The Asian Star January 26 2019

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Slain BC woman Jassi Sidhu’s mom & ‘mama ji’ arrive in Punjab court

he mother and uncle of a B.C. woman who was killed in India almost two decades ago were escorted into a Punjab court Friday with black bags covering their heads.

Malkit Sidhu and Surjit Badesha have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Jassi Sidhu, from Maple Ridge, B.C., who was found with her throat slit in the Punjab region in June 2000. Sidhu and Badesha, both Canadian citizens, flew to India to face trial earlier this week, following a 17year long legal battle over their extradition.

Malkit Sidhu arrives in court. Together with Badesha, Sidhu is accused of arranging the killing of her 25-year-old daughter, Jassi Sidhu, in 2000. (Babushahi.com) The pair were escorted to court by police and greeted by a crowd of reporters. ‘[You] could only see

Escorted by police, Jassi Sidhu’s mom arrives in court in Malerkotla, India on Jan. 25 after being extradited from Canada.

their eyes’ “The two came there with the black cover on their face, [you] could only see their eyes,� said Yadwinder Singh Toor, news editor

Luxurious trips, lavish overspending alleged in bombshell report on expenses of top BC Legislature officials Two senior B.C. Legislature officials who were suspended two months ago are being investigated for allegedly fraudulent and flagrant overspending, “lavish� trips overseas, inappropriate expense claims, cash payouts and misappropriating liquor from the legislature, according to Speaker of the House Darryl Plecas. Plecas’ 76-page report was released Monday after it was reviewed by members of the legislature’s management committee. The report says that, based on what he had seen and

Continued on page 7

Call for tighter bail rules in Canada after Saudi sex-crime suspect vanishes despite giving up his passport Mohammed Zuraibi Alzoabi may have hoped to quietly disappear from his sexual assault trial in Cape Breton, never to be seen or heard from again in Canada.

Instead, the 28-year-old man is attracting national attention from lawyers and advocates for sex-crime victims who are arguing measures must be taken to prevent this kind of escape from justice procedures.

In addition, there’s pressure

emerging on Ottawa to officially investigate what role the Saudi embassy played in his disappearance -- just the latest in what appears to be a series of mysterious departures

by Saudis accused of serious crimes in North America.

Little is known of Alzoabi’s whereabouts, other than a brief note from a sheriff on Dec. 8 Continued on page 6

for the website Babushahi. “I couldn’t see what was the reaction of the duo because we were not able to see their faces,� Toor said.

Sidhu and Badesha are accused of planning the murder of 25-year-old Jassi because she ignored the family’s wishes and married a poor rickshaw driver.

Toor was not sure why the pair were wearing bags on their head but believes it has to do with protecting their identity and keeping them safe in in India. “I think this is some of the [extradition] conditions of the Canadian government that the

Continued on page 2

Canada is 3rd best country in the world to live For the fourth year in a row, Canada is ranked the top country to live in when it comes to quality of life.

According to the 2019 Best Countries Report, our northern nation took home the winning score based on our health care, public education, safety, solid job market and politically stable landscape. Overall, Canada was ranked the third best country in the world after Switzerland, which was ranked number one, and Japan at number two. The report also Continued on page 3

Syrian refugee arrested in terrorist plot RCMP have charged one youth with terrorism-related offences Friday morning in relation to raids at two Kingston, Ont., residences. A second adult male was arrested, but charges have not yet been laid The raids happened at two homes Thursday night.

RCMP said the “Youth

Criminal Justice Act prevents any further release of information regarding this individual.�

The charges include “knowingly facilitating a terrorist activity,� and “Counselling a person to deliver, place, discharge or detonate an Continued on page 6

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

New Kabaddi stadium planned for Surrey There is now another stadium planned for the City of Surrey. This comes after an upgrade was already announced for Bear Creek Stadium. Now, $3.7 million has been approved by council for the planning, design and construction of a new Kabaddi facility with covered seating for more than 3,000 spectators. The location of the facility has not yet been decided but Philip Aguirre with the Newton Business Improvement

Association hopes it’ll be coming to his community. “We definitely need to reinvest in infrastructure and Kabaddi is part of the South Asian community and a sport that is growing in Newton and Surrey at large, we need more facilities like this,” he said.

The city is currently working with the school district on a Kabaddi program in a few elementary schools to grow the sport.

Slain BC woman Jassi Sidhu’s mom & ‘mama ji’ arrive From page 1 in Punjab court

RCMP seek male suspect in three alleged groping incidents Surrey RCMP are asking for help identifying a suspect in three alleged groping incidents across the city. The first happened in December of last year, with the most recent incident happening last week. The first incident was at a store in the 12000-block of 72 Avenue around 5:00 p.m, when the man requested help from a female employee before grabbing her and attempting to walk with her.

RCMP looking for dashcam footage after ‘bear hug’ assault The second happened on

Dec. 31, 2018 at a store in the 10300-block of 152 Street, where the suspect again asked for help before grabbing an employee and exiting the store. Police said a nearly identical third incident happened on Jan. 18, 2019 in the 7400-block of King George Boulevard.

RCMP describe the suspect as having chubby cheeks, a medium build and a moustache. Anyone who witnessed any of the incidents or knows the identity of the man is asked to contact Surrey RCMP.

Escorted by police, Surjit Badesha arrives in court in Malerkotla, India on Jan. 25 after being extradited from Canada.

Punjab police were following,” he said.

Pair charged in Jassi Sidhu killing could be acquitted, fears expert on case “They do not want to reveal their faces in the media of Punjab.” Slain BC woamn Jassi Sidhu and her husband in Punjab Sukhwinder Mithu, were attacked in Punjab in June 2000. For Toor, the most noteworthy part of Friday’s court

appearance was the absence of Jassi Sidhu’s husband, Mithu. He was badly beaten and left for dead by the people who killed his wife.

Widower of B.C. woman slain in India lived in fear. “It’s very tough for him,” said Toor, who said he had spoken to Mithu Sidhu. “He said: ‘I can’t see these two murderers.’” The trial in Malerkotla, Punjab, continues.

Premier Horgan slams Liberal leader’s suggestion to team up in legislature overhaul as ‘offensive’ Premier John Horgan says he has no interest in working with Opposition leader Andrew Wilkinson and the B.C. Liberal Party on a major overhaul and house cleaning at the B.C. Legislature.

“For him to say ‘stand with me and we’ll tackle this together’ is offensive,” said Horgan.

Earlier in the day, Wilkinson pitched the idea of both parties working together to address the extensive scandals outline in a report by house Speaker Darryl Plecas, which detailed lavish overspending and questionable financial transactions on the

part of two senior staffers — Clerk of the House Craig James and Sergeant-at-Arms Gary Lenz.

Horgan also pointed out that Wilkinson had previously mocked Plecas and questioned the validity of his investigation.

B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson is calling for a ‘house cleaning’ at the B.C. Legislature in response to the Plecas report.

“In December of last year, the leader of the Opposition called the Speaker a ‘rogue’ and ‘out of control,’” said Horgan.

The Plecas report also raises questions about whether James was too closely aligned

with the B.C. Liberals, even though his senior administrative position at the legislative assembly is supposed to be non-partisan.

8 jaw-dropping allegations from B.C. Speaker’s report Horgan said, in particular, allegations of James expensing visits to former premier Christy Clark and other senior Liberals are “absolutely appalling to the people of B.C.” James and Lenz were escorted from the legislature by police on Nov. 20 after being suspended from their jobs.

The Plecas report has spurred a criminal

investigation and two special prosecutors have also been assigned to the case.

Who is Craig James? A look at the man in the Plecas report spotlight Horgan said the allegations in the report were the result of years of entitlement that the Liberals turned a blind eye to while in power.

Meanwhile, Auditor General Carol Bellringer said that she’s done a lot to make the government more transparent, but wishes her office had moved faster to audit things like personal expense accounts.

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“His offer of employment from the Legislative Assembly contained no reference to an Executive Benefit Plan or to a benefit recognizing years of service. It would therefore appear that Mr. James was not a party to the original years of service/ executive benefit plan.” (Exhibit 17, p.4) Kern’s memo also contained a letter from Deputy Clerk Kate Ryan-Lloyd dated February 20, 2013. Ryan-Lloyd had returned her payment, saying “I continue to be uncomfortable with accepting such a sizeable payment as a longservice award.” (Exhibit 17, p.68 in the report) In summary, Linda Reid was told: · That Craig James was not entitled to this benefit as a condition of his employment (directly contradicting Barisoff ’s memo, which was the basis for authorizing the payment); · That the program had been capped and replaced in 1987 because it was rolled into the salary of the table officers; That the Deputy Clerk was so uncomfortable with the size and circumstances of these payments that she had voluntarily returned the money

TD Bank takes down ads targeting South Asians after complaint about word ‘desi’ TD Bank has stopped running online advertisements that use the word “desi” to target the South Asian community after at least one person complained about the ads.

Jatin Patel demanded the bank take the ads down after he saw one of them while scrolling through an Indian news app.

“At first, I couldn’t believe my eyes,” Patel said. “In India, it is used as an offensive term,” he told CBC Toronto, adding that some Indians use the word to describe people as “not very modern” and “from the countryside.”

“Desi” originates from the Sanskrit word “desh,” which means “nation.” It’s commonly used, mostly by young people, to describe people and culture as truly or typically South Asian. It’s even made its way into the titles of many South Asian films.

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

Linda Reid refused to act after being warned Craig James wasn’t eligible for a secret $258,000 payout, says NDP’s Routledge Among the Plecas Report’s most serious allegations is that the Clerk pocketed a staggering $258,000 ‘longservice award’ for which he may not have been eligible. (Page 44, in the report) The Report indicates the payment occurred in 2012 at the direction of BC Liberal Speaker Bill Barisoff. Although the benefit was established in 1984 and replaced in 1987 by a salary increase for table officers, Barisoff claimed in a 2012 memo “this programme was a condition of employment when the current Table Officers were appointed by the Legislative Assembly.”

As a result, a total of $660,000 was paid out to four table officers, including $257,988.38 to Craig James.

But after concerns about the payments were raised by the Auditor-General in 2013, incoming Speaker Linda Reid asked for more information from Legislature HR Director Jo-Anne Kern.

Kern dug up James’ 1987 offer of employment and advised Reid in a memo:

#104 – 7110 120th Street Surrey, BC V3W 3M8

TD’s ad, which could be seen on both social media platforms and the web, featured videos and pictures with the tagline: “62 per cent of desi Canadians don’t know how much to save for retirement.” Patel says he gets that TD is attempting to target a specific community, but he believes the wording was “inappropriate and insensitive.” He immediately contacted the bank to complain about the ad, and TD responded by taking it down the same night.

Patel was offended by the usage of the term ‘desi’ to describe South-Asians.

Patel says he’s hoping for a personal apology, but he also says the damage has been done.

“If you slap someone, and then you say, ‘Sorry,’ what does it mean? The action has already been completed.”

HARINDER DAIL Notary Public, M.A. (ALS) M.B.A. B.Sc

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Canada is 3rd best country in the world to live For the fourth year in a row, Canada is ranked the top country to live in when it comes to quality of life.

According to the 2019 Best Countries Report, our northern nation took home the winning score based on our health care, public education, safety, solid job market and politically stable landscape.

Overall, Canada was ranked the third best country in the world after Switzerland, which was ranked number one, and Japan at number two. The report also listed Canada as number two when it comes to citizenship, based on factors like human rights, the environment, gender equality and religious freedom. Another category we ranked highly in? Best countries for women. Canada came third, just behind Sweden and Denmark, respectively.The annual project, led by U.S. News & World Report, BAV Group and the Wharton School

of the University of Pennsylvania, evaluates “80 countries across a range of categories, from economic influence and military might to education and quality of life, to capture how nations are perceived on a global scale.” While Canada fared well across several boards, the U.S. slid in a few categories.

The U.S. was ranked the eighth best country — the same spot as last year — but the study noted that “the world’s level of trust in the U.S. continues to decline” with the nation now ranking number 27 for “perceptions of trustworthiness.” “Perceptions of the U.S. as a country that cares about human rights have also fallen,” researchers said in a statement. Still, the U.S. came in first place when it came to the global ranking of perceived power, followed by Russia and China. Canada was rated number 12 in that category.

South Asian doctor loses her licence after she admits to sexual relationship with cancer patient A Toronto doctor has had her licence revoked after admitting to having a sexual relationship with a cancer patient.

Theepa Sundaralingam, 37, a former oncologist with the Rouge Valley Health System, appeared at a disciplinary hearing at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario on Wednesday on allegations of professional misconduct.

Staring straight ahead with a blank expression, she listened as the details of the relationship were read aloud.

What began as flirting evolved into sexual touching and intercourse — sometimes at the hospital, other times at the patient’s family home, the disciplinary panel heard.

All the while, Sundaralingam continued

Theepa Sundaralingam

to treat the man, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban. The panel heard that seven months into the relationship, Sundaralingam told the man she’d fallen in love with a colleague and broke off the affair.

Shortly afterward, she refused to see him or treat him.

4

OPINION

By Ross McKitrick Senior Fellow The Fraser Institute

Saturday, January 26, 2019

BC mayors shaking down energy companies are ignoring reality

West Coast Environmental Law, an advocacy organization based in Vancouver, has persuaded a group of British Columbia mayors and city councillors to write threatening letters to major oil and gas companies.

The letters demand the companies pay large arbitrary sums to compensate for a list of supposed harms associated with greenhouse gases from fossil fuel use. If these mayors and councillors really believe their climate catastrophe rhetoric, they’re free at any time to stop using fossil fuel in their personal lives. But of course that isn’t going to happen.

They enjoy as much as anyone the benefits of reliable, inexpensive fossil fuels.

Unfortunately, what they also seem to enjoy is thuggery. They’re using the authority of their offices to bully people who work in lawful, productive industries, attempting to extort cash from those companies based on

ludicrous claims. Let’s suppose the strategy works. Why stop at fossil fuels? Think of all the other businesses they could shake down.

Everyone knows eating food is the root cause of obesity. Look at all those grocery stores encouraging people to consume more than is good for them. Let’s hit them up for all the costs of diet-induced health problems.

And we all know wine contributes to alcoholism. Think of those B.C. wineries pushing their poison, knowing perfectly well how drinking harms public health. Nail them.

And if there weren’t any streets there wouldn’t be any traffic accidents. The mayors should go after their own road-building departments and make them pay for the costs of injuries in traffic accidents.

Before I go putting any more ideas into the heads of these mayors, let’s clarify the flaw in all this. Life consists of choices that carry both benefits and costs. We try to choose the ones that, on balance, yield greater benefits than costs. This is true of everything: eating,

drinking, getting around, etc.

Society long ago sized up fossil fuels and decided, correctly, that the benefits vastly exceed the costs. From the very beginning of the Industrial Revolution, we’ve known that fossil fuels have downsides, including air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. But again, the gains from their use are far greater and we have accepted the bargain, gladly and almost unanimously. We know what a world without fossil fuels looks like - we used to live in it. It was cold, poor, dark, ignorant, starving and backwards. And it had its own environmental problems, including intense deforestation and air pollution as people relied on wood for fuel. After more than a century of enjoying the immeasurable net benefits of fossil fuels, these tinpot mayors now want energy companies to reimburse cities for alleged costs (their precisely calculated climate damages are scientifically nonsensical, but leave that aside). What they’re saying is they want to rerun the last 150 years of history and back out the net effects of fossil fuels.

Okay, then the first step is for the cities to repay the energy sector for all the social, economic and environmental benefits they’ve reaped from a reliable and abundant supply of fossil fuels. But, of course, they only want to charge back the costs while keeping all the benefits. These mayors live in an infantile dream world with only pluses, never minuses.

Upsides and never downsides. And actions yield only risk-free benefits with no costs.

People stuck in such utopian fantasies don’t belong in public office. Nor is there any basis for claiming that fossil energy companies were secretly concealing knowledge of climate risks. In 1984, CBC ran a documentary called The Greenhouse Effect and Planet Earth.

It’s remarkable to watch now, 35 years later.

All the themes of today’s discussion are laid out. Scientists agree on the basic mechanism but are unsure of the pace and severity. It’s infeasible to give up using fossil fuels any time soon, so we’d better learn to adapt.

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6 From page 1

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Call for tighter bail rules in Canada after Saudi sex-crime suspect vanishes despite giving up his passport

Dec. 8 citing his lawyer saying “fled the country sometime ago.”

But how did he disappear? Police had seized the former Cape Breton University student’s passport, expecting that would keep him in the country for his criminal trial in early January.

Lee Cohen, one of Halifax’s most experienced immigration lawyers, has said the likeliest scenario is that Alzoabi managed to obtain special travel documents from the embassy. Cohen says obtaining falsified or forged travel documents is also a possibility, but these documents are difficult to find.

The embassy doesn’t respond to emails and calls requesting comment. However, the Crown prosecution service indicates it has clearly has been involved with Alzoabi in the past.

Prosecutors say the embassy posted $37,500 of Alzoabi’s bail last year in relation to the alleged sexual assault, criminal harassment, assault and forcible confinement of a woman in incidents alleged to have occurred between Aug. 1, 2015, and March 26, 2017.

Alzoabi is also facing separate charges of dangerous driving and assault with a car in a December 2015 incident involving a Cape Breton man, and he has over 36 violations of motor vehicle regulations, with thousands of dollars in fines assessed.

Helen Morrison, executive director of the Cape Breton Transition House, said Alzoabi’s departure has been frustrating for advocates for victims of sexual violence on the island.

“This should be looked into. It’s an instance of the victim being let down ...

This victim came forward, which is difficult to do,” she said in a telephone interview.

“The message sent to victims out there is that if you’re powerful enough and you have enough money, you can elude and he

you can get away with very serious crimes.”

Meanwhile, Peter Edelmann, a British Columbia-based immigration lawyer, said the case could have future implications for whether other Saudis receive bail.

“I would note that if the Saudi (or any other) embassy develops a habit of issuing travel documents to individuals whose passports have been surrendered to the court, the surrender of passports for nationals of that country will eventually become a less meaningful indicator for the court,” he wrote in an email.

“A strategy of undermining court orders by an embassy might backfire by pushing the court to impose stricter conditions or not release nationals of that country at all in some cases if the surrender of a passport is meaningless.”

Robert Currie, a professor of law at Dalhousie University in Halifax, has called the case “a flagrant violation” of Canada’s sovereignity.

It’s the second time he’s found himself commenting on this kind of case in the past 11 years.

In January 2007, a Saudi national charged with sexually assaulting two youths slipped out of Canada and returned to his home country, raising questions about how he left without his passport.

The Canadian Press reported at the time that Taher Ali Al-Saba, 19, was due to appear in Nova Scotia Supreme Court that month but failed to show up after being reported missing in August.

Police contacted the Saudi Embassy in Ottawa and were informed Al-Saba had returned to the

Middle Eastern country, possibly in August.

He had been facing two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual interference involving a person under the age of 14. The complainants, a boy and a girl, were from the same family.

Meanwhile, in the United States, there have been similar incidents in recent years.

The Oregonian newspaper has reported recently on the flight last year of Abdulrahman Sameer Noorah, a Portland, Oregon, community college student who jumped bail in the hit-andrun death of a 15-year-old Portland girl and apparently fled the United States.

