The Asian Star October 23 2021

www.theasianstar.com Vol 20 - Issue 37

Former Liberal minister Sohi elected Edmonton mayor Edmonton’s new mayor “came to Canada with nothing” as an 18-year-old.

Amarjeet Sohi learned English in the city’s libraries, he worked his way from the driver’s seat of a bus, to city council and to parliament in Ottawa, and on Monday became the first person of colour to win the mayor’s chair.“As an 18-year-old without much to my name, I had dreams to build a better life … dreams that seemed impossible,” Sohi said Monday night. “Because of you, because of everyone in this room, we have made the impossible possible.”

The victory in Monday’s municipal election is another major political achievement to check off for the 57-yearold Sikh immigrant from India who is the city’s first mayor of colour. Sohi immigrated to Edmonton in 1982 after being sponsored by his older brother.

Sohi had a healthy lead in Edmonton’s mayoral race over Mike Nickel as of press time Monday evening.

Continued on page 6

Saturday, October 23, 2021

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Lavish, loud Ferris-wheel wedding of Punjabi singer and Liberal politician upsets Surrey neighbourhood Surrey RCMP was bombarded with complaint calls overnight about a huge wedding celebration that roared on into the wee hours of the morning. The wedding of Punjabi singer-actor Parmish Verma and Geet Grewal, losing Liberal MP candidate for Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon in the last federal election, featured a full-on ferris wheel and a concert-worthy sound system

that blasted bhangra beats that could be heard as far as 15 blocks away, past 2 a.m. Ironically, a story published in the Times of India reports that “though Parmish and Geet are keeping their celebrations as low-key events only with close friends and family around, they are making sure to share some pictures from their special days as a treat for their followers on social media.”

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Powerful ‘Bomb Cyclone’ heading for BC Hurricane-force winds look set to rattle parts of B.C. this week and it all stems from a storm you’ve probably not heard of yet.

The remnants of Typhoon Namtheun, which is now a tropical storm tracking across the Pacific Ocean, are set to cause a super-charged

event that could impact western Canada, according to The Weather Network. It all started on Wednesday, October 20 when the storm’s impact on the jet stream produces “an exceptional low, which gets an enhanced infusion of subtropical moisture.”

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COVID-19 restrictions lifted in BC allowing full capacity gathering Sports events, concerts, movies, weddings, parties and funerals will be permitted to operate at 100 per cent capacity as of October 24, BC health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said. However, Henry said the move from 50 per cent to full capacity wouldn’t take place in regions that are under additional COVID-19 restrictions — like

2 girls from Punjab die in Brampton accident as car hit by train An 18-year-old girl of Raniwala village in Muktsar died while her cousin from the same village suffered multiple injuries after the car they were travelling in collided with a goods train at a level crossing near Brampton last night. A girl from Faridkot district too died in the road mishap. Palampreet Kaur taking treatment in a hospital. The deceased has been identified as Jashanpreet Kaur, who had gone to Canada for study purpose about a month ago.

“After the road mishap, my niece Jashanpreet Kaur died at a hospital in Canada, while my daughter Palampreet Kaur, aged about 21, is recuperating at a hospital there. She is critically injured,” said ASI Gurpartap Singh, a resident of Raniwala village here and posted at the CIA wing in Mohali police. He said the driver of car too belonged to Patiala district. “My nephew is there in Canada. He has informed us that two girls, including my niece, died. Two others, including my daughter, are injured. The driver too is injured.

Continued on page 6

parts of Northern Health and Interior Health and Fraser East.

This means that the Vancouver Canucks’ Oct. 26 home-opener will be at full-capacity, while its AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, remains at halfcapacity. In a statement, Canucks president Continued on page 7

Zee5 Canada Dancing Star to air soon on Zee TV & Zee5 Zee TV Canada & Zee5 brings to you, ‘Zee5 Canada Dancing Star,’ the first of its kind interactive and virtual participative show, by any media company in Canada. The show is an earnest initiative and attempt to thank the community for their loyal viewership over the years. In one of the biggest talent hunts, auditions for the show finalized contestants from Brampton and Toronto to Vancouver.

During the lockdown, when viewers were confined indoors battling the COVD-19 pandemic, India’s leading TV Channel in Canada, Zee TV, and their fastest growing digital arm OTT, Zee5, conceptualized and executed, ‘Zee5 Canada Dancing Star,’ a lively and locally driven contest to support the South Asian community in Canada.

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Saturday, October 23, 2021 British Columbians will be required to have two vaccine cards following federal rules British Columbians will be required to have both a federal vaccine passport and BC Vaccine Card if they want to eat at a restaurant and travel by airplane.

Premier John Horgan acknowledged the rollout of the federal vaccine passport will lead to “confusion” in British Columbia.

He did not explain why the BC Vaccine Card, which has been downloaded by more than 3.7 million people, does not sync up with the new federal card.

“If you want to travel internationally or on federally regulated modes of transportation you are going to need to have a separate card,” Horgan said. “You can do that by reviewing the information being provided by the federal government. We will look at how we can bring the two together.” Starting on Oct. 30, Canadians will be required to show proof of immunization or a negative PCR test result to

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Vancouver mayor again proposes allowing six homes on single-family lots Stewart held a press conference to outline his latest plan to allow large singlefamily homes to be converted or rebuilt into multiple units that could be rented or sold as condominiums.

Stewart plans to present the motion at a council meeting in January. Some observers noted that this means the debate is likely to continue until the municipal election campaign in October 2022.

Stewart described his proposal as a “bold” move to create more sustainable and vibrant neighborhoods and add affordable options for working families excluded from the housing market in recent years, as successive councils failed to take decisive action.

The program would be designed to limit speculation, Stewart said, with mechanisms to “capture” the rise in land values and use those funds for priorities that include social housing, child care and addressing climate change.

This ad has not been uploaded yet, but your article continues below. A draft version of Stewart’s motion outlines a policy that allows up to 2,000 lots to be considered initially for these renovations, with “modest height increases to ensure compatibility with neighboring buildings.”

Marianne Amodio, architect with MA + HG Architects , said at the press conference that he wanted to dispel the idea that these bylaw changes would produce large buildings and out of context. The buildings considered in such a program, Amodio said, would not necessarily look out of place on residential city streets, and he showed renderings of a layout for a fourunit main building separated by a backyard from a two-street house. units. .

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travel on a plane or train. There will be a grace period and, according to Horgan, it seems that during the grace period the BC Vaccine Card will be enough. But starting on Nov. 30, Canadians will need to show a federal vaccine passport to travel in and out of the country. This card will be separate from the B.C. card. In order to travel, Canadians will be required to provide proof they have been fully immunized against COVID-19.

The B.C. card shows someone has been vaccinated twice.

The federal vaccine passport will show your name, date of birth, and COVID-19 vaccine history — including which doses you received and when you received them.

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OPINION

By Fergus Hodgson Research associate Frontier Centre for Public Policy

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Canada, allies must unite to stop China’s economic domination

The Chinese economy is growing and surpassing the United States economy in size.

That stature, with its consequent soft and hard power, means opposition to the Communist Party of China’s regime needs to be multilateral.

No matter how much unipolarity the U.S. has enjoyed in recent decades, it can’t go it alone and would benefit from Canadian support.

Not only is China’s economic might ominous, but the regime’s illiberal and seemingly boundless control inclinations are becoming

more glaring by the day. Even the Taliban have concerns about China’s human rights record.

Enough said, really.

For three years, Canada was locked in an international relations confrontation over the potential extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou from British Columbia to the United States. Chinese bullies detained three Canadians in China – one sentenced to death – as part of what has become known as hostage diplomacy.

China is Canada’s second-largest trading partner, and Canadians don’t deserve to be punished for Chinese government wrongdoing.

Now is the time for Canada to take a stand, draw on its own bargaining chips and reduce dependence on commerce with an antithetical regime.

