.C. man investigated for online death threats against CNN anchor The charges — which span a time period from May 2021 to June 2022 — specify the social

media platforms as the means through which the 38-yearold allegedly made the threats.

“Some people may think that when they are on social media platforms that they’re anonymous and if they are involved in this type of behaviour where they’re uttering death threats to somebody that there will be no consequences,” Surrey RCMP spokesperson Const. Sarbjit Sangha said.

“As you have seen in this investigation, there are serious consequences when you are involved in posting threats to seriously harm somebody regardless of where they live and where you live.”

‘I just rant like everyone else’

Convicted Surrey drug dealer whose sister was murdered loses court appeal for leniency

Edmonton doctor who over-billed Alberta Health more than $800k sentenced to four years in prison

As reports of long hospital wait times continue to pour in, the BC Children’s Hospital has released guidance on when it’s time to bring your child to the emergency department.

The province is grappling with the “triple threat” of COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The BC Children’s Hospital is experiencing “high volumes,” and on Wednesday, estimated wait times exceeded 4.5 hours, with expected stay lengths over nine hours.

According to the hospital, half of the top reasons patients visit its ED may not actually require emergency care.

Nasal congestion, a cough, common cold symptoms, mild asthma or wheezing that responds to regular puffers are not considered emergencies, it said. Breathing problems that include respiratory distress, pale skin, whitish or blue lips, or asthma that is not responding to prescribed medication, however, may necessitate a visit.

Parents should also consider a trip to the ED if children under three months old are vomiting, have a fever, or have diarrhea.

For children above that age, the hospital said emergency care may not be needed if the child is vaccinated and otherwise healthy, or if the vomiting or diarrhea takes place less than five times a day.

Diarrhea may last up to two weeks after the stomach flu, it added, but dehydration with dry mouth or no urine for more than 12 hours is a red flag.

Having a sick child can be stressful, but it helps to know when it’s time to seek emergency treatment. Learn where to go for the right care when your child is ill: https://t.co/97xNUGr9LU pic.twitter.com/lRsyU0zNZd

Parents may also skip the ED for recurring rashes or skin problems, rashes paired with cough and cold symptoms, and mild hives that respond to antihistamines without difficulty breathing or throat and tongue swelling. Fever with a rash that looks like blisters or bruises that don’t turn white or fade with applied pressure, however, may be a sign of trouble, the hospital said.

PM Trudeau spoke with China’s Xi about ‘interference’, Ukraine: Gov’t source

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday for about 10 minutes on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, a Canadian government source said.

During the conversation, Trudeau raised “serious concerns” about Chinese “interference activities” in Canada, the source said, which is likely a reference to recent

reports that China allegedly meddled in the 2019 election, and the arrest of an alleged Chinese spy on Monday.

The two also spoke about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, North Korea’s aggression in the region, and the importance of the upcoming COP15 summit “to protect nature and fight climate change” in Montreal, the source said.

MPs agree to probe allegations of Chinese interference in federal elections

A multi-partisan group of MPs on the procedure and House affairs committee agreed Monday to probe claims that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and its agents have interfered in the Canadian political process.

Citing unnamed sources, Global News reported last week that China was behind “a vast campaign of foreign inference” in Canadian politics.

That campaign reportedly included “a clandestine network” of candidates in the 2019 election, a movement to place “agents into the offices of MPs in order to influence policy,” an attempt to “co-opt and corrupt former Canadian officials to gain leverage in Ottawa” and a campaign to “punish Canadian politicians whom the People’s Republic of China views as threats to its interests.”

Global reported that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and some cabinet ministers were briefed by intelligence agencies on these foreign interference allegations in January.

‘No one has been expelled ... no one has been charged’ CSIS reportedly told Trudeau that China’s consulate in Toronto floated cash to at least eleven federal election candidates “and numerous Beijing operatives” who worked as campaign staffers.

Conservative MP Michael Cooper requested Monday’s emergency meeting — a meeting he said was necessary because somethingmustbedonetostopa“sophisticated campaign” by the Chinese communist regime to “subvert Canadian democracy.”

The Canada Workers Benefit (CWB) boost was billed as one of the fall fiscal update’s main new measures. The update announced that rather than paying out the benefit after eligible low-income Canadians

file their taxes for the year, the government will start providing three advance payments to individuals who qualified in the previous year. Most of the $4-billion will go to providing CWB advance payments.

Ottawa’s $4-billion boost to workers benefit to go mostly to Canadians no longer eligible, PBO says

BC Children’s Hospital releases guidance on when to bring kids to emergency

New tents pop up in Crab Park as incoming premier plans to address DTES encampments

With its million-dollar views of Vancouver and the mountains, the unhoused encampment at CRAB Park continues to attract new residents.

Its population is growing just as B.C.’s incoming premier, David Eby, prepares to take over the approach to addressing mental health and housing challenges in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES).

“We’re basically just a nice friendly, multicultural gypsy camp,” said Kevin Morris, a new tenant of the CRAB Park encampment.

Morris, who is originally from Stratford, Ont., said he hitchhiked to Vancouver from London, Ont. just over two months ago, seeking “stability” on Canada’s West Coast.

“Some of us have PTSD, some of us were raised differently, some of us just don’t like living in a house in a conventional lifestyle,” he explained in an interview Sunday.

Eby has said he doesn’t think encampments are safe, or a solution

to homelessness because he’s seen too many fires, injuries and deaths.

“What we need to do is get people out of the tents, into decent shelter and into social housing and supportive housing if they need it, and into health care if they need it,” the premierdesignate said in a Nov. 9 interview.

Eby told Global News on Sunday that the situation with people living in tents on sidewalks and in parks needs to be addressed urgently and collaboratively with community members, law enforcement, businesses and service providers.

“If he cares so much about the homeless people getting put into shelters and going through the housing programs, and all the dangers about fires here and harm reduction, then first of all, why are the shelters half-empty?” asked Morris.

Click to play video: ‘Critics question comments on tent encampments by B.C. premier-designate’

Jubilee Medal

It was a great honour for me to receive the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal and Certificate of Recognition today in Richmond , to-day, November 12, 2022 by Honorable Yonah Martin , Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate . This completes the series of Queen’s Awards for me .

I was honoured to receive the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012 and now Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022.

Surrey Police Service to keep hiring despite Council vote to go with RCMP

The Surrey Police Service says it will continue hiring and deploying officers despite a vote by city council Monday to stick with RCMP and halt the transition to a municipal force.

Council voted 5-4 in favour of keeping the federal force, as Mayor Brenda Locke and the four councillors elected under her Surrey Connect banner made good on an election promise to end the transition.

