The Asian Star March 7 2020

www.theasianstar.com

Vol 19 - Issue 6

Saturday, March 7, 2020

BC Woman who went to India is in critical condition with Coronavirus

8 more cases of Coronavirus identified in BC including 1 of unknown origin

A woman in her 80s is fighting for her life in a Vancouver hospital after contracting the novel coronavirus, COVID-19. The woman, who lives within the Vancouver Coastal Health region, was part of a group tour in India alongside other Canadians who returned to regions outside B.C. last week, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed on Wednesday. While she didn’t show any symptoms while travelling, she fell ill a few days after arriving back home, Henry said. As her symptoms progressed, she was taken to the emergency room of a local hospital. She remains in the intensive care unit. This is the 13th confirmed case in B.C. “The risk is changing day by day globally and we are continuing to monitor carefully,” Henry said. “Within BC the risk still remains very low.”

Canadians urged to avoid all travel to Iran as Coronavirus spreads Travel Canada is urging Canadians to avoid all travel to Iran over the novel coronavirus outbreak.

In an updated travel advisory issued Thursday, the Canadian government said it is becoming “increasingly difficult” to leave the country. The government says other risks include the “volatile security situation, the regional threat of terrorism and the possibility of arbitrary detention.”

“Canadians, particularly dual CanadianIranian citizens, are at risk of being arbitrarily questioned, arrested and detained. Iran does not recognize dual nationality and Canada will not be granted consular access to dual Canadian-Iranian citizens,” the advisory reads.

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British Columbia has identified eight more presumptive cases of the novel coronavirus, including one involving a woman who has no recent travel history. This is B.C.’s first apparent case of the COVID-19 virus spreading in the community. The woman, who is in her 50s and lives in the Fraser Health region, has not had contact with other coronavirus patients or people returning from disease hot spots. She tested positive for COVID-19 after visiting her doctor with what she assumed was influenza. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said officials have launched a detailed investigation into how the patient was infected — a process she described as “disease detective work.” “There’s likely at least one other person out there who has this disease or had this disease, and we need to find them,” she told reporters at a press conference Thursday.

Continued on page6

Man who helped wife’s killer flee to India gets only 2 years jail When his wife was brutally killed on New Year’s Eve 1986, a Vernon man immediately suspected his brother of the murder. But he never informed police of his suspicions. In fact, he lied to them, and in so doing helped his brother flee the country. Paramjit Singh Bogarh told police his two-year-old son, who was in the home at the time of the murder, said a “white man” had killed his mother. Bogarh pleaded guilty Thursday to being an accessory after the fact of murder. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for his role in the cold case murder of Saminder Kaur Bogarh after a joint submission from the Crown and defence. “Mr. Bogarh chose to serve his murderous brother’s interests at massive prejudice to the interests of his own son,” B.C. Supreme Court Judge Martha Devlin said in

passing sentence. Bogarh’s sentence brought a partial end to the 33-year-old murder investigation of Saminder, who was 26 and pregnant with her second child at the time she was killed. But Bogarh’s brother, Narinder Singh Bogarh, remains in India. Authorities are trying to have him brought back to Canada to face murder charges. Thursday’s proceedings in the Kelowna courthouse drew a large crowd of the murder victim’s relatives, including her son Manpreet Nahal, now 35. “I have been haunted since I was not able to do a single thing to help her,” Nahal said in an emotional victim impact statement. “Did she not escape because she refused to leave me? . . . I’ll never be able to wake up from this nightmare.”

Continued on page 8

How deadly is the coronavirus? It may take months to find out

On Sunday, March 8, turn your clocks 1 hour ahead as daylight saving begins.

The World Health Organization announced this week the COVID-19 fatality rate is higher than previously believed, leading to concerns about the potential implications as the new virus makes its way around the world. But public health experts say the fatality rate is merely a snapshot in time and that there’s good reason to believe

the actual figure is likely lower. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the current fatality rate for COVID-19, the name of the disease caused by the new coronavirus, is 3.4 per cent. Previous estimates pegged the death rate between 1 per cent and 2 per cent.

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3

www.theasianstar.com

Vol 19 - Issue 6

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Tel:604-591-5423

Canada’s first ‘community case’ of Coronavirus (COVID 19) is in BC A woman in BC has tested positive for COVID-19 despite not having travelled recently and having no known contact with anyone infected with the virus.

Until now, all cases in Canada involved individuals who had recently travelled to countries such as Iran, Italy, Egypt and China or who had close contact with those travellers.

The new case, considered Canada’s first community case, marks the first time that health officials haven’t been able to pinpoint the source of a patient’s infection.

B.C. Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she is “really concerned” that there may be other cases linked to the new community case. A public health investigation has been launched. “We need to find out the source of her infection. So I expect that we’ll see other people turn positive because of that,” Henry said at a press conference Thursday.

“So there’s likely at least one other person out there who has either had this disease or has this disease, and we need to find them and find their contacts so we can stop any further

transmission.” The development comes one day after Health Minister Patty Hajdu said she and other government officials are anticipating a community outbreak and have prepared for such a scenario. A community outbreak is when the virus moves beyond initial travelrelated transmission and begins to spread freely from person to person. A community outbreak has not been confirmed in Canada, but the first community case suggests that there may be others out there who don’t know

they have the virus. To make matters even trickier, COVID-19 can be difficult to detect, particularly at its onset. About 80 per cent of all cases worldwide are considered mild.

Half of all of Canada’s 46 COVID-19 cases are in Ontario. So far, no community cases have been reported in Ontario -- but those can be tricky to detect, according to Dr. Susy Hota, University Health Network medical director of infection prevention and control.

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OPINION

By Pat Murphy

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Trudeau leadership failure a disservice to the country

Looking at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s handling of the ongoing blockade fiasco, it’s difficult to avoid comparison with how his father, Pierre Trudeau, dealt with the 1970 October Crisis.

Faced with the revolutionary FLQ’s kidnappings of British trade commissioner James Cross and Quebec provincial cabinet minister Pierre Laporte, the senior Trudeau moved decisively as prime minister. There were no platitudes about dialogue. Nor was there any legitimizing of the FLQ’s violent separatist agenda.

The first kidnapping took place on Oct. 5, 1970, when Cross was lifted in Montreal. This was followed by a demand for $500,000 ransom, the release of 23 “political prisoners” (actually people who’d been imprisoned for participation in the FLQ’s prior bombing and armed robbery campaign), safe passage to either Cuba or Algeria, and the broadcast of the FLQ manifesto.

Laporte was then taken on Oct. 10. And two days later, Trudeau dispatched soldiers to Ottawa to protect politicians and federal buildings.

Questioned on how far he was willing to go, he didn’t mince words: “Well, just watch me.”

Four days further on – amid bomb threats, pro-FLQ demonstrations and calls for negotiations – he invoked the War Measures Act, an antiquated piece of 1914 legislation giving the federal government emergency powers. Enough was enough and the law was going to be upheld.

The contrast with his son’s performance could hardly be more dramatic.

One may argue, of course, that the situations are different. Kidnapping isn’t the same thing as blockading railway lines, disrupting commerce and interfering with people going about their legitimate daily business.

And if you’re disposed towards cynicism, you might even suggest that the father/son divergence isn’t as stark as it appears.

By this reckoning, the squelching of the FLQ was influenced by more than a desire to uphold the law. Trudeau senior’s intense loathing for Quebec separatism was also a factor, rendering him particularly ill disposed towards any accommodation with the FLQ.

His son, on the other hand, is sympathetic to the aspirations of the blockaders. If he could put political necessity aside and have his druthers, there’d be no more pipelines. Period.

Consider a hypothetical.

Passionate anti-abortion activists implement a rail blockade to protest Canada’s lack of any law regulating abortion. Other like-minded activists quickly join in, spreading the rail interruptions to another province or two.

Does anyone believe that the federal government’s reaction would be to call for patience and dialogue? Really?

Two currently circulating ideas are especially pernicious.

One concerns police behaviour.

Trudeau, among others, has declared that politicians can’t tell the police what to do. And a police spokesman has opined that it’s up to the police to determine whether they’ll enforce a court injunction.

Note that this isn’t a matter of police discretion over the operational details of enforcement. It’s a declaration that the police – not the legislatures or the courts – decide what laws are applicable.

In a less ideologically polluted environment, such thinking would cause general outrage.

It’d be seen as an endorsement of a situation where the police are unaccountable, a law unto themselves. Shocking though it may sound, the term police state comes to mind. The other perverse idea is that supporting the blockaders equates to aligning with the oppressed Wet’suwet’en. It doesn’t.

Wet’suwet’en opposition to the pipeline comes from hereditary chiefs rather than elected native councils. To the extent that it has any intellectual coherence, siding with the hereditary chiefs is equivalent to choosing monarchy over democracy. Leadership is a complicated thing, involving a number of characteristics and behaviours.

Character counts. Equally important are vision, competence, judgment and the ability to persuade or inspire. Not every successful leader has all these attributes and not every situation requires the full suite. And leaders aren’t always consistent performers.

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8 more cases of Coronavirus identified in BC From page 1 Four of the new cases were identified in the same household as another patient in the Fraser Health region who was identified last week, Henry said. They were already being monitored for symptoms and are living in isolation. Another two patients are a couple in their 50s and 60s have recently returned from travel to Iran, and the final new patient is a resident of Seattle who is visiting family in the Fraser Health region. Henry confirmed that one of the cases is linked to University Canada West in Vancouver, which closed its campuses on Wednesday for three days of disinfection. There have now been 21 positive tests for the coronavirus in B.C., including 13 linked to the outbreak in Iran.

At least four patients have recovered completely. Only one patient has required

treatment in hospital — a woman in her 80s who is in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Vancouver General Hospital.

Henry said that travelling internationally has become risky as the virus continues to spread around the globe. “We are seeing that things are moving very quickly and things can open up very suddenly,� she said. “This is one of those years where I would shift my thinking to staying at home.�

People who have recently returned from travel in Iran and China have been asked to self-isolate for 14 days on their return to B.C. Henry said that implementing screening at the land border with Washington state would be of “limited effectiveness,� but officials are closely monitoring the outbreak there, which has led to 10 deaths so far.

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8 From page 1 Nahal said he never got the chance to know his mother. And he said his father, who moved to California shortly after the murder and started a new family, never made any

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Man who helped wife’s killer flee to India gets only 2 years jail attempt to contact him in the intervening years. “Not a visit, not a phone call, not even a postcard from my biological father,” Nahal said. “Not a shred of remorse, not any concern

for my well-being.” Nahal, who was raised by relatives, said he often feared that the man who killed his mother would return to kill him. “I thought they would come back and finish the job, get rid of the only witness to their heinous crime,” he said. “They killed a helpless, 26-year-old woman while her child was present,” he said. “What would stop these evil heartless killers from doing the same to me? “When I was young, I would be afraid to go to the bathroom, checking behind the shower curtain and under the sink before being able to feel safe. In school, I’d be afraid to be alone in the school yard, not knowing when my time would come,” he said. Nahal said he continued to struggle with the murder of his mother and had often contemplated suicide. “So often I have wanted to escape this reality and take my life to find my way closer, longing to be with her again.” Throughout the hour-long proceeding, Bogarh hung his head as he sat in the prisoner’s box. He

never once looked at his son, or any of the other family members who filled the court gallery. Four other family members who gave victim impact statements described Saminder as a kind and loving woman, whose son was the focus of her world. Saminder and Bogarh, who were wed through an arranged marriage, worked as fruit pickers and Bogarh also had a janitorial job. Court heard Bogarh had left the couple’s Vernon home at 4510A 15th Ave. about 1 p.m. on Dec. 31, 1986, to go to a janitorial job at the federal building on Queensway in downtown Kelowna. Jobrelated records indicate he was there at 8:30 p.m. He returned home after 11 p.m. to find his wife dead. She had been stabbed repeatedly, with wounds to her neck, chest and shoulders.

Unharmed by his mother’s killer, Manpreet had been walking around the house for hours before his father returned. “He had been left alone to wander through his mother’s blood,” Crown prosecutor Anne Katrine Saettler said.

The toddler had left bloody footprints and handprints all over the home, and there was also blood on his bib. Bogarh immediately suspected his brother Narinder was the murderer. Narinder had previously lived with the family for a time, and he and Saminder had never got on well. Bogarh knew Narinder was in the area. But when he called police to report his wife’s murder, Bogarh never told them of his suspicions about Narinder.

In fact, Bogarh told police that Manpreet — who at the time could only speak Punjabi — had told him that a “white man” had killed Saminder, deliberately sending them in the wrong investigative direction. No one at the Vernon RCMP detachment could speak Punjabi and the boy was not interviewed.

In lying to the police, Bogarh provided his brother the time he needed to take the Greyhound bus to Vancouver, then fly to London and on to India, arriving there on Jan. 2, 1987. “Mr. Bogarh made a conscious decision to misdirect the police investigation in its crucial early hours, thus allowing the perpetrator to escape,” Saettler said. Bogarh was arrested by Vernon RCMP later on Jan. 1, 1987, but was released for lack of evidence the next day. Over the years, RCMP kept up efforts to solve the case. Officers flew to India in 1997 and again in 2000, interviewing Narinder. He has been charged with murder, but despite a “massive use” of police resources has not yet been brought back to Canada, Saettler said. An August 2018 article in an Indian newspaper, The Tribune, indicated warrants had been issued by a Delhi court for Narinder’s arrest but he was fighting their legitimacy. Bogarh, who has lived in California since 1987, was extradited back to Canada in 2018 to face charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder. But with the trial set to begin earlier this week, those charges were dropped, replaced by his guilty plea to the charge of being an accessory after the fact of murder. Although Bogarh has been in custody for less than two years, he is to be given credit for three years’ jail time. With a sentence of five years, which Judge Devlin said was in line with those given in similar cases, he will spend two more years in prison.

“Society has to express its collective condemnation of assisting murder,” Saettler said, describing the effective five-year sentence as a “very significant period of time”.

Defence lawyer Noel O’Brien said Bogarh was “not a sophisticated man” at the time of his wife’s murder and he regrets not informing police immediately that he believed his brother Narinder had committed the crime.

“He was misguided, certainly, by family loyalty,” said O’Brien, who added Bogarh had tried unsuccessfully to gain custody of his son Manpreet after Saminder’s murder.

Continued on page 9

Saturday, March 7, 2020

New Westminster police release video footage of missing South Asian woman New Westminster police have released surveillance footage of Nirla Sharma that was recorded the morning she went missing from her Queensborough area home.

Sharma, a 44-year-old mother of two, was last seen Sunday at around 9 p.m. at her home in the 300-block of Lawrence Street in New West.

Sharma’s family told police they heard the front door chime at around 4 a.m. on Monday but Sharma, who typically arrives at her job at B.C. Hydro in Vancouver at around 6:30 a.m., didn’t make it into work and hasn’t been heard from since.

The New Westminster Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating 44-year-old New Westminster resident Nirla Sharma. NWPD handout After scouring a “significant amount of CCTV footage,” NWPD have found and released a short video clip that shows

Sharma walking alone in the Queensborough Landing business area at 3:27 a.m.

Police are now asking for dashcam footage from anyone who drove over the Queensborough Bridge on Feb. 24, between 3:30 and 5 a.m.

“As the days go by, we become more and more concerned for her well-being,” said NWPD Sgt. Jeff Scott.

Police described her as a South Asian woman, 5-foot4 with a slim build, weighing about 138 pounds. She has a medium complexion, short black hair and brown eyes. She has a tattoo on her left arm of an OM symbol and tattoos of a crown on her right wrist, a rose on her tailbone and a design on her left ankle.

Anyone with information about Sharma’s whereabouts can contact the NWPD tip line at 604-529-2430

What doctors treating Covid-19 in Wuhan say about Coronavirus As the new coronavirus epidemic spreads across the globe, experts are turning to findings from China, where it originated, to better understand the disease. Since January, doctors at the outbreak’s epicenter in Wuhan have been studying the virus whose effects are mostly mild but can occasionally turn deadly.

Medical professionals who have been treating and studying Covid-19 patients in Wuhan shared their insights with reporters in Beijing on Wednesday. Here are three observations from the doctors.

Anecdotal reports that the novel coronavirus may have a long incubation have stoked fears that carriers can go undetected and unknowingly infect others.

A doctor checks with patients at a temporary hospital situated in China’s Hubei province on Feb. 21.

