Pakistan International Airline Staff Continue to Disappear in Toronto
PIA’s flight attendants like to go missing in Canada, but one had trouble returning home. A crew member on a Pakistan International Airlines flight from Islamabad to Toronto was fined for traveling without a passport. The incident occurred on March 15 and was reported on Sunday. The attendant was fined $200 for negligence and landing in Toronto without a passport, according to the outlet.
A source who works at PIA denied that the steward was attempting to stay in Canada and claim political asylum.
Secret RCMP report warns Canadians may revolt once they realize how broke they are
A secret RCMP report is warning the federal government that Canada may descend into civil unrest once citizens realize the hopelessness of their economic situation. “The coming period of recession will … accelerate the decline in living standards that the younger generations have already witnessed compared to earlier generations,” reads the report, entitled Whole-ofGovernment Five-Year Trends for Canada.
“For example, many Canadians under 35 are unlikely ever to be able to buy a place to live,” it adds. The report, labelled secret, is intended as a piece of “special operational
India announces 6-week general elections starting April 19 with Modi’s BJP topping surveys
India on Saturday announced its 6-weeklong general elections will start on April 19, with most surveys predicting a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party. Voting in the world’s largest democracy will stretch over seven phases, with different states voting at different times and results will be announced on June 4. Over 970 million voters — more than 10% of the world’s population — will elect 543 members for the lower house of Parliament for a term of five years. Modi, who is seeking a third consecutive term, faces little challenge as the main opposition alliance of over two dozen regional parties led by the Indian National Congress party appears to be cracking, riven by rivalries, political defections and ideological clashes. Read more on Page 2...
information” to be distributed only within the RCMP and among “decision-makers” in the federal government. A heavily redacted version was made public as a result of an access to information request filed by Matt Malone, an assistant professor of law at British Columbia’s Thompson Rivers University, and an expert in government secrecy. Describing itself in an introduction as a “scanning exercise,” the report is intended to highlight trends in both Canada and abroad “that could have a significant effect on the Canadian government and the RCMP.”
Asylum claims by students at two Ontario colleges are ‘alarming’
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller warned last month that the increases in the number of asylum claims from international students is “alarming” and “totally unacceptable.” Speaking ahead of cabinet meeting on Parliament Hill, Miller highlighted Toronto’s Seneca College, where asylum claims from international students increased from 300 in 2022 to almost 700 in 2023, and Kitchener’s Conestoga College, where claims jumped from 106 to 450 during that same period, reports The Canadian Press. “Those numbers have now been officially confirmed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada,” notes Waterloo Region Record in its recently published report.
A CBC investigation last month found that Conestoga led all Canadian colleges and universities with the most international student study permit applications approved in 2023, with 30,395 international students accepted. This was more than double the next institution on the list, University Canada West B.C., which saw 13,913 international students in 2023. Fanshawe College was third with 11,706 international students.
SATURDAY,
18-year-old hoping to “spoil her parents” after a huge lottery win
Turning 18 is a massive milestone for Canadians: You’re old enough to vote, and depending on your province, you can buy alcohol and play the lottery. But for one teen, turning 18 just became even more memorable.
Damanpreet Kaur lives in Lanaudière, Quebec, and on her birthday, she recalled how her mother offered her a lottery ticket as a birthday gift since she was now technically old enough to play. While at Dépanneur
J&G, located at 72 Rue Saint-Jacques in SaintPierre, her mom bought her an 88 Fortunes, a scratch ticket which costs $5 per play.
Kaur completely forgot about the ticket until the next day. So she got her ticket, started scratching it, and saw that she had won the top prize. She said she wasn’t entirely sure what to do, so she showed her mother the ticket.
Her mom confirmed it was a winning ticket: Kaur had just won $88,888.
India announces 6-week general elections starting April 19 with Modi’s BJP topping surveys
Continued from Page 1...
Analysts say the elections are likely to cement Modi as one of India’s most enduring most consequential leaders who has sought to transform the country from a secular democracy into an avowedly Hindu nation.
Each election phase will last one day and several
constituencies — spread across multiple states, densely populated cities and far-flung villages — will vote that day. The staggered polling allows the government to deploy tens of thousands of troops to prevent violence and transport electoral officials and voting machines.
Accused Vancouver stabber involved in same-day spree of violence, police say
The suspect in a random downtown stabbing on Wednesday afternoon was involved in a series of incidents before being arrested, Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer said at a press conference on Thursday.
“What we are learning is concerning,” he said. The attack happened just before noon in the area of Smithe and Beatty streets. A man was reportedly chasing multiple people while armed with a knife.
A 61-year-old man was stabbed and seriously injured, Palmer said. He was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover.
“As officers tended to the victim, other officers flooded the area, searched for and located the suspect and took him into custody,” he added.
Officers used a Taser to take the suspect down. “I just want to reiterate that the victim and the suspect in this case are total strangers, they have no prior relationship with one another and that my thoughts are with the victim and his family,” Palmer added.