The news site reported it has found criminal cases involving at least five other Saudis who vanished before they faced trial or completed their jail sentence in the state. They include two accused rapists, a pair of suspected hit-and-run drivers and one man with child porn on his computer.

Currie says national governments and the courts are going to have to act to prevent these kinds of incidents from continuing.

Ottawa should investigate, and consider an official protest if there’s evidence of embassy involvement, he said.

It remains unclear just what, if anything, Ottawa plans to do.

In a brief comment to reporters Thursday,

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said officials were “looking into” the case.

Meanwhile, the existing controls at the border to prevent people who are on trial from leaving vary, depending on what information the Canada Border Services Agency has received, said Edelmann.

He’s heard of instances of RCMP and CBSA officials being tipped off and actually boarding planes to arrest foreign nationals attempting to flee the country.

A spokesman for the CBSA, Allan Donovan, says it won’t comment on whether it knows if Alzoabi left the country, based on airline boarding manifests.

However, Donovan said in an email that with the coming into force of Bill C-21 in December, Canada will have the authority to collect basic biographic information on all travellers who leave the country by land and by air.

Regulations are being developed to enable the application of the bill, with the agency’s website saying there will be electronic passenger manifests received directly from the airlines that its agents can view.

Until then, the agency says it doesn’t “systematically collect exist information” for people boarding planes for foreign destinations.

However, Richard Kurland, an immigration lawyer based in Vancouver, says he thinks it’s just a matter of common sense, and he believes existing enforcement could have noticed a departure like Alzoabi’s.

“The embassy-issued travel document is not a ‘regular’ passport, so the airline can get a CBSA person to verify the document,” he wrote in an email.

“The CBSA person checks the computer and bingo! The person is caught in the act, in the departure lounge, attempting to breach bail conditions. He’ll go from airport detention to downtown lock-up.”

Syrian refugee arrested in terrorist plot explosive or other lethal device” in a public place.

One of the houses belonged to a refugee family that fled to Canada from Syria. The family, whose adult son was arrested but not charged, was sponsored by four churches, including Our Lady of Lourdes church.

According to documents from the church, the family was sponsored by the congregation to come to Canada in 2016. The church helped the family, which was originally from Damascus, Syria, travel to Kingston from Kuwait. Bronek Korcynski oversaw the church’s sponsorship of the family, which lasted a year. He said the son of the family was arrested in the raid.

“I was intimately involved with the sponsorship as co-chair of the group so I know the family very well,” Korcynski said.

“This has come as a total shock.”

“It’s just so completely beyond anything we’ve experienced with the family. This is a group of people who have expressed nothing but gratitude for our assistance and to Canada for being able to welcome them.“Their priority has been to build a new life here.” \Korcynski said the family’s son was working to get his high school marks up so he could get into university.

“I have been in contact with the father and I know right now their heads are spinning.”

Documents from St Thomas Church, which was part of the group sponsoring the family, said the father had once been imprisoned for not joining Syrian President Bashar alAssad’s political party. It also said their home in Damascus was destroyed, and the family would be “vulnerable to arrest and ‘extreme measures’” if they returned to Syria.

The people who reside at the second house involved in the investigation were kind, a neighbour told Global News.

“They’re very nice, they brought food over at Christmas, and dropped off some canned good and welcomed me to the neighbourhood, they helped me move a couch in,” the neighbour said.

Little information was known about the nature of the arrests, but Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said on Twitter that RCMP “took action in Kingston, based on credible information, to ensure public safety.”

Based on RCMP activity, Stephanie Carvin, national security expert and Carleton University professor, said the investigation appears to be regarding counter-terrorism.

“The authorities have not given us a lot to go on … but signs are pointing towards a counter-terrorism investigation. If it was an espionage case, I didn’t think you’d have this kind of police response,” Carvin told Global News.

RCMP are set to host a press conference at 1 p.m. to offer more information about the arrests. FBI were involved in the investigation, but Carvin said that’s not unusual.

“The FBI is often involved in Canadian national security investigations,” Carvin said, citing the case of the Via Rail bomb plot that was thwarted in 2013.

Carvin said there are many questions left regarding the arrests, including the use of a plane spotted hundreds of times this month

by Kingston residents. Royal Military College Prof. Christian Leuprecht suggested the RCMP had to speed up their investigation when the plane started getting coverage on local news for its mysterious origins.

7

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Luxurious trips, lavish overspending alleged in bombshell report on expenses of top BC Legislature officials heard, Plecas believed there was a real possibility crimes may have been committed and he felt obligated to contact the RCMP. The committee voted to release the report Monday and agreed to launch an audit of legislature finances, conduct a workplace review and submit that report to an auditor from outside of B.C. Clerk of the House Craig James and Sergeant-at-Arms Gary Lenz were both suspended Nov. 20 and escorted out of the legislature by police. They have not been charged with any crime, and have denied all wrongdoing.

No comment: What’s the public’s ‘right to know’ about B.C. Legislature investigation?

‘We have no idea’: Release reasons for RCMP investigation at B.C. Legislature, demands watchdog group Shortly before the report was released to the media, Alan Mullen, adviser to Plecas, told reporters the allegations involve “millions of dollars.”

“I would suggest what’s contained in this report is improper, at times against policy,” said Mullen.

“It’s not speculation, it’s not made up, it’s not opinion. It is fact and it is backed up by documents, receipts, letters and proof.”

‘False and untrue’ James and Lenz said in a statement they were “shocked.”

“Prior to the release of these allegations this afternoon, no one shared them with us, no one told us what we are being accused of and no one gave us any chance to respond,” it read in part.

“The Speaker has now compounded the harm to us and our families by preparing a report in secret, without any input from us, and recommended that it be released to the public to further blacken our reputations.

We are only now able to read the allegations for the first time and we are confident that time will show that they are completely false and untrue.”

Lenz and James said they were ‘shocked’ by the report. The statement said that releasing the report without providing a chance for them to respond was “contrary to how our public institutions should treat people.” It said the pair would issue a more detailed response after going through the list of allegations. Mike Farnworth, B.C.’s solicitor general, said he was shocked and saddened to read the allegations in the report, calling them “unacceptable.”

“I think the general public would look at it and say, ‘That’s just wrong,’ “ he said.

The report, which includes details of trips and conversations, as well as scanned

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receipts and tables of expenses, alleges overspending and misappropriation of funds in a number of areas, including: “Flagrant overspending on luxurious trips” with “questionable” business rationales, and taking overnight trips at the legislature’s expense, for what appear to be “other than legitimate work purposes.”

Expensing personal purchases to the legislature, totalling tens of thousands of dollars over a period of less than two years.

“Inappropriate” cash payouts in lieu of vacation, totalling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Misappropriation of alcohol and electronic equipment.

Potentially “retributive or otherwise unjustified” termination of employees.

From page 1

Canada is 3rd best country in the world to live

as number two when it comes to citizenship, based on factors like human rights, the environment, gender equality and religious freedom.

Another category we ranked highly in?

Best countries for women.

Canada came third, just behind Sweden and Denmark, respectively.

The annual project, led

by U.S. News & World Report, BAV Group and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, evaluates “80 countries across a range of categories, from economic influence and military might to education and quality of life, to capture how nations are perceived on a global scale.” While Canada fared well across several boards, the

U.S. slid in a few categories. The U.S. was ranked the eighth best country — the same spot as last year — but the study noted that “the world’s level of trust in the U.S. continues to decline” with the nation now ranking number 27 for “perceptions of trustworthiness.”

“Perceptions of the U.S. as a country that cares about human rights have also fallen,” researchers said in a statement. Still, the U.S. came in first place when it came to the global ranking of perceived power, followed by Russia and China. Canada was rated number 12 in that category.

8

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Arisha Khan, 22, who studies Woman beats Canada’s ‘broken’ child welfare system to become Rhodes scholar attended several high schools in health and social policy at McGill the Rhodes Scholarship, established in 1902, Toronto before graduation.

University in Montreal, beat the care system Canadians named a Rhodes scholar. as an international postgraduate award for A lack of financial support is one of the Eleven Canadians have been awarded odds, where just half graduate high school, to students to study at the University of Oxford in biggest issues facing people coming from one of the world’s most go on to higher education.

England. People are the privatized welfare system, she said. “We Eleven Canadians have been awarded one prestigious international silhouetted in the Old could be here talking all day about all the of the world’s most prestigious international scholarships – including Schools Quadrangle, nitty gritty points that I feel culminate and scholarships – including a woman who grew a woman who grew up Old Bodleian Library make the system and the way that it is pretty in the “broken” child up in the “broken” child welfare system. first opened to broken,” Khan said.“Agencies are perversely Arisha Khan has been granted a place on the welfare system. scholars in 1602 at incentivized as private entities to sometimes Arisha Khan, 22, Rhodes Scholarship, established in 1902, as an Oxford University make decisions that aren’t in the best interests international postgraduate award for students who studies health and in Oxford, England, of kids, that aren’t in the best interests of their to study at the University of Oxford in England. social policy at McGill Friday, Oct. 17, 2008. long-term needs and more immediately what Woman beats Canada’s ‘broken’ child welfare University in Montreal, Arisha Khan, 22, makes money and what satisfies immediate beat the care system system to become Rhodes scholar Arisha Khan who studies health protection concerns,” she said.

How one woman is trying to improve odds, where just half and social policy “There really isn’t the hope and the resources graduate high school, to go on to higher support for at-risk youth at McGill University in Montreal, has been Montreal’s Arisha Khan is one of 11 education. She has been granted a place on awarded a Rhodes scholarship. Khan, who instilled in young people to ensure that they can move past the adversities that caused them came to Canada from Pakistan as a toddler, to be in the system in the first place and then move on to living a healthy adulthood.” At Oxford, Khan will undertake doctoral studies examining the needs of children and youth in ASK ABOUT OUR EVENING CLASSES! state care. The scholarships offer full funding to pursue postgraduate studies at Oxford and the winners are chosen on the basis of their academic achievements, their ability to use their energy, their courage, devotion to duty and instinct to lead. British Columbia recently made tuition free for students coming out of child welfare. At McGill, Khan helped set up the Youth in Care Bursary, which offers a minimum of $5,000 to help current and former foster youth pursue a McGill degree.

“It would be wrong and actually harmful and dangerous to say ‘If you put your mind to it you can do anything’,” she said.

“Unless we provide structural resources and support and relationships that matter to young people you really are just putting them in a bind.”

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Over the next decade, more than 400 large dams will be built on the Himalayan rivers—by India, China, Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan—to feed the region’s hunger for electricity and its need for irrigation.

New ports and thermal power plants line the coastal arc that runs from India, through Southeast Asia, to China. India and China have embarked on schemes to divert rivers to bring water to their driest lands: Costing tens or hundreds of billions of dollars, they are the largest and most expensive construction projects the world has ever seen. At stake in how these plans unfold is the welfare of a significant portion of humanity. At stake is the future shape of Asia, the relations among its nations. This post is adapted from Amrith’s new book.

The Indian subcontinent is the crucible of the monsoon. In its simplest definition, the monsoon is “a seasonal prevailing wind.”

There are other monsoons, in northern Australia and in North America; none is as pronounced, as marked in its reversal between wet and dry seasons, as the South Asian monsoon. More than 70 percent of total rainfall in South Asia occurs during just three months each year, between June and September. Even within that period, rainfall is not consistent: It is compressed into just 100 hours of torrential rain across the summer months. Despite a vast expansion in irrigation since 1947, 60 percent of Indian agriculture remains rain-fed, and agriculture employs about half of India’s population. Unlike China, unlike most large countries in the world, India’s population will continue to be predominantly rural until the mid-21st century. No comparably large number of human beings anywhere in the world is so dependent on such intensely seasonal rainfall.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Organized crime behind 2 homicides at Kamloops hotels Mounties have identified the victims in two fatal shootings outside Kamloops hotels this week, and say they believe organized crime was behind the violence.

Cody Marcel Mathieu, 31, was shot dead Wednesday morning outside a Super 8 motel.

Two hours later, RCMP found 41-year-old Rex Edward Gill lying mortally wounded at the Comfort Inn and Suites.

“Through our investigation, we know that organized crime is behind this violence, and we will be addressing it as such. We will be focusing on identifying, targeting and apprehending the suspects responsible for these crimes,” RCMP Insp. Steve McLeod told reporters Thursday.

He also revealed that in the hours after the violence, a vehicle was found burning in the Barnhartvale neighbourhood that matched the description of a white car seen in the area of the Comfort Inn at the time of the second shooting.

More than 50 investigators have now been assigned to the case, including officers from

provincial anti-gang agencies. No arrests have been made. 2 men killed in separate shootings at Kamloops hotels “Any violence in a public space is dangerous, but we believe that both of yesterday’s shootings were targeting specific people,” McLeod said.

He also addressed the impact of the shootings on residents.

“An act of violence is a tragedy for any community, particularly when it takes place in a public place. Kamloops RCMP’s number one focus is to keep our community safe — not only do officers work here, but our families live here.”

Investigators say Mathieu was a resident of Kamloops and was previously known to local RCMP. Gill, who lived in Penticton, was not.

Kamloops RCMP are asking anyone who was at either hotel at the time of the shootings, or who may have dash cam footage or any other information, to contact them.

Surrey crews battle fire at house under construction A large fire tore through a house under construction in Surrey Wednesday night.

Smoke and flames were visible from several blocks away from the house, which is located near 104th Avenue and 146 Street.

Several firefighters were called and were able to get the blaze under control, but the building was left with extensive damage.

Fire investigators are looking into the cause.

Autoworkers seek boycott of GM vehicles from Mexico The Canadian auto workers union is asking people in Canada and the U.S. to boycott General Motors vehicles made in Mexico. The Unifor union is asking people not to buy trucks or SUVs with vehicle identification numbers that start with the number three, which signify that they are made in Mexico.

Jenn Cowie, a General Motor employee who will directly affected by the General Motors Oshawa plant closure shows her support before Unifor National President Jerry Dias speaks during press conference asking for all Canadians and Americans to boycott all General Motors vehicles that are made in Mexico in Toronto on Friday.

Jenn Cowie, a General Motor employee who will directly affected by the General Motors Oshawa plant closure shows her support before Unifor National President Jerry Dias speaks during press conference asking for all Canadians and Americans to boycott all General Motors vehicles that are made in Mexico in Toronto on Friday.

Unifor says it will publicize the boycott with television, newspaper and billboard advertising in both countries. In November GM announced plans to close its car factory in Oshawa, Ontario, near Toronto, costing the jobs of about 2,600 blue-collar workers.

It also has plans to close four U.S. factories but will negotiate those with the union. The closures are part of a broader restructuring that will cut 14,000 factory and salaried positions as GM tries to slim down to focus capital spending on autonomous and electric vehicles. GM says it has too many plants that make cars as the market in both countries has shifted toward trucks and SUVs. It says the boycott could cause damage to the wider Ontario economy. Unifor National President Jerry Dias says that in 2016 contract talks, GM agreed to keep the Oshawa plant open until the contract ends in September of 2020. He wants the company to return to the bargaining table to talk about keeping Oshawa open permanently.

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The federal Liberal party sent two senior ministers to Surrey Tuesday morning to announce $7.5 million in funding over the next five years for anti-gang initiatives in the city. Flanked by local MPs and Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum, Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction Minister Bill Blair and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan posed for pictures and shook hands with local politicians and police. “This is my fourth time in the last several months that I’ve come to Surrey,” said Blair, who was Toronto’s police chief before he Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart has filed a motion to have council staff come up with a plan to “review and improve the fairness and effectiveness” of the empty homes tax.

Stewart asked that such a plan include a timeline to find information on the potential impact of “increasing” the tax.

“During the election, there was support for an increase in the EHT [empty homes tax

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Surrey gets $7.5 million for anti-gang programs launched his political career. “I understand the gang environment in Toronto very well — I worked on that for decades and I was responsible for those investigations for decades — but it was was important to travel across the country and come to Surrey.” The communitybased anti-crime group, Wake Up Surrey — which has been critical in the past of the federal government’s response to gang violence in the city — says the announcement is a positive step but much more funding is needed.

“This is not a time to celebrate photo ops or ribbon cuttings, because, in the past year, [more than] 10 South Asian youth have been killed in the Lower Mainland due to targeted shootings or their association with gang lifestyle,” the organization said in a news release. “Many more have been lured into this harmful path.”

Federal, provincial and municipal politicians pose for a photo op at Surrey City Hall following a funding announcement for anti-gang programs in the city. (Jesse Johnston

Vancouver mayor files motion to ‘improve’ empty homes tax rate],” said the motion, which will go before council on Tuesday. “Is it moving folks into the empty homes? ... and to what extent, and would an increase help?”

Last fall, Stewart campaigned on a promise to triple the levy. It was originally introduced at one per cent of a vacant property’s assessed value on July 1, 2017.

Prospective buyers and residents in

Vancouver have long complained that investors are buying houses and leaving them empty, driving up prices and reducing supply. “The tax is proving effective and tripling it will just amplify that effectiveness,” he said. The tax is applied to vacant residential properties in an effort to motivating owners of empty and underutilized properties to put them on market and ease the rental crunch. Homeowners must

The $7.5 million will be used to fund fund 11 separate programs aimed at addressing gang violence in Surrey. Surrey RCMP Supt.

Shawn Gill says part of the money will go toward hiring two new outreach workers whose duties will include following up on calls that come in to the gang parent helpline.

“We’ve been given a million dollars over five years that we’re going to use to hire counsellors that will work with our officers,” Gill said. make an annual declaration about properties that are not principal residences or rented for at least half the year. An exemption can be granted for things like construction and renovations.

Figures from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation showed a 0.1 per cent increase in the city’s primary market vacancy rate in 2017 On Friday, Stewart said he hopes the report is a sort of progress report on how the tax is working, and whether it can work

Rings stolen from hand of dying woman in Fraser Valley care home An Abbotsford woman says two rings were stolen from the hand of her dying mother and a third was taken from a locked drawer in her room at a care home in Mission last month. Marion Harris says the incident has greatly upset her, especially knowing that her mom was in a vulnerable state and was unable to fend off the theft. Harris’s 94-year-old mother, Marianne Treichel, died on Sunday, Dec. 16. She had been living in the The Residence in Mission (TRIM) – a seniors’ care facility operated by Fraser Health – for two years after suffering a heart attack and pneumonia, which resulted in

her needing a wheelchair to get around. But despite these setbacks, Harris said her mom remained active and enjoyed playing bingo, bowling and attending church every Sunday.

Harris said her mother received exceptional treatment from TRIM staff, who became like family to them. “All I ever heard her say was, ‘The people here are so good to me,’ ” Harris said. But she said her trust has been shattered after what occurred in mid-December.

Treichel suffered a large stroke in November, which further debilitated her. She was no longer able to use her hands to feed herself and became increasingly non-verbal.

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

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Former Speaker Linda Reid says she’ll co-operate in expenses probe The B.C. NDP and B.C. Green Party are calling on B.C. Liberal MLA Linda Reid to answer for her own connection to the ongoing expenses scandal at the B.C. Legislature. Monday’s explosive report from Speaker of the House Darryl Plecas revealed two senior B.C. Legislature officials — Clerk of the House Craig James and Sergeant-at-Arms Gary Lenz — are being investigated for allegedly fraudulent and flagrant overspending, “lavish” trips overseas, inappropriate expense claims, cash payouts and misappropriating liquor from the legislature. One of the most costly expenses was a lump sum retirement allowance of $257,988.38 paid to James in 2012. Reid, one of the legislature’s longest-serving MLAs, had been Speaker from 2013 to 2017 and deputy Speaker from 2009 to 2013, a time when many of the alleged incidents being

investigated took place.