Local authorities in another city in Hubei -- the same province that Wuhan belongs to -- reported on Feb. 22 that a 70-year-old man was infected by the virus but only showed symptoms 27 days later. “From most of the publications right now the median incubation period is five to seven days, with the longest incubation period as 14 days,” said Du Bin, a member of China’s team of experts overseeing coronavirus treatment. “There’s no data showing that an incubation period longer than 14 days ever existed.” In some patients, the onset of the virus happened very slowly with only a mild fever before their conditions deteriorated rapidly 10 days later, according to Li Haichao, deputy director of the respiratory department at the First Hospital of Peking University.

Do Masks Work? What We Know About Virus Transmission: QuickTake There’s also no evidence so far that people who have recovered and later test positive again for the virus can pass it on to others, according to Du, who is also the director of intensive care unit for internal medicine at Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

On Thursday, Chinese media The Paper reported that a man in Wuhan who had

recovered from Covid-19 and tested negative for the virus died less than a week later from the infection. The report was later removed from the internet.

The coronavirus has a relatively low fatality rate and has largely claimed the lives of older patients with weaker immune systems, or those with pre-exisiting conditions. The deaths of some younger patients have been more difficult to explain.

Underlying diseases like hypertension and diabetes, the prolonged used of non-invasive ventilation and high doses of corticosteroids over a long period of time were major factors in those deaths, according to Du. He did not specify the age range he was referring to when speaking of younger patients.

Methylprednisolone, an immunesuppressing corticosteroid drug that’s in common use in China for severe cases, has been linked to “prolonged viral shedding” in earlier studies of MERS, SARS and influenza, according to the World Health Organization.

Du said if he could do it all over again, he would have pushed health care authorities harder to have all ICU staff work together in designated hospitals to better establish best practices for critical care.

He also would have been more aggressive in using invasive mechanical ventilation in all patients who showed “clinical deterioration” in their respiratory failure or low blood oxygen levels -- known as hypoxemia.

Planning is the most important aspect of the virus response, according to Du, and countries need to know ahead of time how they are going to handle each patient entering a fever clinic, detect suspected cases, confirm if they have the virus in labs and isolate possible cases.

“You must have a plan to provide not only space but also supplies such as personal protective equipment for all the healthcare workers involved,” he said.

Du said it’s true that there is a decreasing number of patients in Hubei and more empty hospital beds, although it’s impossible to rule out the possibility of another spike in cases.

From page 8 Through all the years Bogarh lived in California, where he remarried and had a second son, he was a law-abiding citizen who built a successful trucking business and was an active and respected member of a Sikh temple in Riverside, O’Brien said. Since Bogarh had no legal status in the U.S., despite

his long residency there, he will “inevitably” be deported to India, O’Brien said. For his part, Bogarh declined the customary offer to address the court before he was sentenced: “Nothing to say.”

After the sentence, the family of Saminder declined to comment, indicating however they may do so at a later date.

LOCAL

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Canadian COVID-19 cases: How were they contracted?

As of March 3, there are more than 92,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across every continent except Antarctica, and more than 3,100 deaths. More than 48,100 of those who tested positive have recovered. In Canada, there are 33 confirmed cases in three provinces. The following are details on where the cases occurred and how the individuals contracted the virus. Jan. 28 - A man in his 40s and resident of the Vancouver Coastal health region was British Columbia’s first presumptive case. He had recently returned from Wuhan the prior week and was tested on Sunday, Jan. 26 and was in self-isolation at home. Status: Recovered as of Feb. 19.

Feb. 4 - A woman in her 50s was B.C.’s second presumptive case, and Canada’s fifth case. She had close contact with family visitors from Wuhan and was in self-isolation

at home. Feb. 6 - B.C .confirmed two new cases of COVID-19, involving a man and a woman in their 30s from Wuhan, China, who were visiting the second B.C. case announced on Feb. 4.

Feb. 14 - A woman in her 30s, who recently returned from China, was B.C.’s fifth case and Canada’s eighth.

She was in self-isolation at home. Feb. 20 A woman in her 30s who recently returned from Iran was B.C.’s sixth’s presumptive case and was in self-isolation at home. Feb. 24 - A B.C. man in his 40s who was in close contact with B.C.’s sixth case reported on

Feb. 20, was the province’s seventh case. He was in isolation and monitored from home.

Feb. 29 - British C olumbia reported a woman in her 60s, visiting from Iran and staying with family in B.C., tested positive. She was in isolation at home along with others who were at risk.

She arrived earlier in the week.

B.C. officials report that three additional

patients were now fully recovered.

March 3 - A man in his 50s who recently returned from Iran was the ninth case in B.C. His case is unrelated to any of the previously reported cases, and the patient is currently in isolation at home.

March 3 - Later on Tuesday, two women and one man in the Vancouver area who recently travelled to Iran were announced as the tenth, eleventh and twelfth cases in the province. One of the women, who is in her 30s, contracted the virus in a household linked to another B.C. case, the provincial health officer told reporters Tuesday.

Surrey councillor pushes for referendum to keep Surrey RCMP A city councillor in Surrey is calling on MLAs to support a referendum on whether the city should stay with the RCMP or move to a municipal police force. bCoun. Linda Annis said policing is ultimately a provincial responsibility, so it’s fair to start asking local MLAs to get involved. “A referendum would give the residents and taxpayers of Surrey a chance to have their say, something that has been missing to this point. I’m not asking the government or our local MLAs to pick sides, but I do want them to support a referendum that gives our community the chance to decide. If they don’t support the right of our residents to decide then we all want to hear why,” she said in a release.

She also notes when the provincial government has a big issue to decide, it

often turns to a referendum and since policing is the biggest budget item in Surrey, the city should do the same.

“The transition costs are already at $129 million, with every available dollar at city hall going towards the SPD,” said Annis.

“That money should have been spent on hiring more RCMP officers, adding firefighters and building new parks, pools, rinks and community centres.

Instead, it’s all going to the mayor’s police department, with absolutely no evidence as to what’s going to be better or different under a local police department.”

Annis asserts it is time for people in Surrey to have their say or for local MLAs and the province to explain why they shouldn’t.

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Saturday, March 7, 2020

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Surrey RCMP say they find impaired driver after stopping semi with no headlights Police say 35-year-old man was given 90day immediate roadside prohibition.

Surrey RCMP say a semi-truck driver has been issued a 90-day immediate roadside prohibition, and the vehicle impounded, after he was allegedly found to be impaired while driving.

Just before midnight on Wednesday (March 4), according to a release from Surrey RCMP Thursday (March 5), officers were patrolling in Fleetwood, near Fraser Highway and 160th Street, when they noticed a semitruck driving “without its headlights on.”

Police said that officers conducted a traffic stop and the driver, a 35-year-old man, “was found to be impaired while operating the truck.”

Surrey RCMP said he was issued the prohibition and his

truck was impounded for 30 days.

This incident follows a “significant commercial vehicle enforcement blitz” by the Surrey RCMP and other law enforcement partners, according to police, that resulted in the inspection of 33 commercial vehicles.

Police said nine vehicles were “fully removed” from the road and 11 were cited for various defective conditions.

“To find this impaired commercial vehicle operator, as well as a large number of mechanical violations is concerning,” said Sgt David Chu of Surrey RCMP Traffic Services.

“Commercial vehicle inspections and sobriety checks for all operators of conveyances such as taxis, buses and commercial vehicles may be conducted at any time. We will continue our enforcement actions to make our roads safer for all.”

13 Italian tourists kept in isolation overnight in Amritsar, no coronavirus symptoms seen Thirteen Italian tourists were kept in isolation overnight at their hotel in Amritsar by the health department to check for coronavirus symptoms, an official said.

The tourists were asked not to leave their hotel rooms after they checked in on Thursday night.

However, they showed no symptoms of the virus in the medical check-up done on Friday and were allowed to leave for Delhi, Amritsar Sub Divisional Magistrate Vikas Hira told PTI over the phone.

Earlier, Amritsar Civil Surgeon Prabhdeep Kaurhadsaidthatthegrouphadbeenquarantined.

They were also wrongly identified as Iranians.

SDM Hira said the tourists were travelling in the country for the past four days and had come to Amritsar from Haridwar.

They had come to the city for a day-long visit, he said.

“In the states they had visited, they were medically examined and no symptoms of coronavirus were found,” he said, adding that they were carrying valid documents of medical check-ups as well.

We got a medical check-up done on them as a precautionary measure, he added.

Prabhdeep Kaur also said that the checkup was done as a precautionary measure.

She had earlier said they had received communication from the health department that the tourists were Iranian. However, they were found to be from Italy after officials verified with them in the hotel.

The Punjab government is on high alert and keeping a close watch on the movements of those who had a history of foreign travel in view of the novel coronavirus, officials said.

COVID-19 precautions close Vancouver business school for 3-day disinfection A presumptive case of COVID-19 has prompted the closure of a business school in downtown Vancouver for at least three days while the building is disinfected, the school said Thursday.

A media release posted on the University Canada West (UCW) website says “proactive, precautionary” measures were taken after the school was informed that a student had a presumptive case of the disease caused by a novel coronavirus that continues to spread globally.

That student and a roommate are now in isolation, according to the release from UCW, which is popular with international students. The school says it was likely passed on through contact with the

student’s father, who was infected overseas.

“We’ve contacted the students who were in the classes who may have been exposed by the student, and we’ve contacted all the faculty as well,” UCW vice-president Cindy Banks told reporters.

B.C.’s 13th coronavirus patient in critical condition, officials announce Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry confirmed Thursday afternoon that one of eight new presumptive cases is linked to UCW. “They took the opportunity to be extra cautious, and I understand that they’re doing some cleaning over the weekend just to allay everybody’s concerns,” she said.

B.C. has identified 21 cases of the novel coronavirus so far. Four have recovered.

Abbotsford man charged with stolen items after break-in A 22-year-old Abbotsford man has been charged after he was caught by police with several items that had allegedly been stolen from a home.

Abbotsford Police Sgt. Judy Bird said police received a report at about 5:30 a.m. on Sunday that a breakin had occurred at a home on Ashley Way in central Abbotsford, just north of Bevan Avenue.

Bird said the residents of the home woke up to find that their house had ransacked overnight as they slept upstairs.

Wallets, bank cards, electronics and cellphones were among the items stolen.

Bird said that within five minutes of officers’ arrival at the scene, they tracked down a

man who had in his possession all the property stolen from the break-in.

Ryan Michael G i l l a n d e r s , 22, has been charged with break-and-enter, and possession of stolen property.

He has been released with conditions after appearing in court, and his next appearance is scheduled for March 30.

According to the provincial court database, Gillanders has several prior convictions for theft as well as for assault with a weapon, breaching his conditions, possession of stolen property and robbery.

LOCAL

Saturday, March 7, 2020

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Supreme Court of Canada will not hear BC groups’ challenges against Trans Mountain pipeline expansion The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear five B.C.-based challenges against the approval of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project.

Groups determined to overturn the project — two First Nations, environmental organizations and teenage activists — had argued a previous judicial review of the pipeline’s re-approval by the federal government was unfairly denied by a single judge from the

Federal Court of Appeal in September.

The Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations, the Raincoast Conservation Foundation, B.C. Nature and several youth climate activists applied to the country’s highest court for leave to appeal the dismissal last fall.

The Supreme Court declined to grant the leave in a decision posted Thursday. As is custom, the court did

Two post-secondary schools in Vancouver close over COVID-19 concern Two post-secondary schools in Vancouver have closed for the rest of the week after school officials were made aware a student may have come into contact with someone infected with COVID-19.

University Canada West said in a statement online that it was made aware the student’s situation on Wednesday evening.

“We are confident that we have managed to contain the student who was potentially affected, and the deep-cleaning of our campuses is therefore a precautionary measure,” an online statement reads. “Students and staff who may have been in close contact with the affected students have been identified and contacted with information and advice.”

While the Vancouver campus on

West Pender Street remains closed until further notice, the Visual College of Art and Design – located within the same building – will also be closed until Monday.

University Canada West said it is “too soon to speculate” on whether the virus has impacted any other students.

“We have only closed our campus and premises as a precaution,” the statement continues. “We remain ‘open’ via online resources, and our faculty and students are in direct contact virtually.”

There have been 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in B.C., the latest being a woman in her 80s who is in critical condition at Vancouver General Hospital.

BC introduces bill for five days paid leave in domestic violence cases In four decades of experience helping victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, Tracy Porteous has seen a familiar theme: Women so traumatized by their attacks that they suffer in silence at work until they lose their job.

And so Porteous had high praise for a B.C. government bill introduced Tuesday that would require employers to provide five paid days of leave from work for victims of violence.

“I can’t tell you, in the years I’ve been doing this work, how many survivors I know of who didn’t want to report it to the police because of the chain reaction that would cause them needing to be off work, and then feeling they would lose their jobs, or some who have lost their jobs,” she said.

“I know a number of women who lost their jobs as a result of being victimized and not feeling like they could tell their employer because these things are deeply humiliating and traumatizing.”

Porteous, the executive director of the Ending Violence Association of B.C.,

said she’s tried to help one woman so traumatized by an assault she wasn’t able to explain to her boss why she was late for work three days in a row, or another woman who suffered nightly beatings and became a wreck at work because she wasn’t able to concentrate.

The power of the new government legislation, if passed, will be to enshrine the right in law to paid time off, so someone can use the time to find a new place to live, enrol children in a new school and break away from the abuser, said Porteous.

If passed, the legislation would make it against the law for employers to refuse paid leaves for violence in the same way that people are legally entitled to other basic employment standards.

The proposal was widely praised Tuesday by both advocacy groups and business organizations, as well as all political parties.

“A person facing domestic or sexual violence needs and deserves any support their community can offer them ,” said Ian Tostenson.

not provide reasons for its decision.

For one of the groups, the ruling marks the end of its sixyear legal fight against the pipeline.

Twelve groups originally filed challenges against the project with the Federal Court of Appeal last year.

On Sept. 4, the court only agreed to take up six of those appeals. It chose just to hear challenges based on the issue of whether the federal government consulted Indigenous peoples adequately before approving the project for a second time in June.

The federal court declined to hear

the second part of the overall dispute: arguments centred on environmental concerns and claims of government bias. Several of the applicants argued the National Energy Board didn’t do enough to address environmental and marine concerns when it green-lit the project, while the two First Nations said the federal cabinet couldn’t objectively approve or deny the project because they own it.

The four teenaged activists had said Ottawa did not fully consider the pipeline’s potential impact on climate change before approving the project.

Finance Minister Carole James diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease B.C. Finance Minister Carole James announced Thursday she has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and will not be running for reelection next year as a result.

Former BC NDP leader announced her illness at an afternoon news conference.

James said she plans to keep working as finance minister and deputy premier for as long as she is able.

“I don’t plan to sit around and do nothing,” James told reporters at the B.C. Legislature in Victoria.

The minister said she was diagnosed in January after noticing a hand tremor and trouble with her balance. James said she announced her diagnosis because she

believes it is important for her to be transparent with the public.

She said her symptoms are not severe, with the hand tremor being the most predominant.

Parkinson’s disease is a neurological condition that causes symptoms including tremors, rigidity and slowed movements. There is no cure, but symptoms can be managed.

James said she is committed to staying at work, but said she would step down sooner than the next election if her condition progressed to the point of impeding her work.

“I was very clear with the premier that I’m always giving 100 per cent with the job, and if I’m not able to do that, I would let him know,” James said.

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LOCAL

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Surrey duo facing charges after ‘property crime spree’ in Vancouver Surrey RCMP say a man and woman are facing multiple charges after a “property crime spree” that included a break-and-enter at a Vancouver home.

Patrick Kenswick and Ashley Smith, both of Surrey, are known to police, Surrey RCMP said in a release Wednesday (March 4).

On Feb. 29, police said, officers from the Surrey RCMP Property Crime Target Team were in Vancouver as part of an investigation “targeting multijurisdictional property crime.”

While officers were investigating a stolen vehicle, Kensick and Smith were found “operating a stolen vehicle” that was used in a residential breakand-enter in Vancouver, Surrey RCMP said.

Police said when Kensick and Smith returned to Surrey, they were arrest “without incident.”

Evidence of the break-and-enter, police said, was found in the vehicle.

Kensick, police said, is charged with possession of property obtained by crime and breaking and entering with intent to commit and indictable offence.

Smith is charged with possession of property obtained by crime, breaking and entering with intent to commit an indictable offence and possession of stolen identification and credit card information, according to Surrey RCMP. Surrey RCMP said the detachment is working with the Vancouver Police Department on the break-and-enter.

