The Asian Star December 23 2017

Vol 16 - Issue 47

Saturday, December 23, 2017

‘We see suicidal seniors’: BC housing crisis forcing elderly into the streets Deepak Obhrai says there may not be a conspiracy against him but there’s definitely a political “vendetta” at play in the attempt to unseat him as the Conservative nominee in Calgary Forest Lawn. Obhrai, an MP for two decades, is being challenged for the Conservative nomination in the east Calgary riding by former Progressive Conservative MLA Moe Amery. In a Facebook post earlier this week, Obhrai said he was being challenged by someone he had considered a friend and described the campaign as a “conspiracy,” a phrase ridiculed by Amery.

On Thursday, Obhrai released a statement saying he “misspoke” in his Facebook post when he used the word conspiracy. “I was referring to a personal vendetta against me, by longtime political opponents,” he said. in an interview, Obhrai declined to elaborate on what he meant by vendetta. He said he does not feel betrayed by Amery, but the Continued on page 7

Tel:604-591-5423

5-car pileup on Alex Fraser Bridge leaves taxi on top of another vehicle

5- car pile up on Alex Fraser Bridge

See on page 18

Aga Khan could face lobbying probe for Trudeau trip Trips by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family to the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas violated conflict of interest laws, according to Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson, and could also put the Ismaili Muslim religious leader under investigation.

Trips by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his family to the Aga Khan’s private island in the Bahamas violated conflict of interest laws, according to Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson, and could also put the Ismaili Muslim religious leader

Award-winning reporter Elizabeth Thompson covers Parliament Hill.

A veteran of the Montreal Gazette, Sun Media and iPolitics, she currently works with the CBC’s Ottawa bureau, specializing in investigative reporting and data journalism. She can be reached at: elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca.

‘I’m sorry,’ Trudeau says after violating conflict laws with visits to Aga Khan’s islan Trudeau’s Bahamas vacation cost over $215K — far more than initially disclosed Aga Khan island that hosted Trudeau

Continued on page 6

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh may be getting married, but he won’t say for sure It looks like NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is getting married, but don’t expect him to talk about it just yet. On Sunday, photos and video of a ceremony featuring Singh, 38, and a woman named Gurkiran Kaur Sidhu began appearing on social media. Several posts congratulated him on his “engagement,” including a video posted to Instagram by DJ KSquare. But according to Singh’s press secretary, James Smith, Singh is emphatically NOT engaged. “It’s not an engagement; it’s not a wedding,” Smith told the Post on Monday morning. “That’s all I can say right now.” He said any social media posts that say otherwise are “incorrect.”

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

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Saturday, December 16, 2017

y W Wishing you and your family a

Merry Christmas and a peaceful, prosp and joyful New Year.

Andrew Wilkinson

ANDREW WILKINSON MLA, VANCOUVER-QUILCHENA

5640 Dunbar Street Vancouver, BC, V6N 1W7 604.664.0748

@Wilkinson4BC

/AndrewWilkinsonForBC

andrewwilkinsonmla.ca

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OPINION

Saturday, December 23, 2017

By Charles Lammam and Hugh MacIntyre The Fraser Institute anada’s personal income tax system is complicated and the nuances are often cryptic. So citizens routinely rely on Canada Revenue Agency staff to help them navigate the system. Turns out, the system is often too complicated even for CRA officials to understand. A recent report by Canada’s auditor general found that almost 30 per cent of the answers CRA officials gave to public queries were wrong. Some questions were more likely to get incorrect answers than others. For example, when asked when interest begins to be charged on initial assessments, CRA officials gave the wrong date 84 per cent of the time.

The auditor general doesn’t delve into why wrong answers are given, but part of the reason is the sheer complexity of the system.

By multiple measures, our personal income tax system has grown increasingly complex since it was established 100 years ago. In 1917, the Income Tax Act contained 3,999 words.

By 2016, it ballooned to 1,029,042 words.

The number of pages - after standardizing increased from a mere six in 1917 to 1,412 a

Canada’s tax code is too complicated - even for CRA officials

C

century later. So it’s no wonder CRA officials regularly get details wrong. A key source of complexity is the long list of tax credits, deductions and other special preferences (collectively known as tax expenditures). These cover a wide range of activities such as donating to a political party, volunteering as a firefighter and buying a home for the first time. From 1996 to 2014, the federal government added 27 personal tax expenditures for a total of 128.

That’s a 27 per cent increase in just 18 years.

Claiming these tax credits typically requires tax-filers to store receipts or fill out additional forms to demonstrate eligibility. This adds significantly to the time and frustration involved in submitting a tax return. As tax complexity grows, so do tax compliance costs.

Direct costs to Canadian households include hiring professionals to help fill out tax forms (accountants, lawyers, etc.) and purchasing specialized software for the same purpose.

Indirect costs include the value of the time required to understand the tax rules, compile relevant materials and complete the tax form.

Once all of these costs are added up, Canadians spend nearly $7 billion complying with the

personal income tax system each year. That translates to about $501 per household.

CRA officials are supposed to make the process easier by providing clear and accurate answers to the public’s questions. But clearly they too are often confused by the tax system.

It would certainly be a good thing for the CRA to improve the accuracy of its answers, but there’s a broader problem that should be solved: the complexity of the system itself.

After all, there would be less reason to call the CRA if the system was easier to navigate.

Charles Lammam is director of fiscal studies and Hugh MacIntyre is a senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute (www.fraserinstitute.org)

A government that works for you

By B.C. Premier John Horgan

Government should work for people. That is my belief and it is at the heart of every decision our government makes, and every action we take.

We committed to make life more affordable, improve the services people count on, and create good-paying, sustainable jobs in every corner of the province. Over the last few months we’ve taken the first steps towards making those commitments a reality. As we look toward the New Year, we are looking forward to making life better for people across BC. It hasn’t been easy. The list of challenges our government inherited is long: an unrestrained housing crisis, eroded services, unacceptably high poverty levels, stagnant wages, a financially strapped ICBC, cost overruns and mismanagement at Site C, inaction on climate change, an overdose emergency, and a fight to stop the Kinder Morgan pipeline, to name a few.

Continued on page 8

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

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LOCAL

From page 1

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Jagmeet Singh may be getting married

Later, Smith confirmed that the ceremony was a “celebration of the families meeting for the first time.” He said the couple doesn’t want the event to be confused with an engagement. “They don’t want to hide this,” he said. “They just don’t want it to be misinterpreted.” The ceremony was similar to a roka — a ceremony that precedes some Indian weddings — though Smith said Singh isn’t using that term. A roka is a formal meeting of the two families that confirms the couple’s relationship.

The NDP leader may not yet be engaged, but that hasn’t stopped anyone from jumping to conclusions. In an Instagram post Monday morning, Toronto wedding photographer Gagandeep Singh congratulated the couple, referring to them as the “future Prime Minister of Canada” and “future First Lady.”

On Monday, Smith said the ceremony was “more than bringing your partner home to meet your folks for the first time,” but that it would be unfair to label a first formal meeting of the families an engagement. He said no public announcement is planned “for the near future.”

Sidhu is the co-founder of Jangiiro, which describes itself on Facebook as a “new-age Punjabi clothing line” in the Toronto area. She and her company both appear to have posted photos of the ceremony on Instagram on Sunday, but they have since been taken down.

Sidhu appears to have since deleted some of her social media accounts.

Huffington Post Canada reported that Singh was a bachelor in January, but Sidhu was with him when he won the NDP leadership in October.

Trudeau ‘sorry’ for violating conflict laws with visits to Aga Khan’s island Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologized for his actions after the federal ethics watchdog found he violated some provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act when he vacationed on a private island owned by the Aga Khan last Christmas season and took a private helicopter to get there. He also promised to check with the ethics commissioner before booking holidays. “I’m sorry I didn’t, and in the future I will be clearing all my family vacations with the commissioner,” he told reporters on Wednesday. Trudeau and his family stayed at the Aga Khan’s home on Bell Island in the Bahamas from Dec. 26, 2016 to Jan. 4. Trudeau had publicly confirmed they were taken there by the Aga Khan’s private helicopter. The PMO

has also confirmed that Liberal MP Seamus O’Regan and his husband, Steve Doussis, as well as Liberal Party president Anna Gainey and her husband, Tom Pitfield, were guests on the trip. After investigating the prime minister for the better part of a year, outgoing Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson released her decision on Wednesday. Trudeau’s Bahamas vacation cost over $215K — far more than initially disclosed She found that besides the post-Christmas trip, Trudeau had also accepted a vacation on the island for himself and his family in December 2014, and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau set up a trip to the island in March 2016 with a friend of hers and their children.

“When Mr. Trudeau, as prime minister, accepted the gifts of hospitality from the Aga Khan and the use of his private island in March and December 2016, there were ongoing official dealings with the Aga Khan, and the Aga Khan Foundation Canada was registered to lobby his office,” Dawson’s office said. “Therefore, the vacations accepted by Mr. Trudeau or his family could reasonably be seen to have been given to influence Mr. Trudeau in his capacity as prime minister.” She also found Trudeau contravened the part of the act when he didn’t recuse himself from private meetings with the spiritual leader in May 2016 about a $15-million grant to the endowment fund of the Aga Khan’s Global Centre for Pluralism.

Trudeau told reporters on Parliament Hill Wednesday he regretted not taking proactive precautions to ensure there was no conflict of interest or appearance of conflict of interest.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said Trudeau showed a lapse of judgment by not clearing the trips with Dawson ahead of time.

“I accept him at his word today, but it seems that this prime minister made the decision that it is easier to ask forgiveness than it is to ask for permission,” he said. “The issue here is not just about the nature of the friendship [with the Aga Khan] but it is about the way the prime minister has handled this right from the beginning. “The issues around this particular ethics violation have come to a conclusion, but the book that the Liberals are [writing] on ethics is continuing to be written.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called the findings troubling.

“I had a lot of hope in this government, I had a lot of hope in this prime minister,” he said.

“What we’ve learned today is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has broken the law, there is no other way to put it but that he has broken the law with respect to ethics.” Dawson ruled that Trudeau violated the four provisions of the act: Every public office holder shall arrange his or her private affairs in a manner that will prevent the public office holder from being in a conflict of interest.

No public office holder or member of his or her family shall accept any gift or other advantage, including from a trust, that might reasonably be seen to have been given to influence the public office

Saturday, December 23, 2017

‘We see suicidal seniors’: BC housing crisis forcing elderly into the streets From page 1

former MLA took both him and the party by surprise when he launched the nomination challenge.

Obhrai is taking issue with Amery’s contention he was no longer adequately fulfilling his role as an MP. “I helped him a lot. I helped him with personal issues and all those kind of things,” he said. “So I’m a bit surprised that he’s accusing me of not being there for the constituents.

“It would be far more appropriate for him to say he would like to challenge me and that’s the way it goes, not attacking me on something he knows very well is not true.” Moe Amery was the MLA for CalgaryEast from 1993 to 2015. Postmedia Archives Amery was the MLA for Calgary-East from 1993 until he lost his seat in 2015.

He has filed papers with the Conservative party to run for the nomination but still needs final approval of the party for his candidacy. No nomination date has been set.

Aga Khan could face lobbying probe for Trudeau trip From page 1 owned by company with offshore ties, records show Trudeau accused of misleading Canadians on Bahamas vacation Trudeau under renewed attack for Bahamas vacation Part of government’s cost for Trudeau’s Bahamas vacation went to Aga Khan Cost of Trudeau’s Bahamas vacation now tops $133,000 Ethics watchdog investigates PM’s trip to spiritual leader’s private island Aga Khan’s taxpayer-backed thinktank moves into heritage digs after decade of delays 2014 visit to Aga Khan’s island was also by private helicopter, Trudeau says Trudeau says ethics concerns over Bahamas vacation will be ‘ironed out’

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In the face of those challenges, we’ve made some tough choices. Site C is the most recent and difficult example, but it’s not the only the one. From getting the budget right, to tackling the financial crisis the BC Liberals left at ICBC, to crafting a comprehensive housing plan, we

Nov 30,

Saturday, December 23, 2017

A government that works for you have tough work ahead of us. But we are determined to get it done so government works better for more people.

This fall, we changed politics for the better by banning big money in politics, toughening lobbying rules, and paving

the way for a referendum on proportional representation, to give people a say in how we vote. We’re improving services by investing in education for our kids, adding trades training spaces at B.C. colleges and universities, and making college and university tuition-free for former children in care. We’re making life more affordable by removing unfair bridge tolls, raising the minimum wage and increasing income assistance and disability payments.

We’re growing a sustainable economy that works for people by supporting traditional industries like forestry, energy and mining, and encouraging growth in small business, tourism, agriculture, manufacturing, technology and innovation.

We established a Ministry for Mental Health and Addictions to tackle the

overdose crisis and help people living with mental illness. We’re fighting for BC forest workers in the softwood lumber dispute. We’re making reconciliation with Indigenous peoples a cross-government priority, and we’re standing up for BC’s interests against a seven-fold increase in tanker traffic in Burrard Inlet and the Salish Sea. There’s so much more to do, but I’m proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish so far.

As we look towards the New Year, we know there are serious challenges ahead, including the crisis housing affordability, affordable child care. We’re determined to find solutions while we look out for the best interests of people in B.C. It’s time for B.C. to work for everyone, not just the few at the top. Together, we’re going to make that happen.

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

RCMP capture another one of 10 most wanted, following raid at a home in Surrey Surrey RCMP have arrested another of its 10 most wanted “prolific offenders.” Erin Norman (pictured) was arrested in a Surrey home over the weekend, days after his name appeared on a list of Surrey’s most wanted.

