The Asian Star June 1 2019 by The Asian Star Newspaper

www.theasianstar.com

Vol 19 - Issue 18

Punjabi student facing deportation working ‘extra hours’ Jobandeep Singh Sandhu says he had no choice but to work extra hours to pay for his program. Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition as part of an eleventh-hour plea to stop the deportation of an international student arrested for working too many hours — just days before his graduation. It was December 2017 when Jobandeep Singh Sandhu, 22, was pulled over while behind the wheel of a long-haul truck driving from Montreal back to Toronto. Sandhu, originally from India and studying mechanical engineering at Canadore College in Mississauga, Ont., was 10 days away from receiving his diploma when he was stopped by Ontario Provincial Police. Handcuffed, he was handed over to immigration officials who determined he had been working more than the allowable 20 Continued on page 6

Scheer vows to end ‘illegal’ border crossings allowed by Liberals If elected prime minister, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer says he would put an end to “illegal” border crossings in Canada. Scheer included that as one of several general commitments outlined in a speech delivered in Toronto Tuesday outlining his vision for immigration in Canada -- part of a series of policy announcements ahead of the fall federal election. Speaking to a crowd of supporters at a conference centre, Scheer said he would close a loophole in the Safe Third Country Agreement between Canada and the United States that has allowed asylum-seekers who slip into the country by avoiding border checkpoints to make refugee claims that would be automatically rejected at official crossings. “I will work to put an end to illegal border crossings at unofficial points of entry like Roxham Road,” he said, citing Continued on page 7

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Nav Bhatia is Raptors superfan Calling Nav Bhatia the Toronto Raptors’ biggest fan is one of the year’s biggest understatements. He’s a staple at courtside and around the city, and a global audience recently saw him demonstrate his belief that the power of sports can unite everybody. “I have never missed a minute of a game in 24 years,” he said. This included Game 6 of the NBA semifinals on Saturday, when the Raptors beat the Milwaukee Bucks to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. After enduring the ups and downs that come with attending every home game since the team started back in 1995, his patience appears to have paid off. He’ll be present Thursday night for the greatest

moment the Raptors have had yet. He’s become such a fixture courtside that it’s not uncommon for Torontonians to stop and ask to take pictures with him -- as if he were a player on the team. Bhatia feels “very optimistic” about the Raps’ chances of going all the way to the championship. “It’s going to be a long one Continued on page 7

Hundreds of drug cartel members have entered Canada since Liberals waived Mexican visa requirement Hundreds of criminals connected to the illegal drug trade are freely plying their trades as importers, go-betweens and hitmen in Canada — according to Quebec news outlet TVA Nouvelles — largely because Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government dropped the visa requirement for Mexican travelers. TVA investigative journalist Felix Seguin spoke

to several in-the-know sources who revealed there are 400 criminals who have recently entered Canada to traffic drugs — half of them living in Quebec while the other half are presumed to be mainly operating in the Toronto area. At least several of the estimated 400 who Continued on page 6

BC probing large cash payments to schools in bid to curb money laundering It was one of the most surprising sectors identified in a recent report as vulnerable to money laundering: education, with tens of thousands of dollars in college tuition paid in cash. On Tuesday, the B.C. government announced it will send letters to all 25 of the province’s public colleges and universities, and 342 private post-secondary schools, to ask about their practices when it comes to accepting large amounts of cash.

It’s the first step in what could be a future ban, said Melanie Mark, the minister for advanced education, during a May 28 press conference in Victoria. “We can tell them not to accept cash, but first we need to find out what they’re doing,” said Mark. Colleges and universities have a month to respond to the information request.

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Saturday, June 1, 2019

Raptors in historic Game 1 win The Toronto Raptors didn’t look like a team appearing in its first-ever NBA Finals game on Thursday night. Toronto picked apart the back-to-back defending champion Golden State Warriors to take Game 1 by a final score of 118-109. These Raptors aren’t content with finally getting to this point — this is a team that is seemingly ready to win it all. And if there was going to be an emotional letdown after their biggest win in team history — Game 6 last Saturday to get to this

point — the Raptors didn’t show it. The Raptors blasted onto the court buoyed by their boisterous supporters — Toronto is now 9-2 playing at home in these playoffs. Highlights from Toronto’s raucous Game 1 win over Golden State: Game Wrap: Surging Siakam, Raps down Warriors to open NBA Finals Pascal Siakam set a postseason career best with a game-high 32 points in Toronto’s 118-109 win over Golden State to begin the 2019 NBA Finals. 2:08 Just before tip-off.

NDP would win if an election were held tomorrow: poll Recently released results of a survey suggest if an election were held tomorrow, the NDP would remain in charge. Of the 800 respondents questioned by Research Co. last week, 32 per cent said they’d vote for Premier John Horgan’s party. Factoring out undecided voters, the NDP would get 39 per cent of the vote. One-quarter of all voters said they’d cast their ballots for the BC Liberals, or 30 per cent of decided voters. The Greens

were in third in the hypothetical election, with support from 17 per cent of all respondents and 21 per cent of decided voters. Those who backed the NDP were evenly divided between male and female and between three age categories. However, while looking only at decided voters, they had more support from women (42 per cent) than men (36 per cent).

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Weekend lane closures scheduled for Alex Fraser Bridge Two lanes will be closed on the Alex Fraser Bridge this weekend and next as crews complete joint repair work on the south approach. The closures are scheduled from 8 p.m. on Friday, May 31, to 4 a.m. on Monday, June 3, and again from 8 p.m. on Friday, June 7, to 4 a.m. on Monday, June 10. Two lanes will remain open in each direction.

Travellers are asked to expect delays, watch for changing traffic patterns, and follow signs and traffic control personnel. For up-to-date traffic information, follow @ DriveBC on Twitter or visit drivebc.ca. According to a release from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, the bridge is structurally secure and will remain safe for travel during the repairs work.

Minimum wage in BC to increase $13.85 from today Minimum wage workers will see their wages go up to $13.85 per hour on June 1 in BC. The increase sees wages go up by $1.20 per hour and is part of an initiative by the NDP to raise them to $15.20 by 2021. Wages went up by $1.30 in 2018 and will go up by $0.75 and $0.60 in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Liquor servers will see their minimum wage rise to $12.70 per hour, an increase of $1.30. The province has said it will nix the $1.25 wage discount for liquor servers by 2021. Live-in camp leaders will see a 9.5 per cent increase in their daily wage

to $11.87, while resident caretaker minimum wages will go up to $831.45 for those who manage nine to 60 units, or $2,832.11 for 61 or more units. June’s increase comes as a result of a fair wages commission report released in 2018. Increasing the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour was an NDP campaign promise. According to the Living Wage for Families Campaign, the living wage in B.C. dropped in 2019 “due to the provincial government’s investments into child care.”

OPINION

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Barriers to competition hurt Canadians By Vinent Geloso Senior Fellow The Fraser Institute Government-erected barriers mean firms have few incentives to improve efficiency, cut costs and satisfy consumers. Economists love competition. They tell students how competition between firms leads to lower prices and greater quality. Beyond the classroom, few dispute the benefits of competition. So why are so many Canadians unaware that governments across Canada shield close to one-third of the economy from competition? When economists speak of competition, they don’t refer only to the number of firms within a given market. Rather, they refer more narrowly to the threat of competition, which keeps incumbent firms on their feet. A firm may, through technological innovation that reduces costs, conquer large

market shares so it virtually dominates its market or ends up being the only firm in that market. Yet even then, it may act in a competitive way as long as other firms are free to enter the market if the top firm starts abusing its dominant position by raising prices or lowering quality. More importantly, the threat of entry can come from unexpected corners through technological innovation that simply renders obsolete the good that an established firm produces. That threat of entry is a major force for delivering goods and services of greater quality at lower prices. When there are barriers to entry, the threat is lower and incumbent firms have few incentives to reduce prices and improve quality. Some of the barriers to entry are inherent in the features of the goods produced. However, a great many more barriers are the result of government actions. Governments across Canada have been quite adept at erecting such barriers.

For example, foreign investment in telecommunications and broadcasting is restricted so non-Canadian firms can’t enter the cellphone and television services markets. The same applies to air transportation – non-Canadian carriers are prohibited from carrying passengers between Canadian cities. Governments also operate monopoly services that explicitly prohibit competition in sectors such as electricity generation and distribution, alcohol retail, urban transit and domestic mail (for small letters). Most provincial governments in Canada (including Quebec and Ontario) also give monopoly licences to intercity bus providers on certain routes. Consumers are hostages to the whims of the only company allowed to provide services. Given that users of intercity buses are disproportionately from the poorest groups of Canadian society, limiting competition here seems particularly regressive. Measuring these barriers is difficult. However, a study recently published by the Fraser Institute suggests that 22.1 per cent of the Canadian economy is shielded from competition. Add in other barriers, such as those on interprovincial trade and occupational licensing, and we arrive at a figure of 35.1 per cent. So between a fourth and a third of the Canadian economy is shielded from competition. According to international surveys, such as those produced by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Canada is one of the most active countries in terms of restricting competition. These barriers lower the living standards of Canadians because protected firms have few incentives to improve efficiency, cut costs and satisfy consumers. If governments across the country really care about improving the living standards of Canadians, they should look at ways to undo the harm caused by the barriers they’ve erected to competition. Vincent Geloso is a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute.

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Saturday, June 1, 2019

Punjabi student facing deportation working â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;extra hoursâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

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From page 1 20 hours off campus, his supporters told CBC News at a rally Friday outside federal experience in Canada and earn some money,â&#x20AC;? Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reads a statement from Immigration, Refugees Toronto constituency office. The group and Citizenship Canada sent to CBC News. International students are permitted to presented the petition, which has about work full-time only outside of the academic 50,000 signatures, to Hussenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s staff. Sandhu now faces deportation on June 15. year or during winter, spring and summer But he says he had no choice but to break the breaks. But with a price-tag of between rules. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The problem is we are paying three $27,000 and $30,000 each year, compared times the tuition fees [compared to domestic with about $9,000 for domestic students, students] and we have a just 20-hour Sandhu says working was the only way to limitation for working ... Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re actually forced afford the fees . Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s post-secondary to work more to pay for the expenses and the schools exploiting international students, says recruiter â&#x20AC;&#x153;I came to Canada with a dream, to fees,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I had to.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;It makes no senseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; At issue are the rules around just how study, to settle here, to build a life for me and many hours study-permit holders are allowed my family, Sandhu said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am being punished to work off-campus. The main purpose for working too hard, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m calling on of the permit must be to study, the federal Canada to grant me a temporary resident government says. A 20-hour per week limit permit, and ensure fairness and justice for â&#x20AC;&#x153;reflects that, while continuing to offer the other students like me.â&#x20AC;? opportunity to gain valuable workplace

Hundreds of drug cartel members have entered Canada since Liberals waived Mexican visa requirement recently infiltrated the Canadian border are believed to have used fake Mexican passports. Mexican asylum claims skyrocketed once Trudeau waived the visa, going up from 260 in 2016 to over 3,300 in 2018. The visa requirement was originally put in place by the Harper government in 2009 to curb a spike of asylum claims from Mexico. The policy largely worked, with claims dropping down to double digits in 2013. Pearson International Airport. Postmedia Despite immigration and security experts warning of the risks of waiving the Mexican visa back in 2016, the Trudeau government went ahead with the policy change. On Friday the Sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brian Lilley reported the illegal border crossings into Canada increased

by 24% last month. Romualdo Lopez-Herrera, 41, flew to Pearson Airport in April 2018 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; known to Mexican authorities as a dangerous member of a drug cartel and suspected sicario (hitman) â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and passed security undetected, according to the TVA report. Lopez-Herrera, whose legal name is Noe Hulloa Sevilla, was arrested by Quebec police for extortion after similarly infiltrating border security. He is a member of the violent gang Los Paisanos, and is now evading authorities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very serious that there are people who infiltrate our home, in Quebec City, in Montreal or in Toronto, and that we are not able to find them. Do you think the public can accept that?â&#x20AC;? Conservative opposition critic for public safety Pierre PaulHus said.

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Nav Bhatia is Raptors superfan From page 1 championship. “It’s going to be a long one -a tough one,” he said. Despite his high profile and sunny disposition, the smile-prone fan has dealt with his fair share of racism. Last week, a Milwaukee Bucks fan posted a racist tweet mocking Bhatia‘s turban. The user’s account was deleted after they were lambasted on social media by Liberal MP Raj Grewal and plenty of Bucks fans. “I felt bad for him actually. I felt sad for him and, you know, two days later he called me and apologized,” Bhatia said, adding that the Bucks fan admitted he knew his comments had been stupid. Bhatia said the next time he’s in Milwaukee, he wants to take the repentant fan out for dinner. He said his belief that sports can unite everyone is why he forgave him. That moment seemed to have cemented that Bhatia is as much of a Toronto ambassador as Drake, whose antics courtside have endeared him to fans in recent weeks. Thank you to all the @Bucks fans who came up to me and apologized for words someone tweeted even though you didnt have to. I know we are in a heated series but i want everyone to know regardless of what one person has said. Milwaukee and its fans are incredible! ‘I was the only one with a turban’ Ask any Raptors fan about Bhatia and they’d tell likely be able to recite his story. He immigrated to Canada from India back in the 1980s and despite being an mechanical engineer by trade, he could only land a job as a car salesman. But he was so good at sales that he eventually bought the whole dealership and became one of the tens of thousands of immigrants in Canada who start or run their own businesses. Bhatia’s history with the Raptors runs deep: He was one of 33,306 attendees at the team’s first game on November 3, 1995 in the SkyDome, which has since been renamed the Rogers Centre. Back then, he noted there weren’t too many brown faces in the crowd. “I was the only one with a turban at the time,” Bhatia recalled. But he loved the game so much, he made a point to keep returning. And besides buying seats for himself, he has given away thousands of tickets to underprivileged children, including many from the South Asian community. He’s spent years working with the Raptors organization to organize multicultural nights. “Those kids I used to bring from Hindu temples, they were 10, 12 years old then. Now they are about 30 years old and have good jobs,” he beamed. His work has paid off. Last year, the Raptors were awarded the NBA Inclusion Leadership Award. Looking back, Bhatia said he’s proud of the diversity he has helped facilitate and is exhilarated to see that the crowds at Raptors games are now some of the most diverse in the league.

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Scheer vows to end ‘illegal’ border crossings allowed by Liberals like Roxham Road,” he said, citing the busiest such crossing point where two rural roads in Quebec and New York practically touch. He added that he believes the loophole in the agreement allows these irregular migrants to “skip the line and avoid the queue.” Scheer told the crowd he believes Canadians have lost confidence in the fairness of the immigration system thanks to the influx of irregular migrants. Since the beginning of 2017, over 43,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Canada through unofficial entry points. He placed the blame squarely on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, accusing him of undermining not only the integrity of the border but of causing a growing number of Canadians to believe that immigration levels should be reduced.

