The Asian Star June 8 2019 by The Asian Star Newspaper

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Vol 19 - Issue 19

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Lilly Singh excited about her late-night debut Lilly Singh describes this stage of her life as “the calm before the storm.” The Toronto-raised YouTube sensation known

as “Superwoman” says she’s in the process of hiring a team for her trailblazing and highly anticipated late-night talk show that’s set to start in September on NBC and Global. Announced in March, “A Little Late with Lilly Singh” replaces Carson Daly’s slot, making the Indian-Canadian actresscomedian-writer the first woman of colour to host a daily late-night show on a major broadcast network. “I am meeting with showrunners, directors, writers, head writers to try to build a team that not only is super talented but is representative of the world and also people I enjoy being with, because I’m going to spend a lot of time with them,” Singh, 30, said Monday in an interview. “So I’m in that point of the process, which is really exciting -- but

Continued on page 6

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South Asian taxi driver facing deportation to India for sexual assault of passenger In his bid to remain in Canada, Gurpreet Singh Gill lamented the impact of his crime on many collateral victims. His wife — who faces the loss of her home. His daughter — who may have to leave private school and dance lessons. His son — born 10 days before Gill sexually assaulted a passenger in his taxi cab in 2012. But there’s one victim the 42-year-old didn’t mention in his plea for compassion from a Canadian Federal Court judge: the young woman who said

Gill’s actions changed her life forever. “I am already filled with regret from my actions and conviction. I have brought shame to my family, and I understand that there are consequences for my conduct,” Gill wrote in an affidavit sworn to bolster his case to avoid deportation.

Continued on page 7

Air pollution in India kills more than one hundred thousand children under the age of five every year Air pollution kills more than one lakh children under the age of five in India every year, and it is responsible for 12.5% of all deaths in the country, the Centre for Science and Environment said in a report published on Tuesday on the eve of World Environment Day. On an average, 8.5 out of every 10,000 children die because of bad air before they turn five, but the figure for girls is even higher, at 9.6 per 10,000. The think tank reported a 22% increase in India’s greenhouse gas emissions between 2010 and 2014. It added that the government’s

schemes to fight air pollution have not been successful yet, which is also acknowledged by the environment ministry, PTI reported. In April, Bostonheadquartered Health Effects Institute released a study that said air pollution killed 1.2 million people in India in 2017. According to review papers published by Forum of International Respiratory Societies in February, air pollution can potentially affect every organ and cell

Continued on page 7

ISI planning to revive militancy in Punjab To revive Sikh militancy in Punjab, Pakistan has worked out a “deeply classified plan”, say Intelligence agencies in a report submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Officials in the North Block are now trying to ascertain their number as well as location. Sources in the MHA, citing the report, claimed that Khalistan activists residing in Canada had been assigned the task of reviving militancy in Punjab under “Project Harvesting Canada”. Some had been asked to target retired police officers and Army veterans to incite violence in the state, they said. Noting that the MHA had been taking such Intelligence reports “very seriously”, the sources said it was a fact that Pakistan’s ISI had been helping Khalistan activists in their designs to foment unrest in North India. They

said the MHA had directed the agencies to ascertain the number of Khalistan activists the Inter-Services Intelligence had roped in and the “specific location of their networks”. It is also reported the InterServices Intelligence has been circulating “several fake documents” related to India’s armed forces. The Inter-Services Intelligence is reportedly seeking the help of separatist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) to create dissent. “The Inter-Services Intelligence is hatching a plot with the SFJ to instigate Sikh youth against India. It was earlier associated with Hafiz Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawa for training,” the sources added. Codename ‘Project Harvesting Canada’ According to Intelligence Continued on page 6

Saturday, June 8, 2019

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Vol 18 - Issue 19

Saturday, June 8, 2019

South Asian Family wants to setup scholarship in memory of son killed in accident The family of Brandon Bassi is creating a scholarship fund in his name. Bassi was a first-year student at Simon Fraser University and joined the Whitecaps Residency program when he was just 12 years old. On May 18, the 19-year-old was involved in a singlevehicle crash and he later succumbed to his injuries. Three others, a young woman and two young men, were also taken to hospital. Two people initially fled the scene on foot, according to the RCMP. No arrests have been made and the investigation into what caused the crash continues. On Saturday, his family created a GoFundMe campaign with the goal

of raising $30,000 to create the Brandon Bassi Legacy Scholarship. “In memory of Brandon, we will be creating a fund that will carry on Brandon’s dream of making a difference in the community. All funds will be used to make a difference in the lives of youth in our community,” the campaign said. Each year, a $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a student who best demonstrates leadership in and outside of the classroom. The campaign also explained that “the remaining funds will be used to make a difference in the community.”

Former mayor Hepner fails Surrey’s police transition plan Former Surrey mayor Linda Hepner knows what it’s like to be in the hot seat, to be a lightning rod for public angst over safety in the city of Surrey. With every drive-by shooting that happened during her tenure as Surrey’s mayor – from 2014 to 2018 – greater pressure came to bear on her for a swift fix to end gang violence on our streets. There were 38 shootings in Surrey in 2018, and 59 in 2017. In 2016 there were 61 and in 2015 there were

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88. According to the Surrey RCMP there have been 18 reports of shots fired in Surrey so far this year. Public safety became a major issue leading up to last year’s civic election campaign, in which Hepner did not seek reelection but retired from civic politics after 33 years in public service to this city, in the political arena and also as a city hall staffer. Former Surrey mayor Doug McCallum, of course, succeeded her on Oct. 20, 2018.

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RCMP say several students involved in disturbing video won’t return to Fraser Heights Secondary Several students won’t be returning to Fraser Heights Secondary school for the rest of the school year after being identified in a disturbing video involving a boy being told to kiss the feet of another youth. The video, which was shared on social media by the victim’s father, prompted a police probe. Surrey RCMP say the Surrey School District has “initiated disciplinary proceedings, which are not expected to conclude before the end of the school year” but a release says “an alternative education program has been put in place for them.” “Together, with their parents, participants

have agreed to further deal with these matters by way of alternate measures under the Youth and Criminal Justice Act, through the Surrey School District Safe Schools programs and by the Surrey RCMP’s Restorative Justice and Youth Intervention programs,” according to Surrey RCMP. The school district wouldn’t confirm the number of students involved. In a statement Wednesday afternoon, Principal Rick Breen said the “entire school community has been affected and is deeply concerned about the impact of this incident on our student.

Priyanka criticized for oversharing her wedding pics Priyanka Chopra has fired back at critics who accused her of oversharing her wedding photographs. Chopra tied the knot with Jonas in December 2018, with the pair having lavish celebrations over a number of days in India. Despite some saying Chopra posted too many snaps of the special occasion, the actress insists: “If I wasn’t a famous person and I’d just got married, don’t you think my Insta would have photos of me and my husband?” She tells the Sunday Times: “Just because I’m famous, don’t I have the ability to be proud

of being a newlywed without people saying that I’m using my marriage? “I gave up my right to privacy when I became a public person, it’s the deal you make with the devil. But trust me, there are lots of things I still keep personal.” Chopra’s Sunday Times interview also sees her call out the “racism” in the British press when discussing her friend Meghan Markle. “For sure, 100 per cent [it has to do with racism],” the “Quantico” star says. “Of course it has to do with racism, it’s an obvious reason.

OPINION

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Canada should be more serious about its relations with India By Brian Giesbrecht Senior Fellow Frontier Centre for Public Policy French President Charles de Gaulle travelled to Quebec, ostensibly to visit Canada’s Expo 67, on July 24, 1967. But the old rascal had something entirely different in mind. He had come to Canada for one reason: to stir up trouble. Leaning over a balcony before a large Montreal crowd, he uttered a carefully rehearsed phrase he knew would cause a diplomatic crisis. “Vive le Quebec libre,” he boomed. De Gaulle knew separatists used the slogan daily in their rabble-rousing speeches. It was calculated to stir up passions – and to make trouble with Canada. Canadian officials were flabbergasted. Prime Minister Lester Pearson got as mad as his mild-mannered nature allowed and a diplomatic row ensued. Canada could have retaliated in kind but fortunately cooler heads prevailed. De Gaulle’s inexcusable meddling in Canada’s affairs occurred during the days of the FLQ – letter

bombs were the order of the day. Canada was having trouble enough dealing with Quebec separatism. The last thing we needed was interference from another country. It’s just luck that de Gaulle’s recklessness didn’t result in deadly confrontations. De Gaulle’s interference in Canada’s affairs was a major breach of international protocol. A friendly country should not meddle in the internal affairs of another country. And a country should prevent its citizens from meddling with the sovereign matters of another country. But that’s exactly what India alleges the Canadian government is doing. Sikh separatists in India’s Punjab region have long agitated for their own state, Khalistan. This agitation has included terrorist acts and deaths. This is exactly what Quebec separatists were doing in 1967 – violently agitating for a sovereign Quebec. And India firmly believes that Canada’s Liberal government is interfering with its internal matters in a destructive way. They point to the fact that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

and some of his ministers have attended events to celebrate Sikh independence and honour the Sikh terrorists. And other federal party leaders are also soft on Sikh nationalism. Two Sikh organizations, Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation, are listed as terrorist entities in Canada. A recent federal government assessment lists Sikh extremism as one of the five top terrorist threats to the country. Monies collected by such groups make their way to pro-Khalistan groups in India. The Indian government believes that Canadian Sikh groups are a major threat from abroad and it has told our government as much. Pressure from Sikh groups has caused the federal government to remove the word “Sikh” from the report, and substitute the following as the terror threat: “Extremists who support violent means to establish an independent state within India.” This change has the prime minister back in the good graces of the Sikh organizations. However, this is pure hypocrisy on the part of both the federal government and the Sikh groups. They both know that many Sikhs are participating in what is being called “Referendum 2020” – a vote by Sikhs on whether their Khalistan dream should become real. This vote is a direct threat to the Indian government, and Trudeau and the Canadian Sikh leaders know it. They’re both complicit in interference of the worst kind in India’s internal affairs. Canada’s perceived friendliness with Sikh terrorists is much discussed in Indian newspapers. The Indian public certainly believes the Canadian government supports elements that seek to break up their country. It’s believed in India that some of Canada’s Sikh ministers are Khalistan sympathizer. Trade between Canada and India represents billions of dollars. The rift could cost Canada a lot of money. It could also damage Canada’s good international name, labelling us as an interfering nation that supports terrorist elements. Anyone who thinks Sikh terrorism is not real need only remember the worst terrorist incident in Canada’s history. The 1985 Air India bombing was carried out by Sikh terrorists.

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Saturday, June 8, 2019

Lilly Singh excited about her late-night debut

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the chaos hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t started yet.â&#x20AC;? Singh was speaking at the downtown Toronto headquarters of Corus Entertainment to help the company unveil its fall/winter 20192020 season. The Corus event came the day after Game 2 of the NBA Finals matchup of the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, which Singh attended in the city. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s expressed her love for the Raptors on her social media accounts in recent days and is optimistic theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll clinch the title despite the teamâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 109-104 loss Sunday, which tied up the series at 1-1. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I, in my heart, believe that we can take them,â&#x20AC;? Singh said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a doubt in my mind. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Listen, based on these two games, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m going to say it: I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think that Golden State is better than us. I think we are better than them and I think we are going to win.â&#x20AC;? Singhâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show is one of the biggest highlights of the Corus lineup, which it touts as â&#x20AC;&#x153;vibrant and diverse.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The second we heard that announcement come out that NBC was doing that, we absolutely -- before seeing any other stuff in L.A. -- from that point on just said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the show. We want that show,â&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; said Daniel Eves, senior vice-president of TV networks at Corus Entertainment. Canadian series renewed for Corusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s specialty networks include Historyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vikings,â&#x20AC;? which is a co-production with

Ireland, and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Top Chef Canadaâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iron Chef Canadaâ&#x20AC;? on Food Network Canada. Globalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 2019-2020 lineup has a total of 12 new series. Others include a revival of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kids Say the Darndest Thingsâ&#x20AC;? with Tiffany Haddish as host; the crime thriller â&#x20AC;&#x153;Prodigal Sonâ&#x20AC;? with Michael Sheen; the comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Unicornâ&#x20AC;?; and the psychological mystery â&#x20AC;&#x153;Evil.â&#x20AC;? The network also has the final season of hit comedy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Modern Family,â&#x20AC;? which previously aired on Citytv. Returning Canadian shows on Global include â&#x20AC;&#x153;Private Eyesâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big Brother Canada.â&#x20AC;? New homegrown shows include the previously announced original dramas â&#x20AC;&#x153;Nursesâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Departure,â&#x20AC;? which is a Canada/ U.K. co-production starring Emmy winner Archie Panjabi and Oscar winner Christopher Plummer. Also noteworthy but not technically part of the fall lineup is â&#x20AC;&#x153;BH90210,â&#x20AC;? a tongue-incheek spinoff of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beverly Hills, 90210,â&#x20AC;? which premieres Aug. 7. And the hospital/midlife sitcom â&#x20AC;&#x153;Carolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Second Actâ&#x20AC;? starring Patricia Heaton of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everybody Loves Raymondâ&#x20AC;? fame has several Canadians: Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Sabrina Jalees, and Ito Aghayere. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re actually working on getting Patty to convert ... see if we canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make her at least a dual citizen by the end of the second season,â&#x20AC;? Jalees jested.