The suspect, a 46-year-old man, is known to police and appears to have mental health challenges, Palmer said.
He has previously spent time in Surrey and Delta after returning from Thailand in 2022 where he spent time in custody for multiple offences including breaking into a bank, causing damage inside and overstaying his tourist visa, Palmer explained.
“Six days ago, on March 15, the suspect was released from Fraser Regional Correctional Centre, on probation, after
serving a jail sentence for uttering threats against his own family members and also against prominent federal politicians,” he said.
He then failed to report to his probation officer on Wednesday morning in Surrey and was subsequently involved in a number of incidents in Vancouver.
“We now believe the same man is responsible for five separate violent and unprovoked incidents that unfolded in downtown Vancouver throughout the morning yesterday,” Palmer said.
At 8:40 a.m. on Wednesday, a man was attacked near Seymour and West Cordova streets.
Minutes later, a 911 call came in with a report that a man had entered a coffee shop near Harbour Centre. Palmer said there was a disturbance where a window was broken and customers feared for their safety.
The third incident happened at about 11:25 a.m. when a man was walking near Main and Prior streets when a man lunged at him with a knife and was yelling at him.
The victim managed to run away from the attacker, Palmer added.
The suspect was then involved in the random stabbing of the 61-year-old victim where he was taken into custody.
“Shortly after he was arrested, we learned that the suspect was involved in an additional assault, which is still under investigation,” Palmer said.
Kent Meades, 46, has now been charged with assault with a weapon, assault uttering threats and more charges are expected, Palmer added. Meades remains in custody.
“What’s being done to help with housing and the cost of living? ”
The BC government is taking action to help increase affordable housing supply and offset the rising cost of living.
Cracking down on short-term rentals and speculators
Capping rent increases below inflation
Up to $400 tax credit for qualified renters
Building more homes for people with middle incomes
Increasing the BC family benefit
Reducing child care costs
HOLI KE SAATH BHI, HOLI KE BAAD BHI.
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Higher spending on K-12 education
does not result in better student outcomes
Higher levels of per-student spending do not achieve higher student scores on standardized tests, either internationally or among the provinces, finds a new report published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank.
“Just spending more on K-12 education does not lead to better student outcomes,” said Derek J. Allison, Fraser Institute senior fellow and author of School Spending and Performance in Canada and Other HighIncome Countries.
The study compares provincial perstudent spending on K-12 education in 2018 (the last year of comparable data) to other high-income countries in the OECD and to performance on the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).
It finds that higher per-student spending levels are not associated with stronger academic achievement. In fact, in 2018, 10 countries—or one third—of the highincome OECD countries included in the analysis spent more per student than Canada but achieved significantly lower PISA scores.
Similarly, among the provinces, Saskatchewan was the highest per-student spender among the provinces but had only the 8th best PISA scores. Manitoba was the second highest per-student spender and recorded the lowest PISA scores nationwide.
Conversely, British Columbia was the lowest spender per student in Canada and achieved the fourth-highest PISA scores.
“The evidence is clear—simply spending more on established K-12 schools without finding new and better ways to help kids learn will not improve student outcomes,” Allison said.
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New parking, amenities ready for commercial truckers in Surrey
Commercial long-haul drivers travelling through the Lower Mainland will soon have another safe, convenient place to stop and rest when the North Surrey Truck Parking Facility opens next week just off Highway 17 (South Fraser Perimeter Road).
“Commercial long-haul drivers are the lifeblood of our supply chain, and it’s important they’re supported with infrastructure that allows them to do their jobs safely, efficiently and comfortably,” said Rob Fleming, B.C.’s Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “The new North Surrey Truck Parking Facility is an important addition for commercial drivers travelling to and through the Lower Mainland, as it provides another safe, secure and convenient place to stop and rest.”
The new North Surrey Truck Parking Facility is on Highway 17, about 600 metres east of the Port Mann Bridge. The facility is scheduled to open to commercial long-haul truckers on March 28, 2024.
“By investing in a designated truck parking facility, commercial drivers will be able to rest safely and securely after driving long distances transporting goods and materials across Canada to support our economy,” said Randeep Sarai, MP for Surrey Centre, on behalf of Sean Fraser, federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
“Providing drivers with these essential amenities will allow them to refresh and recharge, ensuring they can continue their journeys efficiently and safely to reach their destinations. We are committed to continuing investment in projects like this one to promote economic growth and
build more resilient communities.”
The site was chosen for its proximity to major Lower Mainland truck routes. The secured site has parking for 106 commercial trucks, and includes facilities such as washrooms with showers, a sanidump for drivers, and security measures, such as fencing, cameras and 24-hour security.