The vote directs the police board to pause all new spending and hiring for the fledgling police service that was formally established in 2020 under former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum. Next, city staff will put together a plan to re-establish the RCMP as the sole police force in the city that will address staffing and human resource implications.

The plan requires city council endorsement, then it would be sent to Mike Farnworth, minister of public safety and solicitor general, for approval.

However, the Surrey Police Service says it won’t stop hiring unless directed by the province because it remains bound to meet targets outlined in the police transition plan through May 2023.

“Until or unless we hear differently

from the Province, SPS has an obligation to continue with the deployments laid out in the plan (and the related hiring to achieve those deployments) in order to maintain public safety in Surrey,” spokesperson Lisa Eason said in an email. The municipal force will also prepare a separate report for Farnworth, she said.

At the council meeting Monday, some councillors expressed concern about moving in any direction without a complete picture of costs and other consequences of either continuing forward or halting the transition.

Coun. Linda Annis called for a referendum so that voters could say directly what they think, but that amendment was voted down by council.

Coun. Mandeep Nagra questioned why costs have dominated the conversation, when public safety is about more than that.

“What about the governance model? What about the, you know, pros and cons of both the models, how they operate?”

Locke said many of the issues raised at council would be answered in the plan, including costs, and it would be made publicly available.

“We cannot be in a place where

Surrey’s so-called Health and Technology District is set to expand with the addition of a tower, with another to follow in coming years.

A groundbreaking event was held on Monday (Nov. 14) for the City Centre 4 building planned by ICT Group and Lark Group.

Over the next three years, the 23-storey “CC4” structure will be built near 137 Street and 96 Avenue, adjacent to Surrey Memorial Hospital and King George Skytrain station.

City Centre 4 is touted as “the largest phase within the Health and Technology District to date,” with more than 350,000-squarefoot of office space available for purchase or lease, “plus highprofile premium strata retail and restaurant space across

It is a great honour to be recognized for ones service to the community and Canada. Balwant

Sanghera

two floors,” says a news release.

“CC4 will also provide opportunities for life science, bio manufacturing and research organizations access to five floors or 75,000 square feet of wet lab space, with additional possibilities to expand up to onemillion-square-foot of wet lab space in the future building phases.”

Balwant Sanghera honoured with Queen’s Platinum

With needed ‘wet lab’ space, a 4th tower is coming to Surrey’s Health and Technology District

Community news

South Asian Adults & Seniors - In Person Yoga Classes at Shanti Niketan hall, Bingo on Nov. 20th 2022 & Nov. 27th 2022.

Pure Vegetarian lunch will be served in the dining hall at 11.30 am to all the seniors who attend yoga class on Thursdays.

Members already vaccinated at least Two doses against COVID - 19 should join for Bingo & yoga classes, please use Facemask for safety.

14 days Cruise & Tour of Eastern Mediterranean (Europe), Turkey, Egypt & Israel from Nov 17th to December 1st 2022. 72 members are going on this Cruise & Tour.

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.

Alia 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 foreign-language films that are aiming to cross over into mainstream races.

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

Ashok Kumar

similar family background

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

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

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

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

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

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

Writing for Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath felt that Panday showed potential in an unremarkable film.

The film underperformed at the box office.

Ashok Kumar was educated at Presidency College of the University of Calcutta, Kolkata, where he studied to become a lawyer. However, his heart was not in his law studies. Ganguly was more interested in cinema, in which he dreamt of working as technician. He started emerging from Devika Rani’s shadow owing to pairing opposite Leela Chitnis, another actress who was senior to him in age as well as stature. Back-to-back successes with Kangan (1939), Bandhan (1940) and Azad (1940) saw Ashok Kumar emerge as a popular actor in his own right. The success of Jhoola (1941), in which he starred opposite Leela Chitnis, established him as one of the most bankable actors of the era.

The Gyan Mukherjee directed 1943 movie Kismet, featuring Ashok Kumar as the first anti-hero in Indian Cinema smashed all existing box office records, becoming the first Hindi movie to gross 1 crore at the box office.

The success of Kismet made Ashok Kumar the first superstar of Indian cinema. Such was his popularity at the time that, in the words of Manto, “Ashok’s popularity grew each passing day. He seldom ventured out, but wherever he was spotted, he was mobbed. Traffic would come to a stop and often the police would have to use lathis to disperse his fans.”

Ananya Panday

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

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

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

Anna M. M. Vetticad from Firstpost wrote, “The surprise in this ensemble is Ananya Panday who brings a gravitas to Tia’s confusion and innocence that makes you wonder why she chose to debut with the hollow gloss of Student of the Year 2”. Her final release of the year came with Vijay Deverakonda in Puri Jagannadh’s action film Liger, a bilingual production in Hindi and Telugu.

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

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

AnanyaPandaywasbornon30October1998

to actor Chunky Panday and costume designer Bhavna Panday.

She studied at Dhirubhai Ambani International School until 2017. She participated in Vanity Fair’s Le Bal des débutantes event in Paris in 2017.

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

One of the greatest actors of Indian cinema

Sonakshi Sinha recently seen in ‘Double XL’ along with Huma Qureshi.

The film aimed towards making a socially relevant point and spoke against body shaming.

Sonakshi had put on 18-20 kilos of weight for the film. She could also find relatability with her character because Sonakshi was quite overweight before

In an interview with Etimes as well, Sonakshi had spoken about her weight loss journey which started whe she was 18. “I was huffing and puffing and couldn’t stay on a treadmill for more than 30 seconds. That’s when I decided to lose weight. Not because I wanted to be an actor but because I knew it was needed,” said the actress.

Katrina, a spiritual person

Actor Sunny Kaushal praised his sister-in-law, actor Katrina Kaif and revealed that she is a ‘deeply spiritual person’. In a new interview, Sunny said that after he started talking to Katrina Kaif, he ‘gained a different perspective’. Speaking about his bother-actor Sunny said he is ‘definitely less critical’ about him. Sunny and Vicky are the two children of action director Sham Kaushal and his

wife Veena Kaushal. Vicky tied the knot with Katrina Kaif in December last year in Rajasthan. Sunny is rumoured to be in a relationship with actor Sharvari Wagh.

Sunny spoke about Katrina, “She’s a deeply spiritual person. She loves talking about spirituality and so do I. So, we’ve some very interesting conversations. Since the time I started talking to her about all these things, I’ve gained a different perspective on them.

she got into the movies. Her body transformation has been commendable.

