The Asian Star December 30 2017

Happy New Year

www.theasianstar.com Vol 16 - Issue 48

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Ottawa currently coldest capital city in the world as a deep freeze grips Canada

T

he extreme cold has pushed Ottawa well below the rest of the world’s coldest capital cities.

Mongolia’s capital, Ulan Bator, is on average the coldest national capital in the world.

But Ottawa’s overnight temperature of –29 C on Wednesday fell below that for Ulan Bator, which experienced an overnight low of about –26 C. Moscow and Astana, Kazakhstan, two of the other coldest capitals according to the World Atlas, recorded Wednesday overnight lows of around 2

Continued on page 8

Desi “Indian” diaspora largest in the world There are more people of Indian origin living overseas than anyone else.

The Indian diaspora is the world’s largest, with slightly more than 15.6 million people from India living overseas. The Indian diaspora constitutes 6% of the total number of international migrants (people living outside the country of their birth), which was estimated at 243 million in 2015. The global figure has risen by 10% over that recorded in 2010, a recently released United Nations report said. In other

words, out of a global population of 7.3 billion, one of every 30 people was a migrant in 2015.

However, if computed as a percentage of the world’s population, the growth of thediaspora has been largely static, from 3.2% in 2010 to 3.3% in 2015, according to the ‘World Migration Report (2018)’, published by the International Organisation for Migration, a UN agency.

According to the report, nearly half of all the international migrants worldwide in 2015

Continued on page 6

Foreign ownership data released so far just the ‘tip of the iceberg’: StatsCan director Last week’s government data release, which was the most comprehensive study to date of foreign ownership of Canadian real estate, was just “the tip of the iceberg,” says the director of Statistics Canada’s new housing program. The new year will bring the release of more data providing a deeper, broader, and “much more nuanced” look into Canadian property ownership, said Haig McCarrell, director of the Statistics Canada

Community mourns Oak Bay girls, aged 4 and 6, found dead on Christmas discovered New details an injured are emerging man, whose about two young condition girls who were has not found dead in a b e e n Vancouver Island disclosed, apartment on who was Christmas Day. Chloe Berry, left, and Aubrey Berry t h e n Police have said officers were called to a home transported to hospital. A family in Oak Bay on Monday evening friend has identified the children where the children’s bodies as six-year-old Chloe Berry and were discovered. Officers also

Continued on page 7

Tel:604-591-5423

division overseeing the Canadian Housing Statistics Program (CHSP). Last Tuesday marked the first release from the CHSP, an initiative supported by both StatsCan and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The release made local, national, and international headlines, with the Wall Street Journal reporting the study’s initial findings “garnered global attention.”

Continued on page 6

Fatal fire in Mumbai kills 15 people

See story on page 25

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

Surrey student passionate about getting out blood-donation vote

J

oban Bal is 19, with a bright, open smile and a demeanour that seems beyond his years. He spent most of the day Wednesday standing in the sleet at the corner of Dunsmuir and Burrard waving down cars and passersby, encouraging them to visit a blood-donor clinic around the corner. For Bal, working to bring new blood — ethnically diverse blood — to Canadian Blood Services has become something of an obsession, both literally and figuratively.

The University of B.C. biology student has volunteered countless hours in support of blood-donor clinics since he was first commandeered to help with a blooddonor drive at his school, Surrey’s T a m a n a w i s Secondary, in Grade 10. “At the time I was too young to donate, so it would be me asking other people, ‘Could you donate blood?’ � The peer-to-peer conversation, with seniors in his high school, helped him grow as a person, he said. Asking people to donate blood seemed personal. “I started to engage more in conversation with strangers, but they weren’t strangers by the end of the conversation,� he said.

Five years later, he’s still recruiting friends, peers and strangers to donate blood, hosting clinics and events aimed at educating the public. Two years ago he founded the One Blood for Life foundation, which uses social media (see @onebloodforlife on Instagram) to engage youth through community events to recruit blood donors and add people to the Canadian Blood Services stem-cell registry.

Part of One Blood for Life’s mandate is to recruit younger donors that are more ethnically diverse.

Punjab man commits suicide after being duped of Rs 30 lakh by Canadians in a visa scam

“There is a great need for ethnic diversity in the stem-cell registry. The registry is primarily Caucasian and that doesn’t reflect Canada’s diversity. For patients of mixed ethnicities it’s really difficult to find a match for stem cells.� Bal, who was born in Canada but speaks fluent Punjabi, discovered the challenge to recruiting in his own community had a lot to do with communication. “I saw in my community a disconnect, culturally and through language barriers, where people might not know how blood donation works or what the process was. Some of them were avid donors, but I saw opportunity at various cultural events to promote the message.� When Bal spoke in Punjabi, people listened, the message spread and Bal said, “We would have tents set up and have a rush all day long. People were willing to help, but they hadn’t had the right channel.� One in two Canadians is eligible to donate blood, but only one in 60 Canadians will, said Bal. “People who are donating are dedicated, but I want to grow that, especially within schools and provide resources for younger kids who want to help by sharing the message.� Donors of all ethnicities are still desperately needed. According to Canadian Blood Services, there are still 2,600 appointments to fill by Jan. 6, and there is a special need for Type O-negative blood, which is universal and compatible with everyone. To book an appointment, download the GiveBlood app available for iOS on the App Store or for Android on Google Play, call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or visit blood.ca.

A man from Moga, Punjab, Ranjit Singh, 55 (pictured) committed suicide by consuming poisonous substance at Kapure village in the district. He was allegedly duped of Rs 30 lakh by his NRI relatives on the pretext of sending him and his family to Canada for greener pastures.

The police have booked the NRI couple — Inderjit Singh and Charanjit Kaur — under Sections 306, 420 and 406 of the IPC along with their three local associates Harjinder Singh and Parmjit Kaur of Kapure village and Bachan Singh of Didarewala village.

Kulwinder Kaur, wife of the deceased, told the police that Inderjit and his wife were their relatives living in Canada. “In 2013, the couple

lured my husband by promising to send our family to Canada on a family visa. We gave our passports and Rs 30 lakh in a few instalments to them. However, during these years Inderjit neither fulfilled his promise to take us to Canada nor did he return the money, passports and other documents,� she alleged. The local associates first mediated between them for a compromise, but later they joined hands with Inderjit for monetary gains, she alleged. Ranjit was under depression for the past few months due to the fraud. After losing all hopes, he yesterday consumed some poisonous substance. He was rushed to a private hospital at Moga, but doctors referred him to the DMC hospital at Ludhiana, where he died. The Mehna police said efforts were on to nab the accused.

Surrey RCMP says growing number of asylum seekers illegally crossing border Surrey RCMP is reporting an increase in people illegally crossing the border at 0 Avenue seeking asylum in Canada. Cpl. Scotty Schumann said police were called as recently as Dec. 22 to a report of a man seeking refugee status after making the crossing. “That asylum seeker was waiting on 174th and 4th Avenue when he was approached by police,�

Schumann said. “We took him into custody under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and transported him to Canadian Border

Services where these people are dealt with.�

Schumann said the force has seen a growing number of asylum seekers illegally crossing the border in recent years. Nearly 50 people were intercepted by B.C. Mounties when seeking asylum in November alone, and the RCMP has intercepted more than 675 making the crossing in the first 11 months of the year according to the federal government. B.C. trails only Manitoba, with nearly 1,000 and Quebec, with nearly 17,000 asylum seeker interceptions so far this year.

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OPINION

Saturday, December 30, 2017

BC now shut out of Canada’s highest court

B

ritish Columbia no longer has a voice in the judicial chambers of the Supreme Court of Canada, prompting some to call for reform to guarantee there is at least one justice from the province.

With the retirement of Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin earlier this month, the court now comprises three judges from Quebec, three from Ontario, one from Newfoundland and two from Alberta. The NDP’s justice critic, Murray Rankin, said it is unacceptable that B.C. should be shut out.

“British Columbia will not have anybody on the Supreme Court for many, many years to come and that is a problem for many people at the bar [lawyers and judges] in my province,” said Rankin, who represents the constituency of Victoria. Rankin said B.C.’s unique issues involving First Nations and conflict over resource use make the province different from the Prairies even though it is considered part of the West. “I think we have come to the time in our history as a country that one of those nine jurists be from British Columbia,” he said.

Martin Sheilah Martin will take the seat

previously held by outgoing Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin on the Supreme Court of Canada. With the most recent appointment of Justice Sheilah Martin of Alberta in November, convention dictates there will not be anyone named from the West until either she or Justice Richard Brown, also of Alberta, step down from the court. Quebec is the only province with guaranteed representation on the Supreme Court; it has three seats, in recognition of the province’s use of the Civil Code Traditionally, Ontario is given three seats, the West is given two and Atlantic Canada one. The composition of Canada’s top court is scrutinized carefully by those in the legal community as the justices have a critical and powerful role in shaping the country’s legal landscape.

Vancouver lawyer Art Grant, who writes a blog on constitutional issues, argues that the lack of a B.C. appointee on the court could undermine confidence in its decisions.

“What Canada loses is that perspective from B.C., but what Canada loses also is the ability to say the court is sufficiently regionally diverse that it recognizes all the important regions and aspects of Canada,” Grant said. In his

blog, Grant imagines a court challenge to the controversial Kinder Morgan pipeline in B.C., suggesting a potential problem if the Court allowed the project to go ahead on a 5-4 split vote with two Alberta judges voting with the majority. Not everyone sees a problem with the lack of a B.C. justice. In a written statement, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould — also from B.C. — defended the choice of an Alberta judge.

“The choice of nominee involved weighing various factors and deciding who, among a group of outstanding candidates, was the best fit given the Supreme Court’s needs at this time.”

B.C. Attorney General David Eby said he is more interested in having an Indigenous justice on the Supreme Court than having a British Columbian. “I’ve heard a lot of concerns about whether the appointment was from B.C. or Alberta but from my perspective, it’s time for someone who comes from Canada’s first peoples to be on the top court,” Eby said, adding there are lawyers who can take on the role.

“The fear I have is if you do a strictly geographical analysis you might be not be able to appoint the best person at the most appropriate time,” he said. Eby also pointed to the fact that Justice Russell Brown, appointed from Alberta in 2015, was born, raised and educated in the law in B.C., moving to Alberta in 2004. Eby said that is enough to ensure B.C.’s concerns are known and understood.

Former B.C. attorney general Brian Smith was blunt in downplaying fears the province will pay a legal price in missing out on a formal appointment. “I don’t care,” Smith said.

“The court is a national one.” Smith rejected Art Grant’s contention that a law passed by Parliament just over 20 years ago formally recognizing that Ontario, Quebec and B.C. must consent to any constitutional amendment before it becomes law is an implicit recognition of B.C.s critical place in Confederation.

Smith said that is not an argument for a permanent seat, nor for adding additional seats as Grant also suggested.

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

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LOCAL

From page 1

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Desi “Indian” diaspora largest in the world

were born in Asia, primarily originating from India, China and other South Asian countries. After India, Mexico has the second largest diaspora. Russia, China, Bangladesh and Pakistan follow (see graphic). Notably, people in the working age group, between 20 to 64 years, account for a significant chunk of the international migrant population, nearly 72%.

Since 1970, the US has been the main destination for international migrants. The number of foreign-born people residing in the US has almost quadrupled from fewer than 12 million in 1970 to 46.6 million in 2015 (of whichnearly two million were of Indian origin). The Gulf nations house the biggest share of the Indian diaspora — nearly 3.5 million or 22% of the total Indian diaspora were in the UAE, and 1.9 million (or 12%) in Saudi Arabia. My advice to the diaspora - Do not lose

Sanatan Dharma. Spread this ultimate dharam to save mankind.Justice For All According to immigration experts, protectionist measures adopted in these and other countries will eventually transform the diaspora landscape. We are witnessing intense vetting of applications for H-1B, the most popular work visa for Indians headed to the US, and entry into the US is likely to involve stricter rules.

The number of migrants to the Gulf has dipped drastically in recent years, owing to economic conditions and the protectionist measures adopted by these countries. As reported earlier

by TOI, pan-India emigration clearance for the Gulf in 2016, 5.07 lakh, showed a decline of 33% as compared to the previous calendar year. The decline trend has continued in 2017.

Foreign ownership data released so far just the ‘tip of the iceberg’: StatsCan director

From page 1

But there’s much more to come, said McCarrell, reached by phone in Ottawa.

As Postmedia reported last week, among other noteworthy findings, CHSP’s initial release showed that in pricey markets like Vancouver and Richmond, one in five of the most recently built condos is owned by non-residents.

But some experts stated the true proportion of foreign-owned properties could be higher.

McCarrell said StatsCan hopes future research will illuminate more details about certain kinds of property ownership arrangements.

For example, a property owned by a B.C.incorporated shell company with foreign owners would, for the purposes of this month’s release, count as Canadian-owned, McCarrell said.

Eventually, StatsCan wants to determine how much Canadian real estate is owned by “resident corporations with foreign owners.”

Another area where McCarrell hopes to shed light is overseas residents buying Canadian properties in the name of spouses or children.

If a foreigner buys a Canadian home with money generated overseas, and puts the property in the name of a child attending school in Canada, it would not count as foreign-owned in this initial StatsCan study. McCarrell said future CHSP research could compare tax filings and property title records to find, for example, certain neighbourhoods with disproportionate numbers of multi-million properties owned by “students” with no declared income.

“We want to look at the use of the property,” he said. “Is this property for owner accommodation? Is it for rental? Is it for investment purposes?

Or is it for recreation?”

For the initial study, StatsCan and CMHC defined “non-resident homeowner” (often expressed as “foreign owner”) as someone whose principal residence is outside of Canada, regardless of citizenship.

The first release examined nonresident property ownership in the metropolitan areas of Vancouver and Toronto, regions that have seen contentious debates about the role of offshore money in increasingly unaffordable housing markets.

But future research may broaden the scope to include other B.C. markets such as Kelowna and Victoria, McCarrell said.

“We can’t do everything right away, it’s going to take us some time.

This is a really big undertaking,” he said. “And I think you’re seeing the tip of the iceberg right now, quite frankly.” “A lot of great information’s going to be coming,” McCarrell said, saying the next release is expected in spring 2018. “So stay tuned.”

Majority of Canadians say texting and driving is worse than 3 years ago: poll Canadians are more concerned than ever about texting and driving, according to a recent poll by the Canadian Auto Association (CAA).

Despite law enforcement crackdowns and efforts to educate civilians, more than four in five Canadians believe that texting while driving is a bigger problem today than it was three years ago.

According to Jeff Walker, chief strategy officer of CAA National, Canadians have long known texting and driving was an issue.

SQ targets texting and driving SQ targets texting and driving SQ targets texting and driving Winnipeg police frustrated texting and driving still continues on the roads Winnipeg police frustrated texting and driving still continues on the roads Driving and texting app could prevent distracted driving deaths Driving and texting app could prevent distracted driving deaths More work needed to stop texting and driving

Saturday, December 30, 2017 From page 1

Community mourns Oak Bay girls, aged 4 and 6, found dead on Christmas four-year-old Aubrey Berry. “They had such pure hearts as kids typically do,” Trisha Lees, a friend and spokesperson for the family, said. “That really came through with them.” Lees remembers the sisters as delightful young girls who loved the outdoors. She said she often spent time with the girls and their mother, Sarah Cotton, at local parks and beaches.

“They had a whirlwind of energy around them like many kids,” she said.

“There was a swirl of blonde hair around those girls on the playground or on the beach.”

“The thing about those girls is that they really had Sarah’s spirit,” Lees said.

“If you know Sarah she has a big smile and she has a big laugh. She really draws people to her. The little girls were the same.”

Their father, 43-year-old Andrew

Berry, remains in hospital with selfinflicted injuries. Court documents show the mother and father were involved in a bitter custody dispute that included unpaid child support.

Lees said the mother called police on Christmas Day after their father didn’t return the girls as scheduled. Officers made the horrifying discovery just after 5 p.m. on Christmas Day. Police are treating the deaths as homicides and say they are not looking for additional suspects.

Multiple agencies are involved but none have provided new information on where the case goes from here.

A statement from Oak Bay mayor Nils Jensen extends the condolences of himself and Council, and says there will be a candlelight vigil on Saturday, Dec. 30 on Willows Beach.

Lees said she has been by Cotton’s side since Christmas night.

