TheAsianStar February 23 2019.pdf

www.theasianstar.com Vol 18 - Issue 4

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Former premier Gordon Campbell suspended from job over sexual assault accusation

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global communications marketing firm says it is suspending its contract with former British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell in light of an allegation in a British newspaper that he groped a woman in the United Kingdom.

Edelman says in a statement that Campbell has served as a special adviser to the firm since last July, and was engaged on a part-time basis as a consultant through a retainer agreement.

However, the company says it and Campbell have “mutually decided to suspend their consulting arrangement” until a police investigation in the United Kingdom is complete. On Friday, the Daily Telegraph reported that London police are investigating a complaint Continued on page 6

India threatens to restrict flow of river water to Pakistan over terror attacks An Indian government minister has reiterated the country’s plan to restrict the flow of water to Pakistan from its share of rivers, the latest effort by New Delhi to pressure its neighbour after a militant attack in Kashmir. “Our government has decided to stop our share of water which used to flow to Pakistan,” Nitin Gadkari, transport and water resources minister, said in a tweet on Thursday. He added that the country would divert water from eastern rivers and supply it to its people in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab states. ‘Free pass for mobs’: India urged to stem vigilante violence against minorities Gadkari did not elaborate but officials from his ministry said he was re-stating decisions already taken by PM Modi, including a dam project cleared by his cabinet.

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South Asian man sues Maxime Bernier over use of People’s Party of Canada name An Abbotsford entrepreneur filed a lawsuit in the Federal Court of Canada on Monday in an attempt to prevent the People’s Party of Canada from using that name in next week’s federal byelection or in the fall general election. The suit names federal party leader Maxime Bernier, the party’s chief agent, Christian Roy, and the party itself, and also seeks damages to be determined for economic loss, expenses and the “irreparable harm” of having to compete for online search-engine rankings. According to Satinder Dhillon’s statement of claim, he launched his People’s Party of Canada on Canada Day, 2015, but did not apply to Elections Canada to register the name until Sept. 25, 2018. A few days earlier, it says, he obtained a trademark for the name and obtained a copyright. Bernier applied to Elections Canada to use the name on Oct. 10, the statement of claim says. “We own that name, that’s clear to me,” Dhillon said Monday afternoon.

Satinder Dhillon, an Abbotsford-based entrepreneur and free-speech advocate, has filed a Continued on page 6

Canadian captured in Syria admits to role in gruesome ISIS execution videos A Canadian captured in northern Syria last month has admitted he helped produce ISIS propaganda videos that showed prisoners digging their own graves and being executed, according to a local source.

Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed, who was detained by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces on Jan. 13, acknowledged his role in the ISIS videos Flames of War and Flames of War 2, the Rojava Information Centre said.

“Our sources in YPG confirmed that he is the narrator of both FoW [Flames of War] videos,” the group said.

The YPG is the Kurdish Continued on page 6

Liberals allow fraudester deported to India 13 years ago to return unhindered

or 13 years Harjit Singh had tried to avoid deportation, but it was his final, desperate bid to stay in Canada that made him the leading man in a bizarre political drama. Levelling allegations he later admitted were fabricated, Singh brought down a federal cabinet minister — Judy Sgro — and caused weeks of heartburn for Paul Martin’s Liberal government of the early 2000s. It was to no avail.

Tel:604-591-5423

The Brampton, Ont., pizza shop owner had also been found liable for credit card fraud, was suspected of people smuggling and accused by police of threatening the relatives of witnesses in his fraud case. On Feb. 2, 2005, Canadian border officials put Singh on a plane back to his native India, seemingly for good. “Public interest in the integrity of the immigration system clearly favours his removal at the earliest opportunity,” said a judge hearing the

last of his many legal appeals. But 13 years later, the unlikely headline-maker is back in Canada, allowed in under a new Liberal government, his visa request aided by a “routine” letter from another MP immersed in controversy, Raj Grewal. Parminder Singh, Harjit’s son, confirmed in a short telephone exchange that his father Continued on page 7 is living in

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Saturday, February 23, 2019 Umendra Singh

W

ell know Metro Vancouver businessman, Kantilal Patel, founder and owner of Guru Lucky Sweets passed away in Surrey on January 30th, at the age of 68.

He was born in Nadi, Fiji, on May 19th, 1950 and grew up in Fiji. Fiji also where he learnt and sharpened his business and entrepreneurial skills, which would serve him in good stead later in life when he moved to Canada. He started off selling watermelons

Founder of Guru Lucky Sweets, Kanitlal Patel, passes away on hot days in Fiji to make money. Kantilal first started his business with his brothers in 1971 as Kantilal & Brothers, and the business eventually evolved into a family owned business with his sons in 1983; Kantilal & Sons.

Kantilal started his business by selling sweets and snacks after he moved to Vancouver in 1987. Moving to Canada was a new beginning for his family. But, like many other immigrants, Kantilal initially had a tough time in Canada.

However, he never lost heart or hope and his life story matches the saying - great things come from humble beginnings.

In Canada, he started off working at a local 7-11 but

quit and used his last pay cheque to purchase a frying pan to make sweets – and that was the humble beginning of the great story of Kantilal and Guru Lucky Sweets, which got going in 1987.

The company grew as the years rolled by through the hard work of Kantilal and his family – and as the business grew so did K a n t i l a l ’s pride and joy. Kantilal was a very friendly and loving person, helping ever yone he met but most of all he enjoyed

spending time with his family and friends.

He visited all over the world and he saw and experienced everything the world has to offer.

Kantilal leaves behind his widow, Indira, four children: Jeetu, Dinesh, Harsheela and Bhavika, and nine grandchildren.

Towards the end, Kantilal bravely battled some health issues but suffered multiple heart attacks and passed away with a smile on his face, surrounded by close family members.

HARINDER DAIL3

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www.theasianstar.com Vol 18 - Issue 4

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olice in Surrey say a missing person case is now a homicide investigation after a body was discovered.

The family of 38-year-old Rajwinder Bains (pictured) reported her missing on January 23.

Police say they conducted extensive ground searches, spoke to multiple people and conducted area canvassing for video surveillance.

In the course of the investigation

Ph: 604-503-3853

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Fx:604-503-3854

Tel:604-591-5423

South Asian woman murdered

Body found after missing person report

the body of Bains was discovered, but police aren’t saying when.

P o l i c e investigating ‘isolated, targeted’ homicide in Surrey Bains was last seen leaving a TD Canada Trust bank

HARINDER DAIL

Notary Public, M.A. (ALS) M.B.A. B.Sc

in the 5600 block of 152 Street in Surrey on the morning of Jan. 7.

IHIT says it is working with Surrey RCMP, a forensic identification unit and the B.C. Coroners

Service to gather evidence.

Bains was last seen leaving a TD Canada Trust bank on 152 Street in Surrey on the morning of Jan. 7.

(Integrated Homicide Investigation Team) “Detectives continue to pursue leads that may answer the many questions remaining, and are urging anyone with information to come forward,” said IHIT Cpl. Frank Jang in a media release.

Anyone with information can contact the IHIT information line at 1-877-5514448 or email ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.

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EDITORIAL

Saturday, February 23, 2019

What is preventing the NDOP government from calling n inquiry into money laundering at BC casinos and real estate?

hat is [preventing the NDOP government from calling n inquiry into money laundering at BC casinos and real estate? What is stopping the NDP-Green Coalition government from calling a public inquiry into money laundering at BC casinos and real estate?

While the NDP government has been quick to blame the previous Liberal government, and maybe rightly so, for ignoring the impunity with which

criminal gangs washed/laundered their ill gotten gains at casinos in Metro Vancouver and by putting drug money into real estate, driving up prices, the same NDP government has been reluctant to call a public inquiry into the said money laundering. Why? What is the NDP afraid of? It should be the BC Liberals who should be afraid of the findings of such a public inquiry

– not the NDP. There has a report commissioned by Attorney general David Eby and apparently there is another such report pending. But these reports are not what the public wants. The public wants a public inquiry into how criminal gangs used Casinos to launder their money and how they sued real estate in BC. And BC NDP better call such an inquiry quickly before the public starts questioning what is stopping the NDP from calling such an inquiry.

Wet snow falling on Metro Vancouver affecting transit Snow is falling on Metro Vancouver, and TransLink is experiencing significant delays as accumulation starts to impact road conditions. Wet, heavy snow is falling in Coal Harbour and across

the region Friday morning. The buses have stopped running at Simon Fraser University, and TransLink is arranging shuttles and 40-foot (12.2-metre) buses

to Burnaby Mountain. Mid-morning Friday, TransLink tweeted that its Next Bus SMS system is down and is only showing scheduled times until further notice. Environment Canada is forecasting five to 10 centimetres will fall on the Lower Mainland Friday, including Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and the Sunshine Coast. The North Shore and higher elevations may see up to 15 centimetres, the weather agency said.

It also said that the eastern side of Vancouver Island would get a “quick burst” of five centimetres of snow over higher terrain and inland sections.

The snow may be mixed with rain, it noted, especially near the water.

Further north, in the Peace Region, a snowfall warning is also in effect. Up to 10 centimetres may fall in that area.​ Vancouver police is responding to several traffic problems and wants drivers to avoid Boundary Road from Marine Drive to East Hastings northbound and Boundary from East Broadway to Kingsway southbound.

www.theasianstar.com # 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2 Ph: 604-591-5423 Fax: 604-591-8615 E-mail: editor@theasianstar.com Editor: Umendra Singh Associate Editor: Chhavi Disawar Marketing and Sales: Ravi Cheema........604-715-3847 Shamir Doshi....................604-649-7827 Harminder Kaur...............778-708-0481 Parminder Dhillon..........604-902-2858 Pre-Press: Iftikhar Ahmed Design: Avee J Waseer Contributing writers: Jag Dhatt, Akash Sablok, Kamila Singh, Jay Bains

Publication Mail Agreement No 428336012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept.

New address: # 202 - 8388, 128 St., Surrey, BC V3W 4G2 All advertising in The Asian Star is subject to the publishers’ approval and the advertiser agrees to indemnify the publishers against claims arising from publication of any advertisement submitted by the advertiser.

Saturday, February 23, 2019

simpson, thomas & associates

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Saturday, February 23, 2019 From page 1

Canadian captured in Syria admits to role in gruesome ISIS execution videos dominates the SDF alliance fighting ISIS. The group said it could confirm he wrote the scripts, but not that his voice is heard reading them in the videos. But The New York Times reported Sunday he had admitted to that as well.

“No, I don’t regret it,” he said in an interview with Times reporter Rukmini Callimachi, who identified him as former Toronto resident whose legal name is Mohammed Khalifa.

Shortly after Mohammed was caught in the last patch of ISIS territory, Global News reported he seemed to be the longsought Canadian narrator of the videos and many of the terror group’s other releases.

His alleged admission came as the government is under pressure to take back and prosecute captured Canadian ISIS members, and the RCMP is struggling to collect enough evidence to charge them.

The U.S. State Department has asked countries to repatriate and put captured ISIS members on trial. On Twitter on Saturday, President Donald Trump specifically called on European countries to do so, writing that “the alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them.”

A lobby group for the families of those in detention, Families Against Violent Extremism, said 29 Canadians were being held in Kurdish camps and prisons, and two more were still attempting to surrender.

They include women who had married ISIS foreign fighters, and their children, but also several self-admitted foreign terrorist fighters from Toronto and Montreal like Mohammed.

In the English-language Flames of War video, the narrator praised jihadist foreign fighters who had come to Syria from around the world and said they were “chosen by Allah.”

During a scene that showed the mass execution of prisoners lying face-down, he said ISIS was “harsh against the kuffar [nonbelievers]. This harshness never wavered and was a constant trait of the brothers.”

The 55-minute video ended with a row of kneeling prisoners being shot in the back of the head and tumbling forward into the mass grave they have just dug with shovels.

The same narrator’s voice can be heard in the 2017 video Flames of War 2, which similarly showed prisoners digging their own graves and ends with their execution.

The same voice appears to have claimed responsibility for the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris that killed 130.

But his identity remained a mystery until a captured Canadian ISIS fighter, Muhammad Ali, identified him to Global News last October as an Ontario man who went by Abu Ridwan.

Ali said he believed Abu Ridwan was still alive.

Last month, as Kurdish fighters closed in on the last area of ISIS-held territory, they detained a man who identified himself as Mohammed Abdullah Mohammed and said he had joined ISIS in 2013.

A childhood friend subsequently told Canadian terrorism researcher Prof. Amarnath Amarasingam that Mohammed was “Abu Ridwan” and the voice heard in ISIS propaganda.

The RCMP has been investigating Mohammed, who surrendered following a firefight, but he has not been charged. It’s unclear what weight his admission to his captors and reporters could have as evidence in court.

The Canadian open source intelligence group iBrabo has located the site of the mass execution shown at the end of the first Flames of War video.

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South Asian man sues Maxime Bernier over use of People’s Party of Canada name

in Federal Court against Maxime Bernier, his party’s chief agent Christian Roy and the federal party itself for copyright and trademark infringement.

Dhillon was instructed he would need 250 people to mail or personally deliver confirmation of support for the party to Elections Canada headquarters in Gatineau, Que. However, a Canada Post rotating strike and the fact Elections Canada’s headquarters is close to Bernier and his supporters, but across the country from Dhillon’s core support in B.C., meant Bernier got the required 250 signatures to Elections Canada by mail or in person before Dhillon’s supporters were able to. On Nov. 15, Dhillon received a letter from Elections Canada asking him to change his party’s name because the “risk of confusion is evident,” the statement of claim alleges. Elections Canada was wrong to hastily grant the right to use the name People’s Party of Canada in federal elections to Bernier’s party, Dhillon’s lawsuit claims. “In our view, Elections Canada erred by not taking into account delays caused by the Canada Post strike and Mr. Dhillon’s earlier initial filing, and

should have awarded the party name to Mr. Dhillon,” Dean Davison, Dhillon’s Vancouverbased lawyer, said in a statement. Dhillon, born in Quesnel and raised in Abbotsford, claims there are about 1,000 members of his political party. But unable to use his party’s name, he was unable to field a candidate in the Feb. 25 Burnaby South byelection, he said. “My vision for this party was that it would represent true Canadian values, economic justice for everybody, equal rights for everybody,” Dhillon said. “It would stand against racism and discrimination, and cast a protest vote against the status quo. “So, the vision for my party is very different from the vision Mr. Bernier has put out. His is divisive, I’d use that word.” A cease-and-desist letter sent to the Bernier camp on Jan. 29 was “met with dead silence,” Dhillon said. “If Mr. Bernier and his candidates were putting forward a platform we could live with, I would have perhaps considered letting them use the name, which is legally mine. But their brand of divisive populism just doesn’t line up with the values held by the people of Canada

Former premier Gordon Campbell suspended from job over sexual assault accusation

from a woman who was an employee at the Canadian High Commission when Campbell was high commissioner to the U.K. The newspaper says the complainant alleges she was groped in 2013 and filed a complaint with police in January.

The Metropolitan Police in London could not be reached for comment on Friday or Saturday. Campbell also could not be reached for comment, but a spokesman issued the following statement on his behalf: “This complaint was transparently

disclosed and became the subject of a full due diligence investigation at the time by the Government of Canada and was found to be without merit.” The Daily Telegraph story includes the woman’s name, but The Canadian Press does not identify alleged victims of sexual assault without their active consent and was not able to contact the woman. Campbell was premier of British Columbia from 2001 until 2011. He was appointed high commissioner to the U.K. in 2011 and left the diplomatic post in 2016.

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Saturday, February 23, 2019 From page 1

Liberals allow fraudester deported to India 13 years ago to return unhindered

Canada between trips to India.

“Harjit is in India, you can call him when he’s back,” he said. “He comes back and forth.”

Judy Sgro in 2002. Rod McIver/Ottawa Citizen/Postmedia Singh urged the National Post not to write about his father, saying “it happened a decade and a half ago. You’re trying to revive something.”

Clearly aggravated by the turn of events, Sgro told the National Post she has asked immigration officials for an “accounting” of how someone with such a checkered past was permtted back in Canada, saying “clearly there has been a mistake.” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) are investigating and have promised to report back to her, the MP said. “Something has fallen through the cracks … and I think Canadians want to know what has happened. We have to have confidence in both CBSA and Immigration Canada that they are effectively doing their job.”

Sgro never returned to cabinet, the spot promised to her given to ex-Conservative Belinda Stronach when she crossed the floor to the Liberals.

“It’s reliving a nightmare that I went through at that particular time,” she said of Singh’s return.

“I was forced to step down from cabinet, I had to clear my name, then I was supposed to get back into cabinet … It was pretty sad.”

Spokesmen for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and for the minister, Ahmed Hussen, said they could not comment on the case because of privacy rules.

But Mathieu Genest, Hussen’s press secretary, said deportees are sometimes re-admitted “if they are able to provide compelling reasons to come to Canada and satisfy IRCC that they do not pose a risk to Canadians.”

Grewal, the Brampton, Ont., MP kicked out of the Liberal caucus after racking up millions in gambling debt, does not know Singh personally, but his staff issued a standard letter requesting “fair and equal assessment” for him at the behest of a relative living here, said Richard An, a spokesman for the MP. “Ultimately, visitor visa decisions are made independently by immigration officers,” An said. Singh became an overnight political-news sensation when he alleged that Sgro had agreed to solve his immigration troubles in exchange for providing free pizza and volunteers to her 2004 electioncampaign office. The minister denied the charges but promptly resigned, only for her accuser to later admit he had made up the odd tale. Chris Selley: Children of Canadian expats battle ‘bureaucratic terrorism’ in quest

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for citizenship Immigrants criticize ‘abominable’ proposal to expel newcomers who can’t pass French language test within three yea Man who hijacked plane with detergent box to protest human rights abuses in Myanmar fights to stay in Canada Joe Volpe, the former cabinet minister who took over the immigration portfolio when Sgro quit in 2005, said he was shocked when told Singh was back, given how difficult it is to return to Canada after being deported.

“It’s about, what, 15 years later and he’s here?

Wow,” said Volpe. “Somebody must have made a significant representation if in fact Harjit Singh is here.” It’s unclear if Hussen was personally aware of Singh’s case, but Volpe suggested that when he was minister, he would have been extremely leery of such a visa application.

People who have been deported can apply

for an “authorization to return to Canada,” known in the immigration world as an ARC, but the permits are “hell on earth” to obtain, said lawyer Richard Boraks.

“This would require ministerial intervention to bring him back under the circumstances,” argued Boraks, who is suing the government over an unrelated matter. “A deportation order, the circumstances of the deportation order: red flags everywhere. It would have to be a decision at the highest level.”

Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, Sept. 18, Sergio Karas, another Toronto immigration lawyer, said it’s actually “not that difficult” to obtain an ARC, so long as several years have passed and the behaviour leading to the deportation was not overly egregious.

