The Asian Star October 10 2015

www.theasianstar.com Vol 14

Issue 37 Saturday, October 10, 2015

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SUKH DHALIWAL “I will work with all levels of government to get the job done for the residents of Surrey-Newton.”

Ready to Serve sukhdhaliwal.ca 604.441.5000 sukhsinghdhaliwal @sukhdhaliwal

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putting YOU first!

sukhdhaliwal.ca | 604.441.5000 Authorized by the official agent for Sukh Dhaliwal

Views on gays lead to controversy for two Punjabi candidates NDP candidate apologizes for former views on gay marriage, homosexuality

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n NDP candidate who Singh Kahlon is one of the party’s once told a TV protop candidates in the Greater Togram same-sex marronto Area, running in the hotly riage could lead to polygamy and contested riding of Brampton East. public nudity, is offering an apolHe was the campaign chair to MPP ogy and says he no longer holds Jagmeet Singh, deputy leader of the those views. Harbaljit Singh provincial NDP. On Tuesday, in Kahlon also said during the 2005 nearby Mississauga-Malton, Jagdish Harbaljit Singh Kahlon OMNI TV show that there is no Grewal was dropped as the official research that gays are born homosexual. candidate for the Conservative Party for “I do not hold these views and apologize comments he made about conversion theraunreservedly for making these comments py for gay youth.Grewal stood by his position in 2005,” Singh Kahlon said in a statement. that parents of gays should have the “right “I want to reaffirm my commitment to bring them back to their straight life,” to protecting human rights for all people and has said he will continue to run. Singh in all circumstances without exception.”

Continued on page 6

Punjabi candidate who spoke of therapies to turn gay youth straight dumped by Tories

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he Conservatives have dumped Jagdish Grewal, a candidate in suburban Toronto who defended therapies that attempt to turn gays straight and who penned an editorial that referred to homosexuality as “unnatural behaviour” and heterosexuals as “normal.” “These comments do not reflect the views of the Conservative Party of Canada. We believe that all Canadians — regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation — deserve to be treated with respect and dignity,” the Conservative Party said in a statement. “Mr. Grewal (pictured) is no longer an official candidate for the Conservative Party.” Grew-

al, running in Mississauga-Malton, wrote an editorial in the Punjabi Post earlier this year entitled “Is it wrong for a homosexual to become a normal person?” He describes an NDP private member’s bill passed unanimously in the Ontario legisContinued on page 6

Powerfully polite but result-oriented Mrs. Nina Grewal

South Asian values are Conservative values, Harper claims in Surrey Shruti Prakash Joshi Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in Surrey on Thursday, this time specifically to meet South Asian media and to attend a rally. The round table was organized at a warehouse in Surrey where he answered

select and already submitted questions. In his opening remarks to the gathered news persons, Harper acknowledged that during the campaign and previously he has had the opportunity to meet with the so called cul-

tural media. “The reason I call it the socalled cultural media is because you hear this expression in mainstream media but in our experience organizations like yourContinued on page 7

Nina Grewal

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2 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

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Local

Protester arrested after rushing stage at Stephen Harper rally in Surrey

tephen Harper’s security detail restrained and removed a protester who rushed the stage and got within a metre of the Conservative leader at a campaign rally in Surrey, B.C. While climate change activists have occasionally interrupted Harper’s events with signs and shouts, Thursday night’s fracas marked the first time on the campaign trail that Harper’s security had to surround him. Harper continued his speech and even got a laugh from supporters, referencing the disturbance when he said the other political parties’ policies would significantly raise risks “a lot more than that.”

Later on at the event, another protester tried to interrupt Harper from the crowd and was removed from the event by security as Conservative supporters chanted “Harper!

Harper!” The Conservative leader made another quip of the incident, saying the other

parties “know they’re in trouble when they stop coming to their own rallies and come to ours instead.” A climate change protest group later said that three people were ejected from the event, with the man who approached the stage detained by police. The group 350Vancouver.org, which opposes expansion of the Alberta oil sands, issued a news release saying their members were involved and one was detained by police. They protested “to demand real climate action and express their concerns about the climate impacts of tar sands expansion.” The group also said they are opposed to the proposed Kinder Morgan and Enbridge pipelines. “Local organizers have pledged to continue organizing to stop tar sands from passing through Burnaby, Coquitlam or Langley, or through the newly proposed route through Surrey and Delta,” said the release.

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The future (hidden) face of Canada

he Ontario woman who 2011, when she was scheduled won court battles affirming to take the oath last year. She her right to wear a niqab said she was willing to remove while taking the citizenship oath the veil for the purposes of finally took part in the ceremony identification, but refused to on Friday afternoon. Zunera Ishaq do the same during the public took the oath at a government buildceremony, citing religious being in Mississauga, Ont., west of liefs. “It is a religious duty of Toronto. “Thank you so much for mine to cover my face in pubhonouring me here today,” she said, lic at all times,” she told CBC in tearily. She started wearing a niqab an interview . The legal battle at age 15, against her family’s wishbecame an issue in the final es. Last Monday, the Federal Court federal leaders’ debate on Oct. Zunera Ishaq takof Appeal dismissed a motion by 2 and garnered more attention ing Citizenship oath the federal government to suspend this week when Conservatives a recent ruling that supported Zunera Ishaq’s Leader Stephen Harper said his government, legal fight. The federal government plans to if re-elected, would examine whether public appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of servants should be forbidden from wearing Canada, but the Appeal Court cleared the way the niqab. Ishaq, 29, came to Canada from for her to wear the face-covering veil during Pakistan in 2008 and gained permanent resithe swearing-in, in time to vote in the Oct. dency. She and her husband, who sponsored 19 general election. Ishaq first challenged her, are raising a family in Mississauga. the government’s niqab policy, introduced in Continued on page 4

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 3

4 i Saturday, October 10, 2015 From page 2 In Pakistan, she was a high school teacher.

She says she has plans to return to the workforce “very soon,” and is preparing for certification from the Ontario College of Teachers.

Asked about Harper’s latest comment on the issue, she said it adds to the “negativity” facing a “small group” of people she says are peaceful, open and loyal to Canada.

‘I’m feeling a little unsafe’

EDITORIAL

The future (hidden) face of Canada

Tremonti asked Ishaq how she is being treated in public.

“I’m feeling a little unsafe. People are staring at me very keenly and some of the body language is telling me something is wrong,” she said.

She said while people around her are generally respectful, she has heard a few negative comments while shopping in the last two

Zunaira Ishaq with her Citizenship certificate while wearing her niqab. weeks, words like “go back to your country” and “ninjas are coming to attack.” She said she has never experienced that before.

Zunera Ishaq cried and said, “Thank you so much for honouring me here today.” “It is very strange for me now,” she said.

Ishaq started wearing the niqab at age 15, even though her family did not believe it was necessary to wear either the veil, or the head scarf, known as a hijab.

“My mother and other family members tried to convince me not to wear it at a very young age,” she said, adding that some were “irritated” by her decision.

Her father, a professor of economics, told her he would not force her to take it off, but urged her to be “clear about it.”