A number of polls over the last year have shown a growing concern among Canadians over the numbers of newcomers Canada accepts each year. Scheer said he has heard these concerns most often voiced by new Canadians who have “played by the rules and arrived in Canada fair and square.” “They are the most offended at Trudeau’s status quo, where some are able to jump queues, exploit loopholes and game the system.” Scheer said he is confident he can restore Canadians’ trust in the immigration system with his own approach to immigration policy -- changes that would include: improved language training, better recognition of work credentials and refocusing the government-sponsored refugee program on victims of atrocities. He also pledged to work toward reuniting

survivors of genocide who have already resettled in Canada, such as Yazidi women and girls, with their families and promised to promote more private sponsorships of refugees. He further reiterated his intention to bring back the office of religious freedom, a unit in Global Affairs Canada that advocated for threatened religious minorities. As for the numbers of newcomers admitted each year in Canada, Scheer acknowledged it is a controversial topic. But he called the debate about immigration levels a “red herring” because on either side, political ideology is put ahead of the economic and social realities in Canada: that as Baby Boomers retire, Canada will need skilled newcomers to fill labour gaps and secure economic growth.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

India’s Muslims quiver in the new dawn of an emboldened Narendra Modi

ust after 1.30pm on Friday, the loudspeaker outside Sarai Alawardi mosque crackled to life, and more than a thousand foreheads were touched to the hessian mats that lined the ground. Towering over them were the skyscrapers of Gurgaon, a satellite town south of Delhi that houses technology companies, bowling alleys and other symbols of the “new India”. A day after the Hindu nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, claimed a landslide election victory, some in the congregation were anxious about whether this new country had a place for them. “These days, it isn’t safe for us here any more,” said Haji Shezhad Khan, the chairman of a local Muslim activist

group, sitting in a shaded courtyard a few metres from the mosque. For many Indian Muslims – whose population of about 200 million would comprise the seventh-largest country on earth – Modi’s emphatic re-election has been an isolating experience. The country’s most acrimonious election campaign in recent history was studded with references to unauthorised migrants from Bangladesh as “termites”, the nomination to parliament of a Hindu accused of terrorism and a debate over whether Mahatma Gandhi’s

assassin – who killed the founding father for supposedly cowing to Muslim demands – was in fact a patriot. 19:1 The Hour of Lynching - vigilante violence in India Despite this, or perhaps because of it, a record 270 million Indians cast their votes for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) or its allies. “We truly believed it would be fought back,” said Nazia Erum, an author who has written a book about raising a Muslim child in today’s India. “We believed that a lot of voting that happened in 2014 was based on Modi’s development agenda

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and people would be able to see through it now and things would be different. And as it turns out we were entirely mistaken.” Friction between Hindus and Muslims, as well as tension among sects within both faiths, has been a persistent feature of Indian life. But in the past five years violence against Muslims has increased, including at least 36 killings by “cow vigilantes” of cattle farmers and traders accused – usually spuriously – of harming the revered animals. In Gurgaon, where hundreds of thousands of Muslim migrants have arrived in the past few years along with Hindus to work in factories and on construction sites, tension has been boiling over. Bitter campaigns have been waged against Muslims praying in public spaces because mosques have no capacity or are too far away. Sanctioned prayer spaces have been gradually whittled down to just over three dozen after protests by Hindu organisations. “They are not allowing us to pray,” said Khan. Rajeev Mittal, the head of a Hindu nationalist group that has campaigned against mosques in the area, insists his campaign is strictly about upholding municipal planning laws. “We are not against people offering prayer, but it should be done in the mosque or in all the areas designated for them,” he said.

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Nav Bhatia sits at his desk inside a home office in Toronto, surrounded by Raptors gear. “Saturday night was amazing. I was in awe,” he said, still glowing from the team’s win in game six of the Eastern Conference Finals. “I’m pinching myself. Is it real or am I just dreaming about that we are in the NBA finals?” The 68-year-old’s eyes light up as he emphasizes those last two words. Over 24 years, the Toronto Raptors have seen a lot of change. A new arena, new ownership, new coaches, players, and uniforms. The one constant has been Nav Bhatia. The Raptors ‘Superfan’ hasn’t missed a single home game in the team’s history. “People have come and gone, but I’m there,” he said. Bhatia is now part of team history. He has been running all over town speaking with media since the Raptors took home the conference trophy on Saturday. A Twitter thread about his life story made the rounds on Sunday. It even generated praise from Golden State coach Steve Kerr. As he sits in his office, his media representative is booking a flight to New York where Bhatia will appear on ‘Good Morning America’ to talk all things Raptors. It seems that the world wants to hear his story, and with good reason. Bhatia came to Toronto from New Dheli, India in 1984. As a Sikh, he had been fearful for his family’s safety. “The Sikhs were being massacred at that time,” he said. “When you are not safe, there is nothing that matters to you. Nothing more valuable than your life.” Continued on page 14

Saturday, June 1, 2019

More attention to Surrey’s South Asian communities needed in opioid crisis: BCCSU The opioid crisis is claiming increasing numbers of lives from Surrey’s South Asian population, and cultural barriers to accessing treatment are compounding the problem, according to health experts and city officials. On Monday, representatives from the BC Centre on Substance Use presented the findings from a series of dialogue sessions in March with families who have members suffering from problematic substance use. Surrey is one of six communities across the province selected to host the sessions. Facilitator Parmvir Matharu, who grew up in Surrey, said his city has always celebrated its vibrant diversity, “but [in] these dialogues, we didn’t have representation from people of colour whatsoever, and that was really disheartening to see and we definitely need to focus on bringing those voices up.” Glenda Coelho, BCCSU stakeholder engagement support worker, suggested the lack of attendance from visible minorities is representative of a larger, systemic problem in Surrey. “A few priorities from our perspective is that, one, there be greater attention to South Asian communities impacted by the overdose [crisis] because there was a severe underrepresentation from this demographic,” she said. Nearly half of B.C.’s South Asian population lives in Surrey, according to 2016 census data. Councillor Brenda Locke said Surrey needs

more health facilities tailored toward the South Asian community. “We also know there’s an increase in the number of deaths in the South Asian community — we must be dealing with that,” she said. “We must be talking not just to the users but to their families and supporters.” Next week, stakeholders from organizations including Fraser Health Authority, Statistics Canada, BC Coroners Service and the city will be meeting for a closed summit to discuss the current state of the overdose crisis in Surrey. At the summit, officials will review new data with the goal of developing policy and operational responses to reduce overdoses and overdose deaths. Roshni Clinic in Quibble Creek is one of a kind in working to addressing the lack of attention to the crisis within the South Asian community, according to Coelho. Lead physician Nitasha Puri said one of the foundational principles of the clinic is to minimize barriers to engagement in health services. As part of this ethos, staff at the clinic mirror their patient population in terms of appearance, language and understanding of worldviews that are embedded within cultural communities. Dr. Puri gave the example of a person who came into the clinic with problems controlling their alcohol use.

Six men face 38 charges in Surrey, Delta drug trafficking investigation Four of six men facing 38 charges have been arrested in a Surrey and Delta drug trafficking investigation that began last September, but one of them has since died and another is still at large. Surrey Mounties say they made the arrests related to an “illicit drug trafficking group” operating throughout the Lower Mainland. Police executed search warrants on two residences, one in Surrey and one in Delta. “As a result of these search warrants, police located bulk and prepackaged fentanyl as well as evidence which led police to believe that large volumes of fentanyl were being trafficked,” Corporal Elenore Sturko said. She said the police investigation began last September and focused on alleged drug trafficking in Surrey and Delta, “related to a group of individuals associated to those involved in the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict.” One of the six men, Ryan Allan Bruinsma,

was charged with seven counts related to drug trafficking but has died. Another, James Daniel, is still at large. Sturko said police believe he’s no longer in B.C. Daniel, 18, faces three charges related to drug trafficking. Also facing charges related to drug trafficking are 51-year-old Jasbir Singh Khabra of Surrey (11 charges), Matthew Ramone Mann, 19, of Delta (eight charges), Gurdeep Singh Bains, 19, of Delta (six charges), and Martin Djunga, 18, of Surrey (three charges). “The majority of these charges were in relation to the trafficking of a controlled substance specifically fentanyl and cocaine,” Sturko said. Inspector Wendy Mehat, acting community services officer, said the results of the investigation “will have a positive longterm impact on the community through the disruption of a criminal network. We will continue to strategically target networks and interdict individuals engaged in drug trafficking to keep our community safe.”

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Embattled Surrey NDP MLA Liberal MLAs ask RCMP to look into Jinny Sims has come out swinging with exaggerations and fabrications – even after the Liberal opposition asked the though the claims have been discredited. Their RCMP on Wedneday night to look into allegation that visa applicants claims concerning her alleged conduct as were on a so-called ‘watch list’ B.C.’s minister of citizens’ services that have turned out to be fabricated. dogged her for a few weeks now. Former There was never any information office staffer Kate Gillie, fired from Sims’ to suggest that. While the Surrey constituency office six weeks into the Opposition focuses on gotcha job, alleged she was let go after questioning politics, we’ve been delivering the way information was exchanged through results to make life better for text messages and the minister’s personal people in B.C.” On Wednesday WhatsApp account.Sims has also come under night Liberal House Leader Mary Polak, MLA fire for using her credentials as B.C. Citizens’ for Langley, sent a letter to the RCMP asking Services minister to draft visa reference letters for an investigation to be opened concerning for 10 Pakistani citizens, eight of whom have information the Opposition received “that we been denied entry into Canada. It is not believe warrants investigation.” Polak could known why the applications were denied. not be reached Thursday for comment. Her “If they actually had something credible, letter to Peter Juk, assistant deputy attorney why didn’t the Opposition do this in the first general and the RCMP’s “E” Division states: place?” the MLA for Surrey-Panorama told “In our capacity as the Official Opposition, the Now-Leader in an emailed statement we have received information that relates to Thursday afternoon. “Instead, the Opposition alleged conduct of the Minister of Citizens’ spent weeks spreading false allegations filled

Saturday, June 1, 2019

accusations against Jinny Sims Services, Jinny Sims, that we believe warrants investigation. We are sending it to you for your consideration and review.” On May 17, the Liberal opposition called on Premier John Horgan to launch a formal investigation into her “conduct” after the Information and Privacy Commissioner indicated the independent office doesn’t have the authority to do so. “Unfortunately, the minister responsible for Freedom of Information and government transparency is the very minister who is under scrutiny for blatantly ignoring FOI procedures,” said Steve Thomson, Liberal co-critic for citizens’ services. Ben Stewart, also co-critic for citizens’ services, said Horgan needs to “step up and call for a proper investigation now” as “Minister Sims cannot investigate herself.” “So far, the NDP have

only blamed the whistleblower for raising the issue. The Premier should do the right thing thing and ensure the commissioner can conduct a thorough review.” Polak charged in a press release issued May 13 that “after already breaking the rules and apologizing last year – promising to be more diligent in the future – these fresh allegations suggest Jinny Sims continues to avoid her government email or phone and instead uses her private email and WhatsApp to communicate official government business. “It appears that Sims continues to circumvent the very laws she is charged with overseeing by avoiding the disclosure of her government business to the public,” Polak said. Asked Thursday if he’s considering a cabinet shuffle, Horgan had this to say. “I do have confidence in Jinny,” Horgan told reporters in Victoria, at the end of the legislature’s spring session. “I have no plans to make any changes at this time.”

Family of woman who died after 1,000 days in solitary furious with Trudeau over bill Ashley Smith’s mother and sister say they are furious with the Trudeau government for invoking her name in the rollout of a bill that purports to end solitary confinement in Canada’s prisons — a bill they say is highly flawed. Coralee Smith and Dawna Ward were in Ottawa Thursday and visited the Senate, where amendments to Bill C-83 are being considered. “We absolutely do not endorse it and especially did not endorse invoking Ashley’s name to put forward this new bill. Absolutely not,” Ward said. Ashley Smith died in 2007 by self-strangulation at Grand Valley Institution in Kitchener, Ont. She was 19 and had spent more than 1,000 days in segregation, moved from institution to institution. Her death continues to spark anger and grief in the eyes and words of

her mother and sister. But their anger is no longer aimed only at the prison guards who videotaped Ashley’s death and did not intervene. The two women are now also upset with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale for pledging to implement recommendations from the inquest that followed Smith’s death. That inquest produced 104 recommendations, including a call to end “indefinite solitary confinement.” “We’re absolutely furious that he invoked Ashley’s name and tried to push forward this ridiculous agenda that has had no significant impact on segregation in Canada,” Ward said Thursday, speaking of Goodale’s announcement of Bill C-83 last year.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Khalsa Business Centre

128th Street, 84th Ave., Surrey, BC

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Saturday, June 1, 2019

BC regulator issues cease and desist order against unregistered South Asian ‘shadow’ mortgage broker in half billion dollar case BC’s registrar of mortgage brokers has issued a cease and desist order against an unregistered “shadow” mortgage broker allegedly linked to more than half a billion dollars worth of questionable financing over the past decade. The order against Jay Kanth Chaudhary is unprecedented — as is the number of files involved. The regulator claims Chaudhary collected more than $6 million worth of fees associated with 900 files in the decade since he last held legitimate registration as a mortgage broker. He is accused of working with others to arrange home financing for people who would not normally qualify for a mortgage through altered federal tax forms and other fake financial documents. “The network that Mr. Chaudhary was working with involved at least 20 mortgage brokers and real estate licensees,” said Chris Carter, B.C.’s acting registrar of mortgage brokers. “We have multiple investigations underway. My office has been crystal clear with industry that we have zero tolerance when it comes to fronting unregistered activity.” ‘Mortgage brokers as well as ... real estate licensees’ Chaudhary was registered as a submortgage broker from January 2007 until October 2008. But he failed to re-register after he was suspended for four months in October 2008 when lenders raised concerns about inconsistencies related to documentation Chaudhary submitted in association with numerous applications. Investigators claim that they found altered tax documents among the files submitted to lenders through Chaudhary’s

alleged unregistered mortgage brokering. According to the cease and desist order, Carter’s office received two tips about Chaudhary in 2017 and 2018. The first was an email claiming he “worked with mortgage brokers, as well as a group of real estate licensees who cooperated with him in arranging mortgage applications based on falsified documents.” The second was from a North Vancouver financial institution which had conducted an audit showing discrepancies in 15 files — nearly half of which were insured by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Investigators allegedly found numerous mortgage applications submitted by a registered mortgage broker accused of working with Chaudhary on files that were found to contain altered documents. Staff obtained an order to enter the mortgage broker’s residence and seized laptops and phones, which allegedly turned up 1,068 text messages between the two “discussing mortgage broker applications, mortgage application status updates and sharing of mortgage documents.” ‘Not the documents she provided’ The cease-and-desist order claims that Chaudhary was using multiple email addresses, phone numbers and names to conduct business. Investigators also interviewed a woman and her father who claimed they met with a mortgage broker named “Mike” who they subsequently learned was Chaudhary. The pair were presented with documents given to banks on their behalf. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation claims government analysis suggests mortgage fraud is rare.

BC names new human rights commissioner — the first in 17 years

Lawyer Kasari Govender has been announced as B.C.’s new human rights commissioner — the first since since the province’s human rights commission was abolished in 2002. Govender, a lawyer and women’s advocate, said her appointment as B.C.’s newest human rights commissioner was “a dream role.” “I’ve been working in human rights and related to human rights my whole career and being passionate about these issues …[for] my whole life. So this is just an incredible opportunity,” Govender said. In November 2018, the NDP government took the steps to re-establishing the provincial Human Rights Commission. B.C. is the only province in Canada without a human rights commission after it was

abolished by Gordon Campbell’s Liberal government in 2002. Govender’s appointment was overseen by a bipartisan special committee made up of MLA’s Sheila Malcolmson, Stephanie Cadieux, Raj Chouhan and Greg Kyllo. “Reintroducing [the commission] and having the kind of full political spectrum of support behind it is just so important,” she said. “This time it’s set up as an independent commission as an independent officer of the legislature and that means it’s really going to have ... that much more credibility as a voice.” Legislation sets path for human rights commission to return to B.C.