A small but growing memorial has set up outside the apartment near the Oak Bay marina where the girls died.

LOCAL

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From page 1

Ottawa currently coldest capital city in the world as a deep freeze grips Canada

of around 2 C and –13 C, respectively. Some other temperatures from world capitals recorded overnight: Helsinki 1 C Reykjavik –4 Tallinn 0 C Nuuk, Greenland –6 C The overnight temperature in Novosibirsk, the unofficial capital of the Russian region of Siberia, reached a low of

Nov 30,

Saturday, December 30, 2017

–14. With wind chills making it feel like –36 in Ottawa, the public health office issued a frostbite warning that remained in effect Thursday.

Ottawa-coldest-capital Ottawa is currently experiencing colder temperatures than the rest of the world’s coldest capital cities. (The Weather Channel)

Severe weather warnings or watches in effect for: Hawkesbury Alexandria Cornwall Morrisburg Winchester Brockville Gananoque Maniwaki

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

Winter storm: Huge snowfall expected for Fraser Valley Environment Canada has issue a winter storm warning for parts of the Fraser Valley with snowfall amounts of up to 30 centimetres.

Hazardous winter conditions are expected for the central Fraser Valley including Chilliwack and eastern Fraser Valley including Hope. In a weather alert, Environment Canada said areas near Chilliwack will see significant icing from freezing rain beginning mid to late morning and lasting to near midnight tonight, before switching over to snow.

“Snow heavy at times can be expected overnight with 15 to 20 cm expected. Further east near Hope, heavy snow is the main threat with 20 to 30 cm expected between midday today and midday Saturday,” the alert said.

The weather agency advises residents to consider postponing non-essential travel until conditions improve. The snowfall warning is in effect on the Coquihalla Highway between

Hope and Merrit. With 20 cm of snow expect tonight, the Ministry of Environment is telling drivers to consider delaying travel on Highway 5 until Saturday when the weather is expected to clear. Current road conditions are available at www.drivebc.ca. A snowfall warning is in effect on BCHwy5 - Coquihalla between Hope and Merritt with up to 20cm expected by tonight.

BC court rules American Indigenous man has right to hunt in Canada because his ancestors did An American Indigenous man’s right to hunt in Canada has been upheld by a judge because his ancestors traditionally hunted in this country. Richard Desautel was charged with violations under British Columbia’s Wildlife Act after he shot and killed a cow elk near Castlegar in 2010.

Desautel, a member of the Lakes Tribe in Washington state, argued in provincial court that he was exercising his constitutional right to hunt for ceremonial purposes and was acquitted of the charges in March. But the Crown appealed to the B.C. Supreme Court, arguing that Desautel

is not an Aboriginal person of Canada because the First Nation he claims to be a member of was declared extinct, so he doesn’t have that constitutional right.

Justice Robert Sewell has dismissed the appeal, saying Desautel’s tribe traditionally lived on both sides of the border and it has deep connections to its territory in Canada.

Sewell’s written decision says denying the group’s rights would be inconsistent with the objective of reconciliation, because the group occupied the land before European settlers came into contact with First Nations and continued to use the territory after an international boundary was imposed.

LOCAL

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LOCAL

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Lottery officials seek mystery winner of expiring $1M prize Lottery officials in Ontario are scrambling to find the lucky owner of a $1-million prize-winning Lotto 649 ticket from last January, before the oneyear time limit to claim the money expires.

The winning ticket was sold in Windsor, Ont., for the Lotto 649 guaranteed prize draw on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2017. The winning ticket-holder has until Jan. 11, 2018 to claim the prize by filling in the back of the ticket and contacting the OLG Prize Centre in

Toronto.

The winning number on the ticket is 4-0-7-2-5-5-6-4-01.

“Players must exactly match the guaranteed prize draw selection to win,” the OLG said in a statement.

The OLG had more than 20 unclaimed prizes on record as of the end of September, including the $1-million ticket sold in Windsor and two other prizes worth approximately half a million each

Who knew? The loonie is on track for its biggest yearly gain in eight years The Canadian dollar strengthened to a two-month high against its U.S. counterpart on Friday, as the greenback broadly fell and oil prices rose, with the loonie on track to post its biggest yearly advance since 2009.

The loonie has climbed 7.2 per cent in 2017, its second straight year of gains as Canada’s economy recovered following a plunge in the price of oil, one of the country’s major exports.

U.S. oil prices have rebounded to reach their highest since mid-2015 as an unexpected fall in American output and a fall in commercial crude inventories stoked buying. U.S. crude prices were up 0.48 per cent at $60.13 a barrel.

The U.S. dollar slipped to its lowest in more than three months against a basket of major currencies as the euro and sterling climbed.

Thinking the unthinkable on NAFTA has C$ traders doomsday prepping Will the Canadian dollar become a

petrocurrency again?

Bank of Canada walks fine line between rate hikes and rising loonie At midday, the Canadian dollar was trading at 79.83 U.S. cents, up 0.28 US cents.

On Thursday the currency broke out from a roughly 79.3 to 77.5 US cents range it has been trading at over the past two months. On Friday, it touched its strongest since Oct. 20 at 79.8 US cents. Data before the Christmas break, which showed an acceleration in inflation and strength in wholesale trade and retail sales, has helped underpin the loonie by increasing prospects for further interest rate hikes from the Bank of Canada. Money markets expect Canada’s central bank to raise rates three times in 2018, which is more than is expected from the U.S. Federal Reserve. The Bank of Canada raised interest rates in July, and then again in September, for the first time in seven years. Its benchmark interest rate sits at 1 per cent.

Handcuffed man escapes RCMP custody at hospital Police are looking for a man who escaped from police custody while in hospital last night. Surrey RCMP say Richard Mantler, a 46-yearold man of no fixed address, was arrested before fleeing police.

Police say Mantler was arrested for several property and related offences on Thursday, Dec. 28 at 2:40 p.m. According to RCMP, Mantler was taken to hospital for medical treatment prior to being taken to jail and that’s when he escaped.

“While at hospital and under police guard, Mantler fled through an emergency exit while he was handcuffed,” notes a Surrey RCMP release. “Officers and Police Dog Services were not able to locate Mantler.”

See also: By the numbers: 2017 Surrey shootings, crashes and more Police continue to hunt for Mantler today, and he is wanted for escape of lawful custody. He is described as a Caucasian male, six feet tall, 216 lbs., with short brown hair and hazel eyes. Mantler was last seen was wearing a white Adidas T-shirt

with a red logo, blue jeans, and black shoes.

“If you know the whereabouts or have any information about Mantler, police want to hear from you right away,” said Corporal Scotty Schumann in a release. “Mantler is not believed to be a risk to the public and is known primarily for property offences.”

ScanBC tweeted that police were looking for a man near Surrey Memorial Hospital, close to 96th Avenue and King George Boulevard that was “last seen wearing hospital bracelet and handcuffs.” SurreyBC #RCMP searching for male that fled from custody in the area of #SMH King George Blvd & 96th Ave, last seen wearing hospital bracelet and handcuffs.

Anyone with more information is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.

If you wish to make an anonymous report please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222TIPS or solvecrime.ca.

Police recover missing 10-year-old’s body from Arrow lake In a tragic incident a car rolled down an embankment and sank into Arrow lake near Halcyon Hot Springs, a 10 years old boy was missing from the car as his father and sister escaped when the vehicle skidded off the road. Car rolled into the lake and sank on Wednesday. Police divers have recovered the body of 10-year-old boy missing when the car he was in plunged into Arrow Lake on Wednesday. While the 37-year-old driver and his 11-year-old daughter were able to escape, the boy was missing after the accident.

“This is a tragic end to a family’s holiday season, our thoughts and prayers are with the family and their extended network of family and friends,” said Sgt. Monty Taylor of the Kootenay Boundary Regional District RCMP. The name of the boy or his family will not be released at this time, say police. The West Kootenay Traffic Services Unit and Nakusp RCMP are continuing to investigate the cause of the incident. Police are still seeking witnesses.

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

Police say Saturday night shooting in Surrey was not random

IHIT investigating death of gangster Gavinder Grewal in North Vancouver

A man is in hospital with to be random, however the police also say the shooting serious injuries and police are searching for a suspect “does not appear to be related after a shooting Saturday to the present ongoing gang conflict.” evening in Whalley. Shortly before 9 p.m. Saturday Witnesses or people with police responded to information are asked to call Surrey RCMP at 604reports of shots fired in the 13500-block of 105 Avenue 599-0502 and quote file # 2017-182646. Anonymous in Surrey, according to Surrey RCMP. tips can be made to Crime A man was suffering from injuries Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS When police arrived, sustained in a shooting is being taken to they found a young man hospital after shots fired in Surrey on Dec. 23. or solvecrime.ca. suffering from “serious Police on scene at the site of a Saturday evening injuries.” He was taken to hospital.

Police believe the suspect to be “Asian,” about shooting in Whalley. Police on scene at the site 5-foot-10 and 190 lbs., has black hair and brown of a Saturday evening shooting in Whalley. One hair. It is believed the shooter and the victim man is in hospital. Police on scene at the site of a know each other and the shooting does not appear Saturday evening shooting in Whalley.

Grewal’s death is believed Homicide investigators are to be associated to recent investigating the suspected gang violence in the Lower targeted killing on Friday, Mainland, Jang said. “Mr. December 22 of a North Grewal was affiliated to gang Vancouver man with gang activity so right now we’re links. working with our partners North Vancouver RCMP from CFSEU (Combined received a report of a man Forces Special Enforcement found dead in an apartment in Unit) as well as the local gangthe 1500-Block of Fern Street enforcement units to exactly just before 8pm on Friday, Cpl. find out what his current Frank Jang of the Integrated affiliations were,” Jang said.

Homcide Investigation Team “His background will be said in a news release. IHIT was Gavinder Grewal, 30 part of the investigation, called in after the death was obviously.” deemed suspicious.

Grewal, who The victim was police have issued identified as 30-yearold Gavinder Grewal warnings about of North Vancouver, in the past, was who was known to arrested in June last police and associated year and charged with gang activity, with manslaughter Jang said. for the July 2010 “It is early in the shooting that killed investigation but Mandy Johnson, investigators believe as well as the Mr. Grewal’s murder attempt on the life was targeted and of Gater Browne, linked to other gang Mandy Johnson and her-then boyfriend Gater Browne, her boyfriend at violence in the Lower the time. Mandy before Johnson died in a July 28, 2010 shooting.

Mainland,” he said.

Johnson and herAsked whether he could confirm a report then boyfriend Gater Browne, before Johnson of a gunshot, Jang said investigators were still died in a July 28, 2010 shooting. working to determine Grewal’s cause of death Johnson was shot to death on July 28, 2010 Saturday. as she sat in the passenger’s seat of Browne’s Jang said Grewal was associated with vehicle near Poplar Avenue and Townline Road the apartment complex where his body in Abbotsford. was discovered by a member of his family.

IHIT is asking anyone with information Investigators are canvassing neighbours for about his death Friday to call 1-877-551- IHIT information.

(4448) or email ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

Father of slain Oak Bay girls had financial strains were supervised for less than a week. Berry and Cotton signed a safety plan prepared by a ministry child-welfare worker.

Gray ruled that Berry should be entitled to overnight visits and to care for the girls on alternating holidays.

“The father is a loving father who has much to offer his daughters. It is in the best interest of the girls to have significant parenting time with the father,” Gray wrote in her decision.

Gray ruled that Berry owed Cotton $51,096 in outstanding child-support payments and fees for daycare, school and extracurricular activities.

This payment would be offset by Cotton buying Berry’s share of the Oak Bay home they purchased together in 2011.

Cotton and Berry met in 2010 when both worked at B.C. Ferries. Their relationship broke down in the summer of 2013.

That September, Cotton alleged that Berry pinned her to a bed, court documents say. After he left, she called the police and Berry was arrested. He was charged with causing Cotton to fear he would injure her. A restraining order prevented Berry from contacting Cotton and the girls from September to November 2013, when the parents started mediation through the family court system.

Berry was placed on a 12-month peace bond with the condition that Six-year-old Chloe Berry, left, and four-year old Aubrey Berry he not communicate with Cotton unless he was complying with a family-court order. Cotton asked A person close to Andrew Berry confirmed that the Ministry of Children and Family the court to require Berry to have counselling, but Development was notified about a week ago that was request was not granted. “Counselling about the lack of electricity in Berry’s apartment. is not called for,” said Berry’s lawyer, Michael B.C. Hydro cut off the power about two weeks Mulligan. “There’s no other history since or prior to this to suggest an ongoing problem.” ago because of an unpaid bill, the friend said.

Court documents state that Berry spoke Friends said Berry had a gambling problem, negatively about Cotton in front of their which caused a serious financial strain.

The Ministry of Children and Family daughters, refused to attend parenting classes Development’s involvement with Andrew Berry and took the girls out of Greater Victoria was outlined in a May 31, 2017, judgment by without telling Cotton. Berry ignored Cotton’s B.C. Supreme Court Justice Victoria Gray. The emails asking if he would pay for half of Chloe’s judgment aimed to settle a custody dispute swimming lessons or arts camp. Berry refused to pay child support or for the girls’ extracurricular between the two parents.

According to family court documents, the activities, despite an annual income of $80,372 ministry was contacted about Berry in October and winning $100,000 in a lottery in October 2015 after Aubrey spoke of inappropriate 2016. In August 2017, Berry’s bank sued to recover $12,000 in outstanding credit-card debt. touching.

Berry had Chloe and Aubrey in his care After the ministry investigated, Berry’s visits with his daughters were supervised for one or Christmas morning but did not drop them off at two weeks. The ministry recommended that the noon as he was supposed to, according to friends close to Cotton. After Cotton went to the Oak girls attend counselling.

The ministry conducted another investigation Bay police station to report the girls missing, in January 2016 after Cotton noticed a large soft officers went to Berry’s apartment, where the spot on Aubrey’s head, and expressed concern girls were found dead and their father injured.

Bernard Richard, B.C.’s child and youth that the injury happened when Aubrey was in representative, said his office is aware of the Berry’s care. Berry disputed this in court.

The ministry investigated, and Berry’s visits contact between the ministry and the family.

Child protection authorities were contacted about the safety of two girls after electrical service in their father’s Oak Bay apartment was cut off, the Victoria Times Colonist has learned.

Chloe Berry, 6, and Aubrey Berry, 4, were found dead inside the ground-floor apartment at 1400 Beach Dr. around 5 p.m. on Christmas Day. Major crime investigators are calling the deaths homicides.

Andrew Berry, 43, the father of Chloe and Aubrey, is in hospital with self-inflicted wounds.

RCMP said Wednesday that Berry is not in police custody but also said they are not looking for other suspects.

Court records show that the Ministry of Children and Family Development conducted investigations into Andrew Berry in 2015 and 2016 after Sarah Cotton, the mother of the two girls, raised concerns about his parenting.

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

Woman, 27, hit by postal truck dies of her injuries A 27-year-old woman has died of her injuries after being struck by a Canada Post truck on Wednesday afternoon. The woman was hit at about 2 p.m. by the semi-tractor cab (near Garden City Road and Sea Island Way) and rushed to hospital with critical injuries.

Richmond RCMP say neither speed nor alcohol are believed to have been factors.

Anyone with information to assist the investigation is asked to contact Richmond RCMP. The woman’s name has not been released.

BC Securities Commission settles with Lacky Janda for failing to file insider reports The BC Securities Commission has reached a settlement agreement with Lakhwindar Singh Janda, also known as Lucky Janda, who admitted to failing to file insider reports. Janda agreed to pay a $15,000 fine, which he has paid, B.C. Securities Commission spokesman Malka Aujla confirmed Thursday.

Janda’s payment is among several B.C. Securities Commission fines that have been paid in November and December that were not captured in a Postmedia investigation, reported last month, that found the commission collected less than two per cent of $510 million in fines and orders to pay back the proceeds of fraudulent activities from fiscal 2007-08 to 201617. The recently paid fines include $140,000 from Kenneth Brooks for insider trading and $25,000 from Justin Trent Smith for trading without being registered to do so. Both agreed to the fines after also reaching settlement agreements with the securities commission. The securities commission also announced in December it had paid three investors $120,000 that they lost as a result of misconduct by Ayaz Dhanani. A securities commission panel found in 2016 that Dhanani fraudulently raised $188,800 from three investors. However, the fines that have been paid are still dwarfed by other unpaid fines and orders to pay back the proceeds of fraudulent activities

that have not been paid.