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ISI planning to revive militancy in Punjab

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reports, Canada-based Khalistani terrorists have been assigned the task of reviving Sikh militancy in Punjab under â&#x20AC;&#x153;Project Harvesting Canadaâ&#x20AC;? Certain identified terrorists have been asked to target retired police officers and Army

veterans in India to incite violence in Punjab Indian authorities are making efforts to ascertain the number of terrorists roped in by the ISI so far along with their respective locations

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Saturday, June 8, 2019 From page 1

South Asian taxi driver facing deportation to India for sexual assault of passenger

“However, my deepest regret is that my children will suffer for my conduct.” A ‘tipsy’ passenger Last week, Judge Luc Martineau dismissed Gill’s application for a judicial review of an immigration officer’s decision to reject the Surrey man’s attempt to stay in Canada on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. The ruling brings to an end a tragic journey that began with Gill’s arrival in Canada a decade ago with his wife and young daughter. Although highly educated, he was unable to get his Indian degrees accepted for Canadian certification and ended up working as a Yellow Cab taxi driver. Gurpreet Singh Gill was working as a Yellow Cab taxi driver when he sexually assaulted a young female passenger in September 2012. (Shutterstock) And on Sept. 2, 2012, at approximately 1:45 a.m., a woman referred to in court documents as K hopped into the

Air pollution in India kills more than one hundred thousand children under the age of five every year organ and cell in the body. Dr Maria Neira, the World Health Organisation’s director of public and environmental health, told The Guardian last month that the conclusions drawn by the researchers represent “very strong science”. “It adds to the very heavy evidence we have already,” she said. “There are more than 70,000 scientific papers to demonstrate that air pollution is affecting our health.” Meanwhile, the report by the Centre for Science and Environment also painted a grim picture of the Centre’s fight against the climate crisis. “With just 10 years to go, India is yet to identify indicators to track its climate change preparedness,” it said. “Of the 13 sustainable development goals the country is tracking, indicators exist for only a handful of the targets.” The think tank pointed out that both surface water and groundwater in the country are under stress, with 86 critically polluted water bodies. “The bulk of the polluted water bodies are in Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala,” it said. “One of the reasons is the substantial increase – 136% – in the number of grossly polluting industries between 2011 and 2018.” Groundwater, which runs 94.5% of all minor irrigation schemes in the country, is being overexploited, the think tank added. “There has been an unsustainable increase in the number of deep tubewells that has gone up by 80% between 2006-’07 and 2013-’14.” Air pollution killed 1.2 million people in India in 2017, says study Delhi is one of the world’s most polluted cities – so why is clean air not an election issue?

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front seat of his cab after leaving a bachelorette party. She was tipsy. And after giving directions to her boyfriend’s house, K fell asleep. Gill put the visor on the passenger side down, blocking the security camera’s view of the inside of the cab — a factor the sentencing judge would later claim as aggravating. According to the record of the case, Gill touched K’s leg and she brushed his hand away, saying “no.” He then pushed her underwear aside and stuck two fingers into her vagina. “Ms. K reacted by saying ‘stop’ and hitting the accused’s forearm. She then moved closer to the passenger side door,” the sentencing decision says.Gill “tried to kiss her, and ultimately slobbered on Ms. K’s left lip and cheek area.” He dropped her off at her boyfriend’s house and in the hours that followed, she underwent

a forensic sexual assault examination at B.C. Women’s Hospital. Referred to his sexual assault as ‘non-violent’ The subject of Gill’s possible deportation came up during the sentencing proceedings, because the judge was asked to consider a suspended sentence or a maximum of six months less a day — both of which would have seen him stay in Canada. But the sentencing judge rejected that logic. “This was disgraceful and disgusting conduct committed by a man in a position of trust who Ms. K was entitled to believe would transport her in a safe and reliable environment to her destination,” wrote B.C. Supreme Court Justice Patrice Abrioux. Gurpreet Singh Gill fought his sentencing and conviction all the way to B.C.’s Court of Appeal, and he fought his deportation in Federal Court. He has lost every step of the way. A jury convicted Gill in 2014 and he was

sentenced to three years in 2015. He fought the case to B.C.’s Court of Appeal, where his sentencing and conviction were upheld in 2017. According to the Federal Court ruling, Gill’s wife and daughter didn’t tell his six-year-old son that he was in jail. “They tell him that their father is working ‘there’ and because it is far from their home, he has to live there,” the decision says. He was granted day parole, but the parole board denied Gill full parole, saying he continues to minimize his actions: “Indeed in his application for parole, he referred to his sexual assault as, ‘non-violent.’” Gill was ordered deported in November 2017. In his affidavit, Gill says his wife won’t be able to pay their mortgage without him and his children may have to leave the private school that costs the family $4,000 a year.

Saturday, June 8, 2019

India signs Rs 300 crore deal with Israel to procure 100 Spice bombs

n a major development, India on Thursday signed a deal with Israel under emergency provisions worth around Rs 300 crore for buying over 100 SPICE bombs with high explosives warhead for the Indian Air Force. This is the first defence deal signed by the government after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over for a second term. The bombs to be procured are an advanced version of the Spice-2000 bomb, which can

be used to reduce enemy buildings and bunkers to rubbles in no time. “A contract for procuring over 100 SPICE bombs with Mark 84 warheads was signed with Israel under emergency provisions as per which the deliveries would be done in three months time,” top government sources said. “The IAF is now going to acquire the bunker buster or the building destroyer version with Mark 84 warhead which can decimate targeted buildings,” the sources said.

. SPICE bomb has a standoff range of 60 kilometres SPICE bomb has a standoff range of 60 kilometres and approaches the target as its unique scene-matching algorithm compares the electrooptical image received in real-time via the weapon seeker with mission reference data stored in the weapon computer memory and adjusts the flight path accordingly.

Indian-American activist jumps on stage, slams Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

ndian-American activist jumps on stage, slams Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos An Indian-American animal rights activist briefly interrupted Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’s on-stage firechat when she rushed on stage and asked Bezos to do something about “chicken farms”. Bezos was in middle of the discussion on Thursday during Amazon’s first-ever “re:MARS” conference here when 30-yearold Priya Sawhney of Berkeley, California, entered the keynote session, went up the stage and shouted: “You are the world’s

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richest man. You’re the President of Amazon and you can help the animals”. Saying that she has been inside “Amazon’s chicken farms”, Sawhney yelled at Bezos to stop the abuses of animals in these facilities. The security guards quickly surrounded her and took her away as the packed house went silent. Holding a single white rose and wearing a sort of conference badge, Sawhney was from Direct Action Everywhere (DXE), an international grassroots network of animal rights activists founded in 2013 in the San Francisco Bay Area. Once she was taken away by the security guards, Bezos turned to the moderator and said: “Do you have a response to that?” According to media reports, Las Vegas police did not confirm if Sawhney was arrested. Amazon doesn’t directly own or operate chicken farms but it buys chicken meat from suppliers that have been previously targeted by the DXE activists. Earlier this month, an animal rights protester jumped onto a stage and grabbed a microphone from Democratic presidential candidate Senator Kamala Harris at a forum in San Francisco. Direct Action Everywhere said in a statement that the man was an activist who wanted to call on Harris “to support ordinary citizens rescuing animals rather than the factory farms that abuse animals”. Meanwhile, this is not the first time Bezos has been interrupted during an open session. Last month, during Amazon’s annual shareholders conference in Seattle, a woman called out to Bezos to return a product that was purchased from the e-commerce platform. Taking advantage of the open question-and-answer round with Bezos, the woman who is also an Amazon shareholder tried to return a purchase directly to the CEO. Bezos, although surprised, handled the situation with ease and satirical humour. “My apologies that you had to use this unusual venue to accomplish what should have been a routine task. Anybody else have anything they need to return?” quipped Bezos. Follow Gadgets Now on Facebook and Twitter. For the latest news, tech news, breaking news headlines and live updates checkout Gadgetsnow.com

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Metro Vancouver gas prices fall more than 40 cents / ltr A month after Metro Vancouver repeatedly shattered all-time high gas prices, motorists are seeing a significant drop in the price at the pump. Gas was selling for as low as $1.369 in Langley, $1.379 in Burnaby and $1.389 at one gas bar in Vancouver on Friday morning. For comparison, gas was selling for $0.979 in Calgary on Friday and $1.088 in Toronto, according to Gasbuddy.com. Gasbuddy’s senior petroleum analyst Dan McTeague said he believes this is the bottom of the dip in prices, but that they should hold into next week. “We’re pretty smooth sailing here, at least for the next week or so, until markets wake up from their panic over fears on trade between the U.S. and China, the U.S.

and Mexico and so on,” McTeague told Global News.“It’s been a dramatic drop in prices for a lot of smaller gas stations, and those in smaller communities are finding it difficult to try and sell gasoline for 20 cents less than they bought it for a week ago.” Back in May, Metro Vancouver gas prices climbed as high as $1.789 per litre, kicking off a round of political recriminations and a fierce debate over the cause of the surge. McTeague previously pinned that surge on constrained supply due to lack of pipeline capacity, a tight market on the U.S. west coast and B.C. taxes and fuel efficiency standards.

Calgary gas prices drop below $1.00 / ltr

as prices took another dive at the pumps in Calgary. Prices at some stations in the city were under a dollar a litre Friday morning, down from as much as 116.07 per litre last week. That means Alberta now has some of the cheapest gas in the country. Analysts are giving partial credit to the provincial government recently scrapping the carbon tax. According to gasbuddy.com, prices are expected to drop in the first week of June

before increasing again slightly. The lowest price listed on the site Friday morning was 98.9 cents per litre.

BC RCMP appoints new commanding officer As British Columbia’s Mounties welcomed their incoming commanding officer, they honoured their outgoing one, Brenda Butterworth-Carr, Canada’s first Indigenous woman to command an RCMP division. Butterworth-Carr has retired from the RCMP after 30 years of service, the last two as head of the B.C. RCMP. Since March, she has been working in her new role as B.C.’s assistant deputy minister and director of police services. At a change of command ceremony in Surrey on Thursday, Jennifer Strachan was officially welcomed as the head of the RCMP’s E division, the largest in

Canada. Strachan is the deputy commissioner of specialized policing services for the RCMP, and left her previous appointment as Ontario’s commanding officer in April. Strachan has also served in the RCMP for 30 years, 14 of those in front-line policing roles in B.C. She was born and raised in the Okanagan valley. RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said Strachan is an accomplished leader with unparalleled experience. “I have no doubt she will continue serve our employees and the residents of British Columbia with dedication and compassion as their new Commanding Officer,” Lucki said.

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The three judges hearing the appeal of a driver’s dangerous driving acquittal have unanimously overturned the lower court’s acquittal, declaring him guilty of dangerous driving causing death and saying the trial judge was in “legal error.” The Crown had been seeking to have the BC Court of Appeal substitute the acquittal with a conviction rather than ordering a new trial in the high-speed 2015 crash that killed a Vancouver doctor on Oak Street. “In the end, then, the sole issue for the trial judge was whether the rapid acceleration and excessive speed Mr. (Ken) Chung exhibited in the moments before the incident constituted a marked departure from the norm,” said Justice Harvey Groberman as he read an oral judgement on behalf of the panel. Alphonsus Hui was fatally struck by a driver doing 140 km/h in a 50 zone, his family says. The collision destroyed a Suzuki driven by 68-year-old family doctor Alphonsus Hui as he went to his office to do paperwork on a Saturday morning. Experts had testified

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Appeals court finds driver guilty in fatal crash Chung went from 90 km/h to 140 km/h in a single city block, slowing down to 119 km/h as he braked moments before the crash. “I cannot understand how I could possibly describe the driver at almost three times the speed limit into a major intersection as anything but a marked departure from the norm,” said Groberman. “The speed was so wildly beyond a reasonable standard it is appropriately branded as criminal.” The rare decision to skip a new trial and find the accused guilty had Hui’s daughter choking back tears as she spoke with reporters outside the courthouse. “We’re tremendously relieved that they got it right today,” said Monique Hui, the victim’s daughter. “After three-and-a-half years of pure torture and outrage at the original decision and finally, they got it right and we have faith in our justice system again.” She pointed out that while they used polite language and legal terms, the appeal panel shredded the trial

judge’s justification. “It proves we had good grounds to be bewildered and to be outraged, because they were outraged too,” said Hui. On Friday Groberman, Judges Lauri Ann Fenlon and John Hunter heard arguments from Crown and Chung’s lawyer, with the former arguing Rideout had been in error by acquitting Chung while the latter suggesting while there was “room for disagreement” among jurists, the trial judge made the right call even though the case was “legally very challenging.” In his May 2018 decision, trial judge Gregory Rideout described driver Ken Chung’s speed as excessive, but noted it was a case of “momentary” acceleration and did not reach the threshold for criminal fault. Typically, judges reserve their decision for days or even months to consider how to rule on a case, but the Court of Appeal stunned the courtroom by announcing an oral judgement

20 minutes after asking the Crown and Chung’s lawyer a few follow-up questions. A graphic video submitted as evidence in the crash shows the catastrophic moment of impact and informed Rideout’s decision; it was cited by the court of appeal in their oral reasons for judgment, called “brief but disturbing.” The judges have remitted Chung’s case to provincial court for sentencing, which has not been scheduled yet. When CTV News contacted Chung’s lawyer, Richard Fowler, to see if Chung would appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada he said it was “too early to say.” “It’s been three-and-a-half years since I had something good to say to my mom,” said Monique. “It was a huge affirmation for what I think what most of us felt, which is this is common sense – forget the legal jargon, forget the technicalities and the loopholes and micro-analyzing this until we lose all sense of what is obvious, which is if you drive 140 kilometres (an hour) through a 50 km/h

Macron tells Trudeau that France will ratify CETA ‘as soon as possible’ Prime Minister Trudeau is leaving Paris with a concrete guarantee that France will proceed with ratification of the CanadaEuropean Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) this summer. “We will launch ratification as soon as possible,” said French President Emmanuel Macron following a bilateral meeting between the two leaders Friday. It was left to Trudeau in his remarks to spell out the timeline, which will apparently see the trade agreement given first reading by summer. This is the second time he has made such a promise. Macron had initially pledged to move forward on ratification by end of 2018. The question, however, is whether Macron has the support to push it all of the way

through the legislative process. Macron is in a delicate political position with the country routinely rocked by protests. France is the bedrock of the yellow vest protest, now a global movement mainly against high living costs. Opposition to CETA is particularly strong among nationalists and euro-skeptics. The deal is in place in a provisional manner. Armed with new studies that show France is getting the better end of the bargain — at least for the present — Macron appears confident of putting the deal before Parliament and winning the ratification fight. Trudeau, for his part, welcomed the plan for full ratification, calling it “excellent news for Canada and France.”