Landlord Gary Parhar said Surrey RCMP officers swept in on his home with guns drawn on Saturday afternoon and arrested Norman.

Parhar said Norman had recently moved in with his girlfriend who lived in his basement suite. After the arrest, Parhar viewed the most wanted list online.

“I said, ‘That’s the same guy who was living here,’” he said.

Erin Norman was wanted for failure to comply with a probation officer. He has a lengthy criminal history that includes assault, robbery and weapons charges.

Norman is the second person on Surrey’s most wanted list to be captured. On Friday, Eugene Lane, who was wanted for theft under $5,000 and for failure to comply with a probation order, was captured by police.

New Site C contract moves forward as opponents call for auditor general review BC Hydro is set to sign a major contract on Site C, the first since the B.C. NDP opted last week to allow construction of the controversial dam to continue. The announcement comes as opponents of the dam in northeast B.C. are asking the province’s auditor general to review the decision to move forward with the project.

A partnership led by Toronto-based Aecon Group Inc. has been chosen as the preferred proponent to build a generating station and spillways for the dam, which will flood 5,500 hectares of the Peace River valley near Fort St. John, B.C. BC Hydro said in a news release it expects to sign a final agreement in early 2018 and

peak work on the project will occur in 2021, when approximately 1,600 jobs will be generated. Meanwhile, opponents of the project have asked Auditor General Carol Bellringer to review the NDP’s decision to move ahead with Site C, citing concerns over how the costs of cancelling the project were calculated. In announcing his decision to move ahead with Site C construction, Premier John Horgan said while he would not have started the project, construction is far enough along that the cost of cancelling would be too high.

The province’s independent energy regulator concluded in a report last month that the dam is over budget and behind schedule.

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MP Obhrai says there’s a ‘personal vendetta’ against him in Forest Lawn nomination battle Deepak Obhrai says there may not be a conspiracy against him but there’s definitely a political “vendetta” at play in the attempt to unseat him as the Conservative nominee in Calgary Forest Lawn.

Obhrai, an MP for two decades, is being challenged for the Conservative nomination in the east Calgary riding by former Progressive Conservative MLA Moe Amery. In a Facebook post earlier this week, Obhrai said he was being challenged by someone he had considered a friend and described the campaign as a “conspiracy,” a phrase ridiculed by Amery.

On Thursday, Obhrai released a statement saying he “misspoke” in his Facebook post when he used the word conspiracy.

“I was referring to a personal vendetta against me, by longtime political opponents,” he said. In an interview, Obhrai declined to elaborate on what he meant by vendetta.

He said he does not feel betrayed by Amery,

but the former MLA took both him and the party by surprise when he launched the nomination challenge.

Obhrai is taking issue with Amery’s contention he was no longer adequately fulfilling his role as an MP. “I helped him a lot. I helped him with personal issues and all those kind of things,” he said. “So I’m a bit surprised that he’s accusing me of not being there for the constituents. “It would be far more appropriate for him to say he would like to challenge me and that’s the way it goes, not attacking me on something he knows very well is not true.”Moe Amery was the MLA for Calgary-East from 1993 to 2015. Postmedia Archives Amery was the MLA for CalgaryEast from 1993 until he lost his seat in 2015.

He has filed papers with the Conservative party to run for the nomination but still needs final approval of the party for his candidacy. No nomination date has been set.

NDP MLA Harry Bains organized holidays open house at his offices in Newton last week.

Police seek public’s help after assault on Surrey teen RCMP are turning to the public for leads on an assault in the south part of the city Thursday morning. Police say at 7:35 a.m. PT, a 16-yearold girl walking in Alderwood Park was grabbed by an unknown male who appeared to be following her.

The girl ran off to Earl Marriot School.

Police say they were immediately dispatched to the scene but could not find the man.

“Thankfully, the victim is physically uninjured, however, she is understandably upset by the incident,” Cpl. Scotty Schumann

said in a statement.

The victim described the suspect as: A Caucasian male. Thirty to 40 years oldHaving a fair complexion. Short black hair Clean-cut looking.

Wearing a black hoodie and gloves. Police say a similar incident took place in September, and they are looking into whether the alleged crimes are related.

Officers are canvassing the neighbourhood for witnesses and video surveillance and looking into whether this incident is related to any other similar incidents.

Renewable energy growing in Canada but solar installations lagging behind Although the cost to build solar power has plummeted over the last decade, a new report suggests Canadians aren’t rushing use the sun to make electricity. The National Energy Board today released its annual look at the state of renewable energy in Canada and it says solar energy accounts for just 0.5 per cent of all Canada’s generated electricity. And almost all of that exists entirely in Ontario, the report notes.

NEB chief economist Shelley Milutinovic said the trend in Canada is that renewable energy sources like wind and solar are replacing coal as Canada moves to eliminate that as a source of electricity by 2030.

Between 2005 and 2016, non-hydroelectric renewables — wind, solar and biomass — grew from 1.5 per cent of total electricity generation in Canada to 7.2 per cent.

Canada must reduce emissions from oilsads to meet climate goals: OECD report During that same period coal fell from 16 per cent to 9.3 per cent as a source of power.

Canada intends to eliminate coal as a source of power by 2030 and only four provinces still get any power from the fossil fuel. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development released a review of Canada’s environmental policies this week which gave the country a rough ride for its energyintensive, high-emitting, resource-based economy, but did point to Canada’s electrical supply as a positive. Only about 20 per cent of Canada’s electricity comes from fossil fuels now — divided almost equally between coal and natural gas. Nuclear energy accounts for 15 per cent of Canada’s electricity supply.

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

South Asian man killed in car crash leaves behind wife and two young kids North Delta man killed in a single-vehicle accident in Richmond on Tuesday (Dec. 19) He has been identified as Raji Kaila, a husband and father of two young children. Raji Kaila, 37, was a passenger in a 2006 Acura sedan that collided with a hydro pole near River Road and No. 8 Road around 11:30 a.m. that day.

The car was partially submerged in a ditch when RCMP arrived. The driver of the vehicle, a 45-year-old fellow Delta resident, was able to escape from the car and help pull the passenger from the vehicle with the help of some Good

Samaritans.

Kuljeet Kaila, a local TV and radio broadcaster, said her late relative was “a happy-go-lucky guy, just an instant joy in the room for the family.

“The guy just never had a bad day,” she said on behalf of the family. “It’s devastating,” Kuljeet added, “because he has a couple little kids – an eight-year-old daughter and a five-year-old boy, and he leaves behind his wife (Sarb), and his parents and his sister, who got married not even a month ago.”

Vancouver woman charged with Empty Homes Tax for land with no home on it A Vancouver woman said she’s being unfairly targeted by the city and its Empty Homes Tax over a property she owns in the Kerrisdale area.

It’s not that the home isn’t empty. It’s that there’s no home on the property whatsoever.

Vancouver approved the tax in July, in a bid to boost rental stock in the city. Under the new rules, owners of units that are left empty for more than six months of the year will be taxed at one per cent of their assessed value. But Jane Macdougall is scratching her head about why she’ll be saddled with a tax bill

of between $40,000 and $60,000. Not only does her plot of land at 6161 Macdonald St. not have an empty home, it’s never had anything built on it at all.

Macdougall said she only realized the tax applied to her when the city sent declaration forms to property owners last month. “I couldn’t find a box that actually responded to what this property was. I mean it’s virgin land, it’s never had a structure on it,” she said. “And I couldn’t find anything that addressed that it wasn’t a property in development.

We wish everyone in our communities a safe and enjoyable holiday season A message from the Surrey Teachers’ Association

Police hunting a man who groped teen near Langley school Langley RCMP are looking for witnesses after a teen girl was allegedly groped in the wooded trail area near Walnut Grove Secondary School earlier this month. The incident happened on Dec. 1, when the girl was walking through the area at about 8:15 a.m.

A man, described as being Caucasian and aged 30 to 40 years old, allegedly approached the girl and tried to physically make her go somewhere with him, but she managed to escape.

He was also described as being about six feet tall with a skinny build, according to an RCMP news release. Police also said he was wearing blue

jeans and a grey hoodie.

The incident was reported to police on Dec. 12.

Langley RCMP are looking for help from any witnesses who might have noticed something suspicious happening in the trail area on Dec. 1.

Police also offered a few safety tips, such as making sure never to walk alone while wearing headphones. They also recommended keeping your cell phone in a bag or a jacket.

“You want to make yourself as unappealing to all criminals as you can,” they said.

Driver dead after colliding with taxi on Burrard Street Bridge One person has died and two others are in hospital in serious condition following an early Tuesday morning collision on the Burrard Street Bridge.

The collision resulted in a fire and left pieces of a wrecked Audi R8 strewn across the roadway around 1 a.m. According to a witness who was on scene, the Audi could be heard taking off loudly near Cornwall and Burrard, headed northbound on the bridge.

“He was flooring it and when he shifted into fourth or fifth gear, he lost control and hit the taxi and the side of the bridge and exploded in a massive fireball,” said the witness who asked not

to be named. “I called 911 and by the time I ran up the bridge, there were several cabbies and the police had arrived.

“From what we could see the Audi was split in half.”

Vancouver police say the Audi was travelling north on the bridge when the driver lost control, crossed the centre line and collided head-on with a southbound taxi. The lone occupant of the Audi died at the scene, while a 68-year-old taxi driver and his male passenger, who police say was in his 30s, were taken to hospital where they remain in serious condition.

Both are Vancouver residents.

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Vancouver police nab four more in break-and-enter sting An ongoing Vancouver police investigation into a series of residential breakins in South Vancouver has led to four more people being charged with break and enter offences.

The VPD began Project Lookout in early November after several residents reported their homes were ransacked and personal items were stolen.

“It appears that suspects were circling neighbourhoods looking for potential targets.

They would knock on the door, and when no one answered, they forced entry,” VPD Cst. Jason Doucette said in a release. Four people were arrested last month as part of Project Lookout and, as a result of the investigation, additional suspects

were identified and a second investigation, Project Lights Out, was launched.

VPD arrested four more people Dec. 5 after witnessing them allegedly break into homes in Burnaby.

Corbin Neil Thomas, 28, of Richmond, Jerome Anthony Wood, 30, of Vancouver, Dwayne Nathan Dennis, 42, of Vancouver and Kim Adam Carter, 30, of Burnaby have now been charged with two counts of break and enter. “Once Project Lookout was underway, detectives realized there may have been more than one group of people involved,” said Doucette. “This should send a message to offenders that we will continue to investigate,

BC’s police watchdog to investigate fatal police incident in Burnaby B.C’s police watchdog has been called in to investigate after police found a man with a gun dead inside a vehicle Wednesday morning in Burnaby.

Around 3:45 a.m., Burnaby RCMP officers were in the area of North Willingdon Avenue and Triumph Street for a complaint.

A short time later, police found a man sitting in the driver’s seat of a car parked in the area, unrelated to the original call for which they’d been dispatched. “A rifle was allegedly observed on the man’s lap,” according to a statement shared by the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. “Attempts to verbally engage the man were

unsuccessful and police requested the assistance of the Lower Mainland Emergency Response Team.” The response team later approached the car and confirmed the man was dead. Nearby elementary schools and side roads were closed as a precaution; they reopened after the incident team wrapped up around 8 a.m. The B.C. Coroners Service has also been called in. The IIOBC investigates files involving police where a fatality has occurred.

The agency will now look into whether police action or inaction had any link with the man’s death.

Arrest of Chinese-Canadian businessman sought in fraud and money-laundering case A Chinese-Canadian businessman was charged Thursday in connection with an alleged fraud and money-laundering case involving hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of investors in China. Edward Gong, who lives in Toronto’s North York neighbourhood and has established himself as a hotel, television, and health supplements mogul was charged Thursday following a months-long investigation into his affairs, led by the Joint Serious Offences Team of the Ontario Securities Commission. Gong, who also goes by the name Xiao Hua Gong, faces four charges under the Criminal Code of Canada:

fraud over $5,000, possession of property obtained by crime, laundering proceeds of crime, and uttering a forged document.

He is accused of using two of his companies, O24 Pharma PLC and Canada National TV Inc., to fraudulently sell securities to Chinese citizens between January of 2012 and Dec. 20 of this year.

A disclosure document issued on otcmarkets. com in May by a company called 024 Pharma Inc., which lists Xiao Hua Gong as president, says its business is vitamin and mineral manufacturing and retail.

Victoria loses bid to host 2022 Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games in 2022 will be hosted

by Birmingham, England, after outbidding Canada, Australia and Malaysia.

The Games federation made the announcement Thursday morning in the U.K. city, following a nine month decision process.

Federation president Louise Martin applauded the city’s ambitious and innovative vision to engage and benefit its local community, showcase the best of global Britain and warmly welcome and inspire athletes and fans from around the commonwealth. Martin also recognized the competing bids, including one from right here in B.C. Earlier this year, David Black, who owns community news company Black Press Media and was head of the Victoria Commonwealth Games committee,

brought forward their proposed bid to have the 2022 games take place in B.C.’s capital and the Lower Mainland. However, the newly elected provincial government questioned the funding amount to support the games, which was estimated at $400 million, as well as potential cost overruns. At the time, Black said the committee had a ‘Plan B’ that involved a team of 10 local business leaders who had personally guaranteed to cover any cost overrun. The business plan included $150 million in commercial revenues from the games, with federal, provincial and private investment combining for $600 million in new housing.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Transit police arrest man for harassing woman on SkyTrain A 64-year-old man, accused of stalking a young woman on Vancouver buses and SkyTrains, has been arrested by Metro Vancouver Transit Police.

Transit police say a 21-year-old Vancouver woman told patrol officers on Monday that an unknown man had been following and harassing her for several months.