The securities commission issued $34.4 million in penalties in 2017, but just one per cent has been collected, according to a calculation by Postmedia based on the securities commission’s sanctions payment status reports and other information provided by the commission. The unpaid penalties include $6 million fines each handed to sisters Siu Mui “Debbie” Wong and Siu Kon “Bonnie” Soo for multiple acts of fraud.

The pair were also ordered to pay back $9.86 million in proceeds from securities sold for a land-development project in Alberta started in 2007. Richard Lian, also known as Richard Terry Ruuska, and Enna Keller have also not paid their fines issued in 2017. They were each fined $2.42 million and Lian was ordered to pay back $2.4 million. David Tuan Seng Lim and Michael Mugford were fined $800,000 and $375,000 respectively by the securities commission for market manipulation, but neither has paid their penalty. Earlier in the year, the commission collected partial payment, just under $76,000, from Winston King-Loong Kuit after he admitted to unregistered trading, unregistered advising, and distributing securities without a prospectus.

In total, Kuit was ordered to pay penalties of $167,500.

Victoria man sentenced to 7.5 years for ‘senseless’ drug-fuelled murder A Victoria man with a long aggressive towards Bussières, touching history of drug addiction and violence has been sentenced him three times on to seven-and-a-half years in the shoulder. When Bussières told him prison for manslaughter in the death of a 20-year-old to stop, Carte swung Quebec City man. Raphaël at him, stabbing him in the neck with a Bussières died after being stabbed in the neck by Justin knife and severing Carte in the early morning his carotid artery. of Nov. 26, 2016. Carte had Bussières died two Raphaël Bussières died in November been released from jail two days later in hospital.

2016 after he was stabbed in the neck.

“This was a senseless, days earlier and was high on drugs. The two men, who did not know each unprovoked and grave assault that resulted in the other, had been rapping on a downtown sidewalk. death of a young man whose family and friends When Bussières and his friends walked to the have been left devastated and in pain,” B.C. McDonald’s at the corner of Douglas and View Supreme Court Justice Joyce De Witt-Van Oosten streets, Carte followed. He became physically said on Thursday.

Appeal court affirms Surrey pot grower’s 10-month sentence The Appeal Court of B.C. has affirmed a lower court judge’s conclusion that the minimum punishment of two years in prison under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act for possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking is “cruel and unusual punishment.”

Justice Sunni Stromberg-Stein dismissed on Dec. 28 in Vancouver the Crown’s appeal of a 10-month sentence imposed after Phillip Francis McGee pleaded guilty to possessing marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and production of marijuana in the Surrey home he was renting.

The grow operation contained 601 plants.

Under the CDSA, everyone who has a pot grow-op of more than 500 plants is guilty of an indictable offence and subject to a minimum

sentence of two years, increasing to three years in cases where property belonging to a third party is used.

The sentencing judge decided that section of the CDSA violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms concerning the right not to be subjected to cruel and unsual treatment or punishment. The court heard that on Jan. 31, 2013 the RCMP raid a house McGee and his wife had been renting in Surrey since 1992 and found the grow operation in its crawl space, with access through a trap door in a closet on the main floor of the one-level home. The hydro meter was bypassed, ventilation ducts were set up, and three bags containing 515 grams of marijuana were found in the living room and bedroom.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Man charged in Dec. 23 shooting in Surrey A man who is known to police has been charged in connection to a shooting in Whalley on Dec. 23.

Police say Son Thai Lu, 34, has been charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, assault with a weapon and pointing a firearm in connection to the incident, which was Surrey’s 59th shooting in 2017. Surrey RCMP say shots-fired calls came in on Dec. 23 around 8:50 p.m. in the 13500-block of 105th Avenue.

It’s alleged that Lu shot a man he knew after entering a Whalley coffee shop. Police said Thursday the victim suffered serious injuries and is still recovering.

See more: Shooting in Surrey Saturday night leaves man in serious condition

Surrey RCMP say Lu was apprehended with help from the provincial gang unit, Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit. Although, Surrey RCMP believe this was a targeted incident and that the shooting doesn’t seem to be related to gang activity. “The shooting appears to have been motivated by a disagreement between the two men,” said Corporal Scotty Schumann in a Dec. 28 release. “There is no known link to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict and we’re thankful no one else was injured.”

The Surrey RCMP Serious Crime Unit is leading the ongoing investigation.

Surrey RCMP and ICBC partner for CounterAttack road checks Officers will be looking for impaired drivers at several CounterAttack road checks throughout the region and will be handing out free coffee coupons to those designated drivers getting passengers home safely. Media partners are invited to a CounterAttack road check to observe and interview officers on site.

On Saturday December 30th, 2017, 9:30 pm to 12:00 am at 6600 block of Scott Road, Surrey, BC (not

for public release until event) Surrey RCMP Traffic Services - Sgt. Gary Clarke Karen Klein - Road Safety & Community Coordinator - ICBC For media inquiries contact: Cpl. Scotty Schumann Media Relations Officer Surrey RCMP Media Relations Unit Office: 604.599.7776 Email: surrey_media_ relations@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

BC offers free HIV prevention treatment to high-risk patients Starting Jan. 1, the province will begin offering a powerful HIV prevention treatment for free through the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/ AIDS to high-risk individuals who ask for it, Health Minister Adrian Dix said Thursday.

The prevention method involves a pill that combines two of the three anti-retroviral drugs used to treat HIV-infected patients, which is given to uninfected patients as a means to block transmission of the virus.

B.C. could see about 2,000 patients access the drug initially, according to Dr. Julio Montaner, director of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, but he said they have the capacity to expand to 5,000 patients fully covered under Pharmacare.

“We’re not talking about everybody, but (treating) a few thousand people at the highest risk for HIV (infection),” Montaner told Postmedia, “then we will see, very promptly, a significant reduction in new HIV infections.”

While deaths related to HIV/AIDS have declined by 90 per cent since 1996, the province still records some 5.1 new infections per 100,000 people — more than 230 in B.C.’s population of 4.6 million.

The health ministry declined to discuss the program’s costs, but Montaner said the province can afford it because his centre was able to cut a deal with manufacturers of generic versions of Gilead Sciences Inc.’s drug Truvada.

“We had an open tender and were able to secure (a generic version) at a discount of greater than 75 per cent,” Montaner said, “for both treatment and prevention.”

So reduced costs for drugs to treat HIVinfected patients offered “fiscal space” within the centre’s existing budget to offer it as a prevention to non-infected patients.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said the government approved covering the treatment – which was recommended by Health Canada’s Common Drug Review – provided that generic offerings could reduce the price.

“This is recommended as part of the ‘treatment as prevention strategy,’ which has obviously been driven by (Montaner) and his team for many years,” Dix said. “(The drug) has been successful in other jurisdictions, and we feel it’s the right way to go,” Dix said.

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

Canadian citizenship applications surge after government relaxes language, residency rules

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here was a spike in applications for Canadian citizenship after the government relaxed the rules around residency requirements and language proficiency this fall.

Figures from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship provided to CBC News show there was an average of 3,653 applications a week in the six months before changes were brought in Oct. 11.

The number shot up to 17,500 applications the week after the new requirements kicked in.

There were 12,530 applications submitted the week after that, but data for subsequent weeks is not yet available.

“Reducing the physical presence requirement gives more flexibility to applicants to meet the requirements for citizenship and encourages more immigrants to take the path to citizenship,” said Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship spokeswoman Nancy Caron. “This helps individuals who have already begun building lives in Canada achieve citizenship

faster.” In recent years, there has been an average of 200,000 citizenship applications submitted each year.

Fluctuations in application rates are expected after rule changes, so the department put resources in place to handle “surge capacity” and keep processing times below the 12-month service standard, Caron said. Andrew Griffith, a former senior immigration official, author and fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said it’s too early to tell if the jump in numbers represents a blip or part of a longer-term trend. But he believes an increased rate of citizenship fosters social cohesion and eases community tensions as immigrants have a deeper connection to the country and to Canadian society.

‘Integration journey’ “We want people to become citizens because we believe that’s part of the integration journey,” he said. “That helps

Snowfall warning replaced with freezing rain for Metro Vancouver While winter weather conditions have so far mostly missed Metro Vancouver, freezing rain is expected in Abbotsford Thursday.

Environment Canada says a snow fall warning has been cancelled for Metro Vancouver and temperatures Thursday are likely to remain above freezing.

The region should see rain Metro Vancouver areas have so far avoided seasonal mixed in with wet snow. rains and snowy conditions.

However Environment Canada forecaster Greg Pearce of the Fraser Valley,” he said. “We’re also said the Sea-to-Sky region could experience expecting a few more hours of freezing rain up to 15 centimetres of snow, while the in the Abbotsford area.” eastern Fraser Valley remains the hardest Pearce said freezing temperatures hit by the wintry conditions. “We had a could return to Metro Vancouver over the report from Rosedale near Agassiz [of] 20 weekend as a mass of arctic air will reappear centimetres of snow overnight and it’s still over the coast. snowing quite heavily in the eastern part

them feel part of Canada and ultimately should improve all the economic, social and political outcomes of the country.”

The new rules include: The required length of physical presence in Canada is reduced to three out of five years, from four out of six years.

A portion of time spent in Canada before permanent resident status will count toward residency requirements, which will give credit to temporary workers and students.

The age range for language and knowledge requirements is reduced to 18 to 54 years old, from the previous requirement of 14 to 64.

But Griffith said high fees remain a barrier for some to apply for citizenship, especially those in the family reunification or refugee

categories with stretched finances.

Processing fee hikes The processing fee jumped to $630 in 2014-2015, which includes a $100 “right of citizenship” fee. That is still much lower than the fees in the U.K., the U.S. and the Netherlands, but is higher than New Zealand, Germany, Australia and France.

Griffith said reducing costs would reflect the fact that promoting citizenship provides not just personal benefit, but a benefit to the greater Canadian society when people can fully participate, including in the political process.

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen, who marked the changes taking effect at an event in October, said they will make the path to join the “Canadian family” easier and more flexible.

“As a country that’s committed to the settlement and integration of newcomers successfully so they can restart their lives and make contributions to our society, we have to ensure the path to citizenship for permanent residents,” he said at the time.

West Vancouver realtor committed professional misconduct panel that when his father One of B.C.’s top realtors died his mother asked him deceived a client by telling him to sell their West Vancouver he wouldn’t be presented a fullproperty as soon as possible. price offer for his home unless Gamini testified that he paid $100,000 to another realtor as a bonus, a Real Estate Behroyan told him that the realtor for John and Alexis Council of B.C. disciplinary Clague, a West Vancouver panel has ruled. West Vancouver couple interested in buying realtor Shahin Behroyan faced the Kings Avenue property, seven professional misconduct Shahin Behroyan had asked for a $100,000 allegations in the case, and was bonus to complete a deal. found to have committed five, including failing to act in the best interests The panel heard that West Vancouver of his client. The most serious allegations of realtor Teresa De Cotiis was agent for the deception and conflict of interest, according Clagues. But Behroyan insisted that it was to real estate council lawyer Jean Whittow, Gamini who offered Behroyan a bonus to concerned a $75,000 bonus that Behroyan’s complete a deal for the Kings Avenue home, client Hamid Gamini did eventually pay which was a tough-to-sell property. to Behroyan on top of Behroyan’s $72,000 Behroyan said he never suggested to commission for the $2.7-million sale of Gamini that the bonus would be paid to a Kings Avenue property in November another realtor.

2014. Gamini told the real estate council The panel said in weighing “diametrically opposed” testimony, it considered that both men had a motive to lie.

“But Mr. Behroyan arguably has even more at stake,” a decision states. “Apart from the potential liability to repay the bonus and other damages, he faces sanction from the (real estate council) that could have major repercussions on his professional standing and capacity to engage in lucrative employment.”

Gamini’s claim — that Behroyan had said another realtor was demanding the bonus — was supported by a text Gamini sent to Behroyan on Nov. 7: “Shahin 100k is a lot, try to bring it as low as you can I have to convince my family too.”

In its decision, the panel stated: “Behroyan informed (Gamini) that the offer to purchase the property would not be presented unless he agreed to pay a bonus to the buyer’s agent … This was not true and was an intentional misrepresentation of a material fact that deceived (Gamini) …

At the same time, the representation was dishonest, as it forced (Gamini) to pay a bonus he was not obliged to pay in order to receive the offer … We had little difficulty finding Mr. Behroyan’s actions constituted deceptive dealing.”

Behroyan did not disclose to Gamini that Behroyan had agreed with De Cotiis to split the Clague’s commission for the Kings Avenue transaction, the panel found.

LOCAL

Saturday, December 30, 2017

BC Liberals claim NDP will increase tax to cover MSP cut The BC Liberals said in a statement that the 50 per cent reduction in Medical Services Premiums introduced by the BC Liberals comes into effect January 1, 2018 – with one significant change by the BC NDP. “When the previous government announced the change in last February’s budget, it was done as a straight reduction and there would be no attempts to recoup the money elsewhere,” says BC Liberal health critic Mike Bernier. “The BC NDP, while adopting the reduction, are not abandoning the revenue. They are actively looking to find the money and most likely will raise income tax to pay for it.” An MSP Task Force established by the NDP is very clear: the MSP Task Force will examine the best approach to replacing the revenue from eliminating MSP premiums. As well, the options may not propose retaining

MSP premiums, nor increasing the provincial sales tax“That leaves, basically, raising your income tax or creating a new tax,” says Bernier, ‘and that means the BC NDP are trying to fool people into believing they are eliminating the MSP when it is clear they are not. They are playing hide the tax and hope no one sees it.”

Under Budget 2017 in February, the reduction would have meant two million British Columbians would pay no MSP. “We were clear that British Columbians had worked hard to create a strong economy and that we could afford to cut MSP without raising other taxes,” says Bernier. “The BC NDP promised during the election they had no plans to fold the MSP cut into tax hikes and now the new year starts with another broken promise.”

Yoga for detained BC youths helps those living with trauma trust their bodies The yoga for youths in a Metro Vancouver detention centre may not look exactly like the yoga you’d find in a studio in Kitsilano.

But despite the outward differences, it’s the kind of yoga that’s proving to be effective in helping incarcerated teenagers feel safe in their bodies. During a yoga session, for example, yoga mats are placed side by side rather than in front of each other. That’s done because youngsters who have experienced trauma such as physical or sexual abuse can be hypervigilant or startle easily if someone is behind them, said Nicole Marcia who teaches the Yoga Outreach program at Burnaby Youth Custody Services Centre. “We set up the room so that there is no one directly behind any one else,” Marcia said.

“We never approach from behind. We always let them know what we’re doing and why.”

It’s part of an approach called traumainformed yoga. The idea is to create a safe environment so youths can trust their bodies.

Classes are between 45 minutes to an hour and between two to five youths are in any one class.

Sometimes there are more boys than girls.

The style of teaching also differs from most yoga studios. Instead of directing students to move into postures such as downward dog, the instructor offers invitations to explore different ways of moving.

“There is more of an emphasis into an inquiry into internal experience rather than what the different poses should look like,” she said. The sessions aren’t as quiet and calm as you’ll find in most yoga studios. In Burnaby, youths aged 13 to 18 talk and joke with one another. They verbalize the kind of internal monologues most people usually keep to themselves.

Youths who take yoga at the detention centre have said they’re surprised at how challenging it is. They say they feel better and have a sense of accomplishment afterwards. Some say they sleep better.

Sketch of suspect in alleged assault on South Surrey student Police in Surrey have released a sketch of a suspect in an alleged assault on a student near Earl Marriott Secondary School last week. On Dec. 21, the 16-year-old girl was walking in Alderwood Park, in the 1700-block of Lilac Drive, when she was grabbed by an unknown man who appeared to have been following her.

She ran away from the suspect toward the nearby high school and police were called out to the area, but he managed to flee before they arrived.

The RCMP special victims unit and youth unit are investigating, and created a forensic sketch based on details from the victim.

He is described as a clean-cut white male, 30 to 40 years old, with a fair complexion and short black hair; he was wearing a black hoodie and gloves.

The teen was physically uninjured but was “understandably upset,” said Surrey RCMP spokesman Cpl. Scotty Schumann in a statement.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 604-599-

0502 and ask for Const. Jackie Ellis, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.