Investigation launched into Vancouver police conduct during anti-pipeline protest The police complaint commissioner of B.C. has ordered an investigation into the conduct of one or more members of the Vancouver Police Department during an anti-pipeline protest on May 22. The alleged incident took place outside a Liberal fundraiser at Vancouver’s Opus Hotel, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was speaking. In a statement, the police complaint commissioner says a video recorded during the anti-pipeline protest outside shows a woman approaching a man standing next to a uniformed police officer. It says she appears to step forward

and then falls to the ground after making contact with one of the men. VPD officer charged with dangerous driving causing bodily harm Following the video and reports in the media, commissioner Clayton Pecknold determined it was in the public interest to disclose that he has ordered an investigation into the alleged incident to determine whether it constitutes police misconduct. During the prime minister’s address at the hotel, an opponent of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion from the Tsleil-Waututh Nation was ushered out of the fundraiser after interrupting Trudeau’s remarks.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

BC will prohibit sale of gas-powered cars by 2040 British Columbia has just passed the Zero-Emission Vehicles Act (ZEVA) into law, and it could transform the Canadian province’s roads in the coming years. Under the new rules, 10 percent of all light-duty cars and trucks sold in BC by 2025 must be emission-free (electric, plug-in hybrid electric or hydrogen fuel cell) vehicles. By the time 2040 rolls around, the province will completely prohibit the sale of gas-powered vehicles -- that is, if the law’s terms don’t change within the next 30 years. Clean Energy Canada policy director Dan Wo y n i l l o w i c z told CBC News in a statement: “This is going to go a long way toward addressing a problem we’ve had in British Columbia, which is we have more British Columbians interested in buying electric cars than we have electric cars on dealership lots.” He said there’s demand for zero-emission cars

in the province, but there are typically very few stocks to test drive, much less to buy. That said, the law doesn’t guarantee that BC is going to be 100 percent emission-free by 2040: people could simply go to neighboring provinces to buy gas vehicles if they want. While California’s EV sales are doing well, The Verge notes that BC’s ZEVA is the first location in North America to pass l e g i s l at i on that aims to ban the sale of gaspowered cars. The US has been lagging behind Europe when it comes to EV adoption for years, and a similar law could change that. Rep. Mike Levin from Southern California and Sen. Jeff Merkley from Oregon recently proposed a bill also called Zero-Emission Vehicles Act that would prohibit sales of gas-powered cars in the US by 2040.

Nanaimo woman wins court challenge after RCMP breathalyze her at home A lawyer who helped a Nanaimo woman who was given a roadside prohibition when she started drinking after getting to her sister’s home in Maple Ridge said police didn’t follow the right steps when arresting his client. The police acted under changes to the Criminal Code made last December that allow police to make demands for mandatory breath samples. “If police want to issue immediate roadside prohibitions, they need to do their jobs,” said Jennifer Teryn, with Victoria-based Jeremy Carr and Associates. Teryn helped Lee Lowrie after the latter was given a roadside prohibition April 13, when Ridge Meadows RCMP telephoned her while she was at her sister’s home in Maple Ridge. Lowrie had just had lunch and one drink in a local pub and had returned to her sister’s home and had two more beers as she was sitting in the back yard, Lowrie said. “I had been home for well over two hours. It was a beautiful day, we were sitting at the pool. We weren’t going anywhere,” Lowrie said Thursday. When police called, they told her they had

some sensitive information to tell her and she thought they wanted to relay some bad news, Lowrie said. When they arrived at about 6 p.m., they asked her to provide a breath sample into a roadside screening device, Lowrie said. “I had been home for over two hours,” Lowrie said. “Five cops showed up. I didn’t think that many cops showed up for a murder scene. It was intimidating. They were all female cops, wouldn’t let me put two cents worth in.” “They’re making it like I was drunk when I was driving and I wasn’t. I had one drink at the pub. I don’t drink and drive. I haven’t had a speeding ticket or parking violation in 25 years. I’ve never been in trouble with police,” Lowrie said. They got her to wait in a police car, then issued her the prohibition, which suspended her licence for 90 days and impounded her truck for 30. Police called a tow truck and hauled away her 1992 Toyota 4X4, which she relies on for work.

LOCAL

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Vancouver drug courier gets 5.5 years in prison for delivering $350K in fentanyl, cocaine to other provinces A Vancouver father of four who began transporting large quantities of fentanyl and cocaine after work dried up in Alberta’s oilsands will spend more than five years in a federal prison. Pedro Dwayne Kematch, 35, was sentenced on Thursday in B.C. Supreme Court in Kamloops after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking. Prior to his arrest, court heard, police became aware Kematch was part of a large-scale drug trafficking group transporting fentanyl and cocaine from B.C. to other provinces. On Feb. 28, 2015, an Acura being driven by Kematch was pulled over for speeding near Kamloops. Inside, police found a backpack and a hidden compartment containing 9,950 fentanyl pills and 487 grams of cocaine — drugs with a potential street value of nearly $350,000. Federal Crown prosecutor Anthony From page 8

Varesi said the fentanyl pills had been stamped to look like counterfeit Oxycontin. “The accused was obviously a trusted member of this organization to be transporting such a large amount,” Varesi said. “The number of fentanyl pills seized is quite alarming. It’s of course now a national health crisis.” Defence lawyer John Gustafson said Kematch had been supporting his family with his work in Alberta. When his partner went back to school, Gustafson said, Kematch had to find a new job closer to home in the Lower Mainland. “He very quickly fell into a situation where he was quite desperate,” Gustafson said. “It’s these circumstances that led to him being involved in these events.” B.C. Supreme Court Justice Dev Dley stressed the danger posed by fentanyl in handing down his sentence. “The impact on society that fentanyl has had is well-known,” he said. “In

Making better choices for a healthy heart – SABA Health & Wellness forum on Cardiac and Strike Care

A Health and Wellness Forum was organized by The South Asian Business Association (SABA) in partnership with Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation recently. It was attended by Jeff Norris president & CEO ,Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, Dr. Arun K. Garg, PhD. MD, FRCPC Consultation Medical Biochemist and Program Medical Director, South asian Health Institute, Dr. Preet Chahal, MD., FRCP9C) Neurology Fraser Health Stroke Program Medical Director, RCH Neurodiagnostics Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Neurology UBC Department of Medicine, Jaspreet Ghuman MD CCFP9EM) Assistant Clinical Professor Dept. of Emergency Medicine UBC, Dr. Jay

Charania Md( Impact of Coronary Artery Disease on the South Asian Population) , dr.Gulzar Cheema MBBS LMCC CCFP Clinical assistant Professor Dept. of family Practice UBC, Medical Director , ICON South Asian Division Faculty of Medicine, UBC. The aim of the forum was to create awareness regarding prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of heart and stroke care. Experts in cardiology, neurology and medicine, enlightened the audience with simple practices towards a better heart health. An overwhelming response from more than four hundred participants rendered the event successful.

The world is falling in love with Raptors ‘Superfan’ Nav Bhatia

Once he arrived in Canada, he headed to Toronto where he found a basement apartment in Rexdale, but his welcome

wasn’t exactly warm. Despite being a mechanical engineer by trade, he said, “I couldn’t get a job because of the turban and beard.” Bhatia found work as a car salesman at Rexdale Hyundai and discrimination followed.

“People called me Paki, people called me, you know, towel head, diaper head… a lot of names. That motivated me.” Bhatia eventually set a record by selling 127 cars in 90 days. It’s a record that still stands. He was promoted to manager, then general manager, then partner. Now he owns Rexdale Hyundai along with two

others dealerships and employs 190 people. Becoming a superfan: When the Raptors joined the NBA in 1995, Bhatia decided to buy two tickets to the first game. “I said, ‘let me try,’ because I didn’t have any hobbies,” he said. “I didn’t know that it would be

that life changing at that time.” He loved the never-ending entertainment. “I think I got addicted the very first day,” he said. “I started cheering as loud as I could, I was one of the loudest in the arena.” In those first four years, he created a reputation for himself. It was then-team vice president Isiah Thomas who presented Bhatia with the now famous ‘Superfan’ jersey. “I was in awe, that all of the sudden I became the face of the Toronto Raptors.” His obsession has led him to postpone a kidney surgery until after the season, so he wasn’t forced to miss a game. He pulls out the ‘Superfan’ jersey and holds it with a grin. It’s the original purple and white version with the dinosaur logo. “I don’t drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t womanize, but I Raptorize… I only Raptorize.” From superfan to philanthropist: Bhatia’s collection of Raptors artifacts is better than most, but a little underwhelming for someone who is friends with Vince Carter. “Most of my stuff I give it to the kids now, I don’t keep it,” he said.

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Saturday, June 1, 2019

Agreement reached between Port Workers and British Columbia Maritime Employers Association A tentative agreement has been reached in a labour dispute that threatened to shut down all ports in British Columbia, costing the Canadian economy billions of dollars every day. A spokesman for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union says the tentative deal came together after all-night bargaining with the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association. About 6,500 longshore workers at ports from Metro Vancouver to Prince

Rupert had already begun to set up picket lines as a lockout notice issued by the association expired Thursday morning. Automation was a key issue in the talks, with the employersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; association saying it would protect and enhance jobs while the union countered that automation would â&#x20AC;&#x153;decimateâ&#x20AC;? ports and harm workers. Federal Labour Minister Patty Hajdu arrived in Vancouver Wednesday and issued a statement saying she was

CRA signs secret settlement with wealthy KPMG clients involved in offshore tax scheme The Canada Revenue Agency has once again made a secret out-ofcourt settlement with wealthy KPMG clients caught using what the CRA itself had alleged was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;grossly negligentâ&#x20AC;? offshore â&#x20AC;&#x153;shamâ&#x20AC;? set up to avoid detection by tax authorities, CBCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s The Fifth Estate and Radio-Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s EnquĂŞte have learned. This, despite the Liberal governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vow to crack down on high-net-worth taxpayers who used the now-infamous Isle of Man scheme. The scheme orchestrated by accounting giant KPMG enabled clients to dodge tens of millions of dollars in taxes in Canada by making it look as if multimillionaires had given away their fortunes to anonymous overseas shell companies and get their investment income back as tax-free gifts. KPMG is a global network of accounting and auditing firms headquartered out

of the Netherlands and is one of the top firms in Canada. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tax cheats can no longer hide,â&#x20AC;? National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier promised in 2017. Now, Tax Court documents obtained by CBC News/RadioCanada show two members of the Cooper family in Victoria, as well as the estate of the late patriarch Peter Cooper, reached an out-of-court settlement on May 24 over their involvement in the scheme. Details of the settlement and even minutes of the meetings discussing it are under wraps. A CBC News/RadioCanada reporter who showed up to one such meeting this spring left after realizing it was closed to the public. Journalists discovered references to the final settlement agreement in Tax Court documents only by chance.

Ottawa racks up $11.8 billion deficit for the year â&#x20AC;&#x201D; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s better than last year and better than forecast A preliminary estimate by the Finance Department says the federal government posted a deficit of $11.8 billion for its 2018-19 fiscal year. The shortfall compared with a deficit of $16.7 billion for 2017-18. The Liberalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; spring budget had forecast a deficit of $14.9 billion for the 2018-19 fiscal year which ended on March 31. Canada posts weakest back-toback quarters of growth since 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not the whole story Stephen Polozâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dashboard: Why Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy is not in as bad shape as it looks Wilkins sets the record straight on Bank of Canadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s thinking on its rate hold The shortfall came as the monthly fiscal monitor report said revenue rose $24.7 billion, or 8.1 per cent, due to increases in tax revenues and other revenues. Program expenses gained $18.5 billion, or 6.2 per cent, as major transfers to persons, major transfers to other levels of government and direct program expenses moved higher. Public debt charges increased $1.4 billion, or 6.3 per cent, due to a higher average effective interest rate on the stock of interest-bearing debt.

available to both parties and calling on both sides to keep talking and â&#x20AC;&#x153;negotiate an agreement as soon as possible.â&#x20AC;? Union President Rob Ashton describes the tentative agreement as fair and balanced, although no details of the pact will be released until ratification votes are held by union members.

A statement from the union says it went through 18 months of negotiations to renew the industry collective agreement that expired March 31, 2018. Union members had earlier voted 98.4 per cent in favour of a strike if necessary earlier this month.

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Dr Jai Rup Singh (middle) Vice Chancellor, Guru Nanak University, Amritsar and Central University, Bathinda was honored by prominent Punajabi authors Mohan Gill, novalist Jarnail S. Sekha, community member Gulzar Villing and Artist Jarnail Singh (second from left).

Funeral announcement

China threatens Canada of ‘consequences’ of helping US China warned Canada on Friday that it needs to be aware of the consequences of aiding the U.S. in a case involving the Chinese tech giant Huawei that is believed to have sparked the detentions of two Canadians in China. Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang’s comments Friday came after U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for the release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor. Both were arrested on Dec. 10 after Canada detained a Huawei executive wanted by the United States on fraud charges. While China has denied they were taken in retaliation, it has repeatedly implied that there is a strong connection between the cases. Korvig, a former diplomat and Asia expert at the International Crisis Group, and Spavor, a businessman, have been accused of colluding to steal state secrets. Canada has repeatedly urged their immediate release, calling their detentions “arbitrary.” Neither has been permitted access to lawyers or family members. “We hope that the Canadian side

can have a clear understanding of the consequences of endangering itself for the gains of the U.S. and take immediate actions to correct its mistakes so as to spare itself the suffering from growing damage,” Geng said at a daily news briefing. Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, the daughter of the company’s founder, is accused of lying to banks about the company’s dealings with Iran in violation of U.S. trade sanctions. Her attorney has argued that comments by U.S. President Donald Trump suggest the case against her is politically motivated. Washington has pressured other countries to limit use of Huawei’s technology, warning they could be opening themselves up to surveillance and theft of information. China and the U.S. are currently embroiled in a trade dispute that has beleaguered global financial markets. Another Canadian held in China, Robert Schellenberg, was re-sentenced to death in a drug case following Meng’s detention. His case is currently under appeal.

Avtar Singh Deol, born in Adampur/Harripur, passed away peacefully on May 27th 2019 at the age of 82 with family by his side. Predeceased by his parents, Dr. Rajinder Singh Deol and Chandan Kaur Deol. Avtar immigrated from India to Canada in 1987. He resided in Squamish with his wife and family until his retirement from Whistler in hotel services. He then moved to Surrey with his wife Kalwant to be closer to family and friends. Avtar will be long remembered for his passion for gardening, his sense of humour and his love of music. Avtar leaves behind his wife and children, son in law, daughter in laws, grandchildren, numerous nieces and nephews, and a large extended family and friends. Funeral services to be held at Riverside Funeral Home on June 2nd 2019, at 10:00am. Lunch and Celebration of life to follow at 7843 143 St Surrey BC, V3W 9W3. Please contact (604) 618-2610 for additional information.

Canadian gov’t cash helping to back El Salvador’s In the end, Imelda Cortez’s story was too Her law case is one of many in the Central harsh abortion much even for El Salvador’s famously harsh American nation that are jarringly at odds with the Trudeau courts. Her case was making news around the world, and government’s views DNA had confirmed that the on a woman’s right to choose. But the newborn she was accused of federal government attempting to murder was the itself is helping to fund product of rape by a 70-yeara Salvadoran justice old stepfather who’d abused system that takes a her throughout her childhood. Cortez, 20, the daughter of a very harsh line on abortion prosecutions. poor rural family, insisted she Salvadorans pushing to change the abortion law didn’t know she was pregnant until she say it often persecutes women like Cortez who entered an outhouse and a child came out. have experienced miscarriages or stillbirths. The baby was born healthy and remains “As a government, as Canadians, we will so, but in El Salvador, any birth outside always be unequivocal about defending a hospital can be deemed suspicious. Because prosecutors claimed she had a woman’s right to choose, defending women’s rights in general,” Prime Minister intended to kill the child after it was Justin Trudeau said May 16 in Paris. This born, she was charged with attempted aggravated murder, an offence that carries week, he spoke out against anti-abortion a possible sentence of 20 years in prison.