The approval is typically made by visa officers, unless the situation is particularly sensitive, he said. “In many heavy-duty cases, the matter goes to the minister’s desk,” said Karas. “So one is left to wonder how this (Singh) case unfolded.”

Singh came to Canada in 1988 on a visitor visa, overstayed and then asked for refugee status. He was denied — though his three children were later admitted as refugees — and ordered deported, triggering more than a decade of legal battles. At one point he was granted permanent resident status on “humanitarian and compassionate” grounds, until it emerged that he had been convicted in India of passport fraud in 1996, caught by police there trying to take a child out of the country on a false passport. Somebody must have made a significant representation if in fact Harjit Singh is here Singh and his three children

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

By K. Swami

India’s moment to act is here

Terrorist activities of Jehadi Islamic organisations in a part of Jammu and Kashmir has reached a new and crucial stage that calls for decisive and conclusive response from the Indian state.

The recent terrorist act in Pulwama, causing the death of 40 CRPF jawans travelling in a bus and not engaged in battle, makes it the turning point. It is “now or never” for ending terrorism in these parts of J&K. Violence to overawe a civilian population to attain political goals is terrorism. This type of violence is also a tool for dismembering a nation. The concern today is how, we

as Indians, deter this terror and safeguard national integrity?

In Tamil Nadu, I was in charge in the Chandrashekar government [1990-91] and the process began by dismissing the Karunanidhi government. Tamils fully cooperated and we were able to decimate the LTTE without any civilian death. In the ensuing Assembly elections, the DMK won only two seats in the 224-seat House.

The dismemberment of Kashmir and the religious cleansing of Hindus from the state are the goals of J&K Islamic terrorism.

In a cassette distributed in a mosque in Srinagar on June 8, 2007, Al Qaeda [now

morphed into ISIS] confirmed that for Islam, India as presently constituted, is the target for terrorist acts and religious cleansing. The forced exodus of five lakh Hindu Kashmiris, principally the Pandit community, was beginning of religious cleansing in the Kashmir Valley.

In J&K, terrorism today is a premeditated, politically motivated and Jehadi Islamic religion-inspired violence perpetrated against the non-combatant target population, primarily those of Hindu faith, by clandestine agents to secure compliance by intimidation, to overawe the Hindu civilian population.

Terrorism in the state thus is a strategy of violence to generate fear and disruption, with

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the ultimate aim to secure the balkanisation of the Indian nation, the rubbishing of its ancient Hindu civilisation, secured through capitulation of law-abiding civilian citizens.

J&K is thus today a terrorist-challenged state, which has profound national security implications.

Combating such terrorism has, however, become extremely complicated and multi-dimensional. Hence, we need to understand it’s nature and scope clearly before an effective strategy to deter terrorism can be formulated. There has been a paradigm change in terrorism’s character since 1968, caused by three specific innovations of the 20th century. First, the invention of television with instant satellite relay, which has suddenly given small unknown groups the possibility of worldwide publicity. Internet has raised that publicity potential manifold. The fact that most terrorist incidents take place in democratic states, may in part, be due to its availability. Under an authoritarian regime like China, terrorists can be cut off from their media audience in the target country, thereby reducing to a minimum all the expected impact of their actions. With freely available media, small groups of terrorists can attain heavy leverage against powerful opponents by getting wide publicity on small political events. The impact is mostly psychological and meant for media coverage. But it has the desired effect of promoting fear, shock and awe in the civilian population.

Hence, democratic India now need to formulate their counter-terrorist strategy keeping this in view, by imposing reasonable restrictions permitted in the Constitution on democratic freedom without destroying the basic structure of democratic practice itself.

Second is the incredible sophistication of hand-held weapons, especially it’s miniaturisation and proliferation that have enabled a small number of criminally-minded persons to do great harm.

Third, easy communication through internet and cell/satellite phones-enabled networking between various disparate terrorist groups. The ISI of Pakistan is engaged in assisting this enterprise to unravel India, and push it toward balkanisation. Hence, a terror cartel and networking has emerged in India. A counter-terror strategy for India thus requires a paradigm shift from the traditional law & order approach of providing more personnel and sophisticated weapons.

What then are the elements of this counter terror strategy? In my view, there are three steps for an effective strategy to eliminate terror in J&K. First, all remaining traces of so-called “disputed status” of Jammu and Kashmir must be erased. For that, India must write to the United Nations withdrawing the illegal application filed by then Prime Minister Nehru. It is illegal because it violated the 1935 British Indian Constitution on the Instrument of Accession Clause, which the J&K Maharaja had signed merging the state into India.

Also Nehru never took Cabinet approval for the application. Hence, it is illegal and not binding on successive Indian governments since the Cabinet had not cleared it.

Second, Article 370 of the Constitution labelled as “temporary” by the Constituent Assembly, should be deleted as per procedure laid out in the Constitution itself, which is that a notification prepared by the Cabinet for its abolition is issued by the President of India.

With that, Article 35 A will also fade away.

Third, 10 lakh former servicemen should be liberally provided with funds and weapons and requested to go to the Valley and settle down there with their families. After five years, they can return and the houses they acquire can be occupied by the expelled Hindu Kashmiris.

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Ontario man who tried to join terror group to be released despite ‘high risk to public safety’ An Ontario man who travelled to Syria to support an al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group is set to be released from prison — despite being considered of “high risk to public safety,” according to a decision by the Parole Board of Canada.

Kevin Omar Mohamed, now 26, pleaded guilty in June 2017 to participating in the activity of a terror group.

He was later sentenced to four and a half years behind bars, receiving two and a half years credit for time served. He had no prior criminal history.

His sentence is set to expire in October 2019 and it’s unclear when exactly he will be released.

According to the parole board decision obtained by CBC News, Mohamed travelled to Turkey in 2014 where he met members of Jabhat alNusra, a known terrorist group, and was smuggled in the trunk of a car to Syria.

Once there, the former University of Waterloo student tweeted out invitations for others to join the cause, giving detailed instructions on how a person could cross from Turkey into Syria. Man who pleaded guilty to terror charge sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison Kevin Mohamed linked to Twitter persona that underwent ‘dramatic change’ It wasn’t until his mother eventually reached him by email and his older brother flew to Turkey to meet him that Mohamed returned home. Back in Canada, police said he used two separate Twitter accounts to post “comments supportive of terrorist activities, promote violence, and suggested that a person could create timed bombs to be put on planes or boats.”

Mohamed also urged people to “burn cars of ‘non-believers’” and “commented on the beauty of attacking the West,” police said. b In February 2016, after an argument with his mother, Mohamed left her Whitby, Ont., home and found

Lawyers fight Quebec in court over plan to scrap 18,000 immigration applications Quebec immigration lawyers are trying to overturn the province’s decision to cancel thousands of immigration applications, saying the policy has left thousands of people “very devastated, very surprised and very shocked.” The Coalition Avenir Québec government announced earlier this month it is discarding 18,139 unprocessed files from skilled workers, the immigration program managed by the province, as part of sweeping changes to the way it takes in newcomers.

An association of immigration lawyers, known by its French acronym AQAADI, is seeking an injunction in Quebec Superior Court. The group argues the provincial government must respect the existing rules — and continue processing applications — until the proposed reforms are passed into law. “For a week or more now, we’ve had hundreds of messages from people all around the world,” Guillaume Cliche-Rivard, the association’s president, told reporters.

“It’s very devastating for these people, and what we’re asking is for the government to do their job on the basis of the law now.”

Quebec wants to throw out 18,000 skilledworker applications as part of immigration overhaul The CAQ says applicants will be able to reapply under the new system and be refunded the cost of their application.

Quebec Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette outlined the reforms in Bill 7, tabled on Feb. 7 at the province’s National Assembly. Jolin-Barrette has said the new approach would better match applicants to the needs of the labour market, emphasize French-language skills and adhere to Quebec values. Ho Sung Kim, another lawyer with the AQAADI, called the government’s decision to throw out the old applications “irresponsible” and said it will leave thousands of families in limbo.

“It’s not just the numbers and stats,” he said outside the courtroom.

LOCAL

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Out with the old MLAs, in with the new, says Green Party leader

T

he alleged spending scandal at the B.C. legislature is an opportunity to reopen discussion on MLA term limits, says Green Party leader Andrew Weaver.

Weaver introduced a private member’s bill on Thursday that, if passed, would limit MLAs to three terms.

“We start to see issues emerge when people have been [in office] a long time, and we are seeing that play out right now in the B.C. Legislature,” he told the host of CBC’s On The Coast.

Weaver clarified that he was referring to the alleged misuse of taxpayers’ money by senior legislature staff. He said problems are more likely to arise when long-time MLAs become complacent.

B.C. Speaker to challenge suspended officials’ explanations for ‘flagrant’

overspending Time for ‘rejuvenation’ The bill passed its first Several prominent members reading with every MLA in of the legislature have been in favour except one, B.C. Liberal office since the 1990s. Former Ralph Sultan, who was first speaker Linda Reid has been a elected in 2001.

B.C. Liberal MLA since 1991.

Sultan said protocol dictates Former B.C. Liberal deputy that many private member bills premier Rich Coleman was first are voted through unanimously elected in 1996 and Solicitor at the first round but he broke General Mike Farnworth has with etiquette in protest of what Andrew J. Weaver only missed one term since he he called “grandstanding,” by was first elected in 1991.

Weaver.

Weaver said term limits would allow a new Sultan called the bill ill-conceived and said generation of MLAs to come forward with good government needs a balance of rookies new ideas and tools to shape public policy. and old-timers.

“We need to foster innovation, we need “If you had a three-term limit the entire to foster new ideas and that doesn’t happen NDP front bench would be decimated, you’d unless there’s a rejuvenation of the place,” he said. Liberal MLA says bill ill-conceived

have no Carole James, no John Horgan, no Adrian Dix and I say government would be much the poorer as a result, so experience does count for something.”

B.C. budget promises $10M for provincewide rent bank This is not the first time Weaver has raised the question of term limits; he brought a similar bill forward in 2017. Weaver said the BC Liberals decided not to bring the bill for debate that year, but he hopes this year’s bill will see the light of day again.Green Party leader Andrew Weaver introduced a private members bill in the capital asking for term limits for MLAs in B.C. 7:36

Coquitlam man hailed for rescuing 2 young boys from icy lake Social Sharing

A quick-thinking former volunteer firefighter used his ice-rescue training and a ladder to help pull a boy to safety from an icy Coquitlam lake Thursday, after he saw the 10-year-old’s head pop out of the icy waters.

Mitch Muir, 55, usually works in downtown Vancouver, but he was at his home near Oxbow Lake on Thursday afternoon caring for his dog Joey, who had just had surgery.

He said he looked up from his laptop and noticed a boy lying in the middle of the lake — a small football field-sized pond near his home. Muir said that at first he just thought

the boy had slipped and fallen.

‘Worst place to fall through’ But then he spotted another boy’s head pop out of the water and he realized that the two 10-yearold boys were in jeopardy. “They actually fell through in the middle of the lake, so I guess it was supporting their weight up until [then], and then they got to the middle and I guess they hit a soft spot and fell through.

I guess the worst place to fall through when you are out in the middle like that,” he said.

Muir and two other neighbours scrambled to try to help the boys. Body of missing snowshoer caught in avalanche near Mount Seymour recovered

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Vast majority of Canadians say vaccines should be mandatory for school aged kids The director of communications for the NDP is quitting her job once the crucial Burnaby South byelection test for the party is over.

Kerry Pither, who came into the role early last year, told CBC News she’s stepping down March 1 to spend more time with her family.

She cautioned not to take her departure as a sign the party is floundering ahead of October’s federal election.

“We agreed when I came on that I could only stay for a few months,” she said Saturday.

Pither’s family lives in the U.S., and she explained the travel and long hours of an election campaign were too difficult to manage with family obligations.

“My family comes first.”

NDP hits new polling low in Quebec with Outremont byelection test looming She said she intentionally picked a quitting day after the Feb. 25 byelection in Burnaby South, where leader Jagmeet Singh is currently vying for a seat.

She says she’s spent her time getting the team ready to dive into the October election campaign, and she has “no qualms” about leaving the party in its current state.

Pither reiterated several times that it was a “tremendous honour” to work with Singh, and she’s committed to

helping secure a federal win in whatever way she can — from a distance.

No replacement communications director will be appointed, and her duties will be absorbed by communications staff Melanie Richer and Jonathan Gauvin, Pither said.

The shift comes at a time when the NDP is struggling — both in the polls and the financial department.

The New Democrats continued to trail their rivals in fundraising, raising just $1,974,257 from 18,637 contributors.

That’s the party’s lowest fourth quarter result since 2011.

It puts the total for the NDP at $5.1 million for the year — better than 2017, but still below its fundraising numbers from 2011 to 2016.

Heading into the 2015 election, when the NDP was still the Official Opposition, the party had raised $9.5 million.

On top of that, several senior members of the federal NDP caucus told CBC News they warned Singh back in June that he won’t be able to hang on as party leader if he loses in Burnaby South.

A significant chunk of the incumbent caucus have announced they won’t run in October, and the party’s support in Quebec has dropped considerably as well.

Despite these troubles, Singh has vowed he will lead the NDP into the 2019 federal election.

11

Condition of off-duty officer stabbed outside Delta school upgraded to stable The condition of an off-duty police officer who was stabbed outside a Delta elementary school Wednesday has been upgraded from serious to stable, according to Delta police.

In a statement Wednesday, Delta police said an altercation broke out between a man and a woman in front of Immaculate Conception Elementary School at about 3:05 p.m.

Police said an off-duty officer intervened and was stabbed in the scuffle, along with the woman.

BC Emergency Health Services said

Wednesday two patients were taken to hospital in “serious to critical condition” that was later upgraded to serious.

Delta police issued a statement Thursday saying the officer was in stable condition.

There has been no update on the condition of the woman.

P o l i c e say a suspect is in custody, and no children were harmed.

The Delta Police Department is providing an update on the incident at 3 p.m. PT Thursday.

SNC-Lavalin lawyers rushed to prosecutors before MPs knew of proposed law change SNC-Lavalin is a Montreal-based engineering, procurement, and construction company. The company’s lawyers acted so quickly to position their client for a remediation agreement that they contacted prosecutors weeks before lawmakers were aware of the legislation. Representatives for SNC-Lavalin hustled to connect with federal prosecutors after the Liberal government quietly introduced a proposal last year to allow corporations to strike settlement deals and avoid criminal prosecution, court documents show.

The company’s lawyers acted so quickly to position their client for a socalled remediation agreement that they contacted prosecutors weeks before lawmakers, even Liberals, were even aware the Trudeau government had tucked the legislation into its 582-page omnibus budget bill.

The Montreal-based engineering and construction firm is at the centre of a controversy that has enveloped the Prime Minister’s Office. Since last week, the government has seen the high-profile resignations of one cabinet member — former justice minister and attorney general

Jody Wilson-Raybould, who became the minister of veterans affairs in January — and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s principal secretary, Gerald Butts.

SNC-Lavalin worked hard to avoid criminal proceedings by proposing a remediation agreement, but in September the prosecutor’s office declined to invite the company to negotiate.

A guilty verdict on bribery and corruption charges has been characterized as an existential threat for SNCLavalin and its employees because the company would be barred from bidding on government contracts in Canada for 10 years.

Much of its work is in designing, building and operating public infrastructure.

The company lobbied federal officials, including in the Prime Minister’s Office, to put remediation agreements into the law in the first place. The tools, known as deferred prosecution agreements in other jurisdictions, had already been enacted in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Can Wilson-Raybould claim solicitor-client privilege over SNC-Lavalin?

The jury’s out

12

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Former Cloverdale church elder will be tried in Supreme Court on sexual assault charges Brian Batke, a former Cloverdale Christian Fellowship Church elder facing charges of sexual assault and sexual exploitation, has elected to be tried by a Supreme Court judge without a jury.

The preliminary inquiry, which will take place in Surrey Provincial Court, has been scheduled for February 2020.

Surrey RCMP announced in October 2018 that Batke had been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation. A second count of exploitation was added in December 2018. The alleged incidents happened in 2005, and were reported to police in 2017.

At the time of the alleged incidents, the victim was a minor.

Former Cloverdale church elder charged with sexual assault Batke has not yet entered a plea.

There is no requirement for a plea to be entered before the preliminary inquiry takes place.

Instead, a plea will be entered at trial.

The news of the charges against Batke came almost exactly a year after Surrey RCMP announced that a former pastor of the same Cloverdale Christian Fellowship Church, Samuel Emerson, had been charged with sexual assault. Together, Samuel Emerson and his wife Madelaine Emerson face more than 20 charges, including sexual assault, sexual touching of a minor, and threats to cause death or bodily harm.

Surrey RCMP asks for public’s help finding missing 52-year-old Surrey RCMP is asking for the public’s help finding 52-yearold William Michaels.

Michaels, according to an RCMP release Thursday (Feb. 21), was last seen at 2 p.m. on Feb. 19 in the 11000-block of Wren Crescent in north Surrey. Police said Michaels has not been seen or heard from since.

Police described Michaels as Caucasian, six-foot-two and 200 lbs.,

adding that he wears prescription glass. RCMP said he has “salt and pepper shoulder length hair.”

He was last seen wearing a grey, long-sleeve shirt with a red plaid jacket, blue jeans and a red toque.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts are asked to contact the Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502 or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1-800-222-8477 or solvecrime. ca, quoting the file number 2019-25671.

NEB gives Trans Mountain pipeline expansion its endorsement The National Energy Board has endorsed an expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline following a reconsideration of its impact on marine life off the B.C. coast.

The energy regulator says an increase in tanker traffic resulting from the pipeline would hurt southern resident killer whales and increase greenhouse gas emissions.

But it says those consequences can be justified in light of what would be the pipeline’s benefits.

“While these effects weighed heavily in the NEB’s consideration of project-related marine shipping, the NEB recommends that the government of Canada find that they can be justified in the circumstances, in light of the considerable benefits of the project and measures to minimize the effects.”

The energy board says it will impose 156 conditions on the project if it is approved.

It has also made 16 new recommendations to the federal government.

Among those recommendations are measures to offset increased underwater noise and the greater chance that a whale could be hit by a ship. They also include suggestions for better spill response and reducing emissions from tankers.

The board notes that the new recommendations deal with areas outside its jurisdiction, but within the purview of the federal government.

Reaction from environmental groups was swift.

Stand.earth, which had tried unsuccessfully to widen the scope of the board’s reconsideration, had said before the ruling that it expected the board to endorse the project again.

“Today’s recommendation is the direct result of the Prime Minister’s Office telling the NEB and federal bureaucrats to ‘get to yes’ on this project,” Tzeporah Berman, director of the Vancouver environmental group, said in a statement.

“Scientific evidence filed with the NEB clearly shows that there is not enough data to ensure the safety of the marine environment ... and that the NEB failed to address the climate impacts of this project.

“The Trans Mountain pipeline is not in the public interest and will never be built.”