But in an interview, Sonakshi said she was rebellious when told to lose weight at first. She confessed that it’s the conditioning which begins since childhood. Her mother, Poonam Sinha was constantly telling her to lose weight and when someone says that constantly, one tends to get rebellious, said Sonakshi. Hence, she would do the complete opposite of that. The day when Sonakshi’s mother stopped telling her, it struck to her that she should do something about her weight.

She further added that these stereotypes start from home and her mom also realised that while watching the film. Having said that, she doesn’t blame the mothers who tell their daughters to lose weight because perhaps they went through the same thing when they were young.

Sonakshi Sinha was born on June 2, 1987 in Patna, Bihar, to film stars Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Sinha (Chandiramani).

Her father belongs to a Bihari Kayastha family while her mother belongs to a Sindhi family.

Her father served as a Member of Parliament of the Bharatiya Janata Party, before he switched to the Indian National Congress in 2019. Sinha is the youngest of three children – she has two (twin) brothers, Luv Sinha and Kush Sinha. She did her schooling at Arya Vidya Mandir and later graduated in fashion designing from Premlila Vithaldas Polytechnic of Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women’s University.

Sonakshi started her career as a costume designer, designing the costumes for films such as Mera Dil Leke Dekho in 2005.

Shahrukh Khan spotted

Shah Rukhk Khan was spotted at the Mumbai airport on Wednesday Speculations around Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan resuming the shoot of his upcoming film Dunki started spreading on social media after he was spotted at the Mumbai Airport during the early hours of Wednesday by the shutterbugs.

Videos surfaced on social media in which SRK could be seen donning a brown jacket, blue t-shirt and cargo pants. Soon after the Don actor’s videos got viral, fans started speculating that the actor might have left to shoot for the next schedule of Rajkumar Hirani’s film Dunki in Saudi Arabia. The major reason behind fans’ speculations was the Paheli actor’s look. A few months back, a picture got

viral on social media from the sets of Dunki in which Shah Rukh Khan could be seen with his co-actor Taapsee Pannu.

In the new Airport video, SRK’s look was quite similar to his look in the previous viral picture. Dunki marks the first collaboration of Shah Rukh Khan with director Rajkumar Hirani. The official release date of the film is still awaited.

Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan will also be seen in director Siddharth Anand’s next action thriller film Pathaan alongside Deepika Padukone and John Abraham.

Produced by Aditya Chopra, the film is all set to hit the theatres on January 25, 2023.

Apart from that, he also has south director Atlee’s next crime thriller Jawan. which is scheduled to release on June 2, 2023.

Sonakshi Sinha from rebilious kid to beauty queen

The federal departments tasked with curbing chronic homelessness in Canada don’t know if the billions of dollars in public money they’ve spent have helped to get people into homes, Canada’s auditor general reported Tuesday.

Auditor General Karen Hogan found that the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Infrastructure Canada have failed to collect sufficient data about their programs, which are designed to connect the most vulnerable people with homes.

These two agencies are largely responsible for delivering the federal government’s National Housing Strategy, which has a target of reducing chronic homelessness by 50 per cent by the 2027-28 fiscal year.

But without data, there’s no way to know if the government is getting good value for its money or if the 50 per cent target will ever be achieved, the AG said.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference on Parliament Hill, Hogan

said the government really doesn’t know if all the housing-related money spent so far — about $4.5 billion across six different programs — has been helpful.

“They have a really big data gap. They aren’t collecting the information,” she said. “A data-driven strategy is a great solution.”

One of the government’s key programs to move people off the streets is the “reaching home” program, which is administered by Infrastructure Canada.

The department spent $1.36 billion between 2019 and 2021 but, Hogan said, “the department did not know whether chronic homelessness and homelessness had increased or decreased since 2019 as a result of this investment.”

Lack of funding, direction putting Canadians’ info at risk of cyberattacks: AG report

Based on the limited data available, the AG found the number of shelter users who are chronically homeless has actually increased since the housing strategy was launched in 2016.

Average house price down by more than $170,000 since February

Canada’s housing market continued its slowdown last month, with the volume of home sales down by more than a third compared to the boom times of last year — and prices down by almost 10 per cent since then, too.

The Canadian Real Estate Association, which represents Realtors, said in a release Tuesday that the national average selling price of a home that sold in October went for $644,643. That’s down by 9.9 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier, and down by even more from the peak of $816,720 in February 2022.

That was before the Bank of Canada began its aggressive campaign of hiking interest rates to rein in inflation. The central bank has raised its benchmark rate a half dozen times since then, and the impact on the housing market has been dramatic.

Average selling prices are down by more than 20 per cent since February, with prices down in just about every market across the country, or flat in a few.

CREA says the average selling price can be misleading, however, since it is easily skewed by sales in big expensive markets like Toronto and Vancouver, so it trumpets a different figure, known as the House Price Index, as being a better gauge of the overall market.

The HPI came in at $756,200 in October. That’s a decline of 1.2 per cent during the month, which CREA says is

the smallest decline since June. But its also down by 8.2 per cent compared to what it was six months ago. Prices are down from their peak, but higher rates mean that houses aren’t actually getting much more affordable, because they cost two to three times as much to finance now as they did earlier this year.

One buyer’s remorse Sid Joshi knows this first-hand. He bought a townhouse in Stittsville, a suburb of Ottawa, in February for about $400,000. Prior to the pandemic, the home he bought probably would have only cost about $300,000, but he found the courage to buy because he wanted to start building equity, and he could easily afford the mortgage payment.

“When I bought the the condo, the interest rates were 1.2 per cent, so my monthly payment was still manageable [at] $1,400 per month,” he said.

But the loan he agreed to was a variable rate one, and within weeks, his payment starting going up with each Bank of Canada rate hike.

He’s now paying more than $2,100 a month, and even worse for him, he thinks his home might only fetch $360,000, based on recent sales.

“It’s very discouraging and I regret my decision of buying this property,” he said. “I should have waited.” Bank of Canada hikes interest rate to 3.25%, triggering higher payments for more borrowers

Kelowna welcomes ‘net-zero’ home to the public

Kelowna residents have an opportunity to learn about next-generation homes over the next six months.

On Wednesday, November 16, the Wilden Living Lab, along with the Okanagan College commercial program, other trades that worked on the home, FortisBC and the City of Kelowna unveiled a fully built net zero home.

A net zero home is one that is completely energy efficient, making it better for the environment and less affected by climate change. They use renewable energy to generate as much energy as the house consumes. For example, one of the many features of a net-zero home is solar panels that use energy harvested from sunlight.

Many companies and organizations have come together to build this home, including the Okanagan College Commerce program. All the students and the Dean of Crafts were present when the ribbon was cut for the new home.

