The Asian Star January 2 2021

Happy New Year 2021 www.theasianstar.com Vol 19 - Issue 48 Tamil Nadu engineering student designs World’s lightest satellite, to be part of NASA mission

A

n engineering student from Tamil Nadu has made name for himself with his innovation which won him the Cubes in Space global design competition.

The young innovator, S Riyasdeen, (pictured) is a second-year student of Mechatronics engineering from Sastra Un i v e r s i t y.

Riyasdeen created a 37 mm sized F E M T O satellites VISION SAT v1 and v2 with a payload of 30 mm weighing 33 gms and is now thethe world’s lightest FEMTO satellite, the New Indian Express reported.

He hails from Karanthai in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur. Apart from polyetherimide thermoplastic resins, the boy deployed 3D printing technology to create the satellite. The competition was conducted

by National Aeronautical Space Agency (NASA) and had 1,000 participants from 73 countries. The competition was held for students between the age of 11 and 18. The satellites are designed to record around 17 parameters with 11 sensors and VISION Sat v1 and are scheduled to be part of the SR-7 NASA Rocket Mission. The mission is likely to be launched from the Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, USA in June next year, while Sat v2 will be part of the NASA Balloon Mission RB-6, to be launch in August 2021.

“The satellites are named as VISON SAT v1 and v2 and both are of 37 mm in size and the payload is only around 30 mm with 33 grams weight and thus it has become the world’s lightest Femto satellites”, Riyasdeen was quoted as saying.

The SASTRA-TBI in 3D Printing and Internet of Things (IoT) will offer an incubation grant of Rs 5 Lakhs to Riyasdeen to fulfill his dream of establishing a successful start-up, SASTRA Vice-Chancellor S Vaidhyasubramaniam said.

Saturday, January 2, 2021

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India’s defence minister tells PM Trudeau to stay out of his country’s internal affairs, farmers’ protest Days after Prime Minister Trudeau expressed concern over farmers’ protest in India, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh termed the remarks made by PM Justin Trudeau as “outside interference”. Taking strong objection to Trudeau’s comments on farm laws, Singh said that no leader of a country should speak about India’s internal affairs. “First of all, I would like to say about prime minister of any country that comment should not be made about India’s internal affairs. India

does not require any outside interference.

We will sort out issues by ourselves. It is an internal matter of India. No country in the world has the right to comment on India’s internal affairs,” the Union Defence Minister has said in an exclusive interview with ANI. “India is not any other country that someone can say anything,” he added. He was asked about criticism in some countries and Trudeau’s remarks Continued on page 8

Khalsa Aid India faced unprecedented vilification campaign for helping protesting farmers Khalsa Aid India, an NGO known for providing aid to people in distress, said the “vilification” faced by the organisation for helping their “own people” during the ongoing farmers protest was “unprecedented”.

Registered separately as a charitable trust in 2013, Khalsa Aid India has been camping from day one of the farmers protest at the two major protest sites of Singhu and Tikri. Initially serving only Continued on page 10

Two young men including 14-year-old shot dead within 24 hours in Surrey Homicide investigators are probing the shooting death of a 14-year-old boy, Tequel Willis (pictured) in Surrey on Monday.

A 19-year-old South Asian man Harman Singh Dhesi, known to police was found shot dead in Fleetwood on Sunday night.

Meanwhile Tequel Willis is believed to be the youngest victim of gang

violence in BC history. The shooting occurred as the boy stepped out of a cab near 148A Street and 110th Avenue around 7:30 p.m. on Monday.

Emergency crews arrived to find the teen dead from gunshot wounds, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Tuesday as they appealed to Continued on page 5

2,206 new COVID-19 cases over holiday weekend There are 50,815 Covid-19 cases in BC after health officials announced 2,206 new cases on Tuesday.

From Thursday to Friday there were 512 cases, from Friday to Saturday there were 447 Covid-19 cases, from Saturday to Sunday there were 424, from Sunday to Monday there were 441 and from Monday to Tuesday there were 382.

25 of the new cases are epi-linked.

Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reports that there have been 378 new cases of COVID-19 in the Vancouver Coastal Health

region, 1,375 in the Fraser Health region, 44 in the Island Health region, 238 in the Interior Health region, 171 in the Northern Health region and _ new cases from people who reside outside of Canada.

We have had eight new health-care facility outbreaks, and three outbreaks have been declared over. There are currently 56 outbreaks in long-term care facilities and eight in acute care units.

There have been no new community outbreaks.

Continued on page 14

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Saturday, January 2, 2021

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www.theasianstar.com

Vol 19 - Issue 48

T

he province is ramping up its COVID-19 vaccine delivery, said Dr. Bonnie Henry on Tuesday at her first news conference since Deccember 23.

Nearly 12,000 people in BC have received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine since the first dose was administered Dec. 15 to health-care worker Nisha Yunus. The 11,930 doses were delivered across all five health regions in B.C. Two recipients experienced allergic reactions — something Henry said wasn’t unexpected. Both were successfully treated and have fully recovered.

Dr Henry said that the first Moderna vaccine, which was approved by Health Canada on Dec. 23, has already arrived in B.C., with more expected Dec. 30. Those doses are slated for a number of remote and isolated First Nations communities, as well as some long-term care homes in smaller centres in the north, the Interior and parts of Vancouver Island’s health authorities. She said it would take a “Herculean effort” to get 400,000 people immunized by March 1. The Moderna vaccine is easier to store than the Pfizer one, which must be stored at -70 C, but Henry said the province has the ability

Saturday, January 2, 2021

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COVID-19 vaccine rollout underway, says Dr. Bonnie Henry to transport small amounts of the Pfizer vaccine safely, and has already moved some of it to remote and northern communities.

In response to criticism that the vaccine rollout was flawed because some vaccination clinics closed or reduced their hours over the Christmas holiday week, Henry said much of the time over the past weekend when clinics were closed was used for training, logistics and planning for delivery of the Moderna vaccine. “We have done a lot of immunizations over the last week. One of the things we are learning is that this vaccine is fussy — both of them. It’s not a simple thing to use the Pfizer vaccine,” she said. Henry said the province isn’t holding back any vaccine in anticipation of the twodose requirement but will administer all the vaccine they have as it arrives: “We can do

that and protect almost twice as many people than if we started giving the second dose in the short time frame.”

Henry said the National Advisory Committee on Immunization allows for an extended schedule for administration of the followup dose, and that she has confidence that enough vaccine will arrive by February for second doses to begin.

“For some people it will be about 35 days, for some people that means an extra week and we have good data to support that immunity is still very protective for that short window,” she said. Henry called accusations levelled recently by the B.C. Nurses’ Union that some health-care administrators had jumped the queue to receive the vaccine “unfortunate.”

“We are rolling this out to people who have

been designated. Our focus as we have said from the very beginning is protecting those who are most at-risk, our elders and seniors in long-term care, and workers in long-term care, and acute-care health care workers, particularly in ICU, and that is what the focus has been,” she said. Dr Henry said some people in administrative roles are among those who go in and manage outbreaks in long-term care homes: “They need to be protected so that when they go into those outbreak situations they are not bringing the virus with them as well.” To date, 29,000 Pfizer doses have arrived in B.C., 3,800 people received vaccines in Week 1 of the rollout, 8,000 the second week and up to 20,000 will be vaccinated by the end of next week. Henry said from Dec. 24-25 that 512 people in the province had tested positive for COVID-19; from Dec. 25-26, 447; from Dec. 26-27, 424; from Dec. 27-28, 441; and from Dec. 28-29, 382 has tested positive. The five-day total was 2,206, with 378 in Vancouver Coastal health, 1,375 in Fraser Health, 44 in Island Health, 238 in Interior Health, and 171 in Northern Health.

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OPINION

Saturday, January 2, 2021 How Canadians will know when it’s their turn to get vaccinated

With the recent announcement that Health Canada has approved Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine, the second being made available to the public, Canadians are likely wondering when it will be their turn to get inoculated.