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Funeral announcement Full name: Ranjit (Raji) Kaila Date of birth: May 23, 1980 Father: Gurmail Singh Kaila Mother: Parmjit Kaur Kaila Wife: Sarb Kaila - Children: Maiya (7) Manav (4) Sister: Sandi Kaila Brother: Late Gary Kaila Pind: Kaila dist Ludhiana

Funeral: 5 River funeral home Date: Saturday, December 30th Time: 2:00 PM Bhog: Nanaksar Richmond Resident Delta Worked at Vancouver Taxi #54 Family contact: Bhinder Mangat 604-218-1307 Bob Mann 778-999-5585

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

City issues building permit to Surrey schoolkids asking to build gingerbread houses

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group of schoolkids asked the City of Surrey for permission to build gingerbread houses — and were surprised when officials responded by granting them a building permit. A Grade 1 class at Bayridge Elementary was planning to a build a community of gingerbread houses at the school. In the name of due diligence, teacher Monique van Teunenbroek suggested the kids apply to the City of Surrey for a permit. With holidays fast approaching, Surrey Food Bank warns of dip in donations

In a letter written in green-andred ink, the students wrote: “We are asking permission to build a community of gingerbread houses in the Bayridge neighbourhood on Friday, December 15 of this year.

We will not cut down any trees and we will not need to buy any land. We will use 6 crackers (graham), candies,

25 ‘theft from auto’ suspects arrested in month-long operation Officers from the Vancouver Police Department arrested more than 25 suspects and recommended over 80 charges during a month long “theft from auto” project in downtown Vancouver.

According to a release from the department, the number of reports made about items stolen from vehicles in November 2017 was 1,238, compared to 892 in November 2016.

In an effort to clamp down on thefts, a group of officers was assigned to focus on parking locations known to be targeted by thieves in the weeks leading up to the holidays. “This project focused on parking

lots in the downtown core where we’ve seen the highest number of theft reports,” Const.

Jason Doucette said in a release.

Don’t leave anything visible “Theft from auto is a preventable crime and we all have a role to play in decreasing the number of break-ins.” Police said many of the suspects arrested were allegedly repeat offenders and had committed additional offences.

Doucette said there’s a simple way to reduce the likelihood that your car will be targeted: “we watched suspects go from car to car in search of property. Do not leave anything visible in your vehicle.”

icing, and chocolate.

Some of them will disappear and only crumbs will be left.”

In a letter dated Dec. 15, the City of Surrey’s building division told the students that their request had been approved and a building permit had been issued.

South Surrey businesses

say overpass repairs creating a blue Christmas The permit included a restrictive covenant that stated the home must be “constructed of candy only” and “must be cute and delicious!”

The city also insisted that the kids “ensure there is access for Santa and his reindeers” and the project would be subject to a “final taste-testing inspection.” Van Teunenbroek said she wanted the permit to be a bit of a civics lesson for her students and was thrilled by the city’s response.

Major fire at Maple Ridge homeless camp Residents of a homeless camp in Maple Ridge, B.C., are pledging to clear out excess junk after a fire burned through a tent early Thursday morning.

No one was inside the tent at the time, but firefighters say the flames were starting to melt the fabric of an adjoining tent, where a man was sleeping. He was taken to hospital as a precaution.

Camp resident David Cudmore said firefighters easily extinguished the blaze, but it’s serving as a warning to everyone who lives there.

“It was a normal tent fire. What made this one a little different … was the fact that there was a lot of junk at that tent. That’s what we’re right now trying, for the last couple of weeks, to get rid of,” he told CBC News. “ N o w , it’s time.

Now you’re getting the junk away from your tent.”

In late November the city of Maple Ridge reached an agreement with lawyers representing occupants of the homeless camp, allowing residents to stay until the province could find a more permanent solution. (Anita Bathe/CBC) The camp was erected in the spring on a vacant city lot near the intersection of St. Anne Avenue and 223rd Street to protest the closure of a 40-bed shelter in the city.

As part of an agreement reached with the

city in November to allow the camp to remain, campers are restricted from having open flames or campfires, more than one communal kitchen, certain combustible materials, and they must dispose of their garbage daily and space their tents at least one metre away from each other.

Mayor Nicole Read said the fire highlights the need for B.C. Housing to live up to its commitment to help residents meet fire safety standards after it last month agreed to provide campers with fireresistant tents and tarps, cold weather sleeping bags, clothing and in-tent heaters.

“Some of these people can’t be expected to meet the fire safety regulations.

They have mental health challenges, challenges with addiction.

We need to make sure that they’re given adequate support by the province,” Read said.

In response to the mayor’s concerns, the ministry of municipal affairs and housing said staff from B.C. Housing are on site every day to help campers with fire safety issues.

“Over the month of December, B.C. Housing has helped campers with fire safety by providing thermal blankets, fire-resistant tents, LED lighting, and by constructing a warming shelter, which will be up by tonight,” a ministry spokesperson said in an email Thursday.

Abbotsford shooting victim was targeted, Homicide investigators A shooting in Abbotsford on Thursday afternoon has left one man dead, police say.

Officers discovered the victim in the area of Bates and Harris roads at 2:23 p.m., according to a press release from the Abbotsford Police Department.

Investigators believe the shooting was targeted. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has now taken over the case.

IHIT on scene in area of Bates Rd & Harris Rd, Abbotsford for a man found dead. Early but btb targeted. Call IHIT with info.

Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call the IHIT tip line at 1-877-551-4448 or leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Police investigate an Abbotsford homicide in the pouring rain Thursday evening.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

DREAM CARPET

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NATIONAL

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Police launch criminal investigation into paramedic treatment of Yosif Al-Hasnawi Hamilton police say a criminal investigation has been launched into the on-scene medical care first responders provided Yosif AlHasnawi, a Good Samaritan who was fatally shot after intervening in a dispute.

Al-Hasnawi, 19, (pictured) was shot December 2 after coming to the aid of an older man being verbally accosted by two men on Main Street East in Hamilton’s lower city. It happened just outside the mosque where AlHasnawi had attended an evening prayers.

Witnesses at the scene were critical of Hamilton paramedics, saying they told Al-

Hasnawi that he was acting, and that he’d been shot by a pellet gun. ‘I can’t breathe’: Paramedic treatment questioned Police later confirmed 38 minutes passed from the time paramedics arrived until the ambulance took AlHasnawi to hospital, where he died shortly after.

Hamilton police issued a media release on Wednesday

saying Niagara Regional Police will handle the case “to ensure a fair and impartial investigation is completed.”

The investigation was handed over after “a review of the preliminary evidence,” said Const. Jerome Stewart. Police aren’t sure how long it will take.

The city

and the Ontario Health Ministry are also investigating.

In a statement earlier this month, deputy chief Russell Crocker said the paramedic service is “committed to a high standard of care for all of its residents.”

Al-Hasnawi was buried this week in his native Iraq. Two Hamilton men are charged in connection with his death.

Dale Burningsky King, 19, is charged with second-degree murder. James Matheson, 20, is charged with being an accessory after the fact to murder.

Anti-poverty activist files $1 billion class-action lawsuit over bread price-fixing scheme A 71-year-old anti-poverty activist has filed a $1-billion class-action lawsuit against several grocers after Loblaw Companies Ltd. and George Weston Ltd. revealed Tuesday that they participated in an industry-wide bread pricefixing arrangement for more than a decade.

Irene Breckon, president of the AntiPoverty Coalition in Elliot Lake, Ont., regularly bought loaves of Country Harvest bread at a No Frills grocery store.

When she heard that Loblaws was offering their customers a $25 gift card as a gesture of goodwill, Breckon said she was outraged.

“When I first thought about it, I thought a $25 gift card for 14 years . . . is nothing,” Breckon told the Star on Saturday night.

“My biggest concern is that these people have been overcharged for all those years for such a basic necessity in life. Bread is a staple and many people need it. I’m hoping these corporations get punished and I’m hoping that people will receive better reimbursement.”

None of the allegations have been proven in court and the class-action lawsuit would have to be certified by a judge to proceed.

The suit names grocers Canada Bread, Walmart, Sobeys, Giant Tiger and Metro as well as Loblaw Companies Ltd. and George Weston Ltd. as defendants, according to a statement of claim filed

by Toronto-based law firm Sotos LLP. Breckon is the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit, filed on behalf of all Canadians who purchased bread at their stores starting in January 2001.

Lindy Lou Layman, pictured, was arrested Saturday on criminal mischief charges after her date with Anthony Buzbee.

Dallas woman allegedly ruins $300,000 worth of art on first date with lawyer Mary Horomanski’s erroneous electric bill from Penelec.

U.S. woman gets $284-billion electric bill, wonders if it’s because of her Christmas lights Architectural plans submitted to the City of Toronto reveal the intricate details of the 16,000 square-foot home Barry and Honey Sherman were set to build on this cleared lot on Old Forest Hill Rd., before their bodies were found this month.

The house Honey and Barry Sherman would have built Jean-Marc Leclerc, a lawyer with Sotos LLP and co-counsel to the case told the Star on Sunday that he cannot yet confirm whether accepting the $25 gift card will have an effect on someone’s ability to claim damages.

“We will argue to the court that this is a gratuitous offer that is being made

by Loblaw, and does not represent in any way an adequate award of damages,” Leclerc said in a phone interview.

If the defendants attempt to argue that gift card recipients can’t participate in the suit, Leclerc said Sotos LLP will “go to the court on very short order to say that is improper, and that we want relief from the court relating to that issue.”

Saturday, December 30, 2017

How much real estate do foreigner investors really own James Cohen is the director of policy and programs at Transparency International Canada, an anti-corruption organization headquartered at York University. Peter Dent is a former chair. When we say that Statistics Canada got it wrong on how much real estate is owned by foreign buyers, we are not pretending that we could come up with a more accurate number.= Anyone who estimates the amount of foreign ownership of real estate in Canada will be wrong. Everyone will be wrong because in Canada, a foreign investor can pour money into Canadian real estate through a Canadian company they set up either federally, provincially or territorially, using a Canadian as a nominee director/shareholder/ beneficiary, without disclosing the true beneficial owner. How much real estate is owned through privately held corporations registered in Canada? How many of these privately held corporations are owned or controlled by foreigners? Our fractured system does not allow the tracking of foreign ownership of privately held companies so how can Statscan create a measurement of foreign ownership? It can’t.

In Transparency International Canada’s 2016 report, “No Reason to Hide: Unmasking the Anonymous Owners of Canadian Companies and Trust,” our data revealed that among 2015’s 100 most valuable real estate transactions in Vancouver, nearly 50 per cent of the beneficial owners are unknown. Twenty-five per cent over all are owned by Canadian shell companies, 11 per cent are owned through nominees, and 6 per cent are owned through trusts.

Only 4 per cent of unknown property ownership was through offshore shell companies, which would count toward the government’s definition of non-resident ownership. Canada is one of the few G20 countries where real estate agents and developers are not required to identify the

beneficial owners of clients buying and selling property. In addition, the real estate sector has been criticized by the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (FinTRAC) for major deficiencies in money laundering controls. We are not surprised that “real estate leaders” point to this study as proof of their claims that foreign ownership is not all that important. But they too are wrong, since foreign ownership of real estate in Canada cannot be measured.

The Statscan study needs more robust scrutiny before it is relied upon as a basis for making policy decisions, and tougher rules around the disclosure of beneficial ownership in real estate transactions are required.

C a n a d a continues to lag further behind international standards as the federal, provincial and territorial governments are not keeping pace with new standards being set across the Atlantic.

Last week the Canadian finance ministers announced that federal, provincial, and territorial governments will require companies to keep information on beneficial owners that can be made available to authorities. In the same week, all 28 EU members agreed to make such information publicly available on registries and to make beneficial owners of trusts available to authorities. In the United Kingdom, where beneficial ownership of companies is already on a public registry, the government will propose legislation next year for a public register of foreign owners of property as part of the new National Anti-Corruption Strategy. If foreigners want to buy property in Canada, then we all have a right to know who they are and the source of their funds and wealth.

NATIONAL

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Group of Montreal work colleagues win $60-million Lotto Max jackpot website and started crying. “Yeah, I A group of Montrealers had a very cried,” said Scattone, who didn’t respond merry Christmas after splitting a $60 when asked how old he was. “I thought million Lotto Max jackpot. of a lot of things, of my family.” Beland When asked if they were already said she and her eight colleagues will wealthy before they found out they would take the time to reflect on their future, be sharing the $60 million in prize money, but said winning millions hasn’t winner Julie Beland said “it depends on how changed their life goals. “All the projects each of us defines (rich).” “For some of us, we had planned yes, for others, no,” before this money said Beland, who are the same,” she said she was in told reporters. her 30s. “We were “Now we have people who made more possibilities efforts that needed to complete what to be made to get we had in mind. to where we were.”

We will remain Her colleague, grounded.”

Haidar Abi The nine Haidar, 27, said, A group of Montrealers after winning a $60 usually split one “Money doesn’t million Lotto Max jackpot. ticket, but this create anything. time around, due to it being the holiday We were comfortable.” Abi Haidar said season, they each played $20.

Loto-Quebec’s description of them being “We calculated the odds,” said Abi in finance was not entirely correct. “It’s a Haidar. “It was the first time we (put in bit more complicated,” he said. “It’s a multias much).” industry (company), I would say; we would Lotto Max is a Canada-wide lottery rather keep that quiet.” and the maximum jackpot is $60 On Sunday, Enzo Scattone woke up and million. checked his go-to internet news website Quebec’s gaming authority says and discovered the grand prize winners the approximate odds of winning the were a group from Montreal. Thinking he jackpot are one in about 28.6 million might have just gotten very lucky, Scattone with one play. checked the numbers on Loto-Quebec’s

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NATIONAL

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Liberals agree to settle class action lawsuit over student loan privacy breach The federal government will pay at least $17.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed after a major privacy breach involving about 583,000 student loan recipients.

Firms involved in the class action says they and federal lawyers have agreed to the settlement, subject to court approval in February. The notice of settlement posted online says that every student who signed up for the class action will receive $60 due to the inconvenience associated with the loss of their personal information. Student loan data breach class action lawsuit can expand, Federal Court rules Canada student loan breach victims want apology They will also receive payments to cover any actual losses directly related to the privacy

breach, which could push the overall cost to the government even higher. The loss of personal information for some 583,000 Canada Student Loan recipients five years ago was one of the worst the federal government had ever suffered. Personal details on the loan recipients were stored on a small, portable hard drive that went missing from Employment and Social Development Canada’s head office in Gatineau, Que. All those covered received their loans between 2000 and 2007. The previous Conservative government alerted Canadians to the breach in January 2013, weeks after department officials first noticed the hard drive missing.

The government offered to cover years of credit alerts for all those affected.

Trudeau says NAFTA ‘unpredictability’ keeps him awake at night The prime minister, speaking in a year-end interview with Global News, said talks with the U.S. and Mexico to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement are the main thing keeping him up at night.

“There’s a level of unpredictability” in the negotiations, Trudeau said in the interview, which was aired Monday. “We know if the relationship with the U.S. goes sour, we could be doing everything right at home and our economy would still end up suffering.”

The three countries trade more than $1 trillion in goods each year, and Canada and Mexico are the top two buyers of U.S. exports.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the accord, and can do so on six months’ notice.

NAFTA talks are scheduled to run through March, and have already been extended once.

They resume next month in Montreal after a mini-round in Washington before the holidays saw agreement reached on only a minor annex related to appliances. “I’m not going to sign any deal at any cost,” Trudeau told Global News. “If it’s a bad deal, I’m going to walk away from it, because no deal is better than a bad deal for Canadians.” Canada wants to add what it calls progressive elements to trade deals, including guarantees on labour, the environment and gender rights. That push has hindered other negotiations, including delaying the expected launch of formal talks with China and delaying a deal to revive the Trans Pacific Partnership after Trump pulled out.

Housing anxiety drives BC residents to seek professional help As hope fades that Metro Vancouver’s housing crisis will end anytime soon, counsellors say they are helping more clients tackle the shame and misery that comes from sleeping in rodent-infested basement suites or staying with abusive partners while struggling to find a better home. Clients are identifying housing as having a major impact on their relationships, mental health and wellbeing, said Michelle Crowley, a counsellor with Family Services of Greater Vancouver.