Once Canadians and their elected officials acknowledge the profundity of the problem, there are many options on the table and allies eager to have support. Taiwan, in particular, merits more trade and healthier relations. An end to wage subsidies for Chinese state-owned enterprises, paid for by Canadian taxpayers, is another no-brainer.

The shrewd policy-maker, though, looks at the source of the problem. One of the paradoxes of China’s rise is that the regime has used both North American-educated talent and North American capital. Canadian and American institutions have trained the planners and bankrolled much of China’s economic growth.

This year, new Chinese stock listings in the United States reached $12.8 billion market capitalization, but that’s the tip of the iceberg of North American investment in China.

The thinking over the decades, especially early on in the opening of China, was that economic freedom would generate a sufficient middle class to demand political freedom.

Sadly, that assumption has proved mistaken, but one need not make the mistake all over again. Canada can scrutinize and, if necessary, impede precious capital from building an economy and regime that is an arch-enemy of Western civilization.

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Saturday, October 23, 2021

20 years since inflation has been this high in Canada Canada’s inflation rate rose to a new 18year high of 4.4 per cent in September, with higher prices for transportation, shelter and food contributing the most to the jump in the cost of living.

Statistics Canada said Wednesday that the transportation index, which includes gasoline, rose by more than nine per cent.

Gasoline prices have risen by almost 33 per cent in the past year, the data agency said. In addition to the cost of a fill-up, a major factor in the cost of transportation is the price of a car, which is also going up at a swift pace. The data agency calculates that prices for new cars rose by 7.2 per cent in the past year.

“The global semiconductor chip shortage, leading to limited supply, contributed to higher prices in September,” Statistics Canada said.

Shelter costs have gone up by 4.8 per cent in the past year, while food prices are up by 3.9 per cent. Prices for just about every type of food went up sharply, especially meat, which rose at an annual pace of 9.5 per cent.

That’s the fastest pace of increase in meat prices since 2015.

Shopping for food at a grocery store in Toronto on Tuesday, Martin Rolin said price increases have pushed meat beyond his budget.

“I stopped buying beef a few years ago because it’s just too expensive,” he told CBC News in an interview. “I usually try to get [groceries] during sales but they’re getting reduced less and less.”

Chicken prices are up 10 per cent in the

past year, while beef is up by more than 13.

Pork is up by more than nine per cent, Statistics Canada says. The only part of the grocery basket that’s giving shoppers relief right now is fresh veggies, which have gotten 3.2 per cent cheaper in the past year. While economists had been expecting the rate to come in high, the numbers were even higher than what they were expecting. Prices for just about everything are headed higher all over the world, largely due to the pandemic, which threw supply and demand balances out of whack.

Policymakers have downplayed the threat of rising prices as being “transitory,” which is economist-speak for something that is only temporary due to short-term factors. But the longer high inflation sticks around, the harder it is to dismiss as being temporary.

“Back at the onset of this, we were thinking that it could last maybe a few months or so, but now it’s looking like it could linger on for some time,” said Sri Thanabalasingam, an economist with TD Bank, in an interview with CBC News. “Maybe until the second half of 2022.

But it’s very, very uncertain right now.”

If it does persist, Canada’s central bank may be forced to react by raising its lending rate to cool things down. Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem hinted at the bank’s rethink on inflation in a speech last week, noting that supply disruptions “are proving to be more complicated and they could last a little longer than we previously thought.”

Brace yourself — gas prices are hitting records as global energy crisis arrives in Canada.

India’s billion Covid-19 vaccinations seem astounding, until we look at the global context India has now administered over a billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines, only the second country in the world to do so after China.

After months of acute shortages, a raging second wave, an opaque system of placing vaccine orders, and technical glitches, India finally seems to be on track to at least partially inoculate its adult population by December.

So far, nearly 701 million people have received their first dose and about 291 million both. Of the billion administered to now, 25 million were recorded on Sept. 17, prime minister Narendra Modi’s birthday.

India is also among the countries where citizens have to pay for vaccines at private hospitals, though doses are free at government centres. Initially, those aged between 18 and 44 years had to pay even at state-run facilities.

The policy was eventually reversed on June 21.

Government-run or pro-government social media accounts celebrating the “1 billion vaccine doses” now, however, thank Modi for the “free” vaccines.

Overall, the country has administered roughly 15% of the total doses of Covid-19 vaccines in the world

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BC Children’s Hospital reports troubling influx of kids with colds and flu B.C. Children’s Hospital reported Wednesday a spike in nonCOVID-19 respiratory viral illnesses, such as colds and flus in children.

That means the emergency room has been busier than normal and long waiting times can be expected Thirty per cent of all cases in the hospital’s emergency department in the past month have been children with respiratory illnesses, according to Dr. Claire Seaton, a pediatrician at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

Rates of severe infection caused by COVID-19 remains low and overall only two per cent of people hospitalized in B.C. are under the age of 19.

“That hasn’t changed but what has changed is we are seeing a lot of other viruses, including respiratory syncytial

virus, and parainfluenza, along with some of the other common cold viruses.”

Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common virus that causes infections of the lungs and respiratory tract, and most children have been infected with the virus by age two. RSV symptoms are mild in healthy children and adults but the virus can cause severe infection in young infants, especially those born prematurely, or young children who have heart of lung disease. Seaton said they didn’t see many children with colds or flus last year, so they are worried it’s going to get a lot busier in the emergency department because of the RSV surge. It is not unusual to see a spike in cold and flu viruses after kids go back to school in September and October but this year the kids may have reduced immunity to these common illnesses because it just wasn’t around last year.

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Noisy wedding celebrations between Punjabi singer and Liberal politician upsets Surrey residents

of fines,” Surrey RCMP Const. Sarbjit Sangha .

A chopper was also heard flying overhead after the music died down. “It might have been another news chopper,” Sangha said, “I don’t know if our Air 1 was up last night.”

An extravagant wedding celebration that had a ferris wheel on site was shut down by Surrey bylaw officers this week after complaints were received. Officers were called to a home on 192 Street near 76 Avenue Tuesday evening after getting “multiple noise and traffic complaints from neighbours.”

Surrey RCMP were bombarded with complaints about the event and say police received more than 50 calls between 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night and 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. The majority of the complaints were about noise. In a statement to media, the city’s bylaw department said 15 tickets were issued for parking infractions and multiple vehicles were towed. Mounties also went to the home to

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support bylaw officers. “This appeared to be a wedding celebration,” the statement said. “Bylaw officers advised the organizer of (the) wedding to stop and desist their activities due to noise and traffic issues impacting the neighbourhood.”

The next day, bylaw officers and Mounties went back to the house with building and electrical inspectors. According to the bylaw department, “multiple illegal tents” were set up behind the house along with a ferris wheel. A stop work order was issued because the property owner reportedly didn’t get the appropriate permits for the large tents.

“The city also issued compliance orders to the owner due to concerns over the electrical set up,” the bylaw department said, adding that fines for zoning and building infractions will be issued.

Surrey city’s bylaw department to fully address the issue. While no tickets were handed out for breaking COVID-19 health orders, Mounties said they’re being considered.

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Saturday, October 23, 2021 From page 1

Powerful ‘Bomb Cyclone’ heading for BC

The Weather Network says that this energy will create a powerful “bomb cyclone,” which will be more intense than the Columbus Day Storm of 1962. The low pressure is expected to track 700 kilometres west of Vancouver Island. However, on

Thursday, October 21, a separate weather system could bring hurricane-force wind gusts to the northwestern tip of Vancouver Island and southern sections of Haida Gwaii. Despite the wind gusts, temperatures will remain mild at around 16-17 C.

COVID-19 restrictions lifted in BC allowing full capacity gathering Michael Doyle said it had been almost 600 days since the last time they played in front of a packed home stage. “There’s nothing like the energy and excitement that fans bring to Canucks games and live events,” he said. “We are thrilled to again be able to operate at full-capacity.”