She was also asked on The Current whether her husband was in favour of her wearing it.

“No, not exactly,” she said. He wanted to know how it might affect her ability to “move around” in Canada. “But I told him I will figure it out,” and later, she found her community to be “very welcoming.”

Ishaq’s husband also urged her to think about whether she could remove the niqab for the citizenship ceremony and be willing to take on the legal fight.

She said she is aware there is a difference of opinion among Muslim scholars on the veil, with some arguing there is no religious

requirement to wear it.

“I would only say that in my case, it was my personal choice. Nobody has ever forced me,” she said, adding that she comes from a background where she has “never been forced to do anything.”

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 5

LOCAL

6 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

Punjabi candidate who spoke of therapies to turn gay youth straight dumped by Tories

From page 1 lature in June that removed public funding called on Harper to “remove him.” “We’re for services designed to “change or direct the saying that in this day and age, a prime minister sexual orientation or gender identity of a pa- who accepts that, continues to tolerate it and tient.” Grewal writes in the piece that some accepts the type of statement today on hopsychologists blame a “shock” during child- mosexuals is frankly not showing leadership,” hood for causing a person to become gay, but Mulcair told reporters in Surrey, B.C. “Mr. that the change “can be corrected.”

Harper’s got to start getting it right and it starts “The political competition of today raises by firing this candidate who said those things the question of whether any person’s wish to that are totally unacceptable about gays.” become a normal person is wrong?” Grewal Grewal said in an interview Tuesday that he wrote in Punjabi. “If it is a parent’s right to was attempting to educate readers about an isset guidelines for their children in terms of sue in the news and lay out the positions taken their education, career and health, then why by the provincial parties and psychologists. He is it illegal for them to strengthen their natu- said he did not recall the names of the psyral heterosexuality?” Mulcair urges Harper to chologists he mentioned. In the editorial, he ‘remove’ candidate At a rally in the riding on points to the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice Sept. 8, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper and Scientific Integrity, an American group appeared on stage with Grewal and praised his that offers therapies to people who have “unwork. “I can tell you this: through his news- wanted homosexual attractions.” “Yes, there’s paper and radio show, he urges all those who children who have tendencies, who are attractcome to this country to embrace the values ed,” Grewal said. “If that child wants to come of freedom, democracy, of tolerance, and re- back or tell the parents that he wants to get out spect, the things that make our country such a of this life, then parents should have the right great place to live,” Harper told the audience. to bring them back to their straight life.”

Earlier, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said Grewal’s editorial does not address pro-

fessional criticism of so-called reparative or conversion therapies. The Canadian Pediatric Society’s position on adolescent sexual orientation states that such treatments “should not be provided because they do not work and have the potential to heighten guilt and anxiety.”

High-profile Ontario Progressive Conservatives supported the private member’s bill when it came to a vote. Grewal is running against Liberal Navdeep Bains, a former MP who is also an organizer for the party in the Toronto area.

Grewal says he’s not homophobic

Grewal insists he is not homophobic and wants the party to let him back in. Late Tuesday, Grewal was dumped as the Conservative candidate for the Ontario riding of Mississauga-Malton, just hours after media reports surfaced about a controversial editorial he wrote in March. In that article, he wrote about therapies to turn gay youth straight. But Grewal says key parts were misquoted because of poor translation from Punjabi to English. “If

I win, I will appeal to the Conservative Party, to the national caucus, to clear this misunderstanding. And I hope they will take me back.

But it’s up to them,” Grewal told CBC News.

One passage in the editorial published in the Punjabi Post was translated as: “Is it wrong for a homosexual to become a normal person?”

A campaign pamphlet recently spotted in the riding, with the fine print “Authorized by the official agent for Jagdish Grewal,” features a picture of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau and Ontario Kathleen Wynne at the Toronto Pride parade. The slogan reads, “Are these the priorities of your family?” In another picture, a piece of paper is superimposed onto Bains’ hand. The paper reads “Liberal priorities: Sex Education, Gay Marriage, Legalize Marijuana and Prostitution.” Grewal says the flyer is not from his campaign. There has been opposition to the Ontario government’s new sexual education curriculum from within some ethnic communities. The new content addresses sexual orientation and gender identity and homophobia. Children in Grade 1 will be taught the correct names of body parts.

NDP candidate apologizes for former views on gay marriage, homosexuality From page 1 Kahlon appeared on the Punjabi-Canadian Walia, debated Kahlon and argued that Sikhtelevision show Chardi Kalaa in 2005 which ism promoted tolerance of all people. was discussing same-sex marriage. Same-sex “I think there’s no research that says gays are marriage was made legal in Canada that year. born gay; it’s a choice they make upon lust,” “If we change for them, what are we going Singh Kahlon said. NDP Leader Tom Multo be doing tomorrow? Are we going to be cair told reporters Wednesday he has accepted accepting people actively living in the nude?” Singh Kahlon’s apology. “That candidate has Singh Kahlon said in English. He was iden- apologized unreservedly for those comments tified as being with York University, where and has evolved in his thinking and says it he was a business student. “There are other no longer reflects in any way his thinking,” issues that would be classified as scaremon- Mulcair said. Last month, the party said it gering, but these are obviously real issues was standing behind its candidate in Scarborthat also come along with human rights,” he ough-Rouge Park, Rev. KM Shanthikumar, added, using his hands to indicate quotation who opposes abortion and same-sex marriage. marks around the phrase human rights.

Shanthikumar said he stands by the NDP line Another student, identified as Jasdeep on the issues, while keeping personal views.

that Grewal’s remarks were unacceptable and

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LOCAL

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 7

Federal NDP leader Tom Mulcair addressing supporters during a BC visit recently.

South Asian values are Conservative values, From page 1 ence organizations like yourselves have a lot more listeners, viewers and readers,� he said.

Harper said this election is all about economy and that Canada has done “as we all know pretty well compared to other developed nations�. Strongly emphasizing Canada’s sound economic position, he urged everyone to ask themselves that in terms of economic fundamental was there any country in the world that they would rather be actually today than in Canada. Referring to the NDP and the Liberal party as “those guys� frequently during the round table the prime minister said that they were proposing tens and tens and tens of billions of dollars in spending and the only way these parties could pay for the promises was by raising taxes and running deficits.

Harper briefly touched upon hot button issues such as TPP, immigration and drugs and gangs and Conservatives relationships with the South Asian community, and said that some of the issues that the Conservatives are passionate about are issues that the South Asian community is passionate about too. “Justin Trudeau’s no 1 priority is legalizing

marijuana. Do you think your viewers; readers and listeners want their children to have marijuana readily available to them? Legalizing prostitution, bringing drug injection sites to communities across the country. These are not the values of your community and these are not conservative values.� He said.

Harper did not directly take questions about controversial anti-terrorism bill C51 and bill C24 but in an attempt to dispel some of the insecurity that the immigrant communities are feeling in the wake of Bill C24, the Prime Minister said the Conservative Party had by far the deepest roots in New Canadian communities across the country. “One out of five of our candidates are new Canadians,� said Harper.