“We’re seeing more and more of it in recent years,” Crowley said. “It’s just been such a growing concern.” Crowley said about 90 per cent of her clients now bring up housing as one of their struggles, whether they’re in a government-subsidized apartment or house with two working parents. For many families, the cost of rent — now more than $1,550 for the average two-bedroom apartment in

Vancouver, according to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation — eats up so much of their income that they must cut back on groceries and can’t enrol their children in after-school activities or replace their wornout clothing. “Even if someone says, ‘Yes, I’m securely paying rent every month,’ OK, well then, what else has had to be cut down because of it?” Crowley said. “There’s a whole cascade of problems that come from that one issue.” Crowley told the story of a single mom, staying in a tiny basement suite with no room for a full crib in her bedroom and sporadic heating. She was afraid that complaining to the landlord would lead to eviction in a region where the rental vacancy rate hovers below one per cent. Another working single mom refused to complain to the Residential Tenancy Board about the rodents in her suite out of fear she, too, would be unable

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Canada’s ambassador to UN explains why Canada abstained from Jerusalem vote at the UN Last week an overwhelming number of member states voted “yes” to the resolution, despite threats from Trump that he would cut their US funding.

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

Now US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is throwing a party for all the countries who didn’t vote against the United States on its controversial bid to recognize Jerusalem as the capital city of Israel — and Canada plans to attend.

The resolution reaffirmed the United Nations’ long-held stance that Jerusalem’s final status must be decided in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

After the vote, Haley tweeted a photo naming the 65 nations that either voted no, were absent or abstained, like Canada. She said: “We appreciate these countries for not falling to the irresponsible ways of the UN.” She later sent invitations to the group for a Jan. 3 reception to “thank you for your friendship to the United States.” Canada’s ambassador to the UN, Marc-André Blanchard, told Chris Hall, host of CBC Radio’s The House, that he received an invite and plans on attending. “I will attend with great pleasure,” he said. Ahead of the vote, Haley sent a letter to UN delegates that the

U.S. would be taking note of everyone’s votes.

“As you consider your vote, I want you to know that the president and U.S. take this vote personally,” she said.

Trump then throttled the tension, telling reporters he would rescind sending aid to countries who opposed him. “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,” he said. “We’ll save a lot. We don’t care.”

Blanchard said Canada abstained because the resolution didn’t advance the prospects for peace, not because of Trump’s threats. “This is an approach that is not a traditional approach at the UN. But this is the approach that they are choosing as a country and it’s their right,” he said.

UN researcher Richard Gowan, an associate fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, characterized it differently.

“This was pretty crude diplomacy. And frankly it was silly of the Americans to push so hard because it was always clear that the U.S. was going to lose this vote by a big margin,” he said. Gowan said the U.S.’s pre-vote tactics might have persuaded some countries, including Canada, to abstain, but comes off as a weak moment in Haley’s diplomacy so far.

New laws and rules coming into effect in 2018 The federal Liberals have set July, 2018 as the deadline to legalize recreational marijuana. Sales of pot will be restricted to people 18 and older, although provinces will be able to set their own minimum age requirements. Provinces are also tasked with figuring out how to sell and regulate marijuana.

In Ontario, for example, pot will be sold in stores run by a subsidiary of the Liquor Control Board of Ontario.

Manitoba, meanwhile, wants to sell cannabis through private-sector retail outlets and online stores. A full breakdown of provincial marijuana plans is available here. Under the new federal legislation, people of legal age will be allowed to publicly possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent in non-dried form.

Extended parental leave New mothers and fathers planning to begin their parental leave on or after Dec. 3 will be able to spread 12 months’ worth of federal employment insurance over 18 months and stay home with their child longer.

New family caregiver benefits also kicks in on Dec. 3, including a 15-week leave to care for a critically ill or injured adult, and a 35week leave to care for a critically ill or injured child. Carbon price plan The federal government wants all provinces and territories to impose a $10 per tonne carbon tax by 2018. If a province or territory doesn’t implement a carbon price on its own, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Ottawa will implement a price in that jurisdiction.

Ottawa has been clashing with some provinces on this issue. Depending on where you live, a carbon price plan could result in higher gasoline prices and heating bills. You may also see your grocery bill rise, since food is often transported by diesel-burning vehicles.

Small-business tax changes If you are a small business owner, and especially if you run a family business, you have likely already heard about the federal government’s controversial tax reform plan. As of Jan. 1,

Ottawa is tightening rules that allow smallbusiness owners to lower their tax burden by sharing some of their earnings with family members -- known as income sprinkling.

The Department of Finance has outlined the changes on its website, saying the revised income-sprinkling rules contain clear, simple tests to determine whether a relative has made a meaningful contribution to the business. The tests include checking to see whether a family member has made a substantial capital investment in the business or meets requirementson minimum age and number of hours worked.

Microbeads ban As of Jan. 1, Health Canada will ban the manufacturing and importing of toiletries that contain plastic microbeads.The microbeads have been used in toothpaste, facial scrubs, body lotions and shower gels, among other everyday health and beauty items. The ban will make exceptions for natural health products or non-prescription drugs that contain microbeads, but those will also be banned later in the year, starting July 1. The tiny plastic beads are usually too small to be caught by wastewater treatment system filters and end up in lakes, rivers and oceans.

They are now listed as a toxic substance under the Environmental Protection Act. ONTARIO Minimum wage increase and other employment law changes On Jan. 1, the Ontario minimum wage will increase to $14 per hour, from $11.60 per hour. Changes to provincial employment laws also include giving three weeks of paid vacation to all employees once they’ve been with a company for five years, expanding personal emergency leave to employees of small companies, and giving up to 104 weeks of unpaid leave to parents whose children die.

Scalper bot ban Buying tickets to see your favourite band play in Ontario may be easier – and cheaper – in 2018, thanks to new Ticket Sales Act provisions that passed

FINANCE

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SOUTH ASIA

Angry India slams Pakistan for insults heaped on Kulbhushan Jadhav kin Bristling with anger, India protested on of family members were disregarded. This Tuesday against the indignities Kulbhushan included removal of mangalsutra, bangles Jadhav’s wife and mother were subjected and bindis as well as change in attire that was to when they were allowed to visit the not warranted by security,” the spokesperson former Indian Navy officer in Islamabad. said, adding, Jadhav’s mother was prevented ‘There was something in from speaking to him in their mother tongue her shoes,’ says Pakistan about Marathi despite it being the language she confiscating footwear of Jadhav’s wife was comfortable in. “She was repeatedly The Indian government interrupted while doing so disclosed that Islamabad broke and eventually prevented from an understanding between the proceeding further in this two sides and allowed a hostile regard,” the government said. pack of Pakistani journalists to get India’s deputy high close to Jadhav’s mother, Avanti, commissioner J P Singh, who, and wife Chetna and “harass and as per the clear understanding hector them” by hurling “false and between the two sides, was motivated” accusations about Jadhav. to be allowed in the meeting, Brushing aside Pakistan’s claim was initially separated from of humanitarian considerations the family members. “The Kulbhushan Jadhav’ in allowing Jadhav’s wife and meeting started without mother to meet him, a spokesperson of his presence and he could join only after the ministry of external affairs said the pressing the matter with officials concerned. two women were treated with complete Even then he was kept behind an additional disregard to religious and cultural partition that did not allow him access to the sensitivities, being asked to change clothes meeting as agreed,” the spokesperson said. and take off their bindis and mangalsutras.

When Hindus are ill-treated in Pakistan In fact, Jadhav’s wife had to leave the Pakistani as seen on treatment of Jhadhav’s mother foreign ministry without her footwear which and wife Muslims enjoy special prevlages was not returned to her after the meeting. in Hindustan of appeasement and 370 The cultural and religious sensibilities in Kashmir for them to take Hindus..

Santa arrives in Thailand riding an elephant Thailand is a predominantly A troupe of elephants bearing presents visited students in Thailand’s old Buddhist country, with Christians capital of Ayutthaya on Friday to spread Christmas cheer.

Four elephants, with their mahouts were dressed in Santa Claus suits, arrived at Ayutthaya’s Jirasartwitthaya School to hand out toys, balloons and snacks to delighted children.

“I’m so glad today because elephants are coming to school. And they are giving presents”, said nineyear-old Patcharamon Udomsanti.

The elephants also entertained the Elephants, teachers and students dressed in Santa Claus children with some dance moves, shaking their tails from side to side. costumes parade during Christmas celebrations at Jirasart school in Ayutthaya, Thailand.

“It’s so nice that they can share our festival. We share it with them, and the Thai making up only about 0.7 percent of share their festivals with us like Songkran,” the population, nevertheless, many said Rita Laureys, a Belgian teaching English people enjoy Christmas festivities. in Thailand, referring to the Thai new year.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Nepal rejects India’s offer to jointly remeasure Mt Everest Nepal has rejected India’s offer to jointly remeasure the height of the world’s highest peak Mount Everest following the massive earthquake in 2015 and will carry out the exercise on its own, the top official of the Himalayan nation’s survey department has said.

Nepal will, however, seek help from India and China for getting crucial data for the exercise, Nepal’s Survey Department’s Director General Ganesh Bhatta told media.

Sources in New Delhi indicated that China could be behind Nepal refusing India’s proposal to jointly re-measure Mount Everest as the peak is on the Sino-Nepal border.

According to a statement by the Department of Science and Technology which comes under India’s Ministry of Science and Technology, after the 2015 “Gorkha earthquake” that jolted Nepal,

various doubts were raised by the scientific community over the height of the peak.

The 7.8 magnitude quake in April 2015 had devastated the Himalayan nation, killing more than8,000peopleanddisplacinglakhsofothers.

The Survey of India, a 250-year-old institute under the DST, proposed re-measuring Mt Everest as an ‘IndoNepal Joint Scientific Exercise’ with Nepal’s survey department.

“They have not responded to our proposal.

Now they are saying that they are not involving either India or China. They will be re-measuring Mt Everest on their own,” Major Gen Girish Kumar, the Surveyor General of India, told media.

Kumar said that a representative from India attended a meeting convened in Kathmandu, where surveyors and scientists from different countries including China were also present.

2nd India-Afghan air corridor operational In further boost to bilateral connectivity, the second air corridor between India and Afghanistan was inaugurated today.

Expanding the cargo corridor, the inaugural flight departed from the Kabul International Airport for Mumbai.

In June earlier, the first dedicated air freight corridor was inaugurated between Kabul and Delhi by President Ghani.

Welcoming the move, Indian Ambassador to Kabul Manpreet Vohra wrote on twitter: “Congratulations, #Afghanistan ! The #IndiaAfghanistanAirCorridor expanded today! His Excellency Afghan Vice-President Sarwar Danish inaugurated the first cargo flight from Kabul to Mumbai. Real and unimpeded connectivity for Afghan traders.”

Quoting Afghan officials, local media reported that some 10,640 tonnes of fresh produce, fresh and dried fruits, medicinal plants and handicraft worth over $20 million had been exported to India since the launch of the first corridor.

The aim is to provide landlocked Afghanistan greater access to Indian markets

even as Pakistan continues to be a hurdle in road transit. Air cargo connectivity is facilitating direct access to Indian markets for Afghan farmers for their perishable produce.

Afghanistan exports fresh fruits, dried fruits/nuts, raisins, vegetables, oil seeds, precious/semi-precious stones among others to India. With Phase 1 of the Shahid Beheshti Port at Chabahar also operational, India is now able to ship wheat to Afghanistan through the sea route as well. Connectivity for trade and development remains top priority for war-torn Afghanistan.

Interestingly, after the inaugural meeting of Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan, Pakistan and China this week, there were indications that Afghanistan could in future join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of Beijing’s grand Belt and Road Initiative, for greater access to regional and global markets.

India has strong objections to CPEC as it passes through Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir.

Indian official sources maintain Afghanistan remains sensitive to Indian concerns.

PUNJAB

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Chief Minister approves memorial at Bassi Pathana prison Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has directed the Director of the Tourism and Cultural Affairs Department to submit a proposal for the development of a memorial in Bassi Pathana’s SubJail, where Guru Teg Bahadur was imprisoned.

Guru Teg Bahadur was the ninth Sikh guru and was believed to have been confined in the sub-jail for three months on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Head Granthi of Fatehgarh Sahib Gurdwara Bhai Harpal Singh, SGPC member Karnail Singh Panjoli and Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra thanked Capt Amarinder for promptly responding to the charter of demands presented to him during his visit to the gurdwara yesterday.

An official spokesman said the Chief Minister also directed the PWD secretary to work out detailed proposals and estimates at the earliest to implement the strengthening and widening of roads within 10-km radius of Gurdwara Fatehgarh Sahib and beautification of the road from Baba Moti Ram Mehra Gate (near Talanian) to Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Gate.

The CM also sanctioned Rs 5 crore for the completion of the ongoing development works on Sahadat-e-Safar Road, including its widening and strengthening from historic Gurdwara Kuma Maski up to the Ropar headworks, besides construction

Khalsa Diwan head accused of sexual abuse A school principal, who was purportedly seen in a ‘sleazy’ video with Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) president Charanjit Singh Chadha, has accused him of sexual harassment.

In a communiqué to DGP Suresh Arora, she accused Chadha of making sexual advances. “He tried to do indecent acts with me. When I refused, he threatened me, citing his proximity to the powers that be during the SAD-BJP rule,” she wrote. About the video, she claimed that she was leaving the office when he called her back on the pretext of clicking a selfie.

The woman said she had studied in a CKD school and started her career as a teacher about 22 years ago. She was now working as a principal in a CKD school.

Meanwhile, CKD members appointed Dhanraj Singh as the officiating head after Chadha refused to resign despite protests.

Dhanraj is also holding the charge of senior vice president the over century-old Sikh educational body. He said the video row would be taken up in the executive committee meeting of the Diwan.

Chadha has already claimed that the video was doctored and was made viral to defame him. He said he had already lodged a complaint with the police that some blackmailers were trying to extort Rs 1 crore from him. Later, Chadha stated that all female staff members in the schools run by the CKD were his “daughters”.

Meanwhile, some Sikh leaders today submitted memoranda, asking Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh to summon Chadha and remove him from the Diwan.

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Lok Sabha of Punjab pays tribute to Sahibzade The Lok Sabha today took up by voice vote a motion moved by Anandpur Sahib MP Prem Singh Chandumajra paying tribute to Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh, the two younger sons of Guru Gobind Singh and Mata Gujri.

Moving the motion during Zero Hour, Chandumajra said, “On this auspicious Shaheedi Diwas, the House pays tribute to Baba Zorawar Singh, Baba Fateh Singh and

Mata Gujriji, who sacrificed their lives for the protection of religion, honour, pride and dignity of humanity and the nation.”

Noting that this was for “the first time” that such a motion was being moved in the House, the SAD leader requested Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to allow the House to “pass it”. Chandumajra informed the House that “on this day every year, condolence meetings are held from noon”.

International rifle shooter gets police job of four bridges over it in Ropar district.

The Chief Minister was apprised in the meeting that funds to the tune of Rs 6.69 crore had been released so far and the balance of Rs 5 crore would be released soon to ensure timely implementation of these development projects to facilitate the devotees.

Punjab Cabinet approved the appointment of Ajitesh Kaushal, an international rifle shooter, as a Sub-Inspector in the Punjab Police.

Ajitesh has won 85 medals in shooting at state, national and international levels. He is an A-grade sportsman of the state Sports Department. He was earlier given Rs 5.22 lakh for his performances.

His father, Rakesh Kaushal, is a PPS officer, presently posted as the Commandant of 3rd Battalion at Mohali.

The Cabinet also regularised the services of lecturers Jaswinder Singh, Harjeet Singh and Haroon Naeem Khan, who are working on a contract basis with Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur.

The Cabinet decision has been taken in accordance with the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court regarding the regularisation of services of 19 law officers.

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INDIA

Saturday, December 30, 2017

BJP attacking country’s Constitution, using lies for benefit: Rahul Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Thursday slammed the BJP accusing it of attacking the country’s Constitution and using lies for political benefits, while asserting that the central idea of the Congress party is truth.

Addressing a function here to mark the Congress’s Foundation Day, he said his party might suffer or lose elections but would not give up truth.

“The Constitution is under attack by the BJP. It is our duty to defend the

Constitution, to defend every single person’s future,” the Congress president said.

He also highlighted the Congress’s “glorious” history, claiming the central idea of the party was truth and “we will continue to fight for it”.

Continuing his attack on the ruling party, Gandhi said, “What is happening in our country is a web of deceit.