But with the country currently in the first phase of vaccine rollout, that’s still unclear, with much depending on what they do and where they live.

It’s up to each individual province and territory to decide how the vaccine will be administered. But generally, they are following the recommendations put forward by the federal government’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). The advisory committee made these recommendations using experts in the fields of pediatrics, infectious diseases, immunology, pharmacy,

nursing, epidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, social science and public health.

Who is getting vaccinated first? For the first phase of the vaccine rollout plan, NACI advised that initial doses should go to these four groups: For Phase 2 of the vaccination rollout, NACI recommended that recipients include: Health-care workers who are not part of the initial rollout.

Residents and staff of all other congregate settings (e.g., living quarters for migrant workers, correctional facilities, homeless shelters).

Essential workers, including police, firefighters and those in food production.

Provincial and territorial governments may make modifications to that list. For example, Alberta’s plan separates the first phase into Phase 1A and Phase 1B — with First Nations, Métis and people 65 and over living in a First Nations community or Métis settlement not getting the vaccine until the second half of the first stage.

In Quebec, it was recently decided that caregivers over the age of 70 who visit residential and long-term care homes at least three times a week will be added to the high-priority group.

Seniors, long-term care workers should be first in line for COVID-19 vaccine, committee says 2nd stage of COVID-19 vaccination should target those most likely to spread the virus, say some experts As for Phase 2, many regions have not yet prioritized who will be eligible or defined who will be considered an essential worker.

The first phase is expected to wrap up for many provinces by the end of March, while the second phase could last into mid-summer.

When is the general public expected to receive a vaccine? Much of that depends on the province or territory. In Ontario, retired general Rick Hillier, the head of the province’s vaccination distribution task force, said he believes “we can get into a lot of mainstream Ontario by later July.” But other provinces, such as Alberta, have pegged the fall of 2021 as the beginning of the third phase, when the general population will receive the vaccine. The Public Health Agency of Canada says the entire country should have enough doses on hand next year to vaccinate every Canadian who wants a shot by the end of September.

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Saturday, January 2, 2021 Amid Covid-19 restrictions

COVID-19 update: Health officials urge people to stay home for New Year’s Eve Here’s your daily update with everything you need to know on the novel coronavirus situation in B.C. for Dec. 30, 2020.

We’ll provide summaries of what’s going on in B.C. right here so you can get the latest news at a glance. This page will be updated regularly throughout the day, with developments added as they happen. B.C.’S COVID-19 CASE NUMBERS As of the latest figures given on Dec. 29: t 5PUBM OVNCFS PG DPOĕSNFE DBTFT BDUJWF t /FX DBTFT TJODF %FD t )PTQJUBMJ[FE DBTFT t *OUFOTJWF DBSF t $07*% SFMBUFE EFBUIT OFX t $BTFT VOEFS QVCMJD IFBMUI NPOJUPSJOH FTUJNBUFE t 3FDPWFSFE t -POH UFSN DBSF BOE BTTJTUFE MJWJOH homes, and acute care facilities currently affected: 61 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. t $07*% )FSF T FWFSZUIJOH ZPV OFFE to know about the novel coronavirus

t $07*% '"2 8IBU ZPV OFFE UP know about the vaccine rollout in B.C. t $07*% )BWF ZPV CFFO FYQPTFE Here are all B.C. public health alerts t $07*% BU # $ TDIPPMT )FSF BSF UIF school district exposure alerts t $07*% "WPJE UIFTF IBOE TBOJUJ[FST that are recalled in Canada t $07*% )FSF T XIFSF UP HFU UFTUFE JO Metro Vancouver t # $ $07*% 4ZNQUPN 4FMG Assessment Tool -BUFTU PO $07*% JO # $ 3 p.m. – Health officials are set to share latest figures on COVID-19 in B.C. Health officials are expected to update the number of COVID-19 cases, deaths and recoveries across the province. 6 a.m. – Poll finds top positive outcome of pandemic is an appreciation for family, friends A majority of British Columbians are feeling more gratitude than before the pandemic, according to a new poll.

Two young men including 14-year-old shot dead within 24 hours in Surrey From page 1

public for information and witnesses.

Homicide investigators probe shooting death of 14-year-old in Surrey The victim was known to police but his name wasn’t disclosed. He has been identified by his father, however, as Tequel Willis of Burnaby. Surrey RCMP and IHIT investigating shooting death of an unidentified male from December 28, 2020 at approximately 7:30 p.m. in the 11000-blk of 148 A Street.

David Weisgarber, who lives in Kelowna and last saw his son in the summer, said he learned about Willis’s death early Tuesday, shortly after Surrey RCMP informed the child’s mother. “They went to his mother’s home at five o’clock in the morning and told her Tequel is dead, and turned around and left,� Weisgarber said.

Weisgarber said Willis “had a hard lifeâ€? and was let down by systems put in place to protect him, including child protection services, the courts and the police. The father added that he often worried about what might happen to his son. “I even warned them ‌ there’s a lot of shootings in town,â€? he said. “This boy could get shot one day or something ‌ and of course that’s what happened.â€? Weisgarber insisted Willis’s age be prioritized in media coverage, frequently comparing the gang violence in Surrey with that of South American countries.“There’s children down there being shot every day,â€? he said. “We’re no different than they are. Why are we trying to pretend that we don’t have children being shot IFSF )F XBT POMZ w 8JMMJT JT CFMJFWFE UP CF UIF youngest victim of gang violence in B.C. history.

Alfred Wong, the Coquitlam teen caught in a shooting crossfire at East Broadway and Ontario streets in Vancouver on Jan. 13, 2018, was 15.

Sgt. Frank Jang of IHIT said the shooting is believed to be a targeted incident. A dark sedan was seen quickly leaving the area afterward, Jang said, and investigators are working to determine whether a vehicle fire near 214th Street and 76th "WFOVF JO -BOHMFZ JT SFMBUFE UP UIF IPNJDJEF " CVSOJOH WFIJDMF XBT SFQPSUFE UP -BOHMFZ 3$.1 around 8 p.m.

The cab driver is co-operating with the investigation, police said.

Jang said IHIT will be working closely XJUI 4VSSFZ BOE -BOHMFZ 3$.1 BOE UIF # $ Coroners Service, as they work to determine a motive and make arrests.

RCMP and IHIT are investigating a shooting death of an unidentified male from Dec. 28, 2020 at approximately 7:30 p.m. in the 11000 block of 148A Street. “Most of us cannot begin to fathom that someone as young as 14 years old could be shot and murdered; it’s very disturbing,� said Sgt. Elenore Sturko of the Surrey RCMP. “There will be an overt presence of police in the community with an increased number of officers conducting targeted enforcement across the city.� The shooting was the second in Surrey in 24 hours. On Sunday night, a young man was found clinging to life inside a vehicle after being shot. He later died in hospital. Jang said the victim, Harman Singh Dhesi, 19, was known to police. IHIT has also assumed conduct of the JOWFTUJHBUJPO " DPOUJOVJOH -PXFS .BJOMBOE gang conflict has led to dozens of shootings and several murders over the last two years.

On Nov. 30, a 29-year-old Surrey man with gang links was shot to death outside a Fleetwood shopping plaza crowded with vehicles and shoppers.

Party host charged for repeated violations of health orders A 24-year-old Vancouver man has been charged for repeated violations of the health order that bans parties and social gatherings because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sgt. Steve Addison, a spokesman for the Vancouver police, says officers issued multiple warnings and tickets to the man over several weeks, and asked him to stop hosting parties during the pandemic. “He made clear that he has no plans to stop, so our officers obtained an arrest warrant and he spent Christmas in jail,� said Addison. The Vancouver resident was arrested Dec. 25 and released from jail on Boxing Day. He is under bail conditions, including that he must answer the door if police knock, must comply with all provincial health orders, and can only have two other people in his residence. The VPD say they have received 12 complaints about noise and parties at the

man’s downtown apartment since September, and issued two $2,300 tickets earlier this month. After a neighbour complained about another loud party on Dec. 18, VPD officers worked with Crown counsel to obtain a warrant, said Addison. He said police did everything they could to educate the man about the pandemic and the order before they moved to enforcement. However, he said the man made it clear he was not going to comply.