Alberta has been fighting hard for the

Trans Mountain expansion so that the province could move more crude oil to ports and from there to lucrative overseas markets.

The energy board’s original approval of the project was set aside last summer by the Federal Court of Appeal, which said the regulator had not properly considered marine life.

The NEB’s report starts the clock on a 90day period for the federal government to decide whether the project should proceed.

Officials in Natural Resources Minister Amarjeet Sohi’s office have said a final decision won’t be made until consultations with affected Indigenous groups are complete.

LOCAL

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Road rage assault at Burnaby intersection A video posted online shows the violent response to what police called a “side swipe” accident that happened near the boundary b e t w e e n Burnaby and Va n c o u v e r on Saturday.

The video showed a man opening the door of a vehicle parked at the intersection of Grandview Highway and Boundary on the Burnaby side and punching and wrestling with the driver inside.

The incident happened between 11 a.m. and noon on Feb. 16, said the woman who shot the video.

She did not want to be identified.

The attacker claimed that the other driver cut him off, she added.

The woman said two children were inside the attacker’s car, looking on as the assault took place.

A woman stood next to the attacker in the video — she returned to that same vehicle along with the assailant.

The victim, who appeared to be in

his 20s, e ventu a l ly drove off as the attacker resp onde d t o bystanders telling him to stop, according to the woman who shot the video.

B u r n a by RCMP said a traffic unit responded to reports of an accident in the area around 11:45 a.m., which they said escalated into a fight.

Police said they received a report of an assault in that same area a little more than two hours later.

Shocking surveillance video shows man repeatedly punching woman in Burnaby elevator They confirmed it was connected to the earlier accident.

They said the victim who made the report has refused to cooperate with police, so they have effectively closed the file and no charges have been filed.

The incident happened one day after another violent road rage incident that involved was reported in Burnaby.

Dad’s vehicle impounded after driver clocked at 136 km/h in 50 zone

A new driver in Abbotsford lost his licence and had his vehicle impounded on Thursday after he was clocked going 136 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre zone.

The incident took place in the area of Marshall and Townline roads.

Abbotsford Police Const. Paul Walker posted about the incident on Twitter, saying the 19-year-old driver – who only had his novice licence – lost that and received a

$368 ticket and had his dad’s vehicle impounded.

The Abbotsford Police Department stated on its Facebook page there was a notation on the man’s licence that he had previously been given a fivemonth driving prohibition from the superintendent of the Motor Vehicle Branch.

The superintendent has the authority to ban a person from driving based on their driving record or if their driving poses a risk to public safety.

13

BC Ferries to add trips to 10 routes cut back in 2014, province says

BC Ferries will add 2,700 trips a year total to 10 routes serving Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, the Southern Gulf Islands, Haida Gwaii and the North Coast, the province said in a statement.

The Ministry of Transportation said service on those routes was cut back in 2014.

The routes that will see increased service are: Crofton – Vesuvius. - Earls Cove – Saltery Bay. - Horseshoe Bay – Bowen

Island. - Port Hardy – Mid Coast — Prince Rupert. - Haida Gwaii – Prince Rupert.

- Powell River – Texada Island. Nanaimo Harbour – Gabriola Island.

Campbell River – Quadra Island. Quadra Island – Cortes Island. -Skidegate – Alliford Bay. The province announced the route changes as it released a report from former deputy minister of Transportation Blair Redlin. The report was completed in June 2018.

Free Sunday parking in Victoria downtown could end in May The meter seems to be running out on a longstanding tradition in downtown Victoria.

As council gets set to vote on its 2019 financial plan, support is strong to end free Sunday parking at the city’s estimated 2,000 parking meters downtown.

The move could earn the city approximately $600,000 each year in parking revenue, and Mayor Lisa Helps wants to spend that cash on free bus passes for Victoria residents under 18.

“All citizens of the globe and cities in particular have been charged with significantly reducing carbon pollution by 2030,” Helps told On The Island host Gregor Craigie.

A house divided: Saanich homeowners, renters split over relaxing rental rules

“If we provide free transit passes to the next generation they will become transit riders and have a lighter carbon footprint than adults.”

Helps said at a committee-of-the-whole meeting last week that paying for all the bus passes could cost up to $1 million. She said the extra money could come from higher-than-expected revenue or possibly through a negotiated deal with B.C. Transit.

Business group mostly supportive The idea was unanimously supported at last week’s committee meeting.

The financial plan calls for free parking to end May 1. The goal is to introduce the free youth transit passes starting in September.

14

B

BC BUDGET

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Budget brings ‘biggest reduction in taxes for working and middle-class families in a generation’

ritish Columbians are united by a great sense of pride in where we live. Our province is a remarkable place filled with unmatched beauty, resources and hard-working people.

We have a lot to be proud of. Our province is prospering, with the lowest unemployment rate in Canada, an economic outlook that leads the country, and the province is now free of operating debt for the first time in 40 years.

As a province, we are thriving. It’s time for the hard-working people of B.C. to thrive too.

From the over-heated housing market to over-crowded hospitals, these challenges are the result of more than a decade of government choices that worked for the few at the top at the expense of everyone else. A truly prosperous economy needs

to work for everyone.

These problems weren’t created overnight and they won’t be fixed overnight. We’re making different choices and working hard to make life better. Budget 2018 set our province on a new course to make life better for people by launching a made-in-B.C. path toward universal child care as well as tackling the housing crisis.

Budget 2019 is the next step forward in our work to make life better. It lifts people up by introducing the new B.C. Child Opportunity Benefit, eliminating interest from all B.C. student loans and eliminating medical service plan premiums.

Budget 2019: Increase to child-care funding, new child benefit introduced Child-care advocates are “really pleased” with the latest B.C. budget, saying it’s another step toward universal $10-a-day child care.

“This is year two of building a child-care system. There’s no way to put a negative on that,” said Sharon Gregson, spokesperson for the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. “It is really happening, and we’ll be encouraging them to move as fast as they can.”

Finance Minister Carole James delivered the 2019 budget — the NDP’s second full budget — on Tuesday in the B.C. legislature in Victoria.

Child care was one of the two main focuses of last year’s budget, when the province announced its Child Care B.C. plan, which included fee-reduction subsidies, new spaces and pilot projects.

‘This is year two of building a child-care system. There’s no way to put a negative on that,’ says Sharon Gregson, spokesperson for the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. ‘This is year two of building a childcare system. There’s no way to put a negative on that,’ says Sharon Gregson,

spokesperson for the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C. PNG files “In budget 2018, we took an enormous step forward, making the largest investment in child care in B.C.’s history, transforming child care and changing families’ lives for the better,” James said.

While the 2019 budget extended funding for the plan into the 2021-22 fiscal year and included a $9-million-per-year increase to deal with deal with high demand for existing programs — bringing the total investment in the plan to $1.3 billion — it doesn’t do much to build on what has already been announced.

“Let’s remember the child-care program is phased in over time, so over the next year you’ll see the minister and the ministry doing the evaluation of the prototypes on $10 a day, looking at how we expand those, looking at how we provide further support for families, and that’s why the money is already allocated in the budget for 2018,” James told reporters.

Over the past year, the government has introduced a number of programs, including the child-care fee-reduction initiative,

B.C. Finance Minister Carole james with her eight-yearold grandson Charlie James at the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria on Monday, the day before the finance minister delivered the provincial budget.

B.C. Finance Minister Carole James with her eight-year-old grandson Charlie James at the Royal B.C. Museum in Victoria on Monday, the day before the finance minister delivered the provincial budget.

Our plan puts thousands of dollars a year back into people’s pockets. Eliminating MSP premiums means individuals and families will save as much as $1,800 a year. The B.C. Child Opportunity Benefit means families with one child will receive up to $1,600 a year, rising to $2,600 for those with two children and increasing for larger families. Over a childhood, families will receive as much as $28,800 per child from the time they’re born until age 18.

These choices amount to the biggest reduction in taxes for working and middle-class families in a generation. A typical family of four earning $80,000 will see a 43-per-cent net reduction in taxes, putting thousands of dollars back into their pockets to give their children the opportunities they need to thrive.

BC budget 2019: Govt’s stand-pat, balanced budget includes moderate child care, housing boosts BC gov’t has introduced a stay-thecourse budget that has minimal new funding increases to housing and childcare, while introducing a brand new B.C. Child Opportunity Benefit that doesn’t come into effect until October 2020.

For the second straight budget, the NDP has balanced the books with the forecast surplus of $274 million this fiscal year, climbing up to $585 million in 2021/22.

“British Columbia is thriving. We have a balanced budget across the fiscal track. We are the only province in Canada with an AAA credit rating from the major international agencies,” Finance Minister Carole James said.

“Under the last government health and education were underfunded.

Fiscal management turned ICBC and

BC Hydro to fiscal messes and money laundering in the housing market was able to take root in our province.”

There are some red flags for the economy in the provincial budget.

Housing starts are down 30 per cent and property transfer tax revenues have levelled out after years of growth.

The province acknowledges there are risks ahead but some of the province’s leading economists don’t believe that risk is being accounted for properly.

“I think the government in this budget is coasting a bit on what has been a fairly strong economy,” B.C. Business council executive vice-president Jock Finlayson said.

“We do see a material slow down in the U.S. and globally. I don’t think this budget takes enough account of the economic risks that are there.”

British Columbia boosts borrowing, undaunted by housing slump British Columbia plans to boost borrowing to help fund programs

including its biggest-ever climate-action plan, undeterred that a housing slump poses a significant risk to the economy.

The province expects new borrowings to rise to C$7.5 billion ($5.7 billion) in the coming fiscal year, up from C$6.3 billion in the current year, according to budget documents presented Tuesday in Victoria

by Finance Minister Carole James. The fiscal plan forecasts economic growth of 2.4 percent this year, putting British Columbia on track for the strongest expansion among Canada’s provinces this year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Premier John Horgan’s New Democratic Party government appears to be staying the course, undaunted by plunging home prices in Canada’s most expensive market.

Last year, his government unveiled a series of dramatic measures to temper property prices -- including a speculation tax and hiking a levy on foreign buyers.

Those moves, along with tighter lending requirements and rising interest rates, have prompted a slowdown in Vancouver residential real estate, traditionally one of the province’s major economic drivers.

James welcomed the housing downturn Tuesday, saying that’s exactly what the government had intended -- and indicated that further declines were still necessary to make homes affordable in the province’s biggest cities.

“I’m cautiously optimistic when I take a look

BC BUDGET

Saturday, February 23, 2019

15

Budget at a glance: 10 key takeaways from BC’s 2019 provincial budget Finance Minister Carole James laid out a mostly stay-the-course provincial budget TuesdayinVictoria,albeit,withsomesurprises.

Here are the 10 biggest takeaways from B.C.’s 2018-19 provincial budget.

New child benefit... A new child tax benefit was announced that helps most parents of kids 18 and under. (Zoe Duhaime) The biggest announcement is likely the new B.C. Child Opportunity Benefit. It replaces the Early Childhood Tax Benefit and offers some families a substantial increase both in monthly benefits and eligibility.

The new benefit covers all children under 18. The old benefit ended once a child turned six. For instance, a family with income of $25,000 or less will receive a refundable tax credit of $1,600 for a first child, $1,000 for a second child and $800 for each subsequent child.

Those dollar figures decrease with the family’s i n c o m e .

Families with two children earning $114,500 or more will get no benefit while families making$97,500withonechildreceivenothing.

The benefit can be applied for starting in October 2020. James said the delay is to align the province’s system with the federal tax code. ... But no daycare The budget had little to say about one of the NDP’s key promises in 2017: universal, affordable child care.

The 2019 budget only mentions last year’s commitment to $1 billion to create childcare spaces and reduce daycare costs to parents over three years. The government has spent an additional $9 million each year on daycare beyond the $1 billion, however, as a result of increasing demand.

Interest-free student loans The provincial portion of student loans will now be interest-free effective immediately. The announcement covers both current and existing student loans. The government estimates borrowers will save an average of about $2,300 over its 10-year repayment periods. Increases to disability, income assistance rates The government increased disability and income assistance rates.

People receiving income assistance or disability assistance will get $50 more each month starting in April. In total, a single, employable person on income assistance will now be eligible for $760 per month. A person with disabilities will now receive $1,183 per month. The NDP had previously increased these payments $100 per month since forming government. Benefits for a single, employable person will become the second-most generous in Canada, after Manitoba, and benefits for persons with disabilities are now the third-most generous after Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Lottery funds for First Nation communities A new 25-year agreement will see the province assign seven per cent of gaming revenue in B.C. to First Nations communities.

Each community will receive between $250,000 and $2 million each year from the agreement.

The funds will come from gaming revenue that would normally go into general revenue.

ICBC still a big concern ICBC’s

financial health remains a concern. James highlighted the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia as a possible threat to the provincial bottom line.

The Crown corporation has produced losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars in several recent financial quarters, and the budget document highlights the insurer as a source of “particular risk” if the situation does not improve.

James said problems outside of B.C., like U.S. trade issues or the slowing growth of the Chinese economy, are other threats to the province’s continued growth.

Housing moderation Funding for 200 new units of temporary modular housing was announced.

Funding for 2,000 units has already been announced.

The province announced 200 extra temporary modular housing units are in the budget, as well as a new $10-million rent bank for those needing short-term help to stay housed.

There was no progress on the NDP’s promised $400 per year renters’ rebate, but James said work on the file was ongoing.

Clean B.C. rebates Funding for Clean B.C. was announced in the 2019 budget.The province committed $900 million over the next three years to fund the rebates and incentives in the Clean B.C. program. Those include rebates of up to $6,000 on new zero-emission vehicles, $14,000 for home improvements to improve energy efficiency and $700 for high-efficiency natural gas furnaces.

Clean B.C. is the provincial plan to reduce B.C.’s greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 2007 levels by 2030.

Wildfire efforts but no structural changes New funds were announced for fighting wildfires. Base funding for wildfire

management was increased from $64 million per year to $101 million. The government says that money will improve wildfire control and communications in communities hit by fire.

The province will still use statutory spending to fight fires if the costs exceed that amount from, for example,

contingencies and surpluses. Recent fire seasons have needed this extra funding.

Transit stays on track New money was announced for handyDART service. As well, some new money was announced for highway improvement projects.

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

Man dies in Vancouver car crash A serious car crash involving two vehicle in Marpole area killed a man in his 20’s.

It happened just after 11pm on Saturday night at Cambie Street & West 57th Ave. Vancouver Police say the vehicle with three people was travelling south on Cambie when it collided with a vehicle with two people at West 57th Avenue, before crashing into a utility pole.

A man in his 20s died, two Car crash at Cambie & West 57th Ave left one person dead other occupants of the same on Saturday night. vehicle were not seriously hurt. vehicle are in hospital in This is Vancouver’s fifth serious condition. The three people in the fatal collision of the year. southbound vehicle were taken to hospital, Any witnesses are asked to call: where the driver died. His two passengers 604-717-3012 are in hospital with serious injuries.

The people in the other

Unvaccinated teens asking Vancouver doctors for measles shots In the wake of a measles outbreak with nine confirmed cases, doctors in Metro Vancouver are seeing a surge of unvaccinated teens and young adults going against their parents and asking for the measles vaccine.

“I’ve seen youth as young as 14 years old coming in on their own and asking to receive vaccines,” said Dr. Eric Cadesky, president of the Doctors of B.C. “Most of the youth that are coming to see me have done a lot of research, they’ve been exposed to both the truth as we know it in terms of vaccines as well as a lot of the opinions and outright lies.”

While the numbers are anecdotal at this point, Cadesky says he’s heard from a number of doctors in the region and every physician in his practice about the spike in young people asking to be vaccinated.

One of the patients Cadesky vaccinated this weekend was 23-year-old Maddi Bisset, who was never vaccinated as a child.

“My mom was very anti-vaxx, she was into homeopathy and more ‘natural’ solutions,” she told CTV News, suggesting kids raised as she was should think twice about what they’re told. “Ask questions, don’t trust what you hear from your parents as gospel. You need to definitely talk to professionals and even talk to friends and ask them what they think because even me talking to my friends

realized that I’m not the norm and that what my parents are telling me is not the full truth.”

The BC Centre for Disease Control says while those born before 1970 have immunity through exposure, those born after that year should already have the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine. In 1996, a second “booster” shot was implemented and while there was a catch-up period, it’s possible some people missed that shot. Anyone in doubt is encouraged to get a MMR booster.

“You cannot overdose on the vaccine,” said Cadesky. “So if there’s any question as to someone’s previous vaccine history, it’s safe for them to receive another dose or two because these diseases we’re seeing, like measles, are completely preventable.”

There is no minimum age for a child to ask a doctor for a vaccine in the province of British Columbia, says Cadesky, which gives him “hope that we’ll be able to protect a generation that is more interested in getting safe and effective treatments” Immunize BC suggests infants receive their first measles vaccine around their first birthday, with a booster in kindergarten.

Nine children at a Vancouver high school and two elementary schools have tested positive for measles, but health officials say it’s possible dozens of other kids could’ve been exposed to the highly-

Man killed in Kamloops drug war was shot dead in case of mistaken identity

Kamloops RCMP have confirmed that a man kidnapping case also related to the local drug killed in an on-going drug war in the region trade that ended with a “tactical operation” was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity. in nearby Kelowna. Justin Daniels was On Jan. 23, Rex Gill and Cody Mathieu were arrested and charged with armed robbery and shot and killed at the Kamloops Comfort Inn forcible confinement, according to RCMP. Police rescue woman robbed at and Suites. According to Kamloops RCMP, gunpoint and kidnapped in Kamloops the investigation has confirmed Mathieu RCMP say the month before, in December was an intended target but Gill was gunned 2018, they concluded an investigation into a down accidently. home invasion “We can see no from January reason why this of that year by person was targeted,” executing a said Staff Sgt. search warrant at Simon Pillay. “He a local business. had no connection Cameron Cole to the Kamloops’ was arrested and drug trade.” charged with Gill’s friend, Max several firearms Picton, was adamant and explosives Gill had no links to Max Picton (left) about his friend Rex Gill (right), who o f f e n c e s , organized crime. was shot dead in Kamloops in a case of mistaken identity and Charles “He was just one of on January 23.

Patrick was those shirt-off-yourarrested and charged with firearm, back kind of guys,” said Picton. “It didn’t matter and property offences. what kind of mood you were in, if he walked weapon Cameron Ronald Cole has been arrested in, you would be smiling in short order.” and changed with several firearms and violence continues explosives offences.

(Kamloops RCMP) Police in Kamloops, B.C., say the hotel Police also say the death of Troy Gold, shooting is related to a local drug war fuelled originally identified as a person missing since by the opioid crisis that has left a trail of Oct. 3, 2018, has now been classified as murder. deaths and arrests in the past few months.

Police say the investigation is ongoing, but “It is not safe to be a drug trafficker add Gold participated in the local drug trade. in Kamloops right now,” RCMP said in “We are in the middle of an opioid crisis a written statement. “The group who is which is largely caused and fuelled by supplying your drugs today may be the organized crime, ” RCMP said in the statement. same ones who will kill you tomorrow.”