Bridgitte Anderson, CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, said capacity restrictions had a profound impact on the hospitality, tourism and event sector. She said Henry’s announcement was a critical step toward recovery in those sectors.

Henry said the change would coincide with the date it will be mandatory for anyone aged 12-and-over to present their B.C. vaccine card to access most events, services and businesses, including sporting events and concerts. Henry said from Oct. 24 people will also be able to mingle in restaurants and pubs and not have to remain in their seats. However, dancing is still banned.

People will still need to wear masks indoors. Henry said the rate of COVID-19 infection for every 100,000 people in the age groups five-to-eight and nine-to-11 has fallen since the start of October after a big spike when school resumed in September.

There were four hospital admissions for those aged four-and-under in B.C. over the last week, one admission in someone aged five-to-11 and one in someone 12-to-17.

“We’ve been watching what’s happened in other countries, particularly the U.S. where there was a dramatic increase in hospitalization in school aged children. We have thankfully not seen that here in BC, but we will continue to watch,” Henry said.

She said the government will not mandate vaccination for children 11-andunder when a vaccine becomes available for that age group.

Henry said she had received many inquiries from people who had contracted COVID and wanted to know how long they would have immunity. However, she said there is no answer to this, as there is no scientific consensus.

“The bottom line from scientists around the world is that there is no consensus yet, as we are learning about this virus, on the strength and durability of post-infection

immunity. There’s no good way to measure that strength and durability over time. “Yes, we do absolutely recognize that most people have some immunity for some period of time after being infected, and early on, when we had limited supplies of vaccine, we didn’t prioritize people who had a recent infection within three months because we knew that most of them had some degree of protection against this virus.

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Saturday, October 23, 2021

A teacher was suspended for DM’ing students & keeping photos of them on his phone A teacher from Richmond, B.C., was suspended after messaging his students on social media and taking photos of them that he kept on his phone. The decision from the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation said that Marcel Sincraian used Instagram to message his students — and not about school-related topics. In relation to his female students, he was described as “persistent in his attention to them, despite their attempts to rebuff him.” The communication was in person, over messages and in two letters that included information about his personal life and past romantic relationships, according to the ruling. The decision also said that he took photos and videos of students, which he stored

on his phone. “Most of these photographs and recordings are of female students and some were taken without the knowledge or consent of the students,” according to the ruling.

Sincraian was a math and science teacher for a secondary school during 2018-2019 when he “failed to observe appropriate professional boundaries with students.” He was reported to the school board in May 2019 and resigned the month following.

The decision said that Sincraian agreed to a two-month suspension of his certificate of qualification and attended sessions with a registered psychologist to “understand appropriate professional boundaries and how to maintain them.”

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Saturday, October 23, 2021 5 Sikh men use their turbans to rescue a hiker at Canada waterfall A quick-thinking group of hikers in Canada saved a life by using their turbans to pull out the man who had slipped into the freezing waters at Golden Ears waterfall.

According to local reports, at around 6 pm, the Ridge Meadows Search and Rescue (SAR) team received a call regarding two hikers in trouble. SAR manager Rick Laing told Maple Ridge News that one man had fallen into the pool above the falls and was unable to get out.

However, before the rescue team could reach the location, a group of five men sprung to action. “Five young males hiking past rendered them aid by taking their turbans off, tying them together and making one long rope,” Laing told the news website. A video of the rescue has gone viral on social media where the five Sikh men are seen throwing a rope, fashioned out of their

turbans, towards the man who had fallen into the pool. The man who, according to the report, was in his mid-20s was soon rescued. “The rocks there are quite slick and it can be really difficult to get back out of it, especially if you are wet and cold. So, they were fortunate that these five young men happened by and were able to get him out and back up to the trail,” Laing said.

He said it was not clear whether the man slipped into the pool or did not see the hazard signs, but added that he was very lucky to be rescued.

“Certainly if he had stayed in the pool any longer he could have succumbed to hypothermia. He could have been swept over the falls,” he pointed out, adding that the youth could have “most certainly suffered broken limbs or maybe even death if he had gone over the falls”, the report stated.

Only fully vaccinated people to be allowed in House of Commons precinct When Parliament resumes on Nov. 22, no one will be allowed into the House of Commons precinct unless they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That could present a problem for Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole, who has refused to say how many of his 118 MPs are fully vaccinated. O’Toole has personally supported vaccinations but has opposed making them mandatory, arguing that individuals’ personal health decisions should be respected. All other parties support mandatory vaccination and say all of their MPs have had two shots of a Health Canada-approved vaccine. Speaker Anthony Rota announced late Tuesday that the all-party board of internal economy has

decided that only fully vaccinated individuals will be allowed to enter the House of Commons precinct. That includes members of Parliament, their staff, political research office employees, administration employees, journalists, parliamentary business visitors, contractors and consultants. The precinct includes all the buildings on Parliament Hill that house the Commons chamber, as well as MPs’ offices and Commons committee rooms. The precinct will remain closed to members of the public and anyone allowed in will have to wear a mask, except when they are at a work station that allows for two-metres of physical distance.

The Senate will make its own decision on

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Grocery costs keep on climbing in Canada If you’re a big fan of having meat products in your diet, you’ve probably noticed that they’ve been hitting your wallet a little harder these days.

The latest report from Statistics Canada shows that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose year over year in every category, and the cost of meat was particularly affected. “Prices for meat products (+9.5%) increased in almost every sector in September and rose at the fastest pace since April 2015, following a 6.9% gain in August,” the government agency said. “Prices for

fresh or frozen chicken (+10.3%) and fresh or frozen beef (+13.0%) were up in September, partly due to higher input costs and continued strength in demand.”

The price of pork increased by 9.5% in September 2021 compared to September 2020, with the price of bacon seeing a whopping 20% rise year over year. The cost of seafood also saw an increase of 6.2% with shrimp and prawns up by almost 9%. But there is some good news — the price of fresh veggies declined by about 3% with the price of tomatoes dropping by over 25%.

Canada to receive 2.9M Pfizer doses to begin vaccinating 5 to 11 year-olds once approved, Trudeau says Canada will receive enough vaccine from Pfizer for all children aged five to 11 to get a first dose once Health Canada approves it for that age group, according to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

But Trudeau urged children and parents to be patient while waiting for Health Canada to review the vaccine.

“I know parents are all going to be eager to get their kids vaccinated as quickly and as soon as possible, I want people to be patient,” he said.

“It is extremely important that [Health Canada] go through all the full processes necessary so that every parent can have confidence when these vaccines do get approved that they will be safe for their children.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says once Health Canada approves Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11, there will be millions of doses available to provide a shot to every child across the country. 2:00 Trudeau didn’t specify when the 2.9 million doses would arrive in Canada, but promised it would be “as soon as possible” after the approval is granted.

Pfizer submitted preliminary data on the kids’ vaccine to Health Canada in early October but only formally asked the agency to approve it this week.

The company said the results were comparable to those recorded in the PfizerBioNTech study in people aged 16 to 25.

Pfizer has delivered more than 46 million

doses to Canada to date, and an analysis of the available data on administration from provincial and federal governments suggests there are more than enough Pfizer doses already in Canada to vaccinate kids between the ages of five and 11.

Kids likely can’t get shots with current stocks But last week, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam cautioned that once the vaccine is approved for kids, it won’t mean that children under 12 can line up to be vaccinated with the Pfizer doses Canada currently has in stock.

Children under 12 will likely require a lower dosage than adults and while Tam said it’s possible to draw lower doses from the vials currently in stock, she warned that it might cause the vaccine in those vials to be less effective.

“You can certainly look for different kinds of needles that might do the trick, but you can’t just dilute that vial … because that might actually change some aspect of how the formulation might work,” she said.