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Khalsa Business Centre

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

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Calgary couple get jail time for negligence in toddler son’s death A judge says a mother and father convicted in their toddler’s death from an infection pose no threat to society, but prison time is needed to make sure other parents don’t fail to get timely medical care for their children. Calgary Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Paul Jeffrey sentenced Jennifer and Jeromie Clark on Wednesday to 32 months. A jury found the couple gilty last fall of criminal negligence causing death and failure to provide the necessaries of life to their 14-monthold son, John. Jeffrey noted the Clarks have complied with all their bail conditions and have shown “genuine remorse” for their role in the boy’s death. They also have support and acceptance from their Seventh-day Adventist church. “In most every respect, the offenders are described as model citizens, compassionate of others, amazing parents,” Jeffrey said. “The offenders are not people from whom society needs distance or protection.” But the judge said it’s important the Clarks spend time in prison. “A period of incarceration is necessary to deter other parents who may similarly recklessly forgo proper and timely medical care for their child.” The trial heard John didn’t see a doctor until the day before he died in November 2013. A forensic pathologist’s report said he was malnourished and died from a staph infection. Jurors saw photos of the dead boy with a

red rash all over his body and with blackened toes. They were also shown screen shots of online searches for natural remedies for gangrene, such as cabbage leaves and cayenne. Prosecutors argued the Clarks waited too long to take the gravely ill boy to hospital and that their sentence needed to send a message of denunciation and deterrence. The Crown had asked for a sentence of four to five years, while defence lawyers recommended terms ranging from probation to eight months in jail. Prosecutor Jennifer Crews said she was disappointed but not surprised the judge imposed a lower sentence than what the Crown had requested. “Mr. and Mrs. Clark have always presented as very co-operative and very loving,” Crews said outside court. “It’s very difficult, especially when you know his parents obviously loved him. So you’re balancing that with the law and the criminality of the decisions they made.” The couple’s lawyers suggested at trial that doctors at the Alberta Children’s Hospital were to blame because they raised the boy’s sodium and fluid levels too aggressively. David Chow, Jeromie Clark’s lawyer, described the Clarks during sentencing submissions last week as “loving parents that were misguided.” He questioned what putting them behind bars would accomplish. John Phillips, Jennifer Clark’s lawyer, told court: “This is not a case of a child being starved or abused.”

Drug trafficker’s jail time increased to 3 years Vancouver drug trafficker caught with a firearm and ammunition should spend three years in jail and not the two to which he was sentenced last fall, the B.C. Court of Appeal has ruled. In a decision released Monday, Justice Mary Newbury said a provincial court judge erred when he sentenced Hy Dung Do to two years less a day in prison. Do was convicted in June 2018 of five charges — possession for the purpose of trafficking heroin, possession for the purpose of trafficking cocaine, possession of methamphetamine, possession of an unloaded prohibited firearm with readily accessible ammunition and possession of a cartridge magazine. In November, he was sentenced to a total term of just under two years. But the prosecutor in the case appealed the sentence on the firearm count, arguing that the range of sentence handed down in other similar cases was higher. “I am of the view that the sentencing judge did err in failing to give pre-eminent

consideration to specific and general deterrence,” Newbury said. “The problem of gun possession and gun use in Canada continues to exist and there seems to be no reason to depart from the sentencing range.” Do was arrested in September 2015 after Vancouver police placed his townhouse under surveillance and “observed many people coming and going.” “Drugs were found in various locations in the residence along with paraphernalia relating to preparation of drugs for sale. The handgun and ammunition were in a case that was in plain view near a sofa bed on the floor,” Newbury noted in her written ruling. “The trial judge found that the presence of the gun was consistent with the purpose of protection of the business.” She agreed with Do’s defence that a mitigating factor was that he was a first-time offender. But Newbury also said that while Do, 43, had no criminal record, “he was not a young man at the time of the offences and as the judge found, was not addicted or under any other type of pressure to have a gun for protection.”

Motorcyclist killed in Highway crash A motorcyclist died after a crash on Lougheed Highway on Tuesday night. RCMP say the motorcycle and a sedan collided on a “sharp curve” on the road near Deroche, B.C., east of Mission, around 9:00pm A statement said the motorocyclist, 59, died from his injuries at the scene. The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The RCMP’s Fraser Valley Traffic

Services division said “nothing has been ruled out at this early stage.” The B.C. Coroners Service is also investigating. Anyone with information who hasn’t already spoken to RCMP is asked to call the FVTS in Chilliwack at 604-7024039, citing file number 2019-22788.

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Families of two teen killed last year plead for information One year ago, at around 7:00pm, Jaskaran (Jassi) Bhangal and Jaskarn (Jason) Jhutty were playing basketball with a group at Georges Vanier Elementary, in the 6900-block of 142 Street. It was the last time they were seen alive. Late that same night, the teens were shot to death in South Surrey’s Campbell Heights neighbourhood. Tuesday morning their families appealed for anyone with information that could help police solve the case to come forward. “I didn’t just lose my baby brother, I lost a piece of myself that I can never get back,” Sharon Bhangal said of 17-year-old Jassi, during a news conference Tuesday morning at the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team headquarters. “I lost my only sibling and my parents lost their only son.” Jassi Bhangal and 16-year-old Jhutty

were found dead on June 4, 2018, just after 10:30 p.m., near 192 Street and 40 Avenue. The pair were described at the time as high school students who were known to each other but not to police. Police also stated their belief that the deaths were not random. IHIT spokesman Cpl. Frank Jang reiterated that the teens “were not randomly murdered.” Police believe the violence was gang-related, but say there is no evidence linking either victim with “any sort of gangs,” he said. “As far as we know, based on police data bases, members of the community, friends, schoolmates – everyone that would have know what these two young boys were up to – they were not criminals. There is nothing to show that,” Jang said. Pawan Jhutty said her brother was “one of a kind… a gentle soul.” She said.

Richmond lawyer suspended Richmond lawyer Hong Guo, who has been under investigation by the Law Society of B.C. since 2016 after she reported $7.5 million in missing trust funds, has been suspended. The administrative suspension — which is different than one that is a result of a hearing or a judgment on the allegations against her — went into effect on May 30, said the law society. The Law Society of B.C. would not reveal why she was suspended, saying that information is confidential. “I can confirm she’s suspended. The particulars are part of an ongoing investigation,” said society spokesman David Jordan. As a result of the suspension, Guo cannot practise law. Tadhg Egan, a

commercial lawyer based in Vancouver, has been appointed to manage Guo’s practice while the suspension is in place. Guo has the ability to have the suspension removed if she “complies with whatever she’s … not complying with,” said Jordan. Guo, a real estate lawyer who ran for mayor of Richmond last year, said in a written statement that she missed one letter from Law Society about a question that would be answered shortly. “The suspension is expected to be lifted within a day or two,” said Guo in an email. Guo did not respond to a query from Postmedia on what question she is being asked to answer.

Vancouver cannabis retailers fall into compliance with court order One of Vancouver’s most vocal and enduring marijuana activists has closed his illicit Downtown Eastside dispensary less than a week after the B.C. Court of Appeal rejected a bid by nine unlicensed shops to stave off closure. Dana Larsen closed his Medicinal Cannabis Dispensary on East Hastings Street briefly on Wednesday morning with a protest rally and speeches, before clearing its shelves of marijuana and reopening as a self-declared “information and harm reduction centre.” “If I thought me being here or being

arrested would keep us open longer, I would absolutely do it,” Larsen said, and he had mixed feelings about closing. However, he said the penalties would be for contempt of court for violating the B.C. Supreme Court order and he risked having his organization’s second dispensary on Thurlow Street near Davie, which is going through the official licensing process, shut down. “I don’t see any other options here right now,” Larsen said. The Dispensary was one of the nine illicit shops that appealed

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Man & woman arrested after crash involving stolen vehicle Surrey RCMP say two people are in custody following a multi-vehicle crash involving a stolen vehicle. At approximately 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday (June 4), police say a stolen vehicle collided with a police car and three other vehicles in “what police believe was an attempt to flee.” “The incident unfolded as a Surrey RCMP Frontline Officer was responding to an unrelated file,” according to a release. “The officer had his emergency lights and siren activated and was travelling south on King George Blvd. As the officer approached the

intersection at 96th Avenue, a stolen vehicle ran a red light and collided with vehicles in traffic on eastbound 96th Avenue.” “The officer was unaware of the stolen vehicle until the incident unfolded,” police say. Surrey RCMP say a man and woman ran from the stolen vehicle, but have both been arrested and remain in police custody. No serious injuries were reported. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or solvecrime.ca.

Air quality in Metro Vancouver to improve by 2035, report says Air quality in Metro Vancouver is expected to improve over the next 15 years in spite of smoke from wildfires, smog-forming pollutants and more vehicles on the road, a report says. A report from the regional district says greenhouse gases are estimated to fall by 35 per cent and smog-forming pollutants by 70 per cent by 2035 because of more stringent standards for fuel and vehicle emissions. Measures such as enhanced emissions standards for vehicles and appliances, lower-carbon fuels, and the wood stove exchange program are expected to decrease emissions by 10 per cent between 2015 to 2035, according to the report. ‘Smoke season’ comes early to B.C. as wildfires blaze in Alberta However, residents must start — or continue — to be proactive when it comes to monitoring air quality data and be prepared for its effects, said Roger Quan, the City of Vancouver’s director of air quality

and climate change. Quan said climate change is having a significant effect on air quality, especially in terms of wildfire smoke. The regional district posted air quality advisories for an unprecedented 22 days last summer because of smoke from wildfires that were burning primarily o u t s i d e the region. A i r purification sales surge as Canadians anticipate smoky summer stuck indoors New air quality challenges Previously, the prevailing concern with Metro Vancouver’s air quality advisories in the summer was smoggy skies caused by conventional or common air contaminants like particulate matter and ground-level ozone. But Quan said Vancouver has been successful in reducing these levels. “The climate-related pollutants like greenhouse gases are really the emerging issue.

Man charged with robbing Surrey store A Surrey man has been charged in connection with two alleged armed robberies, police say. Victor Harrison, 28, has been charged with robbery, attempted robbery and two counts of use of imitation firearm while committing an indictable offence, according to a news release from Surrey RCMP Wednesday (June 5). Police said Harrison is still in custody as of Wednesday morning, and the investigation is ongoing. The two incidents, Surrey RCMP said, happened on May 28 and 30 in the Guildford area. Police said the first robbery took place at a convenience store in the 9600-block of 152nd Street and the second happened at another convenience store in the 10000-block of 152nd street. Surrey RCMP said that in both incidents, the suspect “allegedly displayed

a firearm and demanded money prior to fleeing in a black pick-up truck.” On May 31, police said, Surrey RCMP’s Robbery Unit, with the help of the High Risk Target Team found the truck and arrested Harrison “without incident.” “Robberies can be traumatising for the victims involved, particularly when firearms are involved,” said Inspector Beth McAndie. “Violent crimes against people, including robberies, are a top priority for the Surrey RCMP to investigate and prevent.” Anyone with information which may assist with this investigation is asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502, or contact Crime Stoppers if you wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or solvecrime.ca.

Bulldog that attacked mom & son deemed ‘vicious’ The City of Surrey says a bulldog that attacked a mother and her seven-yearold son at a Newton bus stop last week has been returned to its owner, but will now be subject to various restrictions. “The dog will have to be leashed and muzzled and is not permitted to be off-leash in off-leash parks. The dog needs to be leashed and muzzled off of the owner’s property for the duration of the dog’s life going forward,” said Kim Marosevich, acting manager of public safety operations. Marosevich said the animal has been deemed “vicious,” under the city’s bylaw. A lower designation would be “aggressive” and the highest would be “dangerous,” the latter of which is used when animals cause serious injuries or if there are multiple attacks that escalate. The incident happened at approximately 4:30 p.m. on May 29, near King George Boulevard and 60th Avenue. Police officers were first on scene and confined the animal until bylaw officers arrived.

Initially, Marosevich had told the NowLeader the animal may be euthanized as no owner had yet been found. Having now made contact with the owner, she said the city has issued roughly $1,200 in tickets and the annual dog licensing fee for the animal has jumped from $40 to roughly $215, in addition to the restrictions implemented. Marosevich said it sounds like the bulldog got loose when its owner had visitors over. “In comings and goings of the company at the house, the dog got loose,” she said. “With additional people at the house, nobody noticed immediately.” Some time after is when the attack occurred. “Initially she approached and there was some concern about her approaching,” said Marosevich, “and things got ramped up a bit.” She said it’s uncertain whether the bulldog bit or just scratched the boy, but that the mother was bitten.

Class-action lawsuit alleges conspiracy leading to British Columbians being overcharged for vehicles A class-action lawsuit seeking compensation related to an alleged price-fixing conspiracy that resulted in

British Columbian being overcharged for vehicles has been given the green light to proceed from the Court of Appeal. Justice Mary Saunders, in a May 29 judgment in Vancouver related to Darren Ewert versus Nippon Yusen Kaushiki Kaisha et al, overturned the decision of a lower court judge who declined to certify the litigation as class action under the Class Proceedings Act after finding Ewert’s expert failed to determine if data needed to assess if an overcharge had been passed through to indirect purchasers was available. “I would allow the appeal in part and certify the action as a class proceeding in respect of the direct and indirect purchasers of the vehicle carrier services provided by the defendants during the class period,” Saunders decided, with Justices Harvey Groberman and John Hunter concurring. The appeal court found that the lower court judge erred by imposing a standard to identify data that exceeded statutory requirements. The litigation centres on the allegation of a price-fixing conspiracy of marine shippers who bring automobiles and other vehicles across the oceans to Canada. Ewert claims this resulted in higher costs to himself and others who bought vehicles in B.C. “To succeed in the litigation,” Saunders noted, “he will have to establish that the conspiracy existed, that it resulted in excess shipping charges, and that those charges were passed on to him and to others in a like position. He seeks to certify the action as a class action.”