Kamloops RCMP and Search and Rescue Police say they responded to a shooting most had been searching for Troy Gold but have since recently at a North Shore residence last Friday, determined he was killed.

(Kamloops RCMP) Feb. 15. They say one victim, Jason Glover, died RCMP say they are “aggressively” working from his injuries. They won’t comment on the injuries of a second victim from that incident. on the investigations, in partnership with the Two people in hospital Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit.

“While we cannot say there is no risk to after shooting in Kamloops the general public, we can say that each of the Police say the day before they responded incidents appear to be targeted,” RCMP said. to a robbery, forcible confinement and

Trudeau gov’t posted $300M surplus in first nine months of 2018-19 A preliminary analysis of the federal books says the government ran a budgetary surplus of $300 million through the first nine months of the fiscal year.

The surplus is an improvement compared

with the April-to-December period in 201718, when Ottawa posted a deficit of $8.9 billion, according to Friday’s release of the Finance Department’s monthly fiscal monitor.

The document said overall revenues were up $19.3 billion, or 8.7 per cent, compared with the same period last year, due in large part to higher revenues from taxes and incoming employment insurance premiums.

Program expenses were up $8.4 billion, or 3.9 per cent, compared with the same nine-month stretch last year, because of increases in major transfers to individuals, to other levels of government and due to an increase in direct program spending.

The fiscal monitor also said public debt charges rose $1.7 billion, or 10.3 per cent, mostly due to the higher effective interest rate on government debt and the higher inflation adjustments.

For the month of December alone, the government posted a surplus of $2.5 billion thanks to a revenue increase of $2.6 billion. In December 2017, Ottawa ran a $500-million surplus.

The Liberals’ fall fiscal update, released in November, predicted the government was on track to run annual shortfalls of $18.1 billion in 2018-19, $19.6 billion in 2019-20 and $18.1 billion in 2020-21.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau was asked Friday by reporters whether the improvement shown in the fiscal monitor

Kareena to front immunization campaign Kareena Kapoor, who has been appointed ambassador for the ‘Swasth Immunised India’ campaign, says educating the women

time, I would also like to mention that female literacy is equally important to get success in this campaign.

will help in spreading awareness about the initiative of child vaccination in the most impactful way. Kareena Kapoor told the media here on Feb. 21: “This is a special and personal project for me because I am also a young mother and Taimur is going through the process of vaccination. But at the same

“Without a mother who is educated enough to understand the importance of vaccination, she won’t take her child to the doctor. And I know it as a matter of fact that a mother takes the best care of a child. So, we have to create awareness among the parents, and we

need a lot of public support to prevent the future generation from diseases, and have a healthy well-immunized India.”

Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, and Natasha Poonawalla were also present at the launch event.

Some women who were a part of the event pointed out that one of the problems they face is when a child suffers from fever after taking the vaccine. So, it makes them hesitant to take their children for vaccination.

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Shah Rukh Khan’s love with his son

hah Rukh Khan’s relationship with his son AbRam is fascinating, says fashion and celebrity photographer Avinash Gowariker. See his post here.

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and his youngest child, AbRam are easily among the coolest fatherson combinations in Bollywood. Ever since he was born, Shah Rukh has been sharing pictures and insights about his son and, needless to say, they have always warmed the heart. So much so that others also notice it, like fashion and celebrity photographer Avinash Gowariker has done.

He took to Instagram to share yet another picture of the duo and mentioned how special their bond was. In it, Shah Rukh and AbRam are peeping into a tent, with its zip undone. He observed how Shah Rukh patiently answers every question that AbRam has on a film set, some of them being fairly complex for the child. He added how Shah Rukh never talks down to him, always answering like he was speaking to an adult and what was the best

bit about the whole scene was that AbRam seem to understand all of it. It may be noted that this picture forms a part of the series called Indian Dads that Avinash did for the Swedish Consulate in Mumbai.

Speaking about it, he wrote: “This picture is from a series of photos titled ‘Indian Dads’ which I did for the Swedish Consulate Mumbai, to showcase ‘how being a dad is cool’. It was basically to promote #GenderEquality & #EqualParenting.LIGHT TENT: @iamsrk with Abram.”

“The bond SRK shares with Abram is fascinating! He is a frequent visitor on the sets when SRK is shooting... always inquisitive about all equipment... he found my ‘light tent’ fascinating & wanted to come inside it! It’s adorable to see TheDad SRK patiently answering each complicated & technical question that is asked by Abram... The cool thing is that every answer that he gives is like he is talking to an adult... and not a kid... what is cooler is that it seems that Abram understands everything!!”

Saturday, February 23, 2019

HOROSCOPE

Aamir Khan visits Rishi Kapoor in New York Rishi Kapoor is currently in USA for his treatment for his undisclosed ailment.

The nature of his disease is unknown to many and left everyone in a state of shock when they announced the sudden process of undergoing a medical treatment. Rishi Kapoor is often visited by friends from the industry, and recently Aamir Khan, too, paid a visit to the veteran actor.

Rishi Kapoor’s actor-wife Neetu Kapoor, who is also in New York with him, took to Instagram to share an adorable photo of herself with husband and Aamir.

She wrote, “It’s not how many hours one spends with a person it’ how much u give in that time !!! Aamir gave so much n more Love Respect Warmth Laughter !! He is a true superstar.”

Akshay & Parineeti’s war movie gives goosebumps The official trailer of Akshay Kumar and Parineeti Chopra starrer Kesari is out. Yesterday, a special preview of the film was held for a selected section of media. SpotboyE.com was also present and we brought to you the early review of its trailer. Kesari is based on the true incident of Battle of Saragarhi, which was fought between the British Indian army’s Sikh Regiment and Afghan

tribesmen in September 1897. The 3-minute-4second trailer starts with Akshay Kumar and other Sikhs gearing up to attack the Afghans. Parineeti Chopra is introduced as Akshay’s love interest.

Towards the end of the trailer, 21 Sikhs are shown shedding blood and fighting fearlessly with thousands of Afghans. Watch the trailer below:

Did Kareena advice Sara to stay away from Sushant Singh?

Well, we all know the time Sara Ali Khan confessed about her crush for Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety star Kartik Aaryan. And when the latter was asked on the same, he too blushed about it. While there is a lot more to happen on that front and expectations are riding high, the newbie now gets an advice from Kareena Kapoor Khan.

Readers would be aware that Sara had also

told on Koffee With Karan that she shares a friendly camaraderie with Kareena, who is father’s second wife.

Keeping that friendship in mind, Kareena recently had some pearls of wisdom for the Simmba star. In a recent chat show, where Kareena Kapoor Khan was accompanied by her bestie Amu aka Amrita Arora Ladak, the latter had to ask a few questions to the Veere Di Weddingactress.

Producer Raj Kumar Barjatya dies of cardiac arrest at 75 Raj Kumar Barjatya, the father of filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya and producer of films such as ‘Hum Aapke Hain Koun’, ‘Hum SaathSaath Hain’ and ‘Vivaah’, passed away on Thursday after suffering a cardiac arrest. The 75-year-old breathed his last at Sir HN Reliance Foundation, an official from Rajshri Productions said.

The official Twitter of the banner also confirmed the death of Raj Kumar Barjatya.

“It is with profound grief that we mourn the loss of Raj Kumar Barjatya, father of

Sooraj Barjatya. May his soul Rest In Peace,” read the tweet from the banner. Raj Kumar Barjatya is survived by his wife Sudha Barjatya and son Sooraj Barjatya. He worked in the industry as a producer and mostly backed films which were directed by his son Sooraj. The banner was founded by Raj Kumar Barjatya’s father Tarachand Barjatya. The production house has backed many criticallyacclaimed films such as ‘Dosti’, ‘Tapasya’ and ‘Saaransh’.

Kangana Ranaut on a fake horse Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi released amidst a lot of controversies. Now, long after the movie released, it continues staying in the limelight for all the wrong reasons. A video of Kangana riding a fake horse that

gallops on a trolley dug in the ground has gone viral on the web.

While, the Rani of Jhansi is seen slicing the British warriors with her sword, the other warriors in the background are seen riding real horses. Indeed, this had the Netizens in splits and they just couldn’t stop trolling the actress

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Bollywood

Aries

March 21 - April 20 The sun’s move into dreamy Pisces on Monday can put you in touch with your spiritual side and with deep-seated feelings that you might not normally engage with. The sun will remain in this zone for four weeks, making this a good time to tie up loose ends and seek closure on situations that have been dragging on for too long. You might become aware that something needs to be done as the week gathers pace, and this can lead to a decision to do whatever is necessary to bring it to an end.

Taurus

April 21 - May 20 Your social life looks set to sparkle as the sun moves into Pisces on Monday, encouraging you to get out and about and interact. Networking with like-minded people in groups or your local community can be very positive for you, particularly if you need a break from an intense relationship to consider your next move. With a supermoon and full moon in Virgo and your romantic sector on Tuesday, feelings could come to a head, and you may be uncertain what to do next.

Gemini

May 20 - June 21 Get ready for your time in the spotlight!

Influences this week are encouraging you to showcase your skills and let others appreciate your talents. The sun’s move into your sector of goals and career on Monday brings an opportunity to get your message across, impress those in authority, and address any concerns that may apply to others as well as you. People are watching you, so use this opportunity to your advantage.

Cancer

June 22 - July 23

Luscious Venus merges with sobering Saturn at the start of the week, and this could see a relationship becoming more businesslike. This might not be such a bad thing because it allows you to be practical and make decisions based on facts.

Even so, a side of you may yearn for something out of the ordinary and the chance to experience events that alter your perspective on life. You may have hopes that a relationship can do this for you.

Leo

June 24 - August 23 The week ahead could be intense and encourage change, especially around financial matters, business affairs, and deep soul bonds.

The sun’s move into Pisces and a very sensitive zone could make you deeply aware of emotions that influence you over coming days. And it might be your job and that of the people you work with to help you detach and see things from a more practical perspective.

Virgo With chatty Mercury and nebulous Neptune in your sector of relating, interactions could help you clarify your thoughts and feelings. However, with the sun moving into this same zone on Monday, it might be time to take stock and consider what comes next. This is a good time for all kinds of teamwork, collaboration, and improving key relationships. Where romance is concerned, Monday’s tie between tactful Venus and sobering Saturn could see you having second thoughts about a love interest.

Libra

Sept. 24 - Oct 22 The sun’s move into your lifestyle sector on Monday puts your focus on work, wellness, and daily routines. There might be times when you give in too easily to other people’s demands and then feel resentful that you’re being taken for granted. The tie between lovely Venus and prudent Saturn on Monday could inspire you to be firmer and put your needs on an equal footing with those of others.

Scorpio

Oct 23 - Nov 22 Thoughts and feelings could run deep this week, meaning that you may take everything more seriously than is necessary. However, the movement of the sun into your romance and leisure sector on Monday can help lighten things up. The coming four weeks bring an opportunity to indulge in activities that you really enjoy. And this is a good time to let others see what you’re capable of in terms of your creative talents. Be bold - don’t keep it all under wraps.

Sagitarius Nov 23 - Dec 22

As fiery Mars moves farther into your lifestyle sector, the coming weeks can be an opportunity to get organized and consolidate your progress.

However, with the sun moving into your home and family sector on Monday and a supermoon in your career zone on Tuesday, it would be understandable if things weren’t quite as straightforward as they should be. This can be a good time to take a step back and consider your work/life balance.

Capricorn Dec 23 - Jan 20

Your mood could be intense this week, with your thoughts and feelings very focused on getting what you want. However, with the sun moving into Pisces and your sector of communication on Monday, talking with others can help you get a fresh perspective on certain issues, allowing you to detach and perhaps be more flexible. The supermoon in Virgo and your sector of travel and adventure on Tuesday could spotlight an opportunity with

Aquarius

Jan 21 - Feb 19

Powerful feelings related to past issues could show up this week. If so, the present influences are encouraging you not to ignore them but to process through them. You might find that moving your body by getting involved in sports, hiking, jogging, or even a good walk can transmute them. Even doing some vigorous household tasks can help you feel less uptight and more at ease. The sun’s move into your sector of personal finances and values could inspire you to take stock of your talents, skills, and experience.

Pisces

Feb 20 - March 20 The sun’s move into your sign on Monday can feel like a rebirth. The coming four weeks can be your opportunity to indulge in plans and projects that have special meaning for you. Your energy level may be higher, and your creativity and imagination could peak. With a supermoon the following day, feelings could be powerful, bringing a key bond into focus.

This can be a chance to clear the air and make changes that leave you and your partner feeling much happier.

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

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Saturday, February 23, 2019 RBC and TRIEC Announce National Expansion of Career Mentorship Program for New Canadians National Mentoring Partnership assists with immigrant under-employment Many newcomers to Canada arrive with extensive work experience and a significant education; yet many are unable to find employment where they can put this experience to good use and truly fulfill their potential.

In 2017, the unemployment rate for recent immigrants was 10.4%, compared to 6.2% for people born in Canada*. To help newcomers transition, Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and the Toronto Regional Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) announce a new partnership to help job-ready immigrants achieve gainful employment across Canada.

With its new three-year partnership, RBC is the lead sponsor of National Mentoring Partnership, a mentorship opportunity where skilled immigrants across Canada are matched with mentors from various employers, including RBC. This sponsorship commitment will enable TRIEC to onboard a total of six national mentoring partners and six employer partners from across Canada to match 840 immigrant professionals with mentors in their occupations.

Mentoring partners (regional non-profit organizations who specialize in immigration and employment) working together with employer partners will increase access to mentoring for immigrant professionals.

Mentoring partners will deliver the program locally in their region. Immigrant Employment Council of BC (IEC-BC) will be delivering the program in Vancouver as the next confirmed market of this partnership. Additional markets will be confirmed later this year, as well as in 2020 and 2021.

“Immigrants today contribute significantly to Canada’s growing economy, but too many newcomers are still unable to find employment that is commensurate with their skills and education,” said Debroy Chan, Director of Immigrant Inclusion Strategies at TRIEC. “Mentoring is a proven way of helping highly skilled newcomers reconnect with their careers in Canada so that they can contribute to their fullest potential.”

The program kicks off on January 25th with its inaugural event in Toronto where immigrant mentees will meet their RBC mentors for the first time. RBC mentors have worked in the same field as their mentees and offer career advice for resume building, interview preparation and networking, among other areas to enable the success of job-ready newcomers. The program also aims to encourage RBC and employees of other employer partners to develop leadership skills and give back to the community, while gaining insight into the value that the immigrant talent pool brings to the labour market.

“Transitioning into a new life in an unfamiliar country is daunting and we strive to equip newcomers with the knowledge and tools they need to break down barriers,” said Ivy Chiu, Senior Director, Newcomer Strategy, RBC. “Our partnership with TRIEC, and in particular, the National Mentoring Program launching across Canada, helps our clients and communities in a meaningful way and is strongly aligned to RBC’s values.”

About RBC Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 84,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada’s biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 16 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 34 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com�.

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at www.rbc. com/community-sustainability.

Canada’s housing market set for years of subdued price rises: Reuters poll Canada’s once-roaring housing market has been tamed, according to the latest Reuters poll of analysts who predict house prices will rise nationally and in key urban hot spots they will not outstrip overall inflation over the next two years.

While a mild price correction has already taken place in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, and is underway in Vancouver, the latest survey of 20 analysts nationwide taken Feb 13-21 puts the chances of a national correction at just 20 percent.

House prices are forecast to rise just 1.1 percent this year on an average basis, followed by 1.9 percent in 2020 and then 3 percent in 2021, based on a smaller sample of contributors willing to look that far into the future.

The outlook for Toronto is nearly identical at 1.3 percent, 2.0 percent and 3.5 percent, with Vancouver likely down 1.0 percent this year, then up 0.2 percent next year and 3.0 in 2021.

One of the main reasons for the change from years of price rises and speculative frenzy in some of Canada’s large cities is demand, not just supply concerns or the still-cheap cost of taking out a mortgage.

“The Canadian housing market’s major

shift from homeownership to rental continues,” noted Sebastien Lavoie, chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities.

“The stars are aligned for further strengthening in activity in the rental market: demand coming from atypical jobs and immigration, higher rates restraining some households to buy a home, the preference of millennials to delay the purchase of a home later in their life cycle.”

Asked about the risks to a market that now looks broadly stable, analysts cited an economic slowdown as the biggest, followed by higher mortgage rates.

Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, says incomes in many regions of the country are likely to rise faster than house prices. That follows many years of property prices outstripping income gains by many multiples.

Single-family homes are set to become more affordable this year, according to a strong majority of respondents.

The Reuters survey results are the latest evidence suggesting many closely watched housing markets around the world have come off the boil as expectations for the health of the global economy.

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Press release

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Award of Excellence to Dr Mangat for outstanding Services to the Underprivileged

ward of Excellence to Dr Mangat for outstanding Services to the Underprivileged Dr Naurang Singh Mangat the founder of Guru Amar Das Apahaj Ashram, Sarabha was honoured with “Award of Excellence for Outstanding Humanitarian Services”. This award was conferred on him at Rotary Bhawan on February 13, 2019. On this occasion District Governor Barjesh Singhal, President Mohinder Singh Dhaliwal, Secretary Dr R.L. Narang, former Presdient Balbir Singh, President of Inner Wheel Club Dr Jatinder Kaur Gambhir, Mrs Poonam Bindra, and many other eminent personalities were present.

Former Professor and Scientist of PAU Ludhiana, University of Windsor, and Morrison Scientific Calgary Dr Mangat is looking after the homeless, disabled,

paralyzed, mentally challenged people lying on roadsides, streets and other places for the last 14 years. When all doors are shut, the doors of this Charity provides shelter, succor and comfort to the destitute WITHOUT CHARGING ANY FEE. A home for the homeless, the Ashram is located near village Sarabha in Ludhiana district.

Dr. Mangat forsook comforts of Canada and came to India to look after the homeless,

BC budget comes up short for Surrey After the BC NDP introduced its latest budget, Surrey’s BC Liberal MLAs are concerned the government’s plan for the coming year fails to address Surrey residents’ priorities.

Like last week’s Throne Speech, Budget 2019 contains noticeable gaps in areas like education, affordability, and transportation.

“Education is a priority across the province, and especially in Surrey where thousands of students still study in portables,” says Surrey-

transportation projects like the Surrey SkyTrain and George Massey Tunnel replacement have also stalled.

“Once again, the NDP has abandoned commuters battling traffic south of the Fraser,” says Surrey South MLA Stephanie Cadieux.

“With no new money in this budget for Surrey SkyTrain and no money to replace the Massey Tunnel, Surrey commuters are bracing for at least another year without relief.”