“The opening of this new home has so many great short-term and long-term implications,” said Okanagan College President Neil Fassina. “What we have done here applies everywhere. What had to be done here is being dealt with literally around

the world.” Many other craft businesses that also want to get started with this new technology were there to find out more.

“There is an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions locally and globally,” said Danielle Wesnick, director of conservation and energy management at FortisBC. “The construction industry is under tremendous pressure as we consider how to decarbonize across sectors. It’s not just transportation, it’s not just industry, buildings play an important role.

FortisBC started its energy efficiency programs back in 1998. Wesnick added that the goal is for all new buildings to be net-zero by 2032.

“This is one of the first and it certainly won’t be the last,” Wesnick added.

The home began construction in 2016 and is the second net-zero home in Kelowna. There is also an all net zero apartment building in West Kelowna called Carrington View.

This home is located at 215 Echo Ridge Drive and Kelowna residents will have the opportunity to view it and learn about its benefits over the next six months. From November 20th to May 18th (expected to be Friday) the house will be open to the public from 1pm to 5pm to allow

After spending billions, federal govt doesn’t know if it’s reducing chronic homelessness: AG

A Surrey family has been awarded $33,700 after being wrongfully evicted from their home, which was sold to a suspected investor.

Natalie Egger says while they are relieved to have had the Residential Tenancy Branch (RTB) rule in their favour, the compensation will soon evaporate from having to pay more in rent and utilities at their new rental home. Furthermore, a new legal journey begins to obtain the money they’re now owed.

The Eggers’ case is one of dozens played out across the province when landlords evict tenants under false or erroneous pretences. The Eggers want to see a more streamlined process to obtain their compensation.

“We’re happy with the ruling but now the quest begins to get the money we’re owed,” said Egger.

With the RTB order, the Eggers may now serve their former landlords’ home purchaser, who would then have 15 days to respond and pay. Should the purchasers not, the Eggers will find themselves in provincial

BC family awarded $33,700 for wrongful eviction

small claims court where a judge may issue orders for repayment.

Purchasers spiked rent 70% after evicting family

The family had been renting a detached home in South Surrey when their landlord notified them in March 2021 that the house was to be listed for sale. In September 2021, the property sold for $2.3 million and the family was given a two-month notice from the purchasers to vacate by that December, as the purchasers stated they would be occupying the home.

The Eggers moved out in October to a nearby home to accommodate their children. Their rent spiked from $2,800 to $3,200 monthly, plus more expensive utilities, said Egger, a 41-year-old consultant for agricultural

businesses.

When December rolled around, the Eggers noticed the home was vacant and listed for rent at $4,750 monthly — a markup of $1,950 from what her family had been paying.

According to the Residential Tenancy Branch policy guideline, a landlord is to pay compensation to a tenant when the landlord “fails to use the rental unit for the purpose for which the notice was given” for at least six months after possession date.

“If the landlord does not fulfil these requirements, they must pay the tenant compensation equal to 12 months’ rent payable under the former tenancy agreement, unless the landlord’s failure was due to extenuating circumstances,” states the policy. Extenuating circumstances include the

death of a family member who intended to occupy the home or a rental unit destroyed in a wildfire. Changing one’s mind is not extenuating, the policy states. An RTB arbitrator has the discretion to decide what a valid extenuating circumstance is.

At their Oct. 18 hearing, the purchasers claimed they were not fully informed of the laws, which differed from the ones out of province, where they previously lived. They also claimed one of the purchasers had a heart attack, which changed their circumstances.

The arbitrator ruled that ignorance of the law is not an excuse and the landlords did not provide enough evidence of the medical emergency causing them to re-rent the home.

Evicted tenants may need to navigate two legal proceedings for compensation

Egger says realtors may need to brush up on their laws, if that were the case.

Zuzana Modrovic, a lawyer with the Tenant Resource and Advisory Centre, previously told Glacier Media her group sees

BC’s housing market remains slow, but sales still bringing in billions

According to the latest housing report from the British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA), home sales in BC remain slow and active listings have plateaued.

However, sales have still reached nearly $74 billion year-to-date. A total of 5,242 residential unit sales were recorded last month, a decrease of 45.5% compared to October 2021. Average prices have also fallen in most jurisdictions. The average residential price in BC was $939,979 last month, a decrease

of 3.1% ($963,011) compared to October 2021. Total sales dollar volume was also down by nearly half (47.2%), reaching $4.9 billion. “Sales activity remains slow across the province, and inventories appear to be plateauing,”

“While prices have fallen from peak levels reached in early 2022, average

prices have recently levelled off.”

The sales dollar volume isn’t only down year-over-year, it’s also down year-to-date by 26.3%, currently sitting at $73.3 billion, compared to $99.5 billion at this point last year.

Meanwhile, year-to-date home sales were down 33% to 72,824 units in BC, while the average residential price was up 10% to $1.01 million. Unit sales are down in every jurisdiction except for Powell River, which has seemingly been a popular place to move to.

said BCREA Chief Economist Brendon Ogmundson in a statement.

China & India face peer pressure to help fund loss and damage due to pollution

China and India, two of the world’s three biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, are under increasing pressure from developing nations to commit that they will contribute to a facility aimed at compensating the world’s poorest nations for climate-related disasters.

Mauritius, Jamaica and Ghana are among developing countries that want the pool of potential funders for the loss and damage facility that’s being discussed at the COP27 climate summit in Egypt to be widened beyond the Western industrialized nations that have traditionally been held responsible for global warming.

The calls are a marked departure from the solidarity that’s in the past seen China and India stand alongside the world’s poorest nations in demanding climate finance from the US and Western Europe. They also mark a schism within the ranks of least developed countries, small island states and some middle income nations, whose economies and politics are closely tied to the Asian economic powerhouses.

“It’s about the quantum of emissions,

if you are a developing country and you emit so much then why not,” said Henry Kokofu, the head of Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency and special envoy of the Ghana Presidency of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, which represents 58 nations with a combined population of 1.5 billion people. “We are looking at heavy emitters.”

China emits 11.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually, while India produces 2.7 billion tons, according to the Global Carbon Project. Still, the US emits 5 billion tons and industrialized nations are responsible for the bulk of the historical emissions that are cumulatively responsible for heating up the planet today. However, China’s rapid coaldriven development has already made it the second-largest historical emitter.

Kokofu’s position aligns with Matthew Samuda, a Jamaican minister and head of the island nation’s COP27 delegation, who said “those who emit should contribute,” and Mauritian Environment Minister, Kavydass Ramano, who wants “all the big emitters” to provide funds.