As a result, the man has been charged under Section 99 of the Public Health Act. At a news conference Wednesday, Addison said he did not know how many people were at the parties but said there were “far more people� than allowed under the public health order. “2020 has been a hard year. We know that. We understand that. I understand that people are longing for social contact and want things to back to the way they were,� he said.

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Saturday, January 2, 2021

Saturday, January 2, 2021

These are the Order of Canada recipients from BC in 2020 Little did teenager Helen Burt know growing up in England that a school field trip to a pharmacy, to what seemed almost like a sorcerer’s den in the basement of a hospital, would one day lead to becoming an Officer of the Order of Canada. Pharmacies in those days were magical labs where people in white coats mixed potions and ointments. “I smelled the amazing aroma of all these medicinals and saw what was going on. It looked like chemistry but fun,�

Burt said. “That’s when I decided, ‘OK, I’m going to pharmacy school.’ �She and seven other British Columbians were among the Canadians named as 2020 recipients of the Order as Officers, while several more British Columbians were among those honoured as Members of the Order of Canada. Burt was between Zoom meetings last week when her landline rang, which she pretty much never answers because it’s always robocalls. But, what the heck, she picked up.“It took me a few minutes to believe it,� Burt, a professor of drug delivery at the University of B.C., said Tuesday. “I think the person on the other end was laughing because I kept asking if it was for real.�

The eight Officers for 2020 from B.C. are: t +PIO #PSSPXT 7JDUPSJB GPS IJT TDIPMBSMZ work on Indigenous rights and legal traditions, which have had a significant impact across Canada and abroad; t +PIO $IBMMJT 8FTU 7BODPVWFS GPS his seminal contributions to the field of obstetrics and gynecology, and to health research and innovation in Canada and BCSPBE t )FMFO #VSU 7BODPVWFS GPS IFS life-altering research on drug delivery systems, for her leadership at UBC and for her community engagement; t %BOJFM +VTUJDF )BMGNPPO #BZ GPS his prolific contributions to the field of contemporary Indigenous studies in Canada and abroad; t "OUPOZ 1FOJLFUU 7BODPVWFS B GPSNFS premier of Yukon, for his contributions as a teacher, negotiator and public servant, and for his human rights activism; t +VTUJDF -ZOO 4NJUI 7BODPVWFS GPS IFS extensive and pioneering contributions to the Canadian legal system as a lawyer, academic and judge; t .BSDJB ,SBO 8FTU 7BODPVWFS GPS her contributions to the advancement of international human rights and development, and for her steadfast advocacy of democratic governance; t :PTFG 8PTL 7BODPVWFS GPS IJT GBS reaching contributions to his community as a scholar, educator and writer, and for his generous philanthropy.

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Saturday, January 2, 2021 From page 1

India’s defence minister tells PM Trudeau to stay out of his country’s internal affairs, farmers’ protest

farmers on farm laws. He said attempts had been made to mislead “our farmer brothers” and the same thing is going on. He urged farmers to hold clause by clause discussions on the three laws and said the government will not take any step against their interests. Trudeau had expressed concern about the farmers’ protest in India against three farm laws. Speaking during a Facebook video interaction organised by a Canadian MP to mark Gurupurab or the 551st birth anniversary of Guru Nanak, the Canadian PM backed the agitating farmers in India, had said that Canada will always be there to defend the rights of peaceful protests, and had expressed concern over the situation. Some lawmakers in the US also voiced their support for farmers agitating in India against the new farm laws.

India had summoned Canada’s envoy and conveyed that remarks of Trudeau and Canadian lawmakers concerning farmers’ protest had the potential to “seriously” damage bilateral ties.

India had also called the remarks by foreign politicians on protests by farmers as “illinformed” and “unwarranted” saying that the issue pertains to the internal affairs of the country.

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BC cuts off New Years Eve liquor sales at 8pm B.C. is moving its 10 p.m. liquor sales cutoff back to 8 p.m. for New Year’s Eve, to reduce the risk of parties getting out of hand and USBOTNJUUJOH $07*% Provincial health PÄ?DFS %S #POOJF )FOSZ announced the change %FD BT # $ T DBTF DPVOU remained relatively low with 485 new cases. The order change is for New Year’s Eve only, and applies to restaurants, pubs and retail TUPSFT UIBU TFMM MJRVPS "T PG B N 4BUVSEBZ UIF earlier order goes back into effect, allowing sales until 10 p.m. Henry said the temporary order NFBOT UIBU CVTJOFTTFT IBWF UP DMPTF CZ Q N PO New Year’s Eve, unless they have full meal service later than that. “Restaurants can stay open with meal service, but can not serve alcohol,â€? Henry said. B.C.’s daily cases have declined in recent EBZT XJUI EJBHOPTFE DBTFT SFQPSUFE 5VFTEBZ 441 on Monday, 424 on Sunday, 447 on Saturday BOE DBTFT MBTU 'SJEBZ $ISJTUNBT %BZ %BJMZ

reported t e s t s results also declined during the holidays, down to 4,675 on Tu e s d a y a f t e r reaching highs of as much as 15,000 tests a day during November and FBSMZ %FDFNCFS )FOSZ TBJE TIJQNFOUT PG Moderna vaccine have now arrived at 10 remote Indigenous communities in B.C., with WBDDJOBUJPOT UP CFHJO 8FEOFTEBZ BęFSOPPO or Thursday morning. The B.C. Centre for %JTFBTF $POUSPM IBT EFDJEFE UP EJTUSJCVUF BOE administer all available Pfizer and Moderna vaccine in the early stages of the rollout, depending on further shipments to provide the second dose recommended by manufacturers for best results.

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Saturday, January 2, 2021

Health Canada waiting on more data before making a decision on AstraZeneca vaccine Health Canada says it still needs more information before it can make a decision PO UIF "TUSB;FOFDB 0YGPSE $07*% WBDDJOF ‰ OFXT UIBU DBNF BęFS UIF 6OJUFE Kingdom became the first country to authorize the vaccine.

In a statement SFMFBTFE 8FEOFTEBZ $BOBEB T independent regulator said it’s been reviewing the manufacturer’s vaccine information since Oct. 1 and as new data roll in. “There is still information and EBUB UP CF QSPWJEFE CZ "TUSB;FOFDB GPS review,� says the statement. “Health Canada cannot provide a definite timeline for the completion of the review at this time.� &BSMJFS 8FEOFTEBZ UIF 6 , BOOPVODFE the vaccine’s approval, with the health TFDSFUBSZ TBZJOH SPMMPVU XJMM TUBSU +BO JO UIBU DPVOUSZ ćF "TUSB;FOFDB WBDDJOF IBT been praised for its low cost and ease of use.

Unlike other vaccines, it can be stored in

refrigerators rather than ultra-cold storage units. Canada, which has signed agreements to procure a range of vaccine candidates, has B EFBM XJUI "TUSB;FOFDB GPS NJMMJPO EPTFT “Health Canada is working hard to give $BOBEJBOT BDDFTT UP $07*% WBDDJOFT BT quickly as possible without compromising its safety, efficacy and quality standards,� said the Health Canada statement. “Protecting the health and safety of Canadians is a top priority.�

From page 1

Khalsa Aid India faced unprecedented vilification campaign for helping protesting farmers

POMZ MBOHBST UIFZ TIJęFE BUUFOUJPO UP UIF PUIFS important needs of the protesting farmers when others too started free community kitchens.