“This budget comes as taxpayers are still reeling

Cloverdale MLA Marvin Hunt. “We’re nearing two years since the NDP promised to have cut the number of Surrey school portables in half, but this issue has fallen completely off the government’s radar. Eliminating portables doesn’t even come up once in the entire budget.”

While government has put some new money towards building schools, the investment will not keep up with Surrey’s population growth.

Schools in many catchments are full, making an overall reduction in school portables unlikely.

With no new major capital investments south of the Fraser, there are no new seats for either K to 12 or post-secondary students in this budget.

School construction isn’t the only area where projects have been delayed. Major

from this government’s Speculation Tax, which has all homeowners in areas like Surrey filing an exemption to avoid paying this misnamed tax,” adds Hunt. “But despite new taxes, Surrey residents are still waiting for much-needed investments in their community.”

“This budget shows the NDP still has no plan to create high-paying jobs that hard-working British Columbians need,” concludes SurreyWhite Rock MLA Tracy Redies. “Their own throne speech indicates people are holding down two jobs to make ends meet, but where are the plans to encourage companies to invest in B.C. and create those jobs? Meanwhile they have introduced 19 new and increased taxes which does nothing to make life more affordable for British Columbians.”

terminally ill, disabled, and mentally challenged persons lying on the roadsides and at other public places in Punjab. For many years he pedaled his bicycle on the roads of Ludhiana city and saved the lives of numerous homeless disabled individuals who were crying for help. He admitted them in the hospital, paid for their treatment expenses, and even sometimes stayed near their bedside to look after them. For better

care he purchased land near village Sarabha and started this selfless service with kerosene lamp (lantern) for light and kerosene stove for cooking in a mudroom. Now there stands three storey shelter-cum-nursing home for the poorest of the poor.

At present about 115 homeless and abandoned patients (males and females) belonging to different states are living in the Ashram. Out of these, about thirty patients are critical. These patients are unable to answer the call of nature at their own, and cannot recall own name or whereabouts.

About 15 employees are working at the Ashram for taking care of the inmates.

It is a registered non-profit, non-political charitable Trust. The land and other property is in the name of the Ashram. As the Ashram does not charge even a SINGLE PENNY from the inmates, it is being run solely on public donations.

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Vol. 10 No. 4

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Saturday - February 23, 2019

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E-mail: ads@theasianstar.com

Sales slump could signal tough times ahead for BC realtors

low housing market could lead to tough times for some realtors, especially those who have recently entered into the profession, said the president of the Fraser Valley real estate board. The days when all a Vancouver realtor needed was a sign and pen to make a sale may be behind us. “I think it’s going to be tougher for the more-inexperienced realtors, those who are three or four years in,” said John Barbisan. “What they’re used to is not what real estate is typically like.” The 35-year veteran said agents will be forced to be more like “consultants than auctioneers” as they help to connect buyers and sellers. While the Real Estate Council of B.C. hasn’t seen a significant drop in the reater Victoria’s housing market is now “moderately overvalued,” an improvement from its status as being “highly overvalued,” according to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. The capital region and Toronto are the two areas among 15 in Canada to see their previous overvaluation rating decreased to moderate from high.

Even so, the degree of overall vulnerability remains high in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto and Hamilton, the federal agency said Thursday in its quarterly housing

Tel: 604-591-5423

number of realtors across the province, there are signs uncertain market conditions are impacting local agents.

According to the council, there were 25,987 licensed real estate professionals in B.C. as of Dec. 31 — a 36-person drop from Sept. 30, although still slightly higher than June 30. The dramatic increase in the number of licensees — from about 21,000 in 2012 to 26,000 in 2018

— seems to be slowing. The president of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver said agents must be able to manage sellers’ expectations in a challenging market.

“Communication is going to be important,” said Phil Moore. “It’s not like it was two years ago. Properties are sitting longer on the market.”

Housing Matters host Stuart McNish speaks with B.C. Minister of Housing Selina Robinson, opposition critic Sam Sullivan, and Vancouver Sun columnist Dan Fumano

Victoria housing market remains overvalued: CMHC market assessment report. Although those areas remain overvalued, it is easing, which is why Victoria is now holding a moderate rating.

That is because house prices are “moving closer to levels supported by housing market fundamentals such as population, personal disposable income, and interest rates,” CMHC said. The federal body releases quarterly reports examining how many vulnerable markets are within the country. If an area is

vulnerable, that means it is imbalanced, which occur through overbuilding, overvaluation, overheating, and price acceleration. “We are seeing overvaluation pressures unwinding in Toronto and Victoria, despite the fact that Canada’s overall vulnerability remains high,” said Bob Dugan, CMHC’s chief economist.

Braden Batch, a senior analyst for CMHC, said the change in rating took place in the third quarter of last year.

about how different levels of government can find solutions to Metro Vancouver’s housing affordability crisis. Subscribe to Housing Matters on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and Spotify. While the board’s membership has grown by about 1,000 members over the last two years, it has declined slightly in recent months. At the same time, home sales in Metro Vancouver have dropped, with about 40-per-cent less sales in January compared with the same month a year earlier.

“In my experience, most people give (real estate a try for) four years,” said Moore.

“Because our industry is open to part-time, you’ll find that some keep another job for the first two years while they’re learning.”

“The population of young adults, which is a key driver of household formation, increased in the third quarter adding support for house price growth,” he said. “However, the support from population growth was mitigated by a slight decline in disposable income and an increase in mortgage rates.”

Housing sales have been slowing in Greater Victoria from more than a year ago, he said in an interview. However, “What you don’t hear often is that sales are still at about

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

Real estate market expected to mederate over next 2 years

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Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. says the country’s real estate market is expected to moderate over the next two years as the growth in housing prices is expected to slow to more in line with economic fundamentals.In its 2018 housing market outlook released today, the national housing agency projects housing starts and sales are both expected to decline

in 2019 and 2020.It predicts housing starts for single and multi-unit starts will fall to between 193,700 and 204,500 in 2019, while sales are anticipated to be between 478,400 and 497,400 units. Prices are anticipated to range between $501,400 and $521,600.

CMHC says it expects economic indicators

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Community / News

Saturday, February 23, 2019

South Asian Seniors - Antakshari Hindi Songs Competition

February 24th 2019 (Sunday) 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan.

Vedic Seniors Parivar Center of Vedic Hindu Cultural Society Surrey invites South Asian Adults, Senior members & nonmembers also to join us for Antakshari Songs Competition with Hindi songs on February 24th 2019 (Sunday) from 2.00 pm to 3.30 pm at Shanti Niketan hall of Lakshmi Narayan Hindu Temple 8321 - 140th street Surrey BC. The participants will be divided in to two groups, could be male members against female members or combined both.

The game is of ending words of the song sung by the last singer, to be continued by the song by the next singer of the opposite group, if one group fails to sing for the last word of the song then the opponent can sing the song and the group who fails to sing is eliminated, No song is repeated in the game by both groups. Tea & snacks will be served to all participants after the game is over. Project funded by Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program for Hindi speaking seniors. Please contact Surendra Handa Coordinator Tel. 604 - 507 - 9945 for further information.

Saturday, February 23, 2019

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

GRAND CENTURIAN PRODUCER

ANKUR KAUSHAL PERSONAL REAL EST ESTATE CORPORATION

#105-7928-128 St., Surrey BC E-Mail: samkaushal@gmail.com

SAMEER KAUSHAL

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E-MAIL: ANK ANKUR.KAUSHAL@CENTURY21.CA

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14023-59a Ave $1,099,000

Brand new custom built home located in Sullivan Heights, one of the most desirable areas of Surrey. 2-5-10 Year Home Warranty, Top Finishing, Great Entry gives the main floor an elegant look. 4 Bedrooms with 2 Baths Upstairs, Good Size Master bedroom with ensuite including custom shower. Living and Dining separate.

Great Room, Fireplace with entertainment unit and Covered Deck on the back on Main Floor. 2 Bedroom Spacious Basement Suite with Big Living / Rec Room. Stainless Steel Kitchen Appliances.

Near to Schools, Shopping, Bus. Easy commute to South Surrey, Large 7610 sq. ft. Dream Home in desirable Panorama White Rock, Langley, New West, Richmond,Vancouver and USA. Ridge area. Bright and Spacious home with 9 Bedrooms This house/single family home located at 14023 59a Avenue, Surrey is currently for sale and has been available on Zolo.ca for 41 days. This property is listed at $1,099,000 with an estimated mortgage of $4,045* per month. It has 6 beds, 4 bathrooms, and is 2,485 square feet. The property was built in 2018. 14023 59a Avenue, Surrey is in the Sullivan Station neighborhood Surrey.

Cloverdale BC, Newton and Panorama Ridge are nearby neighborhoods

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15410 Pacific Ave $1,299,000

13263 61a Ave $1,449,000

and 7 Full Bathrooms, Theatre Room and Bar. Close to both Levels of Schools, in Panorama Ridge Secondary School Catchment. 1 Bedroom suite rented to good tenants. Guest suite below with ensuite bath. 2 or 3 Bedroom suite can also be rented. New chandelier and real stone work recently done. New Driveway leads to a spacious Double Garage. Parking for 11 cars.

Spacious rancher with lots of updates in the heart of White Rock. South facing backyard with very large, bright sunroom with new glass sliding doors. Recent updates include paint, partial new roof, laminate floors and new garage door. Close to beach, public transit, library and White Rock Elementary & Earl Marriott Secondary catchment areas.

12973 56 AVE - 1.91 Acre 12458 53 Ave $3,999,000 $2,999,900

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6175 138 ST

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# 201-12899-80 Ave Surrey

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CUSTOM MADE BRAND NEW Home under 2-5-10 Home Warranty in Sullivan Heights. Gorgeous open concept plan, sleek contemporary finishing w/crown mouldings,Glass railing, Vaulted ceilings & Huge Windows. Main floor features Living, Dining and Family rooms & Master Bedroom. Gourmet kitchen w/stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, Spice kitchen. Just steps to Woodward Hill Elementary School, walking distance to secondary school, parks, recreations, Bell Centre and easy access to transit. Close to shopping. Covered deck at the side of the main floor. Built by a seasoned builder. One bedroom Legal Basement Suite includes Laundry & 1 Bachelor Suite.

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Saturday, February 23, 2019

DREAM carpet

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LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 23, 2019

N.S. natural gas project goes to court to remove Aboriginal protesters The company heading a controversial project that would see natural gas stored in huge underground caverns north of Halifax has gone to court to remove Aboriginal protesters from its work site.

Alton Natural Gas LP has filed an application requesting safe access to its Alton River facilities near Shubenacadie, and is seeking to remove “trespassing” protesters who have “consistently” blocked access to the site.

The company says the injunction application, filed Thursday, was necessary and comes after attempts at “engagement and discussion” with the individuals at the site.

The case will be heard March 12 in the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Alton spokesperson Lori MacLean said Friday.

Dorene Bernard, one of the “water protector” protesters, said they were served Friday morning.

Alton says power was recently lost at the facility and a recent inspection found flooding had damaged electrical equipment.

The company says it’s essential it have “immediate and unobstructed access” to assess the damage and to conduct repairs.

But Bernard said that might be “just a pretence” for the company to gain access to the site.

“I think they’re trying to use this injunction to give power to the RCMP to force us off this land. But we have our own intrinsic rights. We have a sacred duty,” said Bernard, a social worker, academic and member of the Sipekne’katik First

Man beats fentanyl trafficking charge due to charter violation A B.C. Justice recently threw out the case against a man charged with trafficking 27,500 fentanyl pills.

In a decision published in January, he said it wasn’t clear if the drug sniffing police dog sat or not.

And new video, obtained exclusively

by Global News, shows the entirety of the traffic stop, including the moment the dog investigates the vehicle.

Here’s why the extent of the dog’s sit matters: If the dog properly sat down, it would have indicated the dog was “in odour,” meaning it had found drugs.

But in the case of Sandor Rigo, who

was stopped on a Chilliwack highway in April 2017, the dog, named PSD Doods, was unable to sit down all the way. The police officer who made the stop said this was because a curb was in the way.

An officer who stopped Rigo — only identified by the Justice’s decision as Corporal Catellier — said he believed the dog was in odour and had the car towed so it could be thoroughly searched. Police say over 27,000 fentanyl pills were found in the wheel well.

The dash-camera video from the RCMP vehicle, obtained by Global News, offers a partial view of what happened.

The video shows the officer pulling over Rigo, who was driving a Dodge Caravan.

The officer can be heard asking Rigo where he was going and why he appeared to be shaking. Rigo answered that he was picking up used tires from a friend and he was shaking due to hypoglycemia, a condition which requires people to eat frequently

Second case of deadly pig virus found on Alberta farm

A second Alberta farm has been infected with porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED), a contagious virus that has killed millions of piglets in the United States.

The Office of the Chief Provincial Veterinarian confirmed the outbreak, on a 600-head hog operation, on Thursday.

The exact location of the farm has not been disclosed. This is the second-ever reported case of PED in Alberta. The first case — on a farm in the central region of the province — was reported in January 2019.

PED is a frightening disease for western Canadian pork producers. Though it does not affect market access and poses no health risks to humans, the virus kills up to 100 per cent of nursing piglets that catch it — resulting in financial and emotional suffering for individual farmers. The disease has been found in Ontario, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island and Quebec, though its greatest impact has been in the U.S., where an outbreak that began in 2013 killed so many animals nation-wide that it drove up the price of pork and bacon.

More than 30 students, staff asked to stay home from schools amid measles outbreak Some 33 students and staff at two French-language schools at the centre of a measles outbreak in Vancouver have been ordered to stay home because they haven’t provided proof of vaccination.

Vancouver Coastal Health says there have been eight confirmed cases of measles at Ecole Secondaire JulesVerne and Ecole Rose-des-Vents.

Spokeswoman Tiffany Akins says both schools had documented measles vaccination rates that were around 70 per cent before the outbreak.

She says the health authority’s staff were able to confirm the vaccination records of more students in light of the outbreak, bringing the rate up to around 95 per cent.

But she says the 33 students and staff who have been sent home have either been unable to provide this documentation or are still refusing to vaccinate.

Akins adds that the individuals will be allowed to return to the schools if there are no new cases of measles at the institutions by March 7.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, February 23, 2019 A Burnaby mother is furious that her Burnaby family on edge after high-risk baby was exposed to baby is at risk of contracting measles They decided to speak out on so their can cause deafness, permanent brain damage or after being exposed to the potentially family’s situation would not be “for nothing.” death. It’s really, really scary,” said Seccia. And deadly virus during a visit to B.C. Children’s Seccia got the call on Friday from a they can’t be vaccinated until their first birthday. hospital on Feb. 1.

Va n c o u v e r “We should absolutely require children going “It is 100 per cent the antiCoastal Health to public and private schools to be vaccinated vaccination movement that nurse telling her because there are children like my son who are has taken my kid, who is a Max had been too young to be vaccinated, children who have high-risk baby, and thrown exposed to the immune-diseases who can’t be vaccinated. him at death’s door if he has, measles virus They shouldn’t be put at risk because of bad in fact, contracted measles,” during a visit to science, reckless choices and total ignorance.” said Stefania Seccia.

B.C. Children’s Max should be celebrating his first birthday So far, Max, who turns emergency room with family and friends — a milestone all one on today, has shown to deal with a the more meaningful because Max was no symptoms, but Stefania Stefania Seccia shows proof of her and her Seccia and her husband Sam husband’s measles vaccination as her baby is under stomach bug. The born premature, said Seccia. “He spent are in a high-stakes waiting quarantine after being exposed to measle virus. airborne virus is the first month of his life in the NICU.” highly contagious But the birthday party has been cancelled. game, watching every sniffle, Emmanuel Bilodeau, the Vancouver father monitoring Max for fever and searching his and can stay active on surfaces for up to two hours.

“Infants under 12 months are at very high whose 11-year-old son contracted measles after little body for the telltale bright red spots of risk to get encephalitis, brain inflammation that measles. He is in isolation at home until Feb. 23.

Father at centre of measles outbreak in BC didn’t vaccinate children due to autism fears

a trip to Vietnam, spoke to Postmedia on Friday, saying his family was “ground zero” for the current outbreak in which eight children have been infected with the virus.

Bilodeau accused B.C. Children’s Hospital and Vancouver Coastal Health of not recognizing the signs of measles in his son, who subsequently passed the illness to his two brothers.

Seccia disagrees vehemently. “My message to this father is that you have to take responsibility for this. … In Canada where we have easy access to vaccinations, it is totally a choice that father made to not vaccinate his kids.”

Seccia said she feels for the three children who weren’t vaccinated. “Children are the ones who face the real risk.”

She said Bilodeau could have vaccinated the kids before their trip.

measles

Mother killed in parking lot rampage put son’s life ahead of hers

In every photo in her celebration of life album, Kelly Sandoval is hard to miss.

“It’s her beautiful smile,” said her mother Jennifer Tayes. “It lights up a room and I miss that smile so much.”

Almost one year since she lost her daughter, Jennifer Tayes is happy a suspect has been charged in connection with a rampage that turned deadly.

“I don’t have the energy to be angry.

I’m very glad that it’s finally happened.”

Mission man charged after mother of 4 dies following 2018 Maple Ridge truck rampage

he man whose family is at the centre just tried to do it in the manner that was the of a measles outbreak in Vancouver said least invasive possible on the child’s health.”

“We were hoping we could find a he didn’t vaccinate his children because he distrusted the science at the time. vaccine that was given in a separate shot In an exclusive interview with CBC so it wasn’t such a hit on the kid,” he said.

Bilodeau believes one of his three sons News, Emmanuel Bilodeau said he and contracted measles his then-wife were during a family trip influenced by reports to Vietnam earlier that linked the vaccine this year and that that prevents measles, it has since spread mumps and rubella at the French(MMR) with autism. language schools Health officials his children attend. confirm measles Dr. Althea Hayden outbreak in Vancouver of Vancouver Coastal after 8th case identified Health (VCH) said “We worried 10-12 Emmanuel Bilodeau said he neglected to get his years ago because there children vaccinated for measles because he and his on Friday Vancouver was facing an was a lot of debate then-wife were concerned about reports of “outbreak” of measles around the MMR a link with autism after confirming vaccine,” said Bilodeau.

“Doctors were coming out with research eight cases affecting students, staff and connecting the MMR vaccine with parents at École Jules-Verne and École autism. So we were a little concerned.”​​ Anne-Hébert in South Vancouver and Rose-des-vents in Oakridge.​ The MMR vaccine prevents measles, École As measles outbreak grips mumps and rubella by helping the body make antibodies to fight off the viruses. Washington, a health expert argues The BC Centre for Disease Control (CDC) vaccination is a child’s human right Bilodeau said he brought his sons recommends children receive two doses of the vaccine, one at 12 months of age and to a travel clinic on Broadway Street the second dose at four to six years of age. before their trip where they received There is no scientific evidence linking other vaccinations, but not for measles.

It was on the plane ride home the vaccine to autism, says the CDC. his 11-year-old son began Bilodeau said he knows now the that link between the MMR vaccine experiencing symptoms, including fever.