Still, other representatives of those nations pushing for the loss and damage facility, which last week was added to the COP agenda for the first time after

decades of debate, are more tempered in their approach to China and India.

Seyni Nafo, the head of Mali’s delegation, and Seth Osafo, legal adviser to the African Group of Negotiators, called for voluntary contributions from the two Asian nations.

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sign pact for unlimited number of flights

Canada and India have expanded their air transportation agreement to allow designated airlines to operate an unlimited number of flights between the two countries. The deal, announced by Canada’s transport minister Omar Alghabra, replaces a previous agreement that limited each nation to 35 flights per week. The new rights under the expanded agreement are available for use by airlines immediately. “We are pleased to expand this relationship with additional flexibility for airlines to serve this growing market,” Alghabra said.

By making the movement of goods and people faster and easier, this expanded agreement will continue to facilitate trade

and investment between Canada and India and help our businesses grow and succeed.”

Canada’s first air transport agreement with India was concluded in 1982 and was last expanded in 2011. India is now Canada’s fourth largest international air transport market.

The new agreement gives Canadian air carriers access to Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai, and Indian air carriers access to Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, and two additional points to be selected by India.

Other cities in both countries can be served indirectly through codeshare

India submitted its long-term climate action strategy to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at UN Climate Conference (COP27) on Monday, joining a select list of countries that have articulated how they will achieve their net zero emissions goal in the long-term.

India updated its nationally determined contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement to the United Nations apex body on August 26 which has two broad quantifiable goals - that India will reduce the emissions intensity of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 45% from 2005 levels by the year 2030, and achieve

about 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030. The NDC said the update will help achieve a long-term goal of reaching net-zero emissions by 2070.

The overall climate finance requirement by 2050 to achieve net zero emissions by 2070 will be in the order of tens of billions of dollars and around ₹85.6 trillion by 2030 for India’s adaptation needs, the document that runs into over 100 pages said.

“Overall, although the estimates vary widely and are not directly comparable, these are in all cases substantial and of the order of tens of trillions of dollars by 2050,” the LTS said on India’s net zero goal.

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India’s new long-term strategy for net zero at COP27 ‘clearly articulates’ its climate intention, say experts

Update on India’s billion babies

Today, somewhere in the world, the first cries of a newborn baby will signify a milestone for humanity: The arrival of world’s 8 billionth resident.

The United Nations is celebrating today (Nov. 15) as the “Day of 8 Billion” – the date the world’s population is projected to reach 8 billion people.

There’s no way to know exactly which baby puts the population over this mark. But she or he will likely be born in the Global South. The U.N. says much of the population growth expected between now and 2050 is coming from just eight countries – and half of them are in sub-Saharan Africa.

Other countries in this group of eight are in Asia. India, with nearly 1.4 billion people, is forecast next year to overtake China as the

world’s most populous country, according to the U.N. But its population growth is actually slowing, due to declining birthrates linked to massive migration to urban areas.

The U.N. says today’s milestone is a celebration of human longevity due to improvements in public health and medicine. But it also comes with warnings about economic inequality and sustainability: Demographers say countries with the highest fertility tend to have the lowest income per capita. And slower population growth could help mitigate environmental damage.

NPR spoke about the Day of 8 Billion with Andrea Wojnar, India representative for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), who is based in New Delhi. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Centre moves SC seeking review of order for premature release of 6 convicts in Rajiv Gandhi case

Facing criticism from the Congress, the government on Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking a review of its order for premature release of six convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

The Centre said the order granting remission to the convicts, who had assassinated the former prime minister, was passed without affording it adequate opportunity for hearing despite it being a necessary party to the case. The government highlighted the alleged procedural lapse, saying the convicts seeking remission did not formally implead the Centre as a party

which resulted in its non-participation in the case. “Thus absence of any assistance by the Union of India, due to procedural lapse of convicts/petitioners, while the present matter was being finally heard and decided has prevented this Court from appreciating the crucial and important evidence in the matter, which if presented, would have assisted this court to arrive at a just and correct judgment in the matter,” it said.

On November 11, the top court had ordered premature release of six convicts, including Nalini Sriharan, who had hosted the assassin, noting the Tamil Nadu government had recommended remission of their sentence..

Rahul Gandhi firm on his comments about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar

Rich nations are making a push to include language such as “major emitters and “top emitters” in the cover text of the ongoing UN climate summit in Egypt which is not acceptable to India, a member of the Indian delegation said.

Developed countries want that all top emitters, particularly the top 20, including India and China, make intense emission cuts (to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius) and not just the rich nations which are historically responsible for climate change, the member told PTI on condition of anonymity.

The cover text is being debated and reworked as ministers and negotiators

from all parties try to reach an agreement by the summit’s scheduled close on Friday.

Providing details of the discussions in a blog post, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said the progress on key issues at the ongoing UN climate summit has not been good due to the “divergence of views on some fundamental approaches to climate issues”.

Key issues that remain unresolved include mitigation work programme, second periodic review, global goal on adaptation, and loss and damage, the minister said.

He said there is a “distinct attempt to forget or overlook” the principles of

Congress leader and MP Rahul Gandhi stood firm on his comments about Vinayak Damodar Savarkar that ‘he wrote mercy petitions to the British and accepted pension’ and that he did so ‘because of fear’ - and said ‘I am very clear he helped the British’.

“I have a document that comprises Savarkar’s letter to (the) British in which he has stated ‘I beg to remain, sir, your most obedient servant’. This is not written by me... but Savarkarji. Let everyone read this document,” Gandhi said.

Unfazed by the controversy over his recent remarks against V D Savarkar, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi targeted late Hindutva ideologue, claiming that he helped the British rulers and wrote a mercy petition to them out of fear.

Congress leader Rahul addresses press conference during the party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Maharashtra’s Akola district

on November 17, 2022. Screengrab from Twitter video via @INCIndia/PTI Rahul also dared the Maharashtra government to stop the Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, which is currently passing through the state.

His statement comes in the wake of a few leaders from the ruling parties in the state demanding that the yatra be stopped in the state in view of his remarks against Savarkar.

Addressing a press conference at Wadegaon in Akola district, Gandhi showed documents dating back to 1920 to media persons, claiming that they contained a letter written by Savarkar to the British.

“I will read the last line, which says ‘I beg to remain your most obedient servant’ and is signed V D Savarkar, which shows he helped the British,” Gandhi said at the media interaction during his Bharat Jodo Yatra that is in the last leg in Maharashtra.