For children between the ages of five and 11 in the trial, the company used doses that are one-third the amount given to adults now.

Canada’s current stock of the Pfizer vaccine likely won’t be used for children according to Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam.

Current Covid-19 benefits to end October 23, but new targeted aid will be available until May: Freeland The federal government is ending the Canada Recovery Benefit (CRB) program as of Saturday (Oct. 23).

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland made the announcement at a press conference with the prime minister on Thursday.

The CRB was brought in initially to replace the Canada Emergency Response benefit, which had been put into place at the very start of the pandemic.

“Our emergency support measures were always designed to be temporary to get us through the crisis,” Freeland told reporters, adding Canada has recovered “100 per cent of the jobs lost in the depths of the COVID recession.

“We’re now in a new phase, one that is very different from our darkest days in the fight against COVID.” Freeland said that although many jobs have been recovered since the early days of the pandemic, recovery has been uneven in different parts of the country and across different industries. She said that new supports, which will kick in on Sunday, will hopefully be the “final pivot” in pandemic supports.

For individual workers, the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit will replace the Canada Recovery Benefit. It will provide

$300 per week to workers who are subject to a lockdown, including those who are ineligible for traditional Employment Insurance.

Sickness and caregiving benefits, available to those who need to self-isolate due to COVID-19 or who must stop work to care for a child under 12 or a family member who needs supervised care, will continue into the spring. People utilizing those benefits will get an extra two weeks.

In terms of business supports, Freeland said that employers who can show that they have faced “deep and enduring losses” will be able to receive wage and rent subsidies. The system will be tiered; applicants that can show a 50 per cent revenue loss will receive 10 per cent in subsidies, while those that can show a 75 per cent loss will receive 50 per cent in subsidies.

A new lockdown support program will be available in regions with harsh restrictions. Businesses in those regions will receive the maximum amount of rent and wage subsidies until the lockdown ends.

The new supports will cost an additional $7.4 billion and be available until May 7, 2022. However, from March 13 until May 7 the supports will decrease by half to wean businesses off the programs.

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Star & Style

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Akshay, Rohit Shetty to promote Sooryavanshi during ICC T20 A few days ago, Katrina Kaif and Rohit Shetty were seen promoting their muchawaited film, Sooryavanshi, on Ranveer Singh’s television show, ‘The Big Picture’. Both looked great in Indian wear and the pictures went viral. However, many also wondered why Akshay Kumar, the leading actor, was conspicuous with his absence. With less than three weeks to go for Sooryavanshi’s release, Akshay’s fans felt that their favourite star should also be on the field for the promotions.

We have now found out that Akshay Kumar, who is busy with the shoot of Ram Setu, in Ooty will soon return to Mumbai and then immediately dive into the promotional activities. A source told us, “Akshay’s fans need not worry. The superstar will make

up for his absence as he’ll dominate the promotions once he’s back in a day or two. On Sunday, October 24, he’s going to join Katrina Kaif and Rohit Shetty for an interesting segment during the ICC T20 India vs Pakistan match. Just before the match, the trio would entertain audiences and it’s something to watch out for. Considering that the whole country will be watching this match, the makers couldn’t have thought of a better platform to promote Sooryavanshi.”

The source also said that while the match will take place in Dubai, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Rohit Shetty will shoot the segment at the Star office in Mumbai.

The source continued, “After this activity,

Model Rajiv Adatia to make wild-card entry in BiggBoss According to a report by a tabloid, former model and entrepreneur Rajiv Adatia is all set to enter the Bigg Boss 15 house. Rajiv is a well-known face among the people of

the entertainment industry and very close to various big Bollywood personalities.

His social media is full of his pictures chilling and working with Bollywood celebrities.

Deepika teams up with athleisure brand Adidas Adidas welcomes global superstar and youth icon, Deepika Padukone to the brand.

Padukone will work closely with Adidas on their common commitment towards fitness; both physical and emotional. Sport being an integral part of her life, Padukone embodies strength and resilience like no other while also encouraging millions around the globe. Together they will create a powerful synergy as the two share similar

values. Taking forward the brand’s attitude of ‘Impossible is Nothing’, the partnership will be a testament towards breaking barriers and limitless possibilities; inspiring both current as well as future generations. With Padukone joining Adidas’ powerful roster of women athletes and partners around the globe, Adidas strengthens its focus on democratizing and diversifying sport for women through inspiring personalities.

Mesmerinzing Madhuri Madhuri is regarded as one of the accomplished actresses of Indian cinema.]

Throughout the late 1980s, the 1990s and the early 2000s, Dixit was among the highest paid actresses in the Indian entertainment industry. In 2000, the Guinness World Records book featured her as the highest paid Indian actress. Dixit was placed at the first position by NDTV in 2012, in the listing of “The most popular Bollywood actresses of all time”.[179] The next year, she was placed at the fourth

position, behind Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar and Shah Rukh Khan and topped among female actors as the greatest Bollywood star in a UK poll celebrating 100 years of Indian cinema.

In 2017, Dixit topped an India Today poll as the most popular actress of Hindi cinema till date.Dixit has a significant following in the South Asian diaspora.

Saturday, October 23, 2021

Sunny Leone on One Mic Stand 2 Amazon Prime Video is back with another exciting season of One Mic Stand. And this time, filmmaker Karan Johar, actor Sunny Leone, singer Raftaar, writer Chetan Bhagat and journalist Faye Dsouza will showcase their stand-up comedy skills.

Talking about the opportunity to become a stand-up comedian, Sunny said in a statement, “I have loved stand-up comedy, and I have watched several shows here and abroad as well. Seeing a comedian perform on stage looks so simple and natural.

The reality of how difficult it is to actually connect with audiences and make them crack

on every joke is something I have learnt very closely now.” She added, “I am always trying to showcase different sides of myself to my fans and my audience which is why I was attracted to this show in the first place. I thoroughly enjoyed the last season of One Mic Stand. I thought it was hilarious. The sets that the celebrity guests produced were excellent, so the pressure was on to match that level of finesse. I am used to remembering long dialogues and delivering them, but performing live has its own thrill.”

Satyameva Jayate 2 and Antim November 26 is the day of the big clash, as it would witness the clash of Salman Khan and Aayush Sharma’s Antim: The Final Truth alongside John Abraham’s triple role drama, Satyameva Jayate 2.

In this exclusive series, we bring to you an inside scoop on the behind the door scenes of the exhibition sector. An exhibitor informs us that the team of Antim - Zee Studios along with Salman Khan Films - have started screen booking all across the country.

“The exhibitors have received a message from the distribution end about blocking screens at reasonable terms. The message also has some instructions in the form of displaying the film’s poster at prominent position across

all the properties, playing the trailer before all film releases until November 26,” an exhibitor informed Bollywood Hungama.

He further informed that the team of Antim will be printing all the publicity material by themselves and sending it for display at single screens across India. “Salman and Zee understand the plight of cinema owners and hence have decided to bear the marketing expense. In today’s time, in 90 out of 100 cases, it’s the exhibitors, who have to bear the expense for printing the hoardings and banners,” the exhibitor added.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL Unionized BC employees at LifeLabs could strike Friday evening

The union representing some workers at LifeLabs, the largest provider of medical laboratory services in British Columbia, has issued strike notice on behalf of its members.

The B.C. General Employees’ Union says notice was issued Tuesday, putting its roughly 1,500 members in a legal strike position by Friday night.

A statement from the union says the action comes after a 98 per cent strike mandate in July, followed by several months of negotiations, bargaining and mediation.

Workers have been without a contract since

April and the union says wages are the main issue, although LifeLabs says on its website that agreement had been reached on key monetary provisions before the union rejected its latest offer.

The LifeLabs statement says it has been designated an essential service by the BC Labour Relations Board and it expects most of its outlets will stay open and laboratories will function as usual.