NDP MLA Gary Begg said British Columbians deserve answers about what she knew and why she didn’t act.

“It’s disturbing that Linda Reid kept silent even though she knew the clerk may have collected over a quarter million dollars improperly. We see evidence of inappropriate spending going back years under BC Liberal Speakers, and there’s still a lot we don’t know,” Begg said. In her statement, Reid — who currently serves as assistant deputy Speaker — said she was “encouraged to see the Legislative Assembly

Management Committee unanimously approve a comprehensive financial audit of the issues raised in the report from the Speaker.”

“As the auditor conducts their investigation, I will make myself fully available,” Reid wrote.

“I will work with the auditor and any other investigators to ensure the protection of taxpayer dollars. I feel it’s important to respect the process of the current investigations in order to ensure the public is provided with a full account of the entire situation.” B.C. Green Party Leader Andrew

Weaver called on Reid to step aside from her position as assistant deputy Speaker, referencing an interview. In its report, Gibson says he was asked by Reid to file what he describes as an inappropriate expense. “It is for that reason that today I am calling for MLA Reid to step aside as Assistant Deputy Speaker of the House.

Our focus at this time must be on restoring public trust in our democratic institutions.

I cannot see how that is possible when one of the individuals named by this whistleblower is still holding a position of power and oversight in the Legislature,” Weaver said in a statement. Media sources reached to Linda Reid to put this particular allegation to her but has yet to receive a response. Clerk of the House Craig James and Sergeant-at-Arms Gary Lenz were both suspended Nov. 20. They have denied all wrongdoing.

Peace Arch Hospital ER expansion work is finally getting underway Health Minister Adrian Dix was at the White Rock hospital Friday morning to announce that construction has started on the new, expanded emergency department, medical device reprocessing department and surgical suite, as work is finally underway on the longawaited expansion to Peace Arch Hospital – but it’s costing more than initially anticipated A news release issued shortly after the announcement notes the prior plan for the project left unresolved questions about the province’s share of the funding.

As well, that the plans “significantly

underestimated” the cost of the project.

First announced in May, 2015, it was initially expected to cost $20 million. The price tag climbed to $68.2 million in April 2017 – after the plan was revised to include a new surgical suite – and is now $83.7 million. It’s anticipated to be complete in late 2021, replacing the existing three operating rooms with five new ones, and redeveloping the medical device reprocessing department to be closer to the surgical suite.

Of the nearly $84, $46.7 million is to be

provided through the regional health authority, while the Peace Arch Hospital Foundation is to contribute $37 million.

At Friday’s event, Dix said that, despite the announcement in 2017 that the cost had increased, the previous BC Liberal government had no money in the budget for the project.

“That announcement was made, and when it was made, there were zero actual dollars (budgeted) at the time… There was $37 million from the foundation – that was real… but there was zero actual dollars,” he said.

“When I became minister of health in July of 2017… there was a new government and zero dollars in the bank. We discovered also that the project itself was going to cost more than the initial cost of $68 million.

“My reaction was that this was an essential project that was needed by the community…

so I am proud to say that we have found the money to fund this project… and proud to announce… that construction is proceeding. We are on and moving ahead.”

Dix also said Friday that government’s investment in the project “means people will be able to access more surgeries,

Vancouver police officer charged after pedestrian hit A Vancouver police officer has been charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm after an on-duty crash with a pedestrian a year ago.

The charge against Const. Andrew Peters was announced Friday by the B.C. Prosecution Service.

According to the Independent Investigations Office, a man suffered

serious injuries after being struck by an unmarked police vehicle along Knight Street on Jan. 6, 2018.

The IIO forwarded its report on the incident to Crown counsel in November, saying charges should be considered.

Peters is expected to appear in provincial court in Vancouver on Feb. 7.

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

Dirty money tip portal extended, includes co-operation with Crime Stoppers British Columbians now have additional time to provide input into a fact-finding review of potential money laundering.

The deadline to share information through a secure and anonymous online tip portal has been extended from Jan. 31 until Feb. 28, 2019.

Along with the time extension to submit information to Peter German’s review, British Columbians who provide tips can indicate on the website if they have additional documents to share that support their submission. People with information about money laundering can also contact Crime Stoppers, which will forward relevant tips to German or the appropriate authorities, without identifying the source. “British Columbians have clearly told us that they want government to remove the welcome mat that’s been laid out for organized crime over the past decade and to make every effort to clamp down on money laundering,� said David Eby, Attorney General. “We believe

some British Columbians have valuable money laundering information they can share and we encourage them to visit the tip portal.�

Government launched the tip portal in November 2018, so British Columbians could share what they believe is relevant to German’s review into whether there is evidence of money laundering in real estate, luxury vehicles and horse racing. Tip portal submissions are being reviewed, along with other calls and correspondence. In total, German is managing approximately 150 leads.

The request for public tips on money laundering is a part of a series of efforts by the Province to deal with the issue. In June 2018, the attorney general released German’s report, Dirty Money: An Independent Review of Money Laundering in Lower Mainland. The report was followed in September 2018 by a two-pronged government review aimed at shutting down avenues for money laundering.

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Canada posts smaller budget deficit in first 8 months of 2018/19 Canada posted a much smaller budget deficit in the first eight months of the 2018/19 fiscal year compared to a year earlier thanks to increased revenues, the finance ministry said on Friday.

The deficit for April-November was C$2.13 billion ($1.60 billion), down from C$9.45 billion in the same 2017/18 period. Revenues climbed by 8.6 percent, mainly due to higher tax receipts, while

program expenses rose by 4.2 percent.

The deficit for November was C$2.22 billion, down from the C$2.88 billion shortfall recorded in November 2017.

Revenues jumped by 10.5 percent while program expenses posted a more modest 7.9 percent gain.

Last November, the Liberal government unveiled a budget update that projected a C$18.1 billion deficit for 2018/19.

Tens of millions paid out due to bungled Canadian Forces procurement, but government says details are secret Taxpayers are on the hook for potentially tens of millions of dollars after federal bureaucrats bungled the purchase of trucks for the Canadian Forces and now must make good on the lost profits for a U.S. firm.

But Public Services and Procurement Canada, which oversaw the flawed defence procurement, has declined to provide details on just how much the penalties will cost the public.

Defence industry representatives, however, say the penalty being paid to the U.S. company, Oshkosh, could be as high as $60 million as it has to account for lost profit on the $834-million contract as well as other expenses the firm incurred. The case dates back to 2016 when the Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) ruled that the process, which awarded the truck contact to Mack Defense of the U.S., was flawed. The CITT supported the concerns of Mack’s rival, Oshkosh, that there

were significant issues with the evaluation of the vehicles. As a result, the tribunal called on Public Services and Procurement Canada to conduct a new evaluation of the trucks being purchased for the Canadian Forces. But instead, the department continued with the process to buy the Mack trucks and went to federal court in 2017 to challenge the tribunal’s ruling. It recently abandoned that appeal. It was revealed by the tribunal that Public Services and Procurement Canada had failed to keep many key records to support its claim that the Mack trucks met the requirements for the Canadian military. “The CITT recommended that Oshkosh be compensated for its lost opportunity to profit,� the department noted in a response to Postmedia about the settlement it reached with the firm. The department, however, declined to provide details, claiming that the payout is confidential. It did not explain why the penalties that taxpayers must shoulder should be considered secret.

LOCAL

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Surrey RCMP seize vehicles worth $225,000, weapons in fraud investigation Investigators suspected that identities of Lower Mainland residents were being stolen for fraudulent purchase and sale of vehicles.

Mounties have seized a number of vehicles and weapons from a Surrey home during an investigation into automobile fraud.

Surrey RCMP began probing fraud complaints last fall and suspected that identities of Lower Mainland residents were being stolen and used to buy and sell vehicles.

RCMP seized four vehicles — a 2018 GMC Denali SUV, 2015 Audi Q5 SUV, 2013 Chrysler 300 sedan and a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup. Police say the total estimated value is about $225,000.

On Jan. 18, police searched a residential property. They seized police-type body armour, a sawed-off rifle, two handguns, three imitation handguns, ammunition, numerous edged weapons and an assortment of apparently stolen identity documents and mail. Police detained seven people at the home; they have since been released. No charges have been filed.

“Individuals associated with identity theft and fraud will stop at nothing to get what they want, including expensive vehicles,” said Insp. Wendy Mehat. “Victims of these crimes can experience financial loss and difficulty

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Funeral announcement Daljit Gill, wife of Charan Pal Gill, passed away at the age of 86. Funeral arrangements is on Thursday, 1pm, January 31st, 2019 at the Riverside Funeral Home. Bhog ceremony at the Nanaksar Sikh Temple, New West-minister at. 3pm.

For further information call Charan Gill 604-834-4088 or 604- 881-1313 Daljit Gill

Dangerious weapons were recovered from a Surrey home after a search by RCMP on January 18.

obtaining credit or restoring their ‘good name’.

“Remember to periodically check your credit reports, bank and credit-card statements, and report any irregularities promptly to the relevant financial institution and to the credit bureaus,” she advised.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-5990502 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers, 1-800-222-8477 or solvecrime.ca.

NDP’s Mulcair says ‘several’ MPs have told him they’re not running in 2019 Ontario MPs Irene Mathyssen and David “Several” current NDP MPs will not be running again in 2019, on top of Christopherson are also not planning to those who have already announced they campaign for their seats in the House of Commons again, nor is lone won’t seek re-election, according to Alberta MP Linda Duncan. former NDP leader Tom Mulcair.

Mulcair made this “I know that a lot of my Quebec comment responding to a colleagues have already announced question about the potential that they’re not running and several that another longtime NDP, others have confided in me that MP Nathan Cullen, may they’re not going to run,” Mulcair said. not be running again. First “I think that’s an obvious problem. reported in the Terrace We had a pretty strong 44-member Standard, a local publication caucus, really representing all parts of in Cullen’s riding, he has the country except Atlantic where the Tom Mulcair yet to make up his mind Liberals of course cleaned the table in about running in 2019. the last election,” Mulcair said, referencing Mulcair said if Cullen elects not to run again the number of NDP MPs who came into this Parliament following the 2015 election. it would be “an incredible loss for the team.”

This series of MPs planning to leave federal Several New Democrats have already announced they will not be running under politics at the end of this Parliament has come NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh’s banner this year. as Singh has tried to keep the party on track, In Quebec, MPs Romeo Saganash and amid low polling and fundraising numbers.

“We’re going to have a strong team come Helene Laverdiere have said they will not be NDP candidates in the next election. the next election, we’re going to have a great There’s also B.C. MP Fin Donnelly who team of MPs that will be returning, as well as isn’t running again, while two others in a bunch of new exciting candidates that we’ll his province, Sheila Malcolmson and present in the upcoming election,” Singh said.

Kennedy Stewart, have already left to pursue provincial and local politics respectively.

Fugitive in high-profile Toronto heist nabbed in Vancouver sting operation A man who fled Ontario days before he was supposed to be sentenced for his role in a high-profile armoured car company heist has been caught and sentenced for weapons offences in Vancouver.

Devon Stanford Hartwell was led into court Tuesday looking every bit as glum as he did in the photo Toronto police handed the media more than a year ago when they pleaded with the public for help finding the 31-year-old fugitive.

Hartwell was one of two brothers who stole more than $700,000 in a brazen insidejob armed robbery at the headquarters of INKAS Security Services in April 2013.

He cut off his tracking bracelet and skipped bail in February 2015.

Last month, he pleaded guilty along with a co-accused to weapons offences which occurred after they were caught in a police

sting on their arrival on the West Coast Crown prosecutor Brendan McCabe filled in the rest of the story at Hartwell’s sentencing.

On a train bound for nowhere ...

Police got a tip in March 2016 that a pair of men from Ontario were bound for B.C. aboard a train and intending to engage in some serious criminal activity.

Their names were Halgurd Bahramiwand and Cedric Fougere. But police would later learn that Fougere was an alias for Hartwell.

B.C.’s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit targeted the men, placing a couple of undercover officers on the VIA train when it stopped in Kamloops.

They soon befriended Hartwell and Bahramiwand, who told them they needed a hotel when they got to Vancouver and a rental car.

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

Chan family donates $40M to Vancouver Art Gallery Vancouver’s Chan family has given a gift of $40 million toward the Vancouver Art Gallery’s new building.

The gallery says the donation is the largest ever single private donation to an arts and culture organization in B.C. In honour of the “unprecedented” gift, the gallery’s new building will be named the Chan Centre for the Visual Arts.

The Vancouver Art Gallery has been raising money for an ambitious new $350 million building project in Larwill Park in downtown Vancouver, featuring a 300,000-square foot building designed by Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron.

The proposed building will be of wood and glass, and will be designed to have outdoor spaces that are sunny in the summer and protected from rain in the winter.

A close-up of the proposed new building, which will be named the Chan Centre for Visual Arts. (Vancouver Art Gallery ) $135M raised so far

The gallery has been working to raise $100 million from the private sector. With the announcement of the Chan family’s donation Wednesday, the total raised from that sector now stands at $85 million.

The gallery has also secured $50 million from the province, and the donation of the land at Larwill Park from the City of Vancouver.

In a release, the gallery said it will “continue its work with senior levels of government and the private sector to secure the additional funding needed to begin construction.”

The Chan family has made major philanthropic donations to the Vancouver arts and cultural scene before, most notably millions to their namesake Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia.

Artists fear SkyTrain expansion threatens Vancouver’s struggling visual arts hub Speaking on behalf of the family — which made its wealth in real estate and clothing — Christian Chan said he was honoured to continue the family’s

2 killed in separate shootings at Kamloops hotels Two men were shot and killed at two separate hotels in Kamloops Wednesday morning, and Mounties have yet to make any arrests.

The first victim was discovered at around 6:50 a.m. PT at the Super 8 motel in Valleyview, according to an RCMP news release. He was lying on the ground, wounded and was taken to hospital.

Two hours later, police found a second injured man outside the Comfort Inn and Suites on Rogers Place, about a 10-kilometre drive from the first shooting scene.

Shortly after noon, RCMP reported both men had died.

“The situation is very dynamic at this

time. It is unknown if these two incidents are related,” Cpl. Jodi Shelkie said in a press release Wednesday morning.

Man arrested, charged with murder after reported shooting in Cache Creek, B.C. No one has been arrested in connection with the shootings, and police have not identified any suspects.

“We don’t know what the motivation was for the shooting or how it came about. So at this point, I can’t say what the risk is to the public,” Shelkie told CBC. She added that members of the public should be alert to any suspicious activity in their neighbourhoods and report it to the police.

BC’s dirty money tip portal will be open for an extra month An online, anonymous portal created to solicit tips from the public about potential instances of money laundering in British Columbia will remain open for an extra month.

The tip portal was set up in November 2018 as part of a series of efforts by the provincial government to tackle the issue of money laundering.

‘Rat’s nest of rot’: Up to $2B in dirty money laundered in B.C. casinos, real estate in 1 year, AG says On Friday, B.C. Attorney General David Eby says dirty money totalling as much as $2 billion in one year flowed into B.C.’s legal and illegal casinos and luxury real estate market.

“I started pulling on the thread of this casino laundering that was taking place and it has led to a real rat’s nest of rot, really, in the system,” Eby told CBC News Friday in an exclusive interview.

37% of Metro Vancouverites think real estate market is ‘extremely corrupt’: report Former RCMP deputy commissioner Peter German, who conducted a review of money laundering in the Lower Mainland casinos last year, has been working on a separate review into money laundering in the industries of real estate, luxury vehicles and horse racing in the province.

47 men arrested by Vancouver police in operation targeting alleged sexual predators Vancouver police say 47 men — including a retired school teacher, a former school trustee and a firefighter — were arrested during a twomonth operation last year targeting people allegedly willing to pay teenagers for sex acts.

On Thursday, deputy chief Const. Laurence Rankin said the operation began with detectives posting fake ads on escort websites and social media platforms.

Those who responded were told, by text, they were chatting with a girl between 15 and 17 years old.

Rankin said the “vast majority” of men backed off after that, but 47 wanted to meet up.

Hotel meetings were set up once age, sex act and fee were established, he said. The men were arrested after showing up, apparently expecting something sexual as arranged,

but running into police officers instead.

Rankin said different men had different reactions when they realized what was happening.

“You had everything from people who would acquiesce and people who would fight,” he said. “Some attempted to provide an explanation… some told [officers] to go out and find criminals to arrest.”

Officers spoke with the suspects over text message, after they responded to ads on escort websites and social media.

(Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images) ‘All walks of life’ Seven of the men, including the former teacher and trustee, have been charged with obtaining for consideration the sexual services of a person under the

Surrey RCMP requesting public’s assistance with robbery investigation Investigators from the Surrey RCMP’s Robbery Section are requesting the public’s assistance to further a robbery investigation

which occurred on January 15, 2019.

At approximately 9:30pm, a 46-yearold female had just parked her 2016 white Jeep Cherokee in the 15500 block of 109A Street, when she was approached by two males and one of the males demanded her keys. The female refused. The suspect then displayed a handgun and again demanded her keys. The female then complied and provided keys to her vehicle. The suspect then told the female driver and her 16-yearold daughter to exit the vehicle. The suspects got in the Jeep and drove away.

The suspect did not point the firearm at the driver, nor were the driver and passenger injured in the occurrence. The Jeep has not been located by police at this time.

The suspects are described as: Suspect 1 – South Asian male, skinny build, wearing glasses, a grey puffy jacket and a toque Suspect 2 – no further description other than a South Asian male Investigators have conducted neighbourhood inquiries and canvassed the area for video surveillance. They are asking anyone who may have been in the area between 9:00 pm to 10:00 pm that has dashcam video to contact police.

Anyone with information about this occurrence who has not already spoken with police, is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crimestoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or www.solvecrime.ca

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, January 26, 2019 A Richmond man connected to one of B.C.’s biggest ever money-laundering probes has been accused in a law suit of cleaning millions of dollars through local real estate deals.

Stephen Hai Peng Chen, also known as Hoy Pang Chan, is accused in the civil forfeiture suit, filed earlier this month, of using money derived from the illegal drug trade to buy and pay off properties in Richmond and Vancouver.

Chan, who used to live in Lansdowne Road, has yet to file a response to the law suit and the allegations contained within it have not been proven in court.

In the law suit, B.C.’s civil forfeiture office is trying to seize an East 5th Avenue house and West 42nd Street apartment, both in Vancouver, with an assessed combined value of $2.7 million.

It is also asking to seize more than $67,000 in cash. According to the court documents, Chan’s parents, Xiong Guang Chen and Jue Ming Chen, are named

Man accused of laundering millions of dollars through real estate fraud as owners of the properties in question.

Included in the law suit is references to how Chan laundered “...the proceeds from his drug trafficking activities (and), at times with his parents, purchased real property and registered m o r t g a g e s against title to these properties.”

During an RCMP’s “E-Pirate” investigation in 2015, Chan was identified as one of the clients of an alleged illegal money services business in Richmond, called Silver International, which operated out of a business centre on Cooney Road.

According to a separate civil law suit, Silver International was allegedly laundering as much as $220 million a year for its clients.