Bilodeau’s son is shown with a and autism has been debunked.

“We’re not anti-vaccination,” he said. rash on his back caused by measles. by Emmanuel Bilodeau) “We’re just very cautious parents and we (Submitted

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Travis James Pare, 35, of Mission is accused of unleashing a path of destruction in Maple Ridge while he was high on drugs on Feb. 1, 2018.

On that date, Kelly Sandoval and her two youngest sons dodged an erratic driver in a parking lot in the 23900-block of Dewdney Trunk Road.

Pare allegedly backed his pickup truck into a parked vehicle, blasted through a McDonald’s drive-thru, crashed into a fence and hit a bus shelter, striking two pedestrians before coming to a stop.

Sandoval’s 10-year-old son jumped out

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NATIONAL

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Home equity line of credit largest contributor to non-mortgage consumer debt, survey says A home equity line of credit may be a cheap and easy way to borrow money to pay off your lingering holiday bills or consolidate high-interest debt. But experts caution that you need a plan to repay the money.

They say it is all too easy to only make the minimum monthly payments to cover the interest and never make any progress on reducing the amount you owe.

Getting a home equity line of credit can be a smart way to pay off debt.

But you need to understand all the details, especially how you’ll repay it.

Getting a home equity line of credit can be a smart way to pay off debt. But you need to understand all the details, especially how you’ll repay it. (Dreamstime)

“It is so easy to stay in debt for a long, long period of time,” says Scott Hannah, chief executive of the Credit Counselling Society.

Hannah says consolidating highinterest debt using a home equity line of credit that charges a lower rate of interest can be a good plan — but you need to understand how much you can afford to borrow, the interest rate you are going to be charged and how you are going to repay it.

Too often, he says, a HELOC is used by those who are spending more than they earn to cover daily expenses.

“It can really mask spending behaviour, it can really mask the fact that a person may not be managing their financial affairs well,” Hannah says.

Canada’s housing market set for years of subdued price rises: Reuters poll Canada’s once-roaring housing market has been tamed, according to the latest Reuters poll of analysts who predict house prices will rise nationally and in key urban hot spots they will not outstrip overall inflation over the next two years.

While a mild price correction has already taken place in Toronto, Canada’s largest city, and is underway in Vancouver, the latest survey of 20 analysts nationwide taken Feb 13-21 puts the chances of a national correction at just 20 percent.

House prices are forecast to rise just 1.1 percent this year on an average basis, followed by 1.9 percent in 2020 and then 3 percent in 2021, based on a smaller sample of contributors willing to look that far into the future.

The outlook for Toronto is nearly identical at 1.3 percent, 2.0 percent and 3.5 percent, with Vancouver likely down 1.0 percent this year, then up 0.2 percent next year and 3.0 in 2021.

One of the main reasons for the change from years of price rises and speculative frenzy in some of Canada’s large cities is demand, not just supply concerns or the still-cheap cost of taking out a mortgage.

“The Canadian housing market’s major shift from homeownership to rental continues,” noted Sebastien Lavoie, chief economist at Laurentian Bank Securities.

“The stars are aligned for further strengthening in activity in the rental market: demand coming from atypical jobs and immigration, higher rates restraining some households to buy a home, the preference of millennials to delay the

purchase of a home later in their life cycle.”

Asked about the risks to a market that now looks broadly stable, analysts cited an economic slowdown as the biggest, followed by higher mortgage rates.

Sal Guatieri, senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, says incomes in many regions of the country are likely to rise faster than house prices. That follows many years of property prices outstripping income gains by many multiples.

Single-family homes are set to become more affordable this year, according to a strong majority of respondents.

The Reuters survey results are the latest evidence suggesting many closely watched housing markets around the world have come off the boil as expectations for the health of the global economy started to turn. A companion survey on Britain also published on Friday was even more subdued.

Prospects for an extended period of modest price rises and property market activity are also conveniently timed for what appears to be a sharp change in interest rate expectations from major central banks.

With the U.S. Federal Reserve on hold after an abrupt shift in policy guidance, policymakers at the Bank of Canada (BoC) will feel the pressure to slow down or halt future rate increases.

BoC Governor Stephen Poloz on Thursday indicated he was in no rush to resume monetary tightening, saying while interest rates needed to move up into a neutral range over time the path back was now “highly uncertain.”

BC gov’t could lose hundreds of millions in property transfer taxes A year after the NDP introduced a new tax package on homes in B.C., the property transfer tax is expected to net $330 million less than expected.

The property transfer tax, or PTT, was projected to bring in around $2.2 billion to the government’s coffers this year. That number has now been slashed to $1.9 billion, and is expected to stay flat for the next three years.

The property transfer tax is charged every time a home is sold in British Columbia – when sales and prices were soaring several years ago, the property transfer tax was a huge part of balancing the budget.

Last year, the provincial government increased the foreign buyers tax and the introduced a speculation and controversial property tax on homes over $3 million. “ M o n e y laundering and speculation in the real estate market was allowed to take root in our province,” said Finance Minister Carole James in her address to the legislature Tuesday “and we’re finally starting to see some moderation.”

Since then, housing prices have dropped in B.C. by nearly 10 per cent; however, lower sale numbers mean less homes being built.

“We’re reducing the number of homes that are going to be built by 25 to 30 per cent, at a time when we need to be building more homes,” said Ann McMullin

from the Urban Development Institute.

Ministry officials are predicting an upturn in the market to the tune of three per cent, with moderate price increases.

But B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson says the drop in housing starts - the number of houses currently being built - hurts the construction business and the province as a whole.

“This is a government who seems to think they can continue to increase spending, while also projecting a 25 per cent drop in housing starts,” said Wilkinson.

“That’s not going to lead to an awful lot of employment in the

construction business, and it’s certainly not going to help affordability.”

Cameron Muir of the B.C. Real Estate Association agrees with Wilkinson and McMullin.

“There’s not enough homes being built, and we’re going to be into another cycle of rapidly rising prices where affordability gets out of reach,” he said.

Saturday, February 23, 2019 PM Trudeau’s principal secretary and friend resigns amid scandal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s principal secretary and longtime friend Gerald Butts resigned from one of the highest positions within Trudeau’s office amid ongoing questions about alleged PMO interference in a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin.

In a lengthy statement about his resignation, Butts denies the allegations that he or anyone in the PMO pressured Jody Wilson-Raybould -- who was the attorney general at the time -- to have federal prosecutors pursue a remediation agreement rather than criminal prosecution in the corruption and fraud case against the Quebec engineering and construction giant.

“I categorically deny the accusation that I or anyone else in his office pressured Ms. Wilson-Raybould. We honoured the unique role of the Attorney General. At all times, I and those around me acted with integrity and a singular focus on the best interests of all Canadians,” Butts said in his statement. “Any accusation that I or the staff put pressure on the Attorney General is simply not true.”

Butts said the allegation is distracting from the work Trudeau and his government are doing nine months out from the next federal election, and so it’s in the best interest of the office of the prime minister that he step aside.

“The fact is that this accusation exists. It cannot and should not take one moment away from the vital work the Prime Minister

and his office is doing for all Canadians. My reputation is my responsibility and that is for me to defend,” Butts said.

Since then, Trudeau has denied the story, calling it “false,” and has offered an evolving series of comments on the matter, including that Wilson-Raybould had an obligation to raise any concerns about feeling pressure with him, and she did not. He also suggested that had Scott Brison not stepped down as Treasury Board president, WilsonRaybould would not have been shuffled into veterans’ affairs in January, a move that some saw as a demotion linked to her refusal to abandon the prosecution of the case against SNC-Lavalin.

Wilson-Raybould resigned from Trudeau’s cabinet with a “with a heavy heart” five days after the news broke. To date she has said that, as the former AG, she is “bound by solicitorclient privilege in this matter,” and has not confirmed or denied reports she was pressured.

In her letter of resignation as Veterans Affairs Minister Wilson-Raybould said she has retained former Supreme Court judge Thomas Cromwell to provide advice on speaking publicly about the scandal. Trudeau has faced calls to waive solicitor-client privilege and allow those believed to be central to this case -- including Butts -- testify before the House Justice Committee.

Trudeau’s popularity plunges amid SNC-Lavalin controversy A new online poll conducted by Leger for The Canadian Press suggests the Trudeau Liberals haven’t convinced Canadians the country is doing better under their stewardship.

In all 46 per cent of respondents said Canada is doing worse since Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government was elected in 2015, while only 22 per cent believed the country is doing better and 27 per cent said things are the same.

Leger’s executive vicepresident Christian Bourque said these numbers come despite economic indicators showing the country’s economy is performing better than in 2015.

Regional concerns particularly in Western Canada over the state of the oil and gas industry, are affecting the way voters are viewing the overall state of the country, Bourque said.

“In Alberta, for example, we see that 59 per cent of people believe Canada

is doing worse, so there are regional issues affecting that overall number, but it is quite staggering,” Leger said.

Leger’s internet-based survey was conducted using computer-assisted web interviewing technology from Feb. 15 to 19.

It heard from 1,529 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, who have the right to vote in Canada and were randomly recruited from the firm’s online panel.

The results were weighted to reflect age, gender, mother tongue, region and level of education in order to ensure a representative sample.

While a margin of error cannot be associated with web-panel survey data, a probability sample of the same size would have a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The poll also looked at what issues are most important to Canadians, suggesting pocketbook issues

More voters believe Canada doing worse under Trudeau government A new online poll conducted by Leger for The Canadian Press suggests the Trudeau Liberals haven’t convinced Canadians the country is doing better under their stewardship.

In all 46 per cent of respondents said Canada is doing worse since Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government was elected in 2015, while only 22 per cent believed the country is doing better and 27 per cent said things are the same.

Leger’s executive vice-president Christian Bourque said these numbers come despite economic indicators showing the country’s economy is performing better than in 2015.

Regional concerns particularly in Western Canada over the state of the oil and gas industry, are affecting the way voters are viewing the overall state of the country, Bourque said.

“In Alberta, for example, we see that 59 per cent of people believe Canada is doing worse, so there are regional issues affecting that overall number, but it is quite staggering,” Leger said.

Leger’s internet-based survey was conducted

using computer-assisted web interviewing technology from Feb. 15 to 19. It heard from 1,529 Canadians, 18 years of age or older, who have the right to vote in Canada and were randomly recruited from the firm’s online panel.

The results were weighted to reflect age, gender, mother tongue, region and level of education in order to ensure a representative sample.

While a margin of error cannot be associated with web-panel survey data, a probability sample of the same size would have a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The poll also looked at what issues are most important to Canadians, suggesting pocketbook issues are what is top of mind.

Economic growth and jobs topped the issues list for respondents, followed by taxes and finances.

When asked whether the Trudeau government has done a good job or a poor job on specific issues, 22 per cent of respondents said they felt the Liberals have done a good job on the economy and employment and another 34 per cent are on the fence.

NATIONAL

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INDIA

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Priyanka’s team member fired over ‘his role in paper-leak case’ Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday cancelled the appointment of Kumar Ashish as an AICC secretary attached with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party’s general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh east, a day after he was assigned the responsibility.

The JDU in Bihar as well as certain people on social media had questioned Ashish’s appointment as AICC secretary after citing an old paper-leak case linked to him.

“Congress president has approved the proposal for the appointment of Shri Sachin Naik in his place as AICC Secretary,” a statement released by Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said. Ashish was appointed to the position by the Congress president on Tuesday night along with five more AICC secretaries for Uttar Pradesh -- three each attached to

Priyanka Gandhi and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

“Congress president Rahul Gandhi has cancelled the appointment of Kumar Ashish as AICC secretary attached with Priyanka Gandhi, general secretary for UP-East, with immediate effect,” the party statement said, without giving any reason for the cancellation.

Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia were appointed AICC general secretary in-charge of UP east and UP west respectively in January and took charge earlier this month. Ashish, Zubair Khan and Bajirao Khade were named on Tuesday night as AICC secretaries attached to Priyanka Gandhi.

Rana Goswami, Dhiraj Gurjar, and Rohit Chaudhary were named as AICC secretaries attached to Scindia.

Anil Ambani told to pay Rs 453 cr to Ericsson or go to jail The Supreme Court on Wednesday held Reliance Communication chairman Anil Ambani and two directors guilty of contempt of court on a plea filed by Ericsson India against him over not clearing its dues of Rs 550 crore.

A Bench headed by Justice RF Rohinton asked the company to pay Rs 453 crore to Ericsson in 4 weeks, failing which three-month jail will be imposed. It asked the three Reliance companies to pay fine of Rs 1 crore each failing which contemnours will have to serve onemonth jail term. The undertakings given by the three Reliance companies showed that they had “no intention” to pay up within 120 days given

by the court or even the extended time, it said.

The undertakings were “false” to the knowledge of the companies, which itself affected the administration of justice and amounted to contempt of court, it said. While holding Anil Ambani and two directors of his company guilty of contempt, the top court rejected their unconstitutional apology, it said the three Reliance companies violated the 120day deadline and did not pay up even after being given the extra 60 days. The undertaking given was false and it affected administration of justice as they breached the undertaking given to the court, the Bench noted.

Terrorism & climate change are biggest challenges before mankind: Modi PM Modi said terrorism and climate change are two biggest challenges mankind is facing now and Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings can help the world to address the pressing issues. Modi, who arrived here on a two-day visit to strengthen India’s strategic ties with South Korea, along with South Korean President Moon Jaein and former UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon unveiled a bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the prestigious Yonsei University here.

“It is a matter of great honour and my good fortune to unveil the bust of Mahatma Gandhi in Korea’s premier university today,”

Modi said. “This occasion assumes greater significance since we are celebrating the 150th anniversary of Gandhi and for the world he is the foremost messiah,” he said.

“Terrorism and climate change are two biggest challenges mankind is facing now,” he said and underlined that Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings can help the world address the pressing issues.

Modi is visiting South Korea on the invitation of President Moon Jae-in. This is his second visit to the Republic of Korea since 2015 and second summit meeting with President Moon Jae-in

Saudi crown prince says terrorism a common concern Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said on Wednesday terrorism was a common concern with India and that his country was ready to share intelligence to tackle it. Speaking at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, the crown prince said Saudi Arabia was ready for political cooperation with India.

“On the issue of extremism and terrorism, which is a common concern, we want to tell India that we will cooperate in every way, including intelligence sharing,” the crown prince said. The crown prince’s visit comes

days after a militant attack in the disputed region of Kashmir, which involved a bombing of a security convoy in which 40 paramilitary police were killed. The attack was claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group.

During the press briefing, Modi said he had agreed with Saudi Arabia to strengthen cooperation on counter-terrorism, naval and cyber security. Earlier in the day, the crown prince received a ceremonial welcome at New Delhi’s imposing red sandstone presidential palace.

NCDRC directs 3 doctors to pay Rs 2.7 lakh for negligence leading to patient’s death The apex consumer forum has directed three doctors to pay Rs 2.7 lakh for “gross-negligence” and “mismanagement” that led to the death of a woman after she suffered a cardiac arrest during an operation and slipped into a coma and never recovered from it. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) said that it was a “serious lapse” on the part of the doctors to not assess the woman’s cardiac condition before the operation.

A bench of presiding member Anup K Thakur and member C Vishwanath upheld the district consumer forum’s order asking Doctors Zubedaben Desai, Kashyap Rameshbhai Shah and Rachnaben Jigneshbhai Shah of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to pay Rs 2.7 lakh to

Mustafabhai Ibrahimbhai Salar for the death of his wife, Memunaben Salar. According to the complaint, Salar was admitted to Ahmedabad’s Samved hospital on October 20, 2004. She suffered a cardiac arrest during the surgery the next day. She was shifted to another hospital where she remained in coma till her death on November 18, 2005. The tribunal overturned the state consumer commission’s order and said that once cardiac arrest takes place, its management is an important aspect in reviving the patient and the operation notes speak of cardiac massage being given but there was no mention of the time taken to get the heart beat back, a delay in which could lead to hypoxic damage as it happened in this case.

Lockheed Martin unveils new advanced combat jet F-21 American Defence giant Lockheed Martin on Wednesday unveiled the F-21 multi-role fighter jet for India, to be produced locally, as it eyed a multi-billion dollar military order.

Specifically configured for the IAF, the F-21 provides “unmatched” Make in India opportunities and strengthens India’s path to an advanced airpower future, the firm said announcing the plan on the opening day at the Aero-India 2019 air show here. Lockheed Martin and Tata Advanced Systems would produce the F-21 in India, for India, it said in a statement. The US Defence major, which

had earlier offered its F-16 fighter to India, said the F-21 addresses the IAF’s unique requirements and integrates India into the world’s largest fighter aircraft ecosystem.

“The F-21 is different, inside and out,” said Dr Vivek Lall, vice-president of Strategy and Business Development for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. “The new [F-21] designation highlights our commitment to delivering an advanced, scalable fighter aircraft to the Indian Air Force that also provides unrivaled industrial opportunities and accelerates closer India-US cooperation on advanced technologies,” he said.

Sedition charges slapped on 4 students for celebrating Pulwama attack Four female paramedical students have been slapped with sedition charges after being suspended from a private institute here for allegedly celebrating the Pulwama terror attack by posting “anti-national” messages on an instant messaging app, officials said Sunday. The second-year students of the National Institute of Medical Science (NIMS), Talveen Manzoor, Iqra, Zohra Nazir and Uzma Nazir, were suspended for posting on WhatsApp a picture in which they were purportedly seen celebrating the terrorist attack in Kashmir that claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.

The picture soon went viral, prompting the university administration to take action.

In the suspension order, the NIMS registrar said,”You have posted an anti-national message on your WhatsApp for celebrating killing of Pulwama terrorist attack martyrs.

The university will not tolerate and strictly condemns such activities. The act is grave and serious in nature.”

Later, a case was registered against the four students following a complaint by the university administration, a police official said.

PUNJAB

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Majithia takes on Cong MLAs in Assembly after comments on his family After Congress MLAs targeted SAD MLA Bikram Majithia’s family in the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday, the Akali leader dared them to prove that his grandfather had hosted the dinner for Gen Dyer.

During discussion on the Governor’s address, Majithia dragged Congress’s Sukhjinder Randhawa in the slugfest saying Randhawa’s father had thanked Indira Gandhi for the attack on the Golden Temple.

To this, Randhawa said his father had in fact spoken against terrorism.

Earlier, SAD-BJP MLAs staged a walkout after a resolution moved by them declaring Pakistan as a terrorist state was rejected.

SAD MLA Parminder Dhindsa had raised the issue saying the party wanted to move the issue of terror attack in Kashmir in a new perspective.

Addressing the media outside the House,

Dhindsa said the people were looking to the Congress government to take a nationalist stand.

The resolution was against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, condemning his statement made on Tuesday.

Dhindsa said Congress ministers Charanjit Singh Channi and Sukhjinder Randhawa stalled the resolution, which exposed their double standards on taking a nationalist stand.