“Individuals engaged in property crimes will often strike multiple jurisdictions,” said Staff Sergeant Ryan Element of the Surrey RCMP. “Our Property Crime Target Team works collaboratively with other police agencies to target prolific offenders, improving safety across the Lower Mainland.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or, if you wish to make an anonymous report, contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or solvecrime.ca.

BC judge clears driver who said he was speeding to get away from semi-trailer A driver who was ticketed for speeding on the Malahat Highway near Langford, B.C., has been cleared, after arguing he had no choice but to speed in order to get away from a semitrailer coming down the hill behind him.

Gabriel Milne was pulled over after an RCMP officer on patrol caught him breaking the speed limit in a passing lane on the Malahat Highway, just outside Langford, B.C., on March 26, 2019.

Milne was charged with speeding under the Motor Vehicle Act, but fought the charge in B.C. Provincial Court. Using the defence of necessity, he argued he had to speed to protect his personal safety.

Justice Hunter Gordon sided with Milne in his decision last week, changing

his mind after an initial “gut reaction” told him to dismiss the argument. “[Milne] honestly believed, on reasonable ground, that he faced a situation of imminent peril that left no reasonable legal alternative open,” wrote Gordon.

Worried daughter’s 911 call didn’t justify driving ban, judge rules Downhill stretch notorious for speeding Milne was coming down a section of the Malahat well-known to police as a hotspot for speeding when he was pulled over.

The stretch runs downhill between Shawnigan Lake Road and Westshore Parkway, through Goldstream Provincial Park.

The speed limit is 80 km/h.

Raid in Kootenay nets drugs, weapons & cash The mystery of why there were so many police cars in the parking lot of the Greater Trail RCMP detachment on Wednesday is now solved. In an early morning news brief released Thursday, Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey revealed that in a crackdown on suspected drug dealing, police arrested five men after carrying out multiple drug searches across the City of Trail the morning of March 4.

The RCMP also seized caches of drugs, cash, weapons and vehicles. Of the five arrests, police confirmed 32-year-old John Allan Schubert of Warfield has now been formally charged with possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.

He has been remanded into police custody and is expected to appear in the Rossland courthouse today, March 5, at 9:30 a.m. “The Trail and Castlegar RCMP Crime Reduction Unit (CRU) executed multiple drug search warrants simultaneously across the City of Trail on Wednesday, in relation to an ongoing criminal investigation into drug trafficking,” he

began. Dozens of police officers, from across the West Kootenay region, simultaneously descended upon five separate properties to execute, as many, search warrants obtained under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA).

“A total of five individuals, all men, were taken into police custody as a result of the coordinated warrant executions,” he said.The judicial authorizations have so far yielded undisclosed amounts of suspected cocaine in various forms, cannabis, large quantities of cash, items consistent with the trafficking of illicit drugs, handguns, rifles, shotguns and as many as seven motor vehicles.“The execution of the search warrants was the CRU investigative team’s next steps, who are committed to dismantling what they believe to be a sophisticated drug trafficking group operating in the Kootenay region,” O’Donaghey, spokesman for the RCMP Southeast District, stated.

111-year-old heritage home in Kelowna faces demolition One of the oldest houses in Kelowna, B.C., is facing demolition, despite the recommendations of a heritage advisory council, and those against the decision are calling for the city to reconsider.

The house located at 409 Park Avenue was built more than a century ago in 1909, an era when the community on Okanagan Lake was centred on timber production and fruit-packing. A prominent civil engineer named Francis William Groves lived there until his death in 1948.

“Part of the story that we’re going to lose if this building is demolished is the history of the development of Kelowna,” said Peter Chataway, an architectural

designer and the former president of the Central Okanagan Heritage Society.

The house was added to Kelowna’s heritage register in 2001, not only because of Groves’ contribution to the city, but also because of the home’s 20th century vernacular architectural style. Heritage hero strikes again, saves another Port Moody, B.C. home from demolition Council voted to remove it from the Heritage Register last week, at the request of the owner, which means it could soon be demolished.

“I think council and staff received wrong information about the building,” he told Brady Strachan, guest host of CBC’s Daybreak South.

“The consultant’s report used things like the condition of the building, the structure in particular, and the cost associated with [repairing] that.”

Those considerations, he argues, have nothing to do with the heritage value of a building.

What should be done with one of Metro Vancouver’s oldest homes? It’s up to the public But both the owner of the house and the city say the house isn’t structurally sound and that’s why it was removed from the register.

“It’s been there one hundredplus years,” Chataway said.

“In my experience, and I’ve worked on buildings from the 1800s as well, is that if they’ve lasted this long — the proof is in the pudding.”

Lauren Sanbrooks, a planner in the policy and planning department at the City of Kelowna, says a house on the heritage register isn’t necessarily protected from demolition.

“There is no protection to these buildings, this is just an identification tool,” she said.

A building with heritage designation status, on the other hand, does have bylaw projection.

In Kelowna, about 200 houses are on the heritage register but only about 20 have protected designation.

Want a free heritage home? You’ll just need some land and $100K to move it Part of the issue — and one that Chataway raised — is that the previous owner of the house was given a grant of $7,500 for a new

LOCAL

Saturday, March 7, 2020

15

Cannabis producer Canopy Growth shuts down two BC facilities, leaving hundreds out of work Canopy Growth has closed large greenhouses in Delta and Aldergrove, B.C. The cannabis company says the closures have resulted in the elimination of approximately 500 positions.

In addition to the closures in B.C., the company says it no longer plans to open a third greenhouse in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. Canopy Growth CEO David Klein said in a statement that a review by the company found that the B.C. facilities are “no longer essential to its cultivation footprint.” “Nearly 17 months after the creation of the legal adult-use market, the Canadian recreational market has developed slower than anticipated, creating working capital and profitability challenges across the industry,” Klein said.

Steve McLean, who has worked for Canopy

Growth since September of last year, says employees were notified on Tuesday of a big meeting scheduled for the following day.

At that meeting, employees were “basically told that everyone’s t e r m i n a t e d ,” McLean said.

0:41 Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth shuts two B.C. facilities Canadian cannabis producer Canopy Growth shuts two B.C. facilities “It’s a pretty tough day for everyone to deal with. We all were friends. We were all family. It was a tough thing to walk away from,” he said as he walked out of the company’s Delta facility on Wednesday.

Cannabis CEO says Ontario’s lack of

Five arrested after Wet’suwet’en supporters refuse to leave legislature offices Five people were arrested last night after they refused to leave the B.C. legislature following a meeting inside the building with Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation Minister Scott Fraser.

On Wednesday, Fraser responded to a request for a meeting from Indigenous youth who have been outside on the steps of the legislature. The group is supporting Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs who are opposed to the Coastal GasLink natural gas pipeline project in northern B.C. A delegation was invited to meet inside the legislature on condition that they would leave the building following the meeting, according to his ministry. They agreed to this condition, said his office.

Green MLA Adam Olsen, representing Saanich North and the Islands, attended the meeting as a witness.

The discussion lasted an hour and a half, was respectful, and occurred in good faith, said the minister’s office.

After the minister and Olsen left, the individuals “reneged on their agreement and made it clear that they would not leave the building as agreed,” said a statement from the minister’s office.

“We are disappointed they have not honoured their commitment, and regretfully, this became a security matter that was handled by the legislature,” said the statement.

Organizers of the ongoing demonstrations outside the legislature could not be

A look inside one Vancouver clinic’s extraordinary measures to prevent COVID-19 spread When the Copeman Medical Centre in downtown Vancouver got a new directive from the provincial health officer on how to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, doctors took it very seriously.

“If they call in and say they have flulike symptoms, our receptionist is very much aware of what to ask,” said Dr. Rhonda Low, one of the clinic’s doctors.

“Have you got a fever? Have you got a cough? Are you a little short of breath?”

If the caller has significant symptoms and a relevant travel history, they may be tested for COVID-19 in the clinic’s parking lot so they don’t have to come inside. A nurse would put on a floor-length gown, a splash mask and rubber gloves and take two throat swabs through the window of the persons car. That patient will be asked to self-isolate until the results come back. If someone does come inside the clinic with flu like symptoms, they’ll be asked to put on a mask and sit at least two metres away from others in a waiting room that is now free of magazines or toys. They’ll be taken to a designated room where a nurse will determine if they should be tested for COVID-19.

“All of a sudden, if the history comes out and there’s a significant risk for COVID, then the gowning and the masking and the swabbing,” said Low. “I think that the public should have comfort that public health officials

are doing everything they can to contain this virus, it has been relatively successful compared to other jurisdictions,” said

stores is why the company is losing money McLean believes the closures have a lot to do with the government “not opening the doors as they should.”

“No dispensaries really in B.C., hardly any in Ontario and where there are dispensaries, there is not a lot of people buying from them,” he said.

“The black market is flourishing and

the legal market is having troubles.”

Canopy Growth says it now operates an outdoor production site that is more cost-effective.

Industry analyst Jay Rosenthal from Business of Cannabis says the layoffs at Canopy Growth come as the cannabis industry attempts to “right-size” itself.

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Saturday, March 7, 2020

Students & teachers from Rhodes Wellness College, Vancouver visit Gurdwara Nanak Niwas Richmond’s Number Five Road, aka Highway to Heaven, has become a very popular place for students and other visitors from all over to learn about various religions.

On Wednesday, February 26, more than twenty students and their teachers from Rhodes Wellness College in Vancouver visited Gurdwara Nanak Niwas to learn about Sikhism and the Indo-Canadian community.

On behalf of the Gurdwara management, they were welcomed by President Balbir Jawanda and Secretary Balwant Sanghera. According to one of the school officials, Teacher Assistant Franco Cado, this college focuses on holistic approach to health. As such, the students study physical, spiritual, emotional, mental

and spiritual wellness. Cado stated that the college is also deeply influenced by the principle of unconditional acceptance. As such, it is paramount for their students and teachers to learn about other belief systems and way of living. Cado went on to state that these students are currently completing the spiritual portion of their curriculum and exploring other spiritual paths and cultures.

In this context, the visit to Richmond’s Highway to Heaven, including Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, was the perfect choice.

On behalf the management committee of the Gurdwara, after a formal welcome Balwant Sanghera made a brief presentation to the guests about

Federal ministers visit Lakshmi Narayan Temple

Federal Minister of Seniors Hon’ble Deb Schulte and Libearl MP Sukh Dhaliwal visited Lakshmi Narayan Temple in Surrey last week. Pictured above, Seniors of Vedic Seniors Parivar and members with the guests.

some of the salient features of Sikhism. He emphasized that the three basic principles of Sikhism as laid down by Guru Nanak Dev ji, the founder of the Sikh faith, are an excellent guide for a peaceful and contented life. These are: 1. Make an honest living, 2. Be generous and help others as much as you can and 3.Meditate in the name of God Almighty.

Sanghera then went over the historical and spiritual aspects of Sikhism as preached by the ten Gurus. He then talked briefly about the excellent co-operation between people of various diverse faith groups along this small stretch of Number Five Road in Richmond.

Giani Amrik Singh Joined Sanghera in answering very thoughtful questions from

the students. Before leaving the Gurdwara, the students, their teachers and support staff enjoyed a very delicious vegetarian lunch prepared by some very dedicated volunteers.

The group profusely thanked the Gurdwara management for its generosity, warm welcome and the Langar.

Some of them remarked that they have gained a very valuable experience as a result of this visit and are very grateful for a wonderful experience. Initiatives like this are bound to go a long way in promoting much needed intercultural and inter religious harmony.

Balwant Sanghera India Cultural centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas, Richmond, BC

Falling rates could add fuel to spring homebuying season — which may have already begun The typically busy spring homebuying season in Canada could be turbocharged by falling mortgage rates, but also by tweaks to loan stress tests and by monetary policy that is being eased by central banks amid the spread of the new coronavirus.

COVID-19 influenced decisions by the Bank of Canada and the U.S. Federal Reserve to cut their key interest rates this week, and some analysts, brokers and economists are saying lenders either have adjusted or will be adjusting their mortgage rates accordingly as well.

Variable mortgage rates are influenced by the prime rate that banks charge, which have historically been tweaked in the wake of central-bank moves. Canada’s Big Five banks all announced Wednesday they were cutting prime rates by 50 basis points, to 3.45 per cent from 3.95 per cent.

Fixed rates are historically more related to bond yields, which have also been falling. The yield on the Government of Canada’s benchmark five-year bond slipped this week below one per cent.

The “slump” in the five-year yield suggests lenders could drop their fiveyear fixed mortgage rates by around 0.5 percentage points in the coming weeks, according to Stephen Brown, senior Canada economist at Capital Economics.

“That fall, which would effectively raise the price that borrowers can afford by a little over

five per cent, means house price inflation is likely to keep rising even if the further spread of the virus weighs on sales and new listings,” Brown wrote in a note published Wednesday.

Sales have been taking off again in the major housing markets of Toronto and Vancouver. The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver reported this week that home sales rose to 2,150 in February, a nearly 45 per cent increase compared to a year earlier, but still below the 10-year average for February sales. In the Toronto region sales also rose, increasing almost 46 per cent last month over the 10-year low seen in February 2019.

Stock analysts are accounting for interest-rate cuts in earnings estimates for commercial banks that have been affected by pricing changes forced on the lenders by central banks. A large part of bank revenue still flows from net interest income, the difference between what lenders are charging for loans and paying out to savers.

Following the U.S. Federal Reserve’s emergency rate cut on Tuesday, Citi analyst Maria Semikhatova wrote that their forecasts for Canadian banks’ 2020 assumed net interest margins (a measure of the spread) will be lower by about six basis points, or 0.06 percentage points. Semikhatova wrote this would be “driven by competitive mortgage pricing in Canada and rate cuts implemented in the U.S. over the course of 2019.”

“We note that market is currently pricing in as many as three rate cuts in Canada and four in the U.S. by the end of 2020,” she added.

Falling mortgage rates are just one possible source of rocket fuel for the busy spring buying season. Ottawa is preparing to tweak the stress test for both insured and uninsured home loans and the usual pricing games have already begun among lenders. Toronto-Dominion Bank last month lowered its posted five-year fixed rate to 4.99 per cent from 5.34 per cent, a move other big banks have yet to match.

The Bank of Canada’s communications around Wednesday’s rate cut also allowed for the possibility of further action, which could again lower funding costs for lenders and borrowing costs for buyers or owners.

The lowest rate for a conventional, fiveyear fixed-rate mortgage that is nationally available was 2.79 per cent at the end of 2019, but was 2.49 per cent and falling as of Wednesday, according to Robert McLister, the founder of mortgagecomparison website RateSpy.com.

“Most lenders have been slow to pass through these lower funding costs by way of lower fixed rates, but give it time,” McLister wrote in an email. “Spring market typically forces banks to increase their discounting and they have lots of spread to work with.”

Saturday, March 7, 2020

SRK or Salman Khan, Who is the richest? has a whopping net worth of Rs I861 crores.

The actor like Shah Rukh Khan has made investments in property coming to a value of Rs 114

Rs 78 crore according to a recent report. Salman Khan’s net worth The other Khan ruling the hearts and the box office in India is Salman Khan. He too has made numerous investments and has plenty of brand endorsements to his name. The actor now

crore, and his charge per movie comes up to Rs 70 to 75 crore. The actor charges Rs 6 crore for brand endorsements and unlike Shah Rukh Khan he gets Rs 6 crore per TV appearance. These two actors have clearly proved themselves over time! But, King Khan, Shah Rukh wins this round hands down. Even though the actor has not appeared in a movie in the last year or so, he still has the highest valuation in Bollywood. That’s the dream, isn’t it?

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Shah Rukh Khan & Salman Khan, are considered as box office kings, It has a margin of difference between the two when it comes to their net income worth. It’s no secret that Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan are high net worth individuals, making more money in a year than some do in a lifetime. However, between the two there is quite a difference when it comes to their commercial value.

Shah Rukh Khan’s net worth.

Let’s begin with King Khan himself, Shah Rukh Khan. The man has won numerous awards, acted in more than 80 films and has had quite the career. In 2020, the actor is worth over Rs 5100 crores (estimate) according to a recent report. This doesn’t just make him one of the richest actors in the country, but in the world as well. @beingsalmankhan, @iamsrk on Instagram Well, there are many factors that lead to this valuation.

The actor gets an average movie payment of nearly Rs 80 crore. His brand endorsement fees are Rs 22 crore and his personal investments are valued at nearly Rs 930 crore.