Court documents say an analysis of ledgers seized at Silver International by the RCMP indicate Chan deposited

Man convicted of murdering wife granted bail A man convicted of killing his common-law wife almost 25 years ago has been granted bail by Supreme Court judge in BC. Wade Skiffington has proclaimed his innocence in the murder of Wanda Wanda Martin Wade Skiffington Martin in Richmond, in apartment along with the couple’s unharmed 1994. He was found guilty based on confession infront of an undercover 18-month-old son.

The federal justice minister is reviewing police as part of a so-called Mr. Big operation that began five years after Martin was shot six Skiffington’s conviction after an appeal by times. ustice Michael Tammen said he agreed lawyers with Innocence Canada, which is also with defence counsel that Skiffington would challenging the credibility of the undercover have been released on parole four years ago if sting, arguing that police extracted a false confession. Wade Skiffington was convicted of he hadn’t continued to claim his innocence.

Mr. Big sting used to seduce and coerce second-degree murder after his common-law wife was shot dead in 1994. He confessed to the unreliable confession, says lawyer Martin’s body was found in a friend’s crime following an RCMP sting.

Quebec woman accused of human smuggling The Canada Border Services Agency has arrested a woman accused of organizing the illegal entry of asylum seekers into Canada “in exchange for compensation.”

The CBSA alleges in a news release that Olayinka Celestina Opaleye helped several individuals cross into Canada in the summer of 2017.

“It is further alleged that Opaleye was operating as part of a network of smugglers who organized travel for these people in exchange for compensation,” the news release continues.

The CBSA says the illegal entry came “via Roxham Road in Montérégie, Quebec,” which is where the vast majority of irregular asylum claims have been made.

“When it comes to irregular migration, the CBSA works in close cooperation with other government departments and agencies, as well as international partners to uphold the integrity of the border crossing process and to ensure the border is safe and secure,” the CBSA said.

In 2018 there were 19,419 people arrested by the RCMP for crossing the unmanned border to make asylum claims, including 18,518 in Quebec.

That number was down slightly from 2017 when there were 20,593 border crossers intercepted. In 2016, there were only 2,479 interceptions.

15

$5.31 million and withdrew $2.27 million between June 1 and Oct. 1, 2015.

However, according to documents in the suit, an analysis of his tax returns, from 2006 to 2012, showed he had an average reported annual income of about $37,000.

The law suit details how, on the same day a police seized $2 million at Silver

International - Oct. 15, 2015 - police also seized $60,010 in cash found in a bag hidden in a clothes dryer in Chan’s Lansdowne Road home.

Chan was arrested the next day in his car and almost $4,000 he had on him was seized.

The law suit claims, in August 2015, that Chan bought a Richmond home on Katsura Street – near Garden City Road and Westminster Highway -

16

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Students visit Gurdwara Nanak Niwas Diversity is considered to be one of Canada’s greatest strengths. This diversity is very prominent in places like Richmond.

In this context, Richmond’s Highway to Heaven is an excellent example of people of different faiths and cultures working together in promoting inter-faith and intercultural harmony in the community. This is something unique to Richmond. People and places of worship of different religious denominations along this small stretch of #5 Road are proud to celebrate this community’s religious and cultural diversity. It is a great way of contributing to the promotion of peace, understanding and harmony.

On

Niwas.These students from different parts of Canada are in Abbotsford to get training in working with vulnerable youth.

The students and their teachers were extended a very warm welcome by the Gurdwara management. I had the privilege of explaining to the group the basic principles of Sikhism and the mission of the ten Sikh Gurus. The students were very keen to learn about the message of equality, universal brotherhood ,peace and harmony of the Gurus and Shri Guru Granth Sahib.

They were also given a brief overview of the progress made by the Sikh community around the globe in general and Canada in

From Abbotsford Lifeteams Training Centre ten students along with two teachers visited the Highway to Heaven on Monday, January 21. They started their visit at India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas. its part, India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, as one of the first places of worship to be built on # 5 Road, has been an active participant in this process. Nearly, every day, a large number of students, intellectuals and devotees visit this place of worship. A lot of them belonging to different religious denominations come here to learn about Sikhism. They come from all across Canada and abroad. For example, on Monday, January 21, ten students along with two teachers from Abbotsford Lifeteams Training Centre visited the Highway to Heaven. They started their visit at India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak

particular. After the formal presentation the students were encouraged to ask questions.

All of them showed keen interest in learning about Sikhism and the Indo-Canadian community in Canada.

The students and their teachers appreciated the opportunity to learn about different faiths including Sikhism. After spending about an hour at the Gurdwara, the group moved on to our neighbouring places of worship on our Highway to Heaven to learn about other faiths. Initiatives like this go a long way in promoting understanding, respect and intercultural harmony.

Immigration minister unveils plan to attract, retain skilled immigrants in rural and remote regions The Liberal government is launching a new pilot program aimed at attracting and retaining skilled immigrants in Canada’s rural and northern communities — places that are grappling with labour gaps due to a youth exodus and aging populations.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen announced the pilot today in Sudbury, Ont..

About 78 per cent newcomers to Canada settle in big cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver under existing federal economic immigration programs. Hussen said this pilot will encourage skilled workers and their families to set down roots in the communities that need them most.

The federal government will work directly with communities and with groups that help newcomers with employment, language training and other social assistance. That “welcoming infrastructure” will help them successfully transition to new lives in Canada, and to stay in the communities in which they arrive, Hussen said.

“We know the faster newcomers get these tools, the faster they can contribute to Canada,” he said.

Hussen lashes out at Conservatives’ ‘half-baked’ plan to ‘militarize’ the border Hussen said immigrants will be chosen for the pilot based on matching their skills to the local needs of their communities, and could come from any of a number of professions, from truck drivers to teachers to lab technicians.

He estimated that about 3,000 people and their families could participate in the pilot.

According to statistics provided by Hussen’s office, the number of potential workers in rural Canada dropped by 23 per cent between 2001 and 2016 due to an aging population.

Rural Canada contributes an estimated 30 per cent to Canada’s GDP. While there is nothing that would force immigrants to remain in the location because mobility rights are enshrined in the Charter, the idea is to weave them into the fabric of the community.

“When the children are registered in the local school and the spouse has a job or has started a business, we’ve seen in Atlantic Canada, that means it’s much harder later down the road for a principal applicant to decide to leave,” he said.

This pilot is styled after a similar program in Atlantic Canada that launched in 2017, and was deemed successful in helping to fill labour gaps across the region.

Northern Ontario mayors call for action to help address demographic challenges Federal immigration minister discusses role of newcomers in northern Ontario economy Under that initiative, the four Atlantic provinces nominated about 2,500 workers in 2018 to fill labour market needs, according to a news release from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC.) The concept aims to grow local populations by building community ties with the newcomers so they remain in the area instead of moving on to a bigger city.

Christy Clark told Liberals MLAs to fire non-partisan constituency workers Former Premier Christy Clark told BC Liberal MLAs to fire any constituency assistants who refused to campaign for the party in 2017, Darryl Plecas alleged in an interview with The Abbotsford News yesterday.

The Abbotsford South MLA and BC Legislature Speaker said he considered such a move to be “immoral and possibly illegal” because constituency assistants and offices are publicly funded and supposedly non-partisan.

He said he refused to comply, and that the

order played a significant part in his decision to abandon the BC Liberals the following year in order to assume the Speaker’s role in the legislature.

Constituency offices and the assistants who work in them are funded with taxpayers’ money allocated to each MLA to help citizens.

Constituency assistants are supposed to be non-partisan – a point that multiple BC Liberal MLAs have made in the legislature over the last year – even though many do engage in campaign work outside of office hours.

Speaking in response to a question about a group seeking to recall him for leaving the BC Liberals, Plecas told The News that before the last provincial election, Clark told all the party’s MLAs that they should replace any constituency assistants who were not willing to defeat the NDP. Plecas said he believed the directive to be “possibly illegal” because of the non-partisan nature of the office. “That’s using public money for a political purpose,” he said.

“That’s also not an appropriate way to treat any employee, where somebody gets fired for their belief system. I simply said I just wasn’t going to do it. That’s not who I am. That’s not who I want to be.” Since leaving the BC Liberals in late 2017, Plecas has been independent.

Tricia Taylor, a former constituency assistant for Plecas who left her job in 2017, independently confirmed that, in late 2016, Plecas returned from a meeting “very upset.”

According to Taylor, Plecas mentioned that MLAs had been told that their constituency assistants campaign should campaign for the party in the spring. She said, though, that Plecas made it clear that his staff weren’t going to be expected to be politically active.

Taylor ended up managing Plecas’s 2017 campaign for the Liberals, but another longtime constituency assistant who remains employed had no interest in partisan activities.

Kareena Kapoor may run for Lok Sabha elections There have been reports in media recently that Kareena Kapoor, will be contesting 2019 Lok Sabha elections in India.

In a letter to Congress President, Rahul Gandhi, corporator Yogendra Singh Chauhan suggested that the actress would be the most suitable candidate to defeat the BJP from the Bhopal seat. She also has the advantage of being the daughter-in-law of former Indian cricketer, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who had contested elections from Bhopal in 1991 but had lost. Apart from the Pataudi name, she commands a

huge fan following among the youth.

But is she ready to jump into the politics?

When probed about the rumours, Kareena Kapoor Khan issued a statement.

“There is no truth to these reports.

I have not been approached for this whatsoever.

My focus is and only will be movies,” the actress has said.

Alongside her

Amrita Rao reveals her aprehension to play as Bal Thackeray’s wife Amrita Rao says she was apprehensive about taking up the role of Meena Tai Thackeray in the biopic of late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in “Thackeray” because it involved age transformation from a teenager to a 60-year-old lady.

Meena Tai, wife of Bal Thackeray, never came into the spotlight.

While finding a reference point was challenging for the actress, talking about other difficulties in playing the role, Amrita Rao told IANS here: “My character in the film has a wide graph from when Meena Tai gets married to Bala sahab as a teenager, and it goes on from her 20s to her 60s.

acting, Kareena established a career as a designer. During her five-year association with the retail chain Globus, Kapoor became the first Indian actress to launch her own line of clothing for women; she described the collaboration as being “special” and “reflective of my personal sense of style”.

Her collection made its debut several

months later in stores across India, and was well received. Following the end of her contract with Globus, she expressed a desire to work with a design house to release her clothing line internationally, but later explained that those plans were on hold. In August 2018, Kapoor collaborated with Lakmé Cosmetics to launch her own line of cosmetics.

18

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Popular pairs for big screen in 2019

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7233 - Fraser St., Vancouver, BC

On one hand, where 2019 will be witnessing a number of new on-screen pairs, on the other, there are some popular Punjabi jodies that are known to give hits, will also be making it the box office again. These pairs have already been lauded for their on-screen presence and chemistry; and thus, the audience can’t keep calm after listening to the news of them teaming up for 2019 releases.

Neeru Bajwa & Diljit Dosanjh From ‘Jatt & Juliet’ to ‘Sardaar Ji’, every time when Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa have come together, their chemistry has been lauded by the fans. Thus, the two have again teamed up for a 2019 release - ‘Shadaa’.

Though the duo featured in the song ‘Raat Di Gedi’ that came out in 2017, it was 2015 when the last time Neeru Bajwa and Diljit Dosanjh shared the screen space on the 70mm.

So technically, it is after a break of four years that these two artists will be seen together. Talking about the movie, ‘Shadaa’ is reportedly a romantic comedy. Directed by Jagdeep Sidhu, the movie will hit the box office on 21st June.

Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa If you have seen ‘Nikka Zaildar’ and its sequel, we are sure you too are a fan of the on-screen couple Ammy Virk and Sonam Bajwa. Both of these stars are known for their utter innocence and charm that leaves everyone spellbound. Even the industry people know the same and thus, have roped in the two for ‘Muklawa’.

The movie is scheduled to release on May 24. It is a comedy drama directed

by Simerjit Singh and bankrolled by Gunbir Singh Sidhu and Manmord Sidhu.

Binnu Dhillon and Kavita Kaushik Sometimes it’s not a romantic scene that speaks for chemistry, but the comfort and camaraderie between two actors. According to Kavita Kaushik, it certainly is the camaraderie between her and Binnu Dhillon that has helped the two garner so much love and appreciation from the fans. After starring together in two of Pollywood’s most hilarious movies ‘Vekh Baraatan Challiyan’ and ‘Vadhayiyaan Ji Vadhayiyaan’, Binnu Dhillon and Kavita Kaushik have again teamed up for ‘Naukar Vahuti Da’. Slated to release on 23rd August, the movie is a Smeep Kang directorial and comes from the genre of comedy dramas. So get ready to be tickled again.

Tarsem Jassar and Simi Chahal On one hand, where a couple of on-screen jodies take their time to tighten their grip over the audience, on the other, there are some reel pairings that cast the spell in a single go. The duo of Tarsem Jassar and Simi Chahal falls in the second category.

For the first time the two shared screen space in ‘Rabb Da Radio’, and now its sequel also features the very couple again in the lead. Scheduled to hit the big screen on March 29, ‘Rabb Da Radio 2’ is expected to fetch more applauds for Tarsem and Simi’s on-screen chemistry.

Roshan Prince and Rubina Bajwa Just like Tarsem Jassar and Simi Chahal, Roshan Prince and Rubina Bajwa worked together only on one movie last year -‘Laavaan Phere’. However, the movie was such a success and the pairing was so much appreciated that the duo will be seen in not just one but two movies this year - ‘Laavaan Phere 2’ and ‘Nanka Mel’.

The former is scheduled to release on 22nd February and the latter on 6th September

Saturday, January 26, 2019

HOROSCOPE

Malaika Arora’s driver reveals her relationship details Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor’s relationship is no secret today; however, the two have always remained tight lipped about it. Reports suggest that Salman Khan is very upset with Arjun for the same, though the duo has never really spoken about it in open. Meanwhile, now, fresh reports suggest that Malaika’s driver Mukesh has been leaking out information about her private talks with Arjun Kapoor to ex-husband Arbaaz Khan via his driver. Yes, you read it right. According to a SpotBoye report, Malaika apparently blasted at her driver after finding out the same.

For those uninitiated, Malaika and Arbaaz’ drivers are brothers Mukesh and Babloo, who have been working for Malaika and Arbaaz even after they got separated from each other. The report also stated that Malaika’s rumoured forthcoming wedding with Arjun has got everyone talking in the Khan-Daan.

Well, we just hope this isn’t true because this seems like serious breach of privacy for the lovebirds.

‘Koffee With Karan’ controversy led to Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul’s suspension by BCCI If someone had told Hardik Pandya &KL Rahul what their fate would be after appearing on an episode of ‘Koffee With Karan’, the cricketers would have probably run for their lives.

However, in what could only be a nightmare for the young guns, their inappropriate comments against women and black culture on the tv show was welcomed with widespread anger.

In retaliation to the flak that Pandya and Rahul received, The BCCI suspended them both which kept them away from India’s ODI series against Australia. Hardik and KL can now breathe a sigh of relief as the BCCI has lifted the suspension. The suspension was lifted after the CoA (Committee of Administrators) of BCCI asked the Supreme Court to appoint an ombudsman to inquire about the matter, according to News Minute.

Given that the ombudsman is pending, the CoA suggested that the suspension should be lifted. While the duo was supposedly going to miss India’s ODI series against New Zealand, the lifting of the suspension now makes it eligible for them to play again.

Parineeti Chopra’s picture with Modi went viral What happened when Parineeti Chopra met Prime Minister Narendra Modi? Well, a little bit of awkwardness! Not exactly what we’re trying to say, but the picture at least suggests so. Parineeti shared a picture of herself with PM Modi and it’s going viral on the web. In the picture, we see PM Modi initiating a handshake to Ms Chopra, who in return does the Namaste. Quite an awkward moment there!

Well, this awkward handshake between PM Modi and Ms Chopra invited several trolls her way. Neither Parineeti nor Modi were spared by the trollers. We have a couple of them just for you’ll

19

Bollywood

Aries

March 21 - April 20 The focus could seem lighter and brighter this week with the sun now in sociable Aquarius and chatty Mercury moving in on Wednesday. You may still have responsibilities and be eager to press ahead with them, but you’ll also want to get involved in team projects and enjoy spending more time with friends. In general, the week looks lively, and Friday brings the promise of fresh adventures. Monday could be an uncomfortable day, though, as dynamic Mars in your sign forges an edgy angle to cautious Saturn in your career

Taurus

April 21 - May 20 It can be very frustrating when you want something to happen and life seems to conspire against you to prevent it. This might

when no matter how hard you try you can’t get the results you seek. Let go and turn your attention to other matters because it could all come together within a day or so. A positive aspect between Venus & Jupiter in your sector

than make up for any frustration.

Gemini

May 20 - June 21

appear far less complicated this week. In fact, your whole approach can be more upbeat, and

outcome you seek.

Despite this, you could experience a

prudent Saturn in your sector of transformation on Monday.

Cancer

June 22 - July 23

It could seem that someone is blocking you from a goal or ambition you’re passionate about. You may feel this most acutely around the start of the week and be annoyed by it. The more you push against them, though, the more trapped you could feel. If you can just let it go for a few days,

! might be full steam ahead after all. Try not to dwell on any snafus because there are other aspects that can bring you satisfaction.

Libra

Sept. 24 - Oct 22 As feisty Mars continues to move through your relationship zone, there is still plenty of opportunity to clear the air and get a relationship back on track. Still, you

hook, especially at the start of the week.

Experience could encourage you to set

not seeming too eager to make amends. It could be the only way the other person gets the message.

Scorpio

Oct 23 - Nov 22 Progress could stall because you overthink something. The harder you try,

! relax, things could be so much easier. Whatever you’re involved with, a lighter touch can allow you "

# criticize yourself.

When it comes to spending money, you may have no doubts about what you want.

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22

$

you could feel truly in your element.

Plus, with dynamic Mars and electric Uranus in your sector of leisure, you may enjoy the thrill of the romantic chase. If you’re looking for love, the week ahead shows great promise. Even if it seems you have competition, you can still

supreme.

At the same time, you could hit the brakes on a new romance or even a creative project if you feel the price is too high.

Capricorn Dec 23 - Jan 20

% $

'

could be a chance to get your money to work harder for you. The coming weeks can see you taking stock and considering how you might increase your income. You might also be eager to start a side business. This is a time when you might consider making use of a talent that has lain dormant. You could see positive results from this.

Aquarius

Jan 21 - Feb 19

Leo

June 24 - August 23 If you felt snowed under by work last week,

Lighter and brighter energies can boost your spirits and leave you feeling much more upbeat. And even though you could experience a roadblock at the start of the week as pushy Mars angles toward sobering Saturn, you’ll be able to rise above it. Leisure opportunities may be plentiful, and romance can be a delightful experience.

With the sun in your sign, you could be feeling much more at home with yourself and ready to take stock of your life. And once Mercury, the planet of talk and thought, enters Aquarius on Wednesday, you’ll be eager to share your ideas and get others interested.

If one of your plans takes you out of your comfort zone, you might be surprised by how one part of you wants to give up.