The NGO is currently running a 600-bed full-to-capacity night shelter along with the two ‘Kisan Malls’ which provide various items of daily use, such as inner wears, thermals, toothbrush BOE TBOJUBSZ QBET UP UIPTF JO OFFE "NBSQSFFU 4JOHI UIF EJSFDUPS PG ,IBMTB "JE 1SPKFDU "TJB Chapter), told PTI that a team of six full-time employees and over 150 volunteers from across the country were working tirelessly at different protest sites. He fears that “bad-publicity and false propaganda would demoralise them�. ićFZ B TFDUJPO PG OFXT NFEJB BOE TPNF QFPQMF BSF BTLJOH A8IP JT GVOEJOH ZPV A"SF you here supporting them just because they are 4JLIT PS A8IBU JT PVS BHFOEB “They never asked us these kinds of questions when we were helping people during the Kerala ĘPPE $07*% QBOEFNJD PS JO UIF "NBSOBUI :BUSB T DMFBO VQ ESJWF ćFO XIZ UPEBZ w QPTFE a visibly disappointed Singh. )F BTTFSUFE UIBU ,IBMTB "JE *OEJB IBT “nothing to hide� and maintains record of iFWFSZ TJOHMF QFOOZ EPOBUFEw UP UIFN i8F BSF a registered organisation. The Government of India can always check our records whenever they want. But bad-mouthing and spreading of baseless propaganda should stop. This demoralises our volunteers who have come here leaving their jobs, businesses and families with the sole purpose of serving the farmers in these dire conditions,� Singh said. “The protesting farmers, mostly comprising Punjabis, are our own people who helped us in building this organisation in the first place. Of course, we will support them. The reason that some see our support as bigger than the usual is because the protest this time is the biggest that we have seen so far,� he said.

4JOHI XIP IBJMT GSPN 1VOKBC T 1BUJBMB admitted that in the past two attempts were made to vilify the organisation like when it provided aid to Rohingya refugees or served MBOHBS UP UIF TUVEFOUT PG +BNJB .BMJB *TMBNJB during their protest against the Citizenship

"NFOENFOU "DU “Then, some people asked ‘why are you TVQQPSUJOH .VTMJNT 8F UPME UIFN UIF TBNF UIJOH UIBU XF BSF TBZJOH OPX ,IBMTB "JE XPSLT for humanity and serves people irrespective of their caste, gender or religion. However, the vilification campaign against us this time has been unprecedented,� he said.

To underpin his point, Singh cited reports BCPVU ANBLF TIJę GPPU NBTTBHFS DFOUSF BOE claimed that it was blown out of proportion by certain news outlets. The NGO has installed 25foot massagers for the elderly protestors. i" KPVSOBMJTU BTLFE A8IFSF EJE XF HFU 3T MBLI GPS UIFTF NBDIJOFT * XBT TUVOOFE CZ IJT question and the way he put it across. The actual cost of the machines is Rs 2 lakh. “In Punjab, we have the culture of pressing UIF GFFU PG PVS FMEFST 8F JOJUJBMMZ EJE UIF TBNF here also. But there were only a limited number of volunteers and the number of protestors was always increasing. That is when we took the help of technology. Later, we saw stories calling it a ‘luxury’,� he said.

Farmers from various parts of the country have been camping at different border points of %FMIJ GPS PWFS B NPOUI OPX UP EFNBOE SFQFBM PG the three agri laws, which were voted through in Parliament in September amid strong protests by opposition parties.

The three laws have been projected by the central government as major reforms in the agriculture sector that will remove the middlemen and allow farmers to sell anywhere in the country.

However, the protesting farmers have expressed apprehension that the new laws would pave the way for eliminating the safety cushion of Minimum Support Price and do away with the mandi system, leaving them at the mercy of big corporates.

The government has repeatedly asserted that the MSP and Mandi systems will stay and has accused the opposition of misleading the farmers.

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Nurses’ Union’s crticism on COVID-19 vaccine rollout for allowing queue jumping The B.C. Nurses’ Union is criticizing the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, just two weeks after the provincial immunization campaign began.

BCNU president Christine Sorensen accuses administrators of “jump(ing) the queue” for immunization before front-line health-care staff. She says unexplained delays and bureaucracy have hampered efforts to protect nurses.

“That’s unacceptable,” Sorensen said.

“While we have doses of vaccine in this province, they should not be in storage.

They should be in the arms of people who are caring for patients on the front line.”

While the B.C. government has issued directives to prioritize immunizations, Sorensen says some people appear to be getting preferential treatment.

“I do know that we have seen people jump the queue, shall we say … including people who do not work in COVID units or work in point-of-care with high-risk patients,” Sorensen says, “I’m aware of people … who are, yes, in administrative roles.”

Sorensen says she has received reports of preferential treatment from health districts across the province including reports that clinical pharmacists and general physicians are among those being immunized, yet they are not identifiably part of a priority group.

In an emailed statement to CBC News on Sunday, the Ministry of Health says health-

care workers in long-term care homes and on the front-lines of COVID-19 response in acute care are being prioritized.

It also said “some key outbreak response members were immunized, particularly ones who are part of response teams that go into long-term care to help manage outbreaks.”

The provincial government has stated the first round of vaccinations in December would focus on:

The union president also criticized the rollout to those most at risk. On its COVID-19 website the B.C. government states: “Public Health will arrange for … priority groups to be vaccinated against COVID-19. No action is required on your part.”

“There are communication issues where it appears staff are not being made aware that the vaccine is available at their site,” Sorensen says. “And then for those nurses who are working in the COVID units who are being made aware the vaccine is available, they are not being provided relief to get the shot.”

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, January 2, 2021 Attempted traffic stop preceded Coquitlam crash on Brunette off-ramp B.C.’s police watchdog is investigating a dramatic rollover crash in Coquitlam that followed an attempted traffic stop on Sunday morning.

According to the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. (IIOBC), an RCMP officer was conducting speed checks with a radar gun on Highway 1 eastbound near Government Street when the officer spotted a grey Dodge Charger travelling at a rate of high speed.

The officer tried to conduct a traffic stop but the driver of the Dodge didn’t stop and instead proceeded to take the Brunette Avenue offramp at a high speed. The Dodge then struck a traffic island, was launched into the air and hit a northbound Kia Sorrento. The impact of the crash caused the Kia to flip onto its roof, while the Dodge rolled over a barrier and landed in a ditch on the other side of Brunette Avenue.

According to B.C. Emergency Health Services, the collision was reported at around 9:04 a.m. on Sunday. Four individuals received treatment at the scene, two of which were later taken to hospital in critical condition. The other

two were taken to hospital in stable condition.

The IIOBC confirmed the Dodge was carrying

just the driver, while the Kia was carrying five occupants. All were taken to local hospital.

Investigators will now determine whether police action or inaction in attempting the traffic stop was a factor in the crash. Anyone who saw, heard or recorded the incident is asked to contact the IIOBC’s dedicated witness line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.

The IIOBC is tapped to investigate any policeinvolved files that result in injury or death.

Two more COVID-19 vaccines in the works as Moderna jab arrives in BC The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine due to arrive in B.C. this week could end up among four vaccines available for use in Canada, says a UBC infectious disease expert.

Dr. Horacio Bach said that while the Pfizer vaccine was already being used in the province — with almost 6,000 doses given in B.C. since it was introduced last week — the more easily distributed Moderna vaccine was set to arrive this week.

The best cookbooks of 2020 Bach said the Canadian government also has supply deals for the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.

“Canada signed a contract with AstraZeneca on Sept 25 to supply 20 million doses to be delivered in 2021, although no schedule has been provided,” Bach said.

Health Canada signed an agreement with Johnson & Johnson on Aug. 31, 2020 for 38 million doses of their vaccine to be delivered in 2021.

AstraZeneca applied in Canada on Oct. 1 for an emergency use permit, while Johnson & Johnson applied for the same permit on Nov. 30.

According to a Health Canada database, both those applications are still under review (while Pfizer and Moderna are approved.)

Bach said the U.K. government was expected to approve the AstraZeneca vaccine on Jan. 4, as that country deals with a more infectious COVID-19 variant.