He said that there was considerable misinformation about Bill C24 and fear mongering from other parties. “If you are a dual citizen and you are convicted of terrorist offences or treason, we can revoke your citizenship. We have a legal right under international laws to do so. Who in your community wants to have convicted terrorist walking around in your communities,� he questioned strongly.

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PERSON OF THE WEEK

8 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

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Powerfully polite but result - oriented - Mrs. Nina Grewal

Chhavi Disawar politician has to be like an energizer bunny. You’ve to have loads of energy. Achieving change you desire for, is an ongoing process”, said Nina Grewal with a radiating smile and passionate eyes that depicted the urge to serve the society. Nina Grewal, the incumbent Surrey MP is an action oriented leader who has won many hearts by her approach for the betterment of the community. Nina came to Canada in 1991 from West Africa along with her family. “We appreciated Canada’s democracy, governance and reputation but there were many things that needed to be changed. So instead of complaining about them we decided to be the part of the process”, told Nina in an interview with The Asian Star.

Nina’s husband Gurmant Grewal, whom Stephen Harper called the ‘Ironman of Canadian Parliament’, is the first South Asian MP elected in South Fraser in

吀 䌀 䰀䔀

䔀

1997. Nina is the first South Asian woman to be elected in Canadian parliament. She was first elected in 2004 along with her husband making them the first couple to serve the party concurrently. After which she was re-elected in 2006, 2008 and 2011.

Nina has raised important issues and introduced many Bills in parliament.

Many of which have now become laws including C-621, An Act to Amend the Broadcasting Act (loudness of TV advertisements) on complaint of senior citizens being the recent one.

Apart from this other important bills are M-221, to amend the Criminal Code to change the age of consent from 14 to 16 to protect children from abuse and sex tourism. Another important bill M-222, to introduce both minimum and

tougher sentencing for major sexual assaults. While discussing the problem of youth and drugs in the riding, Nina told The Asian Star that she has proposed to ban the precursors of synthetic drugs to the government that is still in process. In her work tenure Nina has brought a total funding of $1.5 billion from Ottawa to various community projects in Surrey. These funds are distributNina Grewal ed to all the sects of the community including RCMP, SFPR, PICS, Surrey Library, and Addiction Recovery Centres etc. etc.

Nina regularly holds ‘Meet with Nina’ meetings, open houses and attends community events in order to be accessible to people. She hosted a round table meeting wherein 36 ministers were brought in from Ottawa and open public forums were held. Nina, with a significantly strong following on Facebook and Twitter, has thousands of pictures of her community work and involvement on her website and

Nina Grewal in Parliament was chosen last year as one of the most visible politicians by the readers of the Surrey Leader newspaper. Nina is a proactive and result-oriented leader who raises voice on the behalf of public. Nina, the only South Asian woman in the Conservative Government and from BC, is an all-time accessible individual who believes in actions than words.

匀甀爀爀攀礀 䌀攀渀琀爀攀

匀唀䌀䠀䄀

吀䠀䤀一䐀

␀㄀⸀㐀 䈀椀氀氀椀漀渀 椀渀瘀攀猀琀攀搀 椀渀 匀甀爀爀攀礀 愀渀搀 挀漀洀洀椀椀攀搀 ␀㜀 䴀椀氀氀椀漀渀 琀漀 匀甀爀爀攀礀ᤠ猀 䰀椀最栀琀 刀愀椀氀 吀爀愀渀猀椀琀 䰀漀眀攀猀琀 琀愀砀 氀攀瘀攀氀猀 椀渀 㔀 礀攀愀爀猀㬀 愀渀搀 椀渀挀爀攀愀猀攀搀 吀愀砀ⴀ䘀爀攀攀 匀愀瘀椀渀最猀 䄀挀挀漀甀渀琀猀 ㄀⸀㌀ 洀椀氀氀椀漀渀 樀漀戀猀 挀爀攀愀琀攀搀 䤀渀挀漀洀攀 猀瀀氀椀椀渀最 昀漀爀 昀愀洀椀氀椀攀猀 愀渀搀 猀攀渀椀漀爀猀 ㄀㠀ⴀ洀漀渀琀栀 䴀愀琀攀爀渀椀琀礀 愀渀搀 ㄀㠀ⴀ洀漀 倀愀爀攀渀琀愀氀 氀攀愀瘀攀 戀攀渀攀ǻ琀猀

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LOCAL

Former Prime Minister of Canada Jean Chretien (third from left) recently attended an event to support Liberal Candidate Harjit S Sajjan (fourth from left).

The event took place at the residence of Gurdev Singh Johal in Vancouver last week.

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 9

Liberal candidate in Surrey North, Randeep Sarai (second from left) with Notary Public, Del Virk (left) and Dr Gulzar Cheema (second from right) at a fund raiser for Sarai in Surrey on October 4. Photo: Chandra Bodalia

Because a better Canada is always possible A Liberal Government will...

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ON OCTOBER 19, VOTE LIBERAL Authorized by the registered agent for the Liberal Party of Canada.

SUKH DHALIWAL “I will work with all levels of government to get the job done for the residents of Surrey-Newton.” sukhdhaliwal.ca | 604.441.5000 Authorized by the official agent for Sukh Dhaliwal

Ready to Serve sukhdhaliwal.ca 604.441.5000 sukhsinghdhaliwal @sukhdhaliwal

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10 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

Gandhi Jayanti was celebrated at the SFU main campus in Burnaby on October 2 with the awarding of the 23rd Thakore Visiting Scholar award to Dr Jennifer Allen Simons (left), for her active and lifelong commitment to nuclear disarmament, peace and promotion of a civil society and the Annual Gandhi Student Peace Award to SFU student Bhavina Jayant Patel, (inset) of Surrey. The presentations were done by the Indian Consul General Rajiv Chander (right). Photo: Chandra Bodalia

LOCAL

Conservative Minister for Social development, Jason Kenney (second from left) hands out sweets at a Diwali Celebration organized by the City of White Rock on October 3.

Inspector Ghalib Bhayani is Police Officer of the Year Winner Inspector Ghalib Bhayani was selected the Police Officer of the Year, nominated by the community, while Sergeant Michael San-

chez was selected Police Officer of the Year, nominated by peers at the Surrey Board of Trades’ Police Officer of the Year Awards on Thursday, October 8, at the Sheraton Hotel.

Inspector Bhayani (pictured left) is well known for his dedication, personality, strong work ethic and role model skills within his detachment and in Surrey. He has led the detachment’s first ever compressive Community Mobilization process which to date has resulted in a total of 10 outreach sessions and five more planned for the Fall of 2015. Inspector Bhayani speaks four languages, holds a Doctorate Degree, and teaches part-time at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. He has worked tirelessly and on his own time to fulfill his role as a leader in the community. Inspector Bhayani has inspired the detachment and Surrey.

Sgt. Michael Sanchez is the A Watch Senior NCO in District 1 (City Centre), supervising 2 Corporals and 17 Constables. Over the past year Sgt. Sanchez has distinguished himself through his innovative and collaborative approach to providing highly effective reactive and proactive policing in the City Centre area of Surrey.