The BJP operates on the basic idea that a lie can be used for political benefits...We (the Congress) might suffer or lose but we would not give up the truth,” he said.

BJP moves privilege motion against Rahul Gandhi for ‘twisting’ finance minister Arun Jaitley’s name BJP moved a privilege motion in Rajya Sabha against Congress president Rahul Gandhi for ridiculing finance minister Arun Jaitley+ and “twisting’’ his name. Chairman Venkaiah Naidu said he was examining the motion moved by BJP MP Bhupendra Yadav.

“The notice given by (BJP member) Bhupendra Yadav regarding a privilege motion is before me. I have to examine it and then take a view. I will be going through the privilege motion and take an appropriate decision,” Naidu said as the House assembled after a brief adjournment.

The House was adjourned during the morning session as Congress MPs continued to protest against Union minister Anantkumar Hegde’s+ controversial remarks on secularism and the changing of the Constitution. On the issue of the privilege motion, Naidu reminded the members that a “solemn

agreement” had been reached between the leader of the House Arun Jaitley and leader of opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad with all the other members, too, endorsing it.

“Anybody outside commenting on that agreement is not fair and good for the House and for the system also. Anyhow, whatever it is, I will be going through the privilege motion and take an appropriate decision,” Vice-President Naidu said.

During the zero hour, Yadav said he had given a notice under Rule 187 and alleged that the Congress chief had “intentionally, maliciously and disrespectfully twisted” the finance minister’s name in a tweet.

“I want to say that the way he has tweeted the name of the leader of the House falls under the category of privilege,” the BJP member said and sought a ruling from the chair on the notice.

3,515 Karnataka farmers committed suicide in 5 years As many as 3,515 farmers in Karnataka committed suicide between April 2013 and November 2017. Out of these, 2,525 suicides were due to drought and crop failure, statistics provided by the State Agriculture Department said.

“3,515 farmers were reported to have committed suicide from April 2013 to November 2017; and from April 2008 to April 2012, 1,125 farmers were reported to have committed suicide,” it said.

Out of the 3,515 reported cases of suicide, the Agriculture Department accepted that 2,525 were due to drought and crop failure. From April 2015 to April 2017, 2,514 suicide cases were reported, of which 1,929 were accepted, it added.

From April 2017 to November 2017, when the state received sufficient rainfall, 624 suicide cases were reported. Of these, 416 were accepted, it said. Agriculture Director

BY Srinivas said 112 suicide cases had been pending for want of ratification by a state government panel since 2013. “There are 105

pending cases this year (till November), and seven cases pertain to previous year,” he said.

The highest number of suicides (1,483) were reported during 2015-16 and lowest (106) during 2013-14, Srinivas said.

“The maximum cases of suicide have been from among sugarcane growers, followed by cotton and paddy cultivators,” he said. The government has taken relief measures asking banks not to force farmers to repay their dues and turn their short and medium-term crop loans into long-term loans with waiver of interest, he added. Agriculture Officer Kumaraswamy said the government had registered cases against private moneylenders giving loans at exorbitant interest rates (ranging from 30 to 40 per cent).

“1,332 cases have been registered against moneylenders, of which 585 were arrested in last three years,” he said. — The highest number of suicides (1,483) were reported during 2015-16 and lowest

Kashmiri activists reject allegations against India by Malik’s wife Kashmiri political activists have sharply word against Pakistan for the miseries being criticised Mushaal Mullick, the wife of Jammu faced by the people of Pakistani-Controlled and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chief Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. This Yasin Malik, for blaming India for “keeping is a Pakistani woman who is using her relationship to play Pakistani her and their daughter from meeting Malik for the past three years”. games,” Raja added. “I believe people of Indian-Administered This comes after former naval Jammu Kashmir are enjoying officer and alleged spy Kulbhushan Jadhav was allowed to meet his kin much more political, civil and constitutional rights as compared in Islamabad on Monday.

A Pakistani national, Mullick, to the people of the areas under Pakistani control. People of released a self-made video thereafter Jammu and Kashmir have no castigating the Indian government for “barring her and their daughter” Mushaal Mullick political affiliation and any social link with this woman. She is a from meeting Malik. Mullick said in a video message, “A Kashmiri has no right to Pakistani spokesperson and doesn’t enjoy any meet his wife and child; he is being treated following in Jammu and Kashmir,” said Sajjad Raja. Mushaal Mullick, who married Yasin worse than a proclaimed terrorist.”

Sajjad Raja, former president of Jammu Malik in 2009, had applied for a visa in 2013 Kashmir National Awami Party (UK) said, “I and has been allowed to travel to India twice. As think this is false propaganda by the woman per sources, she has not shown any interest in who doesn’t have any political or ideological visiting India nor has she applied for a visa since connection with her husband and who is just her visa expired in 2015. Speaking from Brussels, using her husband’s political stature to make Jamil Maqsood, an activist of United Kashmir personal gains. This woman is working for People’s National Party (UKPNP) said, “Mrs Pakistani establishment and is duty-bound to Mullick should provide the proof of the visa speak against India”. “She never utters a single application first to have a comparison with the Kulbushan case.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Viswanathan Anand stuns World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in Riyadh world rapids F o r m e r multiple World C h a m p i o n Viswanat han Anand of India defeated reigning champion Magnus Carlsen from the black side of Botvinnik system in the Nimzo Indian defence in the ninth round of World Rapid Championship Former world champion, Grandmaster Vishwanathan Anand stunned reigning (WRC) in Riyadh, champion and World no. 1 Magnus Carlsen (left).

Saudi Arabia, queen and bishop that controlled the on Wednesday.

Anand won in 34 moves, thanks long diagonal proved too powerful. to a delectable endgame in which his

Indian parliament approves a bill banning triple talaaq (divorce) Parliament of India approved a bill making the practice of instant divorce illegal and punishable with up to three years imprisonment for offending husbands.

The bill came months after India’s Supreme Court ruled that the Muslim practice that allows men to instantly divorce their wives was unconstitutional.

Several opposition parties criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for not discussing the legislation with them before introducing it in Parliament on Thursday.

The approved bill will now go to the upper house of parliament, where it needs approval before it becomes law.

More than 20 Muslim countries, including neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, have banned the practice.

But in India, the practice has continued with the protection of laws that allow Muslim, Christian and Hindu communities to follow religious law in matters like marriage, divorce, inheritance and adoption.

While most Hindu personal laws have been overhauled and codified over the years, Muslim laws have been left to religious authorities and left largely untouched.

India Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures while speaking during the inauguration of a section of Delhi Metro in Noida, 25 kms east of

New Delhi on December 25, 2017.

Women’s rights activist Zakia Soman said it was a much needed law for Muslim women, who have suffered legal discrimination with Hindu and Christian women enjoying protection under separate laws.

Most of the 170 million Muslims in India are Sunnis governed by Muslim Personal Law for family matters and disputes. Those laws include allowing men to divorce their wives by simply uttering the Arabic word “talaq,” or divorce, three times — and not necessarily consecutively, but at any time, and by any medium, including telephone, text message or social media post.

‘A historic day’: Instant divorce for Muslim men ruled unconstitutional in India In India, a husband failing to provide a toilet for his wife can be grounds for divorce Kamal Farooqi, a leader representing the All India Muslim Personal Board, a top grouping of Islamic organisations, said the organization was opposed to the practice of instant divorce but argued against the government or courts interfering in religious laws.

He said the board was in favour of leaving the divorce issue to the Muslim community to tackle. But several progressive Muslim activists decried the board’s position.

INDIA

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Fire at rooftop restaurant in Mumbai kills 15, including 28-year-old celebrating her birthday Flames shot into the nighttime sky out our other emergency exit, even though fire early Friday as a fire engulfed an upscale balls were falling down,” said Sharad Jadhav, rooftop restaurant in the Indian city of a producer for TV-9. “Somehow I managed Mumbai, killing 15 people and sending to get everybody out of the place one by one, others fleeing for their lives, fire officials said. and then I came out, and when we came out The 1 a.m. fire spread quickly from the the roof of the restaurant came crashing down.” restaurant through the four-storey building, A totally charred roof top restaurant is said Mumbai fire service official Balkrishna seen among other high-rise buildings in Kadam. Eight fire engines battled the blaze for more than five hours, he said.

Video showed a blazing fire atop a building, and then a roof-like shelter collapsing. A bamboo ceiling burned quickly and collapsed as people tried to escape, the TimesNow TV news channel said.

According to Reuters, most of the people who died were women, including a 28-year-old who was at a popular bar-restaurant called 1 Above celebrating her birthday.

There was a A building on fire in Mumbai, early Friday, Dec. 29, 2017. stampede and A number of people were killed and many more injured as fire that someone pushed broke out in a restaurant in commercial capital of India. me,” Sulbha Arora Mumbai, India, Friday, Dec. 29, 2017.

Rajanish Kakade/AP More than 50 people were brought to KEM hospital, of whom 12 were treated for non-lifethreatening injuries, said Avinash Supe, a doctor at the hospital.

Supe said the deaths were caused by both burns and suffocation.

Mumbai, a Mumbai gynecologist, tweeted.

Fire officials said 14 of the victims had been “People were running over me even as identified, and there was one unidentified the ceiling above me was collapsing in body. The dead included 11 women, they said. flames. Still don’t know how I got out alive.”

Babu Lal, who was celebrating The building is located in Kamala Mills, his granddaughter’s birthday at the a sprawling former textile compound restaurant, told the TimesNow channel that has been redeveloped with upscale that his granddaughter died in the fire. restaurants and offices and has become Police filed a case of culpable homicide a popular nightspot in Mumbai, India’s against the owners and the manager of the financial and entertainment capital. restaurant. No arrests have been made.

Several TV news channels operating from Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: the compound had to shut down some of their “Anguished by the fire in Mumbai. My thoughts broadcasts,reportedlyduetoequipmentdamage. are with the bereaved families in this hour of “It was not only difficult but impossible to grief. I pray that those injured recover quickly.” move out the front door, so we tried to move

26

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Saturday, December 30, 2017

SUPERSTORE

Wishing you all the very best during the holidays.

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FIJI

Saturday, December 30, 2017

People’s Democratic Party suspended from political arena The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been suspended by the Registrar of Political Parties.

The suspension according to a statement by the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) is effective from today December 28, 2017 for 30 days.

The statement said following the resignation of former PDP leader Lynda Tabuya, the PDP was required under section 11 of the Political Parties (Registration, Conduct, Funding & Disclosures) Act, 2013 [ACT] to update the Register of Political Parties and this has not been done till to-date.

Registrar of Political Parties, Mohammed Saneem said “Under the legal framework, the Registered Officer of the Party is the key contact and liaison with the Fijian Elections Office and the PDP has failed and/or neglected to appoint a suitable person as per section 11 since 21 December when Lynda Tabuya resigned.” The PDP has 60 days under the Act to remedy the breach and the suspension will be immediately uplifted following the remedy.

5.4 mg earthquake in Tonga region A 5.4 magnitude Suva, Fiji. earthquake occurred in T h e the Tonga region this Seismology Unit of the morning.

M i n e r a l The moderate earthquake occurred at Resources depth of 10km. department has It was located at assured that Strong earthquake shakes the 217km Southeast from the offshore entire Tonga region Nuku’alofa in Tonga, earthquake did 531km Southwest from not pose any Alofi in Niue, and 952km Southeast from immediate threat to the Fiji region.

No end to the air terminal workers’ dispute FIJI wants you back at work.

This was the message relayed

by Employment, Industrial Relations and Productivity Minister Jone Usamate to the 270 Air Terminal Services workers as there seems to be no breakthrough into their eighth day of dispute with management in Nadi. Mr Usamate made the statement yesterday afternoon when he visited the workers for the first time since the impasse began a week ago. He said he was very concerned about the situation because he cared about the workers and the economic impact the dispute could have on the nation. He said ideally, he wanted the workers home by Christmas and was there to listen to what they had to say, and to come up with options and negotiate terms for their return to work with management.

“I had hoped that through the mediation process we had instituted through the ministry that the matter could have been resolved by discussion and by social dialogue by both parties. “I still have a mediation team here in Nadi who will keep that process moving forward. I have been keeping in close contact with members of my staff who

NFP wants Ashwin Raj out as human rights chief National Federation Party has called for the removal of Fiji Human Rights and AntiDiscrimination Commission’s director and Media Industry Development Authority chairperson, Ashwin Raj. NFP leader Professor Biman Prasad made this statement after Mr Raj appeared on a television show focused on the theme of “hate speech on social media”. Prof Prasad claimed Mr Raj continued to over-extend himself both as the director of Human Rights and chair of the Media Industry Development Authority (MIDA). “Obviously, he confuses himself on which hat he wears on any given day because if he was thinking rationally, instead of using public-funded air-time to “campaign” on hate speech on social media, he should have exemplified balance and advocated for a wider spread of opinions with more studio guests as per Schedule 1 of the Media Code of Ethics and Practice, of his own MIDA Act,” he said.

“Even as the human rights director, he of all people should be the first to promote balanced dialogue, instead of hogging the airwaves to promote a skewed worldview on “deliberative democracy”. “The chair of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission must remove Ashwin Raj immediately. Furthermore, the Prime Minister should remove him as the MIDA chair.” Prof Prasad also claimed Mr Raj

failed to uphold his independence, “or at least try to show it in the public domain, and serious questions arise as to his competence for both roles — and his self-aggrandised continuous use of four-syllabled words is an indictment of his inability to communicate effectively. “Ashwin Raj’s advocate for laws to curb hate speech on social media is a thinly-veiled attempt to muzzle the negative publicity of this Government, and he should be speaking to Parliament with facts and figures, instead of hogging the airwaves to promote an unsolicited and tyrannical ‘campaign’ with no public mandate,” he added. In his response, Mr Raj said hate speech was an anathema to democracy. “The honourable leader of NFP should use the same zeal to combating hate speeches and racial and religious vilification because of our history of institutionalised racism. “Hate speeches are a manifestation of this history. So calling for my resignation, the fact that I hold two positions and making a mockery of my use of the English language will not change the fact that our social media is saturated with materials that promote racial and religious vilification. “Our Constitution, international law and the UN Human Rights Commissioner are all calling for an end to hate speeches and racial and religious vilification.”

Man in court for having sex with an underage girl A 21-year-old man appeared at the Lautoka Magistrates Court today for allegedly having sex with a girl under the age of 18-years.

The alleged incident happened in Banaras, Lautoka earlier this month. Praneel Chand is charged with one count of defilement.

It was heard in court that the girl was 15-years-

have been involved in the mediation process so, I am aware of the things that have been taking place and that has been discussed.” Mr Usamate emphasised the need for discussions with workers and management to lead to the 270 employees returning to work. “We want you workers back, the management wants the workers back and Fiji wants the workers back.

“Obviously with the airport and the tourists coming in and out this is crucial, so the solutions that we have to come up with will have to revolve around that particular issue.” When he opened the floor for workers to raise issues they had with management, he was told that in the past 11 years they had not received a cost of living pay adjustment,

old at the time of the alleged incident. He has been granted bail by the Lautoka Magistrates Court. The accused was ordered to pay a cash bail of $100 and not to interfere with prosecution witnesses. The matter has been adjourned to 26th February next year for the plea to be taken.

2 Cyprus nationals charged with money laundering Two Cyprus nationals jointly charged for money laundering have been further remanded in police custody by the Suva Magistrates Court today. They were allegedly involved in multiple suspicious ATM transactions earlier this month.

Loizos Petridis and Cleanthis Petridis through their lawyer had objected to staying in police custody and requested they be kept at the Remand Center. The two men have been jointly charged with 6 counts of money laundering which involved $3,060 but the money seized from them was $150,00. Police investigations into the money seized are continuing. The lawyer for the two accused told the court they were objecting

to being kept in police custody as the conditions are not conducive to them spending the night there as they could not sleep comfortably. They have been in police custody for the past 9 days.

DPP lawyer Saif Shah objected to the objection made the accused persons saying the Remand Centre closes at 4pm everyday and that would hinder investigations which are continuing.

Shah further stated that the men have been provided with all amenities in police custody.

Magistrate Jioji Boseiwaqa has ordered the men to be remanded in police custody.