“Providing adequate parking facilities for commercial drivers to rest and recharge is vital to enhance safety in B.C.’s commercial trucking industry,” said Dave Earle, president and CEO, BC Trucking Association. “This is a great facility that I am confident will be extensively used. I am also pleased to hear that the Province is exploring additional parking options for commercial vehicles as it improves the Highway 1 corridor through the Fraser Valley.”
Tybo Contracting Ltd. of Langley was responsible for construction of the new North Surrey Truck Parking Facility. The first phase of work, including a signalized intersection along Highway 17 to provide safe access to the new facility, was completed by contractor Jacob Bros. Construction.
The Province of B.C. contributed $17 million to the construction of the new facility, while the federal government is contributing to this project as part of a larger $109-million investment that also includes funding for the widening of the Trans-Canada Highway 1 between 216th and 264th streets. This initiative is funded through the New Building Canada Fund’s Provincial- Territorial Infrastructure Component, National and Regional Projects.
Man charged after senior shoved face-first into SkyTrain in Vancouver
A 34-year-old man has been charged with assault after a senior was shoved facefirst into a SkyTrain car earlier this month.
In a media release, Metro Vancouver Transit Police said the incident happened on March 11 at Granville Station. According to police, the 70-year-old victim was waiting for the train when he heard someone yelling behind him.
The man ignored the yelling, but when the train pulled into the station the suspect grabbed him from behind him and violently pushed him, police said. “The force of the push caused the victim to hit the train head first and fall to the ground,” police said in
the release.
“Several passengers then intervened, placing themselves between the victim and the suspect, preventing the suspect from approaching the victim while he lay on the ground. ” The victim was taken to hospital where he received surgery for injuries to his head and face, police said.
The suspect fled but was identified and arrested several days later.
Tyler Meetoos has been charged with assault causing bodily harm.
He has been released from custody with an order banning him from SkyTrain stations and is due in court on March 28.
Prince Rupert family shares health-care horror story
A Prince Rupert, B.C., family says the overnight closure of their hospital’s emergency ward turned into another health-care nightmare.
Tish Losier said her husband Joe Budnisky began having epileptic seizures early Monday morning while the Prince Rupert ER was closed due to staffing shortages.
“An ambulance got here in a reasonable amount of time,” Losier said.
“Firstly, they told us that the ER was closed and they would likely have to transport us to Terrace. I agreed. I mean, we needed medical care for him as soon as possible. If that’s the place that’s open, that’s where we needed to go.” Terrace’s hospital is 90 minutes away.
However, the paramedics then told Losier it would be better to wait those 90 minutes until the Prince Rupert ER would open.
They waited it out with the paramedics but Losier said when they went to the ER once it opened, the situation got even worse.
“Well, to be honest, they didn’t give him any of the medicine that they usually give him,” she said.
“It was really really hectic in there. They opened the doors, there was people
immediately waiting for services as well as our ambulance waiting outside.”
Losier said Budnisky was given some pain medication and had X-rays taken due to the pain in his ribs.
They were then released. Budnisky had a large laceration on his head, but when she called 911 that time, the dispatch operator told her there were no ambulances available.
“I asked for fire rescue or RCMP, somebody to help me with this man,” she said. “And they said they didn’t know what our service agreements were here at town and nobody came.”
Losier said she was holding her husband’s head together, screaming for help.
“It was terrifying and traumatic,” she said.
“And yeah, I still really, I really feel that I felt like I was abandoned by the system. I had to get the neighbours to help me. Yeah, the neighbours heard me screaming and thank God somebody came up to help.”
The ER department at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital was closed for the third night in a row on Tuesday, due to “challenges with physician coverage.”
Health Minister Adrian Dix said the government has done “a lot of work in Prince Rupert over the last year.”
$300,000 in meth, drugs, smartphones seized during search at Mission jail
Police are investigating after nearly $300,000 in contraband, including methamphetamines and other drugs, was seized from the medium-security unit at Mission Institution.
The Correctional Service of Canada said the items were taken during a search of the unit on Sunday.
The service credited “the vigilance of staff members” for spotting the contraband, which also included two smartphones and accessories. The total value of the seizures is estimated at $298,310, acting assistant warden Mike Skalicky said in a statement on Tuesday.
Police were notified and a criminal investigation has been started.
The correctional service “uses a number of tools to prevent drugs from entering its institutions,” said Skalicky. “These tools include ion scanners and drug-detector
dogs to search buildings, personal property, inmates and visitors.”
Following the seizures, security has been heightened to prevent contraband coming into the jail.
A tip line has also been so people can alert officials of drug use, trafficking or any other activities that “may threaten the safety and security of visitors, inmates and staff members” at all federal prisons.
The toll-free number is 1-866-780-3784 and all callers remain anonymous.
BC Supreme Court orders man to pay ‘sexual battery’ victim $1,750 a month
A man in northern B.C. has been ordered to pay a woman $1,750 a month for 10½ years to pay off the $272,000 in damages awarded to her after a lawsuit found he had committed sexual battery against her at a house party. Shayl Nole, 26, was assessed the damages after a civil trial more than two years ago.