He said the AstraZeneca vaccine does not require freezing, making it much easier to transport than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, while the Johnson & Johnson vaccine was the only one of the four that requires just once shot (not two).

On Dec. 23 — the last time B.C. reported a daily COVID-19 caseload — provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said she expected 240,000 British Columbians to be fully vaccinated (with both shots 35 days apart) by the end of March.

13

Remote First Nation regions to begin getting COVID-19 vaccine this week in BC Several B.C. First Nations are scheduled to receive their first COVID-19 vaccines.

The Moderna vaccine will be offered to everyone aged 18 and over in 10 rural and remote Indigenous communities in B.C. this week, mostly in the north, where health care services are limited.

Although the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) could not be reached for comment, the Tahltan Central Government (TCG) confirmed they are one of the recipients. n Christmas Eve, TCG wrote the vaccine would be arriving in all three of their communities, including Iskut (Luwe Chon), Dease Lake, (Talh’ah) and Telegraph Creek (Tlegohin) on Dec. 29.

Unlike the first COVID-19 vaccine by PfizerBioNTech, which arrived in B.C. on Dec. 14, the Moderna vaccine is the preferred option for remote communities as it does not require ultra-cold storage and is easier to handle.

Indigenous peoples are at a higher risk of COVID-19 than the rest of the population due to reduced access to stable housing, income, clean water, and or health services, FNHA noted.

As of Dec. 27, Indigenous Services Canada said it was aware of 585 positive confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on First Nations reserves in B.C. In recent weeks, many First Nations have confirmed potential exposures, including Saik’uz First Nation near Vanderhoof and Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation southwest of Williams Lake, which are both denying access to non-residents.

FNHA said while it recognizes that some Indigenous people lack trust in the medical system, “it is important to note that vaccine trials go through rigorous, well-established ethical processes.”

“Providing vaccines in a timely and effective way to First Nations communities is an important step towards protecting individuals, families and communities,” FNHA said in a joint statement with the First Nations Health Council and First Nations Health Directors Association.

A COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom, which is believed to spread more quickly and easily, was confirmed in B.C. on Dec. 27 by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Thunder Bay Bombardier plant shut out by BC order for passenger rail cars The regional transit authority for the Vancouver area will purchase more than $700 million worth of rail cars from Bombardier Transportation.

But the cars will not be manufactured at Bombardier’s plant in Thunder Bay. Instead, more than 200 next-generation cars for Vancouver’s SkyTrain network

will be assembled at the company’s plant in Kingston, which has previously supplied SkyTrain rolling stock.

The cars will be designed by teams at Kingston and at St.-Bruno, Quebec.

Bombardier’s deal with TransLink, the regional transportation authority, also includes options for up to 400 additional cars.

14

Saturday, January 2, 2021 UBC grad sentenced to 6 years in Saudi prison for defying ban on women driving

One of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent women’s rights activists was sentenced Monday to nearly six years in prison, according to state-linked media, under a vague and broadly worded counterterrorism law. The ruling nearly brings to a close a case that has drawn international criticism and the ire of U.S. lawmakers. Loujain al-Hathloul has already been in pre-trial detention and has endured several stretches of solitary confinement. Her continued imprisonment was likely to be a point of contention in relations between the kingdom and the incoming presidency of

Joe Biden, whose inauguration takes place in January — around two months before what is now expected to be al-Hathloul’s release date. Rights group “Prisoners of Conscience,” which focuses on Saudi political detainees, said al-Hathloul could be released in March 2021 based on time served. She has been imprisoned since May 2018, and 34 months of her sentencing will be suspended.

Her family said in a statement she will be barred from leaving the kingdom for five years and required to serve three years of probation after her release.

Some transit employees tighten belts after payroll hit by TransLink ransomware attack Transit employees across Metro Vancouver have had to take advances in lieu of paycheques since TransLink was hit by a ransomware attack earlier this year.

The payroll workaround is intended to give the company time to safely restore its compromised computer systems, but it will have left some employees short, said Balbir Mann, head of Unifor Local 111.

“It is frustrating and hard for our membership,” Mann said of the payroll problems. “But (TransLink has) been telling us they’re doing everything possible that they can. Payroll is the No. 1 unresolved issue out there. Once the system goes up, the first thing is payroll.” A memo sent last week from Unifor to affected members stated that it “will take some time” to get the systems back online.

The memo states that payroll is a priority service, but restoring it is being done carefully to make sure the systems are clear of malware.

Because of the outage, transit workers received pay advances through December rather than a normal paycheque. Employees aren’t seeing formal deductions like pension, taxes or union dues from their advances, but rather, having cash withheld to cover those costs once the payroll system is restored. One consequence of the workaround is that overtime isn’t being paid out right now. But employees can request $500 bumps in their advance pay to account for expected shortfalls. “Is it going to be 100 per cent accurate? No. But they’re giving us assurance that they’re willing to help out anybody who requests (it),” Mann said.

From page 1

2,206 new COVID-19 cases over holiday weekend

Since the start of immunizations, 11,930 people have received the PfizerBioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in B.C. There have been 74 new COVID-19 related deaths, for a total of 882 deaths in British Columbia.

Of the total COVID-19 cases, 373 individuals are hospitalized, 80 of whom are in intensive care. The remaining people with COVID-19 are recovering at home in self-isolation. Currently, 9,413 people are under active public health monitoring as a result of identified exposure to known cases.

There are 7,580 active cases of COVID-19 in B.C. and 41,175 people

who tested positive have recovered.

Public alerts and notifications are posted on the BC Centre for Disease Control’s (BCCDC) website and on all health authorities’ websites.

COVID-19 U.K. variant “The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has identified the first case of a person in B.C. infected with the COVID-19 U.K. variant. The person and their close contacts are isolating and receiving care from public health teams. The case was identified as part of the ongoing whole genome sequencing that has been done since the start of the pandemic,” said Henry.

“What we know is this variant spreads more quickly than the other mutations we

Continued on page 15

BC health authorities report new COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care homes Three regional health authorities in British Columbia are reporting new COVID-19 outbreaks in assisted-living facilities and long-term care homes.

Interior Health says six residents and four staff members have tested positive for the illness at Heritage Square, a private facility in Vernon.

The health authority says each of the six residents live in the long-term care areas of the facility and their close contacts are in self-isolation.

Fraser Health is reporting two new outbreaks after two staff members tested positive for COVID-19 at Rideau Retirement Residence in Burnaby and another two staff tested positive at Brookside Lodge in Surrey.

And Island Health says one resident has

tested positive at Chartwell Malaspina Care Residence in Nanaimo, where the outbreak is limited to one unit on a floor that’s been isolated from the rest of the facility.

B.C. health officials are expected to report the latest case numbers and on Tuesday, after confirming over the weekend the province’s first known case of a more contagious COVID-19 variant that originated in the United Kingdom.

Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said in a joint statement the person had returned from the U.K. to their home in the Island Health region on Dec. 15 and tested positive for COVID-19 four days later.

Half the Downtown Eastside may have been exposed to COVID-19, new data suggests New data from the Vancouver Infectious Diseases Centre suggests up to half the population of the Downtown Eastside may have been exposed to COVID-19. \The organization’s president and medical director, Dr. Brian Conway, said his team has been doing antibody testing on small groups in the area every week as a way to track how many people may have contracted the disease.

“Through summer into fall we were picking up 10 per cent of the population sampled having antibodies, that would mean 1 in 10 of these residents of the Downtown Eastside,” Conway told CTV News. “More recently, in early December, as many as 40-50 per cent are now showing antibodies so the disease has a big footprint in the inner city.”

The sample size is relatively small, around 90 people for December across three testing sessions. Conway said of those 90 people, between 40 and 45 tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies.

But the results could indicate a much larger spread than is being reported. Conway said it’s likely many cases go undetected because the individuals “never presented for health-care, they were never offered testing, they didn’t require hospitalization, or a combination of all those things.”