It warns customers that some LifeLabs outlets in B.C. could be closed on a rotating basis as early as Monday and it advises patients to check its website for details.

Vancouver restaurant’s dishwasher job ad gone viral because it pays a heck of a lot A job posting for a dishwasher at a Vancouver restaurant is gaining plenty of attention for its well above average pay — $50,000 a year to be exact.

The Indeed job posting is for a dishwasher at Handi Grill. The posting said: “Pay per hour will be $25.00 for 40 hours per week. This is a permanent full-time position. No Experience

or education is required, and training will be provided to the eligible candidate.”

Currently, the minimum wage in B.C. is $15.20, so this is almost $10 an hour above that rate.

The idea of making this kind of salary with no experience necessary is making some consider a career change.

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Saturday, October 23, 2021 BC govt introduces free flu shots as part of COVID-19 effort BC government is making seasonal influenza vaccines free for everyone aged six months and up in an effort to reduce the impact of respiratory illness in a health care system grappling with COVID-19.

Pharmacies have begun their annual seasonal flu shot program, and Health Minister Adrian Dix says the province has purchased a record number of doses as the winter flu season approaches. Last winter B.C. Centre for Disease Control testing of thousands of people with respiratory symptoms for COVID-19 and influenza and found few influenza infections, as pandemic precautions such as masks and hand washing kept the virus from spreading, but provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry warns that is a mixed blessing.

“This year, it’s especially important for people to get vaccinated against influenza,” Henry said Oct. 19. “Last year’s low influenza rates means our immunity against influenza is lower than usual.

Getting your influenza vaccine this year is more important than ever to protect yourself, your community and our overstretched health-care system.”

Pharmacies are the main deliverer of influenza vaccines, which are also being delivered along with COVID-19 booster shots to people with compromised immune systems and residents of senior care home. The health ministry has a map to find locations for flu shots here.

BC NDP govt wants to impose fees for making non personal freedom-of-information requests Now that the B.C. NDP has a majority under John Horgan, it’s decided to put up a barrier to those who want to file freedom-of-information requests.

In the legislature on October 18, Minister of Citizens’ Services Lisa Beare introduced a bill to allow the government to impose fees on those filing freedom-of-information requests. A new $25 tariff per request is possible due to Bill 22’s amendment to section 75 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to allow a “prescribed application fee”.

Journalists Rob Shaw and Bob Mackin are among those who’ve

condemned Bill 22 over social media.

UVic’s new Wayne Crookes professor of environmental and climate journalism, Sean Holman, tweeted that Alberta is the only other province that charges a $25 fee to ask for government information.

Meanwhile, B.C.’s information and privacy commissioner, Michael McEvoy, raised concerns to the Vancouver Sun about how Bill 22 would allow public bodies to send British Columbians’ personal information outside of the country.

In addition, Bill 22 would ensure that section 5 of the Offence Act does not apply to the legislation.

That section of the Offence Act states:

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, October 23, 2021 Quebec will push not to lose seat in House of Commons Quebec intends to cite its specificity to avoid losing a seat in the House of Commons in 2024, a process that could be painlessly solved

by Ottawa to avoid constitutional discussions, according to constitutional law expert Benoît Pelletier “I would tend, if I was (Prime Minister Justin Trudeau) to show sensitivity to Quebec’s request,” the former Liberal minister and University of Ottawa professor said in an interview. “You have to be worried about the demographic regression of Quebec in Canada.”

A new distribution of seats presented by

Elections Canada on Friday would increase the number of seats in the House of Commons from 338 to 342 in three years. Ontario and British Columbia would gain a seat each and Alberta would gain three seats, while Quebec would lose one, going from 78 to 77 seats. It’s the first time since 1966 that a province would lose a seat in a riding redistribution, and confirms that Quebec’s population is increasing at a slower rate than the rest of the country, giving it less weight in the federation. Earlier Tuesday, Quebec’s minister

Knife found beneath Parliament to be returned to Algonquin nations An ancient Indigenous knife unearthed during the renovation of Centre Block will be the first artifact found on Parliament Hill to be returned to the stewardship of the Algonquin people who live in the Ottawa region. Archeologists say the return of the stone knife, which is estimated to be 4,000 years old, is a historic move that officially recognizes Indigenous Peoples inhabited the land — considered unceded territory — that is now the site of Parliament Hill.

Thousands gather on Parliament Hill to honour children The Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg, an Algonquin First Nation based about 130 kilometres north of Gatineau, Que., and the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation, about 150 kilometres west of Ottawa, are to share ownership of the artifact. It will be displayed on Parliament Hill when the refurbishment of Centre Block finishes and the building reopens, which is not expected to happen until at least 2030.

Ontario premier faces backlash for his commnets about immigrants Ontarion premier Doug Ford is facing backlash for comments he made about immigrants in a press conference in Tecumseh, Ontario.

The comments came during an announcement that promised $9.8 million in funding for a new hospital in Windsor-Essex.

Speaking about a worker shortage in the trades, Ford said “we need people, we’re in such desperate need for people from around the world,” adding that the province is short “a couple 100,000 workers” and needs immigrants to fill the gap.

However, he had a warning for new

immigrants that took many by surprise.

“I just have one criteria – you come here like every other new Canadian has come here, you work your tail off,” he said. “If you think you’re coming to collect the dole and sit around — not going to happen. Go somewhere else. You want to work, come here.” he said.

Ford added that he will be speaking to the Prime Minister about the labour shortage and said he will “aggressively” work with the federal government to “get more people to call Ontario home.”

15

Canadian among missionaries kidnapped in Haiti, organization says A Canadian was among 17 missionaries allegedly kidnapped in Haiti on Saturday, Christian Aid Ministries said in a statement on its website.

The U.S.-based mission organization said Sunday that five children are also believed to be in the group.

The organization said they were on returning from a trip to help build an orphanage.

“We request urgent prayer for the group of Christian Aid Ministries workers who were abducted,” the organization said in its statement.

“We are seeking God’s direction for a resolution, and authorities are seeking ways to help.”

The organization did not name any of the abducted people, including the Canadian.

Global Affairs Canada said Sunday it was aware of media reports that a Canadian citizen had been kidnapped in Haiti.

“Canadian government officials in Haiti are working with local authorities,” Global Affairs said in an emailed statement.

“The Government of Canada’s first priority is always the safety and security of its citizens.

Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, no further information can be disclosed.”

Manitoba man notices old Lotto Max ticket in his wallet, wins $20 million A Manitoba man is $20 million richer after claiming a Lotto Max ticket for the draw on Aug. 24, 2021.

Jerry Knott, who is from Wasagamack, bought the ticket in Lac du Bonnet and said he forgot about it until October when he was in Winnipeg and noticed it in his wallet.

“I saw a two a bunch of zeroes and thought, ‘Cool I won $20,000,’” he said in a news release.

He added the cashier looked at him and told him he was the missing ticket.

“I didn’t know what she was talking about until she scanned it again and saw there were a

few more zeroes than I originally thought.”

Knott said he plans to put some of the money toward building some cottages with his brother and turning them into a treatment centre or a wilderness experience on Big Stone Lake.

“We were inspired by all of the big companies that have come up north to build remote fly-in fishing resorts.

We thought, ‘If they can do it without knowing the land, we definitely can too.’”

He also plans to share the money with his wife and kids.

Knott’s winning numbers were 1, 24, 26, 29, 30, 45, and 50.