The more recent reasons for decision came after a judge held a two-day hearing in Victoria last month over payment terms. Nole had requested payments of $1,000 a month and the victim’s lawyer suggested he pay $3,000 a month.
The judge ruled Nole bought the truck and snowmobile even though he knew he would have to pay the judgment and therefore “prioritized his own consumer spending over his obligation to pay.”
Nole, an apprentice heavy duty mechanic who works in northern B.C., makes about $40 an hour for the two weeks a month he works in camp and about $20 to $30 an hour on cash jobs he takes on his days off, for an annual income of $115,000, according to the decision.
He pays $2,600 in rent for him and his girlfriend, who is due to have a baby in July. He also has about $2,000 a month in loan payments for a $110,000 2017 truck and $375 a month for a new 2024 snowmobile he recently purchased, the decision said.
The judge didn’t agree he should pay smaller monthly payments to the plaintiff, who Postmedia News has chosen not to identify because of a policy of not naming victims of sexual assault.
The woman “should not not have to subsidize Mr. Nole’s ownership of two expensive, heavily financed vehicles,” wrote Justice Sandra Harper.
The original damages were awarded after the victim filed a lawsuit.
She said she had laid a complaint in April 2017 against her attacker with police, but the RCMP didn’t act on the complaint. Criminal charges have never been laid against Nole.
The case was a “complicated and tragic case involving mutual allegations of sexual battery,” wrote Justice Palbinder Kaur Shergill in her reasons for judgment delivered in 2022, after more than 30 days of trial in Smithers in 2021.
On Jan. 24, 2016, the two were at a house party in Dease Lake.
The woman, now 36, who had a traumatic childhood and was the victim of multiple sexual assaults by different assailants, struggled with alcohol use. At the party, she got drunk and went to bed fully clothed at around 5 a.m., the judge said. She woke up six hours later without most or all her clothes off, next to Nole, who was unclothed.
undermines economy: Report
The federal government’s expensive, bloated and overly complicated personal income tax (PIT) system is undermining economic growth, productivity and prosperity for Canadians, according to a new study by the fiscally conservative Fraser Institute.
When combined with provincial PIT rates, the report says, Canada’s taxes are also uncompetitive with the United States.
The report released on Tuesday, Enhancing Economic Growth Through Federal Personal Income Tax Reform, recommends cutting federal PIT rates and reducing the number of income categories that determine how much Canadians pay in federal PIT from five to two. It also recommends eliminating 49 tax credits, deductions and preferential programs that benefit some taxpayers, but not others, and using the money saved to help pay for broad-based federal PIT reform.
“With this plan … the federal government could create a more pro-growth environment
than Canadians are presently living in,” said study co-author Jake Fuss. “By making these changes, Canada would (also) be more tax competitive with the U.S., which currently enjoys a substantial advantage over us on personal income taxes.”
Canada’s current annual PIT thresholds and the rate Canadians pay in federal income taxes depend on which category they are in: The tax rate is 15% for annual income of $15,000 to $53,359; 20.5% for income from $53,630 to $106,717; 26% for income from $106,718 to $165,430; 29% for income from $165,431 to $235,675; and 33% for income above $235,675.
The Fraser study recommends reducing the number of income thresholds from five to two and lowering tax rates across the board for anyone earning more than $53,359 annually.
Under the plan, the federal PIT rate would be 15% for incomes from $15,000 to $235,675 and 29% on income above that.
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Landing in Canada without a passport has led to a fine for a Pakistani flight attendant amid a rash of disappearances of the airline’s workers after landing at Pearson International Airport in Mississauga.
The latest incident happened when Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) PK781 flight landed at Pearson from Islamabad on Friday, according to multiple reports out of India.
The female flight attendant reportedly boarded the flight using “general declaration documents” after forgetting her passport in the Karachi airport, and upon landing
British Columbia’s emergency management minister has announced $39 million in new funding for more than 50 new projects responding to more frequent climate-related emergencies across the province.
On Thursday, the province also unveiled a new plan to prevent, respond to, and help communities recover from flooding disasters.
The need for a new plan arose after the atmospheric river in November 2021 that caused catastrophic flooding, deadly landslides and the destruction of
was hit with a $200 fine from Canadian authorities.
A spokesperson for PIA told the Hindustan Times that the flight attendant who landed without their passport will be returning to Pakistan on PIA flight PK782, which is not scheduled to fly back to Islamabad on Thursday according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.
While the incident is being described as a mistake by the airline, the fine comes as at least 10 PIA flight attendants have reportedly disappeared in Canada after landing at Pearson in the last few years.
Amid a rash of disappearances, Pakistani flight attendant fined after flight to Pearson Airport in Mississauga BC unveils $39M for climate emergencies, new flood plan
key highways across B.C., said Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma. “2021 was a turning point when we realized the climate crisis hit home in a truly resounding way,” Ma said at a news conference on Thursday. “The atmospheric river of 2021 is seared into the memories of British Columbians.