Pisces Virgo Lifestyle matters are very much in focus this week with the sun now moving through Aquarius and your sector of work and wellness. This is your opportunity to consider your routines and habits and how you might improve them. And while Monday could bring frustrating circumstances, let them wash over you. Any obstacles will likely melt away within a few days. With chatty Mercury, your guardian planet, moving into the same sector on Wednesday.

to have a field day:

Feb 20 - March 20 With the sun in a secluded zone and thoughtful Mercury moving in midweek, you may

# ( "

% phase will last for around four weeks, and it’s an opportunity for you to remove clutter, spiritually and emotionally. What no longer serves you?

Whatever that is, it’s time for it to go.

You may be less inclined to get involved socially, preferring to channel your energies elsewhere for now.

20

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Bollywood Bollywood stars, 10 years ago and NOW!

Comedian Govinda’s nephew Janmendra Ahuja died The shocking news of Govinda’s 34-year-old nephew, Janmendra Ahuja aka Dumpy died. He suffered heart attack and breathed his last at his residence in Yari Road, Versova. According to Kashmera Shah, she said, “We have just reached here.

Janmendra Ahuja is no more.

Bipasha Basu after 10 years fabulous fitness and improvsing looks.

In 10 years ‘the posture got better!!’

What do you think?...

It’s a natural death. We are deeply shocked.

On hearing of his nephew’s death actor Govinda, Abhishek, Kashmera Shah, Ragini Khanna all rushed to his residence. This afternoon, his last rites were conducted at Pawan Hans Crematorium, Vile Parle and his family members were inconsolable.

Govinda and Krushna Abhishek were present with teary-eyes.

Temper riding high as Thackeray director Abhijit walks out of the special screening Last evening, a special screening (that hits theatres tomorrow) of Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer Thackeray was held

by Shiv Sena MP, Sanjay Raut at Atria Mall. The show was specially arranged for Shiv Sena Chief, Uddhav Thackeray and his close ones. Word out is that the director of the movie Abhijit Panse was extremely miffed because they started the show started before he arrived.

Abhijit was expecting them to wait for him. Word also has it Abhijit stormed out in anger and disgust.

Our sleuths got into action this evening and found out that the story is slightly different. It so happened that when Abhijit Panse walked in, he found that he had been given the first row from the front. He was horrified

and asked the film’s team that something should be done to change his seat.

However, he was told that no changes whatsoever could be possibly made.

To watch his/her own labour of love in an uncomfortable posture is the last thing that any director would welcome.

Abhijit decided to rather leave, his three guests who had accompanied him followed suit. A few minutes later, Sanjay Raut came to know that Abhijit had left the plex. The Shiv Sena MP quickly called Abhijit but the director was in no mood to take a U-turn.

When contacted, Abhijit Panse did not deny our story, but all he would say was, “Leave me alone. I really don’t want to comment on this.”

21

Saturday, January 26, 2019

BC based eminent film maker Jatinder Jay Minhas honoured at 25th Punjabi Parvasi Divas Canada based eminent Non Resident Indian (NRI) film maker Jatinder Jay Minhas was honoured at the the 25th Punjabi Parvasi Divas at Hotel Taj here in Chandigarh on Saturday.

The event was organised by International Chamber For Service Industry (ICSI) in collaboration with the Punjab Government. Mr Manpreet Badal , Punjab Finance Minister had inaugurated the event.

Eminent Film Maker Jatinder Jay Minhas known for his film ‘Barefoot warrior ‘and forthcoming films ‘Kartar Singh Sarabha’ and ‘Saak’ speaking at being bestowed the award said that he will spread culture and traditions of Punjab through his movies across the world.

“The various cities of Punjab should be well connected with international flights so that NRI’s can visit their home towns as well as invest in Punjab.

The Punjab is full of talent and has full scope for becoming a film industry state on the lines of Southern states. Punjab government should invite investment in film industry also“ said Mr Minhas.

“Filmmaking in Punjab is already at its high but will become more easier if Punjab government gives Industry status to the profession and introduces a single window system where applications, seeking permissions for shoots, can be decided within a week. The provision of giving industry status to the film making will entitle it to subsidies and incentives available under the Enterprise P r o m o t i o n Policy.: he said. ”Punjab offers lots of urban and rural settings in various parts of the state including Amritsar, Mohali, Patiala, Sirhind, Ludhiana ,Jalandhar and villages .More film makers from various parts of the country will be attracted in the state with easing of film making” MR Minhas added. film maker Minhas through his Non Government Organisation (NGO) is already working in various parts of the state in the education and health sector and also in his home town Jalandhar

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Bollywood

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Politics, nation & his films - Paresh Rawal talks about all Never mind if the name in the film has been changed to Govind Bhardwaj, Paresh Rawal plays the counterpart of National Security Advisor Ajit Doval in “URI: The Surgical Strikes,” which has released all over. An ardent supporter of Narendra Modi and his vision for the country, Rawal minces no words in our interview, making it a remarkable political statement.

On how Vivek Oberoi is doing a Modi biopic, so what happened to his: “We are doing our respective biopics in our ways. Modi is too large a persona to have only one

such look at his work. But my film will not take off before the elections.”

On how January 2019 seems to have a surfeit of political films that seem, according to a section of the media, a deliberate preelection plan: “Look, in India, somewhere, or the other, elections are going on all the time! We cannot stop working because people may look at things that way, can we?”

“I have seen him, met him and know a

lot about him through what people say, his lectures and clippings. He is an absolutely brilliant man and gutsy as well.”

About “URI” the film, and what happened in 2016: “It was imperative for a ‘Naya Hindustan’ to hit back, and Modi-ji headed the meeting in which every detail was planned. Our Army had the strength to tackle 26/11 too, but for some reason, the then-government told them not to retaliate. This time, what made the difference was the political will.”

On what he learned that was new after working on “URI”: “It was the amazing meticulousness of the whole operation! Modi-Ji and Doval were adamant that we lose not a single soldier.”

About people who talk ill of the Uri Surgical Strikes even now: “This movie, like the surgical strike itself, is a stout and befitting reply to such people, it is like salt being applied on their ‘wounds’! They just want to show their importance, and even more basic, existence! This termite clan always sees evil and the worst of everything, and nothing can be done about them. Like when Modi-Ji went to Nawaz Sharif ’s house on his birthday, all of a sudden, trusting him and a country in which anything can happen, they said he had gone just to eat the cake! Why, aren’t cakes made in India? Did he not go there to build a relationship and extend a hand? What can be a bigger statement?”

“They have been attacking us since 1947! Pakistan is not a country that will improve with a single kick! It is a romantic notion that Pakistan will ever improve!”

“Look, Modi-Ji has spent 14 years as Gujarat’s Chief Minister. And there was not a single day when the media did not abuse him. Some people told me that they had learned some new abuses from the headlines! But he never stopped, nor did he issue any threats to such journalists. Modi-Ji also never stopped giving ads to publications that opposed or abused him, which could have killed the revenues of any newspaper. His way of looking at it was ‘Abuse me! If that gives you your rozi-roti (livelihood), I am happy I am contributing to it!’ There was not a single curfew or riot in that period.”

“The saddest part is that it gives a handle to the wrong people. The Congress says, ‘Aage badho! Hum tumhare saath hain (We are with you)!’ It’s a circus! Did you know that the Award Waapsi stunt some years ago was a copy of something that happened in USA during the Vietnam war?”

On his views on how stonepelters are sympathized with and the Army tarnished:

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Press release

23

Surrey Anti-Gang Family Empowerment (SAFE) Program

The Government of Canada provides $7.5M funding for the Surrey Anti-Gang Family Empowerment (SAFE) Program to support at-risk youth in Surrey On Tuesday, January 22, 2019, the Honourable Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction and the Honourable Harjit Sajjan, Minister of Defence, announced $7.5 million in federal funding for the Surrey Anti-Gang Family Empowerment (SAFE) Program.

The SAFE program will include the creation of a Children and Youth at Risk Table that brings together partners on a weekly basis to ensure interventions are coordinated for maximum impact. The program is funded under the National Crime Prevention Strategy (NCPS), which reaches out to youth through schools, community centres and neighbourhood organizations to help steer them away from drugs, gangs and

other potentially harmful activities.

The hub of the program will be based in Surrey Centre at the new Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) in the Civic Plaza.

Partners can collaborate to support children, youth and families.

Up to 4,730 highschool-aged young people in the City of Surrey are expected to benefit from this project The SAFE program was developed out of

the findings of the Mayor’s Task Force on Gang Violence Prevention. MP Sarai was a member of the task force and commented, “As the elected representative for Surrey Centre, my constituents have expressed concerns about our youth and their affiliation with drugs and gangs. I believe this investment

is a positive step to ensure that youth have safer options, and this will contribute to safer communities.” The project will be delivered in collaboration with Options Community Services Society, Pacific Community Resources Society, DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society, Progressive Intercultural Services Society, Surrey Crime Prevention Society, Solid State Industries, Surrey School District 36, Surrey RCMP, Fraser Region Aboriginal Friendship Centre Association, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, Ministry of Child and Family Development, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Simon Fraser University, Yo Bro/Yo Girl and other community organizations.

Crime Stoppers And “carp” Launch Campaign Urging Seniors To Watch For – And Anonymously Report - Elder Abuse Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers (MVCS) was joined today by seniors’ advocacy group CARP (formerly the Canadian Association of Retired Persons), White Rock Block Watch and Surrey RCMP in launching a new Crime Stoppers education program aimed at helping potential victims of elder abuse to report the crime. Crime Stoppers’ “See Something, Say Something” elder abuse awareness presentation was given for the first time today to a group of seniors at the White Rock Community Centre, and marks the beginning of a series of presentations that will be held this year wherever seniors in the Lower Mainland gather.

Anyone wishing to contact Crime Stoppers and book one of these elder abuse prevention presentations will find information at Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers’ website solvecrime. ca. Crime Stoppers will also be active in reaching out to schedule presentations with organizations like retirement home operators,

regional community centres and strata councils.

“Abuse of elderly people is one of the most underreported crimes in our society. It might go unreported due to embarrassment, fear of retaliation, or an unwillingness to get a family member in trouble,” says Linda Annis, Executive Director of Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers.

“A further complicating factor is that Metro Vancouver is home to many immigrant families.

Language and cultural barriers might prevent some elderly immigrants from reporting abuse if they don’t speak English or French well. The Crime Stoppers tips line has operators who speak more than 100 languages including Punjabi, Hindi, Mandarin and Cantonese.”

ELDER ABUSE IS A CRIME: Elder abuse can take many forms - from physical, emotional or psychological abuse, to bullying and financial abuse. All are forms of violence against some of our most vulnerable citizens. It’s a cowardly act,

NDP’s new regulatory burdens are hurting BC’s businesses Press release BC Liberal MLAs are cautioning that the NDP government has embraced a backwards attitude of increasing – rather than reducing – regulatory burdens in British Columbia, which is bad for business and our economy.

“Since taking office in 2017, the NDP has introduced new regulations across the board – making it harder for businesses of all sizes to operate in our province,” says Shuswap MLA and Jobs Co-Critic Greg Kyllo. “In particular, measures like the new Employer Health Tax and Community Benefits Agreement highlight the NDP’s problematic approach to the issue.”

The Employer Health Tax replaces MSP premiums with a levy on employers – which is complex to administer, particularly for small businesses with limited resources. Business owners also worry they will need to lay off staff, restrict hiring, cut back on staff benefits, or increase prices for customers to cover this new tax. Under the NDP’s Community Benefits Agreement, anyone working on a public-sector

project will have to join a select trade union – making it more difficult to hire workers for these projects.

Richmond-Queensborough MLA and Jobs CoCritic Jas Johal says business owners have told him they are finding it increasingly difficult to attract and retain workers in B.C. New regulations in areas like childcare and housing will only add to this challenge. “The Speculation Tax is a prime example of an unnecessary bureaucratic burden,” says Johal.

“Not only will this tax not improve affordability, but all homeowners in large urban centres will have to prove to the government they actually live in their home. If they’re away from their home for work, medical, or family reasons, they’ll have to prove that too. I can’t see this being a selling feature for relocating to British Columbia.” Resource industries are also feeling the hit. Cariboo North MLA and Small Business Critic Coralee Oakes points out they’re facing additional regulation thanks to the NDP’s changes to professional reliance and Environmental Assessment processes.

and it goes unreported much too often. Some nowhere to turn. (See attached backgrounder of our most elderly citizens become victims of for examples of often-ignored forms of elder their own family members and feel they have abuse.)

24

Vol. 9 No. 52

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Saturday - January 26, 2019

Tel: 604-591-5423

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Rural BC joins the rank of world’s least affordable cities including Vancouver & Toronto We’ve all heard about unaffordable housing in Vancouver and Toronto, but a few smaller cities and rural areas in BC have now joined the ranks of the world’s least affordable housing markets.

Rising house prices in British Columbia, combined with rising mortgage rates, have pushed Nanaimo, the Comox Valley and the Fraser Valley into the top 20 least affordable cities in an annual survey from research firm Demographia.

Yes, that’s right. It’s more affordable to buy a home in metropolitan New York than it is in Nanaimo, B.C. After sitting in third place for several years, Vancouver has leapfrogged Sydney, Australia, to become the second-least affordable

major city in the world.

Toronto, meanwhile, has been steadily rising over the past few years. It now ranks as the 16th least affordable city among 309 metro areas surveyed, up from 21st place last year and 28th the year before.

Watch: The extreme measures Canadians go through to buy a home.

Story continues below.

The median house in Vancouver cost 12.6 times the median income in 2018, the survey found — exactly the same

Calgary’s housing market continues to contend with more supply than demand and in 2018 saw the lowest sales numbers in over 20 years, according to a local real estate agent.

Figures provided by Jim Sparrow with Royal LePage Solutions show the last time home sales dipped below the 16,144 units sold last year was in 1996 when the population was significantly lower and there were fewer dwellings.

That year saw 15,689 units sold, a jump from 1995, when 11,257 were sold.

According to a report form the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB), December sales in Calgary dropped 21 per cent from the same month in 2017 with only 794 units resold.

There was a 14 per cent decline in yearly sales from 2017 and a nearly 20 per cent decline from long-term averages.

ratio as the year before.

But Vancouver rose to second place because house prices are falling rapidly in Sydney, and the city is becoming more affordable That’s not the case with Toronto, which has seen affordability worsen over the past year. A median home in Canada’s largest city cost 8.3 times the median income in 2018, up from 7.8 the year before, by Demographia’s calculations.

Hong Kong retained its spot as the least affordable housing market in the world.

Home sales hit lows not seen in over 20 years, in Calgary More than 4,900 units were listed for sale, 30 per cent higher than typical levels for the month, CREB said.

Calgary home sales slide 14% compared with a year ago. Realtor Emma May said those holding out for a so-called spring market likely won’t see the results they’re hoping for. “I actually foresee that we’re going to get a lot more inventory coming onto the market here in the spring. But I’m not sure that we’ve got

A median house there costs a dizzying 20.9 times median income.

Demographia considers any housing market with a ratio above 5.0 to be “severely unaffordable.� To be considered “affordable,� a housing market would have to have a ratio of no more than 3.0.

By those standards, Toronto house prices would have to fall by more than half, and Vancouver prices would have to fall by some 75 per cent, in order to be “affordable.�

We’re going to go out on a limb here and say these cities will never be affordable again, at least not by this metric.

Looking at Canadian cities alone, the list is dominated by locations close to either Toronto or Vancouver. B.C. and southern Ontario cities take every spot among the top 20, save for Montreal, which just squeaked onto the list.

the buyers to pick that up. So while inventory levels are high I think they’re going to just get higher here for a little for a period of time,� she said. CREB chief economist Ann-Marie Lurie said the job market and lending rates have both had an impact. “We just didn’t see the economic growth that was expected in the second half of 2018,� she said. “Demand hasn’t improved enough to absorb additional supply.�

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

Detached home values likely to drop in next property assessment

The real estate market in most parts of Metro Vancouver has softened over the last year and homeowners will see those changes reflected in their property assessments next spring. Outside Metro Vancouver, it’s a different picture. Home owners in the rest of the province can expect increases of five to 15 per cent for assessed values of single-family homes.

And in parts of central and northern Vancouver Island, and Kitimat, home values are at least 20 per cent higher than last year.

B.C. Assessment has released a preview of its figures for 2019, which will be sent to property owners in early January.

Metro Vancouver home sales and prices down to more ‘historical’ levels, says real estate board

“It’s a real mix in property value changes, but the market can best be summed up as showing signs of stability across most areas of the province,” said property assessor Tina Ireland. “Changes in property assessments

really depend on where you live. For example, assessed values for detached single family homes in many areas of Metro Vancouver may see a softening in value, while other

markets and areas of the province will see modest increases over last year’s values.”

Of note this year, B.C. Assessment says it observed a five to 10 per cent drop in prices of single-family detached homes in Vancouver, the North Shore, South Surrey, White Rock, South Delta and Richmond.

Other Metro Vancouver municipalities showed stable values or modest increases, according to the independent assessment authority. In general, the rest of the province could expect increases of five to 15 per cent for assessed values of single-family homes.

The exceptions were in parts of central and northern Vancouver Island, and Kitimat, which were valued at least 20 per cent higher this year. Climbing property assessments trigger warning letters to 90,000 B.C. homeowners

Real estate industry poised for a tech disruption in 2019 Real estate agent Shawn Zigelstein remembers a time, just a few years ago, when a printer, scanner and fax machine were the most important tools of his trade.

“I don’t even know the last time I sent a fax, to be honest with you,” laughs Zigelstein, a sales rep with a Royal LePage brokerage in Richmond Hill, Ont. “Oh the dilemmas we used to have were unbelievable. Now our clients can open their phone up, push a few buttons and the [offer] papers are signed.”

Zigelstein says the adoption of technology

in real estate has grown exponentially over the past few years and it’s a trend he thinks will only grow as more options become available and realtors scramble to lure in the millennial market.

The agents that are not adapting to this change are going to see their business drop considerably because they can’t adapt fast enough.

“The agents that are not adapting to this change are going to see their business drop considerably because they can’t adapt fast enough,” he said.

Real estate market expected to mederate over next 2 years

From smartphone apps like Loom, which allows realtors to remotely share screens and presentation slides with clients, to digital signatures that can be verified with phones and tablets, technology is shaping a new way for realtors to do business.

Historically, the real estate industry has been a “laggard” when it comes to embracing technology, says Frank Magliocco, a partner at PwC Canada who specializes in the housing market.

“But I think what you’re going to see now is a fairly significant ramp up in embracing that technology once it becomes more mainstream,” he said.

“It’ll be increasingly important to remain and be competitive in the marketplace. Once

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the country’s real estate market is expected to moderate over the next two years as the growth in housing prices is expected to slow to more in line with economic fundamentals.In its 2018 housing market outlook released today, the national housing agency projects housing starts and sales are both expected to decline

in 2019 and 2020.It predicts housing starts for single and multi-unit starts will fall to between 193,700 and 204,500 in 2019, while sales are anticipated to be between 478,400 and 497,400 units. Prices are anticipated to range between $501,400 and $521,600.

CMHC says it expects economic indicators

you see these technologies prove out, you’ll see more and more adoption.”

26

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

Saturday, January 26, 2019 South Asian Seniors Carpet Bowling Game January 13th 2019 (Sunday) 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Centre of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults/ Senior members & even nonmembers to come & enjoy the fun of Carpet Bowling Game, a great exercise free of cost and make some new friends, on January 13th 2019 (Sunday) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey B.C. Even if you have never played, Baldev Raj Kohli, who is well trained, will teach you how to play Carpet Bowling & have great fun. All are welcome, tea & snacks will be served after the game is over.Project funded

by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking Seniors.