Attempts being made to forget rich nations’ historical contribution: India at COP27

Drugs worth Rs 1 crore seized in Mumbai

The Narcotics Control Bureau has seized drugs, including some concealed in photo frames which were to be smuggled to Doha, worth Rs 1 crore in different operations here in a week and arrested four people, an NCB official said.

The seized drugs include 19 kg of ganja, 1.15 kg of hydroponic weed,13,500 Nitrazepam tablets and 3,840 Tramadol tablets and some international drug syndicates have been identified following the arrests, he said.

The NCB had got inputs about an international drug trafficking syndicate preparing to smuggle out high grade Bud (commonly known as hydroponic weed) to Doha in Qatar

through the courier parcel mode.

Details of the parcel, which was on the verge of an international shipment upload, were gathered and it was immediately held back for inspection on Monday, the official said.

The parcel contained 10 photo frames with religious scriptures but upon close examination, 1.15 kg of high quality hydroponic weed was found concealed inside the frames, the official said.

The NCB had also received inputs about an interstate trafficking of Nitrazepam tablets to be carried out shortly.

On Tuesday, the NCB mounted a surveillance and nabbed a key associate of the syndicate with a parcel containing the tablets and its receiver.

India becoming global tiger poaching hotspot

India has witnessed a sharp increase in tiger poaching, according to a new report released by Traffic, a global wildlife trade watchdog.

The report, “Skin and Bones: Tiger trafficking analysis from January 2000 to June 2022,” showed a total of 3,330 tigers were illegally confiscated globally during this timeframe.

Out of this number, 893 of the tigers were seized in India, which is home to more than half of the global wild tiger population.

Tiger skin is the most sought-after part of the animal, along with claws and teeth. Out of the global total, 38% of tiger skins, and 42% of claws and teeth, were seized in India, the report showed.

“The evidence clearly shows poaching

and illegal trade are not temporary threats. Unless we want to watch wild tigers wiped out in our lifetime, immediate action must be a priority,” Kanitha Krishnasamy, director for Traffic in Southeast Asia, told DW.

According to census estimate in 2018, India had a tiger population of around 3,000. While the country is succeeding in increasing its tiger population, the rising number of big cats being poached remains a concern.

Conservationists says poachers are also looking for innovative ways to hunt down tigers.

“Wildlife crime is and always will be a perpetual threat. We can never put our guard down,” wildlife conservationist Valmik Thapar said.

ISRO’s rocket launch and tracking fee is nominal: Skyroot Aerospace

The fee charged by the Indian space agency for the rocket launch and tracking services is nominal, said a top official of private rocket startup Skyroot Aerospace.

“The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) provides integration facility, launchpad, range communications and tracking support before and during our rocket launch,” Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO and Co-Founder told IANS.

“The fee is reasonable. However, we won’t be able to share contractual details as we are bound by a non-disclosure agreement with ISRO and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre -- the regulator for private sector space industry),” Chandana added.

Skyroot Aerospace’s rocket Vikram-S with three small satellites is scheduled for launch on November 18 at 11.30 a.m.

“Launch is likely on 18th as the weather is predicted to be ideal. Due to inclement weather, we got an updated launch window of November 15-19, 2022,” Chandana said.

According to him, the Vikram-S rocket is a scaled down version of Vikram-1 rocket. The former is a single stage rocket whereas the latter is a multi-stage vehicle.

“Almost all our systems flying in Vikram-S were designed in-house, except for few sensors which were imported,” Chandana said.

‘Today’s era must not be of war’, G20 draft communique uses Indian PM Modi’s remarks to Putin

“Today’s era must not be of war”, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to Russian President Vladimir Putin amid the ongoing war in Ukraine has now made it to the G20 declaration released at the end of the two-day summit in Bali.

After four days of deadlock, India played a key role in helping forge a consensus on the draft G20 communique which reflects PM Modi’s call to Russia on cessation of hostilities. Speaking to reporters, foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that India played a key role in successful negotiations of the outcome document. “PM’s ‘era not of war’ message resonated deeply across all delegations and helped

bridge gap across different parties,” he said.

In the fourth point of the G20 communique, the declaration said that it is essential to uphold international law and the multilateral system that safeguard peace and stability.

Live updates: G20 summit

“This includes defending all the Purposes and Principles enshrined in the Charter of the UN and adhering to international humanitarian law, including the protection of civilian and infrastructure in armed conflicts. The use of threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible. The peaceful resolution of conflicts, efforts to address crises, as well as diplomacy and dialogue, are vital. Today’s era must not be of war.”

Centre ready to bring fuel under GST - Petroleum Minister

The family of Aftab Amin Poonawalla, a suspect in the Shraddha Walker murder case, have fled to an unknown location and can now not be traced, Manikpur (Palghar) Police said.

According to police, Aftab’s family moved to an undisclosed location without informing the police.

“When the Manikpur police took Aftab’s statement after calling him to Vasai, Aftab’s family moved to an undisclosed location. Aftab’s family is also not in contact with the Manikpur Police,” the police told ANI. The family of the victim in the case,

Shraddha Walker, had filed a missing persons report on her in PS Manikpur. Aftab was later summoned twice for questioning.

“Aftab stated that he and Shraddha are no longer staying together,” the sources said.

According to police sources, the family moved without the knowledge of the police because they had an inkling of the son’s activities.

“So they moved in a hurry without informing the police. Aftab also came home at the time of the move. Aftab took some of his belongings out of the house. The family only moved after the first summons from Manikpur police,” the sources said.

The government is ready to bring petrol and diesel under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, provided the states agree on it, said Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday.

The minister also noted that many countries in the world are witnessing the shortage of fuel and exorbitant price rise but there is no shortage of fuel in the country. “For bringing the petrol and diesel under the GST, the states have to agree. If the states make the move, we are ready. We have been ready all along. It is another issue how to implement it.

That question should be addressed to the finance minister,” Hardeep Singh Puri told reporters here. Whenever the transport fuel price goes up in the domestic market,

the demand of bringing petroleum products under the GST ambit comes to the fore. It is believed petrol and diesel prices will come down if it is brought under GST. However, states are not willing to bring it under the GST regime as it would mean giving up the right to fix indirect tax rates on sale of petroluem products.

Both Centre and states earn hefty amounts of tax from petroleum products. The Centre fetched Rs 3.63 lakh crore via levy of excise duties on these products in 2021-22. The states earned Rs 2.56 lakh crore via VAT/sales tax on these products.

If petroleum products are brought under GST, states will lose flexibility to adjust sales tax or VAT rates as per their revenue needs.