“In the face of climate change, our government is putting a stronger emphasis on preparing for and mitigating disasters, while ensuring we are responding to active emergencies and recovery for communities and people affected.”
Schools to remain closed while Northern and Eastern schools to open
Schools in Viti Levu will remain closed while schools in the Northern and Eastern divisions including all maritime schools, are open today.
Permanent Secretary for Education, Selina Kuruleca says they are concerned about the safety and accessibility of students who have to travel from outside the towns where schools are located.
She says these students have to cross streams and roads which could be dangerous, especially in the heavy rain that they have been experiencing recently, and therefore, to ensure their safety, the Ministry has decided to keep schools in Viti Levu closed until further notice.
Kuruleca says all schools outside Viti Levu will be open tomorrow.
The Permanent Secretary further adds that boarding schools with boarders onsite may continue with their instructional programs.
Kuruleca says parents must exercise discretion and Heads of Schools should
remain in contact with their School Management Committees, District, and Divisional Officers for updates.
She says a circular detailing contingency plans to recover lost learning and teaching time will be disseminated to schools in the next few days.
She also says they recognize that schools may prefer to use different modalities to recover the lost learning and teaching time, so they will provide a few options to them.
She adds they will not cut into the school term holidays.
The Permanent Secretary says tertiary institutions are advised to use their discretion regarding their class offerings.
Army Commander reveals he was asked to remove certain people after the 2022 general elections
The Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Major General Ro Jone Kalouniwai has revealed on fijivillage Straight Talk With Vijay Narayan that he was getting calls from certain people after the 2022 general elections to remove certain people from some positions.
Major General Kalouniwai says these were real testing times for the RFMF.
When asked on what is his stand on those detractors trying to derail the RFMF’s standards and principles and influence the RFMF to take illegal actions against the government which could even result in him being targeted, the Commander says he will continue to follow the rule of law. Although Major General Kalouniwai did not reveal the names of those people calling him to remove people, he says he will remain within the
bounds of the law.
The Commander says his intent at the RFMF is based on the issue of trust and that is transformational leadership.
While leading the reconciliation and peace efforts within the RFMF, Major General Kalouniwai says as a leader of the military, he believes transformational leadership is very important because it makes you lead by example and build genuine trust and allows you to have that sense of unity. He says transactional leadership has always influenced the loyalty of individuals not just within the RFMF but other organisations as well. The Commander says when the individual realises the values, ethics and principles of the institution, they will always have the moral courage to speak out.
Americans launch own kava
American kava is officially on the map with the first mix yesterday of American-grown kava produced specifically for the American kava drinking market.
Produced by the American Kava Growers’ Group, a collective of American kava growing pioneers, Americangrown kava is a significant shift in kava as a crop associated exclusively with Pacific island countries and known to be grown only in the Pacific region due to its cultural significance.
“There’s definitely a difference between American cultivars and Pacific cultivars,” Tyler Blythe, co-founder of Kali Kava and Root of Happiness Kava Company and Bars told The Fiji Times.
“The American cultivars that we have here comes from the Pacific, they came originally
from Hawaii but they’ve been grown here for 33 iterations. So, in the same way that Pacific people have taken kava from, say, Tonga and grown it in Fiji and selected through positive traits that Fijians like, Americans have taken Pacific kava grown in Hawaii and we’ve selected for certain traits and characteristics that we find desirable.”
Through acclimation, adaptation and an accelerated natural selection process, the group has created unique kava varieties that are now grown in South Florida and can also be grown in coastal Southern California.
The group’s goal is “to produce the finest kava varieties on earth and establish American states and territories as the next specialty kava growing regions.”
Santiago Martin is the ‘lottery king’ India’s top political donor
Santiago Martin’s company, Future Gaming and Hotel Services Pvt. Ltd, bought electoral bonds worth 13.68bn rupees ($165m, £130m) between April 2019 and January 2024 under the scheme which allowed political donors to remain anonymous - until the Supreme Court recently scrapped the scheme and ordered their names to be published.
While donations under this scheme were not illegal, electoral bonds have been accused of making political funding more opaque. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which introduced the scheme was the biggest beneficiary, securing almost half of the bonds donated between 2018 and 2024.
irregularities including lottery fraud.
Mr Martin has not given any public statements since the electoral bonds data was published. The BBC has emailed Future Gaming and messaged Mr Martin’s wife, Leema Rose Martin, but has not received responses yet.
Since then, it has emerged that of the bonds bought by Mr Martin’s company, more than 5bn rupees went to the regional Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party which governs the southern state of Tamil Nadu where Mr Martin started his business. It’s not clear yet who the remaining recipients are. A closer look at Mr Martin’s life reveals a fascinating rags-to-riches story, as he went from working as a daily-wage labourer to running a lottery empire that stretches across several Indian states as well as the neighbouring country of Bhutan.