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, January 2, 2021

New COVID-19 cases over holiday weekend have had here in B.C. This is why adhering to the public health orders and restrictions, particularly abiding by the federal quarantine order and avoiding all non-essential travel, is so important.

“The majority of people in B.C. are following the public health orders we have in place. This meant that for most of us, this past weekend was a quiet weekend, with our immediate household only.

“To give our front-line health-care workers the reprieve they deserve, we need to make this entire holiday season a quiet holiday season, including our New Year’s celebrations.

“The turning of the calendar to 2021 is something we are all looking forward to.

The way to ensure we are in the best possible position going into January 2021 is to

make it a safe New Year for everyone.

“Every time you follow the rules, you save people’s lives.

Every time you make the choice to bend the rules to make them work for you, you put yourself and your loved ones at risk.

“Staying local, staying small and staying apart protects the people we care about most and ensures the coming year will be better, brighter and safer for everyone.”

Please consider supporting our local reporting efforts so we can continue providing the news you need.

15

Two die in avalanche as forecasters warn of ‘complex,’ ‘weak’ snowpack RCMP say two men have died an avalanche north of Whistler.

A statement from the Mounties says the victims were snow biking when they were reported missing late Monday near Goat Peak, a popular backcountry destination outside Pemberton.

Police say others in the area reported signs of a fresh avalanche, but darkness and treacherous terrain delayed a search until first light Tuesday.

Parts of the snow bikes were located in the avalanche field soon after the search began, and the statement says the bodies of the two men were found and removed in

from the slide debris a short time later.

The BC Coroners Service is investigating and police say the names of the two men will not be released.

Avalanche Canada says a complex snowpack with several weak layers has created the potential for large, human-caused avalanches.

Several areas affected are the Purcell range in the southeast, Cariboo Mountains of central B.C., and slopes of the Sea-toSky region north of Vancouver, which includes the Whistler and Pemberton areas.

Over a dozen Lower Mainland grocery store workers test positive for COVID-19 Employees at Real Canadian Superstore locations and several other Lower Mainland grocery stores across have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19).

Loblaw Companies Ltd, the parent company of Real Canadian Superstore and Shoppers Drug Mart released employee infection numbers for Dec. 24, 27 and 28. Employees at the following Loblaw operated locations in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley have tested positive for the virus in the last few days: Real Canadian Superstore 19851 Willowbrook Drive,

Langley, B.C.: Two team members tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team members worked was on Dec. 17 and Dec. 21.

3185 Grandview Highway, Vancouver, B.C.: Team member tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19. The last day the team member worked was on Dec. 18.

3000 Lougheed Hwy, Coquitlam, B.C.: Two team members tested positive on a presumptive test for COVID-19.

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Saturday, January 2, 2021

Saturday, January 2, 2021

17

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Trade union expansion a key goal for B.C. NDP in 2021

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Before the surprise 2020 election, Premier John Horgan made a point of saying his government’s union-only public construction mandate had been applied only to three large infrastructure projects.

The first project under the new “community benefits agreement,” widening a section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Revelstoke, saw the cost jump 35 per cent. A section of the widening east of Kamloops was then scaled back by half, with the transportation ministry in both cases citing a “hot market” for construction as part of the pressure on costs.

Then-minister Claire Trevena’s estimate for the second designated project, the Pattullo bridge replacement, was pushed up seven per cent by the deal forcing employees to join one of 19 mostly U.S.-based unions, and imposing their rigid “craft lines” on work crews.

The third project is the Broadway subway extension in Vancouver, a tunnel project open to a few specialized international companies. It was awarded last fall to Spanish infrastructure company Acciona in partnership with Ghella of Italy. Horgan says the province is about to release a business case for the long-awaited Massey tunnel replacement, which would likely be the next project to use the new rules.

The B.C. NDP’s master union agreement runs to 336 pages, with a new B.C. Crown corporation set up to control payroll and union dues, diverting an additional 25 cents per person-hour worked to a new union

council and another seven cents to building trade union funds for health and safety.

Horgan’s mandate letter to new Transportation Minister Rob Fleming instructs him to continue to apply it “where appropriate,” and to “streamline consultation, tendering and construction of infrastructure projects.”

Mandate letters to Labour Minister Harry Bains and Advanced Education Minister Ann Kang instruct them to “restore the compulsory trades system to improve safety and give more workers a path to apprenticeship completion.” This was a 2017 recommendation from the B.C. Federation of Labour, along with moving to a $15 minimum wage, which B.C. is due to surpass with $15.20 per hour in June of 2021.

In a year-end interview with Black Press, Horgan said the public supports his labour agenda.

“They want to know when we’re spending public dollars that we’re training the next generation of workers,” Horgan said. “We have an aging demographic. We want to encourage people to get into the trades. One way to do that is to give them a clear path to apprenticeships to red seals, and whether you’re a union company or a non-union company, you need to have skilled workers, and community benefit agreements allow us to do that.”

Another likely shift in 2021 is the elimination of secret-ballot votes for union

INDIA

Saturday, January 2, 2021

India bans flights from UK till January 7 India has extended until Jan. 7 its suspension of flights with Britain, the civil aviation minister said, as the South Asian nation reported 20 cases of a new infectious strain of coronavirus first detected in the United Kingdom.

“Thereafter, strictly regulated resumption

will take place for which details will be announced shortly,” Hardeep Singh Puri said on Twitter, declaring the week-long extension.

(Reporting by Anuron Kumar Mitra and Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

How US bill on Tibet can check Chinese excesses, but why India’s hands are still tied The United States recently passed the Tibetan Policy and Support Act that allows the US to impose sanctions and visa restrictions on Chinese officials, if they try to interfere in the reincarnation, or selection, of the next Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists. It was passed by the House and Senate as an amendment to the $1.4 trillion government-spending bill and the $900 billion coronavirus relief package. With the backing of both Republicans and the Democrats, who control the House, it is expected to be signed into law by US President Donald Trump.

Lobsang Sangay, the President of the Tibetangovernment-in-exile, called it “a momentous landmark for the Tibetan people.”

This follows the October move by the US to appoint Robert Destro, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and

Anna Hazare threatens to go on hunger strike if farmers’ demands Social activist Anna Hazare has threatened to go on a hunger strike if his demands on issues concerning farmers are not met by the Union government by the end of January next year, and said it would be his “last protest”.

Speaking to reporters in his Ralegaon Siddhi village in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra on Sunday, Hazare said had been holding protests for cultivators since the last three years, but the government has done nothing to resolve the issues.

“The government is just giving empty promises due to which I do not have any trust left (in the government)...Let’s see, what action the Centre takes on my demands.

They have sought time for a month, so I have given them time till January-end. If my demands are not met, I will resume my hunger strike protest. This would be my last protest,” the 83-year-old said.

On 14 December, Hazare wrote a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar warning of a hunger strike if his demands like the implementation of the MS Swaminathan Committee’s

PM inaugurates first-ever driver less train on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line Inaugurating India’’s first-ever driverless train operations on the Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his government unlike its predecessors has taken growing urbanisation as an opportunity and asserted that metro train services will be extended to 25 cities by 2025 from the current 18.

In his addresss via video-conferencing, he said the launch of the driverless train and start of the National Common Mobility Card, also inauguarated by him on Monday, at the Airport Express Line of the Delhi Metro are an attempt to make urban development future ready. He lamented that when urbanisation gathered pace a few decades ago, not much attention was given to the needs of the future with “half-hearted” efforts being made and confusion persisting while the gap between the existing infrastructure and needs grew.

Labor, as the special coordinator for Tibetan issues. Before that in July, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had said that the US would restrict visa access for some Chinese officials involved in blocking diplomatic access to Tibet and had engaged in human rights abuses there.

Criticising the bill, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on Tuesday

19

Severe cold grips New Delhi A cold wave swept Delhi on Wednesday as the minimum temperature dipped to 3.5 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said.