Federal gov’t quietly offered a settlement to halt lawsuits over immigration program The federal government made a secret settlement to quash two lawsuits that claimed its contentious online application process to reunite immigrant families was flawed and unfair, CBC News has learned. To resolve the group litigation, the government awarded at least 70 coveted spots to applicants allowing

them to sponsor their parents’ or grandparents’ immigration to Canada. Legal actions were launched in Toronto and Vancouver after the widely criticized online application process went ahead on Jan. 28 — a process which left tens of thousands of people frustrated and furious because they couldn’t access the form or fill it out fast enough. The process opened at noon and closed less than nine minutes later. A flurry of angry complaints erupted. Some said the sprint to file applications worked against those who couldn’t fill them out quickly, such as people with disabilities or literacy issues, or those living in places with slow internet connections. Online applications to sponsor family immigrants hit limit in less than 11 minutes Ottawa to accept more applications under immigrant family reunification program The settlement through a legal source who was not directly involved in the lawsuits. Lawyers who were involved in the settlement of the lawsuits, which included a non-disclosure agreement, declined to provide any details to CBC. There are no public court records on the settlement. Immigration lawyer Mary Keyork said she was unaware of the legal settlement and called it “very unfair” to those who didn’t know about the lawsuits, or couldn’t afford to join them. 20,000 spots were available “I think they’re going to feel very disappointed and I think they’re going to feel like they were cheated somehow,” she said. “As much as people who have means

‘Stop body shaming, everyone is special’ - Vidya Balan Actress Vidya Balan has addressed the issue of body shaming via a video and called out people for passing derogatory remarks on others’ body type. “Kabhi tu moti kehta hai, kabhi tu choti kehta hai.... “ Vidya Balan says in a video, with a certain confidence and weight in her voice. She highlights the discriminatory comments and jokes made at people regarding their looks. “Don’t make jokes on someone’s size, color. Everyone is different; that’s why everyone is special,” Balan

said in the video, which is part of an initiative for her radio show “Dhun Badal Ke Toh Dekho” which airs on Big 92.7 FM. The actress had uploaded the video on Instagram a few days ago. Dressed in a black sari and messed up make-up, Vidya even broke down while talking about the issue. S h e captioned it: “Most of us are potential victims of ‘body shaming’ - the widespread phenomenon of receiving cruel feedback when our bodies don’t meet the unrealistic beauty standards

of our time. Here’s my take on body shaming.” This is not the first time that “The Dirty Picture” actress opened up about body shaming. Earlier, she had said: “In my early days, even before I entered the film industry, people said various discouraging things about me, they called me ‘moti’ and I faced body shaming. It really affects our confidence. Physical fitness shouldn’t be achieving an unrealistic goal to look in a certain way and thinking that is beautiful.” On the work front, Vidya Balan will next be seen in “Mission Mangal” along with Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Taapsee Pannu. After portraying strong protagonists in Paa, Ishqiya, No One Killed Jessica, The Dirty Picture and Kahaani, Vidya was credited in the media for pioneering a movement that breaks the stereotypical portrayal of heroines in Bollywood.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Veteran action director Veeru Devgan passes away Bollywood stars such as Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunny Deol and others paid a visit to Ajay Devgn and his family after the death of his father, veteran action director Veeru Devgan, in Mumbai on Monday morning. Shah Rukh Khan, one of Kajol’s closest friends from the Bollywood circle, was spotted arriving at the Devgn residence in Juhu later in the afternoon - he was photographed exiting his car and rushing through the gates of Kajol’s Mumbai home. Aishwarya and Abhishek met the Devgns with folded

hands. Sunny Deol and his brother Bobby were among the first to visit the Devgn family - they arrived together within hours of the death announcement.

Yami Gatam & Diljit Dosanjh to share screen space

604-566-3111 7233 - Fraser St., Vancouver, BC

The Surgical Strike actress Yami Gautam and singer-turned-actor Diljit Dosanjh will soon be seen sharing screen space in an untitled film, which will be backed by film producer Ramesh Taurani. The film will be helmed by director Aziz Mira’s son Haroun Mirza. The untitled film will be written by Vibha Singh and Arshad Sayed and it expected to go on floors in August this

year. Other details about the project have not been disclosed as of now. Bollywood trade analyst Taran Adarsh shared the news on social media on Wednesday and he tweeted: “It’s official - Yami Gautam and Diljit Dosanjh in Ramesh Taurani’s next venture (not titled yet)... Directed by Aziz Mirza’s son Haroun, who assisted his father in Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Yes Boss... Written by Vibha Singh and Arshad Sayed...Starts August 2019.”

Saturday, June 1, 2019

HOROSCOPE

Amitabh Bachchan shares picture of three generations of Bachchans A m i t a b h Bachchan who is quite active on his social media recently took to his Twitter account to share a picture three generations of Bachchan fathers with their kids. The collage of pic included Big Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father Harivansh Rai Bachchan holding the megastar in his arms, Sr Bachchan carrying Abhishek Bachchan in his arms and Abhishek with baby Aaradhya. The caption on the picture read, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Three generations in one frame, Bachchanâ&#x20AC;?. While the tweet

read, â&#x20AC;&#x153;T 3179. In 2000, Bachchan hosted first season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC), the adaptation of the British television game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The show was well received. A second season followed in 2005 but its run was cut short by STAR Plus when Bachchan fell ill in 2006. In 2009, Bachchan hosted the third season of the reality show Bigg Boss. In 2010, Bachchan hosted the fourth season of KBC. The fifth season started in August 2011

Bollywood

Aries March 21 - April 20 The conversations you hold and the people you meet can keep things moving along over the week ahead. However, with links to dreamy Neptune, what you see isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t necessarily what you get. You might completely misunderstand a conversation or someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s intentions. You could also have an overly idealized view of a situation when in reality itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing like you think. Bearing this in mind, it might be a good idea to wait a few days before signing or committing to anything important.

Taurus April 21 - May 20 Go easy around money matters this week. With dealmaker Mercury in your money zone angling toward dreamy Neptune, you might think something looks promising when it isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. This could be something simple like a gym

involves your hard-earned cash. Take the time to read the terms and conditions and look at the details to see whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in it for you before you make a move. With Venus linking to dreamy Neptune, there is potential for romance for you

Gemini May 20 - June 21 This isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t one of the best times to make promises, no matter how sure you are that you can follow through. With talkative Mercury, your guide planet, linking to nebulous Neptune in your sector of goals and career, going back on your word would be noticed by those in authority. To avoid this, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best to underestimate what you can accomplish and overdeliver on results because this will make a more positive impact.

Cancer June 22 - July 23 An awkward tie between thoughtful Mercury and hazy Neptune hints that you might want something but be unclear about how to get it. There could be a clash of beliefs involved that stems from experiences that occurred in your younger years. If you want to understand why youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been sabotaging your best interests, talking to someone who knows you well or who has a canny understanding of human nature might bring some powerful insights.

Leo June 24 - August 23 It might be wise to avoid any schemes that involve a lot of money because they might not be as good as you think. Before you sign or commit, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wise to do the math. If you take the

you imagined and possibly nothing much at all. Bearing this in mind, it might best to sidestep this and wait until something much more solid comes along.

Virgo Someone might promise you the world, but can they deliver? Take extra care over the coming days

to their word. They likely mean well, but they might not be able to follow through due to unexpected circumstances. If this is something you need urgently, it might be better to attend to it yourself because it will then get done. There is some promise of a delightful outing with your partner or good friend.

Libra Sept. 24 - Oct 22 Is it better to help others or help yourself? This could be an issue this week because you could feel guilty for saying no to someone who counted on you to help them out. This could be a victory for you, though, especially if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve given in to them one too many times in the past. Standing your

this person know that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t intend to be used in the future.

Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 22

really? The coming days could see you falling head over heels with someone and perhaps !

it might help to get the opinion of a friend. If the friend knows you very well, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be unafraid to tell you the truth as they see it. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a possibility that you wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to hear what they have to say until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s too late. If someone gives you a warning, it might be wise to listen.

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22 The coming days could see you eager to beautify your surroundings at home or at work. As sweet Venus forges a lovely angle " #

adding beautiful pictures, inspiring sayings, and sentimental gifts from those you love lifts your spirits when you need it most. This might be something to consider because with dynamic Mars continuing its journey through a more intense zone.

Capricorn Dec 23 - Jan 20 Make sure that people understand you, because thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a possibility of mistakes over the days ahead. With chatty Mercury forging an awkward angle to nebulous Neptune in your sector of communication, things may not go as planned. One way to sidestep this is to write out your instructions in bullet points so they can be seen in black and white. Even then, someone could still misread your words.

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19 Is it worthwhile to spend money on a new hobby, pastime, or even romance? If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re uncertain, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t commit just yet. Instead, just dip your toe in the water. By the end of the week, you could have valuable insights into whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth investing your time and money into something new or better to avoid doing so for now. When it comes to creating a pleasant atmosphere at home, a trip to a vintage store or local art gallery could see you falling in love with one or two items.

Pisces Feb 20 - March 20 It would help to make your intentions clear this week, because if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t, your family might have expectations that you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t intend to $

and general misunderstanding. However, it could create a negative atmosphere unless you set the record straight. On a creative note, a tie between sweet Venus and lovely Neptune in your sign could encourage you to learn more about an art or craft that inspires you.

Bollywood

Saturday, June 1, 2019

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Chinese audience has new name for Hrithik Roshan Hrithik Roshan, whose film “Kaabil” releases in China Jun. 5, is receiving immense love from the Chinese audience. Awaiting his arrival in their country, the fans have given a new name to Roshan – “Da Shuai,” which means extremely handsome in Mandarin. The actor has marked his presence in the hearts of his audience in this neighboring country. Da Shuai has already been flooded with emails and messages from his fans, who are looking forward to his arrival. The release in China will make a grand introduction to this hunk overseas. The movie featured Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam as the lead pair and was released in 2017. Gautam wrapped up her “Bala” schedule early to join Roshan for the China premiere. China is now the new hot favorite market due to the growing popularity of Hindi cinema in China and also due to the magnitude of the market size.Earlier, films like “PK,” “Dangal,” “3 Idiots, “Bahubali: The Beginning,” “Bajrangi Bhaijaan,” “Hichki” and “Secret Superstar” were among films that enjoyed massive success at the Chinese box-office.

Gautam said, “I’m elated with the news of the film releasing in China. ‘Kaabil’ has been a special film for me, and I’m glad that it is still traveling across and finding new audiences and love.” R o s h a n intentionally takes on diverse parts in an attempt to not be typecast. [16][33] He looks at the scripts as a platform to inspire with the strength and courage of his characters and to make his audiences smile. [16] Roshan was noted by critics for his versatility in portraying a variety of characters in Koi... Mil Gaya (2003), Lakshya (2004), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and Guzaarish (2010). Filmfare magazine included two of his performances—from Koi... Mil Gaya and Lakshya—on its 2010 list of 80 Iconic Performances.[53][165] In March 2011, Roshan placed fourth on Rediff.com’s list of Top 10 Actors of 2000–2010.[166] Roshan’s dancing ability has also drawn praise from the media, an opinion he disagrees with.

ART KNAPP SURREY 1942

HUGE SELECTION OF HERBS AND VEGETABLES PLANTS c o r i a n d e r, s q u a s h , c i l a nt ro, h o t p e p p e rs , m i nt , l e m o n g ra s s , c i t ro n e l l a , a n d s o m u c h m o re !

n ily fu Fam ith mini w zone lf and a go ride train

Bollywood

Saturday, June 1, 2019 Kajolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mood swings if anyone asks

Many moods of Kajol

Will your cousin Rani Mukerji tie the knot with Aditya Chopra?â&#x20AC;? Are you still friend with SRK? ! " â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayengeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; ! " $ " â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha.â&#x20AC;? %

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Baba Ramdevâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expert pranayam tips. & "

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Great films on India being made only by foreigners: Anupam Kher Anupam Kher wonders why great films on India are being made only by foreigners. In Toronto for the premiere of Australian director Anthony Marasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; debut feature film â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hotel Mumbaiâ&#x20AC;? based on the September 2008 terror attacks, Kher said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is fascinating that the film â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Gandhiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; was also made by a foreigner. Now this (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hotel Mumbaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;) film has also been made by a foreigner. Thank you, Anthony, for making this movie. This film is a tribute to everybody who has lost a dear one anywhere in the world.â&#x20AC;?

Without naming the person, Kher said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Somebody had made a film on it (Mumbai terror attacks), but it was atrocious. That person wanted to cash in on the tragedy.â&#x20AC;? But Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hotel Mumbaiâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;humanisesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? the tragedy that Mumbai went through 10 years ago, the actor added. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Taj Palace Hotel is not just another hotel. It is an icon and its owner â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the Tatas â&#x20AC;&#x201D; are a respectable name not just in India but also around the world,â&#x20AC;? he said. At the press conference, Kher revealed that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hotel Mumbaiâ&#x20AC;? is the 501st film of his career. As he was congratulated by the cast, the veteran actor said even his mother asked him for the first time as to how he did so many films. â&#x20AC;&#x153;â&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hotel Mumbaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is my 501st film. My mother, who is 85, asked me â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;How did I do it?â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;? said Kher.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Another day, another study to stall NDP action John Horgan and the NDP are at it again— more studies, no action. “The NDP promised to address cell phone bills in its February Throne Speech, yet waited until the very end of May to announce a useless survey on the issue,” says Jas Johal, BC Liberal Co-Critic for Jobs, Tourism and Technology and MLA for RichmondQueensborough. “They’ve said the survey will help give them insight into what actions the Province can take, which tells me they simply don’t know what they’re doing.” John Horgan and the NDP’s failure to come up with ideas and take action just adds to the affordability woes of British Columbians. “Whether its costly cell phone bills,

skyrocketing gas prices, or rising ICBC and hydro rates— life isn’t getting any easier for hard-working British Columbians,” says Greg Kyllo, BC Liberal Co-Critic for Jobs, Tourism and Technology and MLA for Shuswap. “Affordability was a key promise made by John Horgan and the NDP, and all they’ve shown they know how to do is order study after study. They are clearly stalling, and British Columbians can see right through it.” Johal and Kyllo also note that cell phone billing is a matter of federal jurisdiction, and the CRTC is already doing this work. They say John Horgan continues to waste taxpayer dollars on expensive studies to create the illusion he is doing something.

BC Liberals successfully amend flawed NDP labour plan BC Liberal MLAs successfully blocked a misguided plan by John Horgan and the NDP to allow construction union raids every summer. The NDP included this provision as part of the Labour Relations Code Amendment Act, which the BC Liberals were successful in amending. “The ability to freely organize is one of the fundamental rights we enjoy in Canada, and this needs to be respected,” says BC Liberal Labour Critic and Chilliwack MLA John Martin. “But this needs to be done in a way that promotes stability for workers, unions, and employers alike. The NDP’s plan missed this mark. The government’s own

partners in power sharing – the BC Greens – clearly agreed that this was a step too far, given they voted in favour of our amendment.” Martin says that as with many NDP policies, the government once again prioritized its union allies at the expense of British Columbians. “Allowing annual union raids would have singled out the construction industry for regular workplace disruption during its busiest season – risking delays and higher project costs,” says Martin. “Our BC Liberal amendment simply brought rules for the construction industry in line with other sectors – which was the advice of the NDP’s own independent review panel in the first place.”

Bollywood

Ranbir’s mom gifts Deepika an amulet symbolising protection There was a time (according to media reports) when it was said that Deepika Padukoneand Ranbir Kapoor’s mother, Neetu Singh, could not see eye-to-eye, because the actress was dating Neetu’s son. Now that appears to be a thing of the past as the two have patched up long since then. While Ranbir’s parents, Neetu and Rishi Kapoor, could not attend Deepika’s wedding reception in Mumbai in December last year as both are in USA for the senior actor’s medical treatment, Ranbir and his close friend Alia Bhatt had given it a miss. Last week, when in New York, Deepika had dropped in to meet Rishi and Neetu and posted pics on social media, but we

have come to know that Neetu gifted Deepika a specially-crafted (palmshaped) Hamsa amulet or Hand of Fatima on a gold chain to the actress, from the Kapoors’ daughter, Riddhima Kapoor Sahni range of fine RKS jewellery as the delicate craftsmanship is distinctive to the jewellery brand. The Hamsa Hand is an ancient Middle Eastern amulet symbolizing the Hand of God and in all faiths is a protective sign, and brings its owner happiness, luck, health, and good fortune.