But Mr Martin, 63, is also seen as a controversial figure - he has been dogged by political scandals and has been accused by authorities of being involved in financial
Reports say Mr Martin was born in 1961 in the Andaman islands off India’s east coast. As a teenager, he is believed to have worked as a dailywage labourer in present-day Myanmar. In the1980s, he returned to India and began working in a tea shop in Tamil Nadu.
He was struck by the popularity of lottery tickets among all sections of Tamil Nadu’s population, but especially the poor. It prompted him to start the business which would make him a millionaire.
Mr Martin opened his first shop in Coimbatore city and within a few years, overtook two competitors to become the biggest seller of lottery tickets in Tamil Nadu.
Mr Martin scaled up the sales of what were known as “two-digit” lottery tickets - scratch cards which revealed two digits that the buyer could instantly check against winning numbers revealed through a live telecast facilitated by his company.
A political observer who spoke to the BBC on condition of anonymity recalls seeing people crowding before small shops, watching lottery draws on “the smallest of TV sets”.
Enforcement Directorate arrests Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday night in an excise policylinked money-laundering case, officials said.
The arrest, the first of a sitting chief minister, came hours after the Delhi High Court refused to grant protection to the AAP national convener from any coercive action by the agency.
Kejriwal was taken to the ED headquarters at 11 pm, nearly two hours after his arrest at around 9 pm. He will spend the night at the ED headquarters.
The 55-year-old leader’s arrest, amid campaign for the Lok Sabha elections, drew
angry reactions from his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Soon after the high court order, an ED team reached his residence and carried out searches. Subsequently, he was arrested, officials said. Officials said the ED would produce the chief minister before a court here on Friday and seek his custody for interrogation. As the ED officials carried out their action inside, additional Delhi Police personnel and Rapid Action Force (RAF) and CRPF teams were deployed around the chief minister’s residence. The additional deployment was made as the ED sought extra security measures in anticipation of protests by AAP supporters, sources said.
Provided all details of electoral bonds to Election Commission, SBI tells Supreme Court
The State Bank of India told the Supreme Court on Thursday it has provided all details of the electoral bonds in its possession to the Election Commission. In a compliance affidavit filed in the apex court, the SBI chairman said the complete bank account numbers and KYC details of the political parties have not been made public “as it may compromise the security of the account (cyber security)”. “Similarly, KYC details of purchasers are also not being made public for security reasons, apart from the fact that such information is not fed/collated in the system. However, they are not necessary for identifying the political parties,” the affidavit filed by Dinesh Kumar Khara . The affidavit said the SBI has revealed information which will show the name of the purchaser of the
bond, its denomination and specific number, the name of the party that encashed it, the last four digits of the bank account number of political parties that redeemed the bond and the denomination and unique number of the bond encashed. “On March 21, 2024, the State Bank of India has provided/disclosed all details of the electoral bonds which are in its possession and custody to the Election Commission of India,” it said.
“It is respectfully submitted that the SBI has now disclosed all details and that no details (other than complete account numbers & KYC details) have been withheld from disclosure in terms of the directions contained in… the judgment dated February 15, 2024 read with order dated March 18, 2024 passed by this court,” the affidavit said.
CBI registers FIR against TMC leader Mahua Moitra in cash-for-query case
Acting on the directions of anti-corruption ombudsman Lokpal, the CBI on Thursday registered an FIR against former Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra in the cashfor-query case, officials said.
The Lokpal has issued the directions to the CBI after receiving findings of the agency’s preliminary inquiry into allegations made by BJP Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey against Moitra.
The Lokpal had directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to submit its findings in six months before it after investigating all aspects of the complaints against her in the matter.
Lok Sabha had expelled Moitra in December last year for “unethical conduct”.
The former MP has challenged her
expulsion in the Supreme Court and will again be on the hustings during the general elections as the TMC’s candidate from the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat in West Bengal.
Dubey has alleged that Moitra asked questions in Lok Sabha in exchange for cash and gifts from Dubaibased businessman Darshan Hiranandani to mount an attack on industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi among others. Moitra has denied all charges.
The Lokpal found that “allegations levelled against the RPS (Respondent Public Servant), most of which are supported by cogent evidence, are extremely serious in nature, especially in view of the position held by her”.
Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest a big blow to AAP before general election
From leading the ‘India Against Corruption’ movement to becoming the chief minister of Delhi thrice in a row, Arvind Kejriwal, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate on Thursday, has had a chequered career as a bureaucratturned-activist-turned-politician.
Kejriwal’s arrest comes at a time when his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is making a serious foray into electoral politics through a tie-up with its opposition INDIA bloc partner Congress for the Lok Sabha polls in Delhi, Haryana and Gujarat.