The case has been adjourned to 4th of January next year.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, December 30, 2017

How Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother foiled Pakistan’s crooked plan “But why are you saying all this? You were doing business in Iran from where you were abducted. You must tell the truth,” an angry Avanti Jadhav interrupted her son Kulbhushan Jadhav on Monday when she and daughter-in-law Chetna were brought face-to-face with the Indian national held in Pakistan. Jadhav had bizarrely greeted the two women by acknowledging that he was, as alleged by Pakistan and contested

by India, indeed an Indian spy and had engineered a spate of terror attacks. Speaking as if he was programmed, Jadhav went on to regurgitate the details of Pakistan’s sprawling charge-sheet against him. His remarks were so out of place in terms of reactions that might be expected on meeting his family after 22 months of captivity, they struck his mother as too surreal to digest. The 70-year-old woman managed to summon, despite being in an intimidating setting with

Pakistan army obtains huge land for building new General Head Quarters (GHQ) in Islamabad

Pakistani officers watching, the resolve to tell her son not to parrot the script handed to him by his captors - Pakistan Army-ISI. Avanti’s courage may have put a spanner in the works of Pakistanis who had planned, sources here suspect, to use the recording of Jadhav’s “confession” to his wife and mother about him being a terrorist, to bolster their narrative against him and India. The intervention also validated India’s decision to insist that Jadhav’s mother accompany wife Chetna. Pakistan had initially given a visa only to Chetna but relented when India pressed that mother Avanti should also be allowed access. The Indian side fears that Pakistan could still leak doctored versions of Jadhav’s conversation with the women, but is relieved that Avanti’s fortitude interrupted the plan and would force Islamabad to do a “scissor-and-paste” job.

Pak plans American-style surveillance for foreigners Pakistan plans to adopt American and Europeanstyle surveillance to keep tracking the foreigners visiting the country, according to a media report.

In the latest meeting of intra-provincial committee, foreign minister Khawaja Asif said Pakistan should adopt a tracking system being used by the US and European countries to keep an eye on foreigners, the Urdu language Express News reported.

There is a dire need of having such tracking system which will be helpful in monitoring the movement of foreigners, the minister said.

Asif made the remarks after the secretary of

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Pakistan’s powerful army, which is planning to shift its General Headquarters (GHQ) from Rawalpindi to Islamabad, will soon get over 1,000 acres of land in the capital city, according to a media reports. The plan to shift the GHQ was shelved in 2008-2009, at the instructions of then Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, due to financial constraints.

The army now wants possession of the land

Gov’t summoned India’s acting deputy high commissioner to protest “unprovoked” firing by the Indian Army that killed its three soldiers along the LoC. The Foreign Office in a statement rejected reports that the Indian Army commandos crossed the Line of Control in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir and smashed a post. “The false claims by India about the alleged cross LoC adventures are a figment of their imagination

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and counter-productive for peace and tranquility on the LoC,” it said. “The Indian actions got a befitting response from the Pakistani side and their guns were silenced,” it claimed. The Foreign Office spokesman said Director General (SA & SAARC) Mohammad Faisal summoned India’s acting deputy high commissioner and “condemned the unprovoked ceasefire violations” by Indian forces in the Rakhchikri sector.

Gov’t sends shoes of Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife for forensic testing Pakistani authorities have sent the shoes worn by Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife for forensic examination to determine the nature of the suspected presence of a foreign object+ , a media report said on Wednesday. The authorities were ascertaining whether the “metallic object” in the shoes was a camera or a recording chip, Pakistan Today quoted Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Mohammad Faisal as saying. A separate report in Dawn reported that the FO confirmed a

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at the earliest so construction work can be started and the army headquarters can be moved to the federal capital, media reported.

A decision in this regard was taken at a highlevel meeting on December 19, chaired by Khushal Khan, Member Estate of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and attended by the concerned CDA and the army officials of Defence Complex Islamabad (DCI).

Pak summons Indian diplomat over soldiers’ killing along the Line of Control

the ministry of foreign affairs raised the issue of Afghan students studying in various seminaries in Pakistan, it said. The secretary briefed the committee on the links of these students with militancy in Pakistan on which the national security advisor said there should be surveillance of all such students and on expiry of their visit visas they should be sent back to their homeland.

The secretary said they are closely monitoring the situation and might change the visa regime very soon. Pakistan is a great tourist place for foreigners.

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“metallic substance” had been detected in Jadhav’s wife’s shoes that were retained by security officials prior to the meeting with the Indian death row prisoner at the Foreign Office in Islamabad. Jadhav’s wife’s shoes were kept for inspection, while all other belongings, including jewellery, were returned, Faisal said, adding that she was given an alternative pair of shoes to wear after her shoes were removed. In a statement issued last night, the FO made no mention of the “metallic substance”

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NRI

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Kamala Harris calls on Trump to quit over misconduct allegations Kamala Harris, the first Indian-American senator, has called for Donald Trump’s resignation, becoming the seventh lawmaker to demand it amid resurfaced allegations of sexual misconduct against the US President.

The allegations of sexual misconduct against the 71-year old Trump have received renewed attention recently after several prominent men in the worlds of politics, entertainment and media have been accused of sexual harassment, assault and rape.

“I think he should resign in the best interest of the country,” the 53-year-old California Democrat told ‘Politico’ yesterday.

Harris has joined six other Democratic senators - Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Jeff Merkley, Mazie Hirono

and Ron Wyden - who have called for Trump to resign. Over the past two years, about 16 women have accused Trump of making unwanted sexual advances against them prior to his assuming the presidency. Three of the Trump’s accusers at a news conference on Tuesday demanded that the US Congress investigate their allegations against the US President. They detailed their accounts of being groped, fondled and forcibly kissed by the businessman-turned-politician. Harris said she believed Trump’s accusers and that “there should be some inquiry into the veracity of their claims”. Asked if the country had reached a turning point on issues of sexual harassment, Harris said, “I don’t think we have arrived at that point”.

Indian-origin driver among smuggling gang jailed in UK An Indian-origin driver is among 10 members of a so-called “white van group” jailed for a total of 31 years for smuggling drugs and money across the UK. Daljeet Singh Juttla from west London had been stopped by Scotland Yard officers with 90,000 pounds of drugs money couriered by one of the other gang members.

Yesterday, Liverpool Crown Court handed the 42-year-old Juttla a 20-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, and 200 hours of unpaid work for the money laundering charge.

“Established trafficking routes like these present a complex and troubling threat to the UK. With well worked-out logistics a criminal group can turn its hand to anything from gun running or drug smuggling, expanding their own operations or hiring

out their services to others,” said Jane Lloyd, branch commander at the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), which conducted the UK-wide investigation.

“The NCA officers are alert to the tactics criminals use to shift commodities and hide their activity and are equipped with the skills and tools needed to bring them to justice,” she said.

The officers exposed the gang in an investigation that ran from October 2014 to January 2016.

Officers from the Metropolitan, Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Merseyside police provided support to the long- running operation.

The group was led by Jamie Hughes and operated out of the north west of England.

India tops list of migrants living abroad at 17 million: UN India has topped the list of people living abroad at 17 million with about 5 million Indians residing in the Gulf region alone, according to a new UN report.

Mexico, Russia, China, Bangladesh, Syria, Pakistan and Ukraine also have large migrant populations living abroad, ranging from 6 to 11 million each, according to the 2017 International Migration Report released here. In 2017, India was the largest country of origin of international migrants at 17 million, followed by Mexico at 13 million. Other countries of origin with large migrant populations include the Russia at 11 million, China at 10 million, Bangladesh at 7 million, Syria at 7 million and Pakistan and Ukraine at 6 million each. The number of migrants from India now reside in multiple destination countries, including the UAE

at 3 million, the US and Saudi Arabia at 2 million each, the report said. There are now an estimated 258 million people living in a country other than their country of birth -- an increase of 49 per cent since 2000, it added. International migration is a critical concern for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the report said. “Reliable data and evidence are critical to combat misperceptions about migration and to inform migration policies,” said Liu Zhenmin, UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs’s UnderSecretary-General. “These new estimates of numbers of international migrants around the world will provide an important baseline for Member States as they begin their negotiations on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration,” Liu said.

Indian-origin steel tycoon purchases ArcelorMittal’s US steelworks UK-based Indian-origin metals tycoon Sanjeev Gupta’s Liberty House Group has completed the purchase of the South Carolina-based Georgetown steel mill from ArcelorMittal, the company has announced.

The deal between Liberty House and NRI steel magnate Lakshmi N Mittal’s US steelworks, which includes a 540,000- tonne a year electric arc furnace and 680,000-tonne a year rod mill, had been agreed earlier this year.

The sale marks the first in a series of strategic North American acquisitions and new projects targeted by Gupta-led GFG Alliance.

The 600,000-square-foot plant, serving the construction and automotive markets, is set to re-start melting and rolling next year as

the first step in GFG’s investment plans for the American steel industry. “Securing the Georgetown furnace and mill is a major milestone for us, marking our first major step in the USA. The melting and rolling facilities here give us a formidable entry to the American market and provide a strong platform for expansion,” GFG Alliance and Liberty House chief Gupta said in a statement on Monday.

The steel tycoon said he wanted to apply his GreenSteel sustainable strategy to the American plants, in line with the UK and Australia. “We’ve already had customers contacting us about placing orders, so we’re keen to get back up and running as quickly as possible,” he said.

Saturday, December 30, 2017

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FRUITICANA

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Deepika in Vienna for holidays This holiday season has seen a number of Bollywood stars jet out of Mumbai city to spend some quality family time abroad. B-towns top stars have headed out to exotic locations to take in the sights and sounds of Christmas and continue the celebrations up until the New Year.

The latest celeb who almost slipped under the radar was none other than Deepika Padukone. The actress was spotted by a fan although her face was only partially seen behind her winter wear.

According to reports, the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ actress is believed to have been clicked while walking down the cobbled street of Vienna, the capital of Austria which is famous for its culture and art.

The star even took to her Instagram account to share a picture of the alter

I still love winning awards: SRK

while attending Christmas midnight mass at a church. She captioned it, “From my 1st ever midnight mass... Merry Christmas everyone!�

Deepika has been maintaining a low profile since the controversy surrounding her film ‘Padmavati’ spiralled out of

control. The historical drama that is being helmed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali also features Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor. The release date of the film is expected to be announced by the yearend.

Shah Rukh Khan, who has seen a variety of Bollywood award shows and won every single of them in his illustrious career, has shared that even after so many years he loves to win awards as nothing can replace the excitement of holding a trophy.

While present during the announcement of the 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards, when asked do awards still hold same importance to him today as they did some 10-15 years back, the actor said, “Yes! I love winning awards.

It is not a point to prove that I have done some great body of work and therefore winning the award is a validation to that. I love awards because I love winning!�

Shah Rukh Khan makes a dashing appearance at Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli’s wedding reception in

Mumbai When asked if he can recall winning his first award, Shah Rukh said, “I always said this that I want to make a movie that should be so big, not only by canvas, not emotionally and with its engagement that even my mom-dad would be able to see that from heaven.�

The ‘Raees’ actor further added, “I know it may sound childish but I had a genuine feeling that the day I won my first-ever award, my parents saw me from heaven.� Shah Rukh Khan, who will be hosting the 63rd Jio Filmfare Awards 2018 on January 20, also shared that just like everyone he also feels nervous before performing on the stage. Citing the example of great Amitabh Bachchan, he explained, “Amit ji is a great actor. I think it happens to everyone

!

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Bollywood

Saturday, December 30, 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

Where will Sunny be at the stroke of new year 2018?

P

opular Bollywood actress Sunny Leone will be coming to Dubai to celebrate the New Year 2018.

Fans can catch her at the ‘Hit The Dance Floor’ event at Al Nasr Leisureland in Dubai on December 30, 2017. The event will have bands - Raaga addiction, Dhruv & Urvashi Theaters, Dj-Madmax, Percussionist-RIAZ and Bollywood Dancers-V Dynamite Group to keep you company and help you dance the night away. Timings: 7:30 pm to 12:00am Ticket price: Dh65 Tickets available at: Al Nasr Leisureland Box Office. 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.

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.

Cancer

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.

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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

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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.

‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ success is the best gift Katrina gave me at my birthday Birthday boy Salman, family and ‘Tiger team had adventure at his farmhouse Salman Khan is celebrating his 52nd birthday today at his farmhouse in Panvel, and accompanying him on his special day are his Tiger Zinda Hai costar Katrina Kaif and director Ali Abbas Zafar.

When Salman fans showed up at farmhouse to wish him, the actor said that he had maintained that he was not in town on his birthday just so that people don’t travel all the way just to wish him, but later on thanked all for

his

their wishes.

Salman celebrates his birthday with his close friends and family at his Panvel farmhouse, and it is a daylong celebration, and this

Salman Khan has reasons for double celebrations on his 52nd birthday as his latest release ‘Tiger Zinda Hai has struck the right chord with

managed to collect more

days on its release.

Birthday boy Salman Khan, Tiger Zinda Hai star Katrina Kaif and director Ali Abbas Zafar were also there.

At this occasion, superstar said, “Tiger Zinda Hai has worked only for one reason, and that is Katrina Kaif.� The actor then went ahead and appreciated the way Katrina has done action

Since Katrina was by Salman’s side at his birthday celebrations, she was asked if there is any special gift that she gave Salman, to which Salman said, “She has given me a big gift with the success of Tiger Zinda Hai.�

The Sultan of Bollywood, Salman Khan, turned 52 today and the entire industry took to their respective social media handles to wish him. Salman was pictured at his Panvel

farmhouse last night with director Ali Abbas Zafar and Katrina Kaif along with his family.

After the release of his high octane action !

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his next, ‘Race 3’ which is helmed by Remo D’Souza and also stars Anil K a p o o r,

B o b b y Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Daisy Shah a n d Saqib Saleem.

Salman was born as Abdul Rashid Khan (27 December 1965), now Salman Khan is the actor, producer,singer and TV personality. In a ' $ has received numerous awards, including two / 3 and two 3 . * &

+ / diaspora worldwide, and is cited in the media as one of the most commercially successful actors of Indian cinema. The eldest son of screenwriter

Bollywood Personalities’ Birthdays

SALMAN KHAN DECEMBER 27

TWINKLE KHANNA DECEMBER 29

RAJESH KHANNA DECEMBER 29

ANIL KAPOOR DECEMBER 24

Saturday, December 30, 2017

From page 2

Bollywood

Film: Tiger Zinda Hai and Salman’s birthday

‘Sholay’ fame Salim Khan, Salman Khan began his acting career with a supporting role in Biwi Ho To (1988) and achieved breakthrough with a leading role in his next release—Sooraj Barjatya’s romance

5 6 (1989). Khan went on to establish himself in Bollywood in the 1990s with roles in several top-grossing productions, including the romantic drama Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994), the action thriller 6

(1995), the comedy Biwi No.1 (1999), and the family drama Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999). For his role in Karan Johar’s romantic drama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Khan was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. After a brief period of decline in the 2000s, Khan achieved greater stardom in the 2010s by playing the lead role in ! :!

Dabangg (2010), Ready (2011) and Bodyguard (2011). *

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&

Ek Tha Tiger (2012), Dabangg 2 (2012), Kick (2014), 5 7 : 5 (2015), Bajrangi Bhaijaan

(2015), Sultan (2016) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017), all of which rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood

& & has acted in have accumulated nett gross earnings

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& ten separate years. Khan topped the Forbes India charts for 2014, in terms of both fame and revenues.

According to the Forbes 2015 list of Top-Paid 100 Celebrity Entertainers in world, Khan was the highest : / L : & >QQ million. In addition to his acting career, Khan is a stage performer and an active humanitarian through

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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 Filming took place in Abu Dhabi, 7 Austria, Greece and Morocco. he 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.

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Dec

22

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

Dec

22

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

New Released Bollywood Films Dec

15

Dec

15

MODEL *ing: Ajay Sharma, Muzahid Khan

Dec

15

KULDIP PATWAL

BHANGOVER

*ing: Jameel Khan, Gulshan Devaiah

*ing: Jimmy Sharma, Aradhya Taing

3

4

Saturday, December 30, 2017

5

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Surrey Centre holiday open house

For a second year, MP from Surrey Centre, Randeep Sarai, held his ‘Holiday Open House’ at his Constituency Office on Thursday, December 21, 2017. Constituents and friends of Surrey Centre filled the office with their cheerful spirits and kind appreciation. In many of the conversations that MP Sarai shared with guests there was talk about the developments that the federal government has made, in which the Canada Summer Jobs Program was frequently referenced. MP Sarai added, that “the Canada Summer Jobs Program is considerably one of the most successful and meaningful initiatives that students, small-businesses, and community organizations of Surrey Centre benefit from. Local organizations that confront some the most challenging social issues in the riding as well as small or start-up companies in need of bright new talent are matched with ambitious youth that are motivated to be a part of our working-class and excited to learn.” In addition to the genuine conversations, MP Sarai’s office collected generous donations of non-perishable food items to donate to the Surrey Food Bank. MP Sarai added, “The perfect way to end the year and to celebrate the holiday season is at the holiday open house – It’s for us to celebrate one another and all that we do for the person next to us.”