Please call Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further details.

South Asian Seniors - Antakshari Hindi Songs Competition Sunday, 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Center of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults, Senior members & nonmembers also to join us for Antakshari Songs Competition with Hindi songs on Sunday from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC. The participants will be divided in to two groups, could be male members against female members or combined both.

The game is of ending words of the song sung by the last singer, to be continued by the song by the next singer of the opposite group, if one group fails to sing for the last word of the song then the opponent can sing the song and the group who failed to sing is eliminated, No song is repeated in the game by both groups.

Tea & snacks will be served to all participants after the game is over. Project funded by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking seniors.

Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further information.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

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Saturday, January 26, 2019

DREAM CARPET

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, January 26, 2019

BC woman who sent explicit photos of young daughter to the predator in Australia avoids jail time A B.C. woman who sent explicit photos of her nine-year-old daughter to a man in Australia who turned out to be a pedophile has avoided jail time.

The woman, who cannot be identified due to a publication ban, pleaded guilty to one count of endangering the morals of her daughter, who also cannot be named.

In August 2016, the mom began an online relationship with the man, who is only identified by the initials G.H. in a ruling on the case.

The two communicated through Facebook messages, with the relationship eventually becoming sexually explicit.

G.H. tried to persuade the mom to involve her daughter in the online communications, asking her to allow the daughter to see his private parts. He also sought to have the mom allow him to see the daughter’s genitalia.

The mom sent G.H. two “selfie” photos of herself in bed with her daughter, taken using her cellphone. One of the photos showed the daughter sucking her mother’s nipple and looking in the direction of the camera.

In his ruling on the case, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Frits Verhoeven said that it appeared the photos were sent to excite G.H., but also to appease his demands for more explicit material.

The judge said that G.H. was skillfully manipulating the mother, who repeatedly expressed reservations and doubts during the conversations and attempted at one point to end the conversations but confessed to being “addicted” to G.H. “Later, she returns to feelings of regret and recognition saying, ‘I fell in love with you wrongfully, you no longer have me under your

Langley mother accused in death of daughter faces first-degree murder charge A Langley mother accused of killing her seven-year-old daughter has had the charge against her upgraded to first-degree murder.

Kerryann Lewis, 36, was originally charged with second-degree murder in the death of her daughter, Aaliyah Rosa. The new, first-degree murder charge was sworn in provincial court on Friday, confirmed the B.C. Prosecution Service.

On July 22, police were called to an apartment complex near 200th Street and 68th Avenue in Langley where they found Aaliyah. How she died remains unclear.

Mother charged with second-degree murder in death of Langley girl Aaliyah Rosa ‘She met the world with open, friendly arms’: Family, friends of Langley

homicide victim remember sprightly seven-year-old bursting with love Mourners pay tribute to slain seven-year-old Aaliyah Rosa of Langley Aaliyah, an only child, lived in Walnut Grove with her father, Steve.

At her memorial service in August, mourners remembered her as a child who “oozed curiosity” and was “too smart for her own good.” She was charismatic and wild and loved everyone, said her daycare provider.

Lewis is scheduled to return to court Jan. 30.

Penalty handed to family of embezzler cut in half by BC’s high court The B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled a North Vancouver man does not have to pay back nearly a quarter million dollars stolen by his wife from her employer before she died, but the widower is still liable for more than $100,000.

The case began after the 2012 death of Wanda Moscipan when the Vancouver Coastal Health authority attempted to recover nearly $600,000 it found she had embezzled during her eight years as a financial administrator.

The health authority launched legal action against both Moscipan’s estate and her husband, and a lower court ruled the widower must have known his wife was receiving funds through fraudulent means.

That decision ordered Miroslaw Moscipan to repay $246,073.23., finding that amounted to the portion of stolen funds used to cover family expenses.

At the time, Justice Leonard Marchand wrote restitution on the part of her husband “is adequate to send a message to others that they do not stand to benefit from the misdeeds of others when they know or ought to know of ill-gotten gains.”

Moscipan appealed to B.C.’s highest court, fighting the repayment order and a further ruling that set aside his wife’s death-bed transfer of her portion of the family home.

Conservative MP invokes Marrisa Shen’s murder in call for immigration screening review Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel chose Burnaby South as the venue to repeat her call for a review of Canada’s immigration screening process.

The Calgary MP held a press conference alongside Jay Shin, her party’s candidate in the contentious Feb. 25 byelection. Shin is facing NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, Liberal Richard Lee, independent Valentine Wu and LauraLynn Tyler Thompson of the People’s Party.

Rempel invoked the murder of Burnaby teen Marrisa Shen in her call for a joint Parliamentary committee study “into how our security screening process can be strengthened.”

“Residents of Burnaby know all too well the consequences of poor security screening after the horrific and tragic murder of a young girl in 2017,” she said. “Cases like this highlight the gaps in our immigration screening system.”

Ibrahim Ali, a 28-year-old Syrian national who came to Canada as a refugee from Syria, was charged with Shen’s murder.

There is no publicly known evidence to suggest Ali had a criminal record in Syria that was missed by Canadian officials.

Rempel said she will present a motion proposing the study in the House of Commons when it resumes sitting later this month.

“A Parliamentary study is the perfect venue to study this issue and hold Justin Trudeau to account to ensure Canadian safety,” she said.

Lee (who has replaced the Liberals’ former candidate Karen Wang), said he wasn’t sure whether he supports Rempel’s motion.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Armed man wanted, considered dangerous Edmonton police are asking for the public’s assistance in locating a man who is believed to be armed and dangerous.

Abdi Kafor Muhamud Hirsi, 32, is wanted on outstanding warrants for firearmrelated offences, police said.

He is described as black with a thin

build, black hair and brown eyes. He is approximately 178 centimetres (5’10”) tall.

Edmonton Police Service said anyone who sees Hirsi should not approach him.

Those with information on his location should call EPS at 780-423-4567 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Canada’s Food Guide recommends we should eat more plants & less meat Those appear to be the biggest takeaways from the newest version of Canada’s Food Guide, which was released Tuesday by Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor.

“It puts more focus on what, when and how we eat, and less on food groups and servings. It gives clear, concise advice that everyone can easily apply to their everyday lives,” Petitpas Taylor said at the guide’s unveiling event in Montreal. One of the most notable changes is the elimination of the four traditional food groups, which had been part of the federal government’s nutrition advice, in one form or another, since 1942.

Whole grains, vegetables and fruits are still listed as an integral part of a healthy diet, but the traditional focus on the likes of meat and milk is gone in favour of the broader category of proteins.

There is a specific recommendation that Canadians consume plant-based proteins “more often” and cut down on their intake of processed meats and saturated fats, which can contribute to cancer, diabetes and other diseases.

Recommended proteins in the guide include “lentils, lean meats, fish, unsweetened milk and fortified soy beverages.” Meat and alternatives had previously been a separate food group, as had milk and alternatives.

26 individuals own the same as poorest 50% of humanity Wealth has become more concentrated in the past year with just 26 people owning the same as the poorest 50% of the entire human race, indicating that fortune really does favour the rich.

The figures were published by Oxfam on Monday as part of a report on the world’s wealth, which says deep divisions in gender equality and poor public services are key factors in the growing gap between rich and poor.

According to the report, in the more than 10 years since the 2008 financial crisis, the number of billionaires has doubled.

In the last year alone, the wealth of billionaires increased €2.2 billion every single day, with a new person becoming a billionaire every two days.

This compares to almost 50% of the world’s population who live on less than €4.90 per day.

“The way our economies are organised means wealth is increasingly and unfairly concentrated among a privileged few while millions of people are barely subsisting,” Matthew Spencer, Oxfam’s director of campaigns and policy, said in a statement released with the report.

“It doesn’t have to be this way – there is enough wealth in the world to provide everyone with a fair chance in life.”

What are the key points and

suggestions from the report?

Significant investment into public services, such as universal healthcare and education, can help reduce poverty and inequality, and also reduce the growing gap between rich and poor, the report found.

Access to even the most basic education could positively affect millions of people -- the report estimated that more than 170 million people could escape extreme poverty if all children graduated school with basic reading skills.

“Universal social protection and public services played a pivotal role in state- and nation-building in Western Europe,” it said. “Trying to target the poorest people often has the opposite effect, with many of those who should benefit being left out.”

Euronews spoke to Max Lawson, Oxfam’s head of inequality, who said “the entire global economy is benefitting those at the top.”

“The richest people in the world are paying lower rates of tax than they have in decades.”

In the UK, the poorest 10% are paying a higher proportion of their incomes in tax than the richest 10%, the report also noted.

In order to fund an increase in public services, Oxfam recommended placing tax increases on the world’s richest population.

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Anti-corruption squad arrests former of Montreal construction trade school head in connection with alleged fraud Quebec’s anti-corruption unit has arrested the former head of a construction trade school in Montreal as well as three others in connection with an alleged fraud scheme.

The unit, known by its French acronym UPAC, said today the four men allegedly committed fraud to the detriment of the school.

The school offers classes and certifications for trades such as carpentry, plumbing and masonry.

Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) interimdirector Frederic Gaudreau speaks at a news conference presenting their annual report, Dec. 13, 2018 in Quebec City. UPAC arrested Alain Prud’homme, who was director of the trade school until Oct. 2017.

Anti-Corruption Unit (UPAC) interim-

director Frederic Gaudreau speaks at a news conference presenting their annual report, Dec. 13, 2018 in Quebec City.

UPAC arrested Alain Prud’homme, who was director of the trade school until Oct. 2017.

UPAC arrested Alain Prud’homme, who was director of the trade school until Oct. 2017.

Also arrested were Enrico Di Paola, Mathieu Therien and Modesto Abella — all three of whom are described by investigators as service providers to the school — the Ecole des métiers de la construction de Montreal.

Charges against Prud’homme include fraud over $5,000, fraud against the government, possession of property

Charges laid 5 years after toddler killed by snake venom Charges have been laid nearly five years after a two-year-old Aleka Esa-Bella Scheyk Gonzales was poisoned and killed by snake venom in North Vancouver.

RCMP said Henry Thomas, 51, had the girl in his care on May 18, 2014 and returned her to her mother that same day.

Hours later, at 5 a.m., the child’s mother phoned RCMP and said the toddler was dead.

A statement said Mounties searched Thomas’ home in Agassiz and seized snakes and “related equipment” in July 2015.

Further biological DNA testing was run in 2016 and 2017, confirming the twoyear-old’s cause of death.

Thomas, 51, was arrested at his home on Friday. He’s been charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.

“This is a very tragic incident that resulted in a complex, unique investigation by police and support agencies,” said Supt. Chris Kennedy, the officer in charge of the North Vancouver RCMP. “Our condolences are extended to the family and community of the deceased child.”

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NATIONAL

Saturday, January 26, 2019

IMF cuts forecast for 2019 growth in Canada The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for world economic growth this year, citing heightened trade tensions and rising U.S. interest rates.

The IMF said Monday that it expects global growth this year of 3.5 per cent, down from 3.7 per cent in 2018 and from the 3.7 per cent it had forecast for 2019 back in October.

Unveiling its forecasts at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the fund left its prediction for U.S. growth this year unchanged at 2.5 per cent.

For Canada, the IMF’s estimate for growth in 2019 was 1.9 per cent, down from a forecast in October for growth of 2.0 per cent.

The IMF’s view is more positive than an assessment by the Bank of Canada

issued Jan. 9. The central bank forecast growth of 1.7 per cent this year, down from its October prediction of 2.1 per cent.

The IMF expects the Chinese economy — the world’s second biggest — to grow 6.2 per cent this year, down from 6.6 per cent in 2018 and the slowest since 1990.

China announced Monday its GDP had expanded by 6.6 per cent in 2018, down from 2017’s 6.9 per cent. Growth in the three months ending in December dipped to 6.4 per cent — the lowest quarterly level since the 2008 global crisis — from the previous quarter’s 6.5 per cent.

Chinese growth helped kickstart the world’s economy after the 2008 financial crisis and economists fear the slowdown will put a drag on global growth.

Feds want more low-income seniors to take advantage of benefit program Seniors’ mailboxes will be blitzed in the coming weeks with federal reminders to file their taxes on time as part of a government bid to get more low-income seniors into an old age benefit program.

Tens of thousands of letters will go to Canadians over 65 years old, as well as those within one year of turning 65, explaining that they could be eligible for the low-income supplement on top of old age security.

Seniors’ mailboxes will be blitzed in the coming weeks with federal reminders to file their taxes on time as part of a government bid to get more low-income seniors into an old age benefit program.

Seniors’ mailboxes will be blitzed in the coming weeks with federal reminders to file their taxes on time as part of a government bid to get more low-income seniors into an old age benefit program.

Many low-income seniors who could use the extra cash often don’t apply for it because they think they earn too much to qualify so the government has started

automatically enrolling or reapproving seniors based on their tax filings.

However if seniors don’t file their taxes on time, that can’t happen.

Employment and Social Development Canada documents show about one in 10 seniors who are eligible for the guaranteed income supplement didn’t receive it in 2016-17.

The latest figures from the government show the supplement provides up to $898 a month for the poorest single senior, and up to $540 for those in a couple, on top of what a senior receives in old age security payments.

There’s an app for that? CRA eyes new, digitally secure way to access services ‘For a senior who’s broke, it’s terrible’: Why Calgary anti-poverty advocates have sights set on water bills Statistics Canada poverty figures for 2016 — the most recent figures available — showed that 4.9 per cent of those 65 and older lived in low-income, based on the government’s newly established poverty line.

CF-18 fighter pilot fined $2,000 after pleading guilty to flying too low A fighter pilot has been fined $2,000 after pleading guilty at a court martial to flying his CF-18 jet too low during a training mission in which his wingman died in a crash. Capt. Christopher Mileusnic was the leader of a two-aircraft formation on Nov. 28, 2016, that was practising dropping bombs on targets near the Cold Lake weapons range in northeastern Alberta.

The rules for the low altitude mission required that the aircraft have a working heads-up-display -- a device that shows flight information that the pilot can read by looking forward at the canopy.

According to the agreed statement of

facts, the pilots were under pressure to drop all of their bombs before returning to base.

Mileusnic’s heads-up-display was flickering, not showing consistent altitude information as required by flight rules.

Despite the problem he continued making bomb runs with his wingman, Capt. Thomas McQueen.

“During the last target run, Captain McQueen flew the target run-in at 450 feet AGL with Captain Mileusnic in a three mile trail position. While conducting the safe escape manoeuvre, Captain McQueen inadvertently flew into terrain and died instantly,” reads the statement of facts.

Defeated NDP candidate hosts town hall to talk voter fraud allegations in nomination race About 100 residents of a northeast Calgary riding gathered on Saturday to talk about how to ensure integrity reigns in politics, amid allegations of voter fraud that surfaced after a December NDP nomination race.

Defeated candidate Roop Rai claimed the Calgary-North East race was marred by fraudulent voting, saying people with party memberships from outside the riding used false addresses and ID to vote.

About 1,300 people voted in the riding, with Gurbachan Brar winning the nomination.

Rai called for an investigation but the NDP said they stand by their process, following ID requirements set by Elections Alberta.

But she fears that unless constituents are educated about the democratic process the same issue could resurface in other ridings.

“Their democratic rights are being trampled on by these fraudulent processes,” Rai said. “I think we need to get together as a community and start brainstorming ideas, suggestions as to what we can do going forward to fix the system.”

Rai said one of her concerns is that there’s no independent body governing the nomination process, despite it being

the first step of a democratic election.

That was a message David Hartwick, a vice-president for Northern Hills Community Association and a speaker at the town hall, echoed.

“I really believe in democracy and I believe we need to be holding everyone more accountable,” he said.

“Ultimately, if there’s rules going into an election why do the same rules not apply.”

Other fraught nomination races The Calgary-North East race wasn’t the only one facing concerns of an unfair nomination process.

On Saturday, the UCP cleared Calgary-East candidate Peter Singh of allegations of fraud and bribery in his nomination race, saying they could not be substantiated. Earlier last year, Independent MLA Prag Gill called the UCP’s nomination process “crooked and racist.” He left the party after he was accused of ballot-stuffing.

And last week, a former MLA Ian Donovan stepped down from the UCP, saying there were backroom deals happening during the nomination process.

Saturday, January 26, 2019 Jason Kenney’s expenses during his tenure as MP questioned An Ottawa lawyer says he’s been under a barrage of threats since he suggested Jason Kenney misused his living allowance while serving as a Conservative member of parliament in Ottawa. House of Commons rules allow MPs to claim living expenses for a second home in the nation’s capital while maintaining a home back in their riding. Kenney claimed his primary residence was his mother’s bungalow in a Calgary retirement community while he was MP from 2012 to 2016. But in a series of Twitter posts over the weekend, Kyle Morrow argued Kenney’s primary residence was actually in Ottawa. He asked why Kenney was “entitled to a taxpayer-funded residence subsidy of $900/month when he only visited his

riding four times? Morrow suggested the UCP leader may have been involved in a “scheme similar to the one employed by Senator Mike Duffy.” Kenney’s deputy chief of staff says the allegations are disappointing and a non-issue.

“It’s kind of disappointing that this is being dredged up and debated at all. I think Alberta has some very serious big issues to talk about: oil crisis, jobs, economy. Instead we’re talking about where Jason Kenney lived in Calgary a number of years ago.” Kenney says he bought the bungalow with his mother after his father passed away, and lived in the finished basement suite so that he could spend time with her when he was in town.

Up to $2B in dirty money laundered in BC casinos & real estate in 1 year, Attorney General says BC’s attorney general is raising the stakes on the scope of alleged money laundering in casinos and real estate in British Columbia.

David Eby now says dirty money totalling as much as $2 billion in one year flowed into B.C.’s legal and illegal casinos and luxury real estate market.

Eby said in one year, up to $1 billion passed through casinos and another $1 billion was pumped into real estate in the Lower Mainland, contributed to a red-hot property market and putting homes out of the reach of many. “I started pulling on the thread of this casino laundering that was taking place and it has led to a real rat’s nest of rot, really, in the system,” Eby said. “I think that all British Columbians should certainly be concerned about what’s been happening, including, potentially, at a very high level in the real estate market.”

Attorney General David Eby likened the problem of money laundering in B.C. to a “rat’s nest of rot.” Last week, according some media reports showed the amount of suspicious cash floating through B.C. casinos was as much as $1 billion spread out over seven years — about 10 times previous estimates. The money was likely the proceeds of crime — drug money — that had to be laundered through legitimate sources to obscure its origins. Money laundering in B.C. estimated at $1B a year — but reports were not shared with province, AG says Eby’s Friday claim of up to $2 billion in dirty money marks a stark increase from an estimate given by former RCMP Deputy Commissioner Peter German last the summer. After the release of his independent

report into money laundering in the province’s casinos, he estimated more than $100 million may have been cleaned in B.C. amid a “collective system failure.” Eby chalked that up to “a difference of approach.” German, he explained, was tasked with writing a quick report that could lead to immediate changes to stop money laundering in casinos.

“We didn’t ask him to sit down and do an accounting exercise,” Eby told On The Coast host Gloria Macarenko.