The woman regularly encountered the man on her commute to and from work. She said his behaviour included making inappropriate sexual remarks and gestures.

“It’s a form of stalking … it’s criminal harassment,” said Metro Vancouver Transit Police spokesperson Anne Drennan.

The man allegedly followed the woman on the bus and the Canada Line, whispered in her ear and on one occasion, tried to grab her buttocks.n“She saw it coming and managed to jump out-of-the-way and he wasn’t able to make contact,” said Drennan.

Drennan said the man’s behaviour was also witnessed by the victim’s boyfriend.

“She became very frightened over a period of time as the incidents became more and more frequent,” Drennan said. “Things were getting out of control and she decided she needed help.” A 64-year-old Vancouver man was arrested Tuesday night at bus loop adjacent to the Marine Drive Canada Line Station.

He was released from custody on a promise to appear in Vancouver provincial court on Feb. 19, 2018 with a condition that he is to have no contact with the victim.

Transit police are recommending charges of criminal harassment and attempted sexual assault. The man, whose name was not released, has no criminal record.

“We commend this young woman for her bravery and willingness to come forward,” said Drennan.

Surrey residents and Mounties donate generously to goodwill initiatives A record number of donations were collected this past week from the public and Surrey RCMP employees and staff in support

For more information on the beneficiaries of Pack the Police Car, please visit the Surrey Food Bank, Sources Food Bank, and

of two holiday themed goodwill initiatives.

On December 20th, 2017 Surrey RCMP officers delivered over 10,000 pounds of food and over $7,000 cash to local food banks and Christmas hamper programs as part of the detachment’s annual “Pack the Police Car” events held across the city between December 1st to December 14th. The donations will help those struggling in our community and ensure that no one goes without this holiday season.

“This annual event always brings out the best in our community and we are so thankful to residents for supporting this worthwhile cause,” says Corporal Scotty Schumann.

“Your kindness and generosity will ensure those struggling within our community are properly taken care of this holiday season.”

Cloverdale Christmas Hamper Program.

On December 19th, 2017 over 4,200 toys and $3,600 were delivered to BC Children’s Hospital as part of Surrey RCMP’s contribution to Keian’s Holiday Wish Toy Drive. Toys and cash donations were collected from the public and employees and staff at Surrey RCMP’s six offices.

“Thank you to everyone who donated so generously,” says Constable Mark Peterse.

“We were overwhelmed by the tremendous response by the community and our own staff. “The toys will help make this Christmas that much brighter for children and their families at BC Children’s Hospital.”

For more information on “Keian’s Holiday Wish Toy Drive”, please visit their Facebook page or find them on Twitter.

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Supreme Court upholds dangerous offender provisions in Criminal Code

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he Supreme Court of Canada has affirmed the constitutionality of Criminal Code provisions for declaring someone a dangerous offender who can be held indefinitely.

The 8-1 high court ruling came Thursday in the case of Donald Joseph Boutilier, who was branded a dangerous offender and sentenced to an indeterminate prison term.

Boutilier had pleaded guilty to six offences arising out of an armed robbery of a drug store and subsequent car chase in Vancouver seven years ago. A drug addict who was abused as a child, he had a long criminal record for offences including assault and kidnapping.

The Criminal Code’s dangerous offender provisions have been on the books for decades, but were amended by the Liberals in 1997 and, more recently, as part of a 2008 omnibus anti-crime bill introduced by the Harper Conservatives.

The dangerous offender scheme is a two-stage process: the designation, then the penalty. At the designation stage, if

a sentencing judge is satisfied that certain criteria have been met — such as a pattern of unrestrained, violent behaviour posing a threat — the person is declared a dangerous offender.

At the penalty stage, the judge must impose an indeterminate sentence unless there is a reasonable expectation a lesser measure will protect the public.

Boutilier argued the Criminal Code sections dealing with both stages were inconsistent with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

A sentencing judge found the designation section to be overly broad, and therefore unconstitutional, because it did not allow an offender’s treatment prospects to be considered

Woman dead after vehicle falls 30 feet down embankment in North Vancouver A 54-year-old woman died Tuesday in a single vehicle accident in North Vancouver.

North Vancouver RCMP said the woman was driving eastbound on Dempsey Road at around 7:30 a.m. when she veered off the road and descended more than 30 feet down an embankment.

The driver taken to hospital by ambulance but died from her injuries.

North Vancouver woman dies after vehicle plunges Police say the vehicle down embankment sustained significant damage.

“This is a tragic accident, The Integrated Collision Analysis especially given the time of the year,” said Cpl. Richard De Jong. “The cause and Reconstruction Service (ICARS) is investigating the incident. of the accident remains unknown.”

at the outset of the process. He suspended this declaration of invalidity for one year.

Still, the judge designated Boutilier a dangerous offender and rejected his charter argument that the penalty stage of the law heavily curtails judicial discretion at sentencing in favour of keeping the offender behind bars indefinitely. An appeal court disagreed with the judge’s finding of unconstitutionality as to the designation stage, and Boutilier then took his arguments to the Supreme Court.

In its ruling Thursday, the court found the designation section of the law does not preclude a sentencing judge from considering

future treatment prospects before designating an offender as dangerous. It said the question of whether an offender can be treated helps inform a judge’s decision as to the threat the person poses. In her reasons for the majority, Justice Suzanne Cote wrote that “a prospective assessment of dangerousness ensures that only offenders who pose a tremendous future risk are designated as dangerous and face the possibility of being sentenced to an indeterminate detention.” “This necessarily involves the consideration of future treatment prospects.” The court also concluded the penalty section of the law does not violate the charter by leading to grossly disproportionate sentences. Rather, an indefinite stay behind bars is just one sentencing option among a full spectrum available under the section.

“Every sentence must be imposed after an individualized assessment of all of the relevant factors and circumstances,” Cote wrote.

Finally, the court upheld Boutilier’s designation as a dangerous offender.

Former B.C. Mountie Tim Shields not guilty of sex assault A former RCMP inspector was found not guilty Wednesday of sexually assaulting a civilian employee in a washroom at the force’s British Columbia headquarters.

Tim Shields, who was a highprofile spokesman for the RCMP, was accused of sexually assaulting the woman in 2009. The trial heard Shields and the complainant, who cannot be identified because of a publication ban, had a sexual encounter in a unisex washroom. Crown attorney Michelle Booker maintained Shields had a “mistaken belief ” that the woman provided consent, while the ex-Mountie said she was a willing participant in what happened.

Provincial court Judge Patrick Doherty said the Crown failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt and despite some evasiveness in Shields’s testimony, he

had to find him not guilty. “His evidence raised a reasonable doubt in my mind against (the woman’s) subjective assertion that she did not consent to sexual touching in the bathroom,” Doherty said. There were gaps in the evidence of both Shields and the complainant, he said, adding that a “criminal trial is not a credibility contest,” but the onus is on the Crown to prove its

Man charged with killing of his wife and two daughters in Kelowna Three charges of second degree murder have been laid against a Kelowna man after three bodies were found in a home earlier this week.

Thirty-four-year-old Jacob Forman is accused of killing his wife and two children.

According to the charging document, his wife, Clara Forman, and daughters, Karina and Yesenia, were killed sometime between Sunday and Tuesday. RCMP were called to the family residence in the Rutland neighbourhood of Kelowna Tuesday and discovered the bodies.

“RCMP are continuing their efforts to locate and notify the immediate family members of these victims of this tragic investigation,” said RCMP Const. Lesley Smith in a statement.

“Police are asking the media and public to respect the family at this difficult time while officers work to ensure the next of kin have been notified.” 3 found dead in Kelowna, B.C. home, one man in custody Forman’s next court appearance is January 18th. Kelowna’s Latin American Community plan to hold a vigil for Clara Forman and her daughters December 28th. nThe RCMP Serious Crime Unit, forensic identification specialists and B.C. Coroners Service continue their investigation.

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

3 killed as Amtrak train derails south of Seattle; was travelling at 80 mph in a 30 zone, says NTSB At least three people were killed and scores of others were transported to hospital when an Amtrak train derailed south of Seattle at 7:40 a.m. Monday. There were 72 passengers aboard the train who were evaluated for injury, Washington State Police Capt. Dan Hall, said Monday night. Ten of the passengers were said to be in serious condition while 13 others were left with moderate or minor injuries.

The NTSB took over the investigation on Monday night from Washington State Police and the FBI. Officials with the NTSB said Monday night that the train was travelling at 80 miles per hour in a zone where the limit was 30 miles per hour.

Earlier media reports had said there were

six killed, but officials couldn’t confirmed that number. While officials couldn’t confirm if all passengers had been accounted for, fire officials said they had searched all the train cars for survivors.

Five cars and two semi trucks on the I-5 were struck by the derailed cars and multiple drivers were injured and rushed to hospital. Traffic is currently being diverted and the highway will likely stay closed into the morning, officials said. Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste said the highway wouldn’t be open until the Department of Transportation inspected both the train bridge and the roadbed.

3 fatalities, over 100 transported to hospital in Amtrak train derailment: Officials

BC engineer develops scanner to diagnose eye diseases early and save vision A British Columbia engineering science professor has developed a high-resolution scanner that he says will revolutionize how eye diseases are diagnosed to prevent vision loss.

Prof. Marinko Sarunic of Simon Fraser University said doctors currently use lowresolution scanners that can assess the cause of patients’ dead retina cells. “Because the resolution is low, they don’t detect small changes, they detect big changes,” he said.

“What we want is to see the changes to the retinal structure before they’re obvious in a person’s vision.” A scanner built on billiardsized tables is now used at a few universities in the world for research purposes but it’s too big and complicated for routine diagnosis of diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and wet age-related macular degeneration, Sarunic said. “The problem is the technology is so inaccessible that it’s not in a place where it can help. We want to bring the technology

to the clinics, to the front lines, where it does have the potential to help.” Compared with the large, hard-to-use research scanner, his is about the size of a shoe box and uses medical imaging, or optical coherence tomography, for 3-D cross-sectional images of the retina, Sarunic said. The technology is being licensed to a British Columbia-based startup company that’s working on commercializing it with the help of an American backer. Only two other groups are working on similar technology, one in Boston and another in Austria, Sarunic said.

“It’s very unique, still, worldwide,” he said of the scanner he has spent a decade developing as part of his research with ophthalmologists and vision scientists. It was tested for eight months at Vancouver General Hospital in 2016 and again for about three months this year and has been well received for its ability to produce images of fine capillaries, blood vessels and photoreceptors, the light-sensitive cells in the

BC Assessment warns 67,000 homeowners of big increases Thousands of B.C.homeowners have been given a heads-up that their property assessments will rise at rates above the provincial norm come 2018.

B.C. Assessment has issued 67,000 notices to homeowners throughout the province whose homes will see an above-average increase in value. Some homes are set to increase by 30 per cent or more.

The new assessments indicate a “strong market,” one that’s largely been driven by a surge of condo and townhome sales in 2017, says a release from B.C. Assessment.

“The majority of letters are being sent to residential strata properties, because this is the market that’s been most robust over last year’s assessment,” said Tina Ireland, an assessor with B.C. Assessment.

The new valuations, which are used to determine 2018 property taxes, were taken based on market values around July 1, 2017.

Over 20% of new condos in Vancouver and Richmond owned by non-residents Climbing property assessments trigger

warning revealed

letters to 90,000 B.C. homeowners B.C.’s most expensive properties in 2017 assessments

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Maninder Gill’s mother passes away The Gill family announces with great sadness the loss of their beloved mother/ grandmother/mother in law Sardarni Prakash Kaur Gill, age 93, on December 18, 2017 at Surrey Memorial Hospital.A funeral service will be held on December 24, 2017 at 12:30 pm at Five River Funeral Home (7410 Hopcott Rd, Delta, BC V4G

1B6). Afterwards an antham ardass will be held at Gurdwara Singh Saba at 2:30 pm (8115 132 St, Surrey, BC V3W 4N5). All friends and family are invited to share their respects with the family at my residence (12156 56th Avenue, Surrey.

Tel:604-505-1600).

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

Surrey urged to ‘rethink how they donate’ after mess on 135A Street While Surrey’s generosity being praised, the director of a charity that helps the homeless is urging people not to drop items off along 135A Street. Why? It’s making a mess, said Michael Musgrove, director of Surrey Urban Mission Society (SUMS).

“Rather than drop off on 135A Street, contact Nighshift, Lookout (emergency Gateway shelter) or SUMS and do donations there,” he said. “We will distribute it based on need. We will get it into the hands of people.”

Musgrove said the problem is that “clothing,

blankets, food, scarves, toques, all these things are being dropped off and it’s wonderful that people have the heart to do this, but it actually ends up becoming clutter on 135A Street.”

See also: Video of Surrey’s tent city on 135A street goes viral See also: Province not helping house Surrey’s homeless fast enough: mayor “Driving down the street you

Crews battle house fire in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood Firefighters battled a blaze Friday morning at a home near Trafalgar Street and Third Avenue in Vancouver.

The fire, called in at approximately 5:30 a.m. PT, engulfed the entire top floor of a three-storey home.

“I walked out with my housecoat on and the whole roof was aglow, it was ablaze,” said neighbour Sophie Dikeakos. Dikeakos said a couple who is new to the area lives in the

suite. Fire officials say they don’t believe they were home when the fire started.

“This building is significantly damaged and the one beside it has got water damage because of the smoke,” Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services battalion chief Dale Parno said. “The one down below it has got water in their basement and there’s not much we can do to prevent that.”

can see donations as you go down, especially in field right beside the church,” he added.

“It creates quite a mess and we’re trying to keep that area really clean.” Musgrove said at Wednesday morning’s Surrey Outreach Team meeting, there was discussion about creating a donation bin along 135A Street, which would be distributed to Lookout, Nightshift and SUMS for distribution.