What’s more the actor owns luxury cars worth Rs 31 crores. Incomewise the actor does really well paying an income tax of nearly

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Bollywood Honey Singh says he won’t write songs on booze if govt stops licensing wine shops

Pop star-composer Yo Yo Honey Singh, often accused of promoting alcoholism through outrageous lyrics, says alcohol is an important aspect of partying and celebrating, and adds that the day the government stops giving license to open wine and liquor shops, he will end reference to alcohol in his songs.Honey Singh was interacting with the media at the launch of his new song Loca. Like many of his past hits, Loca, too , starts with a mention of alcohol. Mention also came up of reports that the singer, at the peak of his career a few years back, had to enter rehab owing to alcoholism. “I never went to a rehab. I know that there are a lot of reports that are circulating around me and my life. I don’t drink now,” countered

Honey Singh, adding: “Whenever you party then alcohol is the biggest reason to do so. You can’t avoid that. In fact, our governments give license to open wine shops and liquor shops. The day they stop doing that, we will also put an end to mention of alcohol in our songs.”

Yo Yo Honey Singh has often landed in controversy due to outrageous lyrics in his songs, with court cases being filed against him.

Does he exercise caution now, while writing a song? “I try to write lyrics as per my understanding, but if someone suggests me to write easy lyrics then I do that, too,” the singer replied.

Yo Yo Honey Singh’s new song Loca has garnered over 18 million views on YouTube since its release. The song is officially available on T-Series’ YouTube channel.

Case filed against Javed Akhtar for his remarks on Delhi riots complaint has been filed before a court here against lyricist Javed Akhtar over his remarks on the FIRs being registered against expelled AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in the wake of Delhi riots.

Acomplaint has been filed before a court here against lyricist Javed Akhtar over his remarks on the FIRs being registered against expelled AAP councillor Tahir Hussain in the wake of Delhi riots.

The complaint was lodged on Wednesday by Amit Kumar, a local advocate, before the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Thakur Aman Kumar.

On the basis of a newspaper report, the complainant has alleged that Akhtar’s remarks were seditious and promoted

religious hatred. The media report was based on Akhtar’s tweet of February 27 that “So many killed, so many injured, so many houses burned, so many shops looted so many people turned destitute but police has sealed only one house and looking for his owner. Incidentally, his name is Tahir. Hats off to the consistency of the Delhi police.” The violence in northeast Delhi claimed at least 42 lives and left over 200 injured. The former Rajya Sabha member was heavily trolled for the tweet. In a subsequent tweet, Akhtar who asserted that he is a non-believer and a rationalist, had clarified that he was not asking “why Tahir but why ONLY Tahir and not even an FIR against those who have openly threatened violence in the presence of the police”. The matter is likely to come up for hearing on March 25.

Neena Gupta reveals her friends wanted to marry her to give her child a name Neena Gupta, who is a single mother to designer Masaba Gupta, has said she realised much later that she was never a single mother as her father came on board to join her in rasing her daughter. The actor claims that it was her love for her child that kept her going despite facing several hardships in life.

Talking about how things changed when her father came to support her in raising Masaba, she told Pinkvilla in an interview, “I was never a single mother. I was a single mother for maybe two years, Then my dad came. He left everything and stayed with me. He looked after my household, me, my daughter. He was

my man. He was the man in my life. God always compensates. I didn’t have a husband so he game my dad. My mom had died long time ago. And also I had no man in my life who was living with me so it was easy for him to live with me.”

She also revealed how she wished sometimes of having a normal family. “I had to lose a lot of things while we were together, I had no time to go to a parlour, watch a movie or do womanly things,” she said. Talking about bringing up a child out of wedlock, Neena said, “The difficult part is not making a choice of having Masaba.

The difficult part is to accept what you have chosen and stand by it.” “A lot of people told me at that time - we will marry you so that your child

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Akshay Kumar donates Rs 1.5 Crore to build a home for transgenders in Chennai Akshay Kumar, who is currently busy with his forthcoming releases, took out time to support and uplift the transgender community in India. The actor recently donated Rs 1.5 crore to build a home for transgenders in Chennai. Raghava Lawrence, who is directing A k s h ay ’s upcoming film Laxmmi Bomb, shared the “good news” of the actor’s new initiative with friends and fans along with some pictures on Facebook.

On his post, the filmmaker wrote, “I would like to share one good news, Akshay kumar sir is donating Rs 1.5 crore for building transgender home for the first time in India.” He added, “During Laxmmi Bomb shoot I was talking to Akshay Kumar sir about the trust projects and transgender’s home, immediately after hearing this without

even me asking he told he will donate Rs 1.5 cores for building transgender’s home.” Raghava Lawrence heads a charitable trust named after him. On completing 15 years since its foundation, the filmmaker wanted to celebrate by “initiating a new project for uplifting transgenders by providing shelter for them.”

On his recent post, he added, “I consider everyone who helps as God, so now Akshay Kumar sir is a God for us. I thank him for lending his huge support for this project.

Our trust next vision is to uplift transgenders and provide shelter for them all over India with Akshay Kumar sir’s support. I thank him in behalf of all transgenders. We will inform the bhoomi pooja date soon. I need all your blessing.”

Ramayan actors were “approached” for racy photoshoots, offered “hefty amounts”, reveals Arun Govil Actor Arun Govil, best known for playing Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, which changed the course of Doordarshan some three decades ago, recently made an appearance on The Kapil Sharma Show.

Joining him on the show were Deepika Chikhalia and Sunil Lahri, who were synonymous with Sita and Lakshman, thanks to Doordarshan’s Ramayan.

While photos from the Ramayan reunion, 33 years after they starred in the show, have sent the Internet into a tizzy, Arun Govil, now 71, is trending for one more reason. On Kapil’s show, he revealed the cast of Ramayan were offered huge amounts of money for racy photoshoots by magazines and that they rejected them. “While we were shooting for Ramayan, a lot of renowned magazines approached me and the other cast members to do sensuous photoshoots for them. They were so desperate that they were ready to pay hefty amounts of money for it,”

IANS quoted Arun Govil as saying. However, Arun Govil added that given the nature of the show, the actors had a reputation to maintain and had to live up to the audiences expectations.

They rejected the offers, he said: “But none of us

accepted their offers and we believed that our audiences look up to and rest their faith in us.

We could never take the chance of breaking their trust for money.”Meanwhile, a promo of The Kapil Sharma Show, featuring the Ram, Sita and Lakshman of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, have cracked up the Internet. Kapil asked Arun Govil if Lord Ram’s costume made him itchy while Deepika Chikhalia, now 54, said she was always greeted with folded hands even off screen.The Ramayan reunion will be aired on The Kapil Sharma Show at 9:30 pm this Saturday. Written, produced and directed by Ramanand Sagar, Ramayan first aired on Doordarshan in 1987.

Grewal visits Aamir Khan, praises his work Laal Singh Chaddha starring Aamir Khan is currently under production.

The actor has been shooting in Punjab and all over the country for the Indian adaptation of Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump. Recently, he had a surprise visit from Gippy Grewal who was all praises for him. Sharing couple of pictures with Aamir Khan in his new avatar from the sets of the film, Gippy wrote, “Yesterday I visited on set of Lal Singh Chadha.

Aamir Bhaji showed me some of scenes and songs of ‘Lal Singh Chadha’. What a performance , another master piece on the way. Director Advait Chandhan done a fabulous job. Especially they have

given a huge respect to Turban. Being Punjabi I appreciate and thanks from core of my heart to entire team of Lal Singh Chadha for giving a huge respect to our pride “Turban”. Let’s wait to enjoy Christmas with master piece and thanks to Aamir Bhaji for giving such a warm gesture.

I am really blessed to have friend , mentor like Aamir Bhaji. Love u Bhaji ????.” During the recee in September last year, Gippy and Aamir met each other when the Punjabi actor gifted Khan a kada as a good luck present. Aamir was touched by his sweet gesture.

Laal Singh Chaddha, directed by Advait Chandan, stars Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vijay Sethupathi among others. It is releasing during Christmas 2020.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

19

Bollywood

Randeep Hooda is all set to tie the knot with fgirlfriend Lin Laishram?

According to the latest media reports, Randeep Hooda is all set to marry his longtime girlfriend Lin Laishram. The duo is said to be dating since 2016 and has been snapped together ever since on various occasions and industry events. And now, the couple is planning on making it official, as they are ready to take their relationship to the next level. A SpotBoyE report claims

that Randeep is planning on introducing his girlfriend to his parents who reside in Haryana.

He plans on getting married at the earliest.

SponsoredShaqâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Newest Car is Very Much Unexpected Couple Are Confused Why Their Pic Is Going Viralâ&#x20AC;Ś gnarlyhistory.comFor the uninitiated, Lin Laishram is a popular model and actress from Manipur. She also starred in films alongside Priyanka Chopra in Omung

Kumarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mary Kom (2014) and since then has been a part of several other films including Umrika (2015), Rangoon (2017), and Ava Maria (2020) to name a few. It must also be recollected that Lin has been the brand ambassador of a popular New Yorkbased jewellery brand whilst also featuring as a Kingfisher Calendar Girl.

HOROSCOPE Aries

I am â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;devastatedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; due to daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s divorce Neena Gupta Neena Gupta is on her second innings in Bollywood after being a distinctive face in cinema and TV in 1980s and 90s. Recently, the Badhai Ho actor opened up how she reacted to the news of her daughter Masaba Gupta getting a divorce. Neena Gupta is often portrayed as a strong, independent figure in the Hindi entertainment industry. She birthed Masaba with West Indies cricketer Vivian Richards out of wedlock and raised her singlehandedly. But according to the Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan actor, this portrayal not only brought forth

negative roles her way, but also made several people sympathetic towards her. In an interview with Pinkvilla, Neena Gupta has also revealed what she thought when Masaba decided to get a divorce. Masaba, a renowned designer, was married to filmmaker Madhu Mantena in 2015 and filed for a divorce last year. Neena recalled that it was her daughter, who had helped her â&#x20AC;&#x153;come to termsâ&#x20AC;? with the entire episode. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Initially, I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t accept it at all and it affected meâ&#x20AC;?, she added.

In August 2018, the designer announced her separation with Mantena through a joint statement.

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20

Saturday, March 7, 2020 Generation Equality

Vibhooti Vaishnav

S

United Nations declares International Women’s Day 2020 as “Generation Equality”

ince 1975 UN is observing 8 march as international Women’s Day creating a global awareness of women’s rights and equality. After 45 years we are still talking about gender equality. We have moved world from analogue to digital, we have brought entire world in our hands and things are available at finger tips with smart phone technology, we have cut distances

and even reached out in outer spaces and ventured the impossible, increased the life expectancy, have numerous women in work force and business, at top positions world wide. Yet we have failed utterly in creating gender equality. We still have movements like #me too.

Where is the problem rooted? Human race evolved after facing tremendous hardships for thousand of years. Males being

physically strong became the food chasers and females became the food makers. They were blessed to create and nurture a new human life. Civilizations were built with new ways of survival and thriving. Systems were created and women were protected from outer elements out of care and presumed the domestic responsibilities.

Division of labour was perfect in running a smooth life. But somewhere along the progress in trade and wealth creation, too much importance was given to men and a controlled environment was created for women. Exploiting women in every possible way, expecting her to serve men and not expect anything in return became a norm. Women who obeyed were considered virtuous. They have been an object of possession, thus there was never a need to respect.

A split of humanity happened into men and women as if they are two different species. There is only half a chromosome of difference genetically, that gives different looks externally and hormonal and there by emotional difference internally. She is very vulnerable and easy to please thus easy to fool and taken advantage of. Being physically timid she is not taken seriously.

Now that all the physical labour and Braun of man is replaced by intelligence, it did not take long for women to enter the world of masculine, be it pilot or programmer, be it professor or engineer, be it entrepreneur or entertainer. So where is this inequality arising in terms of opportunity and Wages? Who decides? Who controls?

There are millions of girls around the world who are deprived of education, forced to labour for family and expect nothing and yet be available for men when they need They are buried in the name of customs and traditions and exploitation is so obvious. Women urban or rural, rich or poor, educated or not, from developed nation or underdeveloped, all of them face a tremendous social pressure about their role in society and they somehow have taken upon them to be the best at those, be it as a mother or a wife or a daughter or a sister or an employee. Her problem is she is looking for someone else to tell her she is good, or good looking, or she is a good

cook, a great mom and the most able employee, this external validation is the stressor and she slumbers into pit for outdoing and be better than all the other women around her. Women need to realize tha they do not need to seek approval from others. She just needs to look in the mirror, see her heart, read her own mind, collect strengths, face the consequences and move on to follow her dreams. Roads are not easy for anyone, more for women. If anything will bring that dawn of hope and success and take away the darkness of society, it is women themselves.

They have to break the cage and shackles off their own limits and fears and insecurities, learning, enabling, achieving and surpassing the patriarchy and accomplish all that they dream of.

A huge support system of sisterhood is so pivotal in this process. Because it’s women who usually would judge and ridicule each other. Lack and pain can result into jealousy and derogatory behaviours. If they join hands in this battle against freedom from self inflicted restrictions, there will be nothing to stop them from being independent financially as well as emotionally. It is important to be free emotionally and not feel guilty about it. It is not easy to deconstruct the preconditioned mind. It might take lot of work, courage and patience, might have to face resentment and abuse, it is important to stop fearing rejection.

The moment women will gather themselves around this, they can go places beyond the boundaries, and will discover a true authentic self beyond physical.

A biggest myth we have been almost forced to believe is that feminine is weak. All the feminine role of taking care of family and nurturing and cooking and cleaning and keeping the family happy and healthy by itself is an enormous responsibility and of prime importance. But unfortunately somewhere in the name of progress and modern life, society deemed her role as inferior to money making and carrier. That needs to change fundamentally. As a mother she can easily raise a generation that will respect women, and be grateful and appreciative of all the roles she struggles to fit in. And for that she will have to show a positive, consistent approach and embark the success with grit.

Yes unfortunately that responsibility will also be on women themselves.

May all the women get the courage to say no to injustice, abuse and exploitation they encounter in their journey towards equality.

Vidya Balan starts shoot for her next project ‘sherni’ Vidya Balan has started the shoot for T-Series and Abundantia Entertainment’s next, “Sherni.”

The National award-winning actress took to her social media to share an image of the ‘muhurat’ clap as the team starts shoot on #WorldWildlifeDay. The film is directed by Amit Masurkar and produced

by Bhushan Kumar, Vikram Malhotra, Krishan Kumar and Amit Masurkar. Aastha Tiku wrote the film.

With her very first film, “Parineeta,” Vidya Balan showed that there was space in the industry for a homely girl whose forte was acting and not glamour. Fourteen years later, after playing roles as varied as a housewife, a ruthless femme fatale, a brothelowner, sister to a murder victim, lady detective and an RJ, she has shown that she is a star with a difference.

Admittedly, she has floundered in many a case, notably in films like “Kahaani 2” and “Begum Jaan,” but the triumphs have outclassed these failures, people still remember her path-breaking turns in movies.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Bollywood

21

Jacqueline Fernandez is happy to tell amazing story “It’s an amazing story and I am happy to be part of the sequel of a film that catapulted my career,” says Jacqueline Fernandez on being part of “Kick 2.” Fernandez recently shared some information about her film says, “The film is taking time for the film to go on the floors. That’s because the director (Sajid Nadiadwala) really wanted it to be perfect. It is good to be working again with the team.”

Salman Khan stars in the film as in the 2014 movie that marked the debut of producer Sajid Nadiadwala as director. It made over Rs 200

crore at the box-office.

The actress is now venturing into the digital space with “Mrs. Serial Killer” and her film “Drive” starts streaming on Netflix from today. Fernandez featured in UK magazine Eastern Eye’s “World’s attractiv Asian Women” list, ranking twelfth. She was ranked third on The Times of India’s listing of the “Most Desirable Woman” in 2013 and 2014, after being ranked eighth, seventh and fourteenth, respectively,

Acid-attack survivor presents best debut actress to Ananya Pandey Purnima has now filed a divorce at the Bandra Family Court after 32 yearsof marriage demanding an alimony of 10 crore INR and a maintenance of 1lakh INR every month. Purnima said, “Raghubir is currently living-in with Sanjay Mishra’s wife Roshni Achreja. He himself h Joy Personal Care partnered with 65th Filmfare Awards to empower acid-attack survivors. Pragya Prasun Singh, an acid-attack survivor, presented the Best Debut Actress to Ananya Pandey at the recent awards ceremony.

The collaboration was aimed to create awareness about their initiative #JustHireOne, which urges companies to hire at least one acid-attack survivor in their workforce. This initiative was a part of their larger campaign #SkinOfCourage, which was curated for the launch of Joy Sensitive, a special range of products crafted for the hypersensitive skin of acid-attack survivors.