It is likely to get even colder on New Year’’s Eve, it predicted, as dry and icy winds barrelled through the plains.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a minimum of 3.5 degrees Celsius as against 3.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

The weather stations at Jafarpur and Lodhi Road recorded a low of 3.5 degrees Celsius and 3.7 degrees Celsius, respectively, it said.

During nighttime, “dense” fog reduced visibility to 50 metres in the Palam area.

However, it improved to 400 metres by 9 am.

The visibility at Safdarjung was 500 metres.

According to the IMD, “very dense” fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 is “dense”, 201 and 500 “moderate”, and 501 and 1,000 “shallow”.

In the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius.

A severe cold wave is when the minimum is 2 degrees Celsius or less.

20

INDIA

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Virat Kohli named ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade India’s cricket captain Virat Kohli headlined the ICC top honours, winning ‘Sir Garfield Sobers award’ for the best male cricketer of the past 10 years.

Kohli was also picked for the ODI Cricketer of the Decade award. Former India skipper Dhoni won the ‘ICC Spirit of Cricket Award of

the Decade’, chosen by fans for his gesture of calling back England batsman Ian Bell after a bizarre run out in the Nottingham Test in 2011.

International Cricket Council (ICC) made the announcements via twitter, bestowing the top honours on Kohli, who scored 66 out of his 70 international hundreds, in the “ICC Awards” period.

India confirms UK variant in 6 recent returnees India has found six people who returned from the United Kingdom in recent weeks infected with a new variant of the coronavirus.

The health ministry in a statement on Tuesday said that all the six patients were isolated and their fellow travellers were tracked down. Close contacts of the infected patients were also put under quarantine.

India previously suspended flights from and to the UK until the end of the year, noting the new variant is “spreading and growing rapidly.”

India on Tuesday reported 16,432 new cases of the virus overall, taking its total to 10.22 million infections and 148,153 deaths. India is expected to start a vaccination drive for some 300 million people early next month.

Ambani sold a tech dream for $27 Billion, now He has to deliver Mukesh Ambani spent much of 2020 convincing Facebook Inc., Google and a clutch of Wall Street heavyweights to buy into his vision for one of the world’s most ambitious corporate transformations.

Now flush with $27 billion in fresh capital, Asia’s richest man is under pressure to deliver.

63-year-old business tycoon is focused on a handful of priorities as he tries to turn Reliance Industries Ltd. from an old-economy conglomerate into a technology and e-commerce titan, according to recent public statements and people familiar with the company’s plans.

These include developing products for the anticipated roll-out next year of a local 5G network; incorporating Facebook’s WhatsApp payments service into Reliance’s digital platform;

and integrating the company’s e-commerce offerings with a network of physical momand-pop shops across the country. Ambani is also pushing forward with plans to sell a stake in Reliance’s oil and petrochemical units, a deal he had originally hoped would reduce debt and finance his high-tech pivot earlier this year.

Investors are watching Ambani’s every move as he overhauls his empire -- with a market value of $178 billion -- in the middle of a pandemic, wading into highly competitive industries and taking on rivals from Amazon.com Inc. to Walmart Inc. Reliance shares rose as much as 55% this year to an all-time high in September, but they’ve since pared gains as stakeholders look for more evidence that Ambani can execute.

New bills allow Indian farmers to reach out to Walmart, Amazon, says US trade body AAA he three contentious farm laws passed by the Narendra Modi government will enable farmers to reach out directly to American multinational firms such as Amazon and Walmart, said Mukesh Aghi, president and CEO of the Washingtonheadquartered trade advocacy body USIndia Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF).

In an interview with ThePrint, Aghi said that while the US supports the farmers’ right to protest peacefully, the three farm laws will provide them “more choices” and allow them to become part of global supply chains. “The new law does not talk about providing access to multinationals. The new law basically provides openness to the farmers; they don’t have to go to mandis to sell their goods,” Aghi

said. “They can sell their goods anywhere; so, I think this gives farmers the opportunity to look beyond. They can reach out to multinationals, they can reach out to Amazon or Walmart and, hopefully, be part of the supply chain.”

He added that American businesses and investors feel that the laws give Indian farmers an opportunity to earn more.

“Today, a farmer gets anywhere between 24 cents to a dollar and a lot of that money is used by the middlemen in the mandis itself,” he said. “So the reaction in the US is, yes, everybody has the right to protest in a democracy and we support those peaceful protests. But at the same time, there’s a due process in the law and when you look into the details, the law gives those right to the farmers.

PM Modi launches NCMC, says will further India’s development Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday stressed on the need for a unified technological interface to be used across services for furthering the development of the nation.

He was speaking at the launch of the fully operational National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) services on the Airport Express Line, which he said is one such interface.

The NCMC will allow passengers carrying a

RuPay debit card issued in the last 18 months by 23 banks to swipe these for Metro travel.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that passengers from any part of the country will now be able to travel on the Airport Express line using this card. “This facility will become available on the entire Delhi Metro network by 2022,” a DMRC spokesperson said.

India records lowest Covid-19 cases in one day The daily new Covid cases in the country touched a new low with fewer than 16,500 new cases being added to the national tally after a gap of 187 days, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday. The daily new cases were 16,922 on June 25. India’s active caseload has fallen to 2,68,581 as on date.

“The share of active cases in the total cases has further compressed to 2.63 per cent of the cumulative caseload,” the ministry said.

A net decline of 8,720 cases has been recorded in the total active cases in a day, it stated.

With the rising recoveries and decline in daily new cases, India’s cumulative recoveries are inching closer to 1 crore, the ministry said. The total recovered cases have crossed 98 lakh (98,07,569) .

The gap between recoveries and active cases continues to grow and stands at 95,38,988, it underlined.

India to become 5th largest economy in 2025, 3rd largest by 2030 India, which appears to have been pushed back to being the world’s sixth biggest economy in 2020, will again overtake the UK to become the fifth largest in 2025 and race to the third spot by 2030, a think tank said on Saturday. India had overtaken the UK in 2019 to become the fifth largest economy in the world but has been relegated to 6th spot in 2020.

“India has been knocked off course somewhat through the impact of the pandemic. As a result, after overtaking the UK in 2019, the UK overtakes India again in this year’s forecasts and stays ahead till2024 before India takes over again,”

the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) said in an annual report published on Saturday. The UK appears to have overtaken India again during 2020 as a result of the weakness of the rupee, it said.

The CEBR forecasts that the Indian economy will expand by 9 per cent in 2021 and by 7 per cent in 2022. “Growth will naturally slow as India becomes more economically developed, with the annual GDP growth expected to sink to 5.8 per cent in 2035.” “This growth trajectory will see India become the world’s third largest economy by 2030, overtaking the UK in 2025, Germany in 2027 and Japan in 2030,” it said.

21-year-old woman set to become India’s youngest mayor For the first time in life, she had walked into the prestigious council hall of the capitalcity’s Municipal Corporation building six days ago to take oath as a Councillor of the ruling Marxist party.

Though she was the ‘baby’ among the councillors, the proud Arya Rajendran faced the sea of onlookers in front of her with confidenceand uttered the oath with sheer maturity.

But, that day, the 21-year-old college student- turned-councillor never thought that she would soon come back to the historic council hall as its supremo-the Mayor.

If everything goes as expected, Arya, now a second-year graduation student of a city college, would not only become the new Mayor of Kerala’s capital, a position held by several significant personalities in the past, but

also the youngest ever Mayor in the country.

According to party sources, the Thiruvananthapuram district secretariat of the ruling CPI(M), which met here on Friday, recommended Arya’s name for the post of mayor, which has to be ratified by the party’s state secretariat.

BJP leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis had become the mayor of Nagpur Municipal Corporation at the age of 27.

While replying to endless congratulatory messages from her modest rented house at Mudavanmukal here, Arya said she was yet to get official confirmation from her party about the new responsibility.

A staunch party activist hailing from a hardcore Marxist family, she said maturity and leadership qualities cannot be measured with anyone’s age.