Musgrove acknowledged that some want a more hands-on donation experience and he invited them to come down to help serve a meal at the mission. See more: Count finds 49 per cent more homeless people in Surrey

Man dead in Maple Ridge shooting The Integrated H o m i c i d e Investigated Team says a man is dead after an early morning shooting in Maple Ridge.

In a tweet, IHIT said more information would be released later in the day.

IHIT called to MapleRidge after early morning shooting leaves

1 male dead. Believed to be targeted.

They are appealing to the public for any information.

More to come.

Cloverdale couple lights up lawn for charity It takes 10 plastic storage tubs just to hold the extension cords the Bonneteaus need to power their annual Christmas light display.

“We’ve got thousands of lights,” said Andrea Bonneteau. “We started out with just a little bit of a display, and every year we add something.” “We call it the Bonneteau Winter Wonderland.” For the last seven years, Bonneteau and her husband have decorated their Cloverdale, B.C., home with an increasingly elaborate display of lights, music, inflatable figures, and a full

nativity scene hand built by Bonneteau’s brother-in-law. It’s been such a success that they decided to start collecting donations for charity. All proceeds from this year’s display will go to the Surrey Memorial Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit.

Bonneteau began work on the display the day before Halloween, a holiday for which the house had also been elaborately decorated.

Finding storage space for the offseason has been a challenge, but running the light display in the dark winter nights of December isn’t cheap either.

Bonneteau says she ends up paying an extra $600 on average in electricity each year to power the lights and decorations.

But it’s worth it, she says, to see the looks of delight on the faces of everyone who comes to take in the sights and sounds.

“Just seeing everybody’s smiles when they come up the driveway — they’re all happy to see the lights, and that makes me happy,” Bonneteau said.

The Bonneteau Winter Wonderland is located at 16951 Jersey Drive in Cloverdale, Surrey. Pacific Trackless Trains will be offering a train ride for neighbourhood kids on Friday, Dec. 22, between 6 and 7:30 p.m., with proceeds also going to the Surrey Memorial neonatal intensive care unit.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

DREAM CARPET

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

Calgary educator now facing 49 charges as 19 more underage alleged victims come forward A Calgary man is now facing 49 charges as more than a dozen underage victims of alleged sexual predation have come forward to police.

Calgary police say 19 new victims have spoken out, bringing the total to 22 victims.

Christian Sarile, 27, was first charged on May 3, 2017, in connection with three separate complaints of underage girls being sexually abused. He is facing multiple counts of sexual assault, making sexually explicit material available to a child, luring, accessing child pornography and a number of other charges.

Calgary police said this is the biggest investigation into child abuse in the city’s

history, both in number of alleged victims and the number of charges.

Police said Sarile would use social media sites posing as a young teen male to meet young girls. He would then ask them to “chat” through various social media platforms and then offer them items or cash in exchange for sexual favours. Calgary Police Service Staff Sgt. Melanie Oncescu said parents should talk to their children about social media and sharing public information.

“I would want parents to have the same conversations with their kids about social media that they would in terms of being in public and engaging conversations with people they don’t know,” Oncescu said.

“It’s important that parents and kids are safe. Parents should know what social media platforms their kids are accessing [and] talk to them about the fact that there is nothing anonymous about sharing pictures, sharing personal information online,” she said. “So sharing those intimate pictures, they’re out there. They’re accessible by many, many people.” “Engaging in a conversation and making arrangements to meet with that individual anywhere is not safe.“ Police said this included victims sending photos of themselves, either clothed, partially clothed or naked. It’s alleged the victims were girls between the ages of 12 and 17 years old.

Police believe one incident took place in 2009,

another in 2011 and the remaining incidents occurring between 2015 and 2017. Sarile was a musician and had completed a degree in education at the University of Lethbridge at the time original charges were laid. In his resume posted online he describes himself as a “Musician. Educator. Student.” It also says he completed his practicum at Connect Charter School, teaching students in Grades 4 to 9.

Police said numerous social media sites were used by Sarile, including Askfm, Snapchat and Instagram, with the user names: josh.c234, bmyles, bmyles23, Brandon, mike. reele, avgjoe2 and a-rod.

Liberals had ‘pretty good’ record on housing, Rich Coleman says B.C. Liberal interim leader Rich Coleman said during its 16 years in power, his party posted a “pretty good” record on housing affordability but faced challenges along the way.

“It’s all supply and demand. The marketplace drives a lot of things,” he told CBC host Dan Burritt during a year end interview.

“Governments can’t actually, just by themselves, drive affordability.”

But while in government, his party did take action on the file, he said, citing policies like the foreign buyers’ tax on Metro Vancouver homes and the luxury tax on homes selling for over $2 million.

He said their policy of subsidizing rents still helps 30,000 people who need it the most: people living in poverty or with a disability, mental health or addiction problem.

“We helped more people individually by doing that and changing lives than just building the bricks and mortar all the time.”

He also predicts the 100,000 housing units for the Lower Mainland that are on their way would moderate prices, adding his government’s pursuit of those units wasn’t easy.

“The reality is is it takes so long to develop anything in the City of Vancouver.

Even if they give you a piece of land, you can basically bank three years to try and get it in the ground and that’s a fast track.”

Despite winning the most seats in the historic May 2017 election, the Liberals were sent to the Opposition benches thanks to a deal between the NDP and Greens.

He predicts the new government will face some of the same housing challenges as the Liberals: a hot market, short supply and diverse market realities across the province.

5-car pileup on Alex Fraser Bridge leaves taxi on top of another vehicle A taxi ended up on top of another vehicle in a five-car pileup on the Alex Fraser Bridge on a rainy Sunday night.

One car had reportedly stalled in the bridge’s middle lane before drivers piled into each other behind it at about 8:45 p.m.

Emergency responders were on the scene, but it’s not believed anyone was seriously hurt.

However, some who were involved in the pileup were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

The incident blocked the bridge’s left and centre lanes heading northbound, according to DriveBC. People are advised to drive with caution.

NATIONAL

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Trudeau should repay $200K to taxpayers for trip to Aga Khan’s private island: opposition

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pposition parties are demanding that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau repay taxpayers for all or part of the transportation and security costs for a Christmas vacation to the Aga Khan’s private Bahamian island last year — which left taxpayers on the hook for more than $200,000.

Trudeau owes it to Canadians to foot the bill after Dawson found the prime minister violated four different provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act when he and members of his family accepted the trip last December, Conservative ethics critic Peter Kent said Thursday.

“Perhaps he should consider returning … a significant part, or perhaps all of the $215,000 of taxpayers’ money that was spent in enabling his unacceptable holiday,” Kent said in an interview. He argued that the move would show Trudeau is sincerely sorry for his ethical lapse in accepting the Aga Khan’s invitation to vacation on his private island.

Prime Minister Trudeau meets with the Aga Khan in his Centre Block office in Ottawa.

May 17, 2016. PMOIn a report published Wednesday, Dawson concluded the vacation could reasonably be seen as a gift designed

to influence the prime minister, whose government has had official dealings with the Aga Khan, a billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims, and his charitable foundation. Following its release, Trudeau acknowledged he should have taken precautions and cleared his family vacation prior to the trip. “I’m sorry I didn’t, and in the future I will be clearing all my family vacations with the commissioner’s office,” he said. “I’ve always considered the Aga Khan a close family friend, which is why I didn’t clear this family trip in the first place, but given the commissioner’s report, I will be taking all precautions in the future.” Trudeau evidently isn’t the only political heavyweight who considers the Aga Khan a friend — John Kerry, then U.S. secretary of state, was also a guest of the Aga Khan’s at the same time, the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed Thursday.

Dawson’s report referred only to a “senior American official of a previous administration” being present on the island.

The PMO would not say what, if any, interaction took place between Trudeau and Kerry.

Couple found guilty of sexually assaulting young girl go free because case took too long A Manitoba couple convicted of sexually assaulting a young girl over a five-year period have had their convictions thrown out in a Portage la Prairie courtroom after a judge ruled their case was unreasonably delayed. The two were charged with sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference each in July 2013. They were convicted in May 2017, nearly four years later, but their convictions were tossed after filing a motion with the court, saying it took too long.

“I find that the delay in this case was unreasonable,” Justice Sandra Zinchuk said in her decision last week. Supreme Court sets new deadlines for completing trials The ruling follows the Jordan decision, as it has come to be known — a July 8, 2016, ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada that set aside drug convictions in a British Columbia case due to unreasonable delay. In a 5-4 ruling, the court said the old means of determining whether proceedings had taken too long were inadequate. Under the new framework, unreasonable delay was to be presumed

if proceedings topped 18 months in provincial court or 30 months in superior court. Not meant to send a message to victims Scott Newman is a Winnipeg defence lawyer and spokesperson for the Criminal Defence Lawyers Association of Manitoba. He said that while he couldn’t speak to this specific case, as a whole, it’s important for the criminal justice system to function in a timely manner.

“It’s never meant to send a message to anyone involved in a particular case,” said Newman. “It’s meant to send a future message, to say ‘get your house in order.’”

“This will happen again unless you have the criminal justice system running efficiently and running appropriately and delivering timely justice for everyone.”

Man accused of sexually assaulting child walks free due to court delays Newman said timely justice is important because “people’s memories fade, it gets harder to defend yourself from allegations particularly when you don’t know about them until you’re arrested later.”

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Current polls show Liberal path to victory in 2019 after NDP byelection loss, say pollsters The Liberal victory in the South SurreyWhite Rock byelection and recent polls show the Liberals can still win big by wooing away NDP voters, pollsters say.

However, new NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh might not be the problem for the party, polls show, despite it being trounced in four byelections across Canada last week.

Mr. Singh was rated favourably by more v o t e r s than not in recent polls conducted

by Angus Reid and N a n o s R e s e a rc h , though approval ratings don’t necessarily translate into voting intention.

New Democrat insiders brushed off the byelection results last week, saying their candidates had no real shot at making up ground, and the party had plenty of time to turn the tables on the leading Liberals.

The second-place Conservatives have been hammering the Liberals over alleged conflicts of interest, tax policy, and missteps by the Canada Revenue Agency for

months. But the last few weeks have shown that the Liberals can continue to prosper by eating into the NDP base, said Angus Reid Institute executive director Shachi Kurl and Nanos Research chair Nik Nanos.

“For the Liberals, the key here both in terms of approval and vote intention, is to ensure that the NDP sort of stays low. Their key to victory in 2015 was about being able to capture more of the left-of-centre vote than the NDP. That continues to be their path to victory over the next two years,” said Ms. Kurl.

NDP needs Liberal slip-up, says Nanos The Liberals picked up one seat from the Conservatives in South Surrey-White Rock, B.C., and held two others in four byelections on Dec. 11, while Conservative candidate Rosemarie Ashley Falk protected the seat in Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask. vacated by former Conservative veteran Gerry Ritz, who retired in August.

The New Democrats lost between two and five percentage points of the popular vote in those ridings compared to the 2015 general election. Liberal candidate Gordie Hogg boosted the Liberal vote share in South Surrey-White rock by six points compared to 2015 to help pick up the seat from the Conservatives, while the Conservatives dropped two

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

Street cost for cannabis lower than legal price point, Statscan finds Statistics Canada has published new data on the street value for cannabis showing it could cost at least 13 per cent less than the proposed legal price.

The price point will be crucial as nearly a century of prohibition ends: While some people may be willing to pay a slight markup for the quality and security of the legal product, others may opt for the cheaper, underground supply, especially if

they are already used to buying it that way.

Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced a week ago that the price that the provinces and federal government are proposing for legal cannabis is $10 a gram including a federal excise tax of $1 or 10 per cent, whichever is higher.

That would make legal cannabis considerably

higher than the $8.84 per gram a Statscan report released on Monday found people were willing to pay on the black market in 2015.

That study found Canada’s underground cannabis trade was worth as much as $6.2-billion in 2015 – almost as much as the legal wine market. The report assumed a price range of $7.14 to $8.84 a gram to determine the market would have represented around

70 per cent to 90 per cent of the size of the $7-billion wine market in the most recent year Statscan analyzed. Meanwhile, PriceOfWeed. com, the crowdsourcing site Statscan plans to use to help it figure out how much cannabis costs on street corners, currently pegs the average gram of “high quality” dried cannabis at $7.56, based on almost 10,000 submissions over the past seven years.

Canada abstains as UN General Assembly backs resolution to nullify U.S. move on Jerusalem

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controversial UN resolution against President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has passed 128-9, with Canada among 35 countries that abstained from voting.

Before the UN General Assembly voted Thursday, Trump had threatened to punish any country that opposed him. The assembled voted in favour of declaring “null and void” the U.S.’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s

capital. Voting with the U.S. were Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo.

Thursday’s vote in New York City was significantly lower than its supporters had hoped for, with many forecasting at least 150 “yes” votes out of the 193 member states.

“We are disappointed that this resolution is one-sided and does not advance prospects for peace to which we aspire, which is why we have abstained on today’s vote,” said Adam Austin, a spokesperson for Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.

“Canada’s longstanding position is that the status of Jerusalem can be resolved only as part of a general settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. This has been the policy of consecutive governments, both Liberal and Conservative.”

Canada’s ambassador to the UN, MarcAndré Blanchard, reiterated those remarks while explaining Canada’s position at the General Assembly.

“We also take this opportunity to emphasize the importance of the city of Jerusalem to the three monotheistic religions. Denying the connection between Jerusalem and the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faiths undermines the

integrity of the site for all,” Blanchard said.

“Canada calls for calm and firmly condemns the violence, terrorism and targeting of civilians witnessed in the last weeks.”