Singh, the face of #JustHireOne, urged to extend the support by joining hands with the novel initiative. As a part of the integration, Sunil Agarwal, chairman, RSH Global, along with Poulomi Roy, CMO, RSH Global (which is the owner of Joy), and Singh presented the best debut actress to Ananya Pandey.

Roy said: “This is the first purpose-led marketing endeavor by RSH Global and we couldn’t think of a better platform than the Filmfare awards to talk about the initiative in front of the popular opinion leaders of the country.” “The company’s endeavor has

always been to deliver quality products at an affordable price and this has been the genesis behind the launch of our new skincare range.

During the R&D of the product, we realized that employment is a serious concern for them and hence, we started off a nationwide employment drive with an aim to support their livelihood by associating with Pragya

Singh and her NGO Atijeevan Foundation.”

Singh added, “Acid-attack victims often receive sympathies, but seldom has a brand made the effort to empower them. I am happy to be associated with such a great initiative.”

For Pandey, this was another emotional high after a great year in which she was admired for her work in two films, neither of which smashed the box office. Her debut film “Student of the Year 2” was a dud, while her next, “Pati Patni Aur Woh” did average business. Her biggest success was her #BePositive initiative on Twitter.

in the preceding three years. In 2013, Rediff.com placed her on their list of “Bollywood’s Best Dressed Actresses”.

The following year, she held the sixty second position in the Indian edition of the Forbes’ Celebrity 100, a list based on the income and popularity of India’s celebrities. In early 2013, Fernandez became the ambassador for HTC One, which she endorses in India. She was the face of Indian Bridal Fashion Week— IBFW of 2013.[93] Later that year, she

became the spokesperson for Gareth Pugh’s designed Forevermark Diamonds in Mumbai,[94] and was at the inaugural opening of the Forever 21 store in Mumbai.[95] That year, she also launched Gillette Shaving System with Arbaaz Khan and Aditya Roy Kapur.

[96] While analysing Fernandez’s career, India TV noted: “Slowly and steadily Jacqueline Fernandez is climbing up the ladder of success [...] Jacqueline is comfortably grasping every aspect of the work, which an actress is required

Stunning Sunny Leone

S

unny Leone has been doing it all from her films to TV shows, and even promoting her makeup business.

When not neck deep in work commitments, the star makes it a point to jet out on relaxing holidays with her hubby Daniel Weber and their three kids.

This time around, the beauty headed over to Jaipur for a short break and surprised fans with a stunning photo to assure all that she is having a swell time there. Posting a mirror selfie in a floral bikini, the star not only showed off her curves but also gave everyone a good look at her sculpted abs.

“Pulled this bikini after a long time! Time for a swim in my private villa pool here in Jaipur! Gorgeous resort!” she captioned the photo.

While shooting for her TV show, Sunny also ventured South and starred in ‘Madhuraja’ featuring superstar Mammootty in the lead. known by the name Sunny Leone a Canadian-born Indian-American star and actress, model, currently in Indian film industry, Bollywood. She has American citizenship. She has also used the stage name Karen Malhotra.[8][9] She was named Penthouse Pet of the Year in 2003, was a contract performer for Vivid Entertainment, and was named by Maxim as one of the 12 top porn stars in 2010.

She has played roles in independent mainstream events, films and television series. Her first mainstream appearance was in 2005, when she worked as a red carpet reporter for the MTV Video Music Awards on MTV India.

In 2011, she participated in the Indian reality television series Bigg Boss. She also has hosted the Indian reality show Splitsvilla.

In 2012, she made her Bollywood debut in Pooja Bhatt’s erotic thriller Jism 2 (2012) and shifted her focus to mainstream acting which was followed up with Jackpot (2013), Ragini MMS 2 (2014), Ek Paheli Leela (2015) and Tera Intezaar (2017).

Apart from her acting career she has been part of activism campaigns including the Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Half-Marathon to raise money for the American Cancer Society and has also posed for a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ad campaign with a rescued dog, encouraging pet owners to have their cats and dogs spayed and neutered.Since 2011, Leone has been married to musician Daniel Weber. She currently lives in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

22

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Did you know?

Canadians spend less on wireless than Americans.

It’s a myth that Canadians pay some of the highest wireless prices in the world. The average Canadian household spends just 1.6% of their disposable income on wireless versus 2.6% in the US.* — PwC Canada

Know the facts at ConnectingCanadaForGood.ca *PricewaterhouseCoopers Report December 2019: Understanding affordability of consumer mobile wireless services in Canada. © 2020 TELUS.

23

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Vol. 11 No. 6

Saturday - March 7, 2020

Tel: 604-591-5423

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Metro Vancouver still seller’s market despite housing downturn Home sales in Metro Vancouver remain well below the 10-year average for the region but sellers continue to hold the upper hand as the real estate board says demand for properties is steady with buyers having little to choose from.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says 2,150 homes sold in February, a nearly 37 per cent jump in one month and almost 45 per cent higher than sales in February 2019.

But the spectre of the recent housing market downtown remains with board data showing last month’s sales are 15.6 per cent below the 10-year sales average for February.

Demand high, listings falling Demand for properties remains healthy

but the real estate board says listings have fallen almost 21 per cent compared with the number of homes offered for sale last February, and only marginally increased between January and February of this year.

The ratio of sales to active listings is 17 per cent for detached homes and as high as 28 per cent for condos, well above the point where analysts say prices are likely to slip if the ratio falls below 12 per cent. The board lists the benchmark price for a detached home at just over $1.4 million, down less than one per cent since February of last year but up 1.9 per cent over the past six months.

The benchmark prices for townhomes and condos are $785,000 and $677,000 respectively. Condos showed the largest price

gain over the last six months at 3.6 per cent, the real estate board says in its monthly statement. Board president Ashley Smith said the condominium market was also the busiest across the region in February.

‘Now is a good time to act’ Agents are reporting more people attending open houses and multiple offers being made in some sections of the market, she added in a statement. “If you’re

considering listing your home for sale, now is a good time to act with increased demand, reduced competition from other sellers, and some upward pressure on prices,’’ Smith said.

24

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Licences suspended, accounts frozen for realtor and 2 firms over ‘potential misuse’ of clients’ cash he Real Estate Council of B.C. has suspended the real estate licence of a Vancouver realtor and frozen the bank a c c o u n t s of two brokerages he runs because of suspected misconduct in his bookkeeping. The RECBC issued suspension and freezing orders for Stephen Lam, Regent

Park Pinnacle Realty of Vancouver and Coral Property Management of Richmond on Feb. 6. That comes after an investigation found “systemic books and records issues, shortages in the rental trust accounts and general trust account ledgers, and potential misuse of

client trust funds” in the accounts of Regent Park Pinnacle, according to a decision from the council’s discipline committee. “Mr. Lam’s history of his treatment of the pooled and trust accounts of both brokerages puts his clients in current and future financial risks that their

monies will be wrongfully removed.”

Mandatory anti-money laundering course rolls out for B.C. realtors Lam and the two brokerages remain under investigation and allegations of misconduct have not been proven.

Anti-money-laundering course mandatory for real estate agents and property managers Real estate professionals will learn how to recognize red flags and be instructed on their obligations if they’re involved in a suspicious transaction. The regulatory agency for B.C.’s real estate professionals is launching a mandatory anti-money-laundering course to show real estate agents and strata and property managers how to recognize red flags and what steps they’re obligated to take

to report suspected cases.

The course will provide “the information you need to understand why real estate is attractive to money launderers,” said the course outline on the website of the Real Estate Council of B.C., the self-regulatory body of the province’s 26,000 licensed real estate pros. Members will learn “how to recognize the risk signs and red flags associated with money laundering (and) review your obligations and the steps to take

to report suspicious transactions,” it said.

The self-paced online course will “empower them (real estate pros) to actively contribute to preventing criminal activity in B.C. real estate markets” and support them to “comply with their federal reporting obligations,” spokesman Warren Mirko said in an emailed statement.

“Real estate professionals work closely with their clients, so they are well positioned to

identify suspicious transactions,” he said.

The announcement of the course requirement comes two months after the provincial government unveiled plans to create a new regulator for B.C.’s real estate sector by spring 2021. A single regulator for the sector was a key recommendation of recent reports aimed at cracking down on money laundering.

The three reports into money laundering since 2018 have revealed billions in proceedsof-crime, and other questionable sources of income have been laundered for years through the real estate industry, as well as through other luxury purchases and through casinos.

The latest report, by Maureen Maloney in May, estimated up to $5 billion was funnelled through the B.C. property market in 2018 alone, likely increasing housing prices that year by five per cent.

Retired B.C. Supreme Court associate chief Justice Austin Cullen is in the middle of a yearlong public inquiry to investigate the causes, scope and impact of money laundering in the province.

Registration will open when the course is launched next week and it will be required for licence renewal beginning April 1.

“It will become part of the mandatory education that real estate professionals must take in order to maintain their licence to practise in B.C.,” said Mirko.

The B.C. Real Estate Association announced this week a new requirement of 18 hours of professional training every two years for its realtors (who make up 90 per cent of all real estate agents), but there was no reference to money laundering

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Saturday, March 7, 2020

The mortgage stress test is making housing supply issues worse — and making homes even more unaffordable

C

anada is experiencing sustained economic and population growth.

Millennials and new Canadians are forming households and their desire for home ownership is very strong. Interest rates are low. In this environment, home sales should thrive and supply should rise alongside demand, keeping prices in check. Instead, our housing supply is lagging and prices have risen dramatically in key markets.

Governments bear much of the blame for this undesirable market imbalance, as a narrow focus on suppressing household debt has dominated the policy mix while the root causes of undersupply — including excessive red tape, fees, taxes and nimbyism — have gone largely unaddressed.

If we want to address housing affordability in Canada, governments need to redesign the policy mix to confront these factors. For its part, the federal government could start by developing a more nuanced mortgage “stress test.”

Ottawa’s stress test is demolishing Canadians’ housing dreams. Which party will rebuild them?

Why Ottawa’s attempts to help young Canadians afford housing simply won’t work The mortgage ‘stress test’ has started harming Canadians more than it helps

First, consider mortgage debt in the Canadian context.

Canadians have some of the highest rates of home ownership and mortgage borrowing in the world.

Evidence shows that Canadians use mortgage debt responsibly; in the majority of cases, we make additional payments or otherwise accelerate our repayments.

Equifax credit scores for first-time Canadian homebuyers are in the upper half of the range considered “very good,” and they typically continue to improve in the first, second and third years of home ownership.

Second, we have the indisputable finding, reproduced in dozens of independent surveys, that Canadians strongly value home ownership. It is overwhelmingly identified as a top priority across the age

spectrum, from millennials to baby boomers.

And the opportunity for home ownership here is a key attraction for immigrants, many of whom leave behind societies where it is rare.

Unfortunately, despite all the evidence that Canadians are committed and responsible

borrowers, would-be homebuyers are today restricted by a number of government policies that need redesign, most notably the mortgage stress test. To be clear: when applied selectively on mortgagors who are attempting to borrow significantly more than their annual income or who are carrying a heavy load of non-mortgage debt already, the stress test can be a useful tool. But there is reason to be concerned about the scope and duration of the test’s current application in Canada. While the government’s one-size-fits-all approach has helped cool overheated markets, it has also destabilized Prairie housing markets, which were already suffering from that region’s economic slowdown.

It has now been 23 months since the stress test was implemented. At that time, policy-makers wanted to ensure borrowers could service their debts when their mortgages came up for renewal — mainly because it was widely presumed rates would rise in the near term. But now, if anything, interest rates are expected to ease amid weakening economic growth, trade tensions and other factors. Given the current environment, we must ask if the marginal improvement in mortgage credit quality created by the stress test is worth the many unintended consequences it causes.

Condos, the ‘future of our communities,’ now cost more per square foot than a detached home Condominiums may be the “future of our communities” but per square foot, they are hardly a bargain. According to a Royal LePage report released today, aside from Vancouver and Calgary, every major city’s condo price per square foot has increased. With the exception of Vancouver, the median price per square foot of a condo is now higher than that of a single family detached home nationwide. Canadian home prices are up — but by the smallest amount in

a decade. Seven reasons Canada’s housing market is stronger than it looks Vancouver’s housing market is dismal — but you still need six-figure income to get your foot in the door “While condo units are smaller, they are the present and future of our communities. With more development opportunities, they can meet both the growing need for housing and lifestyle expectations of homebuyers,” said Phil Soper, the president of Royal LePage in a

press release. The Greater Ottawa condo price per square foot appreciated the fastest among the cities that were measured, rising 17.9 per cent year-over-year to $395, while the Greater Vancouver price actually declined the most by 8.3 per cent to $764. “We are seeing significant interest in Ottawa’s south and west ends from residents working in the nearby military and technology hubs,” said Kent Browne, broker

Over 11% of Vancouver condos have a non-resident owner, says new CMHC report

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Over 11 percent of Vancouver condos have at least one non-resident as an owner, a number that jumps to more than 19 per cent when it comes to newer built condos.

The information is contained in a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation housing market insight report which also found that non-residents — defined as someone who

doesn’t have their principal residence in Canada — tend to own more expensive properties than residents, especially in Vancouver.

Some of the other findings: 7.2 per cent of all Vancouver properties have at least one non-resident owner.

Non-resident ownership is highest in

and owner of Royal LePage TEAM Realty. The city of Vancouver remains the most expensive condo market in the country, with homebuyers paying $1,044 per square foot for a condo and $1,279 per square foot for a single-family detached home. Greater Calgary offers the lowest condo price per square foot, with a fall of 6.7 per cent to $313.“For the fourth consecutive month, condo inventory in the region declined compared to last year.

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What Vancouver’s housing market could hold in 2020 A funny thing happened in Vancouver’s housing market in 2019: for the first time in many years, not much happened.

“Condo prices have slowed down. The fear of missing out madness at open houses has gone away. So there’s been a pause in the market,” said Tom Davidoff, an associate professor at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. One way to measure the relative calm of the market is by looking at the average sale price for detached homes, townhouses and apartments in the area overseen by Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver.

Wild fluctuations were once common, as luxury properties were traded like hotcakes. But in 2019, the average value for any type of property never went up or down by more than 17 per cent compared to the previous year.

That might not seem significant — but it’s the first time that’s happened since 2014.

After a taxing year for real estate, housing

market expected to remain cool in 2019 In between, a massive surge in housing prices created both a windfall for existing homeowners and a backlash that contributed to the fall of provincial and local governments.

But with a host of taxation and antispeculation measures now in place, and new supply continuing to come on the market, prices for all types of housing stabilized in 2019, with small declines generally seen across the board.

“We wound up in a pretty balanced place,” said Davidoff.

“I think it’s a pretty good outcome in that way and I think you’ve probably seen ... a calming of the public discourse around housing.” Too soon to predict 2020 Whether a stable 2019 will continue into 2020 is another question. Multiple housing experts told CBC News it is difficult to predict what direction the housing market will go next year. Market

Metro Vancouver’s luxury home prices forecast to slip further The national brokerage issued a forecast in February, reporting that the median price of a luxury house in Metro Vancouver at the end of January 2020 was $5,394,594, which is 6.7% year-over-year decline. Luxury condos in the region dropped 4.4% to $2,411,773 over the same period, it added.

However, Royal LePage said that recent signs of recovery in the market will eventually trickle up to push up prices in the luxury sector, albeit at a slower pace than the lower end of the market.

The report said, “While luxury real estate in Greater Vancouver is showing year-overyear declines in median prices for both houses and condominiums over the twelve-month period, a significant boost in luxury unit sales since October 2019 is moving the market towards stabilization. From October 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020, the median price of a

luxury house in Greater Vancouver decreased 1.3% year-over-year, while the median price of a condominium was relatively flat, posting a 0.2% year-over-year increase.”

Jason Soprovich, a West Vancouver realtor with Royal LePage Sussex, said, “Metro Vancouver’s residential real estate market is shifting towards a balanced market and this trend has been moving upward through the luxury market. There is healthy demand for homes priced between $3 million and $5 million, and this segment is starting to stabilize. It will take more time for the upperend segment to move into a balanced market, but it is expected.”

The report added that luxury home prices in the region were expected to continue their decline, but with relatively “modest” drops, over the coming year.

adjustments to the new taxes are one factor, but so are trade war concerns, continued low interest rates, and the effect of new mortgage rules. “The big picture is actually watching how mortgages, and the availability of mortgages and cheap money, will or will not become available,” said Andy Yan, director of the City Program at Simon Fraser University.

Vancouver is still in a housing crisis. But when will we know if it’s over?