FIJI

Saturday, January 2, 2021

Punjab Covid-19 cases decline, no night curfew in Chandigarh As Chandigarh witnesses a gradual fall in COVID-19 cases, the administration on Tuesday decided to not impose any additional restrictions, including the night curfew, on New Year’s eve.

Governor of Punjab-cum-Administrator, UT, held a review meeting in this regard

with Principal Secretary of Health, Director General of Police and Deputy Commissioner.

However, the Administrator directed the Director General of Police to ensure, that the existing COVID-19 appropriate behaviour and the restrictions on a number of persons and opening & closing of hotels, restaurants etc. should be strictly enforced.

Sidhu kicks up storm for draping cloth with Sikh religious symbols Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu has landed in yet another controversy, this time in connection with a photo he posted on Facebook. The photo, which showed Sidhu with a piece of cloth embossed with Sikh religious symbols around his shoulders, was soon widely circulating on social media,

prompting Sikh Youth Power of Punjab, a Sikh religious body, to take it up with Giani Harpreet Singh, Jathedar Akal Takht for strict action.Sikh Youth Power of Punjab claims it isn’t the first time that Sidhu was involved in what it says is “desecration”.

PM Modi recalls sacrifices of Sikh Gurus Amid farmers’ protest, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tributes to the Sikh Gurus, including the sons of Guru Gobind Singh, saying their sacrif On his ‘Mann ki Baat’ radio programme, the PM said, “We pay tributes to the brave Char Sahibzade, we remember Mata Gujri, we recall the greatness of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur ji, Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji. We remain indebted to

them for their sacrifices and spirit of compassion.”

He paid tributes to Sahibzade Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh and Mata Gujri for unmatched courage and determination.

The PM said he was blessed with the opportunity to visit Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib to pay obeisance to Guru Teg Bahadur on his martyrdom day.

Why the farmers’ protest is led by Sikhs of Punjab The ongoing farmers’ protest against the Narendra Modi government’s new agricultural laws isn’t just a battle to secure a legal guarantee for minimum support price, or seek repeal of the three legislations. The battle is also to stop India’s rich capitalists from smuggling out farmers’ labour power without paying the cost – and there are several reasons why farmers from the Sikh community are at the forefront. The Sikh farmers of Punjab were the first to grasp the danger when Parliament passed the three controversial bills in a great hurry, without a discussion or taking

farmers’ unions into confidence.

The last time Sikhs of Punjab were locked in a battle with the government was in the early 1980s, when the Indira Gandhi administration had sent troops into the state to curtail the rising insurgency. But if the emerging Khalistan movement restricted wider support then, the Sikh farmers now have a worthy cause – and they have galvanised the country’s farming community and generated nationwide support. They will go down in India’s history as the frontline heroes of the farmers’ movement.

Pakistan Smart-lockdowns in Karachi’s Covid-19 affected areas Govt announce smartlockdown for Karachi’s District Central areas to avoid Covid-19 cases.

According to notification issued on Wednesday, smart lockdowns have been imposed in three sub-divisions, including North Karachi, Gulberg, and North Nazimabad, from December 30 till January 13, 2021.

The notification said that a ban has been imposed on gatherings, commercial activities and motorbike pillion riding, during smart lockdown.

Grocery stores where general grocery items are available, as well as medical stores, will remain open, the notification said. However, industrial zones in these areas will also be closed.

Concerned over Pak court’s order to release Pearl murder accused: US The US expressed “deep concern” over a Pakistani court’s order to release British-born al-Qaeda leader Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and his three aides, who were convicted and sentenced in the abduction and murder case of American journalist Daniel Pearl.

In a surprise move, a two-judge bench of the Sindh High Court on Thursday directed security agencies not to keep Sheikh and other accused under “any sort of detention” and declared

all notifications of the Sindh government related to their detention “null and void”.

“We are deeply concerned by the reports of the December 24 ruling of Sindh High Court to release multiple terrorists responsible for the murder of Daniel Pearl. We have been assured that the accused have not been released at this time,” the US State Department said in a tweet.

It said that the US will continue to monitor any developments in the case and support Pearl family.

137 passengers crossed Wagah border after lockdown in India amid Covid-19 restrictions Stuck due to Covid-19-lockdown in India and post regulatory guidelines, 137 passengers crossed over to Pakistan from Wagah border on Tuesday.

Shahin was among them, along with many of her compatriots who were stuck in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic heaved a sigh for returning to their country.

She recalled that she had come over here

in July 2018 for getting medical treatment.

Wife of retired govt official M. Yunus, she thanked Indian doctors for proficiency in the medical field besides thanking Indian and Pakistani govts for felicitating travel of such patients. She, however, disliked waiting time she has to spent in India, due to the lockdown.

Each year, 1,000 girls forcibly converted to Islam Neha loved the hymns that filled her church with music. But she lost the chance to sing them last year when, at the age of 14, she was forcibly converted from Christianity to Islam and married to a 45-year-old man with children twice her age. She tells her story in a voice so low it occasionally fades away. She all but disappears as she wraps a blue scarf tightly around her

face and head. Neha’s husband is in jail now facing charges of rape for the underage marriage, but she is in hiding, afraid after security guards confiscated a pistol from his brother in court. “He brought the gun to shoot me,” said Neha, whose last name The Associated Press is not using for her safety. Neha is one of nearly 1,000 girls from religious minorities who are forced to convert to Islam in Pakistan each year.

21

Call to help victims of Cyclone Yasa Fijian families and communities across the country are rebuilding following the devastation left behind by the Category 5 Super Cyclone Yasa that struck Fiji on Thursday 17th December.

TC Yasa has destroyed homes and livelihoods for tens of thousands of families. These communities are spread across a vast area of the country ranging from the provinces of Bua, Cakaudrove; islands in the Lomaiviti and Lau Group, and villages across the delta areas of Rewa, Tailevu, and Yasawas and homes across Ra. Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) has mobilized a full-scale national emergency response to coordinate the recovery.

Those who wish to contribute to the relief

effort can do so through the Prime Minister’s Cyclone Fund. Through this fund, the Government purchases emergency food, water and fuel rations; rebuilds crucial infrastructure especially community water schemes, and delivers emergency assistance with great speed.

Fiji Bank details for Fiji’s Prime Minister’s Cyclone Fund https:// www.facebook com/207532522613024/ posts/3890603487639224/?d=n Account Name: Prime Minister’s National Disaster Relief & Rehabilitation: TC Yasa Account Number: 12628523 Australia New Zealand (ANZ) Bank, Suva Swift code: ANZBFJFX BSB No: 010890

We welcome any assistance to reduce mishandling of food distribution – Minister Seruiratu Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management Inia Seruiratu says whilst they appreciate any relief assistance that is being provided by partners, they are urging them to coordinate with the relevant authorities so that assistance is not duplicated.

Fijivillage has received reports that there has

been some duplication of assistance which led to people being inundated with food ration packs.

Seruiratu says by coordinating together they will be able to minimize duplication and ensure that there is fair distribution of the relief items.

He adds they understand organisations have preferences but as long as they are aware where the assistance is going.

Prime Minister welcomes largest Australian Navy ship to Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has welcomed Captain Stuart Watters and the crew of the HMAS Adelaide which is the largest Australian Navy Ship to Fiji. More than 600 Australian Defence Forces personnel are on board the HMAS Adelaide with humanitarian

relief supplies to help in the aftermath of TC Yasa.

Bainimarama says we don’t get too many boatload of Aussies to Fiji these days, but Fiji has adapted its COVID-safe protocols so that Fiji’s family from the Australian Department of Defence can safely assist Fiji’s

Police officer charged with one count of assault causing actual bodily harm to front court A senior Police officer will appear in the Suva Magistrate Court today charged with one count of assault causing actual bodily harm.

This is following an investigation

conducted by Internal Affairs Unit.

He is alleged to have used force by striking a man who tried to stop a brawl at Reservoir Road in Tamavua last month.

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Saturday, January 2, 2021