‘TikTok’ star Mohit Mor shot dead in Delhi After TV actor Aansh AroraGhaziabad Police controversy, here comes another shocking incident from the Capital. According to a report in India Today, a 27-year-old man, Mohit Mor, a famous gym trainer and TikTok star, was shot dead by three men inside a shop in outer Delhi’s Najafgarh area. The report states that Mohit had gone to meet his friends at the photocopy shop near his home in Najafgarh’s Dharmpura, when he was attacked. “When Mohit Mor was speaking with his friend inside the shop, three armed persons barged inside the shop and indiscriminately fired 13 bullets at him.

Mohit Mor fell on a sofa kept inside the shop. He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead. Mohit Mor took seven bullets,” a senior police officer told the news portal. Mohit had started college in April this year. He was a student of Motilal Nehru College of Delhi University. His friends, family, and fans are shocked with his sudden demise. They have flooded his Facebook wall with condolence messages. Mohit Mor had 533k fans and 8.4 million hearts on TikTok and often posted emotional videos with a social message.

Press release

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Vol. 10 No. 18 Saturday - June 1, 2019

Tel: 604-591-5423

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Report says government policies weigh on BC housing market A real estate market outlook by Vancouver’s Central 1 Credit Union says tougher federal and provincial government housing policies are behind a drop in demand for resale housing in British Columbia. The report released on Tuesday says Vancouver is the epicentre of a real estate downturn where home sales dropped 40 per cent since the end of last year as stricter policies deter potential buyers while sellers wait on the sidelines for a rebound. The federal government’s mortgage stress test, requiring buyers to prove they can withstand future interest rate hikes, cut purchasing power by 20 per cent, while the B.C. government’s 20 per cent foreign buyers tax sent international buyers out of the province, the report says. Report author, Central 1 deputy chief economist Bryan Yu, said that despite B.C.’s strong The latest Canadian house price forecast from Moody’s Analytics really has no good news for anyone. If you’re a homeowner hoping to make big equity gains, forget it. And if you’re an aspiring homebuyer hoping for a reprieve from astronomical urban house prices, forget

economy, real estate transactions will decline 11 per cent in 2019 and home values will drop four per cent before a mild market rebound. “We’re probably hitting a bottom,” said Yu in a telephone interview. “We will probably be heading up at some point in 2019. It’s not going to get much worse than this.” Finance Minister Carole James said the B.C. government’s measures to moderate

the market, including the speculation and vacancy tax on vacant properties, will take time to increase the availability of rental properties and reduce property speculation. “I’m seeing cautiously optimistic signs, a little bit of an increase in the vacancy rate, a little bit of softening of prices, but I think we’ve got a long way to go.” A recent governmentcommissioned report said money laundering caused home prices across the province to

increase by five per cent in 2018. James has said money laundering could have distorted Metro Vancouver’s market by as much as 20 per cent. “When you think of a family who can’t afford to buy a home, money laundering impacts everyone and we have to address it,” she said in an interview on Tuesday. Yu said his report did not examine the possible impact of money laundering on B.C.’s real estate market. He said the money laundering report and its conclusions were based on international data and projections from those numbers. “These were model-driven numbers based on international numbers and I would say very little localized information,” said Yu. “It seems to me we’re really still searching for those numbers and trying to get a better grasp of them.”

Canadian House Price Forecast: What The Next 5 Years Will Look Like In 33 Cities that too. The forecast calls for house prices nationwide to grow by an average of 2.2 per cent per year over the next five years. Given that the Bank of Canada is predicting inflation at 2 per cent in the coming years, this means that inflation-adjusted house prices will likely

see no net growth. With Canada’s economy bouncing back from a slowdown at the start of the year, Moody’s expects mortgage rates to rise by a full percentage point over the next two years. That increase in monthly housing costs, combined with high prices and high debt levels,

will keep prices in check, the research firm predicts. “House price appreciation will slow down in 2020, turn briefly negative in 2021, and only recover in the following years,” wrote Andres Carbacho-Burgos, a director and head housing economist at Moody’s Analytics.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

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

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

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 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; defined as someone who

doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have their principal residence in Canada â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 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

Classifieds / Jobs Looking for work? Cleaning company wanted workers for clean up job in Coquitlam For more details please call 604-902-2858

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Matrimonial Punjabi Bansal family seeking a suitable mach for their 31 year old,” son, Height 5’.11, Handsome,Sober, soft spoken, vegetarian currently in Patiala Punjab India. He has done studies in BTech Computer Science and working in Judicial Department as IT Analyst in Patiala. Girl should be well educated and family oriented freferably Canadian citizen or Canadian Permanent resident. For more details please call 604-617-0615 or email Kushal.20776@gmail.com

Child care provider required at a private home Location Surrey, BC - Salary $14.50 to $14.75 / Hour (To be negotiated) Permanent, Full time 40 Hours / Week Start date As soon as possible Job requirements Languages English Education College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma from a program of 1 year to 2 years Experience 1 year to less than 2 years Additional Skills Assume full responsibility for household in absence of parents, Perform light housekeeping and cleaning duties, Shop for food and household supplies, Travel with family on trips and assist with child supervision and housekeeping duties, Wash, iron and press clothing and household linens Children’s Ages School age (6 - 12 years), and 2 - 3 years Specific Skills Bathe,

dress and feed infants and children, Discipline children according to the methods requested by the parents, Prepare infants and children for rest periods, Keep records of daily activities and health information regarding children, Sterilize bottles, prepare formulas and change diapers for infants, Maintain a safe and healthy environment in the home, Take children to and from school and to appointments, Tend to emotional well-being of children, Instruct children in personal hygiene and social development, Organize, activities such as games and outings for children, Prepare and serve nutritious meals, Supervise and care for children, Help children with homework Work Setting Employer’s home How to apply By email: umendrasingh@hotmail.com By phone: 604-537-3551

Saturday, June 1, 2019

DREAM CARPET

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Hungarian sex slave thanks Canada for saving her A Canadian sex trafficking survivor has shared her harrowing story from postcommunist Hungary to the seedy massage parlours and strip clubs of Toronto. Timea Nagy was just 20 in 1998 when she answered a newspaper ad in Budapest to work as babysitter in Canada. Keen to support her impoverished family, she travelled to Canada’s biggest city where she was forced into sex work by a ring of international human traffickers. “My mom was a police officer, we grew up very poor and when I was 19 we were at the edge of losing our home,” Nagy said. “Mom was sick and in hospital and so it was up to my brother and I to find financial aid. We just looked for jobs, I found an

ad in the newspaper ‘go to Canada, young woman, English not necessary and you can make all the money that you need.’ “I answered an ad and it sounded fantastic and I landed in Canada two weeks later.” But instead of the dream future she had hoped for in Toronto, a three-month long nightmare began. Once she arrived, she was told she owed the “agency” that brought her here thousands of dollars. She was controlled by two men and forced to work in a strip club and massage parlour where she was sexually assaulted by three men. She was fed just one meal a day, with her weight dropping to just

89lbs, until her eventual escape. “When you don’t speak English in a country that you don’t know and the only voice in your head is these people telling you in your language what’s going to happen if you leave, what’s going to happen if you talk to others, it takes you a long time to figure out what’s a lie and what’s real, all the threats” Nagy said. “Eventually with the help of people in

a club, and I really hope they’re watching this as I still haven’t found them, Chris and another gentleman Julius helped me escape from the club. They were hiding me and they helped me get back to the airport.” The men running the “agency” kept a group of young women in a hotel room, took their passports and 90 per cent of their earnings, Nagy said.

BC to become first province to force patients to switch from biologics to less expensive biosimilar drugs Brirish Columbia is expecting to save nearly $100-million over the next three years by becoming the first province in

Canada to force patients to switch from publicly funded – and expensive – drugs for diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease to cheaper versions called biosimilars. Biosimilars are near-copies of biologics, a category of drugs that, unlike conventional pills, are manufactured from living organisms and usually delivered by injection or IV infusion. Biologics also tend to have high prices: Three of the top-five prescription drugs in terms of public spending in B.C. are biologics. “Biologic drugs continue to be a growing pressure for public drug plans,” B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said as he unveiled his government’s new biosimilar policy on Monday. “If we continue to spend more and more of our finite health dollars on biologics, it restricts our ability to provide coverage for existing drugs ... not to mention hindering our ability to list any new drugs.”

BC will save more than $96 million with the use of biosimilar drugs, says health minister British Columbia says it will save more than $96 million in its prescription drug program by expanding the use of so-called biosimilar drugs to treat diabetes, arthritis and Crohn’s disease. Health Minister Adrian Dix said Monday biosimilar drugs are new versions of existing medications but cost anywhere from 25 per cent to 50 per cent less, and B.C. is the first jurisdiction in Canada to support their increased use. In some European countries, he said, use of the drugs exceeds 90 per cent. Bioengineered drugs are the single biggest expense for public drug plans and B.C. spent $125 million in 2018 on three of the drugs that treat chronic conditions, such as diabetes, psoriatic or rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease. Dix said the diabetes management drug Jardiance will be added immediately to Pharmacare, benefiting up to 22,000 patients. The addition of the arthritis drug Taltz will improve treatment options for people with arthritis, he said, and about 2,700 Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients will be changing to a biosimilar medicine available in coming months. There will be a six-month transition period to the new drugs and then Pharmacare will no longer provide coverage for the original drugs. “What we’re doing today is helping tens of thousands of people,” said Dix. “I think this is simply the right decision for taxpayers. Inflation of prescription drug costs, or Pharmacare costs, is growing in Canada. There are many new expensive drugs for rare diseases that provide hope for many Canadians, but we will require ... to take steps to make our Pharmacare programs more efficient.”

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Woman charged in hit-and-run that left 4-year-old South Asian boy critically injured in Toronoto Toronto Police already arrested and charged 31-year-old man in connection with hit-and-run incident that left four-year-old in critical condition. To r o n t o police say a 34-yearold woman has been charged in connection with hit-and-run incident that left fouryear-old boy in critical condition in hospital. The woman surrendered to authorities on Thursday morning after police released a security camera image that appeared to show her fleeing the scene. Police said the young boy was struck by a motorcycle on Sunday afternoon in the city’s east end. Radiul Chowdhury was out with his mother when he suddenly darted in to traffic and was hit by a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Investigators said the male motorcycle driver briefly stopped to allow a female passenger to get off the bike before he rode away. The woman fled on foot. The boy’s family said he sustained serious brain damage and numerous broken bones. He remains in a coma in hospital in Toronto. On Monday, police said they arrested a 31-year-old man and seized a 2016 Harley Davidson Road Glide Motorcycle. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily harm, driving a motor vehicle with an improper licence, and operating

a motor vehicle without insurance. He was released the next day on $25,000 bail. Police said the woman was charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily harm. She appeared in court in Toronto on Thursday m or n i n g where she was released on $15,000 bail. The woman is due back in court in Scarborough on July 15. Radiul Chowdhury was struck by a motorcycle on Sunday in Toronto after he darted into traffic while with his mother in the city’s east end. He remains unconscious and sustained serious brain damage, along with a broken shoulder, elbow and legs. Police say the man faces charges including driving a motor vehicle with an improper license, operating a motor vehicle without insurance and leave an accident scene causing bodily harm. According to a news release, the arrest was made on Monday after by members of the Traffic Services Hit and Run unit. The unit also seized a 2016 Harley Davidson Road Glide Motorcycle. Police had been searching for a male driver and a female passenger. Witnesses allege that the driver stopped the bike after the boy was struck, but then sped off,

Andrew Sheer says migrant numbers should serve national interest Canada Conservative leader says migrant numbers should serve national interest Scheer, 40, is leading Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the polls with some five months to go before the general election. While the immigration debate in Canada has been much more muted than in the United States, Canadians are becoming more polarized and less tolerant, according to polls published in April by Ottawa-based Ekos Politics. Trudeau has gradually increased the number of migrants and refugees Canada takes in every year with the goal of accepting the equivalent of 1% of the population annually.

Scheer, speaking outside of Toronto in a suburb where many new Canadians now live, said the Liberal government had damaged people’s confidence in the country’s immigration system, though he stopped short of saying numbers should be cut. The Liberals “have managed to undermine the long-standing consensus that immigration is indeed a positive for this country. Under Trudeau, a recordhigh number of Canadians believe that immigration should be reduced,” he said. “As prime minister, I will set immigration levels consistent with what is in Canada’s best interests.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

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Toronto man charged with sexual assault of teen boys over 4-year period: police A Toronto man is facing 14 charges in an ongoing sexual assault investigation involving four teenage boys that span over four years. Police allege Derek Nylias sexually assaulted three teenage boys at his home in the Bloor Street West and Mill Road area between 2015 and 2019. He was arrested and charged on April 24 with four counts of sexual assault, four counts of sexual interference, two counts of sexual exploitation, and householder permitting sexual activity to a person under 18. Then in a separate incident, Nylias was arrested again on Wednesday for allegedly

sexually assaulting a 17-yearold boy at his home between November 2016 and April of this year. Police said he also indirectly contacted one of the victims in the previous case this month, which was contrary to his release conditions. In relation to the arrest last week, he’s been charged with sexual assault, attempting to obstruct justice, and failure to comply with recognizance. Nylias is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 416-808-2922 or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477)

Man fined $30,000 for smuggling almost 4,000 kg of cheese into Canada A man was charged a $30,000 fine for attempting to smuggle thousands of kilograms of cheese through the Canadian border. Haissam Azaar, 50, was caught with about 3,990 kg of cheese at the Thousand Islands border crossing in Landsdowne, Ont., on Jan. 10, 2018, according to a news release published by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). When CBSA officials referred Azaar for a secondary examination, they found eight skids of undeclared cheeses. He was arrested and charged for failing to mark imported goods under section 159 of the Customs Act. According to the Customs Act, all goods that enter Canada must be declared to

border officials. If someone fails to declare imported goods, their items could be seized and they could be prosecuted and fined up to $50,000 and spend up to six months in jail. Azaar pleaded guilty and was sentenced at the court in Brockville, Ont., on May 9, 2019. He was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine, which he must pay back within five years, with a minimum payment of $1,000 a year. “Seizures like this serve as a reminder of the vital role CBSA officers play in preventing risks to Canada’s food safety as well as contributing to Canada’s economic security,” CBSA St. Lawrence District Director Darren Frank said in the release.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL Ontario to cut child benefit for refugee claimants and others waiting for support

Ontario to axe child benefit for refugee claimants and others waiting for support Eritrean refugee claimant Samu Abdel with her three sons at Sojourn House which operates a shelter and transitional housing in downtown Toronto. The single mother, who fled her war-torn homeland in 2017, has been relying on the Transition

Child Benefit of $230 per child, per month to pay for food, diapers and other items for her children while she awaits her refugee hearing in July. Abdel doesn’t know how she would survive without the money and fears for other families.

Saturday, June 1, 2019 Bank of Canada keeps key interest rate target on hold The Bank of Canada is holding its key interest rate steady as its senior officials insist there are more signs the economy’s abrupt winter deceleration was short-lived. The central bank, as widely expected, kept its trend-setting rate at 1.75 per cent today -- and governor Stephen Poloz appears to be in no hurry to make a move, even as he points to economic improvements. The bank says in a statement that there’s growing evidence the economy has been reemerging in the second quarter of this year following a slowdown in late 2018 and early 2019.

The statement says indicators show the oil sector is beginning to recover, the national housing market is stabilizing and job growth remains strong. It says recent data also point to growth in consumer spending, exports and business investment. But the economy, the central bank says, also faces expanding trade risks following the escalation of international conflicts and Chinese restrictions on Canadian goods that are already having a direct impact on exports.