Poonawalla’s family fled to unknown location because they had an idea of son’s activities: Police

2 arrested for carrying hand grenades in Amritsar

In a mega crackdown, Amritsar police arrested two terrorists on suspicion of carrying out a mission in Punjab amid the reports of emerging proKhalistani organisations in Punjab.

As per the sources, the two accused were arrested after three grenades and Indian currency worth Rs 1 lakh were recovered from their possession.  Following the incident, a probe has been launched into the matter. As per the preliminary

investigation, the two terrorists have been associated with some hard-liner organisation. It has been revealed that the arrested accused belong to Firozpur, the border district of Punjab. Notably, the Punjab police earlier in October busted an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) backed Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) terror module and arrested two of its operatives. The two operatives were identified as Veeja Singh and Ranjodh

Sikh taxi driver murdered in UK assault

A 35-year-old man has been charged with murder after British-Sikh taxi driver died following an assault in Wolverhampton, central England.

Anakh Singh, 59, was found with serious injuries in Nine Elms Lane of the city while on duty as a driver for a private hire taxi company and died of his injuries.

West Midlands Police said Tomasz Margol has been charged with murder

and appeared before Wolverhampton Magistrates Court earlier this month. A post-mortem was carried out but the results were inconclusive.

“We’ve kept Mr Singh’s family updated with this development as officers continue to support them during this tragic time,” said Detective Inspector Michelle Thurgood from the West Midlands Police Homicide Team.

7 NRIs among 11 arrested for supplying arms in Punjab

Police suspect more target killings of prominent leaders can be carried out in the state; the Brother of Canada-based gangster Landa also nominated in FIR

The State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), Mohali, has booked a total of 11 persons, including seven NRIs, for

allegedly supplying arms and ammunition illegally in Punjab to hinder peace.

Police have nominated two accused in the First Information Report (FIR), who are also co-accused in the infamous Mohali Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) attack case.

Pakistan

Pakistani banned filmmaker Saim Sadiq’s critically-acclaimed film Joyland alleging that it contains “highly objectionable material”, months after a certificate was issued clearing the movie for public viewing.

Joyland, which is also Pakistan’s official Oscar entry, was granted the certificate by the government on August 17. However, objections were recently raised over its contents. It prompted the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to ban the film apparently to avoid a backlash by conservative elements of the country. In its notification of November 11, the ministry

said the film does not conform with the country’s “social values and moral standards”.

“Written complaints were received that the film contains highly objectionable material which does not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society and is clearly repugnant to the norms of ‘decency and morality as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979,” the minister said in the notification. Sadiq’s directorial debut film will compete for a spot in the final five of the best international feature

Vaccine certification remains requirement - Ministry of Health

Vaccine certification remains an entry requirement to Fiji, Ministry of Health permanent secretary Dr James Fong said.

He said this in response to queries on why the Ministry of Health was continuing with the compulsory vaccination requirement for those wanting to travel to Fiji.

Meanwhile, Savusavu resident Elayne

Bennett claimed Fiji was the only South Pacific country where a vaccine card was required for travel at this time.

“Vanuatu, Samoa, Cook Islands, Tahiti, Australia and New Zealand have all been fully open for some weeks or months now with zero Covid-19 requirements for all travellers and 115 other major world countries are also open fully.

Fiji Labour Party launches its manifesto

The Fiji Labour Party launched its manifesto for the 2022 General Election.

Party Leader Mahendra Chaudhry says their manifesto outlines the initiatives that the party will implement if they are elected into government.

Chaudhry says it is a comprehensive manifesto that focuses on some of the critical areas such as the national economy, education, and health services.

He adds if elected into government, FLP will move the retirement age back to 60.

He adds they will also establish a national

health insurance scheme for Fijians. Theleadersaystheywillupgradehealthcare facilities throughout the country and increase the salaries for health professionals.

“The Public system needs to be supported. We agree that we need to bring in the private sector not the Aspen way but the proper way because the public sector needs to be supported. What will we do, we will access specialist expertise and resources for the management of hospitals and improve services and technology.”

Fiji haunted by stray dogs after Covid-19 breeding booming now

Amidst the iconic sounds of Fiji—the roar of the ocean, a church choir—can be heard an unexpected and unwelcome sound: the insistent barking of stray dogs.

Fiji’s stray dog population has exploded in recent years, sparked by baby dog boom that occurred as neutering initiatives stalled during the pandemic and border closures stemmed the influx of key international volunteer vets.

“It’s a huge problem… there are so many dogs,” says Shaneel Narayan, manager of Suva’s SPCA shelter. Naryan estimates that

there are between 20,000 and 30,000 dogs roaming free in the capital Suva alone. Some are roaming while others are roaming –owned by people but free to roam the streets.

“We used to desex about 3,000 animals in a year, and because of Covid, we couldn’t do any of those programs for two years because of the restrictions,” says Narayan. “[The dogs] have five or six puppies in a litter. So you can imagine how many animals we will see in a neighborhood in two years.”

A SPCA worker stirs an egg and rice mixture to prepare lunch for the dogs.

An expensive Graff wristwatch worth at least Rs2 billion, gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman to former prime minister Imran Khan, was sold by Farah Gogi and Shahzad Akbar to Dubaibased businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor. Zahoor, the Norwegian-Pakistani millionaire, claims he has evidence to

prove he bought the rare watch and three other Toshakhana gifts from Farhat Shahzadi, also known as Farah Gogi, for 7.5 million Dirhams in cash.

The businessman appeared on Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath on Geo News to show evidence of the purchase as well as all the Toshakhana gifts he owns now.

Court disposes petition to stop Imran Khan’s long march

Supreme Court in Islamabad disposed plea seeking orders to stop PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s long march, observing that the apex court’s interference on the matter would be “premature”.

Supreme Court told thse petitioner, a fresh plea could be filed when law and order situation worsens in light of the long march.

“Prima facie, the court’s interference on the issue would be premature [...] court will exercise judicial restraint in such political

matters,” Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial remarked while terming the plea infructuous.

The petition filed last week by JUI-F Senator Kamran Murtaza court had moved the top court to pass restraining orders to halt the long march, which is moving towards the federal capital with every passing day. The government has warned the party against engaging in violence once it enters Islamabad — which is expected by this week — with the party’s assurance that it will not indulge in violence.

Pakistan bans its official Oscar entry film over ‘objectionable material’

Dubai-based businessman admits buying ‘Toshakhana’ gifts from Farah Gogi

India’s 1st privately built rocket launches

Vikram-S, India’s first privately developed rocket, will be launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from its spaceport in Sriharikota, about 115 kms from Chennai, at 11:30 am today.