The Palestinians and their Arab and Islamic supporters sought the General Assembly vote after the United States on Monday vetoed a resolution supported by the 14 other UN Security Council members that would have required Trump to rescind his declaration on Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and not move the U.S. Embassy there. Trump has threatened to cut off U.S. funding to countries that oppose his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “For all these nations, they take our money and then vote against us. They take hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions of dollars and then they vote against us,” Trump told reporters at the cabinet meeting Wednesday. “We’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. “We’ll save a lot. We don’t care,” he said, alluding to U.S. aid. Ahead of the emergency assembly meeting, U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said “no vote in the United Nations will make any difference” on the U.S. decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem, which will go ahead because “it is the right thing to do.”

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair leaving federal politics in June Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair will resign the House of Commons seat he has held for roughly 10 years next June, the Quebec MP tells CBC’s French-language service, Radio-Canada, paving the way for a byelection. Mulcair plans to take up a position at a yet unnamed Canadian university. “I’m looking at spring with a big smile, because it’s been 40 years since I started in the government [...] I started in June 1978, in Quebec, during the first [Parti Québécois] government, and that’s where I really took a liking to politics,” Mulcair said in French in an interview with Radio-Canada’s Louis Blouin Monday. Mulcair said he will stick around Ottawa until June — when the House rises for the summer break — to finish some remaining parliamentary business. Mulcair, first elected as a federal MP in a byelection in 2007, took the reins of the party in 2012, not long after the death of Jack Layton.

Mulcair was only the second NDP MP

ever elected in Quebec — Outremont, in Montreal, had to that point been one of the Liberal Party’s safest seats — and he bested his Liberal opponent by some 11 percentage points in the 2015 federal election campaign. NDP polling fortunes have since taken a turn for the worse in that province, which could make for a competitive electoral contest. “Being elected four times for the NDP in Quebec — it’s still a feat if we look at the history of our party in Quebec.

Let’s hope it’s okay, and [that] Jack Layton’s social-democratic vision, which we’ve worked so hard on, will continue,” Mulcair said, referring to the number of times he contested, and won, the Outremont seat. Mulcair, a lawyer by training and a long-time public servant in Quebec, was ousted as leader by party members at a contentious convention in Edmonton in April 2016, which paved the way for a leadership race to replace him.

Canada, U.S. to co-host meeting on North Korea in Vancouver U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland announced Tuesday they will co-host a meeting in Vancouver next month about the increasingly erratic behaviour by a nuclear North Korea. The two top diplomats told reporters most of the countries who fought in the 1950-53 Korean War have been invited to participate in the discussions in the B.C. city on Jan. 16, 2018. Those countries, tentatively dubbed the “Vancouver Group,” are part of an aggressive diplomatic campaign designed to force the rogue regime to the negotiation table and avoid devastating military action.

“We continue to find ways to advance the pressure campaign against North Korea, and send a unified message from the international community: ‘We will not accept you as a nuclear weapons nations.’ “We share one goal, full and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,” Tillerson said. He said this display of solidarity sends a message to North Korea that the rest of world is prepared to talk.

“We can’t talk unless North Korea is ready to talk. We’re waiting for them to indicate a readiness to talk — this pressure campaign will not abate. We will not be rolling any of it back,” the former Exxon Mobil CEO said.

Canada is pitching the conference as a way to jump-start diplomatic talks as the so-called six-party talks — South Korea, North Korea, the U.S., China, Japan and Russia — broke off in 2009. “This is another visible sign that the international community is acting in concert to speak to the government of North Korea and to say this is threatening us all and the pressure will increase until the behaviour changes,” Freeland added. When asked if this plea for talks with the regime differs from that of Trump, who has taken a hostile stance, threatening to launch military strikes if behaviour does not improve, Tillerson said he is presenting a united front with the White House. “The president’s campaign has always been ... a pressure campaign of sanctions, and diplomatic pressure. The White House ... they haven’t rejected diplomatic talks.”

Accused Russian spy was in the room for Trudeau talks with Ukrainian PM You cannot get any closer to power in Canada than standing beside the prime minister’s desk.

That is where an accused Russian spy was during the recent bilateral meeting between Justin Trudeau and Ukraine Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. Stanislav Yezhov, a key aide and interpreter for Groysman, found himself in a different place Wednesday night. He was arrested by his country’s state security service and accused of treason. He was in the room for a number of high-level meetings in Ottawa, including private sessions with Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Julie Payette. He also interpreted an interview Groysman conducted with CBC News as part of his official visit, which included testimony before the House of Commons foreign affairs committee. Ukraine willing to ‘provide the information we have’ on Trump campaign aide, says Ukraine PM Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland,

who is of Ukrainian heritage, was in Kyiv on Thursday as the scandal unfolded.

Her staff said she was unavailable to comment. Given the timing of the visit on Oct. 31, the case raises serious questions for the Canadian and Ukrainian governments, said a security and intelligence expert. “Him standing behind the prime minister’s desk is a little worrisome, depending on what was on his desk at the time,” said Phil Gurski, a retired CSIS officer. “At this point, the major concern that I would have is — what was spoken?

What was said on a bilateral basis between Canada and Ukraine that is now in the hands of the Russians?” Arms sales, G7 discussed Groysman, in his interview with CBC News that day, said the two countries discussed the issue of adding Ukraine to the list of countries where Canadian arms manufacturers can sell weapons and about Trudeau using the upcoming chairmanship of the G7

FINANCE

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, December 23, 2017

India most reliable regional partner of Afghanistan: Pentagon India is Afghanistan’s “most reliable regional partner”, the Pentagon told the US Congress on Friday as it welcomed additional economic, medical, and civic support from New Delhi to the war-torn country.

“India is Afghanistan’s most reliable regional partner and the largest contributor of development assistance in the region,” said the Pentagon in its report to the Congress titled ‘Enhancing Security and Stability in Afghanistan’.

This assistance includes civil development projects such as the AfghanistanIndia Friendship Dam and the Afghan parliament building, the report said.

India provides significant training opportunities for Afghan officers and enlisted personnel and has frequently offered to increase its burden sharing for Afghanistan, it said, adding that approximately 130 Afghans travel to India each year to attend various military and commissioning programmes.

India has also donated limited security assistance, most notably four Mi-35 aircraft, the Pentagon said.

“The new South Asia policy highlighted

our relationship with India and called on India to provide more assistance to the international efforts in Afghanistan. The United States welcomes additional Indian economic, medical, and civic support to Afghanistan,” the Pentagon said in its report.

This is the first report of the Pentagon to Congress after US President Donald Trump announced his new Afghan and South Asia policy in August.

“Our purpose in Afghanistan remains the same: to prevent Afghanistan from again becoming a safe haven from which terrorist groups can plan and execute attacks on the United States, or our allies and citizens abroad.

To accomplish this, we continue to support our Afghan partners and train, advise, and assist its military and government institutions,” it said.

Under the new strategy, the US will continue to support the Afghan government and security forces in the fight against the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Khorasan (ISIS-K), and other insurgents and terrorists, to strengthen the Afghan government and prevent reestablishment of terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan.

Left will lead Nepal in line with Constitution, says Prachanda During the recently concluded elections, Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist Chairman Prachanda lashed out at the Nepali there were charges levelled by the Nepali Congress leaders for dubbing the Left alliance Congress leaders that the Maoists would autocratic system through as “authoritarian” and said that his coalition will impose lead the nation in line with the Constitution. Constitutional amendment if they get twothird majority in the elections.

The CPN-Maoist led by former “It was wrongly publicised that premier Prachanda and CPN-UML the country will head towards led by former premier K P Oli had uncertainty after the victory of forged electoral alliance for both the Left alliance,” Prachanda told provincial and parliamentary elections. journalists in Chitawan district.

The Left alliance bagged 116 Prachanda has been elected seats out of a total 165 under the first-past-the-post (FPTP) as a member of the House of system in parliamentary polls.

Representatives from Chitawan Pushpa Kamal district constituency No. 3.

“I don’t want to say anything to those friends who spread rumour and wrong Dahal ‘Prachanda’ He said that the Left alliance PM Nepal publicity,” Prachanda said, adding is the pro-people group. that the allegations against the Left coalition The Left alliance was formed with key will be proved wrong in the near future. agenda of bringing political stability, “We will not move against the economic development and prosperity sentiment of federal democratic republic in the country and the huge mandate it constitution and we will lead the nation garnered in the election implies that the in line with the Constitution,” he added. people endorsed the agenda, he added.

Rohingya refugees to start returning from January: officials Bangladesh and Myanmar on Tuesday An estimated 655,000 refugees from reaffirmed their commitment to begin the stateless group have poured across repatriating Rohingya refugees from the border into Bangladesh since August, January, despite growing concern that their fleeing what the US and United Nations safety is still not assured should they return. have described as ethnic cleansing.

The foreign secretaries UN rights of Bangladesh and chief Zeid Ra’ad Myanmar met in Dhaka Al Hussein to finalise the agreement said he had signed on November received no 23 for the voluntary assurances that return of nearly threeinte r nat iona l quarters of a million observers would stateless Rohingya be allowed living in refugee camps into northern along the border.

R a k h i n e Rohingya refugees A new working group to monitor would “ensure commencement of repatriation the return of the Rohingya. within two months” by developing a timetable “We have seen no interest or desire to for the verification of refugee identities invite my office in. So we are sceptical of and logistics of their return, Bangladesh’s that,” he told AFP in an interview Monday. foreign ministry said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch on Monday, “Now, we will start the next step of our citing analysis of satellite imagery, said work,” Bangladesh foreign minister A.H. Myanmar’s army burned down dozens Mahmood Ali told reporters after the meeting. of Rohingya homes within days of But there is growing doubt that the the signing of the repatriation deal. persecuted minority will be safe if returned The watchdog said the repatriation deal to Rakhine state, where Doctors Without was “a public relations stunt” and warned the Borders said nearly 7,000 Rohingya Rohingya would not be safe in Rakhine without were killed in a month of violence. guarantees of equal rights and protections.

India hits out at China, Pakistan for not clearly understanding threat of terrorism

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ndia has hit out at some UN members for failing to “clearly understand” the common threat of terrorism due to their “narrow political and strategic concerns”, apparently referring to Pakistan and China.

India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Syed Akbaruddin said terror networks operate across borders in terms of propagation of hateful ideologies, sometimes based in deep-rooted perceived grievances, raise finances, procure arms, and recruit operatives.

“This is a common challenge which requires greater focus by this Council, one where closer international cooperation needs to be, can be and should be expanded for our common interest,” Akbaruddin told the Security Council during an open debate on ‘Addressing complex contemporary challenges to International Peace and Security’ on Wednesday.

“It appears that this common threat to states and societies is not clearly understood

here. Even on counter-terrorism, cooperation continues to elude the Council,” he said.

Akbaruddin was apparently referring to China’s decision to repeatedly block a move by India to designate Masood Azhar, chief of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group, as a global terrorist.

On an issue as serious as designation of terrorist individuals and entities, the Council-mandated Sanctions Committees fail to make concrete progress and fall victim to “narrow political and strategic concerns in some cases”, he said.

Akbaruddin also referred to the fact that the UN-designated terrorist and Mumbai attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed, was seeking to contest elections in Pakistan.

Chinese making life of Xinjiang Muslims miserable just because they are Muslims and see them as future potential threats. Also Chinese have effectively cut off Xinjiang from neighborhood.

PUNJAB

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Farmers hit hard as stray cattle ravage crops Farmers in the district, the heartland of Malwa belt in Punjab, are facing the problem of stray cattle destroying their wheat, mustard and other crops with hardly any efforts by the district administration to tackle the problem.

In some villages of Baghapurana and Nihalsinghwala subdivisions in the district there were reports that many farmers have now fenced their wheat fields after suffering huge losses of crops during the previous years.

Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Rauke village, Rajinder Singh, a resident of Badhni Kalan village, and other farmers revealed that the problem of stray cattle had increased many folds over the years. “Stray cattle are destroying crops causing huge financial losses to farmers,” they said.

There were also reports that the farmers stay awake throughout the night in the chilly winter season to shoo away the cattle. In many villages, the farmers had constituted teams for night patrolling to protect their crops.

Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar, an agriculture scientist, who is incharge of the Government Seed Farm, Raonta village, was of the opinion that the village panchayats and NGOs should come forward and set up cowsheds at the village level to tackle the problem, which had increased alarmingly in the past few years.

General secretary of the BKU (Ekta) Sukhdev Singh Kokri said the Punjab government must take steps to save the farmers from losses due to stray cattle and other animals destroying their crops.

“Stray cattle and other animals often venture into agricultural fields causing huge losses

Cotton soars to Rs 5,000 per quintal With the cotton prices touching the Rs-5,000 mark for the first time this season, smiles are back on the faces of cotton farmers in the region.

Talking to The Tribune, former chairman of North India Cotton Association Ashok Kapur attributed the surge in cotton prices to reports that India’s cotton production may not touch the estimated figure of 4 crore bales. He said it might fall short by 25 lakh bales, though conservative estimates are even pegging the figure at 3.5 crore bales. “With the decline in production, the buyers don’t have the luxury to choose good-quality cotton. As a result, the mill buyers, who were going slow on purchase earlier, are now trying to build up inventory,” he said.

He said the prices would stay firm now and may even cross the Rs-5,000 mark in the coming days. Former Punjab Cotton Factories and Ginners Association president Bhagwan Bansal said cotton prices had gone up following reports of pink bollworm attack on the cotton crop in parts of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The situation is worse in Gujarat as the crop there has suffered double blow in the form of floods followed by the pink bollworm attack.