“We knew there was an issue and he helped us with that.” Eby says some of the new numbers come from an RCMP intelligence report that has not been fully shared with the province.

He described the information-sharing relationship between the federal and provincial levels as “frustrating.” Since the alleged money laundering has an international component, he explained, the federal government needs to be a dependable partner. Crown disclosure problems revealed in failed high-profile money laundering case “This is a very serious issue and I believe an issue of national concern,” Eby stated. “These are staggering numbers. Incredibly troubling.”

Metro Vancouver real estate is alleged to be an avenue used by gangsters for laundering drug money.

However, he believes both Ralph Goodale, the minister of Public Safety and Bill Blair, minister of Organized Crime Reduction “get it.” Eby said he has a meeting with Blair next week and cooperation on money laundering will be top of the agenda.

Chinese authorities mistreating Canadian detainees, ambassador says Chinese authorities are mistreating two Canadians detained last month for allegedly endangering national security, Canada’s ambassador to China told MPs in a closeddoor session Friday.

Ambassador John McCallum told members of the House of Commons foreign relations committee that Michael Kovrig – a Canadian diplomat on leave – and businessman Michael Spavor are being kept in prison cells where the lights are on 24 hours a day, said sources at the hearing who were not allowed to publicly discuss what the envoy said. Authorities are also subjecting them to lengthy interrogations.

Mr. McCallum informed MPs at the incamera session that China will only allow Canadian consular officials to visit the detained men once a month and only for half an hour. Authorities are monitoring their conversations and the Chinese guards forbid embassy officials from speaking to the

Canadians in French in case they are passing on messages.

At last week’s cabinet retreat in Sherbrooke, Mr. McCallum told reporters that the two Canadians face up to four hours of questioning each day and have no access to a lawyer, a situation that could last for up to six months under the Chinese legal system.

Some observers believe the arrest of Mr. Kovrig breaches long-standing principles of diplomatic immunity, which are extended to former diplomats as well under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, The Globe and Mail reported last Wednesday.

The two arrests are part of an escalating diplomatic crisis between the two countries after last month’s arrest by Canadian authorities of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of the U.S. government, which wants to extradite her so she can face fraud charges related to violating sanctions against Iran.

NATIONAL

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INDIA

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Congress appoints Priyanka as general secretary Uttar Pradesh In a surprise move on Wednesday, Congress party confirmed appointment of Priyanka Gandhi as General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East. “Congress president (Rahul Gandhi) has appointed Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as AICC general secretary for Uttar Pradesh East. She will be taking charge with effect from the first week of February 2019,” the official statement read. The party has also appointed senior party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia as the AICC general secretary for Uttar Pradesh West. Congress has introduced the new faces with big hopes of reviving its political fortunes in Uttar Pradesh after being thrown out of power in 1989. The newly appointed leaders will replace Ghulam Nabi Azad who will now look after Haryana. The brilliant move is expected to work wonders for the party in forthcoming elections by regaining their dominance in India’s largest state. Priyanka’s political involvement has earlier been limited

to campaigning for Congress’ two bastions, Amethi and Raebareli. With her now taking a more active role in the mainstream politics, ruling party’s confidence is sure to take a hit.

Priyanka Gandhi has been a crowd puller due to her impeccable oratory skills and a stark resemblance with her grandmother, Indira Gandhi. Her ability to establish a personal connection with the voters has also worked in her favour. She was among top Congress campaigners for all elections in the state since 2012. From holding weekly public ‘darbar’ for the people from Raebareli and Amethi in Delhi for months to attending organisational affairs in the state, Priyanka’s association with UP goes way back. After categorically declining her possibility of contesting elections in Raebareli during a party event in 2017, Priyanka’s change of heart can only be credited to Congress leaders’ constant persistent.

Absolutely fulfilling, says Raghuram Rajan on his experience as RBI boss Raghuram Rajan says his tenure as the Reserve Bank’s governor was an “absolutely fulfilling experience”, and that he “wouldn’t change it for anything”. Rajan’s remarks came in an interview with India Today Group Chairman and Editor-In-Chief Aroon Purie and TV Today News Director Rahul Kanwal, at the World Economic Forum’s annual summit in Davos, Switzerland. Asked if he would have liked to have continued, Raghuram Rajan said his term had come to an end, and “we didn’t agree on any...possible continuation”. “There

were things to be done. Am I the only guy in the world who can do it? No.” “The fatal mistake that one often tends to make is [to think] that you’re indispensable. And as somebody said, the cemeteries are full of indispensable people... life moves on,” Raghuram Rajan said. “There were things to be done. Am I the only guy in the world who can do it? No.” - Raghuram Rajan Asked about the specific departure point, he said: “Basically they didn’t...offer me a contract, so that’s where it ended. I don’t want to speculate on what drove that. It’s all in the past.” Raghuram

Selection of new CBI chief went ‘inconclusive’: Report The meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modiled selection committee on Thursday to decide on the next Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) chief remained inconclusive, news agency PTI reported quoting officials. They said no decision on the CBI director was taken at the meeting. “A list of eligible officers along with their dossiers was shared with the panel members. But no decision has been taken so far,” PTI quoted an official as saying, requesting anonymity. He said another meeting of the panel will be called soon to finalise the name.

The meeting, which was held at the prime

minister’s residence, was attended by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

The post of CBI head has been lying vacant since January 10 after the unceremonious exit of Alok Verma, who was engaged in a bitter fight with Gujarat-cadre IPS officer Rakesh Asthana over corruption charges. Both Verma and Asthana have accused each other of impropriety. Verma, after being removed from the post of CBI director, was named as the Director General of Fire Services, Civil Defence and Home Guards, a less significant portfolio.

CBI arrests former CEO and her husband in Bank fraud case CBI has booked former ICICI Bank CEO & MD Chanda Kochhar, (pictured) her husband Deepak Kochhar and Videocon group MD Venugopal Dhoot in connection with alleged cheating and irregularities in loans sanctioned by the bank to the group in 2012, officials said on Thursday. The agency Thursday carried out searches at multiple locations, including the offices of Videocon group in Mumbai and Aurangabad, offices of Nupower Renewables Pvt Limited, which is operated by Deepak Kochhar, and Supreme Energy after registering a case.

“It was alleged that the accused sanctioned certain loans to private companies in a criminal conspiracy with others to cheat the ICICI Bank,” the CBI spokesperson said. In addition to Chanda, her husband Deepak and Dhoot, the agency has also named companies Nupower Renewables, Supreme Energy, Videocon International Electronics Ltd and Videocon Industries limited as accused in the FIR registered under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and provisions of prevention of corruption Act, they said.

Forest department recovers elephant tusks & cash in Jharkhand A special team of the Forest department has recovered a pair of elephant tusks from a house in Latehar district, eight days after a tusker was found dead with its tusks missing, a senior forest official said on Thursday.

Director of Palamau Tiger Reserve (PTR), Mohan Lal, told PTI that the tusks of the dead

elephant and Rs 2 lakh in cash were recovered by the special team on Wednesday from the house at Garu village which fell under the PTR range.

The elephant was found dead on January 16 near a railway crossing at Chhipadohar in Latehar district and its tusks were missing.

7 years jail for man who helped wife commit suicide A fast track court here sentenced a man to seven years imprisonment for forcing his wife to commit suicide in 2013 over dowry demands. Judge Balraj Singh convicted Kamil Hasan on Wednesday and also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on him. Hasan was held guilty under IPC section 306 (abetment of suicide), government lawyer Sitaram Arya said.

The lawyer said Nagma, Hasan’s wife, committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of their house at Tissa village on July 24, 2013.

According to a complaint filed by the victim’s father, Hasan used to harass Nagma for dowry.

Six killed in Delhi building collapse Panic and fear gripped residents of Ullawas village in the wee hours of Thursday when a four-storey building collapsed killing six labourers who were sleeping inside.

The NDRF team had retrieved six bodies till the filing of this report and suspected one or more people could be trapped under the debris. The rescue operation is expected to continue in the night as well.

The bodies had been sent for post mortem and the families of the deceased were informed in UP and Bihar. It was around 5.15 am that Gurugram fire department control room received frantic calls from villagers about the building collapse. The authorities immediately alerted the National Disaster Response Force that deputed three teams of 35 personnel each for the rescue operation.

According to villagers, the building in question lay in the ‘Laal Dora’ area and the

roof had been laid on Wednesday. It was this roof that allegedly collapsed taking the building down with it. “We were sleeping, while a few were headed to fields when we heard massive rumbling. The building crashed like house of cards and we heard screeches.

The lintel was laid yesterday and the labourers were sleeping under it. We immediately called fire department and police,” Ram Niwas, an eyewitness, said. The deceased have been identified as Aftab (20) and Anand (22), both from Samastipur in Bihar; Kuldeep (32) and Vishal (17), both from Ambedkar Nagar (UP) and Mohit (19) from Ferozabad (UP).

A 22/23-year-old deceased labourer is yet to be identified. Though building owner Daya Ram could not be contacted, one of his aides told police that there were seven workers who were supposed to be sleeping in the buidling, but there might one or two more who could have come to sleep with them.

PUNJAB

Saturday, January 26, 2019 CM Punajb protests against Pakistan’s move to restrict Kartarpur travel for Sikhs Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday protested against Pakistan’s proposal to allow only Sikh pilgrims to visit Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, pointing out that Guru Nanak was a universal guru, revered by followers of all religions, especially Hindus.

The Chief Minister has urged the Centre to take up the issue with Islamabad when the latter sends its draft agreement for regulating entry into its territory through the Kartarpur corridor.

In a statement issued here, Amarinder said while Islamabad was well within its rights to set terms and conditions relating to its territorial safety and security, it should take into consideration the fact that the first Sikh Guru’s ideology is not confined to Sikhs but is emulated by people of all faiths.

The Sikh ethos prescribes nondiscrimination, with even the concept of ‘langar’ being casteless service for all, the

50 acres land to be acquired for check post near Kartarpur To work out the modalities for construction of integrated check post (ICP) on Indian side of the border at Kartarpur sahib and decided to acquire 50 acres land for it. A team of Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) visited the area. The LPAI team, comprising its chairman Anil Kumar Bamba and special secretary BR Sharma, held three-hour deliberations with Gurdaspur Deputy Commissioner Vipul Ujwal, Dera Baba Nanak Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Ashok Sharma, Batala SSP Opinderjit Singh Ghuman and officials of the BSF, Customs, Immigration, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the PWD. The SDM, the Competent Authority for Land Acquisition (CALA), has issued a notification to acquire 24 hectares to construct the 4.25-km stretch from Dera Baba Nanak to the zero line.

Taksalis want AAP party to join the alliance SAD (Taksali) president Ranjit Singh Brahmpura today said talks with AAP were still on and they were hopeful that the party would join the Punjab Democratic Alliance (PDA) in the interest of Punjab ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. Talking to the mediapersons here, Brahmpura admitted that AAP leader Bhagwant Mann had expressed his reservations on joining the PDA due to the fact that Bholath MLA Sukhpal Khaira was a part of it. “Like Khaira, the AAP leadership should also show magnanimity and join the alliance to ensure that the opposition’s vote doesn’t get divided,” he said. Brahmpura hit out at the SAD chief Sukhbir Badal for his remark regarding the former’s alleged links with the Congress. He said: “I challenge Sukhbir to appear before Akal Takht along with his family and so will I. His statement reflects the frustration in the Akali Dal as they don’t have any issue against us. I have been an Akali for more than 60 years during which I always led from the front and even went to jail while being part of different morchas. I can never think of having any links with the Congress.” Party leader Sewa Singh Sekhwan alleged that the Badals were hand in glove with the family of Capt Amarinder Singh.

Brahmpura said they would also contest the SGPC and Assembly elections. Brahmpura targeted both the Congress as well as the SAD, blaming them for ruining the state. Later, the SAD (Taksali) leaders met former Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Jathedar Balwant Singh Nandgarh who extended full support to them.

Chief Minister said, adding that all gurdwaras are open to all, without religious bias.

A large number of Hindus in India are ardent followers of Guru Nanak, and it is their cherished dream to visit the Kartarpur Sahib gurdwara, he pointed out.

There was for years the tradition of Hindu families converting their eldest sons to Sikhism, the Chief Minister noted, adding that the influence of Sikhism in India was so strong that to exclude members of other religions was not something that the Pakistan government should even remotely consider.

To keep such followers out of Kartarpur Sahib just because they are not Sikhs is not logical, he said, urging the Centre to take up the matter with the Pakistan government on priority.

Citing media reports of the draft agreement being prepared by Pakistan government.

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Sidhu says Priyanka’s new role a ‘boon’, Jakhar hails Congress ‘dream team’ Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and PPCC president Sunil Jakhar welcomed the nomination of Priyanka Gandhi as general secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh East by her brother and party president Rahul Gandhi.

Sidhu tweeted: “This is a boon for me… everyone in the Congress is thrilled and inspired by the good news… it is a shot in the arm… the catalyst that will galvanise the party and infuse fresh spirits in our veins.”

In another tweet, he said, “She is a terrific role model world over and her charisma & magnetism will be the spark that ignites the Congress. Rahul Bhai’s strength multiplies manifold… ek aur ek gyarah, BJP nau do gyarah.”

Badal, who was in Davos in Switzerland to participate in World Economic Forum said, “Priyanka represents the new India which is young, secular, nationalistic, and holds progressive views.”

He went on to add that within one year of taking over, Rahul has trounced the NDA in the assembly elections. His decision to appoint Priyanka Gandhi will decimate the BJP and their allies, he said.

Jakhar said she was a force multiplier and everybody in Congress was waiting for this day.”With Rahul and Priyanka on the forefront, it is a dream team of the Congress,” he said.

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INDIA

Saturday, January 26, 2019

India added 18 new billionaires last year but poorest half saw just 3% rise in wealth: Oxfam Indian billionaires saw their fortunes swell

by Rs 2,200 crore a day last year, with the top 1 percent of the country’s richest getting richer by 39 percent as against just 3 percent increase in wealth for the bottom-half of the population, an Oxfam study said Monday.

Globally, billionaires’ fortunes rose by 12 percent or $2.5 billion a day in 2018, whereas the poorest half of the world’s population saw their wealth decline by 11 percent, the international rights group said in its annual study released before the start of the five-day World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in this Swiss ski resort town.

Oxfam further said that 13.6 crore Indians, who make up the poorest 10 percent of the country, continued to remain in debt since 2004. Asking the political and business leaders who have gathered in Davos for the annual

jamboree of the rich and powerful of the world to take urgent steps to tackle the growing rich-poor divide, Oxfam said this increasing inequality is undermining the fight against poverty, damaging economies and fuelling public anger across the globe. Oxfam International Executive Director Winnie Byanyima, one of the key participants at the WEF summit, said it is “morally outrageous” that a few wealthy individuals are amassing a growing share of India’s wealth, while the poor are struggling to eat their next meal or pay for their child’s medicines.

“If this obscene inequality between the top 1 percent and the rest of India continues then it will lead to a complete collapse of the social and democratic structure of this country,” she added.

Indian economy growth to surpass China in 2019: IMF India is projected to grow at 7.5 per cent in 2019 and 7.7 per cent in 2020, an impressive over one percentage point ahead of China’s estimated growth of 6.2 per cent in these two years, the IMF said on Monday attributing the pick up to the lower oil prices and a slower pace of monetary tightening.

The International Monetary Fund in its January World Economy Outlook update on Monday said India would remain the fastest growing major economies of the world.

“India’s economy is poised to pick up in 2019, benefiting from lower oil prices and a slower pace of monetary tightening than previously expected, as inflation pressures ease,” the IMF said. Despite fiscal stimulus that offsets some of the impact of higher US tariffs, China’s economy will slow down due to the combined influence of needed financial regulatory tightening and trade tensions with the US, the IMF said in its latest

report. Growth in emerging and developing Asia will dip from 6.5 per cent in 2018 to 6.3 per cent in 2019 and 6.4 per cent in 2020, it said. China which grew at 6.9 per cent in 2017, as compared to 6.7 per cent by India, had a growth rate of 6.6 per cent in 2018. In the next two years 2019 and 2020 it is projected to grow at 6.2 per cent each, the IMF said. The latest IMF projections remains unchanged from its previous World Economic Outlook projections. While, the Chinese growth rate has been on a downward slope, according to IMF, India has experienced an upward trajectory in these years. The IMF said India’s growth rate in 2018 was 7.3 per cent.

It has been projected to grow at 7.5 per cent in 2019, which is a marginal 0.1 per cent above its previous projection.

Justice Sikri recuses self from hearing plea on interim CBI director Supreme Court judge Justice A K Sikri on Thursday recused himself from hearing a plea challenging the Centre’s decision to appoint M Nageswara Rao as interim CBI director. A Bench headed by Justice Sikri listed the matter for Friday for hearing before a different Bench. Justice Sikri was part of the high-powered panel which had removed CBI Director Alok Verma. As soon as the matter came up for hearing, Justice Sikri told senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for petitioner NGO Common Cause, that he would not like to hear the matter and was recusing himself.

“You understand my position. I can’t hear

this matter,” Justice Sikri said. To this Dave said, “It is becoming very frustrating and it is giving an impression that your Lordship does not want to hear this matter. Earlier also the CJI had recused when the matter was listed for hearing. Now your lordship (Justice Sikri) is also recusing from the matter”. To this Justice Sikri said, he is recusing from the matter and can’t say anything. Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had on Monday recused himself from hearing the plea challenging the appointment of Rao as interim CBI director, saying he would be part of the selection committee to choose the agency’s new chief.

Many took to the streets against present gov’t in India Rural anger over weak farm prices and sluggish job creation mean Mr Modi’s BJP faces a tough challenge to stay in power after electoral losses in key states last month.

Main opposition parties joined against PM Modi in rally which attracted hundreds of thousands of people ahead of general elections in India. 23 regional groups said they forged a common front to stop Modi’s nationalist BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), which beat the main opposition Congress and regional parties in last elections.

Hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Kolkata from rural Bengal for the rally, bringing disruption to the city.

Mamata Banerjee, chief minister of the

state of West Bengal, called on regional party leaders to join a single platform to defeat the “anti-people” government of Mr Modi, which the 64-year-old said was “nearing its end”.

A poll last month by ABP News forecast Mr Modi’s party could fall about 25 seats short of a majority in national elections and Banerjee is among the few opposition leaders who could emerge as a prime ministerial candidate if the BJP loses. Regional parties hold the key as they dominate the eastern states of West Bengal, Odisha, and the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, which together send 161 members to the 543 constituencies of parliament’s lower house.

Akhilesh Yadav says Congress was kept out of SP-BSP Akhilesh Yadav said on Tuesday that the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party decided to keep the Congress out of the alliance in Uttar Pradesh to correct the “poll arithmetic” in order to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party. Twenty officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation have been transferred by interim director M Nageswara Rao just two days before a committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to select a new chief. Rao took over as the CBI director on January 10 after Alok Verma was shunted

out by the Centre.

At least 10 people died when two ships caught fire in the Kerch Strait between Russia and Crimea on Monday. The ships were carrying Indian, Turkish and Libyan crew members. EVM tampering claims: Mayawati says ballot should be used in upcoming Lok Sabha polls Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati on Tuesday reiterated her demand that the ballot be used in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections instead of electronic voting machines.