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A TRUE STUNNER! Rarely offered, this spectacularly landscaped home offers tons of privacy & tranquility. Located in the coveted subdivision of Chimney Hills, this 3 bed / 2.5 bath home is located on a HUGE 13,982 sq. foot lot. Highlights include NEWLY painted exterior, HARDWOOD floor & carpet on main, lots of NATURAL LIGHT, traditional layout with sunken living & family room, renovated kitchen with granite countertops & a nook overlooking the backyard, ONE YEAR OLD FURNACE & A/C plus Hotwater On Demand. Upstairs offers 3 bedrooms including a large master with a WI closet & ensuite fitted with a soaker tub. The beauty of this home is ac

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Truly delightful fully renovated 6 bedroom basement entry home sits on rectangular 7920 sf flat lot in most demanding area Aldergrove Langley.Main floor features 3 bed ,2 bath with new kitchen /island ,new flooring,new tiles , new woodwork,new fixtures,splash back,granite counters,new tiles,new cabinet, new windows,new zebra drapes,4 new washrooms & much more .Newly built 3 bedroom unauthorized basement suite with rear separate entry.Excellent renovated covered 333 sf Patio & deck.Landscape front & fully fenced back yard. Storage shed.Walking distance to both schools,shopping,community center with pools,water Park,ice arena,playing fields& to all major routes.

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Absolutely gorgeous family-home with TWO mortgage helper suites and plenty of room on the main floor with 4 large bedrooms, master bedroom with a walk-in closet and ensuite bathroom, multiple living areas with 2 fireplaces, and a spacious kitchen. Kitchen lets out to a large covered sun-deck to enjoy a cup of coffee in the summer or host a BBQ. Large backyard with a brand new fully-surrounded fence with plenty of room for children or pets. Entire property is beautifully landscaped with a large decorative palm tree and multiple fruit trees including fig, apple, pear and cherry trees.

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Solid family home on almost 10,000 square foot rectangular lot in Cloverdale with loads of potential. Large open lot offers plenty of space for a pool, playground & trampoline; or use the extra space to build your dream home. Great central location close to shopping, transit & schools. Same owners since 1987. Three bedrooms up, one down in partially finished basement (just needs a closet). Walkout basement with its own entrance offers potential for two bedroom suite. Large covered patio off the living area overlooks the private, sunny backyard. Transform it into a modern, functional family home

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This well-maintained family home w/3-beds up, suite-potential down and a detached workshop/garage has everything you and your family needs, all located centrally. It's a 5 -10min drive to Guildford Town Centre & Hwy 1; only a 3min drive to Gateway Skytrain Station. The 2level home has a brand-new furnace, dishwasher & washing machine +plenty of other extras including a mobile accessible alarm system and a cozy living room gas fireplace for winter nights. The back deck located off the dining room is perfect for summer barbecues! In addition to the carport and the driveway that fits up to 4-5 vehicles, the 10,200sf lot (60x170) has a massive 1100sf detached workshop that will hold 3 cars, an RV or boat, and meet all of your storage needs.

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Saturday, October 23, 2021

INDIA

Saturday, October 23, 2021

100-Crore-Vaccinations: India Wins Global Accolades From WHO, World Leaders India’s historic 100 crore Covid-19 vaccination landmark is being lauded globally with wishes pouring in from World Health Organisation (WHO) and neighbouring countries including Sri Lanka and Bhutan on Thursday.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Twitter congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scientists, health workers and people of India on their “efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from COVID-19 and achieve vaccine equity targets”.

Bhutan’s Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said the feat is a “huge accomplishment” not just for India, but the world. “On behalf of the people of Bhutan, I congratulate India!” he tweeted.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) thanked Tshering for his wishes and his appreciation for the Vaccine Maitri initiative.

Vaccine Maitri is a humanitarian initiative undertaken by the Indian government to provide COVID-19 vaccines to countries around the world.

The government started providing vaccines from January 20. India has so far delivered around 66.3 million doses of vaccines to 95 countries, including Canada, the UK, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Nepal, South Africa, Ukraine and Bahrain.

Bhutanese foreign minister Tandi Dorji also congratulated India for administering one billion COVID-19 vaccinations.

“A historic milestone!” he tweeted.

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa congratulated PM Modi, the medical community and frontliners of India “for achieving this mammoth task”. “The

way forward & adjusting to the new normal while staying safe is highly dependent on a successful vaccination drive. Congratulations on reaching this milestone,” he tweeted.

In its response, the MEA said the guidance and support of the Lankan prime minister have been instrumental in driving India-Lanka relations forward.

Press release

Chartwell Imperial Place 3rd dose of Vaccine being received by residents

Buy 1, get 1 “Jack Hille of Chartwell’s Imperial Place Retirement Residence in Surrey, received his 3rd Covid Vaccine today. Jack has been a resident of Imperial Place over the past 3 years, is seen here smiling and rolling up his sleeve, along with his wife Geri and many other residents. Fraser Health’s Outreach Immunization Team including LPN Amanpreet Kaur, was 1 of 5 Fraser Health staff on-site at Imperial supporting the mobile Immunization Clinic. Heidi Nano, Health and Wellness Manager at Imperial Place worked closely with Fraser Health to ensure the residents received their 3rd Covid vaccination today. “

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Saturday, October 23, 2021 TERRY FOX RUN / WALK

Press release

Gobind Sarvar School’s children ran and collected $800 for cancer research While we pursue the unattainable, we make impossible the realizable.

Robert Ardrey Terry Fox, at 18 years of age, lost his leg to cancer-osteogenic sarcoma.

He witnessed suffering of cancer patients during 16-month treatment in the hospital. He decided to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research in a Marathon of Hope.

With constancy of purpose to create a fund to cure all cancers, Terry ran close to 42 kilometres (26 miles) a day through Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. He ran, through adverse weather conditions, stopping at 400 towns, schools and cities to talk about his cause for running.

Gobind Sarvar School’s children and staff have a strong belief in Terry Fox’s dream and

wanted to demonstrate their unflinching support towards Cancer support. Under the leadership of Ms. Rajvir Mattu, the school’s coordinator, the school started the ‘Toonies for Terry’ campaign with the goal of each student donating a toonie for cancer research.

Students far surpassed their aim by raising over $800 during the one-week campaign.

On 4th of October, along with thousands of students

Canada wide, Gobind Sarvar Students from their smart classrooms, virtually had an interactive session with Fred Fox, the elder brother of Terry.

G r a d e 10 student leaders, Tanraj Singh, Amber Kaur,

Priya Toor, Manharleen Kaur, Tashneet Kaur, Tirath Kaur, Harjas Kaur and Jasleen Kaur went to elementary school classes and talked about the amazing Terry Fox. They also led the Terry Fox run/ walk in the School’s neighbourhood. Grade

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G o b i n d Sarvar School’s community will continue to support Causes that make humanity win!

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Saturday, October 23, 2021 Press release From page 1

Zee TV Canada & Zee5 brings to you, ‘Zee5 Canada Dancing Star,’ the first of its kind interactive and virtual participative show, by any media company in Canada. The show is an earnest initiative and attempt to thank the community for their loyal viewership over the years.

In one of the biggest talent hunts, auditions for the show finalized contestants from Brampton and Toronto to Vancouver.

During the lockdown, when viewers were confined indoors battling the COVD-19 pandemic, India’s leading TV Channel in Canada, Zee TV, and their fastest growing digital arm OTT, Zee5, conceptualized and executed, ‘Zee5 Canada Dancing Star,’ a lively and locally driven contest to support the South Asian community in Canada. Dance plays a dominant role in keeping the community together, preserving the culture across generations. The first of its kind dance competition, the show offers delightful opportunity for Bollywood, and dance enthusiasts to showcase their best dance moves from the comfort of their homes, through video auditions on social media.

Varied dance forms have now evolved over the years into modernized versions, blending Bollywood, Bhangra, and traditional dance forms with hip-hop, reggae, and free style.