Yan said that with debates around the effect of speculation taxes largely settled, the most heated

policy arguments would likely be around rental housing, particularly whether proposed projects offered enough nonmarket and multi-bedroom units.

“There is this idea of less heat being generated in the [housing] debate, but then there is much light being generated towards the conversation of what kind of city are we becoming,” said Yan. “Who are we including, as well as who are we excluding?”

‘Not magically affordable’

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Saturday, March 7, 2020

Economy grew at 0.3% pace in fourth quarter

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The increase matched both the forecast of analysts in a Reuters poll as well as the Bank of Canada’s prediction. Statscan also revised the third quarter annualized growth down to 1.1 per cent from an initial 1.3 per cent.

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Statscan cited pipeline shutdowns, bad harvest conditions, an eight-day railway strike in Canada, the spillover effect of a U.S. auto workers’ strike and global trade tensions. The growth figure was the worst since a 2.0 per cent drop in the second quarter of 2016, when fire ripped through an oil-producing region.

Household spending on services jumped by 0.8 per cent over the third quarter while business investment in machinery and equipment fell by 3.6 per cent, the third consecutive decline.

Export volumes dropped by 1.3 per cent.

The Bank of Canada’s next interest rate decision is on March 4 and market expectations of a cut have jumped as the economy faces challenges from rail blockades and a coronavirus outbreak. The central bank has left rates unchanged since October 2018.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, March 7, 2020

New bill to forbid BC govt from taking ICBC profits New legislation will ban the provincial govt from siphoning revenue out of ICBC. Attorney-General David Eby said that the bill will forbid the province from taking “excess optional capital” from ICBC and free the corporation to reinvest that money into lowering rates in future years.

“If those surpluses begin to accumulate, if this is something that ICBC experiences, this will continue the public pressure on ICBC and restrict future governments’ ability to transfer that money anywhere else except to reduce rates or increase benefits,” said Eby. ICBC is in the middle of a financial crisis and there is no surplus optional capital for the government to take. The Crown auto insurer lost $2.5 billion over the past two years, amid rising claims and legal costs.

However, ICBC is expected to return a

profit as early as next year, after government placed a cap on pain and suffering claims for minor injuries. Its financial picture is also expected to improve dramatically under a nofault insurance system that bans most court cases by May 1, 2021.

The reform will end the practice of previous governments that “treated ICBC like an ATM” and removed $1.2 billion in excess optional capital from the corporation between 2009 and 2015, said Eby. Excess optional capital is profit from ICBC’s sale of optional insurance, for which it competes against private companies.

ICBC has a monopoly on basic insurance.

“That $1.2 billion on five-per-cent interest would have been sufficient to

provide $60 million each and every year to reduce basic rate costs,” said Eby. “That’s the equivalent of a two-percent basic rate increase caused by the previous government taking that capital. It shouldn’t happen again.”

Opposition Liberals accused Eby of trying to distract the fact ICBC rates have risen dramatically the past year under a rate redesign.

“Today’s announcement does nothing to address the dramatic increase in premiums under the NDP,” said Liberal critic Jas Johal. “A 20-year-old hit with a $5,000-a-year insurance bill will still be paying astronomical rates.”

The NDP government has said the shift to no fault insurance next year will see rates drop an average of 20 per cent.

The legislation would not change government

accounting principles, which stipulate that any total net revenue or deficit run by ICBC annually is reflected in the provincial budget.

Excess optional capital is just one aspect of ICBC’s budget, and the main advantage to government raiding that fund has been that it helped the larger provincial budget reduce overall borrowing costs, said Eby. “It’s harder for government to get any clearer than to pass a law that puts into legislation what government’s intentions are,” said Eby. “So our intentions are that if there’s any extra money left over from these reforms, that they will go back to drivers in the form of various benefits, including lower rates, and we’re putting that into the law to be as clear as we can, because if we don’t do that it invites people in politics,

BC man who exposed himself in Halifax park remains in custody A British Columbia man will remain behind bars after allegedly exposing himself to visitors at a popular Halifax park.

Twenty-one-year-old Muhammed Ahmed appeared in Halifax Provincial Court on Monday, on two counts of an indecent act, and one count of sexual assault.

Police were called to Point Pleasant Park just before 1 p.m. on Saturday, after a woman visitor said a man started a conversation with her, then proceeded to expose himself.

While police were investigating the complaint, another call came in for a similar incident in a different area of the park.

“He has some outstanding m a t t e r s from British Columbia that are in similar nature to the ones that are before the court now,” said crown attorney, Michael Berrigan.

“So, we would like an opportunity to see those charges, see the context of them themselves, and then from there, we will make a determination as to whether or not we will still be opposed to his release, or if we’ll consider a consent release with conditions.”

Vancouver police chase ends with one man in hospital, two cruisers damaged A driver is in the hospital after a late-night police chase leading to a crash in Vancouver.

Police say they don’t believe the vehicle was stolen, but at least two cruisers were damaged in the pursuit which ended near Main Street and 51st Avenue. At least two police cruisers are damaged, one was used to stop the driver, head on. Another has a broken wheel. Police say they do not believe the car was stolen. One of the cruisers hit an Oldsmobile the suspect was driving in order to stop the rampage.

A witness says the man was driving on sidewalks and hitting other cars on the road.

“Yeah, he didn’t want to stop,” he says.

“He was ramming the cops and the cops were ramming him to get him to stop.”

The driver remains in custody and is facing several charges.

Bloody rags and chunks of metal were gathered into buckets before tow trucks cleared the scene early Tuesday morning.

The driver had some injuries, and no officers were seriously hurt.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Toronto boy’s abduction retaliation for $4-million drug theft: police It was all over a multi-million dollar drug debt from last summer.

That’s what Toronto police believe is behind the dramatic abduction of 14-yearold Shammah Jolayemi (pictured) as he walked to school Wednesday morning.

Speaking to media outside of a north Toronto police station, Supt.

Steven Watts said investigators believe Jolayemi’s kidnappers were motivated by the theft of nearly 100 kg. of cocaine — worth around $4-million — allegedly stolen by the boy’s stepbrother Olalekan Osikoya in the summer of 2019.

“We believe Shammah was abducted as retribution for an unpaid drug debt,” Watts said.

Jolayemi was last seen around 8:30 a.m. near his Driftwood Ave. home Wednesday, shouting for help as he was forced into a black Jeep Wrangler by two or three males.

Watts said police were notified at the time about the incident, but it wasn’t until his parents called police Wednesday evening upon learning that Jolayemi was absent from school that police connected the two investigations.

An Amber Alert was issued just after midnight.

A vehicle similar to the one connected with Jolayemi’s abduction

was found torched Thursday afternoon near Forks of the Credit in Caledon.

Watts said they believe it’s the same vehicle used to abduct Jolayemi.

Watts said investigators have been in contact with Osikoya, who’s been cooperative, and that he fled the GTA shortly after the alleged theft.

Sources tell the Sun the boy’s family received a warning that some sort of retaliation would occur in connection with the theft.

A statement from the Toronto District School Board said four staff members from Newtonbrook Secondary School are under investigation after it was discovered Jolayemi’s absence wasn’t properly recorded.

“Procedure requires the classroom teacher to promptly report all attendance to the school office each period,” said TDSB spokesman Ryan Bird, adding that information is entered electronically and automated absence calls are made at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

“We have confirmed that attendance information from the morning was not entered by the 11am cut-off time as it should have been and as a result, this information was shifted to the second call.”

He said the staff members could face “disciplinary action” if their actions are deemed “culpable.”

What we know about the deal governments agreed to with Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs After three days of meetings, a deal was struck Sunday between the federal and provincial governments and hereditary chiefs in Wet’suwet’en territory in northern, British Columbia. The terms of the deal are unclear at this point, but all sides indicated it is an important agreement that will address the current impasse and the broader issues at play.

Crown-Indigenous Relations minister Carolyn Bennett said at a news conference in Smithers, B.C, “We, I believe, have come to a proposed arrangement that will also honour the protocols of the Wet’suwet’en people and clans.

“What we’ve worked on this weekend needs to go back to those clans and then we have agreed as ministers that we will come back to sign if it is agreed upon by the nation.”

She said the proposed arrangement is about making sure “that this never happens again, that rights holders will always be at the table.”

Here’s what we know and

what we don’t about the deal.

In late January, RCMP officers moved in on a protest camp that had been blocking a key road and preventing the construction of the Coastal GasLink pipeline. That pipeline is part of a massive investment in British Columbia aiming to bring natural gas to the coast, liquify it, and then export it to markets in Asia.

The pipeline has the support of elected band council chiefs in the area, but is opposed by hereditary chiefs in the community When the RCMP moved to remove protesters, blockades emerged on rail lines across the country in support of the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs, grinding traffic to a halt.

John Ivison: A deal made in haste, but the blockades are still in place Work to resume on Coastal GasLink after Wet’suwet’en chiefs, ministers reach draft arrangement in pipeline dispute Wet’suwet’en chiefs, ministers reach

Majority of Canadians unhappy with Trudeau’s handling of blockade crisis: poll A new poll suggests Canadians weren’t happy with Justin Trudeau’s handling of the natural-gas pipeline dispute in British Columbia that led to nationwide rail and road blockades mounted in solidarity with Indigenous leaders who oppose the project.

According to the Leger Marketing survey, 61 per cent of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the way the prime minister has handled the blockade file.

The numbers also suggest most Canadians blame the federal government for the crisis that erupted after Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs were arrested in B.C. while trying to block the Coastal GasLink pipeline project in early February — even though the project was approved by the province.

A majority of respondents — 57 per cent — said they believe Indigenous land claims are valid and there was overwhelming

support for the federal government to actively resolve them and to consult with Indigenous groups on development projects.

Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque says this represents a major shift in public support for Indigenous rights issues compared to previous decades.

But when it comes to whether Indigenous Peoples should have a veto on major developments on their lands, the Leger survey suggests opinion is more divided, with 42 per cent of respondents saying Yes while 41 per cent said No. “I think Canadians have moved forward in aiming for reconciliation, but probably not to the degree that Indigenous leaders would like,” Bourque said.

“When (respondents) say they’re dissatisfied with the prime minister’s handling of the whole

31 19

Cyclist fined $1,000 for running red light, killing Calgary senior John Kwan, 75, was at Richmond Road S.W. by Crowchild Trail when he stepped into a crosswalk when the light turned green .

Family members of a Calgary senior struck and killed by a cyclist who ran a red light believes the justice system has failed them.

Paul Kwan said the $1,000 fine handed cyclist Paul Joseph MacNeil Monday, coupled with a victim fine surcharge of $150, wasn’t punishment enough.

“I wish the justice system could’ve done more,” Kwan said, shortly after MacNeil pleaded guilty to a Traffic Safety Act charge of running a red light.

“My understanding is this accident (was) preventable and the cyclist should obey the law,” Kwan said.

And he said comments by MacNeil’s lawyer, Cory Wilson — indicating the offender was deeply remorseful — did little to alleviate the pain he and his mother, Joanna, have suffered since the July 16, 2018, crash.

“I don’t feel anything,” Kwan said, when asked about MacNeil’s remorse.

“I seriously don’t feel anything.”

Crown prosecutor Doug Taylor said John Kwan, 75, was at Richmond Road S.W. by Crowchild Trail when he stepped into a crosswalk when the light turned green.

Taylor said MacNeil, who was cycling northbound on Richmond Road, ran a red light and struck the victim.

“When Mr. MacNeil pedalled

his bicycle through this red light he collided with a pedestrian who had just stepped off the curb,” Taylor told provincial court Judge Allan Fradsham.

“That individual tragically died three days later.”

Taylor said he and Wilson had agreed to a joint submission for a $1,000 fine for failing to stop at a red light.

Wilson said MacNeil, 25, had only recently moved to Calgary from Nova Scotia.

“There’s no other way to put it, but this was a tragedy,” the lawyer said.

In accepting the joint submission, Fradsham told the Kwans that the fine didn’t equate to the value of their lost loved one.

He noted the Traffic Safety Act is designed to enhance public safety.

“Many times when there are breaches, there is no consequence other than someone getting a ticket,” Fradsham said. “My job is to impose a penalty for the act, but not the consequences.”

Paul Kwan said he was shocked something like a bicycle colliding with a pedestrian could cause such a tragedy.

“I find it shocking that a . . . bicycle can cause such a dramatic event to our family,” he said.

Despite the result, he noted he was glad the case has finally concluded.

“It’s good to have some kind of closure in the court,” he said.

Calgary invites Indian investment as bilateral trade grows The Canadian city of Calgary on Monday invited Indian business to invest in Canadas third largest city, which has a substantial population of South Asians, towards contributing to the growing volume of bilateral trade between India and Canada.

The call to Indian business to invest in Calgary was made by the city’s Indian-origin Mayor Naheed Nenshi at a roundtable here organized by industry chamber CII. Nenshi is on a visit to India as the head of a Canadian business delegation.

Pointing out that Calgary’s strengths include the energy, financial technology (fintech) and “creative industry” sectors, the Mayor said that with Canada having a trade deficit with India, his mission is help to Indian companies locate in Calgary which has the expertise to help Indian firms grow their business.

“In a world increasingly defined by closure, we are defiantly open to the best talent in the world. The H-1B visa (US) has become almost

impossible to get, whereas the same kind of visa can be got for Canada in 10 days,” Nenshi said.

Noting that the Economist has ranked Calgary as the western hemisphere’s best city to live in, he said that Calgary is looking to intensify trade relations at the state level in India. His delegation is also scheduled to visit Mumbai and Bengaluru. = “Calgary wants to be the destination of choice for the best innovators and entrepreneurs in order to solve the hardest problems like the climate change issue, as well as the most difficult one of how different peoples can live together…to build a community in these dark and divided times,” the Mayor said.

“When you ask how all this is linked to business, the question for us is how to be able to succeed both socially and economically,” he said, adding that “the South Asian community

20 32

National / Finance

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Canada’s big banks slash prime rates following Poloz’s lead Royal Bank of Canada said on Wednesday it would cut its prime rate to 3.45 per cent from 3.95 per cent in its first reduction since July 2015, with the country’s other lenders expected to follow suit, even as the moves weigh on margins already under pressure.

Canada’s biggest lender announced the move, which will take effect on Thursday, after the Bank of Canada cut benchmark rates by 50 basis points on Wednesday to help tackle a coronavirus outbreak and said it was ready to cut again.

Following suit, Bank of Nova Scotia, TorontoDominion Bank and Desjardins Group also said they would cut the rate to 3.45 per cent.

The central bank’s cut is “well in advance of the banks’ expectations,” said Rob Colangelo, senior vice president for credit ratings at DBRS Morningstar.

The Bank of Canada’s reduction, following a similar move by the U.S. Federal Reserve on Tuesday, will lead to margin compression at

or slightly above the higher end of the 1-to-2 basis-point-per-quarter range expected by the banks at the end of fiscal 2019, Colangelo said.

The last two times the Bank of Canada lowered rates, in January and July of 2015, the banks passed on only 30 basis points of the 50-basis-point cuts. But the major banks matched the central bank’s three quarter-percentage-point increases in 2018.

RBC to cut Canada prime rate to 3.45%, rivals follow Rate Cuts Bring Earnings Headwinds, and Gains, for Canada Banks Bank of Canada takes cue from Fed and others, slashes rates over coronavirus fears “They’re choosing to err on the side of caution

and put more stimulus into the economy,” said John Kinsey, portfolio manager at Caldwell Securities.

“But it will squeeze them.”

The economic growth spurred by the cut would improve loan growth, but it “likely won’t be enough to offset net interest margin compression,” said Laura Lau, chief investment officer at Brompton Group.

Canadian banks are somewhat protected by their skew toward more fixed-rate loans, said Gabriel Dechaine, an analyst at National Bank Financial (NBF), contrary to the dominance of variable rates in the U.S. “It’s not an immediate hit when the central

bank cuts,” Dechaine, who expects the cuts to result in a 1 per cent to 2 per cent reduction in his earnings estimates for the major banks.

The decline in margins would be driven more by commercial loan portfolios, which price more frequently, Colangelo said.

Banks have been growing their business loan books at double-digit rates recently.

The Fed’s rate cut would weigh more on Canadian banks’ U.S. operations, Dechaine said in a note on Tuesday. Canadian banks experienced 43 basis points of average net interest margin compression following the Fed’s three rate cuts in 2019, he said.

Canadian banks’ earnings could fall by between 0.6 per cent to 1.5 per cent in the next two quarters, with the more U.S.-focused TD Bank and Bank of Montreal taking the biggest hits, he said.