The 55-year-old AAP national convener’s arrest may have serious repercussions on the poll fortunes of the party since he has been at the centre of its plans and strategy for the Lok Sabha election.
In his absence, the party stares at uncertainty as many of its other senior leaders are either in jail or in political obscurity.
His trusted aides -- Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia -- are in prison in connection with the excise policy case, while another trusted aide Satyendar Jain is
in jail in a separate money-laundering case.
An IIT graduate, Kejriwal first led AAP to form the government in Delhi in 2013 with outside support from the Congress. He faced off with former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the New Delhi constituency and defeated her by a margin of 22,000 votes in his poll debut.
But the Aam Aadmi Party-Congress government lasted only 49 days as Kejriwal resigned since he was unable to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Delhi Assembly.
Buoyed by the party’s electoral gains in its first-ever elections in Delhi, Kejriwal announced his decision to face off with the BJP’s Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi, only to face a crushing defeat.
The next year, Kejriwal led AAP to victory on 67 seats in the national capital, restricting the BJP, which was riding the Modi wave, to only three seats while the Congress drew a blank.
In the run-up to the 2015 Assembly polls, he had constantly apologised for his actions during the 49-day tenure in 2013 and promised not to quit again.
Emerging from the anti-corruption movement of 2011, AAP was founded in the national capital by Kejriwal and his closest associates on Gandhi Jayanti (October 2) the next year.
Within a short span of 12 years, Kejriwal has single-handedly led AAP’s rise as the third largest national party of the country, following the BJP and the Congress, having its footprints not only in Delhi and Punjab but also in faraway Gujarat and Goa.
Arvind Kejriwal to continue as Delhi CM, to run government from jail: Atishi
Delhi minister Atishi on Thursday said Arvind Kejriwal would continue as the chief minister and run the city government from prison if needed after his arrest by the ED in an excise policy-linked money-laundering case. She said the Aam Aadmi Party had moved the Supreme Court against the action by the federal agency. “He will continue as the chief minister of Delhi. If need be, he
will run the government from jail. There is no rule that stops him from running the government from jail,” Atishi told reporters here.
In a post on ‘X’, the AAP leader said, “We have moved the Supreme Court for quashing the arrest of Delhi CM @ArvindKejriwal, by ED. We have asked for an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court tonight itself.”
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Pro-Khalistan Sikh activist jailed for stabbing at Independence Day event in UK
A 26-year-old pro-Khalistan Sikh activist who pleaded guilty to causing injury to two Indian-origin men and a female police officer at an Indian Independence Dayrelated community event in west London last year has been sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment.
Gurpreet Singh appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday after pleading guilty in January to the unlawful wounding of victims Aashish Sharma and Nanak Singh and causing actual bodily harm (ABH) to Police Constable (PC) Justine Nicolle Farrell, as well as a fourth count of affray.
The incident occurred during an Indian Independence Day-related community event in Southall on August 15 night last year, with videos circulating on social media showing a clash involving some proKhalistan extremists and police officers chasing suspects.
“Gurpreet Singh was sentenced to 28 months’ imprisonment after he entered guilty pleas in respect of four counts on the indictment on January 12,” a court
official said. The court heard that the Indian national was carrying a kirpan, which was used as a “weapon of offence”. Singh could face deportation to India at the end of his sentence.
“I recognise the enormous concern this incident will have caused, both in Southall and in the Sikh communities around London and further afield, in what was an otherwise largely peaceful and celebratory event,” said Metropolitan Police Superintendent Sean Lynch, responsible for neighbourhood policing in west London at the time of the incident last year.
“We are aware of footage circulating on social media, with people also commenting on what they think happened. We would urge people to avoid echoing or adding to speculation. Fortunately, none of those injured were seriously hurt and there were no fatalities,” he said.
PC Justine Farrell was involved in detaining Singh and sustained a small cut to her hand, which the Met Police said did not require hospital treatment.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann dubs ED ‘BJP’s political team’; Kejriwal’s thinking can’t be imprisoned
Shortly after an Enforcement Directorate team reached the Delhi chief minister’s residence on Thursday, his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann said “BJP’s political team ED cannot imprison Arvind Kejriwal’s thinking”.
In a post on X, Mann said, “BJP ki rajnitik team ED Kejriwal ki soch ko qaid nahi kar sakti kyunki AAP hee BJP ko rok sakti hai..Soch ko kabhi bhi dabaya nahi ja sakta. (BJP’s political team ED, cannot imprison Kejriwal’s thinking..because only AAP can stop the BJP. Thinking can never be suppressed.)”
The ED team reached Kejriwal’s residence in Delhi Thursday evening, officials said, shortly after the high court refused to grant him protection from coercive action in an excise policy-linked money laundering case.
They said the agency team went to Kejriwal’s residence to serve him a
summons in the case. The team also informed the staff at the chief minister’s residence that it has a search warrant, they said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief had earlier skipped multiple summonses issued by the agency in the case.