Aditi to play ‘Priya in Sanjay Dutt’s latest project 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 S a n j a y ’s parents Sunil Dutt and Nargis respectively.

Starring R a n b i r Kapoor in titular role, the film will also see actors like Anushka Sharma and Sonam Kapoor making special appearances in the film.

Mahira Khan rings in her birthday with son Azlaan Mahira Khan turned a year older today, and the star rang in her special day with an intimate celebration.

The beauty, who made her Bollywood debut in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Raees’, blew out the candles and cut her cake with her special man her son Azlaan, by her side.

Pictures and videos doing the rounds on Instagram, see the mother-son duo enjoying the intimate mid-night celebration. Mahira is seen cutting the cake while notorious Azlaan

r u n s around.

He is seen trying to blow the candles before his d o t i n g mom cuts the cake, but settles on blowing out the candles together.

Also sending Mahira good wishes was filmmaker Rahul Dholakia and Farhan Akhtar, who took to their social networking handles to greet the birthday girl.

Here’s how SRK wished Salman Khan on his 52nd birthday Salman Khan has turned a year older and to make his special day even better, Actor Shah Rukh Khan sang a song to wish Salman Khan on his 52nd birthday. While present during the announcement of the 63rd Jio Filmfare Award, when asked if he wants to send a birthday wish to his friend and colleague Salman who turned 52 today, he replied, “Tum jio hazaaron saal. I wish him all the best. I won’t be able to meet him tomorrow because my children are here and I want to spend time with them. But we will celebrate when he comes back. We can celebrate Salman Khan’s birthday month long!”

The bromance continues: Shahrukh Khan’s special birthday wish to Salman Khan The Bhai of Bollywood kept the big day low key by spending time with close friends and family members.

Salman and co-star Katrina Kaif arrived at his Panvel farmhouse late on Tuesday night to ring in his 52nd birthday. Twinning in black, Katrina and Salman were all smiles for the shutterbugs and looked in the celebration mood.

Celebs like Himesh Reshammiya, SajidWajid, Athiya Shetty were also present at the celebration. Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni too came in to celebrate Salman’s birthday.

Nargis Fakhri and Sanjay Dutt shoot in Kyrgyzstan for ‘Torbaaz’ It came to light recently that Nargis Fakhri is making a comeback in Bollywood with Sanjay Dutt in ‘Torbaaz’.

The project has taken the two leads to some exotic locations, which Nargis was happy to share with her fans.

Taking to Instagram, Nargis posted a picture of herself with Dutt. Clad in heavy winter gear the two can be seen posing against a snow-covered backdrop of the Chuy region. The actress seems just

as surprised as we are with the unique location as she captioned the click as, “My life has taken me many places but I still wonder how I got here. A girl from the projects in #Queens to #Bollywood & now this.... #kyrgyzstan with @duttsanjay #shooting - #journey #adventure #work.”

Nargis will be essaying the role of an NGO worker who looks after war refugee kids in Afghanistan.

6

Bollywood

17

Saturday, December 30, 2017

mid-day Friday, December 29, 2017 | www.mid-day.com | twitter.com/mid_day | epaper.mid-day.com

up & about

GETAWAY

When, as actors, we decide to take up roles, it is important to immerse BE THE ourselves, and believe that we are the people that we’re playing. Only PART then can one understand how to act — Rani Mukerji, actor

PICS/BIPIN KOKATE, NIMESH DAVE, YOGEN SHAH

Disha Patani Tiger Shroff

POWERFUL WORDS There was celebration as Rajinikanth met fans on the third day of his six-day interaction at Chennai’s Raghavendra Marriage Hall yesterday. The superstar had an important message for those touching his feet to seek blessings: “Fall only at the feet of God, mother and father, not at the feet of someone just because he has got wealth, fame and power.”

Tiger Shroff and Disha Patani, we hear, are heading to Sri Lanka to bring in the New Year together. Passersby were witness to their shenanigans at the city airport, as Shroff was spotted sitting on Patani’s lap to apparently offer a seat to Ranveer Singh

n waiting tly keeps this fa en ar p ap o h w , h g we? od selfie, don’t for Ranveer Sin t go rs a fi e ve lfi lo l se al ’s e It ell, w e city airport. W for a hug at th

7

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Did Sunny Leone beat all?

Got #1 in top 10 hottest actresses The most searched celebrity on internet, former adult actress Sunny Leon born on May 13, 1981 in Ontario, Canada. She made her Bollywood debut by Jism 2 (2012). The movie was blasted by the critics, and protests were held over India because of promotion of an adult star. In addition, Maxim named her as one of the 12 top adult stars in 2010. She has married to musician Daniel Weber.

After her performance in London, Sunny will fly down to South Africa on Christmas to resume shooting for her film. Sunny Leonne 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 HalfMarathon to raise money for the American Cancer Society and has also posed for a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) ad campaign with a rescued dog, encouraging pet owners to have their cats and dogs spayed and neutered. Since 2011, Leone has been married to Musician Daniel Weber.

Jacqueline Fernandez Lankan beauty Jacqueline Fernandez, born on 2 June 1985 is a former model and beauty queen who won Miss Sri Lanka Universe in 2006. She has received an International Indian Film Academy Award for Best Female Debut and Stardust Award for Lux Exciting New Face in 2010, for her role in Aladin. In 2012

she gave 2 major hits, namely Murder 2 and Housefull 2. Fernandez is most popular celebrity endorser for various brands. Also, she has participated in stage shows, and is active in humanitarian work.

She is one of the highest paid actresses

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Saturday, December 30, 2017

The year of Rajkummar MAYANK SHEKHAR mayank.shekhar@mid-day.com HONESTLY, guys like me — call them critic-types if you will, but essentially film buffs who desire more than breadand-butter for big-screen entertainment — hold a sub-conscious stake in propping up an actor like Rajkummar Rao, or a Nawazuddin Siddiqui, or even an Irrfan Khan, if you may.

That they’re sharp, welltrained, fantastic performers, is a given. But appreciating their talents to the point of anointing them stars in their own right (which they are) only widens the elbow room for the kind of scripts that can get green-lit, or mainstream films that can be made, with them wholly in the foreground, playing men who’re often like you and I, or at any rate people we can relate to — rather than mystical, celestial beings from another sky, altogether trapped in their own galaxy of a fan-base, image, and audience expectations.

Of course, the more mainstream ‘100 crore’ actors don’t particularly fancy this ‘fitrat’ (tendency). A reasonably drunk Rishi Kapoor had hauled me over the coals once at a party for being this lallu “critic type” who simply can’t understand how much harder it is to be a dancing, lip-syncing, commercial hero, rather than a brooding Everyman.

We told you so! Rao in mid-day's 2016 list of people to look out for in '17 Which is odd. I (like millions others) totally adore the onscreen Rishi Kapoor (even more so now). It’s not an either-or kinda scenario.

Kapoor’s grouse was against the level of praise heaped on Naseeruddin Shah all through his career. Which is odder still, since I was not even an embryo when the under-stated Naseer, film after film, stormed into the scene in the ‘70s, cornering considerable critical acclaim for the realism (or humanism) in his roles, gradually morphing into a star of a parallel universe (or parallel cinema,

as it were).

Not sure if it’s the shortbuild, curly hair, or the selfrighteousness of his character, or perhaps the fact that he’s also an FTII trained actor, but looking at Rajkummar Rao (formerly known as Rajkumar Yadav) in Amit Masurkar’s Newton, it was hard for me to not observe him as the ‘new generation’s Naseer’, expressing it so many words in my review of the film as well. Rao, I noticed, naturally shied away from the compliment, when asked to respond to this analogy, in an online interview. Which is fair.

Naseer has a body of work spanning five decades — during one of which (the ‘80s), he happened to be absolutely in the right place, at the right time.

Still, if you look back at this year alone, the number of right places Rao has simultaneously found himself in defies the diurnal clock of the universe, which must’ve clearly conspired to make 2017 a landmark/milestone in his career, with seven releases, one of which was a full-on, nine-part web-series Bose: Dead/Alive.

Now I haven’t seen too many Indian web-shows (my New Year resolution is to change that). But from the limited set that I did binge on, it might be fair to suggest that Bose (having watched six out Continued on page 15

Rajkummar Rao in a still from Bareilly Ki Barfi; (top) in Trapped; (left) in Raabta; (right) in Newton; (far right) in Bose: Dead Or Alive

9

Saturday, December 30, 2017

16

mid-day Friday, December 29, 2017 | www.mid-day.com | twitter.com/mid_day | epaper.mid-day.com

have you heard?

The tightly under wraps title of Aanand L Rai’s upcoming film starring TITLE Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, is likely to be TATTLE unveiled on January 1. SRK plays a dwarf in the 2018 Christmas release

Rekindling the flames?

Personal world

Ever since they teamed up for Aashiqui 2 (2013), Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur set tongues wagging about their relationship. Over a year ago, there was buzz about their breakup, after Shraddha was said to be in a relationship with another actor. Looks like, the two have ironed out their differences.

Recently, Shraddha was spotted outside Aditya’s house. So, should we assume all is well between them? Or is there a film on the cards? Your guess is as good as ours.

Superman Salman ke fans To the land of elephants

Gauahar Khan has ventured into the digital space with her YouTube channel. The first video gives a sneak peek into the actor’s personal life. Last seen in the Vidya Balanstarrer Begum Jaan, she was keen to try something new. She feels, this is the best way to interact with fans.

Members of a fan group from Salman Khan’s hometown, Indore, have not missed a single film of the actor over the past 14 years.

They have made certain to catch the first day, first show of every Khan starrer.

The New Bombay Gym Group, also a bunch of fitness freaks like their screen idol, began watching Khan’s films since 2003. Tere Naam marked the onset of this trend for them. The group also apparently extends a helping hand to children from the marginalised sections of society, under his name. Khan was born in Indore, before shifting to Mumbai. Some of his family members still live there.

Cake-cutting spree Twinkle Khanna celebrates her 43rd birthday today.

She is in Cape Town, holidaying with hubby Akshay Kumar and kids — Nitara and Aarav. The Kumars love South Africa — they were in Cape Town last year too, to ring in Twinkle’s big day. The actorturned-writer has lots to celebrate as she turned producer this year with Padman. It is also her late dad, Rajesh Khanna’s 75th birth anniversary today.

TELLY TATTLE

Dual talk Hrishikesh Pandey says he’s lucky to bag a double role in Porus. The small screen, he says, doesn’t offer such opportunities to actors often. He plays a pirate and a warrior in the historical. “When I am playing a warrior, the moustache is up, and when I am playing a pirate, the moustache is down,” he says. Genius!

Although they missed Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma's star-studded Mumbai reception, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone never miss an opportunity to pack in a holiday together. If the grapevine is to be believed, the love birds are set to ring in the New Year together in 2018.

While Singh was spotted in Sri Lanka yesterday, where he was shooting for a commercial, Padukone will apparently join him soon. A source close to Singh says that the duo intends to stealing some time, and get away from the prying eyes of the paps to go snorkeling.

Friends no more?

There was a time when Sara Ali Khan and Rhea Chakraborty were inseparable. They would be spotted together at the gym, salon and even at late-night parties. But, it’s been a while since the two have been seen together. Sara may be tied up with Kedarnath, while Rhea, with her commitments. But, is their busy schedule the only reason behind their distance, or is there more to it than meets the eye?

10

Classifieds / Jobs

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Matrimonial ; ! ! <= old, never married, city job in NY >? @! A !

compatible, homely, life partner G< J= 5 L M L PQQUX

Community / News

11

12

Saturday, December 30, 2017

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Vol. 8 No. 48 - Saturday - December 30, 2017

Vancouver hikes property taxes extra to pay for housing

Tel: 604-591-5423

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Taxes for 2018 increased to 4.24%, higher than proposed in draft budget

City Council approved an additional property tax increase of 0.34% a year above the 3.9% proposed in the draft budget raising 2018 property taxes to 4.24%, the City of Vancouver announced December 12. The extra tax revenues, said the council, BSF FBSNBSLFE GPS t BEEJUJPOBM GVOEJOH GPS implementation of the council-approved Housing Vancouver strategy, including the &NQUZ )PNFT 5BY t TVQQPSU GPS QSJPSJUZ actions regarding Historical Discrimination Against Chinese People in Vancouver, including the Chinatown UNESCO bid; t BEEJUJPOBM TPDJBM HSBOUT BOE t BEEFE investment to help reduce development permit wait times.

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The tax hike means that owners of a median single-family home in Vancouver (valued at $1.823 million) will pay an extra $94 in 2018 and owners of a median strata condo (assessed at $609,000) will pay an extra $32. Mayor Gregor Robertson said, “This year’s budget maintains the essential services that residents and businesses rely on in their day-to-day lives, while also expanding investments to address our city’s changing needs. “We’re taking bold action to get more urgently needed affordable housing built, including adding more temporary modular, social and rental housing throughout Vancouver and adding staff to reduce the time it takes to get permits for new housing and renovations.” City council said that the property tax revenues in 2018 will also go towards helping the homeless, including more access to shelters and temporary modular homes, as well as increased funding to tackle the ongoing opioid crisis, recruiting more police and emergency responders, increased funding for childcare, and improving city infrastructure such as roads and snow response, and water and sewer systems.

E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

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14

Real Estate

Saturday, December 30, 2017

Canada 150: Celebrate the Holiday Season with a Special $10 Note This holiday season, why not give your loved ones the gift of a wallet-sized piece of history to mark an important Canadian milestone?

In June this year, the Bank of Canada, which produces Canada’s bank notes, issued a limited-supply $10 note celebrating the 150th anniversary of Confederation, with a distinctive design depicting the country’s history, land and culture.

The Canada 150 note came into circulation officially on June 1 and is only the fourth commemorative note issued by the Bank in its 82-year history.

A series of successful events across the country were held over the spring and summer to introduce the note to Canadians.

For the first time, four individuals are portrayed on the front of a Canadian bank note—Sir John A. Macdonald, Sir George-Étienne Cartier, Agnes Macphail and James Gladstone, or Akay-na-muka (his Blackfoot name). These notable parliamentarians were celebrated at places of significance to each of them, at recognition events in places like Owen Sound, Ontario and Stand Off, Alberta.

Other celebrations were also held in each major region of the country—the West Coast, the Prairie provinces, Central Canada, the Atlantic provinces and the North—the five different landscapes depicted on the back of the note.

And Canadians told the Bank they liked what they saw.

This note represents several firsts for a Bank of Canada note, including the first time that a portrait of a Canadian woman is shown on one of our notes and the first

time that an Indigenous Canadian appears as a portrait subject.

As with all Canadian bank notes, security is paramount in the design of the Canada 150 note. The note has several security features—some new and others that are similar to the features on the current series of polymer notes.

The Bank has issued 40 million of these notes in total, about one for each Canadian, and worked with financial institutions to make them available to Canadians.

While commemorative notes such as the Canada 150 note can be used for payment, just like all other notes issued by the Bank, some Canadians may choose to preserve the bills as small pieces of history.

Either way, the Canada 150 note will be an important reminder for Canadians of our country’s sesquicentennial year.

If you’re interested in giving this historical memento, or getting one for yourself, keep an eye on the change in your cash transactions, or check with your local bank or credit union.

And late next year will bring another historic first: as announced in December 2016, the next new regularly circulating $10 bank note is coming. It will feature the portrait of Viola Desmond, a champion for social justice and iconic Canadian. She will be the first Canadian woman to be portrayed on a regularly circulating Bank of Canada bank note.

Visit www.bankofcanada.ca/ banknote150 to learn more about the design and security features of the Canada 150 note. Follow the Bank on Twitter (@ bankofcanada) for the latest news about Canadian bank notes.

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