He wondered why CM Capt Amarinder Singh should object to the resolution, in contrast to the “ultranationalist” stand taken by him in public.

Earlier, AAP MLAs also staged a walkout during Question Hour as they were not satisfied with the government’s reply on the issue of proclaimed offenders.

SIT closing in on real culprit: Capt CM Capt Amarinder Singh hinted strong action against those named in the Justice Ranjit Singh Commission report on Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura police firing and sacrilege incidents. Hitting out at the SAD, while trying to address concerns of his party men who are seeking the arrest of the Badals, the Chief Minister, in his reply to the Governor’s A d d r e s s , indicated that many heads would roll.

Wi t h o u t taking names, he said: “Though I would not prefer to speak on the investigations by the SIT, the government will take the commission’s report to its logical conclusion.” Apparently reacting to the pressure within the party to nail Bikram Majithia for his alleged role in the drugs case, Capt Amarinder said he was satisfied with the work of the Special Task Force (STF) on drugs.

Punjab Assembly resolution seeks British apology over Jallianwala massacre The Punjab Assembly Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution, seeking an apology from the British government for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Brahm Mohindra moved the resolution and political parties, cutting across party lines, supported it.

“The tragic massacre of innocent protesters in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar on April 13, 1919 remains one of the most horrific memories of British colonial rule in India. This shameful military action against locals peacefully protesting against the oppressive Rowlatt Act has since received worldwide condemnation,” the resolution said. “However, its proper acknowledgement could only be by way of a formal apology by the British government to the people of India as we observe the Centenary of this great tragedy,” the resolution said.

“This August House thus unanimously recommends to the state government to take up this matter with the government of India to impress upon the British government to officially apologise for the massacre of innocent people at Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, “ the resolution said. Opposition parties AAP, SAD-BJP and Lok Insaaf Party supported the resolution.

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SAD-BJP under fire from all corners

The SAD-BJP MLAs came under fire from both Treasury benches as well as other Opposition parties – AAP and Lok Insaaf Party — even as their demand to allow a resolution on condemning the Pakistan PM was not accepted. Though the party MLAs did try to fight back by getting aggressive, their attempts were weakened in wake of a joint scathing attack by both the ruling party and AAP. All through the proceedings, the SAD found itself at the receiving end. Be it the issue of private bus operators taking over the transport sector or the illicit drug trade; the issue of senior Akalis attending bhog ceremonies of militants during the days of terrorism or their “poor governance” being responsible for the Behbal Kalan and Kotkapura incidents, the alliance MLAs had to bear it all. After their resolution was not allowed, the Akali-BJP MLAs staged a walkout. Outside the House, Parminder Singh Dhindsa accused Congress ministers Charanjit Singh Channi and Sukhjinder

Singh Randhawa for stalling the resolution, which exposed their double face. Channi, while opposing the resolution, had taunted the Akali Dal, saying that while they talk of nationalism now, Parkash Singh Badal had “once torn the Constitution”. During discussion on Governor’s Address, the party came under fire from AAP MLA Sarabjit Kaur Manuke and LIP chief Simarjit Singh Bains.

Both accused the Congress of failing to tackle the “transport mafia” Aruna Chaudhury, Transport Minister, assured the House that the timetable of private buses would be changed soon. She accused the AAP government in Delhi for allowing the private diesel-run buses from Punjab to operate, while the stateowned buses were barred. Bains, without taking names, said that no action was being taken against the big fish in drug trade. It was then that Bikram Majithia recited a poem and in two minutes he summed up the state of governance under the Congress rule.

36

INDIA

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Defence minister asks investors to invest in aero space Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday invited investors to capitalise on the ecosystem in aero space and other sectors in India which offered a big market for Defence manufacturing.

In her inaugural remarks at the Aero India 2019, the 12th edition of Asia’s premier air show at the Yelahanka air base here, Sitharaman made a strong pitch for ‘Make in India” and referred to a slew of initiatives taken by the government, including permitting 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Defence manufacturing.

Explaining the possibilities in the aero space and defence sectors, she said the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) s could find joint venture partners so that

the production could be scaled up and they could have a captive market and could export from India. She also noted that during the last four years and the current financial year, 150 contracts worth about Rs 1,27,500 crores have been signed with the Indian vendors for procurement of defence equipment for the armed forces. The fiveday mega event began on a sombre note, a day after two aircraft of Surya Kiran, Indian Air Force (IAF)’s aerobatics team, collided mid air, killing a pilot and injuring two others who ejected to safety. The biennial event, which would showcase India’s air defence prowess, would also act as a platform for aviation companies, the defence sector and government to forge new alliances and contracts.

Two get 5-year jail term over cow salughter It is the first such conviction under the Haryana law against cow slaughter.

A person name Hakam, a resident of Uttawar village in Palwal, and Riyaj of Raniyala village, also in Palwal, were held guilty under the Gauvansh Sanrakshan Act enacted by the Khattar government in 2015. Palwal Additional District and Sessions Judge Anubhav Sharma sentenced the two to five years in jail. While Hakam was fined Rs 1 lakh, Riyaj was asked to pay Rs 50,000.

According to the prosecution, the police stopped a pick-up van going towards Hapur and found 170 skins inside. Van occupants Hakam and Riyaj tried to flee, but were arrested. “Skins with fresh (blood) stains and pieces of beef ” were found in the vehicle. The defence counsel argued that

the recovered skins were hides and did not fall in the definition of ‘beef ’ as spelled out under the Gauvansh Sanrakshan Act, that Hakam and Riyaj were only transporters carrying goods for another person and that there was no evidence to establish that the skins were procured by way of slaughter.

The court, however, observed that while there was evidence to establish that the skins were that of cow and were fresh, the accused had failed to prove that they were transporting the skins after receiving the same from an authorised contractor, simply arguing that the “recovery is false”.

The court held that the prosecution had established beyond reasonable doubt that Hakam and Riyaj were guilty under Sections 3 and 8 of the Gauvansh Sanrakshan Act.

Supreme Court to consider listing of pleas seeking review of its verdict in Rafale case The Supreme Court on Thursday said it would consider listing of pleas seeking review of its December 14 verdict dismissing the need for an investigation into the deal to procure 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. A Bench headed

by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said four applications or petitions have been filed in the Rafale matter and one of them is still lying with the Registry on account of defect. “The combination (of the judges) of Bench will have to be changed. It is very difficult. We will do something for it,” the Bench, also comprising Justices L N Rao and Sanjiv Khanna, said when lawyer

Prashant Bhushan sought urgent listing of the petitions in the Rafale case. Bhushan said that the review petition filed by AAP Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh was defective and other petitions had no defects to be cured.

He also said that besides the review petition, an application seeking perjury prosecution against some Central government employees for giving misleading information to the court has also been filed. On December 14 last year, the apex court had dismissed a clutch of PILs, including the one filed by former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, and Bhushan.

Pak is Somalia of Asia; Imran in bed with JeM chief: Manish Tewari Senior Congress leader Manish Tewari on Wednesday took on Pakistani journalist Meher Tarar after she refuted his remarks that the Jaish-e-Mohammad had actively campaigned for Imran Khan and helped install him as Prime Minister. “The lady from Pakistan says what I said is factually incorrect. Could you please educate her that Imran Khan is no angel she projects him to be,” Tewari said tagging Tarar’s post in which she challenged Tewari’s claims.

The Congress leader instantly posted the evidence on Twitter tagging the source of his remarks. He went a step further saying, “Pakistan is the Somalia of South Asia and Imran Khan and the JeM chief are in bed together.” Tewari, who is abroad for a conference, told the Tribune over phone on Wednesday that the JeM chief supported

Imran’s campaign in south Pakistan and that is why Khan jumped to the JeM’s defence. On the Pakistan take that India should provide evidence on the Pulwama attacks, Tewari wondered what Pakistan had done about the past evidence of terror attacks India had given it. “Former DG of ISI Gen Ashraf Qazi admitted to Pakistan Parliament that JeM was behind the attack on Indian Parliament. India provided Pakistan the proof of the Mumbai attacks and later of Pathankot. They did nothing,” he said, adding that anyone who is engaged with Pakistan and knew the intrinsic perfidy of their deep state would approach any carrot (like the one Imran dangled on Tuesday) with circumspection. “The Pakistanis mastered the art of running circles round even the great powers.

Chennai man orders food, swiggy delivery person arrives from Rajasthan “Hello. There will be a slight delay in the delivery of your order. We regret the inconvenience.”

If you’ve ordered food online, you probably have heard this several times before. However, a hungry Chennai resident decided to escalate matters to the food delivery app Swiggy even after noticing that his order was already picked up by the delivery man and was only 12 minutes away from him.

Was he hangry? Or simply impatient?

Bhargav Rajan, a Twitter user, recently took to the platform to inform Swiggy about the

Glitch in the Matrix after he placed an order from a nearby eatery in Chennai and the food app somehow placed his order all the way up in Rajasthan. But things got really interesting when Bhargav’s order was en route and the delivery man was only a dozen minutes away from the destination.

Shocked by this, Bhargav tagged Swiggy along with a screenshot from the app and asked, “Wow @swiggy_in what are you driving?”

Saturday, February 23, 2019

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, February 23, 2019

70 killed & many injured in massive fire in Dhaka Many of the bodies were burned beyond At least 70 people have been killed recognition, Chowdhury said. Their after a massive fire raced through several identification “may require a DNA test apartment buildings also used as chemical later”.

Haji Abdul Kader, whose shop was warehouses in a centuries-old part of destroyed in the fire, said he only survived Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, according to the blaze as he had left the shop to go to a fire officials. The devastating blaze, which pharmacy.

“When I was at the pharmacy, broke out around 10:40pm (16:40 GMT) on Wednesday at a building in Chawkbazar, in I heard a big bang. I turned back and saw the old part of Dhaka, was brought under the whole street, which was jam-packed with cars and rickshaws, in flames. Flames control by firefighters almost 12 hours later. Fire control room officials told news agencies that 70 people had been killed, with officials expecting the death toll to rise as emergency crews continued searching for survivors. Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury said from Dhaka there “are at least 70 people dead so far The flames dashing through other adjoining structures. and 41 are in the hospital.

Some are in critical condition”. Families were everywhere,” he told the AFP news members are coming with information agency. “I got burned and rushed to about relatives they cannot find, hospital,” he said. Shamsul Alam, an Chowdhury said, and “at least 25 people are officer at the department of explosives said. unaccounted for”.

Six charged in Bangladesh over atheist blogger’s murder Six people have been charged with the gruesome murder of a controversial atheist blogger in 2015, Bangladesh police said on Monday, February 18. Avijit Roy, a Bangladesh-born US national, was hacked to death on a busy road outside Dhaka University in February 2015. His wife was critically injured in the attack.Police investigators said 11 of the 12 militants from the outlawed Ansar al Islam group implicated in the murder took part in the street killing. “Six people have

been charged over the murder of Avijit Roy. Of the six, two are on the run,” Dhaka police spokesman Masudur Rahman said. A sacked army major who masterminded the attack was one of those still on the loose, Rahman said, adding police could not identify the other five involved. One suspect was killed by police in a crackdown that followed the murder.

Roy, who migrated to the United States two decades ago, was known in Bangladesh for his Mukto-Mona (Free-mind) blog.

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India & Singapore to sign pact for skilling Indians in aviation India and Singapore will sign an agreement for skilling Indian youths in the aviation sector at the Aero India Show next week. India and Singapore will sign an agreement for skilling Indian youths in the aviation sector at the Aero India Show next week. Academies will be set up in Bengaluru and other places in India that will act as regional hubs for the training of Indian youths for domestic and overseas jobs in these sectors. National Skill Development Corporation of India’s (NSDC) Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council in collaboration with Singapore Polytechnic and a Singapore-based private sector firm will signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on February 22 to establish skill development centers.

Aero India show 2019 will be held in Bengaluru from February 20-24. It will provide a significant platform in bolstering business opportunities in International aviation sector.

These ”Centers of Excellence in Advance Skilling” will provide training and certification drawing from Singapore curriculum and standards in sectors such as aerospace and aviation, emerging technologies, automotive and logistics. “These are all priority sectors under ”Skill India” and ”Make in India” programmes, which require large workforce with advanced technical skills,” India‘s High Commissioner in Singapore Jawed Ashraf said here on Friday.

He said that these sectors also provide

more productive and remunerative employment opportunities.

Singapore is a leader in aviation services including maintenance, repair, overhaul services as well as skill development across various sectors, Ashraf said. This is one of the many collaborations between India and Singapore in the crucial skill development sector following the signing of two MoUs between NSDC and Singapore Polytechnic

to establish state-of-the-art Trainer and Assessor Academies across India. “Skills development is one of the new areas that have gained prominence in the bilateral engagement with many countries, but especially with Singapore, not only at central but also at state level,” the envoy said.

There are several institutional engagements including plans for setting up the first Indian Institute of Skills in Mumbai in collaboration with Singapore‘s Institute of Technical Education Services (ITEES); training programmes for state government officials in public administration and governance; urban planning, logistics and infrastructure development in collaboration with many Singapore-based institutions, including Institute of Technical Education, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise and Civil Service

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SOUTH ASIA

Saturday, February 23, 2019

More than 100 drug dealers arrested in Bangladesh As Bangladesh launched “war” on drugs following a proliferation of illegal substances in the South Asian nation of 165 million people, mostly of cheap methamphetamine pills known as “yaba”. Some 102 meth dealers have surrendered to authorities at a pre-scheduled raid in coastal town, officials said, as Philippines-style anti-narcotics crackdown sows fear among kingpins.

Police said 24 yaba “godfathers”, as well as lieutenants and peddlers, surrendered to the country’s home minister in Teknaf town -the key gateway for smuggling yaba into the country from Myanmar, where the pills are manufactured by the millions. The dealers also surrendered 350,000 vanilla-scented, small red yaba pills -- whose name comes

from a Thai word meaning “crazy medicine” -- and 30 illegal firearms. The country’s police chief Mohammad Javed Patwary said authorities would advocate for lesser prison sentences for those who had surrendered, and would “assist” them in returning to normal life. But he promised “harsh upcoming days” for those who had stayed away. “Those who are in hiding, don’t get carried away. You’ll not be spared,” he told the mass gathering of several thousand locals who came to witness the event. Cox’s Bazar is flooded with yaba, with many of the Rohingya refugees used as “mules” for carrying the pills. The pills have become an easy source of income for the Rohingya, some 740,000 of whom have poured across the border.

Court orders arrest of former Maldives President Maldivian authorities Monday ordered the arrest of former strongman president Abdulla Yameen over money laundering charges, officials said.

The arrest came after a court began a preliminary hearing into allegations that Yameen received nearly $1.5 million in illicit payments just before he lost his re-election bid in September.

“Prosecutors said that Yameen had allegedly attempted to bribe witnesses,” a court official said, adding that the former president would be taken to the Dhoonidhoo prison island near the capital.

Yameen, who came to power in 2013 and jailed many of his opponents or forced them into exile, had been summoned to the Criminal Court Sunday to formally receive

his indictment.

During his five-year tenure, Yameen relied heavily on China for political and financial support as he came under criticism over his dismal human rights record.

The Indian Ocean archipelago nation of 340,000 Sunni Muslims is heavily in debt to China.

Authorities believe millions of dollars allegedly siphoned off by Yameen could be stashed abroad, and have said that talks are underway with foreign entities to repatriate any cash found.

The court has already frozen Yameen’s local bank accounts holding about $6.5 million, a decision the former leader has contested.

There was no immediate comment from Yameen or his legal team on the latest court order.

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Donald Trump describes Pulwama attack as ‘horrible’ US President Donald Trump described as “horrible” the deadly terror attack in Pulwama, as his administration offered full support to India to combat terrorism and asked Islamabad to punish anyone responsible for the “heinous act”.

The suicide attack on February 14 in Jammu and Kashmir left 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel dead and led to escalation of tensions between India and Pakistan. Trump told reporters at the Oval Office of White House that it would be “wonderful” if the two South Asia neighbours got along. “I have watched. I have got a lot of reports on it. We will have comment (on it) at an appropriate time. It would be wonderful if they (India and Pakistan) get along,” Trump

said in response to a question. “That (the terrorist attack) was a horrible situation. We are getting reports. We will have a statement to put out,” Trump said. At a separate news conference, the State Department said the US had been in close communication with the Indian government “to express not only our condolences but our strong support”.

“We’re committed to working with the Indian government to combat terrorism in all of its forms,” State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters at a news conference. “The perpetrator of that heinous act claimed allegiance to the United Nations-designated, Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Mohammed, and we call on all countries to uphold their responsibilities

Nepal proposes bill to punish users for posting anti-govt contents on social media Nepal government led by K P Sharma Oli has registered a bill in Parliament having provisions of harsh punishment for people for posting anti-government contents on social media, amid protest by opposition Nepali Congress. In the bill, related to the management and regulation of information technology, the government has prescribed a fine up to Rs 1.5 million and/ or five years imprisonment for individuals who post or propagate online contents deemed “objectionable” by the authorities or character assassination or an attack on national sovereignty. Nepali Congress leader and former Information and Communication

Minister Minendra Rijal said that the government should not criminalise acts of

publishing news or posting message in social media by imposing harsh punishment. “The bill registered by the government in the Parliament indicates that the communist government is moving towards authoritarian rule,” he said at an interaction programme on “Shrinkage of democracy in Nepal” organised by “Campaign for Democracy”.

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40

FIJI

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Australia’s political parties targeted by “Sophisticated” cyber attack Australia appears to be the latest target of politically motivated cyber attacks. Foreign governments have been identified in previous attacks on France, Britain, Germany and the United States; now Australia’s prime minister blamed a “sophisticated state actor” for attacks on the networks of the country’s major political parties.

P r i m e Minister Scott Morrison did not specify which state actor was behind the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on China.

The Sydney Morning H e r a l d reported that the attacks carry the digital fingerprints of China, but cited unnamed “authorities” as saying that another state might have duplicated Beijing’s signature in order to divert blame. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang dismissed the allegation as “baseless speculation” and charged the news media with undermining

China’s relations with Australia. The first sign of intrusion came several weeks ago on the computer network at Parliament House.

On Monday, Prime Minister Morrison told parliament that in the course of investigating that hack, authorities realized that the networks of some political parties had also been affected, namely Labour, the Nationals and his own Liberal party. Nationwide elections in Australia are just a few weeks away, and while Morrison said that there was no evidence of election interference, analysts were quick to recall the Russian hack of Democratic Party emails that were leaked in the run up to the American Presidential election in 2016.

Australia’s Parliamentary communications have been hacked before. In 2011, intruders extracted thousands of confidential emails and documents. According to media reports, the culprit that time, was China.

Man in court for conspiring to overthrow the government A man who allegedly conspired to overthrow the government between September and December, 2011 by allegedly urging another person to burn Suva City, fronted the Suva Magistrates Court today. Apete Vereti’s bail has been extended and the case has been adjourned to 15th March.