Top updates: Developed by four-year-old startup Skyroot Aerospace, the launch of the rocket would mark the foray of private sector into the country’s space industry, dominated by the state-run ISRO for decades. The space sector was opened to private players by the Centre in 2020.

-The Mission titled ‘Prarambh’ (the beginning) would carry three payloads built by Andhra Pradesh-based N Space Tech India, Chennai-based startup Space Kids and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab, Skyroot Aerospace said in a statement.

- Vikram-S will soar to an altitude of 81 km after its launch and splash down in less than five minutes. The launch vehicle has been named so as a tribute to the father of Indian Space programme, the late Vikram Sarabhai.

-The six-meter tall rocket is one of the world’s first few all-composite rockets that has 3-D printed solid thrusters for spin stability of the launch vehicle, according to news agency PTI.

The rocket launch is expected to demonstrate flight proving of avionics systems in Vikram series like telemetry, Global Positioning System, on-board camera, data

acquisition and power systems.

-Skyroot Aerospace has raised ₹ 526 crore capital so far. The company aims to “open space for all” and is working towards a future where “space becomes part of us”.

-Calling this a “major milestone”, Dr Pawan K Goenka, Chairman of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (INSPACE) said: “Already 150 private players have applied to be in the space of launch vehicle, satellites, payload and ground stations”.

-Asked whether private players would carry public interest missions or just focus on commercial interests, Mr Goenka argued “projects of commercial interest too are in public interest and of course they would always have a commercial angle”.

- According to reports, the mission would be launched from the propulsion centre where sounding rockets were used by ISRO. “This is a small rocket and instead of those big ones, this centre were sounding rockets were used by ISRO will be used tomorrow,” an official told PTI.

The Vikram-S launch vehicle is expected to place the payloads in about 500 kms low inclination orbit. The technology architecture of the launch vehicle Vikram offers unique capabilities like multi-orbit insertion, interplanetary missions, while providing customised, dedicated and ride share options covering a wide spectrum of small satellite customer needs, the company said.

India

new Covid-19 cases, 11 fatalities in 24 hours

India logged 635 new coronavirus infections taking the total tally of Covid cases to 4,46,67,311, while the active cases declined to 7,175, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday. The death count climbed to 5,30,546 with 11 fatalities which includes nine deaths reconciled by Kerala, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases comprise 0.02 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate increased to 98.79 per cent, according to the ministry website.

A decrease of 386 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 4,41,29,590, while the case fatality rate was recorded at 1.19 per

cent. According to the ministry’s website 219.83 crore doses of Covid vaccine have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and surpassed the onecrore mark on December 19. The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore on May 4 and three crore on June 23 last year. It crossed the four crore on January 25 this year.

The two deaths reported in the last 24 hours include one each from Delhi and Maharashtra.

Wage jumps 17 % from 2021, tops $24/hr in Metro Vancouver: report

essentials that would have to be covered by a family budget,” said Anastasia French, a Living Wage for Families BC spokesperson.

This year, Metro Vancouver’s living wage is $24.08 an hour, which is a 17 per cent jump from last year.

It’s the highest increase ever recorded in the region since living wages were first calculated in 2008..

The report said the wage is higher in Victoria due to “the increased cost of food on Vancouver Island.”

The two most expensive costs for families in B.C. are food and shelter.

“In Metro Vancouver, food costs $1,114 per month, an increase of $161 per month or 16.9 per cent since last year,” the report said.

The report’s author said this year’s 17 per cent jump can be attributed to the ballooning prices of food and rent even though the B.C. government has taken steps toward saving parents money.

“Until this year the living wage across most of B.C. remained below its 2018 peak because policy changes introduced by the B.C. provincial government significantly improved affordability for families with young children and offset increases in the cost of food, housing and other essentials,” said report lead author Iglika Ivanova, a senior economist at CCPA-BC.

“However, the savings generated by these policy changes, including significant child care investments and the elimination of MSP premiums, have now been effectively wiped out by ballooning rent and food costs.”

Nearly 20 per cent of Canadians skipping meals amid rising food costs: survey Comparing the new living wage to

B.C.’s minimum wage of $15.65 per hour, there is a significant gap of almost $10.

Large increases in the living wage were recorded all over B.C., including the Okanagan.

Kelowna has a 23.7 per cent increase in its living wage from 2021, which is now sitting at $22.88. Also for the first time, Victoria’s living wage has surpassed Metro Vancouver – sitting at $24.29 an hour.

The report said the wage is higher in Victoria due to “the increased cost of food on Vancouver Island.”

The two most expensive costs for families in B.C. are food and shelter.

“In Metro Vancouver, food costs $1,114 per month, an increase of $161 per month or 16.9 per cent since last year,” the report said.

The report’s author said this year’s 17 per cent jump can be attributed to the ballooning prices of food and rent even though the B.C. government has taken steps toward saving parents money.

“Until this year the living wage across most of B.C. remained below its 2018 peak because policy changes introduced by the B.C. provincial government significantly improved affordability for families with young children and offset increases in the cost of food, housing and other essentials,” said report lead author Iglika Ivanova, a senior economist at CCPA-BC.

“However, the savings generated by these policy changes, including significant child care investments and the elimination of MSP premiums, have now been effectively wiped out by ballooning rent and food costs.”

Comparing the new living wage to B.C.’s minimum wage of $15.65 per hour, there is a significant gap of almost $10.

From visiting friends and family to getting goods to markets around the world, Canadians rely on the aviation industry to provide diverse international air services. Expanding Canada’s existing air transport relationships allow airlines to introduce more flight options and routings, which benefit passengers and businesses by providing greater choice and convenience.

The Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra, today announced the recent conclusion of an expanded air transport agreement between Canada and India. The expanded agreement allows designated airlines to operate an unlimited number of flights between the two countries. The previous agreement limited each country to 35 flights per week.

This significant move will allow airlines of Canada and India to better respond to the needs of the CanadaIndia air transport market. Going forward, officials of both countries will remain in contact to discuss further expansion of the agreement.

The new rights under the expanded agreement are available for use by airlines immediately.

Quick Facts:

India is Canada’s 4th largest international air transport market.

Canada’s first air transport agreement with India was concluded in 1982, and was last expanded in 2011. This new agreement was reached under Canada’s Blue Sky policy, which encourages long-term, sustainable competition and the development of international air services.

The agreement gives Canadian air carriers access to Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai, and Indian air carriers access to Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Vancouver, and two additional points to be selected by India.

Other cities in both countries can be served indirectly through code-share services.

Rights for all-cargo services are already unrestricted.

Press release

Expanded Canada-India Air Transport Agreement to allow unlimited flights between both countries

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