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Province proposes permanent site for supportive housing project in Surrey BC government has announced a proposed site for a permanent supportive housing project in Surrey. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing said in a news release on Wednesday that in collaboration with the City of Surrey and Lookout Housing and Health Society, the province is hoping to build the new housing project on the city-owned land at 14706 104th Ave. The site, the release says, would provide approximately 60 â&#x20AC;&#x153;safe and secure homes

for people experiencing homelessness.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Province and the City of Surrey have made a commitment to work together to deliver 250 p e r m a n e n t supportive modular homes in Surrey. This city-owned land is the second permanent site to be identified as part of this commitment,â&#x20AC;? the release reads.

women, the elderly and persons with pre-existing injuries or other disabilities. The establishment of the tribunal would create â&#x20AC;&#x153;significant barriersâ&#x20AC;? to access to justice before the superior courts for many claimants, said the suit. But a response filed in court by the Attorney Generalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ministry emphasized that the substantial increases in ICBC claims costs had jeopardized the Crown corporationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s long-term sustainability and its ability to keep basic insurance rates affordable for drivers. The ministry denied that the cap disproportionately adversely affects women, the elderly or persons with preexisting conditions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The defendants further deny that the minor injury definition includes conditions that have been subject to prejudice and stereotyping, historically or at all.â&#x20AC;? Any distinction that the cap may draw among accident claimants is based on severity of injury, not mental or physical disability, says the ministryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response.

Vancouver aims to increase compensation for demovicted renters by up to 400% Certain Vancouver renters forced out of buildings being redeveloped or renovated may soon be eligible for significantly increased compensation. In a report that will be presented to council next Tuesday, staff recommend hiking the compensation given to displaced renters based on length of tenancy. People who have lived in buildings between one and five years would receive four months worth of rent instead of the current two, on a sliding scale of up to more than 40 years tenancy, where residents would receive 24 months worth of rent instead of the current six. It would apply to all redevelopment and major renovations requiring â&#x20AC;&#x153;development permits and rezoningsâ&#x20AC;? that take place in the following properties: Staff have also prepared a report outlining how a â&#x20AC;&#x153;community-based Renter Centreâ&#x20AC;? with an annual budget of approximately $5 million could be created, a key part of Mayor Kennedy Stewartâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s election platform. The full reports being sent to council can be found here and here. Cautious support from councillors The proposed increased compensation was welcomed by COPE Coun. Jean Swanson, who has pushed for more protection for renters.

Shelter, which has been operating for two years. The ministry said BC Housing has submitted a rezoning application to the city. If the project is approved, BC Housing estimated the project will be completed by late 2020. There will be a public information session on June 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Sheraton Guildford in the Fraser Room.

The ministry also said BC Housing and the city are working to find other sites in areas throughout the city to

Govâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t defends ICBC cap in response to lawsuit filed by trial lawyers The B.C. government is defending its decision to impose a cap on ICBC claims for minor injuries, in a response to a lawsuit filed by the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C. In April, the association sued in B.C. Supreme Court, saying the $5,500 cap on minor injury claims and the establishment of a civil resolution tribunal to adjudicate certain claims were unconstitutional and should be struck down. The NDP government had passed the legislation enacting the changes last year after declaring that ICBC, which has reported losses of $2.2 billion in the past two years, was in a financial crisis and measures were needed to protect the interests of B.C. drivers and keep premiums down. The associationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lawsuit argues that the new regulations have the potential to discriminate against people with brain injuries, psychiatric injuries and chronic pain by treating those injuries differently than other injuries. It said that the scheme would have a â&#x20AC;&#x153;disproportionately adverse effectâ&#x20AC;? upon

create additional permanent supportive homes, and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;remaining sites will be announced in the coming months as project proposals are finished.â&#x20AC;? The project, according to the ministry, would be managed by Lookout, â&#x20AC;&#x153;a nonprofit with considerable experience operating similar housing and shelters in the area.â&#x20AC;? Next to the proposed site in the Guildford

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Saturday, June 8, 2019

High Road Academy students from Chilliwack visit Richmond Gurdwara About 20 students from High Road A c a d e m y, Chilliwack led by their teacher Alyssa Miller visited India Cultural Centre of Canada Gurdwara Nanak Niwas in Richmond on Monday, June 3. .These students have spent the year in a Comparative World Religions class and this trip was a celebration of what they have learnt. Also, it gave them an opportunity to ask questions and to become more engaged with various faith communities. The students

and their teachers found the visit to be extremely useful . Before departing, they enjoyed a delicious langar and posed for a group picture outside in the Gurdwara’s beautiful park. Balwant Sanghera

Penticton mother launches support group for families scrambling to find child care A Penticton, B.C. woman, who struggled to find child care for her baby, has formed a group to help other parents across B.C. looking for child care. Waitlisted Project B.C., founded by Amanda Burnett, a mother of two, features stories from parents across B.C. who want access to affordable, quality child-care. In February, Burnett was told that her then fourmonth-old daughter would not be able to attend the same daycare her son was already attending. She is number 75 on the wait list out of 77. Burnett looked at other daycares, but was told there was no guarantee of a place for her child by the time she had to go back to work and her maternity leave benefits ended. “Some daycares have completely closed their waitlist. Other daycares just say they’re going to take your name,” Burnett told Chris Walker, host of Daybreak South. Child-care policy changes slowly creating improvements in B.C., advocate says

Desperate for childcare Burnett says many parents who share on Waitlisted Project B.C. are resorting to other methods of child care. Many rely on their own parents to watch their children. Others turn to other parents or nannies, who can be expensive. “They’re just sort of scrambling to find any sort of child care at all,” she said. Minister of State for Child Care Katrina Chen plays with preschool children in December 2017. Chen and other government MLAs announced $33 million at the time to fund new child-care spaces. Burnett believes the root of the problem is a lack of early childhood educators in B.C. “I think that early childhood educators just don’t get paid enough. They really need more compensation for the work that they do, which will raise the whole system and encourage new caregivers to join the workforce as well,” she said.

Nanaimo mother groped while pushing baby in stroller The RCMP say two cases of unwanted sexual touching in Nanaimo earlier this week are likely linked. A 21-year-old woman walking on her own and a 32-year-old woman pushing her baby in a stroller both reported having their buttocks grabbed as they walked along Bowen Road on Monday at around 11:30 a.m. PT. The two incidents took place within a 10-minute span. In both cases the man approached on foot, grabbed the women, and then ran away. “The descriptions are similar enough to lead investigators to believe both incidents were carried out by the same individual, said Const. Gary O’Brien. Surrey RCMP seek male suspect in three alleged groping incidents.

In the first incident, the male was described as possibly Indigenous or of Spanish descent, approximately five feet six inches tall, with a slim build, short hair and brown eyes. He was wearing brown pants and a light-coloured shirt, and was carrying a black backpack with a diamond on it. In the second incident, the man was described as either Indigenous or Spanish, with short, black hair, wearing a white T-shirt and tankhaki pants, and carrying a black backpack. Anyone with information is asked to contact Nanaimo RCMP at 250754-2345, or Crime Stoppers at nanaimocrimestoppers.com or 1-800-222-8477.

Vancouver Police search for man wanted for six counts of breaching probation Vancouver Police are asking for the public’s help in locating 35-year-old David Hynd, currently wanted for six counts of Breach of Probation under the BC Offence Act. Hynd has eluded police for over a month. He is known to frequent downtown Vancouver

and may be driving a black Dodge Ram, with an Alberta license plate. He is 6’3” tall, 195 pounds, has brown eyes, and a shaved head. If you see David Hynd, or have any information about his location, please call 9-1-1 immediately or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.

One arrested after group of motorcyclists swarm car on highway A 30-year-old man was arrested in Squamish after witnesses say he pulled driver from car and made threats West Vancouver police say a 30-year-old Vancouver man is facing possible charges after he and a group of motorcyclists allegedly swarmed a vehicle on Highway 1 on Thursday evening. Const. Kevin Goodmurphy said officers responded to multiple 911 calls just after 7 p.m. about a confrontation near the Caulfeild exit between a driver and the group, who had been heading westbound. Witnesses told police they saw the motorcycles swarm the vehicle and force the driver to slow

down to a stop on the side of the highway. “Once the vehicle was stopped, one of the motorcyclists approached the driver’s side door of the vehicle, opened it forcefully, and aggressively grabbed the driver from the driver’s seat and began making threatening remarks toward the driver,” said Goodmurphy. Goodmurphy said by the time officers arrived, the motorcyclists had already left the scene heading northbound on Highway 99. Squamish RCMP were able to locate the group along Highway 99 near Valley Drive, where the Vancouver man was arrested. “This person is believed to have been the primary aggressor in this incident, which is why he was arrested and later released,” said Goodmurphy. Police say there is no clear motive for the swarming. Charges against the man have not yet been made. Goodmurphy said West Vancouver police are still hoping for more information from witnesses. “If we gather further information from any other witnesses there may be other charges that could be considered, but at this point in time we don’t have any information that would allow us to do that.” Anyone with information is asked to call West Vancouver police at 604-925-7300.

Priyanka goes blouse-less for a shoot; social media users call the act “Vulgar”

oesn’t matter we are living century or it’s woman, who wants to

even if in 21st 2019. A pose

braless, would still be slut-shamed and will still be called shamless. Bollywood celebs are often subjected to trolling for different reasons. This time

the target is Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who recently shot for an international style magazine. While she wore a

beautiful shimmery saree for the shoot, the actress decided to ditch the blouse. In no time, trolls attacked her for the same, as in the shoot she is seen flaunting her bare back. Many called her shameless and the act of going blouse-less, “Vulgar.”

A video of Priyanka Chopra is going viral, which sees her dancing. While the actress is seen enjoying her time, flaunting her bare back, netizens didn’t take long to slut-shame the actress for not wearing the blouse. One of the trolls, labelled her as “Drunk”. Troll wrote, “Drunked,,,, shame on you .ur Indian woman dnt forgot.” While the other on “shamed” the actress. Another troll said, “In films u teach to be true desk girl who is covered and in real life shame shame.” A user said, “She is trying to reach the same level of Vulgarity as Hollywood to just fit in there...”. A girl called her ugly and said, “She is looking ugly nd shameless.” A netizen said that she has crossed all the limits. The comment read, “PC has crossed all the limits to b a Hollywood diva. Shame on u aunty.”

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Video of Salman Khan slapping security guard goes viral A video of superstar Salman Khan slapping a security guard has gone viral on social media, leaving netizens split whether the actor’s behaviour was right or not. In the video, Salman is seen exiting a

cinema hall amidst a lot of people and then suddenly turning and slapping one of his security guards, who was making way for the actor. Though it’s not clearly visible what irked the Bharat actor and made him slap the guard, it’s reported that Salman got angry because the guard had pushed a young fan.

SRK and Rajkumar Hirani to team up for a LOVE STORY? Is Shah Rukh Khan finally announcing his next film after Zero? Looks like he has been having several meetings with Rajkumar Hirani and the two have almost agreed to work together for a love story. Buzz is that the film is going to

be conventional love story with SRK in the lead with strong emotional currents, which has been a signature style of Hirani. Another interesting factor reported about the project is that it won’t have Vidhu Vinod Chopra as the producer. This has probably never happened before.

Heartbroken Delnaaz remembers her mentor

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Famous comedian, Dinyar Contractor passed away on June 5. TV actress Delnaaz Irani, who regarded him as her mentor, recalls the time when she met Contractor at the age of 16 and from there on how he mentored her for theatre Famous comedian, Dinyar Contractor breathed his last on June 5. The actor, known for his roles of Casino owner in Badshaah, Principal in Khiladi, died of

multiple age-related illnesses. While his funeral was attended by close friends and family, TV actress Delnaaz Irani was also a part of it. The actress considered him as her mentor and was extremely close to him. Reminiscing the days she spent with him, Delnaaz said, “I have fond memories of me, of our dear ‘Dinsu’ because he was very fond of food. He was a lovely man full of joy and laughter.

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Bharat: Salman Khan is thankful after recording the highest opening of his career Bhai is happy! Salman Khan has everything going good for him. The actorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film Bharatreleased worldwide on the auspicious day of Eid festival. The fans got to witness their favourite in five different avatars in Ali Abbas Zafar directorial. Now, the film has recorded highest opening day collection ever in his career with a whopping Rs 42.3 crore. As it will be long weekend for Bharat and everyone is expecting it to grow further, Salman Khan is thankful for all the love and support the film is receiving. He took to Twitter to thank everyone and also praised that everyone stood up for National Anthem when it was played during the film. He wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Big thk u sabko fr giving sabse bada opening mere career ka par what made me the happiest &

proudest is ki during a scene in my film jab national anthem is recited ev1 stood up as a mark of respect. There could be no bigger respect for our country than thisâ&#x20AC;Ś Jai Hind???? #Bharat.â&#x20AC;? Principal photography for Bharat began in April 2018. Shooting took place at such locations as Abu Dhabi, Spain, Malta, Punjab and Delhi. Kaif joined the cast soon after Priyanka Chopra opted out of the role after filming commenced, for her impending engagement to Nick Jonas. Filming concluded in March 2019. The filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soundtrack was composed by Vishal-Shekhar, with lyrics written by Irshad Kamil, and released under the banner T-Series. Bharat was theatrically released in India on 5 June 2019, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Bollywood HOROSCOPE Aries

March 21 - April 20 On the one hand, you might be open to meeting new people, networking, and promoting your ideas to a wider audience. On the other, you might be more in the mood to stand back from too much activity and spend more time at home. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a new moon in Gemini on June 3, which you certainly wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to miss. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re thinking of launching a website, blog, or online marketing business, this is the time to go for it.

Taurus

April 21 - May 20 Luscious Venus is in your sign for most of this week, inspiring you to enjoy the small the breeze on your cheek, and the beauty you see around you. values, and with a new moon in this sector on Monday, you might be in the mood to improve a small side business, this is very much the time to go about it.

Gemini

May 20 - June 21 With the sun in your sign, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re truly in your element and likely feeling more vital and !" yourself and get moving on projects that are dear to your heart. With a sparkling new moon in your sign on Monday, this powerful lunar phase is the best of the year for you and perfect for setting your intentions. Whether you want to kick-start a new habit or begin a project, this is your chance.

Cancer

June 22 - July 23

The sun in a more secluded sector of your chart until June 21 could turn your attention inward to your deeper thoughts and feelings. If something has been an issue for a while, this might be the time when you seek closure and healing. Doing so could relieve you of stress and tension and leave you more energized overall. The new moon in a private sector on Monday brings an opportunity to start a discipline like meditation or mindfulness that might bring you greater

Leo

June 24 - August 23 Your social life looks set to sparkle. With the sun in this zone until June 21 and a lively new moon on Monday, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all set for some wonderful times ahead. This is an opportunity !" interests. Let your curiosity lead the way. Lively Mercuryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s move into your spiritual zone on June 4 could turn your focus inward. # and intuition and remember your dreams.