Meanwhile, the farmers are upbeat at Bathinda’s cotton market. Angrej Singh, a farmer from Gulabgarh village, said, “My cotton produce has fetched a price of Rs 4,950 per quintal, which is better than what other farmers took home during the initial days of the season. Though I had harvested the crop earlier, I brought it to the market after sowing my wheat crop, which proved beneficial for me.”

to poor farmers, who are already struggling to make their both ends meet,” Kokri said.

He demanded that the state government must come to the rescue of the farmers.

Farmers say that chasing wild animals away is not without risk. Sometimes, they charge back at the farmers who try to shoo them away from the fields.

In the past five years, more than 25 people have been killed and several others injured by stray cattle in the district. As per an estimate, there are more than 6,000 stray bulls and cows freely roaming in the district.

There are 30 cowsheds in the district, housing 9,000 animals. However, no shelter accepts stray bulls as they are aggressive, so they continue to pose a threat to people.

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Parties to shun political conferences at Shaheedi Jor Mela Fatehgarh Sahib The Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today announced not to hold political conferences during Shaheedi Jor Mela in Fatehgarh Sahib.

The mela, held every year in Decemberend, commemorates the martyrdom of Guru Gobind Singh’s younger Sahibzade.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had yesterday decided not to organise its conference on the religious occasion.

Earlier today, Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh issued directions to all political parties to desist from holding political functions that undermined the Jor Mela’s sanctity. SGPC chief Gobind Singh Longowal appealed to various parties to abide by the Jathedar’s directions.

The parties’ decision followed a sustained campaign from a section of the Sikh community on social media, where the

former were accused of belittling the occasion.

Activists of the Guru Satkar Committee also sat on a relay fast in front of a conference venue.

Leading a delegation, former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh had yesterday submitted a memorandum to the Fatehgarh Sahib Deputy Commissioner, demanding that no permission be granted for such conferences.

In a press release, the Congress said today: “Respecting the sentiments of the people and keeping in view the sanctity of the occasion, the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee has decided against holding any political conference during the Shaheedi Jor Mela in Fatehgarh Sahib.”

MAL from Fatehgarh Sahib Kuljit Singh Nagra said: “Banning political conferences had been a long-pending demand from various quarters.”

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INDIA

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Sachin not allowed to speak in RS: Govt says Congress has lost ‘direction and plot’ Sachin Tendulkar’s debut speech at the Rajya Sabha on Thursday didn’t go as planned as uproar over PM Narendra Modi’s recent remarks on his predecessor Dr. Manmohan Singh forced an adjournment of the house till Friday. The government on Thursday said the Congress has lost its “direction and plot” as the main opposition party as it disrupted cricketer Sachin Tendulkar from speaking on the non-political issue of sports in the Rajya Sabha. “The Congress today behaved in an undemocratic manner in the Upper House by disrupting Bharat Ratna Sachin Tendulkar from speaking on the important and nonpolitical issue of sports and its development in the country,” Parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar told reporters in New Delhi.

The cricket icon could not initiate a short-

duration discussion on the right to play and the future of sports in India. “Despite repeated requests from the Chairman of the House that he (Tendulkar) should be allowed to speak on this important and public interest issue, the Congress did not allow him to speak,” Kumar said. Amid continuing stalemate between the BJP and the Congress over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks against his predecessor Manmohan Singh, Kumar said the opposition party has lost its “direction and plot”. “After disrupting the Lok Sabha for several days, today they are participating in the discussion on supplementary demand for the grants. But in the Rajya Sabha, they are continuing to disrupt the proceedings,” the minister said, adding that the party was “totally confused”.

India-China border talks and war: Here is how it all began Dozens of rounds of talks on the border have preceded the one that Indian and Chinese diplomats will hold in New Delhi on Friday under the special representatives (SR) mechanism.

Possibly the first formal discussion on the boundary was held between Chinese premier Zhou Enlai and India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru over a week in April, 1960, in New Delhi.

Late on the night of April 25, Zhou held a press conference in New Delhi after capping nearly a week of discussions with Nehru on the boundary question.

The talks had failed to resolve differences.

The conclusion instead was that India and China should start negotiating on the border and clarify their respective positions with evidence and historical documents.

Several Indian and foreign journalists were present at the unusually late night press conference that lasted from 10:45 pm to 1 am.

Zhou took several questions on the boundary dispute, which had emerged as a key point in the increasingly tense ties between the two neighbours.

Earlier in the day, a joint communique had been released on the discussions between Nehru and Zhou.

“The two PMs explained fully their respective stands on the problems affecting the border areas. This led to a greater understanding of the views of the two governments, but the talks did not result in resolving the differences that had arisen,” the communique said.

“The two PMs, therefore, agreed that officials of the two governments should meet and examine, check and study all historical documents, records, accounts, maps and

other material relevant to the boundary question, which each side relied upon in support of its stand, and draw up a report for submission to the two governments,” it added.

Two more rounds of discussions were held in 1960, one in Beijing and one more in then Rangoon in present-day Myanmar.

The discussions produced voluminous reports which experts from both countries were poring over when in late in 1962, war broke out, stalling any opportunity for formal talks on the border for nearly two decades.

When Zhou flew out of New Delhi on April 26, 1960, he was the last senior Chinese official to do so – till 1981.

Hopes for formal talks were rekindled when Chinese foreign minister Huang Hua visited New Delhi in June, 1981 and met then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

The first round took place in Beijing in December.

“The two sides expressed common aspirations for the settlement of the ChineseIndian border problem and the development of relations between the two countries and reached identical views on procedural matters,’’ official news agency Xinhua said in a report on the talks.

Seven more rounds of talks were held between 1981and 1987.

The border negotiations got a boost after then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s visit to China in 1988.

Following his visit, talks resumed under the newly formed joint working group (JWG) mechanism.

As many as 15 rounds of negotiations were held under the JWG mechanism between 1988 and 2003.

Drunk drivers causing death may get 7 years in jail The government is set to increase the prison term for deaths caused by drunk drivers to seven years besides making lifetime third party insurance compulsory for all vehicles at the time of registration.

At present, drunk drivers causing death are booked under Sector 304A (causing death due to negligence) and face a two-year jail term or fine or both. The Supreme Court has already termed this penalty “absolutely inadequate” and sought harsher punishment for such offences.

Earlier, a standing committee had recommended to the transport ministry that drunk drivers causing death be tried for “culpable homicide”, which attracts a 10year jail term, and the latter had referred it to the ministry of home affairs for necessary measures. At least half of the vehicles plying across the country do not have third party insurance and most of them are two-wheelers.

The victims of road accidents caused by such uninsured vehicles face the risk of not getting compensation. Third party insurance is mandatory for every vehicle plying on roads.

Violators to spend time in surgical OPDs with victims The parliamentary select committee’s report on the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, which was submitted to the Rajya Sabha on Friday, said that the road transport ministry had informed it at the time of framing subordinate legislation that 15 issues will be addressed.

One of the 15 issues is “punishment in case of death in an accident due to drunk drinking is proposed to be enhanced up to seven years in line with proposed amendments in the IPC,” according to the report.

The transport ministry had also told the parliamentary panel that rules will be framed to compel traffic rule violators to spend time in surgical OPDs of road accident victims to understand the pain caused to others.

It had also told the panel that appropriate rules would be framed to control the speed of vehicles, especially those involved in racing and showing stunts on roads.

Moreover, the ministry will come up with rules to set uniform standards for breathalysers and mandatory deployment of two drivers in heavy commercial vehicles that are travelling more than 500km.

Top Comment Except if their salman khanRajesh Four members of the panel have submitted dissent notes on issues including registration of vehicles at dealers’ end rather than by RTOs, allowing more private players to operate on regular bus routes and limiting compensation for deaths and serious injuries.

Though the panel has recommended enactment of the legislation, it has recommended that every traffic policeman or transport department official enforcing motor vehicle law and rules should have body cameras and the offences recorded

INDIA

Saturday, December 23, 2017

India joins hands with more than 100 countries to reject There had been speculation that India Trump’s Jerusalem move might vote with the US given its growing India joined 127 other countries in the UN General Assembly on Thursday to vote for a resolution that effectively rejected United States president Donald Trump’s move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, declaring it “null and void”. The resolution was passed 128 to 9 and 35 abstentions.

USA was joined by Israel, Honduras, Guatemala, Togo, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Micronesia. A notable abstention was US’s neighbour Canada.

The resolution was in support of the longstanding international consensus that the status of Jerusalem — which is claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians as a capital — can only be settled as an agreed final issue in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

This was the second time in a week that

the US found itself isolated on this issue. On Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council voted on an Egypt-sponsored resolution 14-1, with the US using its veto power to block the vote.

On Thursday, all key US allies — UK, France, G e r m a ny, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, Spain and China — voted to condemn US’s move to shift its embassy to Jerusalem.

closeness with both US and Israel.

But in September, addressing the NAM (Non-Aligned Movement) committee on the Palestine cause on the sidelines of the UNGA, foreign m i n i s t e r, Sushma Swaraj said, “ I n d i a’s expanding relations in the region w o u l d strengthen

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the Palestinian cause. During PM’s visit to Israel we reiterated the need for a just and durable peace in the region. The path to this clearly lies in an early negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine based on mutual recognition and security arrangements.” It was during India’s chairmanship of NAM in 1983 that the committee on Palestine was set up.

The vote comes after Trump himself threatened to cut aid to countries who voted against the US. The US’s envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, was even more blunt. “The US will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation,” Haley said on Thursday.

“We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world’s largest contribution to the United Nations. And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.”

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

Saturday, December 23, 2017

SUPERSTORE

Wishing you all the very best during the holidays.

Season’s Greetings & Happy New Year

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FIJI

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Investigations continue into the desecration of Nadi Temple s investigations continue into the desecration of a Temple in Nadi over the weekend, Police say people should work together to ensure that such acts never occur in their communities.

Chief of Operations ACP Rusiate Tudravu says they are pursing all angles to ensure that they catch the people responsible.

The building and the deities, as well as other things in the temple, were vandalized.

Attorney General and Minister for Justice Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum also visited Maharishi

Temple in Votualevu that was a target for vandals over the weekend.

This is the third such act at the temple. The building and the deities, as well as other things in the temple, were vandalized.

Attorney General and Minister for Justice Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum also visited Maharishi Temple in Votualevu that was a target for vandals over the weekend.

This is the third such act at the temple.

Heavy rain and strong wind warning remain in force for the Fiji Group A heavy rain warning remains in force for the Fiji Group and a strong wind warning also remains in force for the land areas.

The Nadi Weather Office says a trough of low pressure lies slow moving over Fiji.

The Weather Office says a tropical disturbance was analysed to the far northwest of Fiji, near Vanuatu and is currently slow moving.

The Weather Office says the disturbance is anticipated to possibly intensify into a Tropical Depression,

move towards Fiji and the associated cloud, rain and strong winds are expected to affect the country from later today. People in Vanualevu and nearby smaller islands, Taveuni, Yasawa and the Northen Lau Group can expect periods of rain, heavy at times and thunderstorms.

The Nadi Weather Office says elsewhere people can expect occasional rain, heavy at times thunderstorms with rain becoming frequent and heavy with thunderstorms from the afternoon.

Mechanic receives suspended sentence for unlawful importation of illicit drugs A 28-year-old mechanic who pleaded guilty for a count each of unlawful importation of illicit drugs and unlawful possession of illicit drugs has been sentenced to 15 months imprisonment which has been suspended for three years. Navnit Sahai Nand on 20th July this year had gone to pick up a package containing 110.6 grams of methamphetamine from the Carpenters Shipping Freight Office at the Nadi Airport when he was caught by

police. Magistrate Deepika Prakash has ordered that the man do 50 hours of community work under the supervision of the Commissioner of Police or his delegates within one month.

The prosecution is to provide a report on the completion of the community work. Magistrate Prakash has ordered that the drugs be destroyed.

Fiji abstains in UN resolution on Jerusalem Fiji abstained in a vote on a resolution which calls on the US to withdraw its recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The resolution “calls upon all States to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem”.

The nine countries that voted against the resolution were: the United States, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo. Fiji was one of the 35 countries that abstained.

The 35 nations that abstained were: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, Haiti, Hungary, Jamaica, Kiribati, Latvia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu. The resolution says that any decisions regarding the status of the city are “null and void” and must be cancelled.

The non-binding resolution was approved by 128 states, with 35 abstaining and nine others voting against. It came after US President Donald Trump threatened to cut financial aid to those who backed the resolution. The 128 that voted in favour were: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Armenia, Austria,

Azerbaijan Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Cyprus Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia Finland, France, Gabon, G a m b i a , Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Norway Oman, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam Yemen, Zimbabwe

Hayne reportedly flees Sydney following rape allegations Former Fiji 7s player Jarryd Hayne has reportedly fled Sydney following the filing of rape allegations in a US Court.

Channel 7 reports Hayne has arrived in Tel Aviv after boarding a plane in secret overnight.

Hayne was only recently returned from a trip to Jerusalem where he was baptised in the Jordan River but left Australia quickly following

the rape claims.

The claims, filed in a civil suit in California Superior Court yesterday, allege Hayne had non-consensual sex with a woman in December 2015 while he was in the US playing NFL for the San Francisco 49ers.

Hayne has strongly denied the allegations.

International union condemns ATS “lock-out” THE International Transport Workers’ Federation has joined unions and workers from around the world in condemning Air Terminal Services and the Fijian Government’s handling of what it called the lock-out of 250 workers.

Paddy Crumlin, president of the ITF, has appealed to the Fijian Government to intervene and protect workers, including those from the ITF affiliated union, the Federated Airline Staff Association (FASA)..

The ITF also cautioned tourists travelling to Fiji “to wear your bathers, bikinis and budgie smugglers under your clothes because you might not get your baggage at the other end”.

Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Yogesh Karan, had said that the matter was being handled by two capable ministers.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, December 23, 2017

US once again warns Pakistan on Hafiz Saeed, says they ‘have concerns’ about him standing for elections

General Bajwa urges lawmakers to improve relations with India In an extraordinary move and gesture Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Naveed Pakistan army Chief General Qamar Bajwa Mukhtar. Top military officers, Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza urged the country’s lawmakers to and Major General Asim Munir. try to improve relations with India, The session continued for nearly assuring them that their efforts four-and-a-half hours. would be fully backed by the Army.

Quoting senators, leading His address comes in the backdrop Pakistan daily Dawn said Gen of sustained American emphasis to Bajwa told legislators that Pakistani leadership on mending he wants relations with all ties with India. neighbours to be normalised “The military is ready to back political leadership’s initiative for and urged politicians to try to normalization of relations with General Bajwa improve relations with India. He assured them that their efforts India,” Gen Bajwa told lawmakers at the senate committee of the whole would be fully supported by the army. The House during his first appearance before a army chief ’s offer was particularly significant parliamentary forum on Tuesday. given a general perception that the army was Gen Bajwa was invited by senate chairman against peace efforts with India.

Raza Rabbani and was accompanied by

Pakistan to release 291 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds Pakistan said it will release 291 Indian fishermen on humanitarian grounds in two phases starting from next week. There are currently over 500 Inidians in Pakistan Jails.

“Pakistan has decided to release and repatriate 291 Indian fishermen in two phases on December 29, 2017 and January 08, 2018 via Wagah Border as a goodwill gesture on humanitarian grounds,” Foreign Office spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said. Pakistan had released 68 Indian fishermen in October. Faisal said Pakistan

has always maintained that humanitarian issues should be facilitated and not politicized.

A spokesman for Pakistan’s Maritime Security Force (PMSF) last week said that the authorities have arrested 400 Indian fishermen this year.

Fishermen from Pakistan and India are frequently detained for illegally fishing in each other’s territorial waters since the Arabian Sea does not have a clearly defined marine border and the wooden boats lack the technology to avoid being drifting away.

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In September, Election Commission of The US has strong concerns about 26/11 Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Pakistan refused to recognise the MML Saeed running for the national elections in as a legitimate political party and warned Pakistan to be held in summer 2018, like he’s electoral candidates not to use the party’s said he would. It said that it hopes Pakistan name in election campaigns, reported “does the right thing” in not allowing that Pakistani newspaper Dawn. But India, the US and several other countries to happen and added that it “want(s) are worried after the Lahore High to make...clear so that everybody Court ordered Saeed’s release, knows”, that the US has put a bounty something they didn’t expect. They of $10 million on Saeed, the founder fear that Pakistan, as is its wont, of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). The will look the other way.

UN also designated Saeed a terrorist That’s why the US said today it in December 2008, a month after LeT operatives carried out the Mumbai wants to remind everyone that the Hafiz Saeed US considers Saeed a terrorist and terror attacks that killed 164 people.

Hafiz Saeed, who was released from his LeT a terror organisation. house arrest late last month, said he and his US will remind every one about Hafeez associates will contest next year’s national but will not do anything from their side. election in Pakistan under the banner of the If they can not do what they preach better Milli Muslim League (MML). they keep quiet in future Gowrishankar “I can tell you that his organization - his Ramachandran “I can tell you that his organization - his organization that was responsible for those attacks - is considered a foreign terror organization that was responsible for those organization. It’s considered a foreign terror attacks - is considered a foreign terror organization by the U.S. Government for a organization. It’s considered a foreign terror reason and for a good reason...I hope they’ll organization by the U.S. Government for a do the right thing,” said US State Department reason and for a good reason,” said the US spokeswoman Heather Nauert, referring to State Department’s Nauert. the Pakistan government.

Gov’t of Pakistan grants visas to Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mom & wife Pakistan granted visas to jailed Indian Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother and wife, Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The visas were granted by the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi for the pair to visit Islamabad.

Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issued the visas to the mother and wife of Commander Jadhav to visit Islamabad to meet him, today. The neighbouring country had on Saturday announced that it had received the

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“Visa applications of mother and wife of Commander Jadhav received for their visit on humanitarian grounds. Being processed,” Dr Mohammad Faisal, the ministry’s spokesperson, had tweeted. Earlier this month, Pakistan had given Jadhav’s mother and wife permission to meet him on December 25, in the presence of an Indian high commission official.

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NRI

Saturday, December 23, 2017

New law to protect NRI property on the cards With the increase in number of NRI properties being sold by forgery, the state government is contemplating a new legislation during the forthcoming assembly session, commencing December 13, to stop illegal sale of NRI land. Speaking to reporters, town and country planning minister Vijai Sardesai said he has spoken to chief minister Manohar Parrikar about the new law. The economic offence cell of Goa police has registered many cases in which NRI properties have been sold by forging documents. This is one of the reasons why many NRIs sell their properties in the state, for the fear of being cheated, a senior government official said.

Sardesai said that properties of NRIs have been taken over in their absence and sold to third parties through fake

documents. “The state government will introduce a legislation at the next assembly session through which NRIs and expatriate properties are being protected,” Sardesai said. Sardesai said that sometimes the NRI’s power of attorney executes a sale deed without the knowledge of the owner of the land. “Through this legislation, we will try to make it compulsory that the NRI should be present at the sub-registrar’s office to execute the sale deed instead of the sale deed being executed by the power of attorney holder,” Sardesai said Why only now? was this new to the politicians? did they ever think of Goans abroad? They only think during voting. Have they done anything for NRIs so far? Have they every come and listen

Madras Stock Exchange building sold to NRI An agreement to sell the remains of Madras Stock Exchange — a building with a super built up area of 41,000 sqft on Second Line Beach, George Town — has been signed with an NRI for Rs 16.50 crore. The transaction will be completed in phases. This is the penultimate exercise, undertaken by the exchange, before it extinguishes itself. The last would be sharing the residual monies amongst its shareholders.

“The buyer is an NRI from the Gulf who is investing in the Chennai market. Part sums have been received,” said M Amarnath, director, Madras Enterprises, the rechristened entity of erstwhile Madras Stock Exchange.

The stock exchange stopped trading and related operations in 2015 after it failed to comply with Sebi requirements on net worth.

MSE was one of the country’s oldest stock exchanges set up by a group of investors nearly 80 years ago. Sebi’s exit policy mandated all regional bourses to have a minimum net worth of 100 crore and an annual trading

volume of 1,000 crore. The regulator gave the exchanges a two-year window to comply with the regulations or shut. MSE chose the latter. After surrendering its license, MSE was rechristened Madras Enterprises Ltd. The exchange building is spread across 10,319 sqft of land, 41,100 sqft of super built up area constructed across basement and four floors.

While the exchange sought bids to find a buyer last year, transaction couldn’t conclude as the real estate market went into a tailspin after demonetization announcement in November 2017. The exchange expected bids in the range of Rs 25 crore. In an earlier exercise, MSE got its assets valued by an independent authority.

At that time the building was valued at nearly 32 crore and there was keen buying interest from a local trader, but the transaction could not be completed due to structuring the deal.

The price is low for the land and the building.

The tax officials should investigate if all the money paid was in white.

First Metro ride for 40 NRI youths As many as 40 youths of the Indian diaspora from nine countries took a Metro rail ridein thecity from Rasoolpura to Ameerpet during their first visittoIndia on Thursday. They belong to the 3rd and 4th generation of Indians who had settled abroad. They came as part of the Government of India’s ‘Know India Programme (KIP)’.

The diaspora youths came from Israel, South Africa, Guyana, Fiji, Mauritius, Malaysia, and Israel among other countries. They also interacted with N V S Reddy, MD, HMRL at the Metro Rail Bhavan in Rasoolpura.

Through a power point presentation, Reddy explained to them, the various innovations that had been made in the Hyderabad Metro Rail project, which is the world’s largest Metro Rail project in Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. Speaking on the intricacies involved in building huge urban infrastructure projects in Indian cities, he explained how innovative engineering and financial solutions helped resolve several complex issues and in gaining support from the people.

NRI’s air purifier first that kills toxins It was the mid-1990s. Months after Yogi Goswami migrated from his hometown Delhi to the US for a career in solar energy, he found his baby son Dilip struggling with asthma. Yogi, now a professor at the University of South Florida, began research for a new technology as no existing air purifier offered relief from poor indoor air quality.

Twenty years later, when pollution has become a problem in most parts of the world, his family has found a probable solution: Molekule. Pegged as the world’s first air purifier that completely destroys harmful pollutants - existing technology only traps such particles - the device has made to the 2017 list of Time’s top 25 inventions.

“HEPA filters remain the standard technology in existing air purifiers and, unfortunately, many harmful pollutants are too small for HEPA filters to trap. Larger pollutants like bacteria and mold may be collected by such filters, but they remain on the filter surface, multiply and are released back into the air. Because Molekule actually destroys even the smallest pollutants, they are permanently removed from the air you breathe,” said Jaya Goswami Rao, Yogi’s daughter and Molekule chief operating officer .

Yogi went to school in Delhi and got his BS degree in mechanical engineering from what was then Delhi College of Engineering (now Delhi Technological University).

Dilip and Jaya were born in the US.

Saturday, December 23, 2017

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FRUITICANA

Saturday, December 23, 2017

BJP questions Kohli’s patriotism for marrying in Italy “If you think minutely, then you will know that the dancers of Italy become millionaires here and you are taking country’s money there. Then what will you give to the country?� the BJP MP said.

There was a question from the political front that where is the patriotism of cricketer Virat Kohli for preferring Italy over India to get married to a Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma.

While inaugurating a ‘Skill India Centre’ here, the legislator from from Guna, Panna Lal Shakya, said infornt of a gathering: “Virat earned money in India‌ But he didn’t find any place to marry in the country.

Is Hindustan untouchable?�

He went on to add, “Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Vi kramadit ya, Yudhishthir got married on this land.

You all must have got married here. None of us goes to a foreign country to get married ‌ (Kohli) earned money here and spent billions there (Italy)‌ (he) doesn’t have any respect for the country. This proves he is not a patriot.� The Indian sportsman, cricket captain and Anushka got married at a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy, last week. Shakya said that the training

(imparted at Skill India Centre) would be useless, if the trainees would not work here. “After getting trained, you all should work here in the country. This would be the biggest national service. Otherwise, earn money and go to Italy to marry like Virat, enjoy picnic and come back,� he said. He even said that dancers from Italy become millionaires in India. “If you

think minutely, then you will know that the dancers of Italy become millionaires here and you are taking country’s money there. Then what will you give to the country? Howsoever big one may be, he can’t become our ideal person. Our ideal person is one who is honest to the country and earns money through hard work,� Shakya said.

Amitabh Bachchan recalls final moments with his ‘most beautiful mother’ On his mother Teji Bachchan’’s 10th death anniversary on Thursday, Amitabh Bachchan recalled his family’s final moments with her. “The morning shall bring in those difficult moments of mother. As she struggled to beat the heart rate monitor, valiant attempts made by the doctors in attendance, in the process of revival, were being conducted.

The heart was responding intermittently her frail body,� Amitabh wrote on his blog. “The force filled hand pumping on her chest by burly hands, were hurting for me to witness. The machine had given up, the revivalists were changing hands.

The life of mother would stop for a while and then come back again. The pumping manually continued. Now with greater strength and vigour, it was becoming

unbearable for me. We stood holding hands with each other and watched her go,� he added.

Teji Bachchan, wife of late poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, passed away after prolonged illness. She was 93. “The most beautiful mother in the universe.

The fighter who guarded her children like a lioness does her cubs...the extreme stylist and epitome of modernity yet steeped deeply in our culture and ‘sanskar’, eventually brought about the ‘straight line’,� Amitabh wrote.

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Bollywood

Saturday, December 23, 2017

HOROSCOPE Aries

Libra

March 21 - April 20

Sept. 24 - Oct 22

The focus shifts to career and planning. Even though the holiday week is almost here, your thoughts may be elsewhere.

This is the time to jot down inspired ideas that can help you achieve key ambitions in 2018.

This phase could be made even more intense because sobering Saturn enters Capricorn and this same zone on December 19, which can see you becoming even more ambitious. With lovely Venus also moving in on December 24, a little charm can go a long way.

Taurus April 21 - May 20 If you’ve been thinking of getting away from it all, the coming week could see

a break can encourage you to go away for a

Capricorn, it might prompt you to consider taking a course or class. You’ll be serious about gaining new knowledge and adopting beliefs that can help you improve as a person.

You’re about to embark on a journey of discovery.

Gemini

It’s to your action stations this week, as the focus on your family sector suggests you’ll be busy organizing, entertaining, and making everything as perfect as " %

your money zone, don’t forget to pamper yourself with a spa session or evening out with pals. Saturn makes a break this week, moving into your domestic zone. Over the

Scorpio Oct 23 - Nov 22 You’ll be busy keeping in touch, socializing, and enjoying holiday get-togethers, giving you a chance to reconnect with friends old and new. This week could see the focus shift dramatically, putting the emphasis on interactions and setting purposeful goals that involve networking. However, the biggest news may be that Saturn leaves your money sector

&

pressure that has been apparent may now begin to ease, which is all to the good.

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22

Sharmila Tagore, Madhubala taught me to be myself: Sunny Leonne

A

ctress Sunny Leone said yesteryear stars like Madhubala, Sharmila Tagore and Dimple Kapadia taught her to not make any changes in her personality. Sunny tweeted a few throwback photographs of the veteran actresses as well as of Mandakini, Rekha and Zeenat Aman.