Vancouver-area home sales below average, but it’s still a seller’s market: board Home sales in Metro Vancouver remain well below the 10-year average for the region but sellers continue to hold the upper hand as the real estate board says demand for properties is steady with buyers having little to choose from.

The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says 2,150 homes sold in February, a nearly 37 per cent jump in one month and almost 45 per cent higher than sales in February 2019. But the spectre of the recent housing market downturn remains with board data showing last month’s sales are 15.6 per cent below the 10-year sales average for February.

Demand for properties remains healthy but the real estate board says listings have fallen almost 21 per cent compared with

the number of homes offered for sale last February, and only marginally increased between January and February of this year.

The ratio of sales to active listings is 17 per cent for detached homes and as high as 28 per cent for condos, well above the point where analysts say prices are likely to slip if the ratio falls below 12 per cent.

The board lists the benchmark price for a detached home at just over $1.4 million, down less than one per cent since February of last year but up 1.9 per cent over the past six months.

The benchmark prices for townhomes and condos are $785,000 and $677,000 respectively.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

PM Trudeau warns that Canada’s economy is taking hit from Coronavirus, but refuses to ban flight from disease hotspots The Bank of Canada slashed a keyinterest rate Wednesday in a bid to blunt theeconomic impact of the spread of COVID-19 even as Prime Minister Justin Trudeauwarned that a slowdown is already taking hold.

“We are currently seeing an impact on theglobal economy,” Trudeau said Wednesday,citing disrupted supplychains because of the virus’ impact inChina and a downturn in travel and tourism.

“We’re seeing a slowdown,” the prime ministersaid during a visit to SaintJérôme, Que. Federal Finance Minister Bill

Morneau has saidthe government is looking at contingencymeasures to support the economy but that wastoo soon to say whether such steps will beneeded.

As part of its response, the governmentannounced a new cabinet committee to overseeits response to the virus, including the healthand economic impacts. The committee will bechaired by Deputy Prime Minister ChrystiaFreeland and includes Public Safety MinisterBill Blair, Health Minister Patty Hajdu,Morneau and Melanie Joly, whose economicdevelopment portfolio includes tourism.

Statistics Canada says political apathy main reason Canadians didn’t vote in 2019 federal election Political apathy remains the primary reason for not voting among Canadians, according to a new survey. More than one-third of non-voters (35 per cent) told Statistics Canada they were “not interested in politics” when asked about their reasons for not voting in the 2019 federal election.= “This was the most common reason for all age groups, with the exception of those aged 75 and older, who were most likely to indicate that they did not vote due to an illness or disability,” it says in an accompanying analysis. Just over three-quarters (77 per cent) of Canadians reported voting in the 2019 federal election, unchanged from the 2015 election. Other factors for non-voting include being busy (22 per cent), having an illness or disability (13 per cent), or being out of town (11 per cent). These three factors grouped under the larger heading of everyday life reasons were more likely to discourage women than men from voting. Men, in contrast, were more likely to say that they are “not interested in politics.”

The survey, which amounts to a sociology

of the voting public, or the non-voting public depending on perspective, underscores several broader trends.

First, young people are less likely to vote than older people, even as turnout among younger people has gone up. In 2011, 55 per cent of individuals aged 18 to 24, the youngest group of eligible voters, voted. By 2015, the share rose to 67 per cent, only to stagnate at 68 per cent in 2019. By comparison, 80 per cent of individuals aged 55 to 64 voted in 2011. That figure rose to 83 per cent in 2015, dropping to 81 per cent in 2019.

Second, naturalized Canadian citizens are more likely to vote than their natural-born peers. In 2011, 55 per cent of citizens naturalized 1o years or less after immigration voted. By 2019, that share had risen to 72 per cent. The share is even higher for naturalized citizens more than 10 years since immigration with 75 per cent in 2019. In 2011, 70 per cent of Canadian citizens by birth voted, in 2015 and 2019 was figure was 78 per cent, on par with figures for naturalized citizens.

Senate bureaucrats sign contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars without approval from senators The Senate administration has signed contracts with outside consultants and human resources professionals worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent months — added costs at a time when Senate expenses have ballooned by more than 30 per cent in the last four years. The Senate’s procurement policy demands bureaucrats obtain approval from senators “prior to initiating any procurement action for goods or services that exceed $100,000,” to ensure taxpayer funds are being spent appropriately and with adequate oversight. But in 2018, Senate administration signed a contract with ADGA Group Consultants, a security firm, worth more than $200,000 without securing any sign-off from senators on the chamber’s committee on internal economy, budgets and administration — an apparent contravention of the policy.

According to a briefing note supplied to the audit subcommittee, Senate finance officials were “not able to find the information related to the approval of the contract” and the details of this particular contract “were not recorded

in a consistent manner.”

The internal economy committee is investigating the circumstances of this contract. “Until that point, we can’t comment any further until we have the necessary information,” a committee spokesperson said. In the last year, Senate bureaucrats also have signed contracts with consultants to help its existing complement of public servants recruit new high-ranking staff, train office workers on Microsoft Office, retool job titles and descriptions on job postings, improve procurement activities and digitize records, among other tasks.

Contracts worth less than $100,000 awarded through a competitive bidding process do not have to be approved by senators. Conveniently for Senate finance officials, some of the contracts in question fall just below that threshold — such as a $99,000 contract with Right Door Consulting and Solutions for a “senior business process consultant” tasked with improving the upper house’s “business processes.”

NATIONAL

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INDIA

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Uber sells its food delivery business in India to Zomato for $206M Uber sold its food delivery business in India to the local rival Zomato for $206 million, the American ride-hailing company disclosed in a regulatory filing in one of its key overseas markets. In January, Uber announced that it had sold the India business of Uber Eats to Zomato for a 9.99% stake in the loss-making Indian food delivery startup. The two companies had not disclosed the financial terms of the deal, which some Indian news outlets slated to be $350 million in size. TechCrunch had reported that Uber Eats’ India business — and a 9.99% stake in Zomato — was valued at about $180 million.In the filing, Uber said the “fair value of the consideration”

it received for Uber Eats’ India business from Zomato was $206 million, which included $35 million of “reimbursement of goods and services tax receivable from Zomato.” The deal underscores a significant cut in the 11-year-old Indian firm’s valuation, which was reported to be worth $3 billion when it disclosed a $150 million fresh investment earlier this year.

In December, Zomato cofounder and chief executive Deepinder Goyal said the company was in the process of raising as much as $600 million by the end of January. The company has yet to secure the rest of the capital. A Zomato spokesperson declined to comment.

Leading global medicine supplier India curbs drug exports as Coronavirus fears grow India, the world’s main supplier of generic drugs, has restricted the export of 26 pharmaceutical ingredients and the medicines made from them, including Paracetamol, a common pain reliever also sold as acetaminophen, as the coronavirus outbreak plays havoc with supply chains.

The Indian government urged calm and said there were enough stocks to manufacture formulations for two-to-three months.

The government’s list of 26 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and medicines accounts for 10% of all Indian pharmaceutical exports and includes several antibiotics, such as tinidazole and erythromycin, the hormone progesterone and Vitamin B12.

It was unclear how the restriction would impact the availability of these medicines in the countries that import from India and also depend on China. In the United States, for instance, Indian imports accounted for 24 percent of medicines and 31 percent of medicine ingredients in 2018, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn told U.S. senators on Tuesday that the agency is working to determine how the restrictions will affect the U.S. medical supply and the effect on essential medicines.

The FDA last week announced the first coronavirus-related drug shortage in the United States but declined to name the drug in question.

Supreme Court to examine if death-row convicts in same case can be hanged separately The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would examine the legal issue arising out of the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case on whether there could be separate hanging in a case where there are more than one death row convicts. “The question is whether there can be separate hanging or whether it has to be simultaneous. We will go into it,” said a threejudge bench headed by Justice R Banumathi.

The apex court said this while hearing an appeal filed by the Centre and the Delhi government challenging the February 5 order of Delhi High Court which had said that the four Nirbhaya case convicts have to be executed simultaneously. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Centre and Delhi government, told the bench that these convicts have taken justice delivery system for “a ride” and made a “mockery” of it by adopting delay tactics. The execution of death warrants of

these convicts have been deferred thrice so far due to delays by them in exhausting their legal remedies. Mehta, who said “credibility of the system is at stake”, informed the bench that a trial court has fixed March 20 as the date of execution of the four convicts who have exhausted all their legal remedies. The bench, also comprising justices Ashok Bhushan and A S Bopanna, posted the plea for arguments on merits on March 23 and made it clear that no adjournment would be given. About 30 minutes before proceedings commenced in the top court, a trial court here issued fresh warrants with March 20, 5.30 am, as the date for the execution of the convicts -- Mukesh Kumar Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh (31).

During the arguments, Mehta said there was no statutory provision which stipulates that convicts have to be executed simultaneously and as per the law.

Death toll in Delhi violence rises to 52 The death toll in the clashes that erupted across northeast Delhi last month has risen to 52, with another death being reported from the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital on Thursday.

At least 44 deaths - 43 men and 1 woman - have been reported by the hospital, while three deaths were reported from the LNJP Hospital and five from RML Hospital. GTB Hospital’s Medical Director Sunil Kumar said: “Most of the deceased were young, as they fell in the age group between 20 to 40. Out of the 44 dead, only one is female.” He also said that 298 patients have been treated so far at the hospital. Property worth crores was reported to be damaged in the violence that continued for four days

in northeast Delhi after clashes between pro and anti-CAA protesters took a communal colour.

The issue has rocked Parliament, after Congress-led opposition raised the issue for discussion leading to the adjournment in both the houses.

Trade impact of Coronavirus epidemic for India estimated at 348 million dollars: UN report The trade impact of the coronavirus epidemic for India is estimated to be about 348 million dollars and the country figures among the top 15 economies most affected as slowdown of manufacturing in China disrupts world trade, according to a UN report. Estimates published

by United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) on Wednesday said the slowdown of manufacturing in China due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is disrupting world trade and could result in a 50 billion dollar decrease in exports across global value chains. The most affected sectors include precision instruments, machinery, automotive and communication equipment. Among the most-affected economies are the European Union (USD 15.6 billion), the United States (USD 5.8 billion), Japan (USD 5.2 billion), South Korea (USD 3.8 billion), Taiwan Province

of China (USD 2.6 billion) and Vietnam ( USD 2.3 billion).

India is among the 15 most-affected economies due to the coronavirus epidemic and slowdown in production in China, with a trade impact of 348 million dollars.

The trade impact for India is less as compared to other economies such as EU, the US, Japan and South Korea. Trade impact for Indonesia is 312 million dollars. For India, the trade impact is estimated to be the most for the chemicals sector at 129 million dollars, textiles and apparel at 64 million dollars, automotive sector at 34 million dollars, electrical machinery at 12 million dollars, leather products at 13 million dollars, metals and metal products at 27 million dollars and wood products and furniture at 15 million dollars.

7 Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha for ‘unruly conduct’ Amritsar MP Gurjit Aujla is among the seven Congress MPs suspended from Lok Sabha for the remainder of the budget session for “unruly behaviour and disrespect to the chair”. Lok Sabha presiding officer Meenakshi Lekhi named Congress MPs Gaurav Gogoi, TN Prathapan, Desn Kuriakose, Rajmohan Unnithan, Manick Tagore, Benny Behnan and Aujla soon after the house met at 3 pm after an hour-long adjournment. “These members snatched papers from the chair and tore them and threw them towards the chair displaying

conduct unprecedented in the history of this house. I am naming them for their absolutely condemnable behaviour,” said Lekhi.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi then moved a resolution under Rule 374 A of Lok Sabha proceedings recommending suspension of the seven MPs for the rest of the budget session. The resolution was passed by a voice vote in favour of it. The above MPs had torn papers and thrown them at the chair, an act Lekhi condemned naming them under rule 374 A and paving the way for their suspension.

PUNJAB

Saturday, March 7, 2020 Draft paper ‘blames’ SAD for mess in power department Over-capacity in power generation, lack of proper linkage for coal to be used in private power plants and high fixed cost of power purchased from three private producers are the highlights of the draft White Paper on Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs).

Former Punajb Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and former Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who held the Power portfolio when the PPAs were signed, and Bikram Singh Majithia, who held the portfolio of Non-Conventional Energy during the SAD (Shiromani Akali Dal) & BJP govt, have reportedly been blamed for the “mess

in the Power Department”. Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh had told the Punjab Assembly on Tuesday that the draft White Paper was ready, but more work needed to be done before it was tabled in the House. The draft paper, according to sources, says the genesis of the faulty PPAs lies in the 2007 SAD manifesto promising to make Punjab power surplus for which the peak power demand of 1,300 MW was taken into consideration. This demand peaks only for four months (June – September) whereas the demand for the rest of the year is less than 1,000 MW.

Rs 100 crore allocated for start-ups, says finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal on Saturday announced Rs 100 crore start-up fund in partnership with IKG Punjab Technical University besides establishing an incubator at Kalkat Bhawan, Mohali, to promote agricultural start-ups for which an executive committee comprising government officials and experts in the start-up sector would be constituted.

Delivering the keynote address at the TiECON held at Indian School of Business (ISB), Mohali, the Punjab Finance Minister also announced reimbursement of registration stamp duty to the first 100 start-ups every year.

He said that the cost incurred on the Articles of Association and Memorandum of Association during registration of a company with the government’s Registrar of Companies will be reimbursed by the Punjab government. “These funds will be sourced from CSR funds available with Punjab CSR authority,” Manpreet said.

“Punjab is rightly positioned to tap into technology-led innovation to drive growth in the agriculture sector and fuel the state’s

Carcasses raise stink in Ludhiana Carcasses of cows and buffaloes are lying in a highly decomposed state at various dairies, gaushalas and residential areas of the city as skinners have refused to lift them for the last four days in protest against the notices issued to them by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

The PPCB issued notices on February 27 to five skinners and imposed Rs 11.40 crore environmental compensation charges on them (Rs 2.28 crore on each) for allegedly discharging effluents from “hadda roddi” (place where carcasses are skinned) near Ladhowal into the Sutlej.

Haryana to give guarantee for education loans The Haryana Government today announced to extend credit guarantee for education loans to students for various categories of medical, engineering and other professional courses. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar made this announcement while replying on Budget discussion. He said a credit guarantee fund would be set up by the government for the purpose.

The CM also announced a separate Foreign Cooperation Department to promote welfare of NRIs, investments and youth employment.

He said farmers, workers, students, teachers and representatives of panchayati raj institutions and urban local bodies would be sent on foreign tours to make them aware of latest schemes at the global level. He said 500 members from different categories would be sent abroad every year.

economy,” he said, urging the youth to come forward and the ride this wave of opportunities.

The minister said that 25 per cent of the start-up fund will be invested on women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs belonging to Scheduled Castes. Further, he also said Start-up Punjab in partnership with Start-up India

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Will protect interests of people hit by Sukhna lake orders: CM Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said his govt will take all measures to protect interests of those affected by the Punjab and Haryana High Court order to demolish structures in the catchment area of Chandigarh’s Sukhna Lake.

On Monday, the High Court had reportedly declared the lake a living entity, ordering the demolition of all structures in its catchment area.

The court had also fined both Punjab and Haryana Rs 100 crore each for causing damage to the lake’s catchment area. Ordering the constitution of a committee to evolve a comprehensive strategy, the Punjab chief minister in a statement on Thursday said his government will take all legislative and judicial remedies to protect interests of people as it was not viable to displace tens of thousands of people

living around the lake. Chairing a meeting to discuss this issue, Singh asked Advocate General Atul Nanda to coordinate with his Haryana counterpart to ensure a formidable defence in response to the order. Singh also directed the chief secretary to designate nodal officers from the forest and local government departments to assist the AG office in preparing the state’s response in the court.

The committee set up by the chief minister will be headed by Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar, with Principal Secretary Tejveer Singh, Anandpur Sahib MP Manish Tewari, MLAs Parminder Singh Pinki, Fatehjung Singh Bajwa, Kanwar Sandhu and Amandeep Singh as members. The committee has been mandated to evolve a consensus in consultation with the AG office to decide the future course of action.

36

INDIA

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Delhi, Jaipur and Hyderabad hotspots of Coronavirus in India The number of positive cases of coronavirus in India has seen a dramatic rise this week with confirmed cases rising from six to over 25. Since then, there have been reports of suspected cases in Hyderabad and Gurugram subject to confirmation from the government.