Virgo Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the spotlight this month, making this a perfect time to forge ahead with key ambitions or personal goals. Use this opportunity to update your resume and perhaps get yourself noticed on social media. The new moon on Monday may be able to help here because it encourages you to take steps in the direction of your plans. Set your intentions, connect with the right people, and get moving.

Libra

Sept. 24 - Oct 22 You might be eager to grab opportunities that bode well for the future. A lovely focus on your sector of travel and far horizons may be a call to leave your comfort zone and embrace new ideas. With the new moon in Gemini and this same zone on Monday, it might be an opportunity to kick-start a course of study or arrange a travel itinerary.

Scorpio

Oct 23 - Nov 22 Life may have seemed more intense lately, and this phase continues over the coming weeks. However, this week a new moon in a deeply emotional sector could be an opportunity to free yourself from past entanglements. Whatever no longer serves you should be released, and this lunar phase on June 3 can help you do it. You can then make space for all the opportunities that are " $ Mars in your sector of travel and adventure and lively Mercury moving in on Tuesday,

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22

The focus this week is very much on your sector of relating, which could coincide with more interaction than usual. Your social life may be a lot busier and you might be eager to improve the quality of your most important relationships. The new moon in this sector on Monday can be very helpful for taking things to a new level. Whether you want to commit further to a new lover or take on a business partner, this is the time to do so. It can also be helpful for signing contracts and deals.

Capricorn Dec 23 - Jan 20

This weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new moon in your lifestyle sector on Monday can be helpful for

% & " Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a chance to consider what you want to accomplish and what habits you need to put into place to do so. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no need to be too ambitious too soon. One or two small adjustments can quickly build and lead to bigger accomplishments.

Aquarius

Jan 21 - Feb 19 The presence of the sun in your sector of leisure and recreation makes this a very positive and dynamic time. Are you ready to showcase your skills and talents? If so, the new moon on Monday is the perfect time to do so. Start now and the momentum can quickly build. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a focus on your lifestyle sector, which is enhanced as chatty Mercury moves in on June 4. This might be a good opportunity to get organized and jettison those habits and routines that no longer serve any good purpose.

Pisces

Feb 20 - March 20 Home and family life could be very rewarding this week and over the coming weeks. The sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presence in this sector could inspire you to look around and see how you can make improvements. If you do want to make changes, the new moon on Monday is the best time to start. Whatever your plans, the moon tide can help speed your progress. And as luscious Venus moves into this same zone on June 8, your focus may be on beautifying your place " " "

Bollywood

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Bollywood

Kajol writes emotional note for late father-in-law Actress Kajol has penned an emotional note, remembering her late father-in-law and Bollywood’s ace action director Veeru Devgan. Kajol on June 4 tweeted a photograph of herself along with Veeru, father of her husband, Ajay Devgn. She captioned the image: “In happier times.... He won the award for a lifetime of achievement on this day, but it took a lifetime to prove. So many people mourn the life of the man

but that was a life well-lived... RIP with love.”Veeru Devgan, 85, breathed his last on May 27.Apart from directing action sequences for films like “Himmatwala,” “Mr. India,” “Khatron Ke Khiladi,” “Phool Aur Kaante,” “Dilwale” and “Laal Badshah,” he had directed the 1999 film “Hindustan Ki Kasam,” starring Ajay and megastar Amitabh Bachchan.

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Grand Opening of Sidhu Tours & Travel in Surrey

Sidhu Tour & Travel open their location in Surrey. Member of Parliament MP Jatinder (Jatti) Sidhu was chief gutest at the opening of Sidhu Tour & Travel at York Centre in Surrey, last week.

Pictured above, Jatti Sidhu (middle) with Sukhdev Singh Sidhu, Sony Sidhu, Inderjit Singh Bains, Gurpreet Gill, Surjit Singh Madhopuri, Kuldip Singh Jagpal,

Nachatar Singh Bhullar, Bikkar singh Natt, Sukhdeep Singh Gill, Gurdev Singh Dhillon, Natha Singh Brar, Harjit Sigh Sidhu, Kuldip Singh, Kewal Singh Sidhu,

Mandir Singh Sidhu, Kuljit Dhaliwal, Bholla Singh Gill, Bittu Sharma, Jaswinder Sidhu. A new book was presented to MP Jatti Sidhu ‘AabShaar’ written by Sukhdev Singh Sidhu.

Statement from Andrew Wilkinson on D-Day Anniversary Leader of the Official Opposition, Andrew Wilkinson, released the following statement on the 75th Anniversary of D-Day: “Today marks the 75th anniversary of D-Day which saw nearly 150,000 Allied troops land or parachute into France to launch the Battle of N o r m a n d y. 1 4 , 0 0 0 of those troops were Canadian. “On June 6th alone, our country suffered 1,074 casualties, including 359 killed. By the time the Battle of Normandy had concluded, we had lost 5,000 Canadian soldiers with casualty numbers reaching over 18,000. “Today we commemorate their victory and remember the bravery and sacrifices. We give thanks to those who served and stepped up in the collective effort to stop Nazi aggression and its hateful and vile ideology from spreading. “75 years later, we must honour their legacy and strive to continue to build the free, prosperous, and inclusive Canada that we all want to live in. “That is our solemn vow to those who made the greatest sacrifice. “Thank you.”

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Saturday, June 8, 2019

Vol. 10 No. 19 Saturday - June 8, 2019

Tel: 604-591-5423

60-storey residential tower would be among Vancouver’s tallest Iconic. Simple. Clean. That’s how architect Gwyn Vose of IBI Group describes the 60-storey residential tower Henson Developments is proposing for 1059 to 1075 Nelson St. near Thurlow Street in the city’s West End. If the project is approved, it will be among the tallest buildings in Vancouver, reaching a height of 555.5 feet — or 585.5 feet to the top of its appurtenance (the part of the structure above the highest occupied level where mechanical equipment that supports the building is located). Tom Wright of U.K.-based WKK Architecture designed the Nelson Street tower, which is being built to Passive House standards, while Vancouver-based IBI Group is the executive architect whose role is to help the design architect with local policies and regulations. The building, featuring a total of 485 units, including 113 social housing

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

units, 49 market rentals and 323 market condos, was unveiled at an open house last week. Its wavy shape frames a curvy column of greenery down its centre. Vose, representing IBI Group at the open house, says the tower’s design is reminiscent of the coastline. “Tall buildings want to be simple and elegant,” he added. The building’s proposed height puts it on par with the neighbouring “Butterfly” building, a 57-storey luxury condo tower Westbank is constructing at 969 Burrard St.nelson street Currently, Vancouver’s

two tallest buildings are the 60-storey, 659-foot-tall ShangriLa at 1128 West Georgia and the 63-storey Trump Tower, measuring 616 feet, at 1161 West Georgia. Several city policies, which council has set over time, regulate building height in Vancouver, explained Jason Olinek, the City of Vancouver’s acting assistant director of planning for development planning. The city’s district schedule outlines the base zoning for a site, while the rezoning process allows developers to apply to exceed the permitted height and density. That’s limited by urban design guidelines and, during the rezoning process, various factors are taken into account, including public opinion, shadowing, and view cones that protect views of the Burrard

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com Inlet, the North Shore and the mountains. The Higher Buildings Policy is another regulation governing height. It’s a set of guidelines used in conjunction with other policies for reviewing buildings seeking significant increases over existing height limits. Adopted in 1997, and amended several times, the policy identifies certain areas and sites where consideration can be given for buildings that are taller than the general downtown zoning height limits or for those entering the Queen Elizabeth Park or other council approved view corridors. “The intent of these guidelines is to mark the prominence of the Central Business District in our downtown skyline, while also providing opportunities for strategically placed height at the prominent “gateways” to mark the entry into downtown: the Burrard Bridge, the Granville Bridge, and the Georgia Gateways in Northeast False Creek and at West Georgia and Pender streets,” the policy states.

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 8, 2019

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

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Over 11 percent of Vancouver condos have at least one non-resident as an owner, a number that jumps to more than 19 per cent when it comes to newer built condos. The information is contained in a Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation housing market insight report which also found that non-residents 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

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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

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

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Stolen timber is funding BC’s opioid fix Minutes after Luke Clarke turned his white patrol truck off the highway and onto the Forest Service road, we came upon a spot that, to most people, would be unremarkable: The blur of greens and browns along the roadside looked like any other patch of forest detritus on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. But Clarke looked closer. Green fir boughs, bright under the morning sky, were strewn across the highway. Sawdust had been crushed into the ridges of a roadside snowbank, leaving an ocher stain. Clarke, a provincial natural-resources officer, stopped his truck, got out, and tromped up and over the snowbank into the forest, followed by his supervisor, Denise Blid. Hidden behind a row of trees lay the scene Clarke and Blid had expected: a small clearing

punctuated by a single large stump. The stump, nearly three feet across, had, until very recently, been the foundation of an old-growth coastal Douglas fir, a tree that Clarke calculated had stood more than 120 feet tall. Sometime during the previous few days, the tree had been illegally felled, and the wide end of its trunk abandoned. This was unusual—poachers usually take the “butt end” of a tree first, since it has the most wood—and Clarke speculated that the culprits would soon be back to pick it up. He photographed the trunk like a crime scene, measuring its dimensions and using an iPad to enter them into a database. He then followed a deep groove in the snow to the spot where the narrow end of the trunk had likely been cut into pieces for easier transport. The only remaining clue was a set of vertical cuts

in the snow, left by the poachers’ chain saws. “Literally, this is what we’re finding every day,” said Blid. “I’m sure it’s the same people I caught the other night too,” said Clarke. Trees are often poached from this area, and he surmised that the group he had stopped to question earlier in the week had been scouting for stands of promising trees. “Man,” Clarke said a few minutes later. “I

just wish I could pull an all-nighter out here.” Almost as soon as white settlers arrived on Vancouver Island, the fate of the island’s forests was hinged to the whims of westward expansion—and the widespread desire for oldgrowth timber. The small town of Nanaimo, where Clarke and Blid are based, saw its first sawmill built in 1854. Throughout the late 19th century, sawmills proliferated on the southern end of the island, their owners drawn by the

Coquitlam delivery business strongly condemned over racist photo A Coquitlam delivery service is facing severe backlash on social media, and appears to have closed, after it reportedly posted

a photograph depicting beer cans wearing KKK hoods lynching a brown beer bottle. The photo, posted this week on the Coquitlam Liquor, Tobacco and Food Delivery website as reported on by the Tri-City News, has since been taken down but the photo is still circulating online as people voice their outrage. The company has been contacted by Postmedia but the owner has not returned the call yet. The website appears to have been taken down, and according to Google Reviews the business has “permanently closed.” One Facebook user Tasyana Siouras posted that she is appalled that the owner thought this racist photo was funny,

Developer postpones presales for high-rise towers in Burnaby & Coquitlam Vancouver developer Ledingham McAllister is putting on hold the launch of pre-sales for three high-rise, transit-hub condo towers in Burnaby and Coquitlam, and is considering a pause on a fourth. The total value of the projects — Sydney, Highpoint, Azure and possibly another — is around $1.2 billion, according to company president and CEO Ward McAllister. The buildings range from 20 to over 50 storeys and include market, non-market and rental units. McAllister pointed to a dramatic slowdown in general pre-sales, beginning last October, and estimates sales volumes have dropped by about 70 per cent. There has been evidence that smaller, newer developers are throwing in the towel and selling land instead of riding out an increasingly tough market. And the development industry has been vocal about bureaucratic delays getting in the way of building units that will be much needed once buyers return. Ledingham McAllister, which is an experienced and prolific builder of multifamily homes going back to the mid-1980s, is pulling back on pre-sales for projects that all “have zoning and building permits. There are brochures printed and display centres that have been built for them,” said McAllister. The projects need to be about 50 per cent pre-sold in order to get bank financing, said McAllister, citing a threshold that is already slightly lower than the more commonly cited 75 to 80 per cent level. An artist’s rendering of Sydney, a project from Ledingham McAllister in Coquitlam. PNG And there is a clock that starts ticking as soon as pre-sales for a project open, said Jon Stovell, who is board chair of the Urban Development Institute, which represents developers.

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Toronto is the fastest-growing city in US & Canada Torontonians could find themselves “doubling up” on housing with friends or relatives in the coming years as the city’s breakneck population growth outstrips the supply of new housing, an urban planning expert is warning. In an analysis published online this week, researchers Frank Clayton and Eva Shi of Ryerson University’s Centre for Urban Research and Land Development found that Toronto is the fastestgrowing city in the U.S. or Canada, and by a long shot. The city added more than 77,000 net new residents in the year ending in July, 2018, more than three times as many people as the next municipality, Phoenix, Ariz. The researchers describe this rate of growth as “stunning.” Canada Looking at metro areas, Greater Toronto had the second-fastest population growth, behind only Dallas-Fort Worth. Greater

Montreal was the sixth-fastest growing metro. But while that may look like success from some perspectives, it means the city is risking a serious housing crisis, study co-author Frank Clayton said. The region may see a repeat of the situation from the early 1990s, when developers pulled back on home construction amid falling house prices, but the population kept growing. People found themselves “doubling up” or “tripling up” on housing, often with more than one generation of family living in a single home, Clayton said. That effect could be particularly strong today, given that younger Canadians are already increasingly living with their parents.