“Congratulations to all the deserving recipients of this year’s Police Officer of the Year Awards,” says Surrey Board of Trade CEO Anita Huberman. “This ceremony celebrates not only the efforts of the police, but all those who have taken innovative steps towards making Surrey a safer place to live and do business.

The 400-person gathering was addressed

by Chief Superintendent Bill Fordy, Officer in Charge of the Surrey Detachment; Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner; and Heidi Cave, keynote speaker, author of Fancy Feet: Turning My Tragedy Into Hope. The Surrey RCMP Detachment, the largest in Canada and second largest municipal force in BC, has over 650 officers and hundreds of support staff.

The winners were judged in the areas of: innovation, commitment, contribution and perseverance.

LOCAL

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 11

Gregor Robertson trashes Canada’s record on climate change in Washington Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has trashed the Canadian government’s record on climate change in front of a distinguished audience at the U.S. State Department.

He is the only Canadian mayor invited to the “Our Cities, Our Climate” summit in Washington, D.C. His comments came during a conference on green cities, organized by former New York mayor and current UN climate envoy Michael Bloomberg and attended by top officials from the department.

Robertson says Canada is an embarrassing laggard on climate change under the Harper government and hopes the Oct. 19 election produces a government that plays a more constructive role.

His comments came at the end of a formal luncheon, in a panel discussion featuring three mayors — Robertson, and peers from Japan and Nigeria.

The more cities can attract talented and hard-working people, the more their economies will grow,” Kerry and Bloomberg said in a joint statement.

In an interview later, Robertson said he keeps hearing questions about Canada’s climate record from people in Washington and during a recent visit to the Vatican.

American officials did not comment on Canadian domestic policy. They did, however, arrange media interviews with the visiting mayors. Robertson says he was invitVancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson (middle) meets with United Nations Special ed to the summit several weeks ago.

Envoy Mike Bloomberg at the U.S. State Department.

The Vancouver mayor met Secretary of State John Kerry, who delivered opening remarks at the event, although he left before the post-lun-

Robertson was also the only Canadian mayor who met with Pope Francis at the Vatican to discuss the role cities can play in addressing climate change, sustainability, and poverty.

ARE YOU

Hurricane Oho to impact B.C. coast The remnants of Hurricane Oho will make for a very wet weekend in Vancouver. But it’s the central and northern coasts that will feel the full brunt of the storm — with flooding, rains and strong winds.

Oho will continue tracking towards Haida Gwaii through Thursday, funneling in tropical moisture and hurricane-force winds from Bella Coola to Stewart.

And it’s just one of several waves of moisture that will move through over the long weekend.

Oho is now a post-tropical storm, meaning it has lost its true tropical characteristics. The centre of the storm is about 2,200 kilometres northeast of Hawaii and will continue to track northeast through Thursday.

Oho will continue to weaken Thursday, but as it moves into the above-normal waters off the central coast of B.C., it will actually re-strengthen.

The combination of an El Nino year and the “blob” of warm water off B.C.’s coast is actually helping to make this storm stronger as it moves north — an unusual occurrence.

In fact, the last time we saw the remains of a tropical cyclone make landfall in the Pacific Northwest or Canada was the remains of typhoon Freda in 1962.

When Will it Hit? There’s still some uncertainty as to if and where the storm will make landfall.

A couple of systems will help to steer the storm northward, meaning an Alaska landfall is likely late Friday night. But there are still a few outliers that bring the storm in earlier closer to Haida Gwaii.

cheon panel discussion started.

“Mayors also have economic incentives to act, because people want to live in cities with clean air. And where people want to live, businesses want to invest.

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12 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

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LOCAL

Inmates end week-long hunger strike at Surrey Pre-Trial Centre

nmates who were fasting to protest conditions at the Surrey Pretrial Centre ended their hunger strike this week, after a “productive” meeting with B.C. Corrections. According to B.C. Corrections spokeswoman Cassandra Togneri, a meeting Monday afternoon went

ahead as planned between lawyer Tonia Grace, who represented the inmates, and authorities with the centre. “B.C. Corrections felt the meeting was productive and, in fact, today the inmates have ended their fasting,” Togneri said in a statement

Pedestrian struck by TransLink bus in Surrey

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pedestrian has been struck by a TransLink bus on the Fraser Highway in Surrey. TransLink spokeswoman Anne Drennan confirmed the bus was operated by the Coast Mountain Bus Company. The pedestrian struck by this bus in Surrey is in serious condition, says TransLink.

RCMP said the pedestrian, a 24-yearold man, was struck shortly after 4 p.m. near the intersection of 176 Street and the Fraser Highway. They said the man was taken to hospital with critical injuries. The cause of the collision is under investigation and the bus driver has been cooperating with police, said RCMP.

LOCAL

Canada’s longer visitor visas encourage foreign real estate ownership: UDI panel

C

anada’s new 10-year visitor visas have indirectly increased foreign ownership, developers heard during the Urban Development Institute’s first panel discussion on foreign ownership in Vancouver.

Industry experts on the Wednesday panel didn’t agree how on many millionaire immigrant investors have snapped up Vancouver real estate – or whether foreign money impacts the market in the first place – but immigration lawyer Jeffrey Lowe indicated immigration is not the best

way to measure foreign investment.

“People can now come in as visitors, look at properties and buy properties,” Lowe said, referring to the longer-term visa program the federal government introduced in February 2014.

“They don’t have to spend any time here. Increasing the visas indirectly encourages more foreign ownership.”

The program is popular among visitors from China, India and Mexico, according to the federal government.

Foreign ownership is a controversial

Man at bus stop struck and killed

by Jeep in Surrey

A

22-year-old man sitting at a bus stop Wednesday morning has died after he was struck by a Jeep being driven by a 17-yearold girl, according to Surrey RCMP. Mounties said the incident happened at 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of 156 Street and Fraser Highway. Police said a southbound black Jeep was making a left turn onto Fraser Highway when it drove up onto the curb at A 22-year-old man (left) was struck and killed the southeast corner and struck a by a Jeep being driven by a 17-year-old. pedestrian sitting on a bench at the bus shelter. The man died of his injubeen a factor. Police said the driver is ries, while the Jeep’s driver, who is from Surco-operating with investigators. Anyrey, sustained minor injuries, police said. one with information about the inPolice are still investigating the cause of cident is asked to call Surrey RCMP. the crash but believe weather may have

Bus stop car crash driver in Surrey caught after fleeing on foot, say police

T

he driver of a white Corvette that crashed into a bus stop in Surrey, B.C. tried to flee on foot but has been arrested, say police.

“For some unknown reason at this point he lost control right before the bus shelter,” said Staff Sgt. Blair McColl.

McColl said a witness followed the driver as he ran away from the scene of the accident — leaving an injured passenger in the car — and saw him get into a taxi.

Police then located and stopped the taxi, about a kilometre away. McColl said the witness was “instrumental” in helping them find the driver. A man who was sitting in the bus shelter at the time of the crash was taken to hospital with critical in-

juries. The car passenger was also transported to hospital, with minor injuries.