Mere Samisoni and Semisi Lasike were

also facing similar charges but it was withdrawn in 2016. The DPP concluded that there was insufficient evidence to proceed with Samisoni and Lasike’s case.

Listen to the latest news on our 5 radio stations Legend FM, Viti FM, Radio Sargam, FM96 and Navtarang.

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Scarcity of properties in the market is the main reason for high prices of houses in the country - Hassan Scarcity of properties in the market has been identified as the main reason for high prices of houses in the country.

This was highlighted by the Real Estate Agents Licensing Board Chairman, Abdul Hassan who was one of the speakers at the Board Talanoa Session.

Hassan says the demand for properties in the market is far more than the supply and this is why there is a boom.

He says they cannot control the prices.

Meanwhile, the President of the Real Estate Agents Association of Fiji, Anand Goundar says agents need to sell houses at proper prices.

Goundar also says there is no regulation in place to limit the selling prices of houses.

MOG says 2018 general elections credible but makes 21 recommendations The Multinational Observer Group for the 2018 general election has released its final report that the election was well‑administered, with voting and counting transparent and credible.

Co‑chaired by Wajid Fauzi from Indonesia, Jane Prentice from Australia and Mukesh Sahu from India, and supported by more than 70 observers from ten countries, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Melanesian Spearhead Group, the Multinational Observer Group says it observed a wide range of electoral processes and consulted extensively with key stakeholders. The report states that the security environment was peaceful and the campaign competitive.

It says that the conditions overall supported Fijians to exercise their right to vote freely and the outcome broadly represented the will of the voters.

The report outlines the group’s findings and offers 21 recommendations to improve the effectiveness of future elections in Fiji.

The Multinational Observer Group has recommended that Fiji develops guidelines for the conduct of Ministers, Members of Parliament and the bureaucracy when the government is in caretaker mode to reinforce public confidence in a level electoral playing field.

Multinational Observer Group speaking with community leaders in Burelevu during the 2018 general elections They say they also require parties to report campaign expenditure following an election and consider setting campaign expenditure limits. The group states that it also wants Fiji to clarify the start and finish of the campaign period so that stakeholders understand their rights and obligations during this time.

Thousand marijuana plants uprooted in Kadavu after two arrested Two men are in custody after Police uprooted more than a thousand plants believed to be marijuana from their farms in Kadavu. The raids were conducted at farms located at Lagalevu and Waisalima. Intelligence gathered by Police in the Southern Division and assistance from villagers contributed to the success of the raids, as information continues to be received on the alleged cultivation of the illicit drug on Kadavu. Raids were conducted at farms

located at Lagalevu and Waisalima Police Commissioner Sitiveni Qiliho says his message to those involved in the drug trade is that ‘we will get you’. Qiliho says they will treat all information and tips with the highest level of confidentiality and members of the public should not fear coming forward, as any officer who gives out information will be dealt with accordingly.

Ministry of Women signs MOU with USP for research on child violence The Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the University of the South Pacific to carry out a research on child violence in Fiji.

Present at the signing was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Women Dr. Josefa Koroivueta who has thanked USP Vice Chancellor Professor Pal Ahluwalia for undertaking this research which will be conducted by the Faculty of Arts, Law and Education.

The research will start next week and the findings will be presented to the Ministry in September.

Dr. Litea Meo‑Sewabu who will be heading the research says the research will define the forms of violence against children in Fiji and it will focus on the family.

Meo‑Sewabu says it will not include schools as per the mandate with the Ministry but will focus on what types of family violence occurs, which ethnic group it is highest in and the geographical areas of high occurrence. She says the Ministry has data on where most of the incidences take place and the research will be carried out on identified families. She says a forum will be called around mid year with stakeholders to discuss the findings and look for ways to stop child violence.

PAKISTAN

Saturday, February 23, 2019 Civil and military leadership to discuss how to defuse Top security body said that Pakistan “not government was “determined involved in any way” in ‘Pulwama terror’ to demonstrate” that it is attack in which 40 soldiers died last week, and capable of protecting its people. said it was “conceived, planned and executed The meeting was convened indigenously” as Prime Minister Imran Khan to discuss the country’s security authorised the military to respond “decisively” situation in the wake of the to any aggression by India.

Pulwama terror attack by a In a statement issued after a key meeting suicide bomber of the Pakistanof the National Security Council chaired based Jaish-e-Mohammad

by Imran Khan, the country’s top civilian terror group. and military leadership said the Pakistan Days after the terror strike by JeM, Prime Provincial assembly speaker arrested by Accountability Bureau National Accountability Bureau arrested Sindh Provincial Assembly Speaker Siraj Durrani from Islamabad hotel, triggering a strong protest from the Pakistan People’s Party which termed the detention of its senior leader as “unacceptable”. It for the first time in history of Pakistan that a sitting assembly speaker was arrested. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Karachi has accused Durrani of illegal appointments, misuse of power, misappropriation of funds and owning assets beyond his known means of income. According to officials, the NAB officials said that they waited for Durrani to leave Sindh province before making the arrest

as Durrani is escorted by his sizable security team in his home province and the officials feared a confrontation would turn violent. The NAB Karachi team travelled to Islamabad to arrest him.

He was initially taken to the NAB Rawalpindi office after which NAB obtained threeday transit remand to bring him back to Karachi for the investigation.

“Agha Siraj Durrani has been arrested.

He is accused of having more assets than know sources of income,” NAB said in a brief statement.

Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir granted the three-day transit, with instructions to produce him in the relevant court in Karachi

India stops flow of water share to Pakistan India decides to stop the flow of water to Pakistan from its share in rivers under International Indus Water Treaty regulating the river flow from India into two countries, an Indian government minister said on Thursday.

“Our government has

decided to stop our share of water which used to flow to Pakistan,” Nitin Gadkari (pictured), India’s transport and water resources minister, tweeted. India will divert water from eastern rivers and supply it to its people instead in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, he said.

tensions with India after Pulwama attack Minister Narendra Modi said security forces have been given free hand to avenge the dastardly act.

“This is a new Pakistan and we are determined to demonstrate to our people that the State is capable of protecting them and believes that monopoly

of violence stays with State,” said a statement issued after the meeting, according to the Radio Pakistan.

“The incident was conceived, planned and executed indigenously,” the statement said, referring the Pulwama terror attack as just an “incident.” The statement said Prime Minister Imran Khan has authorised the armed forces of Pakistan to “respond decisively and comprehensively to any aggression or misadventure by India.”

Gov’t takes control of Jaish-e-Mohammad HQ in Bahawalpur Succumbing to intense international pressure to rein in militant groups operating from its soil, the Pakistan government on

Friday took over the administrative control of the headquarters of JeM, the terror outfit which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack.

FATF condemns Pulwama attack, keeps Pakistan on ‘grey’ list The international terror financing watchdog FATF on Friday condemned the Pulwama terror attack that killed 40 CRPF jawans and decided to continue the ‘grey’ listing of Pakistan for its failure to stop funding of terrorist groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammad, Lashkar-e-Toiba and Jamat-ud-Dawa. In a statement, the Paris-headquartered Financial Action Task Force (FATF) said Pakistan should continue to work on implementing its action

plan to address its strategic deficiencies, including by adequately demonstrating its proper understanding of the terror financing risks posed by the terrorist groups and conducting supervision on a risk-sensitive basis. “The FATF notes with grave concern and condemns the violent terrorist attack last week that killed at least 40 Indian security forces in Pulwama in the State of Jammu and Kashmir,” it said after the week-long FATF

US President Trump wishes to see Pakistan, India getting along US President Donald Trump on Tuesday called Pulwama attack a ‘horrible situation’ and said it would be wonderful if Pakistan and India could get along.

Answering a question about the attack in a the media appearance, he said, “I have watched; I have got a lot of reports on it. We will have comment at an appropriate time. It would be wonderful if they get along.” Last week, the White House had stated that it supported India’s right to self-defense against cross border

terrorism. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Dr Asad Majeed was on Tuesday called in for a meeting by the White House senior officials to discuss issues concerning South Asia. The meeting lasted around 30 minutes. Details of the meeting were not shared but the Trump administration has been urging Pakistan to help negotiate a political settlement with the Taliban for peace in Afghanistan. In the current situation after the bloody attack in Pulwama.

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NRI

Saturday, February 23, 2019

Indian-American couple found dead in apparent murder-suicide An Indian-American couple was found dead in their home in an apparent murdersuicide at an affluent suburb in the US state of Texas, police said.

Police officers were called to the house in Sugar Land on Monday around 6 am.

They found the bodies of Sreenivas Nakirekanti, 51, and his wife, 46-year-old Shanti Nakirekanti, at the scene.

They said Shanti was found with a gunshot wound to her head in the driveway of the home on Pendergrass and Sheffield Court.

Sreenivas was found in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to the chest and a small

handgun nearby, police said.

Police said a preliminary investigation indicated Sreenivas shot and killed Shanti and then turned the gun on himself.

According to the authorities, a 16-year-old girl was asleep in the home at the time of the shooting. She answered the door for police when they arrived and told them her dad was not coming out of the bedroom.

She was not injured. The daughter is now in the care and custody of friends, Sugar Land city spokesman Doug Adolph said.

Friends said the couple also has a 21-yearold son who attends the University of Texas.

Kamala Harris confronts critics questioning her black heritage Kamala Harris directly confronted critics Monday who have questioned her black heritage, her record incarcerating minorities as a prosecutor and her decision to marry a white man. In an interview with The Breakfast Club hosts DJ Envy and Charlamagne Tha God that aired Monday, the show’s hosts asked the California Democrat to address a series of derogatory memes that have circulated on social media. One of the hosts cited a meme that said Harris is “not AfricanAmerican” because her parents were immigrants born in India and Jamaica and she spent her high school years in Canada.

“So I was born in Oakland, and raised in the United States except for the years that I was in high school in Montreal, Canada,” Harris responded with a laugh. “And look, this is the same thing they did to Barack (Obama). This is not new to us and so I think that we know what they are trying to do.”

“They are trying to do what has been happening over the last two years, which is powerful voices trying to sow hate and division, and so we need to recognize when we’re being played,” Harris said.

One of the hosts followed up by asking Harris how she responds to people who question “the legitimacy of your blackness.”

“I think they don’t understand who black people are,” Harris replied. “I’m not going to spend my time trying to educate people about who black people are. Because right now, frankly, I’m focused on, for example, an initiative that I have that is called the ‘LIFT Act’ that is about lifting folks out of poverty,” she said, detailing her plan for a $6,000 tax credit for middle class Americans. “I’m black, and I’m proud of being black,” she said at a later point in the interview.

“I was born black. I will die black, and I’m not going to make excuses for anybody because they don’t understand.”

3 NRI‘s convicted in multi-million dollar money-laundering scheme

Three Indian-Americans are among six people convicted for their role in a twoyear multi-million dollar money-laundering scheme, the US Justice Department has said.

Ravinder Reddy Gudipati, 61; Harsh Jaggi, 54 and Neeru Jaggi, 51, all from Laredo, Texas, were convicted of a money laundering conspiracy following a five-week jury trial.

Along with the Indian-American trio, Adrian Arciniega-Hernandez, 36, of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico; Adriana Alejandra GalvanConstantini, 36 and Luis Montes-Patino, 57, both from Irving, Texas, were convicted, said Assistant Attorney General Brian

Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. Harsh and Adrian were also convicted on two counts of money laundering and Neeru Jaggi was convicted on one count of money laundering. Gudipati was convicted on two counts of money laundering in addition to other counts.

Adrain, Galvan-Constantini, MontesPatino, Gudipati, Harsh and Neeru were part of a complex money laundering scheme whereby money derived from the sale of drugs in the US was laundered through businesses in Laredo in order to return the proceeds to Mexican drug dealers.

Man charged with hate crime after mistakenly punching Sikh employee actually he thought he was Muslim A man has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly attacking a Sikh employee of a California 7-Eleven convenience store.

The man can allegedly be seen on surveillance footage punching the employee, and throwing coffee on him after he attempted to leave without paying for coffee. The man, identified by police as John Crain, was arrested by the Marysville Police Department.

Mr Crain has admitted to the attack, and reportedly told police that hates Muslim, according to the Sacramento Bee. A local news station has confirmed that the clerk was Sikh, and not Muslim. The clerk

reportedly survived the incident with a burn on his face, and injuries from the hot coffee.

The attack was met with condemnation from local Sikh and Muslim organisations, including the Sacramento Valley office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. “We condemn this attack on an individual because of his faith,” Saad Sweilem, civil rights attorney for group, said in a statement. Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds Mr Sweilem continued: “This hate crime represents yet another attack on our Sikh brothers and sisters fueled by Islamophobia and those emboldened by this administration’s xenophobic policies and sentiments.

850 NRI to be released from Saudi jails Saudi Arabia orders release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in Saudi jails on the request of MP Modi.

The decision made after Saudi Crown Prince, and vice president of Council of Defence of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud met with Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi on February

20, 2019. This brings the total number of prisoners in Saudi jails to 1414 and makes now the UAE the top nation in the Gulf with 1606 prisoners held for various offences. “Another big deliverable! At the request of the PM Narendra Modi, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has ordered the release of 850 Indian prisoners lodged in Saudi jails.”

OPINION

Saturday, February 23, 2019

The English voice of the Islamic State steps out of the shadows He’s a Canadian More than four years ago, the FBI appealed to the public to help identify the narrator in one of the Islamic State group’s best-known videos, showing captured Syrian soldiers digging their own graves and then being shot in the head. Speaking fluent English with a North American accent, the man would go on to narrate countless other videos and radio broadcasts by the Islamic State, serving as the terrorist group’s faceless evangelist to Americans and other English speakers seeking to learn about its toxic ideology. Now a 35-year-old Canadian citizen, who studied at a college in Toronto and once worked in information technology at a company

contracted by IBM, says he is the anonymous narrator. That man, Mohammed Khalifa, captured in Syria last month by a U.S.-backed militia, spoke in his first interview about being the voice of the 2014 video, known as “Flames of War.” He described himself as a rank-andfile employee of the Islamic State’s Ministry of Media, the unit responsible for publicizing such brutal footage as the beheading of American journalist James Foley and the burning of a Jordanian pilot.

“No, I don’t regret it,” Khalifa said from a prison in northeastern Syria. “I was asked the same thing by my interrogators, and I told them the same thing.”

‘I’ve never regretted it’: Why couples are still choosing arranged marriage Social Sharing Sandip and Rushita Dobariya refer to their union as an arranged marriage, but the Regina couple say they fell in love long before they said ‘I do.’

Sitting in their downtown Regina apartment more than three years after their wedding, the couple recalled their first meeting at Rushita’s house in India. Sandip was talking with Rushita’s dad and grandfather when she came in with a glass of water for him.

“I looked up and looked at her and I felt: she is the one I want to marry,” Sandip said. I looked up and looked at her and I felt: she is the one I want to marry. - Sandip Dobariya I talked to her for 15 to 20 minutes and then I felt comfortable; I felt connected to her; I felt that she is the one I want to spend my life with.” Rushita felt the same butterflies.

“There was like the first click in my heart and in my mind, too, so I kind of knew at that time that he is the right choice for

me.”The Dobariyas in their downtown Regina apartment. “When I met her I knew that, OK she is the one and she makes me comfortable.

So I know that my life will be more comfortable and happily ever after,” Sandip says. The path to arranged marriage Sandip grew up in a small village in India but moved to Canada in 2011 to further his studies. He got his permanent residency in 2013. That same year, he went home to visit his parents.

The then-26-year-old wasn’t sure if he was ready to get married but wanted to make his parents happy. In India, marriages are usually divided into two categories: arranged marriages or love marriages. With arranged marriages, parents usually introduce their son or daughter to prospective mates.

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Money laundering by foreigners is what’s really destroying housing affordability in Canada Of all the recent legal shenanigans in Ottawa, the failure to plug money laundering loopholes remains the most egregious. Here’s the problem: Canadian cities rate highly among the most desirable in the world, but also the most unaffordable. Vancouver took the top spot for unaffordability in 2017 based on the gap between low incomes and high prices, according to a global study. Toronto was the 13th most unaffordable — a major obstacle to attracting talent or head offices. The culprit has been money laundering — by criminals, kleptocrats and tax evaders. Their favourite means of hiding money is real estate. In 2018, Ontario and B.C. imposed a 15 per cent tax on non-resident buyers, resulting in home sales falling around 40 per cent in Vancouver in January compared to the same period last year. In the Toronto region, the average sale price of a home in 2018 fell slightly to $787,300 from $822,681 — still excessive when taking income-to-pricing into consideration. Much more must be done by governments. The foreign-buyer tax can be evaded easily because there are no transparency and disclosure requirements. Anti-corruption organization Transparency International offered a glimpse into the scale of foreign speculation abuse in 2015 with an analysis of Vancouver’s 100 most valuable property deals.

It found nearly 50 per cent of ownerships were hidden through shell companies, nominees and trusts. The same likely applies to Toronto and Montreal, where money is parked in condos that are often left vacant. Statistics Canada says the RCMP estimates up to $15 billion of laundered money enters Canada each year. That doesn’t include laundering by crooks who also bury proceeds in real estate. What governments must do, according to the latest report by the United Nation’s Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is crack down on money laundering enablers in Canada — lawyers, real estate agents, notaries and developers. “Requirements (in Canada) are inoperative toward legal

counsels, legal firms and Quebec notaries,” said the FATF report. “In light of these professionals’ key gatekeeper role, in particular in highrisk sectors and activities such as real-estate transactions and the formation of corporations and trusts, this constitutes a serious impediment to Canada’s efforts to fight money laundering (or terrorist financing).” Naturally, vested interests claim money laundering and foreign buying are minuscule. But if true, then why did taxes on a small percentage of foreign owners in B.C. and Ontario (along with a ban on foreign buying in New Zealand) bring about price relief, mostly on luxury properties? The disclosure of beneficial owners is a key solution. Otherwise, for example, real estate can be bought by a proxy person or company. Typically, funds come from a trust, managed by a shell company owned by another trust with an account in Luxembourg or Vanuatu, managed by a Swiss or Singaporean banker who doesn’t know the owner. Such arrangements must be illegal. The U.S. Treasury Department now requires beneficial ownership disclosure. This is what Canada must do to drive out dirty money and get prices in line: — Create a public registry of beneficial owners, and penalties for non-disclosure; — Lawyers, real estate agents and notaries must report suspicious owners and transactions, as is now required of banks; — Speculation must be stopped by taxing residences that are unoccupied, which will also free up supply; and — Where real estate prices have soared above affordable levels for locals, bans on foreign ownership should be imposed as has been done in New Zealand, China, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Poland and Malta, among others.

Current proposals by the NDP — to flood the market with new affordable housing — or by conservatives — to lift zoning restrictions — simply won’t move the dial.

Courtesy: Diane Francis

SUPER

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Saturday, February 23, 2019