Supreme Court sides with man over his detention in race-tinged drug case The Supreme Court of Canada has highlighted the harms of over-policing on racial minorities in a ruling that set aside an Asian-Canadian man’s convictions for possessing a gun, drugs and illicit cash. Police had no reasonable cause to walk into a backyard at a Toronto housing complex and begin questioning 20-year-old Tom Le, the high court said in the 3-2 decision Friday. Le was chatting in the yard with four young black men late one night in May 2012 when police officers showed up. The officers were told by security guards who patrolled the housing co-operative that the place was a “problem address” over concerns about drug trafficking in the rear yard and that a suspect had recently been seen there. Two officers entered the yard without consent or a judicial warrant, and began asking questions and requesting identification. A third officer patrolled the property’s perimeter, then stepped

over a low fence and told one man to keep his hands where he could see them. An officer questioned the slightly built Le, demanded ID and asked about the contents of a satchel slung across his body. After less than a minute, Le fled but he was soon tackled and apprehended a short distance away with the bag — containing a loaded handgun and a considerable amount of cash. Later, at the police station, Le handed police 13 grams of cocaine he was carrying. At his trial, Le pleaded not guilty and argued the evidence should be excluded because police violated his constitutional rights to be free from arbitrary detention and unreasonable search. The trial judge found that the police had legally detained Le, who went on to unsuccessfully challenge his conviction in the Ontario Court of Appeal. He then took his case to the Supreme Court.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

31 19

Employers looking to hire temporary foreign workers face long delays due to spike in demand Some employers looking to hire t e m p o r a r y foreign workers are experiencing significant delays due to an increase in demand this year for migrant workers in Canada. The federal government says the volume of applications is up almost 25 per cent over last year – a development it says is partly because of Canada’s low unemployment rates. Employers who want to hire migrant workers in the “low-skill stream” are now waiting more than 100 days to find out if their labour market impact assessments (LMIA) will be approved. These assessments are necessary to prove the employer needs to hire temporary workers and that there are

no Canadian workers available for the jobs. Processing times for the “high-wage stream” are 85 days. “Unemployment is at a historic low, reaching levels that have not been seen since 1976. While this economic success is good for business, it is also creating challenges for employers who are struggling to find enough workers to meet demand,” said Veronique Simard, a spokeswoman for Labour Minister Patty Hajdu. “The temporary-foreign-worker program continues to experience an increased volume of labour market impact assessment applications across Canada. Recognizing the urgency of the labour shortage in Quebec and the rest of Canada, our government is taking

Liberals looking to balance tensions between telecom carriers, consumers The federal minister responsible for telecommunications said Wednesday that the Liberal government is very aware that there’s a tension between the needs of consumers and Canadian wireless carriers. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains told an industry conference that he’s heard their warnings that future investments in communications networks could be threatened by policy changes.

But Bains also told the audience that he and other members of the Trudeau government hear frequently from the public that high-speed internet and wireless pricing is unaffordable for many people. “It’s really a reflection of the fact that people are more and more online. The kids are more and more online. They work online,” he said. But they’re upset that Canadian prices for wireless data are among the highest in the world.

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

MPs across party lines call for new housing subsidy to help homeless veterans A cross-party group of MPs, flanked by organizations that help veterans in need, made a plea on the eve of the 75th anniversary of D-Day for the government to end veteran homelessness and create a special housing stipend as a key first step. The motion from Ontario Liberal MP Neil Ellis asks his own government to create a subsidy similar to one in the United States that’s credited with helping to cut in half the number of homeless American veterans and could get thousands of veterans off Canadian streets. Veterans Affairs Canada recommended something similar in early drafts of its strategy for helping homeless vets, noting that a rent-assistance program

would help veterans quickly find permanent housing wherever they live. The department wasn’t authorized at the time to provide that kind of financial help because any aid had to be related to a veteran’s time in the military, but Ellis and other MPs now see a path to make it happen through the decadelong national housing strategy, which includes the prospect of rent supplements. Accurate data about the number of homeless veterans in Canada remains elusive, but various studies peg the number between 3,000 and 5,000 — possibly more, since homeless counts and shelter studies rely on veterans to self-identify — with about 10 per cent of those being women.

Saturday, June 8, 2019 HSBC sounds alarm over ‘vulnerable’ Canadian housing market as global home prices cool Home prices, a gauge of an economy’s health, cooled across the globe in the last quarter of 2018, but higher interest rates in Canada have made the country’s housing market more vulnerable than other economies, according to the latest report from HSBC. In the last three months of the year, nominal prices of residential units were up by an average of 4 per cent globally, with real prices climbed 2 per cent. Nominal home prices in Canada rose 2 per cent, while real house prices declined 0.1 per cent, significantly lower than the 4.5 per cent and 2.3 per cent gains in the nominal and real house prices, respectively, of its closest neighbour, the US, according to data from the Bank for International Settlements. Vancouver’s ‘spicy measures’ have lowered property prices. Why haven’t Hong Kong’s? Canada’s tightening of monetary policy over the last two years has added about 1 percentage point to household debt servicing costs,

which means households need to allocate a bigger portion of their income to pay for credit card loans or mortgages, according to economists at HSBC. Debt service charges in Canada are currently near historic highs. “As the Bank of Canada started to raise rates in mid-2017, households and the housing market face financial challenges through mid-2019 and beyond,” said the report authored by economists James Pomeroy, Paul Bloxham, and David Watt. Besides the interest rate increases, Canadian cities Vancouver and Toronto had rolled out cooling measures in recent years such as additional taxes levied on foreign homebuyers. Vancouver increased the tax to 20 per cent in February, up from the 15 per cent which took effect in August 2016. Toronto and its surrounding area imposed a 15 per cent duty on foreign property investors in April 2017.

Canadians kidnapped in Ghana Global Affairs Canada is confirming reports that Canadian citizens have been kidnapped in Ghana. Local media reported that two women were abducted in Kumasi, a major city in central Ghana. GAC did not confirm specifics or offer information about the number of people abducted, citing security concerns. Canadian officials are working with local authorities and are in touch with the families of the individuals who were abducted, Global Affairs said. It’s the second kidnapping in the area in recent months.

In April, an Indian national was abducted at gunpoint and held for ransom. He was later rescued in a police raid. Kidnappings in this area are not commonplace but analysts suggest this latest incident is more likely linked to criminal gangs seeking a swift ransom payoff than more militant groups. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been adamant that his government will not facilitate payments to such groups, while his predecessor Stephen Harper publicly denied paying any ransoms. Sherbrooke woman missing in West Africa still alive, says Burkina Faso official.

Home sales hit 19-year low as price decline continues Canada’s most expensive real estate market continues its downward spiral. Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) numbers show prices printed another month of declines April. Price declines were largely due to rising inventory, and the fewest sales for the month in almost two decades. Greater Vancouver Real Estate Prices Are Still Falling The price of a home in Greater Vancouver is getting more affordable every month. The REBGV benchmark price of a “typical” home fell to $1,008,400 in April, down 8.5% from last year. In the city proper, Vancouver West fell to $1,225,000, down 10.7% lower than last year. Vancouver East fell to $1,016,000, down 8.8% from last year. Prices may be falling, but this is still the most expensive market in the country by a wide margin.

The trend appears to be heading towards larger declines for the benchmark. Last month’s 8.5% annual decline is the largest

printed since June 2009. Prices have now officially rolled back to May 2017 levels, losing

nearly two years of gains. Greater Vancouver Reported The Fewest April Sales In 19 Years Sales of Greater Vancouver real estate continue to slow to levels not seen in years. REBGV reported 1,829 sales in April, down 27.3% from last year. Sales are down over

Saturday, June 8, 2019

PM Trudeau increasing funding for global women’s health to $1.4 billion The federal government will gradually be increasing its annual commitment to funding for international sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, hitting and maintaining $1.4 billion annually, starting in 2023. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the 10-year funding announcement at the Women Deliver Conference that Canada is hosting in Vancouver. The conference, billed as the world’s largest gathering on women’s rights, is being attended by several heads of state and a slate of federal cabinet ministers. Sign up for our Capital Dispatch newsletter, delivered twice weekly to your inbox and every day during the election Trudeau said the increase will include $700 million a year starting in 2023 specifically for sexual and reproductive health initiatives. He said this will make Canada a leading donor when it comes to this kind of international aid. Canada currently spends $1.1 billion on women’s health services worldwide, and $400

million on sexual and reproductive health “This is a game changer that will empower 18 million women and girls in developing countries by 2030,” Trudeau said. “Canada is not just speaking up, we’re stepping up.” This pledge expands on the government’s 2017 commitment to $650 million over three years to address gaps in sexual and reproductive health globally. That initial pledge followed U.S. President Donald Trump banning funding for any international groups that perform abortions or educate about abortions. Advocates said the loss of the U.S. money left a sizeable funding gap. According to federal statistics, every two minutes a women dies from complications from pregnancy or childbirth, 25 million unsafe abortions take place annually, and in developing countries, 214 million are in need of contemporary forms of contraception.

Chinese ambassador to Canada to depart as diplomatic dispute rages on Lu Shaye, the Chinese ambassador to Canada who has been a combative presence throughout a serious and ongoing dispute between the two countries, is expected to depart soon for a new posting, CBC News has confirmed. With Lu’s departure, neither country will have a permanent ambassador in place at a moment of great tension on several fronts. Canada and China have been at odds since December 2018, when Canadian authorities detained Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, on an extradition request from the United States. Soon after, Chinese authorities detained two Canadian citizens: Michael Spavor, a businessman, and Michael Kovrig, a Canadian diplomat on leave to work for a non-

governmental organization. John McCallum, the former Liberal cabinet minister appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to represent Canada in China, was fired as ambassador in January after making public comments about Meng’s case. In March, China began to cut off imports of canola seed from Canada. Just this week, China said it would increase its inspection of Canadian pork products. Federal officials in Canada are also still weighing whether to allow Huawei access to Canada’s 5G wireless network. In a news conference in January, Lu said there would be “repercussions” for Canada if Huawei is rejected on national security grounds. In a newspaper op-ed that same month, he said the international community’s treatment of China reflected an attitude of “white supremacy.”

Jobless rate drops to 5.4%, lowest level in 43 years The Canadian economy added 27,700 jobs in May, enough to push the jobless rate down to 5.4 per cent — its lowest level since 1976. Statistics Canada reported Friday the jobless rate dropped three ticks mainly because there

were almost 50,000 fewer people looking for work. That, coupled with the jobs gain, was enough to push the rate to a more than 40year low. May’s job gain comes on the heels of 106,500 added in April, the best month for jobs on record. The May number means Canada’s economy has added 453,000 jobs in the past 12 months — an increase of 2.4 per cent, and the best 12-month stretch since 2003. It also surpassed the roughly 5,000 jobs

that economists polled by Bloomberg were expecting for the month. Most of the jobs were added in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. The job market shrank, meanwhile, in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Prince Edward Island. Everywhere else, it was little changed. Canada’s unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level on record. The numbers also seem to suggest the market for summer jobs for young people is doing well. Statistics Canada calculated that employment among 20- to 24-year-old students grew by 32,000 in May compared to the same month last year. Even younger workers (between ages 17 and 19) saw an increase of 35,000 new jobs compared to last year. Virtually all of the new jobs came in the form of selfemployment. Some 62,000 people identifying as self-employed got jobs during the month, but they were offset by a loss of 33,800 employees elsewhere. Economists tend to think that selfemployment isn’t the best type of employment because it tends to be temporary, and often isn’t as stable or well-paying in the aggregate.

NATIONAL

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Reserve Bank of India cuts rates to 9-year low to boost economy The governor later added that the sixmember committee changed the Central Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policy stance to â&#x20AC;&#x153;accommodativeâ&#x20AC;? from â&#x20AC;&#x153;neutralâ&#x20AC;?. The MPC in its commentary said it projected Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic growth at 7 per cent, lower than the 7.2 per cent projection made in April. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Global economic activity has been losing pace after a somewhat improved performance in Q1, reflecting further slowdown in trade and manufacturing activity,â&#x20AC;? the committeeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s statement said. The MPC also raised the forecast for retail inflation marginally to 3 per cent to 3.1 per cent for April-September 2019 as against its previous forecast of 2.9 per cent to 3.0 per cent. In his customary press conference, Das dwelt on a number of concerns regarding the financial sector. He said the RBI was closely monitoring the developments in the Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC)

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday lowered interest rates to a nine-year low in order give a boost to a slowing economy. The central bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC), led by Governor Shaktikanta Das, took an unanimous decision to lower the repo rate by 25 basis points or 0.25 per cent to 5.75 per cent. The repo is the rate at which the Central Bank lends to commercial banks. The reverse repo, or the rate at which the central bank borrows from the commercial banks, was also lowered to 5.5 per cent. Speaking to reporters after the announcement of the policy review, Das urged the banks to pass on the rate cuts to borrowers. The Central Bank hoped that lending institutions would reduce equated monthly instalments (EMI) for home loans, car loans and other loans.

50.8 degrees celsius, Churu, Rajasthan the hottest place in India Scorching heatwave conditions gripped large swathes of the country on Saturday as the mercury crossed the 50-degree mark in Rajasthanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Churu, while several other places endured maximum temperatures markedly above normal with the weatherman saying there will be no respite until next week. The national capital battled weather conditions in the â&#x20AC;&#x153;red categoryâ&#x20AC;? as the maximum temperature recorded at the Palam observatory was 46.1C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Safdarjung observatory recorded a maximum of 43.5C. The IMD on Friday issued the highest â&#x20AC;&#x153;red-colourâ&#x20AC;? warning for the city. Mahesh Palawat of the Skymet Weather said heatwave conditions will persist in Delhi for another week and the maximum temperature will hover around 46 degrees Celsius.

Churu in the western part of the desert state of Rajasthan was the hottest place in the country at 50.8 degrees Celsius, nine notches above normal, according to the MeT department office in Jaipur. The entire state reeled under intense heatwave conditions with Ganganagar, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Kota recording their maximums at 49, 47.9, 47.2 and 46 degrees Celsius. Jodhpur, Jaipur and Barmer registered their maximum day temperatures at 45.6, 45.2, 44.5 degrees Celsius. In Uttar Pradesh, the highest maximum temperature was recorded in Banda at 48.4 degrees Celsius. Several areas in the state reeled under heatwave conditions. The IMD said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are very likely to prevail over Rajasthan,

First openly lesbian athlete criticized by her family Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first openly gay athlete, Dutee Chand, is facing a barrage of criticism from her family after announcing she was in a same-sex relationship. The sprinter, came out last month, revealing her â&#x20AC;&#x153;soulmateâ&#x20AC;? was a 19-year-old woman from her village. She says Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic decision to decriminalize gay sex in 2018 inspired her decision. But since publicly

coming out, her family have reacted with hostility. Her parents, have not accepted their daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wish to â&#x20AC;&#x153;settle downâ&#x20AC;? with her partner. Her father has called their relationship â&#x20AC;&#x153;immoral and unethicalâ&#x20AC;?, telling the Times of India: â&#x20AC;&#x153;She has destroyed the reputation of our village.â&#x20AC;?