Police said they’re still investigating the cause of the accident, but believe alcohol may have been a factor. The crash happened near the intersection of 96 Avenue and King George Boulevard shortly after 6 p.m. PT. Northbound traffic on King George Boulevard in the area has been closed to traffic and will be until at least 10 p.m.. The incident comes just a day after Surrey resident Evan Archibald was killed at a bus stop near Fraser Highway and 156 Street. “I think all you can do if you’re the person standing in the bus shelter is just be aware of your surroundings,” said McColl.

“But you shouldn’t have to be.” The vehicle that crashed into the bus stop in Surrey

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 13

14 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

LOCAL

O

Prime Minister Stephen Harper with the Asian Star photographer Chandra Bodalia (left) in Surrey on last Thursday.

Surrey Six accused pleads guilty to drug and gun charges

ne of the men charged in connection to the Surrey Six murders has pleaded guilty to seven separate drug- and weapons-related charges.

Sophon Sek was charged in March ( with others) with a string of drug trafficking, possession and firearms offences alleged to have taken place in Surrey between June and September 2014. The charges came after raids that led to a cache of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and other drugs, as well as money, guns and ammunition. Sek has pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking in a controlled substance, three counts of possession for the purpose of trafficking and two counts of possession of a prohibited or restricted firearm with ammunition. He originally faced 20 charges.

The drug and weapons offences took place while Sek was on bail, as he faces manslaughter and break and enter charges in connection with the October 2007 murder of six men in a Surrey apartment – a

mass slaying now commonly referred to as the Surrey Six case. He was released from custody on bail in early 2010, three months after being charged with manslaughter, and was to adhere to several conditions.

Six men were shot to death in the Balmoral apartment tower on Oct. 19, 2007: innocent bystanders Christopher Mohan and Ed Schellenberg, as well as Corey Lal, Michael Lal, Eddie Narong and Ryan Bartolomeo, who were linked to the drug trade.

During the trial of Red Scorpion gang members Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston – now imprisoned for life after six first-degree murder convictions – the court heard Sek, a Triad gang member, led the murderers to the door of Corey Lal, the intended target in the deadly drug turf dispute.

Sek is scheduled to be in Surrey Provincial Court Nov. 3 to set a date for sentencing on the drug and firearms convictions.

He’s also due to appear on the manslaugh-

‘Black people are thieves’ stereotype influenced employee of to illegally search customer Mary McCarthy walked into a Shoppers Drug Mart looking to buy mouth wash that a friend recommended when she says she was humiliated by an employee because of the colour of her skin.

The Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario ruled last week that a Shoppers Drug Mart employee who searched McCarthy’s bag in front a group of customers because she thought she was shoplifting was “influenced, consciously, or unconsciously, by the stereotype that Black people are thieves.”

“A dog wouldn’t be treated like (I was),” McCarthy, 59, said.

McCarthy visited her a Toronto Shoppers Drug Mart near Spadina Avenue and Bloor Street on May 22, 2011. She unzipped her backpack to take out her wallet and a piece of paper that had the name of the mouthwash she wanted to purchase.

When she put her wallet back into her bag, McCarthy said employee Ujjaijini Balachandra, of South Asian descent, confronted her, without introducing herself, and demanded she unzip the bag again.

McCarthy said she refused to open her backpack and placed it on the floor in front of Balachandra. The Shoppers employee then picked up her bag and rummaged through its contents in front of a group of onlookers. When nothing was found inside, McCarthy said Balanchandra dropped the bag and walked away without saying a word.

“The way she spoke to me was extremely derogatory,” McCarthy, now working in Fredericton, N.B., for the provincial government said.” The tone of voice was so ‘I’m better than you and I have a right to do this and you will do what I say because I am in a uniform.’

“There was a group of customers watching me be belittled and humiliated.”

But McCarthy didn’t leave the store. “I was instantly enraged and wanted to leave the store but I refused,” McCarthy said.

Instead, she spoke to a pharmacist, made a purchase, and left the store at 10:29 p.m.

Beth Walden, McCarthy’s lawyer from the Human Rights Legal Support Centre, said when

Balachandra was being cross-examined, she admitted she didn’t follow employee protocol for suspected shoplifters because the incident had taken place after midnight when the store was already closed.

LOCAL

C

No new tax to pay for transit, says Christy Clark

lark defended her govit.” Vancouver Mayor Greernment’s 2013 elecgor Robertson says it’s untion promise that any fair the province requires new transit funding proposed a referendum for transit

by Lower Mainland mayors, funding while it freely such as road tolling, needs spends without a vote on to be approved by voters. hospitals, schools, high“I think people want a chance ways and bridges in other to decide if there’s going to parts of the province. The be a new tax,” Clark said . reason for this, said Clark, “If (mayors) want a new way is because hospitals and to raise taxes, their one-third schools are paid for out of (of funding), they are going to have to an existing provincial tax base and govgo and ask the people. That’s the refer- ernment isn’t raising taxes or charging endum.”

Clark residents a new fee. MetPremier Christy Clark said there are lesro mayors can raise propsays Metro Vancouver sons to be learned erty taxes to fund transit leaders can “forget it” if they expect her govfrom the July without provincial apernment transit plebiscite, proval, said Clark, though in which Metro to approve any new the mayors have refused taxes to pay for transit voters soundly re- services without first to do so and want to look jected a half-per- putting it to a vote in at other funding sources. centage-point sales another referendum.

“I think it’s a pretty fair tax hike to pay for a $7.5-billion, 10-year transit plan. “I think it’s good that we asked because the alternative would have been to impose something on people they didn’t want,” she said.

“The alternative would have been, which some people are advocating, just go out and force this new tax on people without giving them a say in it. And my position on that is, forget

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 15

Surrey drivers reminded to hang up

S

urrey RCMP are stepping up enforcement efforts when it comes to distracted driving, joining a week-long campaign called Operation Hang Up reminding motorists to put down their phones and other electronic devices.

Drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a crash while using their phone.

Operation Hang Up is held in partnership with ICBC, Surrey Crime Prevention Society and the City of Surrey.

The program is a combination of education, awareness and enforcement, according to Cpl. Scotty Shumann, who says, “Drivers will see a large number of high visibility signs placed in locations remind-

ing them to stay off the phone.”

Police and volunteers will be out in force during the awareness and enforcement campaign, he added.

Using a high-powered scope, Surrey RCMP Traffic Service members are able to spot people holding electronic devices long before they’re aware of a police roadside presence.

A driver caught holding an electronic device can be fined $167 and receive three points against their drivers license, along with facing more severe penalties should there be an accident.

“One in four deaths on BC roads involves distracted driving,” ICBC road safety coordinator Karen Klein said. “No call or text is so important that it’s worth risking your life.”

Injured in an accident?

ICBC claim?

Medical marijuana policies under fire by top B.C. doctors Medical marijuana could cut down on the use of addictive painkillers according to a new paper in the Canadian Journal of Public Health, but some of Vancouver’s best known researchers say reluctant doctors and a confused federal government are failing to act.