Ex-ministers who quit Trudeau government will run as independents in Canadian election wo former ministers who quit Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government this year over his handling of a scandal said on Monday they would run as independents in an election this October. Former Canadian Justice Minister and current Independent MP Jody WilsonRaybould speaks to supporters about her political future during a news conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, May 27, 2019. Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott resigned amid allegations that senior Trudeau officials tried to interfere in a corporate corruption case by leaning on Wilson-Raybould when she was justice minister. Trudeau, facing the biggest crisis of his tenure, later kicked them out of the ruling Liberal caucus, citing their lack of support. Both women, speaking at separate events, said they would press for more openness in Ottawa and also stressed the

importance of fighting climate change. They face serious challenges. Canadian politics is dominated by the major parties and very few legislators are elected as independents, in part because they lack resources to raise funds and campaign. That said, if one or both of them succeed, they could have some influence. Polls indicate the result of the election might well be a minority government, which means the prime minister will need the support of legislators from outside his party to govern. “In the right circumstances of course I would support a minority government in the broad sense,” Philpott said after making her announcement in Markham, a town north of Toronto. Philpott only just won her parliamentary constituency for the Liberals in the 2015 election that brought Trudeau to power.

Enough evidence to send SNC-Lavalin to trial, judge rules A Quebec judge has ruled there is enough evidence to send SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. to trial on charges of fraud and corruption, surprising few and prompting a further tumble in the beleaguered firm’s share price.

“Given the threshold to be met by the prosecution at the stage of the preliminary inquiry, this outcome was expected,” said SNC-Lavalin chief executive Neil Bruce in a statement. The company has previously pleaded not guilty and Bruce said that “we will vigorously defend ourselves to get the right outcome and be acquitted.” The Montreal-based engineering and construction giant is accused of paying $47.7 million in bribes to public officials in Libya between 2001 and 2011. The company, its construction division and a subsidiary also face one charge each of fraud and corruption for allegedly defrauding various Libyan

organizations of $129.8 million. The decision is the latest step in criminal proceedings that began last fall after SNC-Lavalin failed to secure a deferred prosecution agreement, a kind of plea deal that would have seen the firm agree to pay a fine rather than face prosecution. Over the past four months, SNCLavalin has been at the centre of a political controversy following accusations from former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould that top government officials pressured her to overrule federal prosecutors, who had opted not to negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement with the company. “The director of public prosecution has made a decision in that regard,” said prosecutor Richard Roy, asked by reporters whether SNC-Lavalin could still secure an agreement and sidestep a trial.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Liberal insiders looking at Mark Carney as Trudeau’s successor Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership has not emerged unscathed from his troubleplagued pre-election season. With a possible Liberal defeat this fall in mind, some insiders are already strategizing a path to the party leadership for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney. Some Liberal insiders are already promoting former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney as the party’s next leader, Chantal Hébert writes. Carney is due to finish his current gig as governor of the Bank of England at the end of this year. There has long been speculation that he could one day land in the Canadian political arena and that if he did, he would cast his lot with the Liberals. As the party’s fortunes have declined in the pre-election polls, that speculation has turned into active interest — if not on Carney’s part, at least on that of some of his many fans inside the party. On a recent conference call, a group of them discussed

how Trudeau’s diminished prospects could result in an early opportunity for Carney to succeed him.According to one participant, the group is working on the assumption that Trudeau will be hard-pressed to win more than 140 seats in October. That would be down from 184 in the 2015 election, and well short of the 170 seats required to command a majority in the House of Commons. With fewer than 140 seats, the Liberals would — at best — be left with a very fragile minority government. At worst, Trudeau would have led his party back to opposition. This is not the first time some Liberals have come together to recruit Carney for their party’s top job. In the summer of 2012, a similar group set out to draft the then-governor of the Bank of Canada to run against Trudeau for the leadership. By all indications, the latest draft movement is not spearheaded by exactly the same cast of backroom players.

Facebook’s Zuckerberg and Sandberg named in unprecedented summons issued by MPs Canadian politicians voted across party lines Tuesday to issue an unprecedented summons for Facebook executives Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg. Zuckerberg and Sandberg ignored a subpoena from the House of Commons ethics committee to testify on Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica scandal Tuesday. In response, MPs voted unanimously to issue a “standing summons” for the two executives. If Zuckerberg or Sandberg step foot in Canada, they could face immediate summons to testify before the committee. “We are very, very surprised that Mr. Zuckerberg and Ms. Sandberg decided to ignore the summons of a parliamentary committee, particularly as we have international representatives here,” said NDP MP Charlie Angus.“As far as I know, we were not even informed that he wasn’t showing up. To me, I’ve never seen a situation where a corporate head

ignores a legal summons.” Canada is hosting the international grand committee on data, privacy and democracy in Ottawa this week. The nine-country committee of parliamentarians was struck to examine the cross-border issues posed by tech and social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google.MPs on the Canadian committee were in the dark Monday night after CNN reported Zuckerberg and Sandberg would ignore the committee’s original subpoena. In a statement Monday night, Facebook Canada offered no reason for the two executives decision to skip the committee.In their place, Facebook Canada’s Kevin Chan and global policy director Neil Potts faced frustration and outright anger over Zuckerberg’s absence. U.K. MP Jo Stevens noted members of the committee crossed the Atlantic to make it more convenient for Zuckerberg to testify, and said she was sick of sitting through “platitudes” from Facebook’s representatives sent in the CEO’s stead.

Former imam turned federal Liberal candidate in Montreal hopes to build bridges A former imam whose sermon at the funeral of worshippers murdered at a Quebec City mosque attracted international attention will run for the federal Liberals in a Montreal riding. Hassan Guillet won a contested nomination in Saint-Leonard-SaintMichel, becoming the first Liberal candidate not to come from the influential Italian community since the 1988 inception of the east-end riding. Guillet says he wants to represent everyone in the riding and not just its substantial North African community. He beat a local city councillor and a notary to secure the nomination. The engineer said he hopes to be a “bridge builder” at a time when Quebecers and Canadians are more divided than ever on issues of immigration and secularism “When I arrived in Quebec 45 years ago, we were talking about two solitudes,” Guillet, who is originally from Lebanon, told The Canadian Press. “Now we talk about a multitude of solitudes.” Guillet rose to prominence for a sermon he gave at the 2017 funeral for three of the

six victims of the Quebec City attack. At that time, he referred to the killer, Alexandre Bissonnette, as a victim — which earned him worldwide praise. J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, called his words “extraordinary and humane.” Two years removed from the 2017 mass slaying, Guillet said he finds the social climate is still quite tense as the Legault government pushes ahead with a secularism bill restricting the wearing of religious symbols. Guillet was the first candidate to declare his intention to run after Liberal MP Nicola Di Iorio announced last year he would no run for a second mandate. Guillet promised at the time to give up his role as a volunteer, part-time imam, and that will remain the case as he seeks office. He said he has no time to be an imam now. The one exception came during Bissonnette’s sentencing in February, when the local community insisted he speak as a reassuring voice.

NATIONAL

INDIA

Saturday, June 1, 2019

ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 schedule Cricket World Cup 2019 fixtures May 30th, Thursday - England vs South Africa, at The Oval (10:30 BST) May 31 Friday - West Indies vs Pakistan, Trent Bridge (10:30 BST) June 1st - Saturday - New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Cardiff (10:30 BST) Saturday 1st - Afghanistan vs Australia, Bristol (DN) (13:30 BST) Sunday 2nd - South Africa vs Bangladesh, The Oval (10:30 BST) Monday 3rd - England vs Pakistan, Trent Bridge (10:30 BST) Tuesday 4th - Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Cardiff (10:30 BST) Wednesday 5th - South Africa vs India, Southampton (10:30 BST) Wednesday 5th - Bangladesh vs New Zealand, The Oval (DN) (13:30 BST) Thursday 6th - Australia vs West Indies, Trent Bridge (10:30 BST) Friday 7th - Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Bristol (10:30 BST) Saturday 8th - England vs Bangladesh, Cardiff (10:30 BST) Saturday 8th - Afghanistan vs New Zealand, Taunton (DN) (13:30 BST) Sunday 9th - India vs Australia, The Oval (10:30 BST) Monday 10th - South Africa vs West Indies, Southampton (10:30 BST) Tuesday 11th - Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Bristol (10:30 BST) Wednesday 12th - Australia vs Pakistan, Taunton (10:30 BST) Thursday 13th - India vs New Zealand, Trent Bridge (10:30 BST) Friday 14th - England vs West Indies, Southampton (10:30 BST) Saturday 15th - Sri Lanka vs Australia, The Oval (10:30 BST) Saturday 15th - South Africa vs Afghanistan, Cardiff (DN) (13:30 BST) Sunday 16th - India vs Pakistan, Old Trafford (10:30 BST) Monday 17th - West Indies vs Bangladesh, Taunton (10:30 BST) Tuesday 18th - England vs Afghanistan, Old

Tendulkar to make his commentary debut in World Cup opener

Trafford (10:30 BST) Wednesday 19th - New Zealand vs South Africa, Edgbaston (10:30 BST) Thursday 20th Australia vs Bangladesh, Trent Bridge (10:30 BST) Friday 21st England vs Sri Lanka, Headingley (10:30 BST) Saturday 22nd - India vs Afghanistan, Southampton (10:30 BST) Saturday 22nd - West Indies vs New Zealand, Old Trafford (DN) (13:30 BST) Sunday 23rd - Pakistan vs South Africa, Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (10:30 BST) Monday 24th - Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Southampton (10:30 BST) Tuesday 25th - England vs Australia, Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (10:30 BST) Wednesday 26th - New Zealand vs Pakistan, Edgbaston (10:30 BST) Thursday 27th - West Indies vs India, Old Trafford (10:30 BST) Friday 28th - Sri Lanka vs South Africa, Chester-leStreet (10:30 BST) Saturday 29th - Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Headingley (10:30 BST) Saturday 29th - New Zealand vs Australia, Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (DN) (13:30 BST) Sunday 30th - England vs India, Edgbaston (10:30 BST July 1st, Monday - Sri Lanka vs West Indies, Chester-le-Street (10:30 BST) Tuesday 2nd - Bangladesh vs India, Edgbaston (10:30 BST) Wednesday 3rd - England vs New Zealand, Chester-le-Street (10:30 BST) Thursday 4th - Afghanistan vs West Indies, Headingley (10:30 BST) Friday 5th - Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (10:30 BST) Saturday 6th - Sri Lanka vs India, Headingley (10:30 BST) Saturday 6th - Australia vs South Africa, Old Trafford (DN) (13:30 BST) Tuesday 9th - First semi-final: 1st team vs 4th team, at Old Trafford (10:30 BST) Thursday 11th - Second semi-final: 2nd team vs 3rd team, Edgbaston (10:30 BST) July 14th, Sunday - Final at the Lordâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (10:30)

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar will make his debut as an on-air expert in the ICC ODI World Cup, starting Thursday in the United Kingdom. The Master Blaster will take his place in the commentary box ahead of the tournament opener between hosts England and South Africa. Tendulkar joins an illustrious panel of experts in the pre-show on Star Sports. He will have his own segment â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Sachin Opens Againâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The 46-year-old, who has represented India in six World Cups, holds the record for scoring the highest number of runs in a single edition

of the World Cup, scoring 673 in 2003. India opens its campaign on June 5 against South Africa.

ICC World Cup 2019: West Indies beat Pakistan by 7 wickets West Indies eased to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their World Cup opener at Trent Bridge on Friday after an Oshane Thomas-led pace attack swept them away for 105. Opener Chris Gayle, set to retire at the end of the tournament, led the Windies reply with a blistering 50 off 34 balls as the

two-time champions chased down the total, reaching 108-3 with 36.2 overs to spare. Having elected to field, West Indies made full use of overcast conditions as Thomas took four wickets for 27 runs, while captain Jason Holder (3-42) and the returning Andre Russell (2-4) completed the demolition job.

Court extends protection from arrest to Chidambaram & son A Delhi court extended date till August 1 the interim protection from arrest granted to former Union minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti in the Aircel-Maxis cases by the CBI and the ED. Special Judge OP Saini extended the protection after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought three weeksâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time to argue on their anticipatory bail plea, at which the lawyers appearing for the Chidambarams requested for extension of interim protection granted to them earlier.

The agency said its Special Director had gone to Singapore and it is to be seen if there would be any further development. The ED said they had details of the bank accounts which they were probing. The case relates to alleged irregularities in grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) approval in the Aircel-Maxis deal.

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PUNJAB

Saturday, June 1, 2019

CM urges Modi to pressure Pakistan to rebuild Guru Nanak shrine The Chief Minister urged PM Modi to pressure Pakistan to undertake thorough probe into the destruction of the centuriesold Guru Nanak Palace in Narowal, and has also offered to get the property rebuilt by his government, if the Centre is able to secure Islamabad’s permission for the same. Capt Amarinder has written to Modi, requesting him to “take up with the Pakistan government to probe the destruction of the property and to bring to

justice all guilty.” Condemning the incident, Capt Amarinder said it had hurt the sentiments of Sikhs around the world. Calling for urgent steps to restore the remaining structures through scientific conservation and restoration, the CM has also sought to impress upon Pakistan to preserve all such monuments that have an association with Sikh heritage in an institutionalised manner so that such incidents do not recur in future.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) dissolves body Despite the party’s better performance in Punjab in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) today dissolved the state body and removed state president Rachhpal Raju from the post. The decision was announced after a meeting was called by party supremo Mayawati in Delhi today. The BSP chief appointed Rajya Sabha MP Raja Ram from UP as the Punjab incharge, in addition to Randhir Benipal already on the post. Mayawati reportedly asked Raju as to why no seat could be won from Punjab despite forging an alliance and claim of

winning from at least four places to which he could not furnish a proper reply and hence faced the axe. It was for the first time that the candidates, who contested from Punjab, had been called for a post-poll discussion, which used to be held only with office-bearers till the last election. Hoshiarpur candidate and former IAS officer Khushi Ram reportedly told Mayawati that the state leadership did not come to his support and that he contested a lone battle from the constituency. The BSP chief announced that she would do a deeper assessment and announce new office-bearers soon.

Goods worth crores destroyed as water tank falls in Jalandhar Owing to the negligence of the health department, goods worth crores were destroyed when an overhead water tank fell in a residential area at the back of the civil hospital here. Filled with water, the tank fell apparently due to the oversight of the contractor who was tasked by the health department to demolish it. The demolition of the old tank that had developed cracks was being demanded by the

locals for the past six months. Shutters of the shops and glasses of nearby buildings broke after the tank collapsed at around 9 am. Locals said that despite repeatedly warning the contractor that the tank still had water, he refused to pay heed. The entire street where the tank fell was inundated. While a health department SDO fled from the spot after the incident, contractor Harcharan Singh said, “I had no clue there

Doda family’s properties sealed over loan default Punjab National Bank officials on Wednesday sealed some of the properties owned by the family of liquor baron Shiv Lal Doda, his cousins and guarantors as their firms had not reportedly paid loans worth Rs 55 crore. Doda and his nephew Amit have been lodged in jails in connection with the murder of Dalit youth Bhim Tank. The PNB team led by Shiv Charan, senior manager, Gaushala Road branch, was escorted by the local police and Duty Magistrate-cumTehsildar Jaspal Singh Brar supervised the action. The PNB had approached the District Magistrate, Fazilka, seeking police help under Section 14 of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Securities Interest Act, 2002, to take possession of the secured assets. The DM had on April 4 in a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police said PNB had claimed that the proprietors of Messers Gagan Wine had taken overdraft loan by pledging some immovable properties and they had not repaid the money.

was water in the tank. I was only doing my job. But the tank collapsed letting out all the water.” Amit Kumar, owner of the National Cloth

House, said, “We had repeatedly pointed out the cracks and the water seeping from the tank but the contractor refused to listen. Strict action should be taken against him.”

Mayor Jagdish Raja, who reached the spot, said, “The illegal manner in which the tank was demolished raises questions and calls for the strictest action against the SDO concerned.