The case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government’s excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped.
Protest will continue till our demands are met, says farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher
Farmers camping at the two border points of Punjab and Haryana, will continue their agitation till their demands are met, said farmer leader Sarwan Singh Pandher on Thursday.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (nonpolitical) and the Kisan Mukti Morcha are spearheading the ‘Delhi Chalo’ march to press the government to accept their demands, including a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP).
The protesting farmers from Punjab have been camping at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points since February 13, when security forces stopped them from marching towards Delhi.
“It (our protest) will continue in a peaceful manner till our demands are met,” Pandher said.
He said the protest has nothing to do with the model code of conduct which has come into force with the announcement of general elections. We are keeping our
agenda of farmers and farm labourers before the people, he said.
Meanwhile, security personnel from Haryana continued to be deployed, along with heavy barricading, at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points.
Pandher slammed the BJP government for not allowing them to head towards the national capital along with tractortrolleys. “Why are we not being allowed to go to Delhi in support of our demands,” he asked.
As temperatures are soaring, farmers have brought fans and other items to the border points from their homes.
Pandher said several groups of farmers and farm labourers from Amritsar, Jandiala and Beas left for the border points.
Farmers began their march on February 13 but were stopped by the security forces, which led to clashes at the Shambhu and Khanauri border points on the HaryanaPunjab border.
Two Pakistani soldiers, 8 Baloch terrorists killed in attack on Gwadar Port Authority complex
At least two soldiers of the Pakistani Army were killed and eight Baloch terrorists were “sent to hell” when security personnel foiled an attempt by heavily armed Baloch insurgents to storm the Gwadar Port Authority complex in the restive Balochistan province, the military has said.
The port complex hosts several government and paramilitary offices and the strategically located Gwadar Port remains one of the focal points of the billion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Project. A press release from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing, said a group of terrorists attempted to enter the Port Authority Colony but were successfully thwarted by security forces personnel on Wednesday.
“Own troops employed for security responded immediately and effectively engaged the terrorists, and in ensuing fire exchange, all eight terrorists were sent to hell,” the statement said late on Wednesday.
Two sepoys were killed in the exchange of fire, the statement said. A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives was also recovered from the possession of the militants
from the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the USD 60 billion CPEC projects.
The BLA is opposed to China’s investments in Balochistan and accuses Beijing and Islamabad of exploitation of the resource-rich province, a charge rejected by the authorities. Thousands of Chinese personnel are working in Pakistan on several projects being carried out under the aegis of the CPEC. BLA’s Majeed Brigade, which was formed in 2011, is a particularly lethal guerilla cell of the BLA.
It was named after a guard of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who was killed while attempting to assassinate the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) founder.
It has been alleged that the group also maintains sanctuaries in areas along the PakIran border. The brigade, which is the suicide squad of the BLA, mostly targets security forces and Chinese interests in Pakistan. It also claimed responsibility for the April 2022 suicide attack outside the Karachi University’s Confucius Institute.
Imran Khan acquitted in 2 vandalism cases
Islamabad: In some relief to Imran Khan, a court in Pakistan has acquitted him in two different cases of vandalism during his anti-government march in March 2022. “Several cases were registered in a single day, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was framed in the same
IMF, Pakistan reach deal on bailout review
The IMF on Wednesday said it has reached a staff-level agreement with the new government in cash-strapped Pakistan on the final review of a $3 billion bailout, paving the way for the release of the last $1.1 billion tranche from the global lender.
The agreement, however, is subject to the approval of the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to be held in April. Pakistan’s new finance minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who assumed charge last week, had said that his priority was to start negotiations with the Washington-based IMF to bail out
the country from its financial woes. Last year, the IMF Executive Board approved the USD 3 billion Stand-By Arrangement for Pakistan, the term for which is set to expire next month. So far, two tranches have been issued while the last one is pending the review of the conditions set by the lender.
“The IMF team has reached a staff-level agreement with the Pakistani authorities on the second and a final review of Pakistan’s stabilisation programme supported by the IMF’s USD 3 billion SBA,” the IMF said in a statement at Washington.
Nawaz Sharif chairs Punjab govt meets, stirs row
Nawaz Sharif, the supreme leader of the PML-N, assumed a “de-facto” role of Punjab CM, a post officially held by his daughter Maryam Nawaz, and presided over three administrative meetings of the provincial government, raising many eyebrows. Maryam took over as the first woman CM of Pakistan’s Punjab province last month. However, her father Sharif, 74, assumed a “de-facto CM role” and issued directions to the authorities concerned and ministers regarding different projects in the province, which used to be the bastion of his Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) party.
An official handout issued after the meeting said the three-time former prime minister issued directions to ministers and officials regarding different infrastructure projects, including the underground train and metro bus, farmers’ plight, electric bikes for students and Ramzan relief package. The veteran leader chairing the meetings raised many