“When it comes to prescription marijuana, patients’ needs should be considered above political considerations,” said study co-author Dr. Julio Montaner of the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS. “There could be great harm in ignoring the medical uses of marijuana.”

Study co-author Dr. Thomas Kerr says Canada is in the midst of an epidemic of opioid abuse and related overdose deaths, and that numerous studies have shown painkillers such as oxycontin are dangerous and prescribed too frequently.

At the same time there is strong evidence showing that prescription cannabis can be as effective in controlling pain in some cases, but with far less risk.

“If we can enhance access to medicinal cannabis for the right conditions it may have the positive effect of reducing prescription opioid misuse and the associated overdose epidemic,” says Kerr.

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A

Surrey youth mental health facility delayed until 2017

long awaited youth mental health unit, originally set to open September of 2016 in Surrey, appears to have been delayed by almost a year.

Still, Jane Adams, president and CEO of the Surrey Hospital & Outpatient Centre Foundation, says the announcement that the Child & Adolescent Psychiatric Stabilization Unit (CAPSU) at Surrey Memorial Hospital will now open in 2017 is a good news story.

“We were looking at a preliminary date of 2016,” Adams told CBC in a phone interview.

“But once the architects were hired and we looked at the progressive design that was needed for this 10-bed unit, then the opening of 2017 was set.”

Devastating for children in crisis

The B.C. Nurses Union says the news is devastating for families who have children in crisis.

“Fraser Health has repeatedly stated the new teen mental health unit in Surrey would be open in 2016,” said BCNU President Gayle Duteil in a statement.

“Telling youth and their families who are in crisis that they’ll have to wait a year and a half for a bed is not safe patient care.”

The 10-bed facility, to be located at Surrey Memorial Hospital aims to provide short term mental health services for children and adolescents. Adams says the centre will serve 1,000 young people a year.

Karen Copeland has a learning-challenged child who struggles with mental illness. She founded Champions for Com-

Vaccine may offer only 30-50% protection but is still predicted to be more effective than last year’s

T

he seasonal flu vaccine is likely a poor match for the strain of the virus circulating in B.C., offering just 30 to 50 per cent protection — though officials still urge people to get the shot.

So far, it appears H3N2 is the predominant influenza strain making people sick in the province — with three outbreaks at long-term-care homes this fall.

The seasonal flu vaccine is designed to protect against the H3N2 strain — along with H1N1 and influenza B — but it appears it will offer only 30 to 50 per cent protection, said Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.’s provincial health officer.

In a good year, the protection offered by the seasonal flu vaccine can

be 60 per cent or higher, he said.

“It’s less than we like,” said Kendall, but it is “significantly better protection” than last year, when the flu shot offered nearly zero protection.

That hasn’t changed the official advice that anyone over six months old, as well as those at high risk of serious illness, including children, pregnant women and the elderly, should get the shot.

“If I could reduce your chances of having a really nasty illness by 50 per cent, would you take it?” said Kendall.

‘Notorious’ strain for evading immune system The mismatch isn’t for lack of trying by scientists around the world.

But influenza is a difficult virus.

Each year, the World Health Organization makes forecasts which strains are likely to be predominant

BC’s Liquor Distribution Branch overpays wineries extra $1M

A

info@eyelevelrichmond.com www.eyelevelrichmond.com

n internal government document shows a mistake within the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch (LDB) has led to a million dollar mis-allocation of funds paid to the province’s biggest commercial wineries.

According to an April 2015 ministerial briefing note, the overpayment resulted from an error in calculating commissions the government paid wineries, leading to overpayments “in the seven figure range”.

The issue was raised in Thursday’s B.C Legislature question period by NDP critic David Eby who asked Coralee Oakes, the minister responsible for the LDB directly how much the error has cost taxpayers.

Oakes replied, “We remain committed to ensuring that we have success in our wine economy and we look at ways consumers have very clearly stated that they want more choice in British Columbia.”

When asked if there was a plan to recover the overpayments Oakes remained evasive.

“The plan is to listen to citizens across British Columbia. When we did extensive consultation, citizens said they wanted more choice,” she answered.

Changes proposed for rental, strata laws in BC

T

he provincial government is proposing several changes to the laws governing renters and strata property owners in B.C. The proposed changes to the Residential Tenancy Act would allow renters to break a lease if fleeing from violence or heading into long-term care.

Current laws mean that renters can’t leave without the landlord’s permission, or they face a financial penalty.

Further changes would allow landlords to repay security deposits by electronic transfer. Also proposed is a change to the Strata Property Act to make it easier for strata property owners to wind up a strata corporation, such as when a building is at the end of its life cycle and the majority of members wish to sell it off for redevelopment. Currently a unanimous vote is needed to vote out a strata corporation.

The new proposal would change that to require approval from only 80 per cent of strata owners.

LOCAL

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 17

Vancouver’s $200M viaduct replacement plans include new park

D

etails of a $200 million proposal to replace Vancouver’s Georgia and Dunsmuir street viaducts, including a new 13-acre park on the shore of False Creek, were revealed by senior planners from city hall today. The proposal suggests replacing the elevated roadways with surface roads that connect to ramps near Rogers Arena in and out of downtown Vancouver. Staff say the total cost for the project would be about $200 million, but the full cost would be covered by revenue generated by a variety of sources, including development of land opened up by the project. Current design of the viaducts land cross-section. (City of Vancouver) According to city staff replacing the viaducts would have several benefits including: More resilient infrastructure for flood and earthquake safety.

Lower on-going maintenance costs.

A new 2,500 unit neighbourhood on False Creek.

Insurance payout for B.C.’s August windstorm tops $25M

T

he windstorm that swept through southern British Columbia on Aug. 29 caused over $25 million in insured damage, according to a preliminary estimate released by the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

The windstorm knocked out power to 710,000 BC Hydro customers as it toppled trees, damaged power lines, homes, fences and vehicles. It also closed businesses and attractions, including parts of Stanley Park and the annual Pacific National Exhibition.

Much of the damage from the August storm was blamed on how the unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain affected many trees, still with their summer leaves, that had their roots weakened after a prolonged drought.

“Extreme weather events, such as this one, are increasing in frequency and severity,” said IBC vice-president Bill Adams in statement released Tuesday.

Adams said since the late ‘90s, insurance payouts as a result of severe weather in British Columbia have more than doubled.

“The facts point to the importance of being prepared,” said Adams.

“Know what’s in your insurance policy and research ways to reduce your property’s vulnerability to damage.”

Three charges against man accused of attacking woman in wooded area of Surrey Charges have been laid against a 35-year-old man accused of attacking a woman in Surrey. RCMP say Helmer Sinisterra-Mosquera faces one count each of sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm and overcoming resistance by choking. Police say the Sept. 27 attack occurred in a wooded area and that the injured woman was treated in hospital. The suspect was described as a tall black man with a wandering or lazy right eye. Sinisterra-Mosquera was arrested on Oct. 1. He has been in custody since then.