She credited them as her idols. “A few women in Bollywood who have taught me that it’s perfectly okay to be myself. Sharmila Tagore, Mandakini, Dimple Kapadia, Rekha, Zeenat Aman and Madhubala,� Sunny captioned the images.

Sunny, known for playing bold roles in films, started her career in Bollywood with the 2012 film ‘Jism 2’. She went on to appear in films like ‘Ragini MMS 2’, ‘Hate Story 2’, ‘Mastizaade’ and ‘Baadshaho’. She was last seen alongside Arbaaz Khan in ‘Tera Intezaar’, which released earlier this month.

May 20 - June 21

look after your health, you’re also eager to get

debts, organize payment plans, and get up to speed with your money goals. The big news is that Saturn moves into Capricorn and your sector of shared resources on December 19. ! "

" "

determine to get your money to work harder for you, especially over coming months.

Cancer

It’s a big week! Saturn moves into your sign on, which means you’ll take your goals and

likely you’ll achieve a lot more in the process.

But there are also two more planets entering this sector, the sun and luscious Venus. Over

!

the center of any holiday activities, organizing everything and making sure everyone is happy.

wonderful way.

Capricorn

June 22 - July 23

Dec 23 - Jan 20

sector this week, interactions could become # $

to negotiate with others concerning ideas or key opportunities. With three planets moving into Capricorn and this same sector - Saturn, the sun, and lovely Venus - your relationships may take on a more detached focus, and you may become very aware of your loyalties.

This is also the time to work at making one partnership more fun and exciting.

It’s a big week! Saturn moves into your sign on Tuesday, which means you’ll take your goals and plans more seriously from here on out.

(

process. But there are also two more planets entering this sector, the sun and luscious Venus. )( !

the center of any holiday activities, organizing everything and making sure everyone is happy.

wonderful way.

Leo June 24 - August 23 Though you’re very exuberant and charismatic, you might be eager to work behind the scenes to get everything organized for the holidays. There’s much to do, and you’ll be at the center of the action. This focus deepens as Saturn moves into Capricorn and your zone of work, health, and lifestyle this week, along with the sun and luscious Venus. You might be questioning your job, particularly if it isn’t very

"

that aligns with your life’s purpose.

Virgo August 24 - Sept 24 You may have things to do at work, but in essence you’ve already decided to chill and enjoy

focus on your sector of relaxation and creativity suggests that you may be busy entertaining children, making gifts, and having a ball. Romance could be high on your agenda, too, if you’re solo.

Saturn enters this sector on December 19, moving from your home sector to your recreational zone, which might come as something of a relief.

Aquarius Jan 21 - Feb 19 $

encourages you to go full throttle regarding your goals and ambitions. But this may

* "

to relax. Finding a balance is the ideal way to handle this. The movement of three planets into your spiritual sector suggests that it’s time to relax and refuel. Saturn enters this zone on Tuesday, ushering in a long period of spiritual seeking and meditation. Certain aspects of your life may slowly draw to a close.

Pisces Feb 20 - March 20 Things sparkle for you socially, with a very exciting week ahead. You’ll be in your element enjoying parties, holiday kisses, and time spent with good friends. Saturn leaves your career & + ! bringing with it a sense of relief. You’ll be able to look back over the past year or so with pride at all you’ve achieved. With the sun and Venus also moving into this same sector, it’s time to enjoy the party.

The real reason behind Arbaaz Khan – Malaika ’s split A few weeks ago, the nation was taken by a major shock when rumours of Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora Khan ending their 18-year long marriage came our way.

as rumours initially, reports of the couple not getting along (or even shooting together) on the sets of their TV show and that of Malaika moving out of her house forced us to believe that there might be some truth in the rumours. Naturally, we wondered what could have gone wrong suddenly. Turns out, it wasn’t so sudden after all. According to a report on Bollywoodhungama. com, it was Malaika who wanted to be out of this marriage.

The report quoted a source saying that Malaika has reportedly always had a problem with Arbaaz’s unsuccessful career and was very much bothered by her husband “living in the shadows of his superstar brother.� The source further revealed in the same report that Malaika always felt like an outsider in the Khan family and that the reason she paid no heed to Salman’s encouragement to continue the marriage was because

she never shared a bond with him at all.

Reportedly, Salman never approved of Malaika’s dressing style, her work, her friends or just about anything.

Incidentally, Malaika has done an item number with Salman

in ‘Dabangg.’ While Arbaaz-Malaika have been making headlines for their alleged divorce, Hrithik Roshan and Kangana Ranaut’s alleged relationship turning ugly kept them in the news for very long too.

Move on to read about why Hrithik was slammed for his legal notice to Kangana.

Bollywood Personalities’ Birthdays

ARBAZ KHAN DECEMBER 23

JOHN ABRAHAM DECEMBER 17

RITESH DESHMUKH DECEMBER 17

TAMANNA BHATIA DECEMBER 21

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Bollywood

Film: Tiger Zinda Hai

T

iger Zinda Hai (English: Tiger is Alive) is an upcoming Indian action thriller film directed by Ali Abbas Zafar. The film stars Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Sajjad Delfrooz. And Angad Bedi, Kumud Mishra and Nawab Shah in supporting roles. It is the second in the franchise after 2012 Ek Tha Tiger and the second installment of Tiger film series. The film is based on the 2014 abduction of Indian nurses by ISIL, and is scheduled to be released on 22 December 2017.[8] The first look of the poster was revealed by Salman Khan through his official twitter account on 18 October 2017 on the occasion of Diwali. The official

trailer was released on November 7 Filming took place in Abu Dhabi, Austria, Greece and Morocco.The last song of the movie was shot in the Aegean island of Naxos, Greece in October 2017. Iranian actor Sajjad Delafrooz was roped in to play the role of Abu Usman, leader of terrorist organization IAC. Sajjad Delafrooz had worked in the 2015 Hindi film Baby.

Apart from Salman Khan’s fees, the rest of the film’s production budget is reportedly ₹140 crore (US$22 million). This would make it one of the most expensive Yash Raj Films productions, along with Thugs of Hindostan.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

Dec

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TIGER ZIDA HAI *ing: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Paresh Rawal

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Amazon Obhijaan *ing: Dev, Laboni Sarkar, David James

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Saturday, December 23, 2017

Bollywood

Saturday, December 23, 2017

Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends Anushka Sharma and Kohli’s reception Newlyweds Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli hosted a wedding reception for their family and close friends in New Delhi today and the moment of the night was when the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi himself graced the event with his presence.

The power couple was spotted yesterday at

Aditi Seiya to play ‘Priya’ in the Sanjay Dutt biopic

the Prime Minister’s office yesterday where they extended an invite to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their wedding reception and the Prime Minister’s office took to Twitter to share pictures of the couple with Modi.

Commonly referred as ‘Virushka’ by their fans, the couple would soon be hosting another reception in Mumbai on December 26, 2017.

Rajkumar Hirani’s biopic on actor Sanjay Dutt has been hitting headlines ever since the time of its announcement.

While reports of actors essaying some of the key characters are already out, it wasn’t clear as to who will play the role of Dutt’s sister Priya Dutt. According to latest reports, southern star Aditi Seiya has been roped in to play the role of Priya by Hirani. Versatile actors

Paresh Rawal and Manisha Koirala will be seen essaying the role of Sanjay’s p a r e n t s Sunil Dutt and Nargis re sp e c t ively.

St ar r i ng Ranbir Kapoor in titular role, the film will also see actors like Anushka Sharma and Sonam Kapoor making special appearances in the film.

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Bollywood

Saturday, December 23, 2017

BC India Business Network Celebrates 2nd anniversary

The BC- India Business Network (BCIBN), a “Not For Profit; Non Partisan and a Non Political” organization, hosted it’s Second Anniversary on Friday 15th Decenmber’17 at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel, Vancouver, featuring special guests - BC’s Minister of Citizens Services, Honourable Jinny Sims, Indian Consul General, Abhilasha Joshi, Randeep Sarai, Member of Parliament, Surrey , Dr.Lane Trotter President-Langara College; Dr.Alan Davis, President-Kwantlen College and several other leading businessmen and professionals of BC. Minister Sims congratulated BCIBN on their efforts to promote and enhance trade in the the BC-

India corridor. She was very hopeful that with the efforts of BCIBN and the Government of BC, trade and business would increase bilaterally. Consul General Abhilasha Joshi,thanked the BCIBN for it’s efforts in enhancing trade between Canada and india.

The BCIBN annual member’s luncheon celebrates and recognizes its ongoing growth in membership. Out-going President Catherine Sas noted that BCIBN nearly doubled in membership between 2016 and 2017. Mr.Vivek savkur praised Catherine Sas for the great effort she put in developing BCIBN to a position of prominence in BC. In 2018 the membership is expected

to increase further. Chairman Emeritus, Vivek Savkur set out upcoming important events planned for the year ahead including.: 1) Business Awards Night on Friday 26th April’18.

2) Trade conference with a delegation from the Goa Chamber of Commerce.

3) Mega Concert conducted by Grammy award winner and famous Indian Music Conductor with a 100 piece orchestra from Surrey on Friday 20th July at the SFU Surrey,Atrium amd on Sunday 22nd July’18 at the Holland Park. 220,000 persons are expected at the concert. Several Grammy Award winners from other countries are expected to participate.

4) The Third Grand Diwali Gala will be celebrated on Friday 26th October’18,at the “Ballroom”, Fairmont Waterfront Hotel.

May other events have been planned with Federal Ministers as and when they come to Vancouver.

Tomeetwiththemultipleeventsplannedfor2018 BCIBN has expanded it’s Board of Directors.

They also plan to set up a “Youth Committee” to encourage business organizations to contribute innovative ideas in developing and enhancing Trade & Commerce with India.

Chairman Emeritus Vivek A. Savkur is set to take over the role of President & CEO of BCIBN from 1st January 2018.

Sullivan Heights Secondary School students spend time with seniors, giving back to the Community

In a bid to give back to the community, students of Sullivan Heights Secondary School in Surrey recently visited seniors at PICS Assisted living facility, spending time with them, listening to their stories and presenting them with gifts.

The grade 11 and 12 students were accompanied by their school teacher, Rina Chawla, who organized the visit with the help of Dr. Raminder Kang, Manager PICS

Settlement Program, Inderjeet Hundal, Administrator and Rajeev Mohindru, Director of Care at PICS Assisted Living and Raj Puri, Principal, Sullivan Heights Secondary Surrey .

The students spent quality time with each senior sitting with them and listening to their stories. They presented the seniors with carefully packed gifts which were bought with contributions from their

own personal allowance.

This endeavor of students of Sullivan Heights Secondary School was very well received by the Seniors in the facility. The interaction between the older and younger generations bonded them together where they shared their plethora of knowledge and experience with the students and they enjoyed talking and getting to know and learn from the elders.

The students were briefed about levels of senior care and programs available to help seniors and were given a tour of the facility as well.

“I am very happy that this attempt by students to give back to the community has been successful. I am glad to announce that we will make this an annual feature,’ said Ms. Chawla.

Sharing their experience at the facility the

7

Saturday, December 23, 2017

London will get to watch Sunny Leone this Christmas

W

hile parts of India are yet to warm up to Sunny Leone, the W e s t seems to be welcoming her with open arms.

After her New Year Eve gig in Bengaluru was cancelled due to security reasons, instead of performing in India, the actress is now headed to London, where she will perform on Christmas Eve. Sunny backed out of the Bengaluru show citing safety concerns after the local police announced that permission will not be given for the event. The actress took to social media on Monday to announce her decision and tweeted, “Since the police of Bangalore have publicly said that they will not be able to ensure mine & all who attend safety for my New Years event, my team & I feel, safety of the people should always come first therefore I cannot attend.

God bless & I wish everyone a safe & happy New Year!” (sic).

There were protests from activists of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike Yuva Sene over her participation in the New Year’s Eve party.

Some of them even threatened a mass suicide if she were to perform. Reportedly, the police

maintained that their decision to deny permission for the event had nothing to do with the protest. It was, in fact, taken keeping law and order concerns in mind, as most of the police personnel would be deployed for bandobast duty on that day.

After her performance in London, Sunny will fly down to South Africa on Christmas to resume shooting for her film. She will celebrate the festival with her family there and will ring in the New Year in Dubai. Talking about her plans, Sunny said, “It’s always good to be working and I’m excited to kick in Christmas and the New Year with family.”

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

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Vol. 8 No. 47 - Saturday - December 23, 2017

Canada is becoming ‘Switzerland of North America’ for global commercial real estate Canadian commercial-property investment is on track to break last year’s record, according to CBRE Group Inc., driven by demand for a haven from global instability and a quest for yield.

CBRE forecasts transactions topping $40 billion for 2017, up at least 15 per cent from last year’s record of $34.7 billion, the real estate services firm said in a statement.

Transactions for the fourth quarter haven’t been accounted for yet, but investments for this year through September totalled $33.1 billion, almost matching all of 2016.

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alternative asset class, Peter Senst, president of Canadian capital markets for CBRE, said in a phone interview. “When you look at relative returns, it stacks up very well against equities, infrastructure, bonds, so it’s becoming more of an acceptable strategy to pursue,” he said. “The deal sizes are getting bigger, the frequency and velocity for the deals getting out are becoming greater.”

Demand for commercial assets in Canada’s most populous cities, including Toronto and Vancouver, is sending prices soaring. The vacancy rates in these cities are among the lowest downtown office vacancy rates across North America. And foreign investors are taking notice. LaSalle Investment Management is targeting global investors for its biggest Canadian real estate fund with assets including offices and storage facilities, and has seen interest from countries including Germany, the U.K. and the Netherlands.

“The average availability rates for industrial assets in Canada is at a record Continued on page 13

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

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