INDIA

Saturday, June 1, 2019

A small Indian town was the world’s hottest place for a day The Death Valley in the Californian desert is said to be the world’s hottest place. Yesterday (May 28), though, it was a town in India’s water-deprived Vidarbha region that earned the title—even if only for a day. On May 28, Chandrapur city in the western state of Maharashtra recorded a maximum temperature of 47.8°C, the highest in the world, according to media reports. The India Meteorological Department has warned of heat waves in Vidarbha region, located around eastern Maharashtra. IMD expects relief from the heat to only register after May 31. Chandrapur was also the hottest

place in the world briefly last April, when temperatures there touched 45.3°C. Other cities in Vidarbha are also experiencing recordhigh temperatures. Yesterday, regional hub Nagpur simmered at 47.5°C. The region has faced consecutive droughts over the years, and many farmers there have even committed suicide over failed crops and mounting debt over the years. This year, the Maharashtra state government will fund artificial rain to fight the dry season in the region. The Indian summer has only begun peaking; usually, temperatures across most parts of the country hit their highs in June.

Karambir can take charge as Navy Chief this weekend : AFT A military tribunal today allowed Vice Admiral Karambir Singh to take charge as the new Navy Chief on May 31 as it deferred hearing on a petition challenging his appointment by nearly seven weeks. Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command Vice Admiral Bimal Verma had approached the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) here challenging the appointment of Singh as the next Navy Chief, overlooking his seniority. “The AFT posted the matter for hearing on July 17 as government sought more time for placing records relating to Vice Admiral Singh’s appointment before the tribunal,” Verma’s lawyer Ankur Chhibber said. He said the AFT allowed Singh to take charge as the new Navy Chief. From incumbent Admiral Sunil Lanba on May 31 and that his continuation will

depend on the final outcome of the case. Verma is the senior-most naval commander.On May 22, the tribunal had directed the government to produce before it on May 29 all records and documents relating to selection of the new Navy Chief. However, the government could not produce the records and sought more time. Earlier this month, the Defence Ministry issued an order rejecting Verma’s petition before it. Following the order, Verma filed a fresh petition in the AFT challenging Singh’s appointment as well as seeking quashing of the order by the ministry rejecting his plea against the selection. In its order, the ministry said Verma’s statutory petition dated April 10 against the appointment of Singh to the top post was devoid of merit and had been rejected in exercise of powers under Section 23 of the Navy Act 1957.

“Neither yoga nor yogi can save you, only Jesus can”: claims Christian pastor A video-clip, where a Christian pastor is seen shouting “neither yoga nor yogi can save you, only Jesus can” before the famous Adiyogi statue at the Isha Yoga Centre in Coimbatore, is being widely shared on the internet. M You will be branded communal and intolerant if you condemn this nonsense! Evangelist comes to Isha Foundation and shouts neither Yoga, nor Yogi can liberate you from Sins, only Jesus can, standing before Adiyogi statue! The pastor whose name according to reports is Jesapin adds, “Neither Yoga nor yogi can save you, only Jesus has spilled his blood for us, only he can save you.” He continued to rant for about 30 seconds and left while stunned onlookers tried to make sense.

Ironically, the symbols of all major religions including Islam and Christianity adorn the premises of the Isha Yoga Center, representing unity and harmony between all religions. Talking to Opindia, Swami Tushya, Spokesperson of Isha Foundation said, “It’s not about who shouted what slogan at Adiyogi. What’s worrisome is that people who claim to be the torchbearers of secularism, liberty, and tolerance, are quiet. This incidence is a testimony of the all-inclusiveness that our glorious tradition stands for. Adiyogi stands for liberation and all-inclusiveness hence we don’t plan to make any complaint or take action against anybody.” Isha Foundation, in adherence to its principles, may not take any action against the mischievous pastor.

India rejects attempts by US, others to deny policy space at WTO India has firmly rejected attempts by the United States and several other industrialized countries for introducing “differentiation” to deny policy space through special and differential flexibilities for India and other developing countries in the multilateral trade agreements, say trade ministers. At a closed-door informal meeting of select-trade ministers in Paris on 23 May, India reiterated that it “cannot agree to any approach which undermines the centrality of the development dimension in the WTO”. South Africa, and the representative of the biggest coalition of developing and poorest countries called the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific) group supported India’s position to ensure the “development dimension” in global trade. The US and other industrialized countries seem determined to bring about “graduation and differentiation” among developing

countries for availing of special and differential flexibilities in the current and future trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization. The US deputy trade representative Ambassador Dennis Shea told his counterparts at the Paris meeting that Washington will pursue its proposal for differentiating developing countries to ensure that leading developing countries such as India from availing special and differential treatment flexibilities in the current and future trade negotiations, said a participant, who asked not to be quoted. India, which is facing a barrage of trade disputes because of subsidies provided to its farmers and increasing import duties on information and technology products, is being told by the US and its partners that New Delhi cannot avail policy space that is made possible

Missing Indian visitor found in Abu Dhabi jail in UAE An Indian visitor presumed missing has been found in a jail in Abu Dhabi for overstaying and will be repatriated, a senior Indian Embassy official said. Wasi Ahmad came to Dubai on a one-month tourist visa on February 9 through an agent in India, the Gulf News reported on Wednesday. The agent promised to provide him with an employment visa as soon as he arrived and charged him

4,220 dirhams ($1,140) but he wasn’t issued the employment visa, as promised forcing him to overstay for two months. After two months, Ahmad got a job but the employer told him they wouldn’t bear the overstay penalty charge 6,000 dirhams ($1,630). So he went to the embassy to report the agent who cheated him.

Kolkata ex-top cop moves HC, seeks quashing of CBI notice in chit fund case ADG CID Rajeev Kumar on Thursday moved the Calcutta High Court seeking the quashing of notice served on him by the CBI in connection with alleged suppression of facts in the Saradha chit fund scam probe. The CBI had sent a notice to Kumar asking him to appear before it for assisting the probe into the case. Justice Pratik Prakash Banerjee granted leave to Kumar’s counsel for filing a petition in the registry of the

court and moved the matter for hearing at 2 pm. Earlier in the day, Kumar’s counsel had moved the vacation bench of the high court and prayed for leave to file the petition. The state government recently reinstated former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who was removed by the poll panel as Additional Director General, CID, before the seventh phase of polling.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Bangladesh police put on alert after second IS-inspired blast Bangladesh authorities have put the police force on nationwide alert after the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a second explosion targetting security forces in less than a month. The Sunday night blast in Dhaka’s Malibagh neighbourhood, just outside the headquarters of the police’s Special Branch, left two people injured, including a female officer. Dhaka Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia told reporters Monday it was a powerful bomb,

and that it had been planted in a police pickup van. Islamic State claimed responsibility, with its propaganda wing Amaq saying the IS militants targeted the police vehicle with an “explosive device”, destroying the vehicle and wounding three personnel on board. Bangladesh police rejected the claim, saying the explosion was still being investigated.

Maldives nominates former President as new speaker The former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed has been nominated as the country’s parliamentary speaker and is set to be sworn in Tuesday, a party official said. Nasheed was unanimously chosen to head the People’s Majlis, or the parliament, by his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) which won a near three quarter majority in the 87-member assembly in April. “He is unanimously chosen as the Speaker,” a party official told AFP. “He will be sworn in at the inaugural session of the new parliament elected at the historic April vote.” Nasheed -- who until six

months ago was still in exile -- has vowed to use his party’s thumping mandate to usher in a new era of stability and democracy in the Maldives. The MDP’s closest rivals, the Jamhooree Party and Progressive Party of the Maldives, both won five seats. Two minor parties and independents secured 12 seats among them. The Maldives, a holiday destination popular with honeymooners, is only just emerging from years of strongman rule, political crises and corruption scandals miring the government and judiciary.

Myanmar police hunt ‘Buddhist bin Laden’ over Suu Kyi comments Myanmar police issued arrest warrant for Ashin Wirathu (pictured), a firebrand monk known as the “Buddist Bin Laden”, over alleged incendiary remarks about Aung San Suu Kyi. Wirathu has long been accused of inciting sectarian violence against Myanmar’s Muslims, in particular the Rohingya community, through hate-filled, Islamaphobic speeches. The monk, who is at the forefront of Myanmar’s radical nationalist movement, supported the military crackdown on the Rohingya in August 2017 in Rahkine state.

The UN has since defined the military violence as ethnic cleansing which was carried out with “genocidal intent”. ‘It only takes one terrorist’: the Buddhist monk who reviles Myanmar’s Muslims The police confirmed on Tuesday that a warrant had been issued for Wirathu’s arrest under article 124(a) of the legal code. It covers sedition, defined as “attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government”. The charge carries a three-year sentence.

Sri Lanka to relax emergency in a month: President Sri Lanka’s President announced on Monday (May 27) he will allow tough emergency laws to lapse within a month because the security situation was “99 per cent back to normal”

following the Easter bombings. Maithripala Sirisena told Colombo-based diplomats from Australia, Canada, Japan, the US and European states that security forces were successful in getting at all those responsible for the Apr 21 bombings. Sirisena declared a state of emergency giving sweeping powers to the military to arrest and detain suspects a day after the bombings that killed 258 people and wounded nearly 500. The suicide bombings against three Christian churches and three luxury hotels were blamed on a local jihadi group, the National Thowheeth Jama’ath which has since been banned under the emergency. “The emergency was declared to deal with the immediate security situation,” Sirisena’s office quoted him as saying. “However, it will not be necessary to extend this any further.”

US withdraws tax exemption for Pakistan Embassy staff The US State Department has withdrawn its Diplomatic Tax Exemption programme for staff at the Pakistan Embassy here, a media report said on Friday. The programme provides sales and use, occupancy, food, airline, gas, and utility tax exemptions to eligible foreign officials on assignment in the US. The said facility is enjoyed by officials’ dependents too, reports The News International. The decision to withdraw special Tax Exemption cards issued to Pakistani officials was made on May 15, after which the effected staffers had to surrender the privilege. The number of affected staffers of the Pakistani embassy are a little over 20. A State Department spokesperson told The News International on Thursday that there were pending tax exemption issues related to the US diplomatic mission in Pakistan.

Bangladesh PM Hasina will not attend Modi’s inauguration for 2nd time Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid will attend PM Modi’s swearing-in on May 30, a Bangladesh official said Tuesday. Minister AKM Mozammel Huq will accompany the President as the senior most Cabinet member of the Bangladesh government, officials said. For a second time, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not be able to represent Bangladesh at her Indian counterpart Modi’s swearing-in as she will be on a three-nation foreign visit, the officials said. She could not attend the previous swearing-in ceremony of Modi in 2014 as she was abroad then too. Last time, Parliament Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury attended Modi’s swearing-in.

INDIA - Elections 2019

Saturday, June 1, 2019

First session of Lok Sabha to begin on June 17, Budget on July 5 First parliamentary session of the 17th Lok Sabha will begin on June 17, the government said on Friday. Addressing a press conference after a Cabinet meetingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;this governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first since it was voted into power with a thumping majorityâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; Javadekar said the first two days of the session will be devoted to swearing-in of the newly elected MPs while the Lok Sabha speaker will be elected on June 19. The Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s address to the joint sitting of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will take place on June 20, he said. The economic survey will be tabled on July 4 followed by the presentation of the budget on the next day. The session will have a total of 30 sittings. It will be

the first budget of the Modi government in its second term and will be presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The interim budget for the year 2019-20 was presented by then Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on February 1. All readers are invited to post comments responsibly. Any messages with foul language or inciting hatred will be deleted. Comments with all capital letters will also be deleted. Readers are encouraged to flag the comments they feel are inappropriate. The views expressed in the Comments section are of the individuals writing the post. The Tribune does not endorse or support the views in these posts in any manner.

Allies should have been given proportional representation: JD-U BJP chief Amit Shah made repeated attempts to bring Nitish Kumar around to accepting his proposal for one berth in the Modi cabinet for the JD (U) but the Bihar chief minister spurned the offer insisting on â&#x20AC;&#x153;proportional representationâ&#x20AC;? for his party. Kumar, who returned here on Friday from the national capital after attending the swearing-in ceremony of the Narendra Modi government, however, said there was no â&#x20AC;&#x153;uneaseâ&#x20AC;? between the alliance partners and that the decision against joining the ministry was taken as the JD(U)â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence there would have been merely â&#x20AC;&#x153;symbolicâ&#x20AC;?. The JD (U) president said Shah called him up on May 28 and said he wanted to meet him for discussions the next day. He said the two met in New Delhi where the BJP chief told him that his party wanted to share power with all NDA constituents, and suggested that

the JD(U) accept a cabinet berth. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I kept listening to him and the sense I had was that it was to be a symbolic presence for the JD (U) in the government. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want that. Still, as he insisted, I told him that I will consult my party and get back to him,â&#x20AC;? Kumar told reporters. He said he consulted the JD(U) office bearers and MPsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;16 in the Lok Sabha and 6 in the Rajya Sabhaâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; on the issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The unanimous view was that we should stay out of the ministry. Everybody felt there should be proportional representation in an alliance government,â&#x20AC;? the Bihar chief minister said, adding he did not convey to Shah the number of seats he wanted for his party in the union council of ministers. Media reports had claimed his talks with the BJP leadership collapsed as he insisted on a cabinet berth, one minister-of-state with independent charge

Amit Shah is Home Minister, Sitharaman gets Finance, Rajnath Defence Marking a shift in the top four ministries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday chose close aide Amit Shah as the Home Minister. Rajnath Singh has been given the defence and Nirmala Sitharaman the finance portfolios. Former foreign affairs secretary S Jaishankar is the new External Affairs Minister. Cabinet ministers t 3BKOBUI 4JOHI .JOJTUFS PG %FGFODF t "NJU 4IBI .JOJTUFS PG )PNF "Ä&#x152;BJST t /JSNBMB 4JUIBSBNBO .JOJTUFS PG 'JOBODF and Minister of Corporate Affairs. t /JUJO (BELBSJ .JOJTUFS PG 3PBE 5SBOTQPSU and Highways; and Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. t %7 4BEBOBOEB (PXEB .JOJTUFS PG Chemicals and Fertilisers. t 3BNWJMBT 1BTXBO .JOJTUFS PG $POTVNFS Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. t /BSFOESB 4JOHI 5PNBS .JOJTUFS PG Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Panchayati Raj. t 3BWJ 4IBOLBS 1SBTBE .JOJTUFS PG -BX and Justice, Minister of Communications, and Minister of Electronics and Information Technology. t )BSTJNSBU ,BVS #BEBM .JOJTUFS PG 'PPE Processing Industries. Thaawar Chand Gehlot: Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment. t 4VCSBINBOZBN +BJTIBOLBS .JOJTUFS PG External Affairs. t 3BNFTI 1PLISJZBM A/JTIBOL .JOJTUFS PG Human Resource Development. t "SKVO .VOEB .JOJTUFS PG 5SJCBM "Ä&#x152;BJST t 4NSJUJ ;VCJO *SBOJ .JOJTUFS PG 8PNFO BOE Child Development, and Minister of Textiles. t )BSTI 7BSEIBO .JOJTUFS PG )FBMUI BOE Family Welfare, Minister of Science and

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FIJI

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Adi Litia to step down from SODELPA General Secretary post SODELPA General Secretary, Adi Litia Qionibaravi has confirmed to party members that she would be ending her term as a Registered Officer of the Party after 3 and half years in the position after the June AGM. Adi Litia says although her General Secretary contract does not expire until February 2020, she wants to concentrate on her duties as an MP, and to serve her constituents. Adi Litia is Shadow Minister for Justice, Elections, Information and Communications, as an Opposition MP. She is also an alternate member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Accounts reviewing the Auditor General reports. Adi Litia says that she had informed the party’s Working Committee at their meeting on 7th January 2019, of her intention to step down after the June 2019

AGM to concentrate on her Parliamentary duties. She confirms that the Committee resolved that she remain as General Secretary, to complete the administrative processes for the party audit, and to file necessary declarations with the Elections Office as required under the Political Parties Act and the Electoral Act. Adi Litia says as that is now completed, she is comfortable and will be ready to hand over to her successor, once recruited after the 2019 AGM. Adi Litia also confirms that as with previous Annual Meetings, the party’s Audited Financial Statements will be tabled for members to review at the AGM in June. She affirmed that the audit of the Party’s 2018 finances, including the general election campaign expenditure was completed in April 2019, as required under the Political Parties Act.