Three cities with active coronavirus infections include the national capital, Jaipur in Rajasthan and Hyderabad. As of now, as many as 23 active infections have been reported in the national capital. A resident of Mayur Vihar was the first positive case reported in Delhi who infected 6 of his family members in Agra. 88 people who were in contact with the patient are under watch, the government said. On Wednesday, the government said that 14 Italian nationals tested positive at the ITBP’ Chhawla quarantine facility in Delhi along with an Indian. An Italian person

who separated from the group first tested positive for the virus in Jaipur. A new case of infection was confirmed in Gurugram, yesterday. The patient is a Paytm employee.

An Italian tourist was one of the three people who were confirmed positive for the virus by the government earlier this week. Later his partner also tested positive for the infection.

Both of them were part of the group that was confirmed for the disease at the ITBP facility in Delhi. More than 200 people came in contact with the couple in Rajasthan of which the authorities said 50 have been cleared.

Soon after a Hyderabad techie was confirmed to have been suffering from the virus, two more cases were reported from the city but subject to confirmation from the government. The Hyderabad techie worked in Bengaluru and had a travel history to Dubai.

Coronavirus cases rise to 30 The total number of known coronavirus cases in India rose sharply to 30 on Wednesday, including 16 Italian tourists who had tested positive for the disease as well as an employee of a digital payments company who had travelled to Italy. On Monday, the world’s second-most populous country had only six reported cases of coronavirus, but it is one of the places U.S. intelligence agencies are most closely monitoring due to fears over how it would cope with a widespread outbreak.

Authorities are increasing screenings at airports and border crossings, and urging citizens to avoid large crowds. Prime Minister

Narendra Modi said he would not attend celebrations for the Hindu Holi festival, scheduled to be held across the country next week. “Experts across the world have advised to reduce mass gatherings to avoid the (virus) spread,” Modi said in a tweet on Wednesday. “Hence, this year I have decided not to participate.” An employee of Paytm an Indian payments company whose parent firm is backed by Alibaba and SoftBank who had vacationed in Italy and is based in Gurugram near New Delhi tested positive for the coronavirus, a spokesperson said late on Wednesday.

Supreme Court strikes down RBI banking ban on cryptocurrency India’s Supreme Court on Wednesday allowed banks to handle cryptocurrency transactions from exchanges and traders, overturning a central bank ban that dealt the thriving industry a major blow. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had in April 2018 ordered financial institutions to break off all ties with individuals or businesses dealing in virtual currency such as Bitcoin within three months. The ban led to plummeting trade volumes and exchanges shutting their businesses. A three-judge

Supreme Court bench said in their ruling that while the central bank had the power to take pre-emptive action, the court questioned the “proportionality” of such measures. v “RBI needs to show at least some semblance of any damage suffered by its regulated entities. But there is none,” the court said in a 180-page ruling. Nischal Shetty, chief executive of the WazirX cryptocurrency exchange, welcomed the ruling saying investment had stopped “in the crypto and blockchain space in India”, but that would now change.

Delhi’s displaced scrape a living after deadly riots Mohammed Anees fled his home in northeastern New Delhi last week as Hindu-Muslim clashes erupted in his area, escaping with his family of four to a relative’s home. He had only a few hundred rupees in his wallet, leaving everything else behind.People crowd to receive free grocery items being distributed outside a relief camp after they fled their homes following Hindu-Muslim clashes triggered by a new citizenship law, in Mustafabad in the riot-affected northeast of New Delhi, India, March 3, 2020. Picture taken March 3, 2020. Now the 37-year-old Muslim mechanic is among more than 1,000 people sheltering in a large open-

air mosque that has been turned into a relief camp in the Mustafabad area of the Indian capital and opened on Monday.

“I don’t have any money left now,” Anees said, showing pictures of his ransacked home that he visited on the weekend on his cracked mobile phone.

With jewelry and savings looted and afraid of more violence, he moved to the camp with his wife and three children, victims of the worst communal riots in New Delhi for decades. More than 40 people were killed and hundreds injured.

Anees lived in Shiv Vihar, where two large mosques and dozens of Muslim houses surrounding it were torched.

Cops take seized SUV for joyride Three policemen had a harrowing time on Wednesday for taking a ride in a seized sports utility vehicle (SUV) to Lakhimpur Kheri district as the owner used the global positioning system (GPS) to track down the car and got it locked. The policemen, who were caught unawares, remained stranded inside the vehicle for over three hours after the owner located the car at Nai Basti village in Lakhimpur Kheri district, located 143 kilometres away from Uttar Pradesh capital. The policemen -- one sub-inspector and two constables posted at Lucknow’s Gomtinagar police station -- went to Lakhimpur Kheri district reportedly to

investigate a case on Wednesday in a 2018 model SUV, which was seized on Tuesday night after a squabble between two parties.

The vehicle owner has lodged a complaint with Lucknow Police, alleging misuse of his car. A statement from Lucknow Police commissioner Sujeet Pandey’s office said, “SHO (station house officer) Gomtinagar, Pramendra Kumar Singh, has been sent to the spot to probe the incident. Action will be taken against the guilty.”

Explaining the GPS-enabled locking system installed in a vehicle, an expert said that the mechanism ensures safety of cars.

Broadband internet services restored in Kashmir roadband internet services were restored in Kashmir on Thursday, a day after the Jammu and Kashmir administration lifted a ban on social media in the Union territory, ending a seven-month information blackout in the Valley, officials said. Internet services were snapped across all platforms on August 4 last year. The next day, the Centre revoked the special status of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. “The broadband services have been restored in the Valley this afternoon,” the officials said. The ban on accessing social media sites and applications was revoked by

the authorities on Wednesday. In an order issued as part of the weekly review process, they reiterated the restrictions imposed earlier but remained silent on the social media ban.

The government lifted restrictions on access to thousands of sites like Facebook and popular messaging app WhatsApp through mobile internet platforms. However, the cap on internet speed will remain and mobile data service will be restricted to 2G. Netizens found the sudden lifting of the social media ban hard to believe, with some wondering what prompted the decision.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

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PAKISTAN

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Govt requests UK to deport former PM Sharif Pakistan will request the British government to deport former disqualified PM Sharif as he is an “absconder”.

“The government has decided in principle to write letter to UK govt this week for seeking deportation of former disqualified PM Sharif , as he is an absconder by the court not fulfilling the terms and conditions of the bail granted to him on medical grounds,” Information secretary Firdous Awan said. ‘‘Sharif had

gone to London on November 19 last year for his treatment but was yet to be admitted to a hospital there, indicating that “it was a fixed match played by him, his party and a section of the media on his health”, paving the way for his departure to London. Awan claimed that Sharif and his younger brother Shahbaz had gone to London to protect the businesses of their children. “Nawaz Nawaz faked his health condition,” she said.

Border with Afghanistan closed amid Coronavirus scare Pakistan will close its border with Afghanistan for seven days from Monday to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday, as the authorities ramped up efforts to stop the new cases of infection. The announcement came a day after two more people tested positive for the novel

coronavirus in Pakistan, taking the total number of infections in the country to four. The border at Chaman in Balochistan will remain closed for seven days from March 2 “in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus on both sides of the border in the best interest of the people of the brotherly countries”, said a statement issued by the Ministry of Interior.

When is a girl ready for marriage? after ger first period says High Court What qualifies a girl to be ready to marry?

As reported in the media, on February 3, 2020, the High Court of Sindh in Karachi, Pakistan, “dismissed a petition to have the marriage and forced conversion of a Catholic girl overturned”, stating that a girl is ready to marry after she has had her first period. The case involves the alleged abduction, forced conversion, forced marriage, enslavement, and ongoing rape and sexual abuse of a Catholic girl, Huma Younus. It is alleged that Huma Younus was abducted from her parents’ home in Karachi on October 10, 2019, by a man named Abdul Jabbar of Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab Province. Younus, born on May 22, 2005, was 14 years of age at the time of the alleged abduction. A text message was allegedly sent to Younus parents stating that she had converted to Islam and had married Jabbar “of her free will.” (Even if true, it is also questionable whether her marriage was conducted in compliance with Islam. Marriage

contract in Islam requires (1) a clear proposal, (2) clear acceptance or consent (although silence is just as acceptable), (3) at least two competent witnesses and (4) a marriage gift, little or more, by the bridegroom to the bride.)

The statement of the High Court of Sindh has been widely reported to have centered purely on whether Younus was too young to marry. It is not entirely clear whether the High Court of Sindh even considered the question of consent or other elements for the marriage to be valid. As Aid to the Church in Need reports, “judges, Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Irshad Ali Shah, ruled that, as per Shari‘a law, even if Huma was a minor, the marriage between her and her alleged abductor, Abdul Jabbar, would be valid as she had already had her first menstrual cycle.” To add perspective to the statement, it is crucial to emphasize that “most girls start their periods when they’re about 12, but they can start as early as 8.”

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FIJI

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Ba boy graduates in US army With handwritten letters from his parents close to his heart, Aniket Kumar transitioned from a civilian to a soldier in A boy from a small community in Ba had only one dream at the age of 18 and that was to be wealthy. Little did Mr Kumar know that life had bigger plans for him. Two years ago, Mr Kumar had two options; either to move to the USA with his parents or stay back in Fiji and pursue civil engineering. After graduating from DAV College in Ba, Mr Kumar attained a scholarship to study civil engineering at the University of the South Pacific, but his dreams were cut short when his parents decided to move to the USA. Almost one year later, Mr Kumar was enlisted in the US Army. On February 19, 2020. At 20 years old, he graduated from phase two of his training. “The feeling was amazing; I did not

know whether to laugh or cry. To know that I finally accomplished something big,” he said. The brighteyed young man, upon reaching the US, was disheartened to discover that education was far too expensive to afford, so he sought other options.

One of those options was to join the US Forces. Mr Kumar said, being the only Fijian in his platoon did not deter him from doing his best. “My parents were my biggest motivation. They wrote letters to me during Basic Combat Training (BCT) since our phones were taken away,” he said. The biggest challenge for the former DAV College student was to be mentally strong during his two phases of training. He described this experience as going through hell and back. The excessive training with very less sleep paid off for Mr Kumar. Mr Kumar is part of the army reserves and will be working on the armoured vehicles at his post at the Clackamas Oregon in Portland.

FRA taking steps to rectify road conditions in Suva area The Fiji Roads Authority acknowledges the concerns regarding the adverse road conditions around Suva area. The FRA says they are aware of the condition of the most severely deteriorated roads and

are taking steps to rectify the situation.

Chief Executive Jonathan Moore says regrettably the necessary termination of the Suva Arterial Road Upgrading Project 2 contract has delayed our reconstruction programme by approximately 15 months.

NFA confirms 9 buses were destroyed in a fire at Nasese bus yard The National Fire Authority have confirmed that a total of 9 buses were destroyed in a fire at the Nasese Bus Yard along Carpenters Street off Grantham Road.

All 9 buses were under repair.

Firefighters have contained the blaze which started at 12pm today.

Some workers are claiming they saw two boys running away from the buses when the fire started.

Nadi businesses battle through rough times and call on govt to put up attractive tourist packages The President of the Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Ram Raju says businesses in Nadi have been going through some rough times where consumer spending has been low and less business activity has also been noted during Christmas, New Year and school holiday period compared to previous years. However, Dr. Raju says business

owners in Nadi have been a bit resilient and have accepted the challenge to go through the rough period without closing their shops or laying off staff. Dr. Raju says they had a business forum last Friday and have drawn up a plan to be prepared for the worst as business activity could get seriously affected with the impending coronavirus or Covid19 issue.

4 cases of Coronavirus under obeservation in Fiji, says Health Minister Waqainabete Health Minister, Doctor Ifereimi Waqainabete says the four people in Fiji being monitored for Coronavirus which is now known as COVID-19 are feeling much better today however they remain in strict isolation. Doctor Waqainabete says the test results will be out tomorrow. There are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in Fiji. A 15-month old girl developed respiratory symptoms in Suva after arriving in Fiji from the United States of America yesterday. A 37-year-old Fijian woman who returned from Italy was

flagged with respiratory symptoms during a health screening at Nadi Airport yesterday.

A three-year-old Fijian boy and his 26-year-old mother developed respiratory symptoms yesterday after returning from Bali and Singapore. Contact tracing continues for all four patients. The Ministry of Health says as the symptoms of coronavirus are very similar to many other respiratory illnesses, it is expected that with time the Ministry will investigate more persons with relevant travel history and symptoms related to coronavirus.

80,000 farmers identified in 2020 Agriculture census The Permanent Secretary of Agriculture Ritesh Dass says more than 80,000 farmers have been identified in the 2020 Agriculture census and these figures could increase.

Dass confirms preliminary figures indicate they have surpassed their target of 71,000 households.

He says their teams are verifying data and

carrying out a validation exercise as census teams are still coming back from remote areas.He says this data will be made available to stakeholders over the next couple of weeks.

More than 430 enumerators were used to carry out the Agriculture Census that was held over three weeks.

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NRI UK Home Secretary Priti Patel regrets civil servant’s exit to the controversy surrounding Rutnam’s shock exit over the weekend amid allegations of bullying, the Indian-origin minister addressed Home Office staff in an email on Tuesday.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has expressed her “regret” over the recent resignation of the top civil servant in her ministry, Sir Philip Rutnam, and stressed that she valued the work of all her aides. In her first response

SOUTH ASIA Sri Lanka Parliament dissolved as President calls for snap poll ri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Monday dissolved Parliament six months ahead of its schedule and called for a snap election on April 25. He signed the gazette notification dissolving Parliament from midnight, the Government

Printers Department said. The current Parliament was appointed on September 1, 2015. According to the notification, elections will be held on April 25 and the new Parliament will have its first session on May 14. Parties and independent candidates can file nominations between March 12 and 19

Nepal PM Oli hospitalised Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has been admitted to a hospital in Kathmandu for his second kidney transplant after suffering from serious illness, hospital sources said on Tuesday.

Oli, 68, had his first kidney transplant some twelve years ago. He was admitted to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital on Monday for the treatment.

UN appeals for $877 mn to help Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh The United Nations on Tuesday appealed for nearly $900 million to help hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees and vulnerable host communities in Bangladesh this year. The UN refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration and other partners launched a joint appeal for $877 million (789 million euros). The money would go “to respond to the needs of approximately 855,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and over 444,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in the communities generously hosting them,” they said in a statement. The requested funds would go to cover vital services like food, shelter and sanitation, as well as healthcare, education and protection services, it said. Bangladesh and Myanmar have already signed a repatriation deal

to send back some Rohingya to their homeland—but safety fears mean very few have agreed to return. Bangladesh’s Deputy Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that his country expected the international community to push harder to ensure movement on the deal. “We expect the UN member countries to do more and work closely and to do everything possible to put pressure on Myanmar to take their citizens back in a manner...that is safe, voluntary and dignified,” he said.

The Myanmar military launched a ferocious crackdown against the country’s Rohingya Muslim population in 2017, which UN investigators called genocide, driving around 740,000 into neighbouring Bangladesh.

British Indian spy focus of Women’s Day exhibition in UK A British Indian spy of World War II, Noor Inayat Khan, has been chosen as the subject of a major new interactive digital exhibition in the UK. “Noor Inayat-Khan: A Woman of Conspicuous Courage” will be launched by the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation

at Runnymede Air Forces Memorial in Surrey, south-east England, on Saturday, a day before International Women’s Day. It is planned as a celebration of the life and legacy of the war heroine, who was the daughter of Indian Sufi saint Hazrat Inayat Khan and a descendent of the 18th century Mysore ruler Tipu Sultan.

Rishi Sunak’s budget axe for entrepreneurs comes under attack Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plan to scrap £3bn of tax breaks for entrepreneurs in the Budget has come under attack over fears it could harm start-ups.

Reports of the move sent alarm bells ringing across the business community at the weekend. The chancellor was said

to be ready to ditch the entrepreneurs’ relief over concerns that it mostly benefits wealthy business leaders in the south of England. He plans to use the diverted cash to pay for nurses, police officers and projects in the North, The Sunday Times reported.

NRI doctor pleads guilty to illegally giving controlled substances to patients An Indian-origin doctor pleaded guilty to illegally giving controlled substances to six patients, including one who suffered from opioid addiction and later died of a drug overdose. Gurpreet Singh Bajwa, 49, of Fairfax, Virginia, temporarily lost his medical licence

in 2012 following an investigation by the Virginia Department of Health Professions (DHP) into his prescription practices. After his licence was reinstated, he significantly reduced the quantity of pain medications he prescribed, and switched over to stimulants, benzodiazepines, and sedatives.

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Saturday, March 7, 2020

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