Over 3 decades Zee has been synonymous with producing and launching shows that change and challenges the norm of the Entertainment industry. With ‘SaReGaMaPa,’ India’s first singing reality show, Zee TV set the benchmark, and launched some of the legends of Indian music industry today. Zee TV’s ‘Dance India Dance,’

Zee5 Canada Dancing Star to air soon on Zee TV & Zee5 A virtually shot local dance reality show changed the face of dance reality shows in India and paved way for all future and current Dance reality shows in India. To add to the thrill, Zee TV has signed up two of the most prominent and influential names in the Entertainment industry, Mr. Tarun Khanna and Mr. Sanjeev Jimmy Wadhwa. For two decades now, Tarun Khanna is a well-known familiar face on Indian Television. He is famous for and holds the record for playing Lord Shiva in more than half-a-dozen mythological shows. Sanjeev Jimmy Wadhwa is a certified b h a n g r a instructor in Canada and founder of ‘Sanjeev Jimmy International School of Dance and Performing Arts.’ Surrey-based TV presenter and radio celebrity Gaurav Shah brings his wit and humour to the show, as the anchor along with popular professional Bhangra dancer and TV host, Jashanjot Kaur.

With this initiative, Mr. Indrajit Majumdar, Sales President for Zee – North & South Americas, wishes to revolutionize not just global television but also promote local talent.

“We are looking to engage local audiences in many more ways in

the coming years with multiple such initiatives.

In keeping with our belief of consistently providing innovative content, we are bringing Canada its very first video Dance competition on television. Given the pandemic, and current social distancing norms, the show is shot entirely from participants’ homes,” he said.

All the participants have been presented an opportunity to unveil their dance talent on the biggest dance platform, Zee. The winner also

takes home a cash price of CAD $5,000.00.

Zee TV would like to thank the brands that have come on board and who along with Zee TV, has provided an opportunity to local talent. Zee TV & Zee5 Canada Dancing Star is presented by Sher Atta, Powered by Nanak, CoPowered by Fruiticana, and associate sponsors, Bharat Jewellers, MJM Furniture, Zevar Gold and Diamond Jewellers Ltd, and Greeniche.

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INDIA

Saturday, October 23, 2021

RBI imposes Rs1 crore penalty on Paytm Payments Bank The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Wednesday imposed a penalty of Rs one crore on Paytm Payments Bank for violating provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2007. The Reserve bank has also penalised Western Union Financial Services for violating the prescribed limit of remittances per year.

According to RBI, Western Union Financial Services has been imposed a penalty of Rs 27.8 lakh.Also Read - 7th Pay Commission Latest News: Central Govt Employees of THIS

Department to Get Half Bonus This Diwali On examination of Paytm payments bank’s application for issue of final Certificate of Authorisation, the RBI observed that PPBL had submitted information that did not reflect the factual position, the central bank said. Also Read - You Can Buy Digital Gold at Re 1 During Diwali, Dhanteras: 5 Things to Know Before Purchase This is related to an offence committed of the nature referred to in Section 26 (2) of Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007

BJP leader among 4 accused of mowing down farmers in Lakhimpur arrested Four persons, including a local Lakhimpur Kheri-based BJP leader, were arrested on Monday in the October 3 case wherein eight persons were killed.

A police statement late on Monday night said that Sumit Jaiswal, Shishupal, Nandan Bisht and Satya Prakash Tripathi, all occupants of the SUVs that allegedly mowed down five people, including four farmers, have

been arrested. Jaiswal, seen in some viral videos escaping Mahindra Thar from the left front side on the day of the killings had earlier filed a complaint against protesters accusing them of lynching the Thar driver Hari Om and two other BJP workers to death.

A counter FIR (apart from the one registered by protesting farmers) was lodged on the complaint of Jaiswal.

100-Crore-Vaccinations: India wins global accolades from WHO, world leaders India’s historic 100 crore Covid-19 vaccination landmark is being lauded globally with wishes pouring in from World Health Organisation (WHO) and neighbouring countries including Sri Lanka and Bhutan on Thursday.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Twitter congratulated Prime

Minister Narendra Modi, scientists, health workers and people of India on their “efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from COVID-19 and achieve vaccine equity targets”.

Bhutan’s Prime Minister Dr Lotay Tshering said the feat is a “huge accomplishment” not just for India, but the world.

Farmers have right to protest but they can’t block roads indefinitely: Supreme Court The Supreme Court on Thursday gave three weeks to farmer bodies to respond to a petition seeking directions to the authorities to end blockades of roads connecting NCR regions to the national capital by farmers protesting against farm laws.

A Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul - which had on September 30 wondered how highways can be blocked perpetually - posted the matter for December 7.

“I am not averse to their right to protest even when a legal challenge is pending. But roads can’t be blocked…Ultimately some solution has to be found,” Justice Kaul noted.

Maintaining that “democracy and dissent go hand in hand”, the Supreme Court had on October 7 last year ruled that roads and public spaces can’t be blocked indefinitely and demonstrations expressing dissent have to be in designated places alone.

Leopard attacks leave Mumbai running scared If it hadn’t been for the fearless actions of people in Aarey Colony one September evening, four-year-old Ayush Yadav could have died.

Hearing screams, locals rushed from their homes and used sticks to attack a grown leopard who was attempting to drag the boy into the night.

“Another few seconds and I

would have lost my only child.” said Aarti Yadav, the toddler’s mother.

The attack is one of eight reported in Mumbai’s north-western suburbs over the past month alone, sparking a debate on the future of the city’s leopard population and spotlighting India’s growing problem with animal-human conflict.

India’s R-value of Covid-19 below 1 since September, say researchers India’s R-value, which reflects how rapidly the coronavirus pandemic is spreading, has remained below 1 since September, suggesting that the infection rate is declining, according to a study.

The Reproduction number or R refers to how many people an infected person infects on an average. In other words, it tells how ‘efficiently’ a virus is spreading.

An R-value smaller than 1 means the disease is spreading slowly. Conversely, if R is greater than 1, the number of infected people is increasing in each round - technically,

this is what is called the epidemic phase.

The bigger the number than 1, the faster the rate of spreading of the disease in the population.

According to figures calculated by researchers of the Chennai-based Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the R-value of top 10 states with most number of active cases was below 1 till October 18.

However, some of the cities continue to show a rising number of active cases. Kolkata has an R-value over 1, perhaps “unsurprising” given the mass gatherings during the (recently-concluded) Durga Puja, said

Death toll rises to 41 as heavy rains batter northern India At least 41 people died and more than a dozen were missing after landslides and flash floods triggered by several days of heavy rain hit northern India, officials say.

At least 30 of them were killed in seven separate incidents in the worstaffected Nainital region early Tuesday, after cloudbursts – an ultra-intense deluge of rain – triggered a series of landslides and destroyed several structures.

“So far 30 people have been confirmed dead, while many people are still missing,” Nainital senior civil officer Ashok Kumar Joshi told the AFP news agency.

Joshi said several remote areas in

the hilly region witnessed widespread damage in the intense rainfall.

Five of the dead were from a single family whose house was buried by a massive landslide, another local civil officer Pradeep Jain said.

Officials in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand said 35 people were killed in fresh landslides on Tuesday after six died in similar incidents a day earlier.

National Disaster Response Force and state’s disaster response force were all contributing to the current rescue efforts in Uttarakhand.

“The villages that have been struck are very far to reach and the roads are cut off,” he said.

40% tickets to women in UP elections - Priyanka says Congress party will give 40% of the total election tickets to women for the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Tuesday . “We want women in politics to become a full-fledged partner in power,” she told reporters. “Today, I am going to talk about our first promise. We have decided that in the upcoming assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress party will give 40% of tickets to women,” Gandhi

added. Tickets to women will be provided on merit, with further aims to slowly move towards 50% seats for women in the state, she said, adding that the decision has been taken considering that women will fully participate in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

“Our decision to give 40% tickets to women is for the girl in Unnao, the girl in Hathras, the lady in Dalit Basti in Lucknow, daughter of journalist Raman Kashyap,” Gandhi said.