PM Modi conveys heartfelt gratitude to Bainimarama relations based on mutual respect, goodwill and understanding. Modi says he looks forward to continue to work together in further strengthening the cooperation in all spheres for the benefit of the two countries and the people.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama for his well wishes following his victory during the 2019 General Elections in India. Modi says India and Fiji traditionally share cordial

Fiji’s external reserves a worry A state of low liquidity in Fiji’s banking system has been linked to a worrying state of the country’s foreign exchange reserves. The ANZ bank says in its May Economic Monitor for Fiji, that while the current state of low liquidity is not a “crisis” and does not pose a risk to bank solvency, it did provide the central bank with a means to dampen local appetite that had been digging a hole in Fiji’s foreign exchange reserves. “The Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) is concerned about the recent widening of the Current Account Deficit (CAD) which, in turn, is driven by an escalation in motor vehicle imports due to reduced import duty, higher fuel imports due to sharp lifts in oil prices as well as increased imports via a surge in construction activity including machinery,” the bank wrote. “However, this deficit wasn’t fully offset by foreign direct investment (FDI). The balance of the deficit had to be financed out of the nation’s foreign reserves. The requirement to fund the deficit out of reserves grew larger over 2018.” The Current Account, which records exports and import payments of goods and services, has historically stayed in deficit territory but in recent times has widened considerably. Data compiled by the ANZ from the Fiji Bureau of Statistics and its in-house research showed that in March 2016, Fiji’s current account deficit was less than negative F$200million but a year later (March 2017), it had ballooned to close to -F$800million. In September 2017, CAD had dropped back to a little over negative -$500million then widened again to over –F$700 million in March 2018 and continuing in that trend, passing the –F$1billion mark on September 2018. This showed that Fiji’s export earnings were not keeping up with its import bills. Hence, the RBF has had to dip into the foreign reserves to pay for the deficit. This has seen reserves drop from over F$2billion in

January to F$1.94b at the end of April according to RBF figures. RBF is hoping therefore that the low liquidity level – which is currently around F$350 million– will drive up the cost of credit, which in turn would dampen consumer demand and this subsequently should put the brakes on imports. “The central bank wants to reverse, or at least reduce the outflows for foreign reserves. It is relying on lower levels of liquidity, from falling foreign reserves, to push lending rates higher,” ANZ said. “As bank lending rates rise, the bank (RBF) is hoping credit growth slows, which would lower demand for imported goods, in particular consumer goods, especially cars. As CAD improves, the bank would be in a better position to accommodate higher construction activity and absorb shocks from oil and fuel price hikes.” Consumer demand for vehicles in particular had hit record high in the last five years and the import bills for that had been astronomical. In a recent interview with local television station MaiTV, RBF Governor Ariff Ali revealed the staggering cost of vehicle imports. “Over the last five years we have had imports of vehicles and machineries worth F$2 billion. The preceding five years, we have had imports of (the same) worth F$500 million. Fiji Bureau of Statistics data on newly registered vehicles revealed the number shot up from a little over 7,600 in 2013 to 10,846 in 2014 to over 15,100 in 2016. According to ANZ, while liquidity has been allowed to fall as a stopgap measure to falling reserves, overall liquidity management will be key in steering the economy away from recession. “While liquidity is not hindering growth now, further falls could push interest rates even higher,” it said. “This would act as a brake on growth and could derail economic expansion. The Reserve Bank will have to manage liquidity carefully to maintain consistency with its easing policy and to secure continued economic expansion.”

Lawyer gets 15 months jail Lawyer Rajendra Chaudhry who is residing in Auckland, New Zealand has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment. Chaudhry has also been fined $50, 000 by the Civil High court in Suva for making comments against the judiciary on social media. Chaudhry was found guilty of contempt of court in April. The court heard that between September 3rd and 18th last year, Chaudhry had posted a range of scandalous, defamatory and derogatory comments against the Judiciary and its

members on his Facebook page. Acting Chief Justice Kamal Kumar has also ordered a bench warrant be issued against Chaudhry. He has also been ordered to pay $3, 000 as the cost to the applicant. Justice Kumar said that Chaudhry showed no remorse for his action and that his comments against the judiciary were unwarranted and scandalous. The High court Judge also said that the technology is developing rapidly and people should avoid posting unwarranted contents.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, June 1, 2019 Government of Pakistan on Monday has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UK for extradition of former finance minister Ishaq Dar. The MoU was signed after Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s Adviser on Accountability Shahzad Akbar held meetings with British Home Secretary Sajid Javid. The adviser expressed hope for the smooth process of extradition of Ishaq Dar. Earlier, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) approached the accountability court for the auction of movable and immovable

MoU signed to bring back former Finance Minister from UK properties of the former finance minister as he is absconding in assets beyond income reference. The bureau had also seized all properties of Mr Dar that included a house in Lahore, three plots in AlFalah Housing Society, six acres of land in Islamabad, two-kanal plot in Parliamentarians Enclave, one plot in the Senate Cooperative Housing Society, another plot of two kanals and nine

Pakistan downplays India’s decision not to invite Imran Khan for Modi’s swearing-in Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said, “Modi’s “internal politics” does not permit him to extend an invitation to his Pakistani counterpart.” He said, a meeting for the sake of dialogue to find a solution to the Kashmir issue, as well as Siachen and Sir Creek disputes, would have been a significant measure Despite initial reservations, Pakistan’s

Prime Minister Imran Khan has been forced to seek help from the IMF to overcome his country’s grave economic crisis. A day after leaders of BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for MultiSectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) nations were invited for Prime Minister Narendra

Human rights groups call for investigation of killing of activists Human rights groups called on Pakistan to investigate the killing of three people by the military during a protest by ethnic minority Pashtun people against heavy-handed treatment by the security forces. The army said its troops exchanged fire with protesters on Sunday when they assaulted a security

post in the northwest, near the Afghan border. The protesters were complaining about the mistreatment of a woman by soldiers. The violence is the most serious incident in a longrunning confrontation between the authorities and the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), which campaigns for civil rights for the Pashtun

Man kills his HIV positive wife in epidemic-hit Sindh A man killed his wife who had HIV positive in Sindh, where hundreds of people tested positive for the virus in recent weeks, stirring panic and casting a light on the country?s dismal public health standards. Police said the murder took place in a village near the epicentre of the outbreak on the outskirts of Larkana city in Pakistan?s Sindh province, where thousands have been

screened in the last month. The victim -- a 32-year-old mother of four -- tested positive in recent days, according to a local police officer, with her husband accusing her of having an extramarital affair. “This morning the husband strangled (the victim) with a rope and then hung her from a tree outside his home,” Roshan Ali, a police officer in Shikarpur said, adding that the suspect is in custody.

WHO begins probe in spread of HIV in Sindh The World Health Organisation (WHO) team, which is in Pakistan to probe the recent outbreak of HIV in the country’s Sindh province, began its inquiry by visiting a children’s treatment centre and sought more information from its staff about the patients, according to a media report on Friday. The Pakistan government had sought the WHO’s help to probe the spread of HIV in the country, that has till now affected over 600 people, mostly children. Till now 681 HIV positive cases have been identified among the 21,375 tested in Ratodero town of Larkana district in the north-west part of the province. Out of the affected, 537 are between the age

group of 2 to 15 years. Health officials have attributed the cause to the use of unsanitary equipment, unsafe blood transfusion and rampant malpractice often at the hands of quacks. According to a UN report, Pakistan now has the second-fastest growing rate of HIV in Asia, with about 20,000 new infections in 2017 alone. The team, which arrived in the country on Tuesday visited the children’s treatment centre for HIV/AIDS in Chandka Medical College on Thursday. They also enquired about the facilities and the protocol for treating the disease, the Dawn newspaper reported.

marlas in Islamabad and six vehicles. On July 28, a five-member Supreme Court bench had ordered NAB to file three references against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and one against Dar, on petitions of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf ’s Imran Khan, Jamaat-i-Islami’s Sirajul Haq

and Awami Muslim League’s Sheikh Rashid Ahmed. In its reference against the former minister, NAB had alleged that “the accused had acquired assets and pecuniary interests/ resources in his own name and/or in the name of his dependents of an approximate amount of Rs831.678 million”.

Chinese Vice-President Wang visits Pakistan to promote trade cooperation China’s Vice-President Wang Qishan on Tuesday concluded his three-day “highly successful” visit to Pakistan, setting a tone for future trajectory of mutual engagement between the two countries. “The vicepresident’s highly successful visit has imparted a strong impetus to further deepening of the time-tested friendship between Pakistan and

China,” the foreign office said in a statement as the visiting dignitary wrapped-up his visit to Islamabad & Lahore from May 2628. The visit of Vice-President Wang Qishan encompassed meetings with the Pakistani leadership, launching of four mega projects, inking of five accords and reviewing progress

NRI

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Expat pay packages are bigger & better in Japan: ECA survey With Hong Kong and Singapore routinely topping the charts as the most expensive places to live and play, it may come as some surprise that Japan offers the best pay packets for expats in Asia. The average expatriate pay package provided by companies in Japan to mid-level employees is $386,451 a year, eclipsing what’s on offer anywhere else in the region, according to a report by consultancy ECA’s annual MyExpatriate Market Pay Survey measured expat packages by cash salary along with other perks including accommodation allowances and international school subsidies. It also took the various countries’ tax systems into account. Perhaps because of some of the challenges living in India entails -- think bad traffic, overcrowding and pollution -- it came in at No.

3, with companies offering mid-level staff an average package of $299,728 to attract overseas talent. Hong Kong, the world’s least-affordable city, took the No. 4 slot in Asia, with firms shelling out $276,417 to international employees. Addon benefits over and above salary were the highest in the region. Singapore only just squeezes into the top 10. The city-state, known for its low taxes, good schooling and easy outdoor lifestyle, mean companies don’t need to offer as many other bells and whistles. On balance, it’s still better to be based in Asia as an expat, the ECA study found. Packages in the U.S. averaged just $250,028. In Australia, seen as a dream destination for many because of its wide open spaces and coastal cities, packages were $266,848.

Man aboard Saudi Air unzips in front of female crew, eetained A 24-year-old man from Kerala on board a Saudi Airlines flight from Jeddah to New Delhi unzipped his pants on being stopped by a lady cabin staff from lighting a cigarette. The man has been identified as Abdul Shahid Shamsudeen, a resident of Kottayam in Kerala. According to airport sources in Delhi, Shamsudeen first verbally abused the woman crew member and refused to stop from lighting a cigarette. “The man created a ruckus. When the woman cabin staff called her colleagues for assistance, the man allegedly unzipped his pants and made obscene gestures,” a source

said. After the flight landed in Delhi, the crew members reported the incident to the

time by 30 minutes or more. Other benefits, according to tests, could be reduced physical therapy and fewer negative effects associated with traditional medical imaging. The Gordon E. Moore Award, named in honor of Intel’s co-founder, is the richest prize at $75K, but the competition also awarded tens of thousands of dollars to other teenage scientists. For example, a San Jose, California 17-year-old named Allison Jia won one of two Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards of $50K. Her project investigated protein aggregates found in neurons and associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. The other Young Scientist Award went to Rachel Seevers, also 17, of Lexington, Kentucky, who designed and built an energy-efficient underwater propulsion device that moves like a jellyfish.

Help US troops direct robots with mind

airport operations control centre following which the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel were informed. The security personnel then detained the accused and took him to the IGI Airport police station. He was handed over to the Delhi Police for further legal action. The accused has been charged under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

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16-year-old engineer wins $75K at top science fair A sixteen-year-old engineer took home top honors and $75K at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) for developing a machine learning technology to help surgeons place screws more accurately during sensitive spinal surgeries. Krithik Ramesh (pictured) beat out a field of over 1,800 young scientists from 423 associated science fairs across 80 countries competing for bragging rights and prizes.The ISEF is a program of the Society for Science and the Public and is the world’s largest precollege science fair. Ramesh’s project used computer vision and machine learning to help in one of the most sensitive and time-intensive phases of spinal surgery. By helping orthopedic surgeons quickly and accurately identify optimal screw placement, his method could reduce operating

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An Indian scientist in the US who shot to fame after technology developed by his team enabled a quadriplegic man to move his hand using just his thoughts has won a $20 million contract from US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to devel It’s time to compare and apply for the best loan offers at Afinoz. We are a leading

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Spelling bee veteran offers composure class One of the most accomplished spellers in this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee is offering a master class in composure at the microphone. Shruthika Padhy, 13, of New Jersey, repeats her word several times, giving the judges ample opportunity to correct her if her pronunciation is off. She asks questions, but only the ones that elicit useful information. And she mimes writing the word on her hand, both as she listens to the judges and then, letter by letter, as she spells. Her word in Wednesday’s preliminary round was “orthodontic.” She knew it immediately, but she stuck to her routine. AP ‘The Godfather’ actor Carmine Caridi dies

at 85 Los Angeles: Carmine Caridi, who is best remembered for playing Carmine Rosato in “The Godfather: Part II,” has passed away. He was 85. His representatives told Variety the actor died on Tuesday after being in a coma at Cedars-Sinai hospital here. From broadway, to film and television, Carmine spent over six decades entertaining audiences. Besides “The Godfather” series, he also starred in TV shows including “Phyllis,” “Starsky and Hutch,” “Taxi,” “NYPD Blue” as Detective Vince Gotelli and “Fame” as Angelo Martelli. Interestingly, in 2004, Caridi became the first person to be expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Indian-American students comprise over half of final contenders in Scripps National Spelling Bee competition Over half of the 50 spellers from across the U.S. who advanced to the finals in the Scripps National Spelling Bee May 29 are Indian American. From an initial field of 565 spellers who emerged from a more than eightmonth journey to take part in the national championship round, the 50 finalists were selected based on their performance during the stage spelling portion as well as a written test at the start of the final competition. The 27 Indian American students among the 50 final spellers are: Rishik Gandhasri, Vayun Krishna, Anisha Rao, Pavani Chittemsetty. Nidhi Vadlamudi, Sahil Langote, Amith Vasantha, Aisha Randhawa, Nicholas D’Sa, Dhyana Mishra, Saketh Sundar, Atman Balakrishnan, Pranav Chandar, Aritra Banerjee, Navneeth Murali, Shruthika Padhy, Pranathi Jammula, Sohum Sukhatankar, Abhijay Kodali, Nilla Rajan, Rohan Raja, Maitri Kovuru, Maya Jadhav, Harini Logan, Christopher Serrao, Keerthana Krishnan, and Hephzibah Sujoe. The winner will be decided May 30. AP adds from Oxon Hill, Md., about one of

the final spellers: By any measure, Shruthika Padhy is one of the most accomplished spellers in this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee. And for spellers who are nervous or less experienced, she offers a master class every time she steps to the microphone. She repeats the word several times, giving the judges ample opportunity to correct her if her pronunciation is off. She asks questions, but only the ones that elicit useful information. And she mimes writing the word on her hand, both as she listens to the judges and then, letter by letter, while she spells. Even if she knows the word immediately — as she did with “orthodontic” during the May 29 preliminary round — she never rushes. “I’m a visual learner, so I imagine the word and then I write it on my hand,” Shruthika said. “I ask a series of questions, starting with what I think would be the most helpful.” Shruthika, a 13-year-old from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, has finished in the top 10 each of the past two years at Scripps. She was among 50 spellers who advanced the finals, including nine who were tied for 10th or better last year.

Saturday, June 1, 2019