Communal clashes over use of loudspeakers in UP Communal tension prevailed in Rohaniya village in Uttar Pradeshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pilibhit district where a mob ransacked a temple and took away the idols. In the incident which took place on Wednesday evening, the mob also broke the loudspeakers in the temple. The police have registered a complaint against five men but no arrests have been made yet. According to reports, the temple situated on the outskirts of the village, attracts a sizeable crowd of devotees every evening and devotional songs are played on the loudspeakers. The village has both Hindu

and Muslim population. A mob reached the temple late Wednesday evening and asked them to stop using the loudspeaker, especially in view of the Eid celebrations. The people in the temple protested saying that the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;namazâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is carried out inside the village. The angry mob then cut off the wire of the loudspeaker and even removed the idols and threw them away. When the priest protested, the mob beat him up as well. The police was called in and the idols were restored in the temple. Tension continues to prevail in the village and additional forces have been deployed.

Pakistan foreign secretary on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;privateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; visit to India In a surprise move Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foreign Secretary Sohail Mehmood was in the national capital Delhi on Eid day has sparked speculation that he may be here for the mandatory spadework that precedes a highlevel meeting. The explanation being given after he was spotted offering Eid prayers at the Jama Masjid was that he was here to gather his belongings and take his family back to Pakistan. Mehmood was the High Commissioner till

April this year when he was named Pakistanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Foreign Secretary. Officially both India and Pakistan say there has been no decision on a meeting between PMs Narendra Modi and Imran Khan in Bishkek. But it is reasoned that in the absence of a Pakistan High Commissioner, Mehmood may be here to pass on Islamabadâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brief to its diplomats on conversing with South Block and in the run-up to the Bishkek summit of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation after a week.

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PUNJAB

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Punjab wants centre to apologise over ‘Bluestar’ A day ahead of the 35th anniversary of Operation Bluestar, the Akal Takht sought an apology from the Centre for carrying out an “Army assault” on the Darbar Sahib, Akal Takht and simultaneous attack on various other gurdwaras. Seeking to assuage the sentiments of Sikhs, Akal Takht acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said Parliament should accept that the attack conducted on the directions of the ‘Indian’ government was a blunder and should submit an official apology for it. “The Indian Parliament should bring ‘maafi da matta’ (a resolution of apology) for the execution of “Ghallughara” (Operation Bluestar) in 1984,” he said. Recently, Delhi BJP MLA and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee president Manjinder Singh Sirsa had also demanded a similar apology from the

Centre. In August 2005, then PM Manmohan Singh had apologised in Parliament for the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, saying he was not standing on any ‘false prestige’ and bowed his head in shame. Giani Harpreet Singh has appealed the Sikh organisations and public to maintain peace during the “ardas divas” organised to commemorate the Operation Bluestar anniversary on June 6. “I appeal that this most sensitive and emotional occasion should be observed to feel the pain through which the Sikh community had to pass. No activity should be carried out by any outfit to vitiate the environment and sanctity of the Golden Temple complex,” he said. Dhian Singh Mand, the controversial 2015 Sarbat Khalsa-appointed acting Jathedar of the Akal Takht, has announced to deliver a parallel public address from the Akal Takht premises.

Turbans tossed, swords brandished at Golden Temple ‘Bluestar’ anniversary Tossing of turbans, brandishing of swords and altercation between the pro-Khalistan supporters and the police were witnessed during the ceremony to mark the 35th anniversary of Operation Bluestar at the Golden Temple complex. Police personnel present inside the shrine complex in plainclothes controlled the situation from getting out of hand. Akal Takht Acting Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh delivered the

customary public address from the podium of the Akal Takht. As he finished the address, authorities played kirtan on the speakers, which disrupted the address supposed to be delivered by parallel Jathedar Dhyan Singh Mand, resulting in tempers running high. The clash between radical Sikhs and the SGPC task force took an ugly turn when the former tried to gain entry to the barricades that were fixed right in front of the Akal Takht.

6 killed, 6 injured as truck hits SUV in Haryana

Six people were killed and six others sustained injuries when a truck hit an SUV near Taloda Kheri village in Jind district on Thursday morning. The accident occurred on the SafidonJind road. The truck, which was being driven at a high speed, struck the Innova which was carrying 12 people of which five died on the spot. Another person succumbed to his injuries on the way to PGIMS Rohtak. The victims were headed to Sirsa from Shamli in Uttar Pradesh after celebrating Eid.

Sidhu stays away from cabinet meeting Amid the ongoing standoff between Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, the latter stayed away from the Cabinet meeting, first after Lok Sabha election. The Cabinet celebrated the party’s victory in the state in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections as Sidhu addressed media at his official residence and asked: “Why should I attend the meeting when there is a trust deficit in me? My seat in the Cabinet is three inches away from the Chief Minister. If he had expressed distrust in me publicly, where is the point in being seated next to him?” Sidhu went on to say that his department did not have any agenda in the meeting and hence he decided to stay away, “Had there been an item, I would have been the first to go,” he said. The minister, whose change

in portfolio has already been indicated by Amarinder, once again released his report card saying that Congress had done better in cities than rural areas in the election, without naming Rural Development Minister Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa. “Facts will not cease to exist if they are ignored. I live in the space where there is no fear and the head is held high. I am duty bound to the people of Punjab, to bring out what is factually correct. To help put things in the correct perspective, let’s follow the PPCC’s methodology for demarcating seats, out of the total 117 assembly segments in Punjab, 63 are considered as rural while 54 seats are accounted for as urban & semi-urban assembly segments. The recent results for the urban & semi-urban areas were 63 percent, winning 34 out of 54 seats.

CIRCKET / SPORTS

Saturday, June 8, 2019

This is Rohit’s best ever One-day innings, says skipper Kohli A dominant performance by the Indian team saw their World Cup campaign get off to a flying start. After the bowlers led the charge and restricted South Africa to 227, India breached the target courtesy a defiant century by Rohit Sharma. During the match in Southampton, fans spotted a special symbol embroidered on the gloves of team India’s wicket-keeper, MS Dhoni, and it created a huge buzz online. Harbhajan Singh reveals how MS Dhoni used IPL to prepare for World Cup

There were plenty of close-up shots of the same and it showed the regimental dagger insignia of the Indian Para Special Forces also known as ‘Balidaan’ symbolising sacrifice and it sent fans in a tizzy. Fans were blown over by this gesture and applauded the former Indian captain for his unbridled love and support for the Indian army. MS Dhoni, who has been conferred an honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Parachute Regiment in 2011, has also undergone

Virat Kohli impresses as leader Virat Kohli might not be the best captain in the world in terms of tactics but he certainly is the best leader of men, Shane Warne said in an exclusive chat on Sunday. The Australian legend picked Tim Paine and Kane Williamson as the two best tactical captains, saying that there was a difference between “captaincy, tactics and the leader of the team”. Warne said he was a big fan of Kohli and that the Indian skipper is great for the game. Meanwhile, the spin maestro also had his say on the World Cup 2019, picking India and hosts England

as the two favourites. “I think he is the best leader of the team at the moment. There is a difference between captaincy, tactics and the leader of the team. I am a huge Virat Kohli fan. I think he is great for the game of cricket. He leads his team so well. Tactically it’s very hard to split. I think Tim Paine, Kane Williamson from New Zealand are very good tactically as well. So I think it’s very hard to say if there are any standout captains but I would say the best leader of men at the moment is definitely Virat Kohli,” Warne said.

Dhoni gloves with Indian Army insignia, Twitter salutes the love A dominant performance by the Indian team saw their World Cup campaign get off to a flying start. After the bowlers led the charge and restricted South Africa to 227, India breached the target courtesy a defiant century by Rohit Sharma. During the match in Southampton, fans spotted a special symbol embroidered on the gloves of team India’s wicket-keeper, MS Dhoni, and it created a huge buzz online. Harbhajan Singh reveals how MS Dhoni used IPL to prepare for World Cup

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) West Indies won. June 1st - Saturday - New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, Cardiff (10:30 BST) New Zealand won by 10 wickets Saturday 1st - Afghanistan vs Australia, Bristol (DN) (13:30 BST) Australia won by 7 wickets Sunday 2nd - South Africa vs Bangladesh, The Oval (10:30 BST) Bangladesh won by 21 runs Monday 3rd - England vs Pakistan, Trent Bridge (10:30 BST) Pakistan won by 13 runs Tuesday 4th - Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, Cardiff (10:30 BST) Sri Lanka won by 34 runs Wednesday 5th - South Africa vs India, Southampton (10:30 BST) India won by 6 wickets Wednesday 5th - Bangladesh vs New Zealand, The Oval (DN) (13:30 BST) New Zealand won by 2 wickets Thursday 6th - Australia vs West Indies, Trent Bridge (10:30 BST) Australia won by 15 runs Friday 7th - Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Bristol (10:30 BST) Due to rain, match abandoned in a draw with 1-1pt. 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

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, Lord’s (10:30 BST) Monday 24th - Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Southampton (10:30 BST) Tuesday 25th - England vs Australia, Lord’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, Lord’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, Lord’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 Lord’s (10:30) BST)

Man shot at in broad daylight in Delhi A 30-year-old man was shot at in broad daylight in Delhi’s Nihal Vihar area on Thursday morning. The incident occurred around 10.30 am when Narender Sharma was travelling in his car, three men on motorcycle started chasing him near Shiv Ram Park. The assailants’ motorcycle bore a number-plate registered in Haryana. It is when Sharma reached the Mandir in Nihal Vihar that the assailants fired

six rounds at his car. Sharma sustained bullet injuries to his stomach and on the left side of his head. Sharma was rushed to Shri Bala Ji Action Medical Institute, Paschim Vihar, and was in a conscious condition at the time, according to a senior police official. The reason of the attack seems to be a personal enmity, the o

Saturday, June 8, 2019

SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, June 8, 2019

9 ministers, 2 governors from Muslim community resign over suicide bombing in church in Sri Lanka All of Sri Lanka’s Muslim ministers and their deputies have resigned from their portfolios after accusing the government of failing to guarantee the security of the nation’s minority Muslim community amid fears of attacks following the Easter suicide bombings. The decision comes after hardline Buddhist monks, including firebrand monk Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, set a deadline to the government to fire Muslim provincial governors and a minister. Gnanasara, who has long been accused of instigating hate crimes against Muslims, was released from jail on a presidential pardon last month. If our ministerial portfolios is in the way, we are willing to give it up for the safety of our community Rauff Hakeem, the leader of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress The resignations of nine ministers and two provincial governors come after thousands of people led by Buddhist monks began demonstrating this

morning in the country’s central city of Kandy, 115km east of the capital Colombo. Three weeks ago, mobs swept through Sri Lanka’s North Western Province, destroying hundreds of Muslims’ properties and killing one in apparent reprisal for the April suicide bombings in the island nation - a popular tourist destination. “It is disturbing to see Muslim politicians being forced to resign their posts on the basis of unproven allegations made by politically powerful religious leaders who claim to speak for the Buddhist majority, backed by a thinly veiled threat of violence,” said Alan Keenan, Sri Lanka Project Director, International Crisis Group, referring to two governors. “This sets a disturbing precedent, especially in Sri Lanka, where the repeated violation of the due process rights of minorities and political dissidents has contributed directly to Sri Lanka’s decades of extreme political violence,” he told Al Jazeera.

China’s $1.9 Billion belt-and-road rail project goes off the track A planned light-railway system that was the most high-profile project in Kazakhstan of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure program has hit a wall. A series of concrete columns snaking through the capital, NurSultan, are the only visible evidence marking the route of the $1.9 billion railway project that was supposed to start operating in 2020. China Development Bank halted lending last year after the collapse of the bank where funds it had provided were deposited. Kazakh officials now say they will have to borrow domestically to complete the work. Central Asia’s largest energy producer is a key element in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “project of the century” to revive ancient Silk Road trading routes with massive

infrastructure projects connecting China with Europe and Africa. Kazakhstan turned to China for billions of dollars in investments to help reboot an economy that grew just over 1 percent in 2015 and 2016, its slowest since 1998, after oil prices slumped, rocking the nation’s banking sector.China hasn’t said why it stopped funding the project. Calls to China Development Bank’s press service went unanswered. “One factor” in China’s decision to halt lending is that $258 million of the $313 million it had provided hasn’t been spent on the project, the Nur-Sultan mayor’s office said in an emailed response to questions. China Development Bank had lent the money to Kazakhstan’s state-

Nepal’s Pashupatinath temple owns Rs 1.3 billion cash, over 9kg gold A committee formed by the Nepal government, to investigate the assets owned by Pashupatinath Temple in Kathmandu on Wednesday, made public data that states that

the shrine owns 276 kg of gold and 1.3 billion rupees in cash, a report revealed. This is the first time in history that the data was made public by a committee formed by the government to investigate the assets owned by the shrine. The committee had carried out a study and survey on the basis of prevailing data of over a period of 10 months. After analysing the record from the Financial Department of Pashupati Area Development Trusts’ (PADT), the committee found out that a total of 1.3 billion rupees had been deposited in banks. Built in the fifth century, the shrine is one of the four most important religious sites in Asia for devotees of Lord Shiva. The lands, rest houses and sattals of the temple fall under the unmovable properties of the temple. Three offices falling under PADT, covered 994.14 hectares land of the shrine.

First-ever Everest cleanup throws up 11,000 kilos of trash, four bodies The rubbish, in conjunction with the our bodies of one of the most 300 individuals who have died over the years on Everest’s slopes, were buried under the snow for many years. A Nepal government expedition to Mount Everest has removed 11,000 kilograms (24,200 pounds) of garbage and four dead bodies from the world’s highest mountain, officials said Wednesday. Tourism Department official Danduraj Ghimire said the cleaners spent weeks collecting food wrappings, cans, bottles and empty oxygen cylinders. Some of the garbage was flown to Kathmandu and handed over to recyclers in a ceremony Wednesday officially concluding the cleaning campaign. Officials called it a successful mission but said more trash still needs to be collected. Some is covered by snow and only is exposed when temperatures rise. Officials have not been able to estimate exactly how much garbage is on the mountain. Most was at Camps 2 and 3, at which climbers can rest along the way from the base camp to the 8,850-meter (29,035-foot) summit. Ghimire said the four bodies were exposed by melting snow and were carried to base camp and then flown to a hospital in Kathmandu for identification. Climbers struggling to make it down the mountain alive sometimes are unable to carry out the bodies of teammates who have died.