BJP MLA gets 5 years jail in fake marksheet case Indra Pratap Tiwari, BJP MLA from Gosaiganj in Ayodhya sentenced to five years in jail by a special court in a 28-year-old case of using fake mark sheet to get admission in college. Special judge of MP / MLA court delivered the verdict and Indra Pratap Tiwari, who was present in the court, was taken in

custody and sent to jail. The court also slapped a fine of ₹8,000 on him. Indra Pratap Tiwari alias Khabbu Tiwari was elected from Gosaiganj assembly constituency in the last assembly elections. The case was lodged against Tiwari in 1992 by the then Principal of Saket Degree College of Ayodhya Yaduvansh Ram Tripathi in Ram Janmabhoomi police station.

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Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh says will launch his own party Congress leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said he would soon announce his own political party and is hopeful of a seat arrangement with the BJP if the farmers’ issue is resolved in their interest.

Singh resigned as chief minister of Punjab last month after a bitter feud with Navjot Singh Sidhu and infighting in the state Congress. The party replaced him with Charanjit Singh Channi.

“The battle for Punjab’s future is on.

Will soon announce the launch of my

own political party to serve the interests of Punjab & its people, including our farmers who’ve been fighting for their survival for over a year,” Singh said Tuesday.

He also said he will not rest until he secures the future of “my people and my state”.

“Punjab needs political stability and protection from internal and external threats. I promise my people I will do what it takes to ensure its peace and security, which is today at stake,” he was quoted as saying by his media adviser.

Speaker accepts Sukhpal Khaira’s resignation as MLA Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana K P Singh had finally accepted the resignation of Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira, almost three years after he first tendered his resignation in January 2019.

With his resignation, the Bholath Vidhan Sabha seat has fallen vacant. But there will be no byelection, as the elections to Punjab Vidhan Sabha are scheduled in another three months. Officials say that

Khaira had again submitted his resignation in June, but was told to submit the same in the prescribed format, which he did today.

Interestingly, no decision has yet been taken on the resignation of the three other AAP MLAs, who had resigned and joined the Congress earlier this year. These are Nazar Singh, Pirmal Singh and Jagdev Singh Kamalu.

Punjab to waive pending water bills of rural and urban consumers The Punjab Cabinet in its meeting held on Monday decided to waive all pending water bills of rural and urban areas, besides announcing a monthly flat rate of Rs 50 per connection.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit

Singh Channi said while the waiver in water bills for rural areas would put a burden of Rs 1,200 crore on the state exchequer, the waiver for urban areas would put a burden of Rs 700 crore.

Pakistan Covid-19 cases dropped The number of active cases standat 24,699. Pakistan reported an active case count lowest. The tally for recoveries, meanwhile, is now 1,213,799.

According to stats shared by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC),

Sindh has 12,383 active cases, Punjab 8,646, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 2,923, Islamabad Capital Territory 479, Balochistan 86, Gilgit-Baltistan 74 and Azad Jammu and Kashmir has 108 active cases.

Govt blacklists Chinese company for submitting fake documents Govt blacklists a Chinese company and barred it from participating in any government tender for a month over the allegations of submitting forged documents during the bidding of a government project, a media report said on Sunday.

The Chinese firm, which has not been named in the report, was blacklisted by the Pakistan’s National Transmission and Despatch Company (NTDC) for submitting forged documents to the department concerned during the bidding of a project, Dawn newspaper reported.

Pakistan to remain on FATF’s grey list The global intergovernmental organisation Financial Action Task Force (FATF) keeps Pakistan under “increased monitoring (Grey List)”, while saying the neighbouring country is making good progress. It said Pakistan’s most recent action plan conducted in June focused on “money laundering”.

As per FATF, since June 2018, when Pakistan made a “high-level political commitment” to work with it and APG (Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering), its “continued political commitment” has led to significant progress across a comprehensive CFT action plan.

Reopen girls schools immediately in Afghanistan: Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai has appealed to the Talibani leadership in Afghanistan to revoke the de facto ban imposed on female education and immediately reopen girls senior secondary schools across the nation, emphasising that the new rulers in Kabul

should abide by their assurances given to the world of respecting women’s rights. In an open letter written to the Taliban regime following the tough rules imposed on the girl’s education, Nobel Peace Prize laureate said.

Pakistani Taliban cause of concern for Islamabad The attacks carried out by Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) aka Pakistan Taliban have increased to the highest level in over four years as the US left Afghanistan and the Afghan Taliban took power. TTP has been emboldened by the developments in next-door Afghanistan.

This has complicated the internal security

scenario for Pakistan as the country is also fighting the Baloch insurgency in its province of Balochistan. It was believed for some time now that TTP has been marginalized and in disarray. As Pakistan army operations had ousted the Taliban insurgents from their most prized tribal sanctuary.

FIJI 12 men involved in illegal raid of Indian households arrested 12 men who allegedly attacked a family in Nakelo, Nausori on Monday have been remanded in custody.

They appeared in the Nausori Magistrates court this morning.

Prosecution objected to their bail application

on the grounds that tension is still high in the village.

They also stated that the case is of public interest.

The Magistrate then ordered the men to file a formal application.

The 12 are charged with various offenses including, malicious act,

Four acquitted of murder charge Four people including a juvenile who were charged with murder in December 2020 have today been acquitted by the Lautoka High Court.

Mohammed Khan, Muni Nair, Shailendra Prasad and his son were alleged to have been involved in the death of a 40-year-old carpenter in Malolo, Nadi.

It is alleged the deceased was drinking with his brother and friends at the height of Tropical

Cyclone Yasa when an argument broke out.

Defence lawyer Iqbal Khan had argued during their first appearance in court that a drunken brawl cannot be murder.

Khan had further submitted that the victim himself had started the brawl.

The matter was then adjourned to February 17th this year but due to the pandemic, courts were not open and the matter was adjourned.

Two people in hospital after tree falls on car Two people have been admitted in hospital after a tree fell on their car along Holland Street in Suva this morning.

Police officers are currently at the scene while awaiting relevant authorities to clear fallen branches and a tree trunk.

An eye witness says the response from bystanders was quick pulling the two people out of the wrecked car and transporting them to the CWM Hospital.

The incident is causing huge traffic jam along Amy Street, and motorists are advised to take other routes.

Baber resigns as National 7’s coach National 7’s coach Gareth Baber has decided it’s time to move on.

The Fiji Rugby Union confirmed Baber has stepped down.

Since taking up the role in 2016, Baber helped Fiji to its fourth World Sevens Series title and its second Olympic gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

“The board has accepted Gareth’s request to be released early from his contract. His last day of work will be on the 30th of November.”

This is not the end of the road for the Welshman as he hopes to continue with coaching 15s.

Baber has indicated that he would love to return to Fiji to coach a 15’s outfit.

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Saturday, October 23, 2021

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Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim, four others get life imprisonment for murdering sect follower A special CBI court in Panchkula sentenced Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim and four other convicts to life imprisonment for murdering a sect follower in 2002.

The CBI (prosecution) had sought death penalty against Ram Rahim and four other convicts in the case.

The court of special CBI judge Dr Sushil Kumar Garg on October 8 had held Gurmeet Ram Rahim, Krishan Lal, Jasbir Singh, Avtar Singh and Sabdil Singh guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.

Army chief General MM Naravane visits forward areas Army chief General MM Naravane visited forward areas along the LoC in Jammu region on Tuesday and was briefed on the ground situation in the region and ongoing counterinfiltration operations, officials said here.

Naravane arrived in Jammu on a two-day visit on Monday amid a spurt in targeted attacks on civilians by terrorists in the Valley and an ongoing counter-insurgency operation

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in the forest belt of the twin border districts of Poonch and Rajouri, where nine soldiers have laid down their lives over the past week.

“General MM Naravane #COAS (Chief of Army Staff) visited forward areas of #WhiteKnight Corps & undertook a firsthand assessment of the situation along the Line of Control. #COAS was briefed by commanders on the ground about

Saturday, October 23, 2021

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