A 13-acre Creekside Park. Rerouting arterial traffic off Prior Street. An elevated cycling and pedestrian route from Dunsmuir Street. October council decision The proposal will go to city council for approval on Oct 21. If approved by city council, further details would be worked out by city staff. The whole plan is expected to take about five years to complete.

“Staff are chomping at the bit waiting to go,” said Jerry Dobrovolny, the acting general manger of city engineering. “This is a once-in-a-life-time city building opportunity. City Councillor George Affleck said he still had concerns about whether the projected revenue would be able to cover the cost of the project, and much it would impact commuters. “We are looking at one to three minutes per trip. For a commuter that is six minutes a day, five times a week. That is 30 minutes a week. This is time out of people’s lives,” said Affleck.

The plan and estimated cost doesn’t include $100 million for a new overpass along Mailken Road to move rerouted traffic over the rail yards on False Creek Flats to the east of the site. That cost, like the new Powell

Street railway overpass, may be shared by the federal government and the rail company.

Planning stages In June 2013, the city council voted unanimously to study the removal of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, which link East Van-

18 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

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Real estate sales in September keep pace toward record in Toronto area

T

oronto home sales maintained their heated pace in September, hitting a record number of transactions and seeing prices climb 9.2 per cent from a year earlier. Sales in the Greater Toronto Area rose 2.5 per cent to 8,200 in September, the Toronto Real Estate Board said

Canada’s housing in the second quarter of 2015 is one of the highest

T

he year-over-year rise in the price of Canada’s housing in the second quarter of 2015 is one of the highest in the developed world, largely because of low interest rates, according to a report from Scotiabank. At 8.3 per cent, it lags markets such as Ireland (13.3 per cent) or Sweden (10.1 per cent), but is well ahead of the U.S. (5.4 per cent) or U.K. (5.6 per cent). The low Canadian dollar is increasing foreign demand for Canadian real estate, especially luxury real estate, said economist Adrienne Warren. “Traditionally, popular markets for foreign buyers include the U.S., the U.K., Australia and Canada,” Warren said in a report on global property trends. Low dollar makes Canadian housing cheap “Foreign exchange considerations are taking on a bigger role, increasing the attractiveness of properties in countries whose currencies have weakened at the expense of relatively stronger currency markets in the U.S. and the U.K.” Australia and Canada are among the countries that have seen a weakening currency and an escalation of housing prices this year, especially in big urban markets such as Sydney and Melbourne. Australian prices are up 8.3 per cent on the year, putting Canada in fourth place among the world’s hottest markets.

Sydney now has the same affordability crisis that Vancouver is experiencing, with the median house price over $1 million Australian. With wealthy Chinese buyers finding property cheap, even after the devaluation of the yuan, there is continuing potential for prices to be pushed upward, especially luxury prices. At the same time, there is talk of a housing bubble, with Goldman Sachs estimated Sydney prices are overvalued by 20 per cent.

Sound familiar? Talk of a housing bubble persists in Toronto and Vancouver, with even the Bank of Canada noting prices may be too high.

Warren doesn’t believe it’s foreign buyers who are driving up prices, but rather Canadians who are chasing after a limited supply, especially of single-family

Monday. That puts it on track for a record in 2015, as mortgage rates remain at or near all-time lows. “Barring a drastic shift in the economy over the next three months, total transactions reported by TREB Members in 2015 expectedJuly to be25, at or near the 100,000 4 i are Saturday, 2015 mark,” board president Mark McLean said in

a release. Across the GTA, the average selling price for all type of homes, including condominiums, increased to $627,395 from $574,424 a year earlier. Sales rose to 8,200 from 8,001, the real estate board said.

Adding to the board’s florid outlook, it suggested supply is falling behind demand,

with the total number of active listings at the end of September remaining below the previous year’s level. “This … suggests that competition between buyers will remain strong as we move into the fourth quarter,” said Jason Mercer, the board’s director of market analysis.

2 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

real estate / finance

BOLLYWOOD / FILM

Anil Kapoor and Saif Khan in a musical film

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 3

4 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

BOLLYWOOD / films

Film ‘Jazbaa’ gets a decent opening

T

his week marks the release of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s comeback film Jazbaa, along with the end of the first week for the murder mystery Talvar and the comedy Singh Is Bliing. Jazbaa made a decent start in the opening shows today, with 25 to 30 per cent occupancies across the board. The film has gotten a wide release of 1850 screens and positive reviews have also begun to pour in. If

the upswing holds up, the film can look to make Rs 5 crore in its first day. After enjoying a good weekend, the collections of Talvar showed no signs of slowing down, with next to no drop in collections on Monday. The film earned Rs 1.60 crore on Monday and earnings remained rock solid through the week making Rs 1.65 crore each. So far, Talvar’s domestic earnings stand at Rs 15.55 crore and can look to earn anyContinued on page 7

Tomato, Basil, Pasta This is a simple recipe, flavorful dish served at room temperature.

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Kat grabbing a lot of attention

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aar Baar Dekho’’ is already grabbing a lot of attention in the media due to the fresh pairing of the handsome the box-office darling, Katrina Kaif. Katrina and Sidharth flew down to Glasgow UK a few weeks back to shoot a schedule in the Scottish city.

From what we hear, the team pampered themselves with a well-deserved party post the Glasgow schedule wrap up.

And here’s a picture social media savvy, Sidharth Malhotra shared on Instagram from the party.

While Katrina looks stunning as usual in a happy mood, we can’t

help but notice that Sid seems to have lost the muscles he gained for Brothers and is back to his lean lover-boy physique. Ah well, he makes us swoon either way!

‘Baar Baar Dekh’o is helmed

by Nitya Nehra and produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment. After the huge disappointment that Bangistan turned out to be, Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani are under pressure to come up with an entertainer

that will balance out the losses and it appears that Baar Baar Dekho may just be the key.

DeepikaHrithik in Aashiqui 3?

A

s we all know, Aashiqui 2 was not only a massive success but it also made Aditya Roy Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor youth icons of sorts. And ever since its success, a third instalment has been in the works and whispers around tinsel town claimed that t-series was going to make it a grand spectacle, the likes of which we’ve never seen before and casting only the big league superstars for the lead roles.

While it is almost guaranteed that Hrithik Roshan is to be the male lead, we’ve just come to hear the actress romancing him will be none other than the stunning Deepika Padukone.

For years, the two have been pegged to come together and it almost seemed that YRF and Dharma had managed to do so but the deal fell apart like the others before. If the latest dish on the duo is to be believed, we could be seeing a massive blockbuster film with a fabulous playlist and a fresh pairing of two of the biggest stars in Bollywood.

‘Jazbaa’

EYEGLASSES

From previous page

thing between 20 and 25 crore if the upward trend persists.