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FIJI

Saturday, June 8, 2019

More than a dozen arrested for possession of illicit drugs More than a dozen people including farmers and a taxi driver were arrested by Police in the last few days after being allegedly found with drugs believed to be methamphetamine as well as marijuana. Eight out of the 13 people arrested were allegedly found with methamphetamine. In one incident, Police and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service worked together and helped intercept a vehicle carrying substances believed to methamphetamine at the Wainadoi Police Post. The driver of that vehicle is in custody at the Navua Police Station. They also arrested a taxi driver after a plastic of crystals believed to methamphetamine was allegedly found in his vehicle. Two farmers were also arrested in Savusavu on Tuesday after Police allegedly found

10 sachets of white substances believed to methamphetamine. Smoking apparatus and drugs believed to be marijuana were also allegedly found. The two men will be produced in the Savusavu Magistrates Court today each charged with one count of unlawful possession of illicit drugs. Four people were also arrested in two separate raids in Narere where two women and two men are in police custody. In the first raid in Narere, Police allegedly found drugs believed to be methamphetamine as well as smoking apparatus while drugs believed to be marijuana, smoking apparatus and $1,000 cash was allegedly found in the second raid. Two people were also arrested in Lautoka after being allegedly found with 16 sachets of drugs believed to be methamphetamine as well as marijuana.

Fiji Sugar Corporation pays extra $20 per tonne to growers The Fiji Sugar Corporation has paid an additional $20 per tonne so far to cane growers to make up for the $85 guaranteed price for cane for the 2018 season. It was announced in the 2018/2019 National Budget that the government will be setting up a stabilisation price, funded in partnership with the FSC of $85 per tonne for all cane payments for the next three years. The FSC says it is responsible for the guaranteed price for 2018 crop while the government will be responsible for the 2019 and 2020 crop. The FSC says that it is creating a Stabilization Fund from the sale of surplus unproductive assets, from which contributions to the guaranteed price are being paid for the 2018 crop. The Fiji Sugar Corporation had earlier said that

the forecast cane price for this year is $53.69 per tonne compared to $66.08 forecast for last year. The reduction is largely driven by lower global sugar pricing. It says that the world sugar price has experienced extreme volatility in the last 12 months and year on year has dropped by nearly 20 percent due to large production surpluses that have arisen in major sugar producing nations such as India, Thailand and Brazil. When questioned on what the FSC is doing to see that sugarcane production and sugar output increases significantly, the FSC says they are focusing on cane planting and replanting and factory efficiency upgrades.

Many await government’s plans on housing during National Budget address Housing still remains a major issue and people will be eagerly awaiting the 2019/2020 National Budget address on Friday to find out about the government’s plans on housing. Minister for Housing Premila Kumar had earlier highlighted that there are currently more than 250 squatter settlements throughout the country. Kumar also stated that in 2003 squatter settlements increased by 70 percent due to the expiry of cane leases. Additionally, in an effort to meet the demand for housing the iTaukei Land Trust Board has issued 10,052 new residential leases between 2010 to 2018. The trend of new leases issued by TLTB demonstrates the demand for housing in Fiji. TLTB was further questioned on the possibility of any expansion of this initiative, however, we are still awaiting a response. Another aspect of government housing

assistance is the first home purchase or construction scheme. In the 2018/2019 National Budget, the Fijian government announced that first home owners with an annual income of under $50,000 would receive $15,000 towards the first home construction or $10,000 towards the first home purchase.To be eligible applicants must be a Fijian citizen residing in Fiji, be 18 years of age and above, have an annual household income of $100,000 or less, have never previously purchased or owned a home in Fiji and the individual must meet the financial institution’s loan criteria and meet the FNPF Home Building Criteria under the Village/ Mataqali Scheme. Over 1,000 recipients have already benefitted from this scheme.

SODELPA does not have an alternative budget SODELPA had a Pre-Budget press conference today led by Opposition Leader Sitiveni Rabuka however they did not have an alternative budget or figures to present to people when questioned by Fijivillage. When asked by us on the figures that they have come up with in terms of revenue and expenditure if they were in government, SODELPA MP Aseri Radrodro says that they will only reveal this when they are in government. When further questioned on the issue on where they will get money

from to fund their budget if they were in government, SODELPA MP Viliame Gavoka says they will put more money in other industries. Meanwhile, SODELPA Leader Sitiveni Rabuka says that they will first want to know how much government is budgeting and what is more realistic, so that they can reveal what they want government to improve in the budget. According to Rabuka, cost of living is high, poverty is increasing, taxation is rising and that is one reason he believes that there is lack of investor confidence in the country.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, June 8, 2019 Pakistan army agreed in a rare move to cut its hefty budget for a year to help ease Pakistan’s “critical financial situation”, Prime Minister Imran Khan said. Pakistan has struck an agreement in principle with the International Monetary Fund for a $6 billion loan but Islamabad is expected to put in place measures to rein in a ballooning fiscal and current account deficits to get access to the funds. The IMF has said the primary budget deficit should be trimmed by the equivalent of $5 billion, but previous civilian rulers have rarely dared

Pakistan army agrees to its budget cut amid economic woes to trim defense spending for fear of stoking tension with the military. Unlike some other civilian leaders in Pakistan’s fragile democracy, Khan appears to have good relations with the generals who have ruled the nuclear-armed nation for nearly half its history since independence in 1947. Pakistan’s de facto finance chief, Hafeez Shaikh, on June 11 is due to announce spending plans for the financial year beginning in July. Under Pakistan’s devolved system, the

Pakistan to withdraw Rs700bn tax exemptions, says official Pakistan with International Monetary Fund (IMF) scheduled to conclude a staff-level agreement on Friday, that Pakistan would withdraw tax exemptions amounting to Rs700 billion within two years. During their discussions, the two sides worked out a financing gap of around $11 billion for the next fiscal year, 2019-20. Under the understanding, the government will start withdrawing exemptions offered in various

taxes amounting to around Rs350bn in the budget for 2019-20. The two sides also agreed that Pakistan would increase costs of utility such as electricity & gas for the consumers in the next budget. It has been agreed that the power sector regulator, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), would be made autonomous and the government interference to take popular decisions would be minimised.

Centuries-old ‘Palace of Guru Nanak’ demolished by vandals A centuries-old ‘Guru Nanak palace’ was partially demolished by a group of vandals who sold its precious windows and doors in Pakistan’s Punjab province, a media report said Monday. n The walls of the four-storey building had pictures of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak as well as of various Hindu rulers and princes, Dawn news reported. The ‘Palace of Baba Guru Nanak’, said to have been built over four centuries ago, was frequented by a number of Sikhs from across the world, including India, the report said. The structure at a village in Narowal city — about 100 km from provincial capital Lahore — had 16 rooms with each of them having at least three delicate doors and at least four ventilators, it said.

The group of locals not only partially demolished the structure allegedly with the connivance of auqaf department officials but also sold its precious windows, doors and ventilators, the report said. Its construction comprised old bricks, sand, clay and limestone. The rooms were constructed with large broad walls with cupboards in them that had wooden doors with flowers carved on them. All the rooms were airy and their walls had small lamp enclosures in them. Expensive diyar wood beams of various sizes were used in the roofs, it said. A local resident Muhammad Aslam said: “This old building is called the Palace of Baba Guru Nanak and we have named it Mahalan. A number of Sikhs from across the world, including India, used to visit this building”.

Five years jail for JeM activists for terror funding An anti-terrorism court sentenced three activists of Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) for five years each jail for arranging funds for the proscribed terror outfit amid pressure from the global community to rein in militant groups. The Anti-Terrorism Court found the trio guilty in three separate cases on Friday after funds collected for the militant outfit were recovered from them. They were sent to the central prison in Gujranwala in Punjab province. The convicts M Iftikhar, Muhammad Ajmal and Bilal were also fined Rs 45,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 40,000 respectively besides the sentence. The Counter

Terrorism Department (CTD) in Gujranwala had earlier registered a case against them, the Express Tribune reported. According to Punjab CTD spokesperson, the investigations and prosecutions ¿are being followed to stop proscribed organisations from indulging in terror financing. The spokesperson warned these organisations and their leaders to desist from such acts or action would be taken against them. Pakistan launched a crackdown against supporters of militant outfits after pressure from the international community to stop support to the militant groups.

federal government must hand over more than half its budget to the provinces, and the remainder is mostly eaten up by debt servicing and the military’s vast budget. Khan late on Tuesday tweeted that he appreciated

the military’s “unprecedented voluntary initiative of stringent cuts in their defense expenditures” for next financial year because of the country’s “critical financial situation”. This will allow money to be spent on the development of the tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, still recovering from more than a decade-long Islamist insurgency, and violenceracked Baluchistan province, Khan added.

Hafiz Saeed not allowed to lead Eid prayers in Lahore For the first time in years, Mumbai attack mastermind and Jammat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed was not allowed by the government on Wednesday to lead Eid-ulFitr prayers at his favourite venue Qaddafi Stadium here, an official said. Instead, Saeed, chief of UN-designated terrorist organisation JuD, offered prayers at a local mosque adjacent

to his Jauhar Town residence here. “JuD chief Saeed wanted to lead the Eid prayers at the Qaddafi Stadium but he was conveyed by an official of the Punjab government a day before (Tuesday) that he could not do so. In case he goes ahead with his plan (to lead the Eid prayers) the government may arrest him,” the official privy to the development said.

NRI

Saturday, June 8, 2019

Pramila Jayapal becomes first South Asian American woman to preside over US House Indian-American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal held the Speaker’s gavel on Tuesday, becoming the first South Asian American woman to preside over the US House of Representatives. Jayapal, 53, a Democrat from Washington DC, took to Twitter to share a clip of Tuesday’s session where she was seen presiding over the House as a temporary speaker. In the text that accompanied the clip, Jayapal, who was first elected in 2016, wrote, “Today, I became the first South Asian American woman to preside over the US House of Representatives. Beyond proud to serve in the

most diverse Congress in our nation’s history and to hold the gavel today.” The 116th Congress broke records with women and lawmakers crossing racial and religious barriers, including an all time high for Asian American lawmakers. A record number of 17 Asian Americans serve in Congress, with 14 in the House and three in the Senate. Although Nancy Pelosi has been serving as the Speaker of the House of Representatives since January 2019, members of the majority party in the House periodically take turns to temporarily preside over the chamber.

NRI CEO charged with securities fraud in USA A former Indian CEO of a publicly traded American fintech firm has been indicted for a multi-million dollar accounting fraud, a US attorney has said. Venkata Meenavalli, 49, has been indicted for allegedly orchestrating an accounting scheme to defraud investors and others by recognising more than US$ 66 million in fake revenue to fraudulently get the company listed on the Nasdaq exchange, US Attorney Craig Carpenito said on Wednesday.

The charges carry a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a USD 5 million fine. According to documents, in 2017 and 2018, Meenavalli and others orchestrated a multi-million dollar accounting fraud relating to Longfin Corp, a publicly traded company purportedly engaged in sophisticated commodities trading and so-called “cryptocurrency” transactions, including “blockchain-empowered solutions.”

Sikh man denied entry to the restaurant for wearing turban in USA A Sikh youth was recently denied entry to a restaurant in the US for wearing a turban when he went there to meet his friends post midnight, leaving him ‘hurt and embarrassed’, said a media report. The incident took place in Port Jefferson. The 23-year-old, Gurvinder Grewal, went to Harbor Grill, but the security guard did not let him enter because of his headwear, citing new policy at the eatery. Grewal, a graduate from the Stony Brook

University, said: “I felt shocked, embarrassed and hurt. I never encountered a situation where I was refused a service or entry into an establishment for wearing a turban”. He said that he tried to explain to the manager that he wore the turban to practise his religion and wanted to spend time with friends for the night. However, the manager at the Grill did not let him in. The policy was introduced at the bar, which enforces a dress code after 10 pm on Fridays and Saturdays.

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Indian-origin Anita Bhatia appointed UN-Women’s dy executive director United Nations Secretary General António Guterres on Thursday appointed Anita Bhatia, a person of Indian origin, to the post of deputy executive director in the international body’s arm that focuses on women empowerment and gender equality. Bhatia is an expert in strategic partnerships, resource mobilisation, and management, an official statement from the United Nations said. Bhatia will take on the new role in the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of

Women for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships. Bhatia completed her graduation in Calcutta University and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. She went on to pursue masters degree from Yale University in political science. The statement said that the deputy executive director also had an illustrious career at the World Bank Group and has served in several leadership and managerial positions both at the United Nations headquarters and in the field. For several years, Bhatia has served in the private sector arm of the World Bank as the director

Obama praises Sikh man with rainbow turban for Pride month A San Diego-based neuroscientist who is celebrating this year’s Pride Month with a rainbow turban has found support from former US President Barack Obama. Jiwandeep Kohli, a bisexual and a Sikh, went viral a few days ago when he shared an image of his elaborate creation on Twitter. “I’m proud to be a bisexual bearded baking brain scientist,” he captioned the image. “I feel fortunate to be able to express all these aspects of my identity and will continue to work towards ensuring

the same freedom for others.” His photo collected over one lakh ‘likes’ and more than 15,000 retweets. Now, adding to the long list of people who have commended him is Mr Obama, a vocal supporter of LGBTQ rights. “You’ve got a lot to be proud of, Jiwandeep. Thanks for everything you do to make this country a little more equal. Turban looks great, by the way,” wrote Barack Obama on Twitter. “Happy Pride Month, everybody!” he added.

Body of nissing NRI software engineer found New Jersey State Police June 3 found the body of Indian American Avinash Kuna following a threeday search. Kuna, 32, of Parsippany, New Jersey, went missing June 1 after stepping off his boat in Lake Hopatcong to go for a swim, according to media reports. His body was recovered shortly after 6 p.m. from the waters in Henderson Cove, state

police said, according to an NJ.com report. Kuna was last seen the morning of June 1, when he entered the water from a pontoon boat and submerged without resurfacing, state police said. The software engineer, who friends say dreamed of being an entrepreneur, was celebrating his birthday with friends on the rented boat.

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