3 international organisations say India’s economy is world’s best Three international organisations have endorsed India’s growth story recognising it as the world’s fastest growing major economy for this and the next three years and in two reports raised some of their earlier projections. On Monday, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) report released in Davos estimated India’s gross domestic product growth rate for this fiscal year at 7.3 per cent, while the UN’s report in New York pegged it slighly higher at 7.4 per cent. From their previous projections, the IMF raised the growth forecast for 201920 by 0.1 per cent to 7.5 per cent and the UN

upped the estimate for the current fiscal year by 0.2 per cent and also for the next fiscal year by 0.2 per cent to 7.6 per cent. The World Bank last week earlier this month concurred with the IMF, putting this fiscal year’s growth rate at 7.3 per cent. On the Indian side, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) put the current fiscal year’s growth at 7.2 per cent and the Reserve Bank at 7.4 per cent. For 2020-21, the IMF forecast India’s growth rate at 7.7, the UN at 7.4 and the WB at 7.5 per cent. In contrast for the world as a whole, the three organisations painted a less optimistic picture.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, January 26, 2019 Suspect arrested in Dhaka cafe attack A suspected terrorist who supplied weapons and explosives for a 2016 siege in Dhaka arrestred, police official said. Eighteen foreigners were among those shot and hacked to death in the 10-hour standoff at the Holey Artisan Bakery, an upmarket cafe in Dhaka,

before military commandos stormed the building and freed some two dozen other people. Mamunur Rashid was a key “decisionmaker” in Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), a banned homegrown terrorist outfit blamed for the attack.

US senator Lindsey Graham says he’ll ask President Trump to meet with Pak, Afghan leaders US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says that he will urge President Trump to meet with leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan so that they can devise a plan to end 17-year old Afghan war, USA’s longest military engagement.

Senator Graham spoke at a news conference in Islamabad after meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. “I think they will hit it off ” if they meet as they have “similar personalities,” said Graham of the proposed meeting between Trump and Imran Khan. Graham added that the war in Afghanistan “will end through reconciliation” but that no such talks should include the Islamic State group or al-Qaida.

Graham said he would also urge Washington to reach a free trade agreement with Pakistan, a proposal which could be a game changer for Islamabad. His comments came shortly after US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad concluded his four-day visit to Pakistan, during which he met with Prime Minister ImranKhan and Army Chief General Bajwa. Khalilzad arrived in Islamabad on Thursday in effort to find a

peaceful end to the conflict in Afghanistan.

During his stay in Pakistan, local media reports suggested that efforts were underway to invite the Taliban for talks with a U.S. delegation in Pakistan.

“During the consultations (Pakistan and the U.S.) reaffirmed their commitment to advance the Afghan peace process,” said a U.S. embassy statement. It said that during his meetings in Pakistan Khalilzad highlighted that all countries in the region will benefit from peace in Afghanistan. Khalilzad has met several times with Taliban insurgents since his appointment in September. But the Taliban have consistently refused direct talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s representatives, calling the Kabul government U.S. puppets. Taliban control nearly half of Afghanistan, and are more powerful than at any time since the 2001 U.S.led invasion. Pakistan says it will continue using its influence with the Taliban to arrange their talks with Kabul and U.S. officials to end the conflict in Afghanistan.

Earthquake jolts central Nepal An aftershock measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale today struck central Nepal, a day after similar tremor hit the same area.

According to the National Seismological Centre, the tremor was recorded at 4.30 AM in Sindhupalchok district with the epicenter situated 100 km east of the capital.

It has been listed as an aftershock of the last year’s 7.6 magnitude earthquake that struck

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Barpak of Gorkha district.

More than 30,000 aftershocks of the Gorkha earthquake have been recorded within a year, but data of only 455 significant aftershocks having 4 or more magnitude were processed to alert the public. The frequency of aftershocks, however, has diminished in recent months. Yesterday, a mild aftershock of magnitude 4.3 was recorded in Sindhupalchowk district.

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FIJI

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Drug suspects try to run over police officer with a boat at Wailoaloa Beach Two Police Officers were attacked during a drug operation at Wailoaloa Beach, where the suspects tried to run over one of the officers with a boat and another suspect attacked an officer with an oar. Police Chief Operations Officer ACP Maretino Qiolevu warns that they will not treat this attack on the officers lightly. He says a joint operation consisting of officers from Namaka, Nadi and Border Police were following information received of drugs being transported from Wailoaloa Beach. Upon arriving at the scene two officers approached the parked taxi which they believed was transporting the suspects. Two men allegedly jumped out of the vehicle holding 2 large parcels and boarded a fibre glass boat which was moored nearby. ACP Qiolevu says the two police officers pursued the suspects and while wading through waist deep water,

one of the suspects allegedly threw an oar which struck the first officer while the second suspect allegedly reversed the boat intentionally towards the other officer’s direction causing him to dive for cover.

The two suspects fled the scene, however the driver of the taxi was arrested and is currently being questioned.

The identities of the two suspects are known to police and a team of officers have been deployed to arrest the duo. ACP Qiolevu says the two officers could have been seriously injured which is why a team of officers have been deployed to arrest the two suspects as they are considered dangerous. The Chief of Operations says they have gathered information of those involved and sooner or later they will get to these so called drug lords and peddlers.

Sanatan followers should be the heads of Sanatan schools - Sarju Prasad The largest Hindu denomination in the country, Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji says they would prefer all Sanatan followers to be the heads of Sanatan run schools. Sabha President Sarju Prasad says while they do not have issues with the government’s Open Merit Recruitment System, they want people of their own faith heading their schools and majority

of teachers in their schools to also be Sanatan followers.

Prasad made this clear when questioned by Legend FM News about the Open Merit Recruitment System. The Sabha President stresses that there should be discussions with the faith based organizations before appointments are made.

Murder charge laid against 19yr-old A 19-year-old man who allegedly assaulted a man and tried to rape his daughter in Tavua, will now have a new charge of murder laid against him after the passing away of the 57-year-old man he allegedly assaulted. Semesa Bokini had appeared before the Tavua Magistrates Court on the 16th of this month and was expected to be produced in the Lautoka High Court today. Bokini was previously charged with one count each of aggravated robbery

and attempted rape.

It is alleged that Semesa Bokini had assaulted and robbed a man, and then attempted to rape the man’s daughter at their home in Tavua at about 9pm on the 6th of this month.

Both the man and his daughter were admitted in Lautoka Hospital and while his daughter was discharged on the 16th of this month, the man remained in hospital until he passed away last Saturday.

Major infrastructure upgrade planned to transform FNU The Fiji National University (FNU) is set to invest half a billion dollars over the next ten years in the construction of new buildings and infrastructure. This major capital project will be executed under the campus master plan which will cover University sites across the country. FNU Vice Chancellor Professor Nigel Healey said the $500M project is in line with the vision of making the University world-class and providing students with a modern learning environment. “We will transform FNU into a modern, well-equipped university which Fijians will be proud to call their national university,” said Professor Healey. “FNU inherited a lot of old buildings, some of which have reached the end of their lives and are beyond economic repair. All these structures have been reviewed as part of our master plan exercise and these will steadily be replaced with new and modern facilities.” “At the same time, our repairs and maintenance budget has increased several fold over the last two years thanks to support from the Fijian Government. As you will be aware, we have commenced repair works at many of our buildings across our campuses.”

“These include lecture rooms, hostel accommodation, libraries, cafeteria, administration blocks and so forth. During the maintenance period, we have experienced

some limited disruptions to the services we offer, but we are trying to manage these to the best of our ability.”

Professor Healey said the University was trying to address accommodation issues for students due to unavailability of some hostel rooms due to ongoing maintenance programme. “We have a clear application process that students who are seeking accommodation on campus need to follow. Unfortunately, due to the current maintenance programme, we have to take some rooms out of use while they are being upgraded which temporarily increases the pressure on our accommodation,” commented VC Healey.

“We are working with our teams to prioritise accommodation for students, but unfortunately we won’t be able to cater for everyone. To this end we are looking at connecting students to alternative accommodation sites, as well as encouraging home-stay options,” Prof Healey added. The Vice Chancellor said along with the repair programme, construction contracts for important new building projects have being issued since last year. These include ongoing construction work of the new Labasa Campus, a three-storey building at the Fiji Maritime Academy (FMA), a new four-story academic and administration building and sports complex both at Nasinu Campus.

‘Fortune teller’ charged with teen’s sexual assault in Australia A 31-year-old NRI in Australia pretending to be a ‘fortune teller’ has been arrested after he was charged with sexually assaulting a teenager in Australia, according to a media reports on Tuesday.

Arjun Muniyappa (picturd) was arrested at Sydney International Airport on Monday night after he tried to board a plane to Singapore, the New South Wales police was quoted as saying the Sydney Morning Herald. He allegedly offered free fortune telling services to a

14-year-old girl, eventually sexually assaulting her in Sydney’s Liverpool suburban area on Sunday, the report said.

Arjun Muniyappa is a selfproclaimed fortune teller working from an astrology centre in Liverpool.

He was arrested and taken to Mascot Police Station, where he was charged with two counts of intentionally sexually touching a child under 16, and three counts of aggravated sexual assault against a victim under the age of 16.

Case of man who allegedly murdered his wife transferred to High Court Nasinu Magistrate Charles Ratakele has transferred the case of Jekope Rokovuki who is charged with one count of murder to the Suva High Court.

The matter will be called on the 1st of next month.

Magistrate Ratakele while transferring

the case said that this is an indictable offense and only the High Court can deal with this.

Rokovuki is alleged to have murdered his wife on the 10th of this month.

The victim passed away earlier this week.

Rokovuki is to make a formal bail application in the High Court.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, January 26, 2019 Chinese companies upset over the delay in the approval of the master plan for the smart port city along the southwestern coastal town of Gwadar, have warned Islamabad that it will have to pay the extra cost caused due to such impediments, Times of India reported.

The Minister for Planning and Development Khusro Bakhtyar chaired a meeting on Monday to review progress on the Gwadar City Master Plan. Director General Gwadar Development Authority Dr. Sajjad Hussain and Project Director China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Hasaan Duad briefed the participants

Chinese companies warn Pakistan against delay in CPEC project regarding the Master Plan.

Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan was prepared by two Chinese companies, China Communication Construction Company Limited and Fourth Harbor Engineering Investigation, at a cost of Rs521 million, including a Chinese grant of Rs425 million and Rs91 million provided by the

CPEC project

Former PM Nawaz Sharif taken to hospital from jail cell Former disqualified PM Nawaz Sharif shifted to hospital from his jail cell in Lahore. Nawaz Sharif ’s health deteriorated in Kot Lakhpat jail, Punjab where he is serving seven-year sentence in notorious Al-Azizia corruption case.

Sharif underwent medical checkup on Wednesday after it was learned that he was suffering from fever, headache and body pain. He has been advised to take cautions, according to some media reprots.

His daughter met father in jail cell on

Tuesday after news about his health broke out.

“Nawaz is a high-profile prisoner who cannot venture out of his barracks,” Inspectorgeneral prisons, Punjab siad earlier.

69-year-old was sentenced to seven years in jail by Accountability Court.

Former PM was further directed to pay Rs. 1.5 billion and USD 25 million in fines, along with being barred from holding public office after the completion of his sentence.

Court temporarily halts hearing of Mumbai terror attack case court has temporarily halted the hearing of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack case to let the prosecutor produce more witnesses.

The trial, underway in an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has made little headway in more than 10 years as Islamabad has been claiming lack of enough evidence against them.

A divisional bench of the Islamabad

government of Pakistan.

The companies had started work on the master plan in August 2017 and completed it in December 2018.

Following the completion, the governing body of the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) had approved the plan and

High Court conducted hearing on a petition by the Federal Investigation Agency seeking stay on the ATC proceedings.

The court later granted stay in trial till next week to let the prosecutor summon some of the 19 witnesses for testimony.

Ten Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists had sailed into Mumbai from Karachi and carried out co-ordinated attacks, killing 166 people and injuring over 300 in November 2008.

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then forwarded it to the federal government for approval. The government, however, has not yet taken any step for the approval of the plan and it is still pending with the steering committee of the Planning and Development department for further decision. “Chinese companies have expressed their reservation and displeasure over the delay in approving the plan by steering committee of the planning and development department. They have warned that in case of increase in the cost of the plan, the government of Pakistan will be bound to pay the extra cost,” an official privy to the developments told local media.

Punjab gov’t says family’s killing in IS terror attack was ‘collateral damage’ them as collateral damage while Law Minister Punjab, Raaja targeting Zeeshan, a family friend Basharat termed killing of members and neighbour of Khalil who the of a family in a Sahiwal encounter minister said had alleged links was “collateral damage” caused by with Daesh, a proscribed terrorist security personnels in an attempt to organisation. In what law enforcers eliminate suspected terrorist who described as an encounter with was taking this innocent family to terrorists, the elite Punjab police Sahiwal (anothe town 196 km away Raja Basharat, had on Saturday killed four from Lahore) could cause largeLaw Minister, Punjab people, including parents Khalil scale destruction. and Nabeela, their teenage daughter, Addressing press conference in Lahore alongside members of Punjab cabinet, and neighbour Zeeshan, sending shock Rana Basharat said the Counter-Terrorism waves across the country as one of the three Department (CTD) officials did not intend surviving children who were witness to the to directly harm the deceased family during episode denied the official version in a video Saturday’s operation, but ended up killing that went viral on social media.

Expat-Mohajirs demand Karachi as autonomous region from Pakistan Voice of Karachi formally demands government of Pakistan to declare urban area of Sindh province to autonomous region. We have unanimously decided to call this region Greater Karachi,” Voice of Karachi chairman Nadeem Nusrat said at a news conference near Washington. Once a close aide of Mohajir leader Altaf Hussain, Washington DC-based

Nusrat founded the Voice of Karachi a year ago. Nusrat, who is living in self-exile in the US, said members and leaders of his organisation arrived at this conclusion after extensive research and deliberation. “This solution, we believe, will adequately resolve urban Sindh’s civic, economic and political issues and will also act as a role model to resolve similar situations in other regions.

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NRI

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Kamala Harris Is running for US Presidential race 2020

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Senator Kamala Harris will be running for US president’s elections in 2020, as she announced it on Monday. The theme of Harris’ campaign will be “For the people,” and she is expected to formally announce her candidacy in a speech on Jan. 27 in Oakland, California. The senator said on Monday, and her campaign released a short introductory video. “I love my country,” Harris said. “This is a moment in time that I feel a sense of responsibility to stand up and fight for the best of who we are.” She added: “My entire career has been focused on keeping people safe.

It is probably one of the things that motivates me more than anything else. And when I look at this moment in time, I know that the American people deserve to have someone who is going

to fight for them.” Harris recently published a memoir, The Truths We Hold: An American Journey, that dove into many of the messages she is expected to focus on during her campaign.

In the book, she describes her upbringing in Oakland as a daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, and her personal history going from prosecutor to district attorney to senator. According to a Harris aide, her priorities in the campaign will be addressing the cost of living, pushing for a more just society, expanding access to better quality of life and restoring dignity and responsibility to public office. Issues like immigration, education and criminal justice reform are expected to feature prominently in her agenda.

H-1B visas: The Bay Area’s non-tech employers seek foreign workers, too

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Mike Evans isn’t the kind of worker most people would associate with an H-1B visa.

He’s British. He’s got a Ph.D. in astronomy and worked on the Cassini project. And he’s employed by Mountain View’s SETI Institute.

Evans is among hundreds of Bay Area H-1B workers who aren’t employed by Google, Facebook or outsourcers in the tech industry, which is closely associated with a visa that has become a flashpoint in the immigration debate More than 5,600 Bay Area companies applied for H-1B visas in fiscal year 2018, according to data from the Department of Labor. And though the majority were tech companies seeking engineers, developers and

programmers, including more than 70,600 software developers, the department’s data shows that dozens of other local employers sought foreign workers, from soccer coaches and marriage and family therapists to accountants and lawyers. Pixar, in Emeryville, applied for a story artist and a character designer. The Gap, in San Francisco, wanted a couple of fashion designers, a senior designer and a vice president of design for its Old Navy brand. And the San Jose Unified School District sought five special education teachers for preschool, kindergarten and middle school.

61-year-old NRI jailed for bomb hoax in Singapore A 61-year-old NRI jailed for four months for bomb hoax at house of Singapore’s first prime minister late Lee Kuan Yew in 2004. The man, identified as Ganesan Singaravel, pleaded guilty to an offence under the Telecommunications Act, local media reports said. Ganesan, under the influence of alcohol, made a call from public telephone booth to the police, making reference to a bomb at Yew’s house. “A (police) patrol car was sent to Orchard Towers to interview and arrest the accused. He was

coherent during his interactions with the officers at the scene. Meanwhile, the officers who were already stationed at Oxley Road (Lee’s house) were told to step up patrols and be alert and vigilant,” he said. Ganesan was charged on November 16, 2004, but he fled Singapore about two months later while on bail. Last year, he was caught overstaying in the US. He told the authorities there that he wanted to return to Singapore.

Subsequently, he was detained on his arrival in Singapore on July 15.

Gov’t wants 31 million-strong Indian diaspora to make ‘desi’ drive with flagship programme The Government of India will mark the 15th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Varanasi between 21 and 23 January. Prime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth will preside over the three-day convention, where the theme this year is ‘Role of Indian Diaspora in building a New India’. This was the first time since its inception in 2003 that the government’s flagship outreach programme was not be celebrated on its usual date — 9 January. The Ministry of External Affairs said this was because many expatriates wanted to attend the ongoing Kumbh Mela in nearby Prayagraj this time. “In reverence to the sentiments of the larger diaspora to participate in the Kumbh Mela and Republic Day celebrations, the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Convention is being organised from 21 to 23 January 2019 instead of 9 January,” the MEA had said in a September 2018 communique.

However, many consulates, embassies and overseas Indian communities did mark 9 January as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The choice of 9 January to commemorate the day is linked with India’s history from the pre-Independence days. One this day in 1915, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, then a Johannesburgbased barrister, had returned to India after spending a quarter of a century in England and South Africa. Perhaps it is a fitting tribute to Gandhi, who, according to External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, has been “the greatest pravasi ever”.

Indian-American entrepreneur honoured for Sikh headgear campaign in US

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An Indian-American Sikh philanthropist and entrepreneur, Gurinder Singh Khalsa, has been presented the prestigious Rosa Park Trailblazer award for his campaign to persuade US authorities change their policy towards Sikh headgear. In 2007, Mr Singh was not allowed to board an airplane because of his turban, organisers at the event. After that, he took the issue all the way to the US Congress, compelling Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) to change its headgear policy towards the Sikh community.

Sikhs can now wear their turban through airport security in the US. “I was stopped from boarding the flight because I refused to remove my turban. I took this stand for all those who believe in religious liberty and freedom of faith,” Mr Singh, who

also heads the Indiana-based Sikhs Political Affairs Committee, said. Mr Singh dedicated the award to his community. “This award is not about me. Change does not exist without the support of a community. I dedicate this award to more than 67,000 individuals from all walks of life across America, and to one of the largest Sikh advocacy group, Sikh Coalition. Without their countless efforts change in the TSA Turban policy would not exist,” he said.

“Sometimes those who bravely protest for civil rights are stereotyped as somehow threatening figures - perhaps simply because of the raw courage required to fight for justice.

But in the personalities of both Gurinder and Rosa, we see the great power of quiet resolve,” Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said.

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