Singh Is Bliing earned well through the week despite facing a major hit in collections after a spectacular opening weekend total of Rs 54.44 crore. After facing a 55 per cent drop, Monday collections stood at Rs. 7.10 crore. Collections dropped gradually through the week with Rs 6.56 crore on Tuesday, Rs 5.30 crore on Wednesday and Rs 4.20 on Thursday in earnings. Singh Is Bliing’s total domestic collections stand at Rs 77.60 crore and the overseas market brought in earnings to the tune of Rs. 16.50 crore. If the steady earnings continue through the second week, the film could possibly touch a 100-crore figure domestically.

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NATIONAL

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 19

Toronto drunk driver who killed South Asian father and daughter gets 5 years in prison

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22-year-old man who sped the wrong way down Highway 427 after a night of drinking, killing a father and daughter in a head-on collision, was sentenced Tuesday to five years in prison and banned from driving for eight years.

“This case is a terrible tragedy for all concerned,” said Superior Court Justice Glenn Hainey as he read his decision to the packed courtroom on Tuesday afternoon. Brian Wijeratne talks to the media following the guilty Sabastian Prosa, 19 at the verdict with his mother Antoinette Wijerante carrying time of the Aug. 5, 2012 pictures of the deceased, Jayantha (dad) and Eleesha crash, was found guilty on (daughter).

12 charges, including impaired driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death.

Jayanatha Wijeratne and his 16-yearold daughter Eleesha were killed, and Wijeratnes’s wife, Antonette, was seriously injured. The family were on their way back from a week-long vacation in Florida to celebrate Antonette’s birthday.

Prosa, who has been out on bail since he was charged in 2012, was taken into custody for the first time as his emotional family watched.

During the trial, Prosa had claimed his drink may have been drugged at a downtown club, making him involuntarily intoxicated.

Prosa’s lawyer argued the charges should be stayed because the province-run lab didn’t properly seal Prosa’s blood sample before sending it to an independent lab. The sample leaked, and there was too little left to test.

The judge found that Prosa’s Charter rights were violated by the loss of the blood sample but denied the application to stay the charges.

In making his decision, Hainey found that Prosa, a university student with no past criminal record and the support of his family, is

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Canadian dollar shoots higher as oil rebounds

he Canadian dollar shot above 77 cents US today on strengthening oil prices and a weaker greenback.

The loonie rose half a cent to 77.38 cents US in the afternoon, its strongest showing since mid-August.

Oil continued its climb on confidence that U.S. shale drillers are cutting back on production. A report earlier this week by the U.S. Energy Information Agency forecast lower global oil production and an increase in demand.

West Texas Intermediate crude, the main North American contract, rose 41 cents to $49.83 US a barrel. It moved as high as $50.92 in morning trading.

Oil has been rising since Oct. 2, in part on news of Russian airstrikes in Syria and Iran. Brent, the main international contract, was at $52.94 and Canadian crude contract Western Canada Select was up 11 cents at $34.54 “One development that is significant is what’s happening in the Middle East with Russia starting military operations there,” said Robert Mark of MacDougall, MacDougall & McTier, He says the rebound in oil prices at this time of year is a positive as energy prices tend to weaken in autumn. MacDougall, MacDougall & MacTier is predicting oil will settle at or above the $50 market in the next few weeks, but won’t hit $70 until the second half of 2016. “The next big hurdle in terms of analyzing supply and demand is the impact of Iran returning to the market.

unlikely to offend again and is a good candidate for rehabilitation. Though Prosa did not speak to the court, he expressed remorse for his actions through a pre-sentence report.

Hainey also emphasized the seriousness of this case and the need for deterrence. The Court of Appeal of Ontario has observed that sentences in fatal drunk driving cases have become harsher in recent years, a result of the problem persisting, Hainey noted in his decision.

The Crown had asked for a sentence of eight years, the defence, three years.

Outside court, Antonette Wijernatne and her son Brian criticized the penalties imposed for fatal drunk driving cases in Canada as being too lenient.

“This pattern of carelessness and needless death needs to change. Our laws need to

change,” said Brian. “Life in prison sends a clear message that drunk driving has no excuses. It sends a message that getting behind the wheel of a vehicle and killing people is no different than any other kind of murder.”

In a shaky voice, Antonette spoke about the terrible human cost of drunk driving — the loss of half her beloved family, and in a recent crash alleged to be caused by alcohol, the deaths of three young children and their grandfather.

“We never run out of drinking and driving cases. One has to think people aren’t considering this kind of thing might happen when they get behind the wheel,” Crown prosecutor Tom Goddard said following the decision.

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NATIONAL

Liberal platform promises help for students, infrastructure spending and tax changes

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iberal Leader Justin Trudeau released his full package of campaign promises today, an 88-page plan to boost support for post-secondary students, clean up the environment and lower the tax burden for middle-class families. Trudeau unveiled the fully costed platform, A New Plan for a Strong Middle Class, during a campaign stop at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont. It includes a mix of previously announced planks and new measures, including a suite of initiatives to help post-secondary students. If elected on Oct. 19, a Liberal government would increase the maximum Canada Student Grant for

low-income students to $3,000 a year for full-time students, an increase of 50 per cent, and $1,800 for part-timers. It would also work to tackle the persistent problem of student debt, requiring repayments to kick in only after graduates are earning at least $25,000 a year. Too often, young Canadians are saddled with a huge debt load after finishing university, Trudeau said. “That’s a tough way to get your start in the world.”

The Liberal education plan would also kick in an extra $50 million a year to support indigenous post-secondary students.

Trudeau committed to work with the provinces and territories to ensure they don’t assume additional costs.

Colombia is number one source country for refugees coming to Canada

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ver the last 10 years, about 26,000 The federal government recently anrefugees arrived in Canada annu- n o u n c e d plans to resettle 10,000 ally, according to numbers from ry Syrian refugees (gove v y e Citizenship and Immigration Canada. or earl Cana ernment-assisted n o t n privately sponsored) m Of that number, an average e o t e r f f o m ees ct e co And of about 11,000 were efug try hav years. m refle s, over the next year, o n refugees who came to cou ver the ame fr al crise le slightly less than the c o Canada and successhi 12,310 y o refugees e i n da s th ternat ay or C and e i r t fully claimed refugee n i from all countries n d s u o f 0 t o o .

7 status and 4,000 were the c istory d Iraq the 19 ecently who resettled n h r a n i e e their dependants. Seven th Syria desh i mor in Canada in 2014. it a thousand refugees received like Bangl nd Ha Syrians are also coma d government assistance to re- an Lanka ing to Canada and filing asylum i settle in Canada, and 4,000 Sr claims, which are almost all approved. were privately sponsored.

That was the case for 678 Syrians in 2014.

In 2014, 23,285 refugees were admitted Colombia No. 1 source country to Canada, In recent years, refugees have The United Nations refugee agency, UNaccounted for slightly less than 10 per cent HCR, provides data for the countries of all immigrants who come to Canada. where refugees have successfully sought

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NDP releases full platform: ‘Building the country of our dreams’

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ith the party’s polling numbers slipping and as advance polls opened Friday, the NDP released their complete election platform in Montreal with plans for leader Tom Mulcair to embark on a busy weekend of intense campaigning to try to turn things around.

Mulcair told supporters at the launch that this was the platform that would elect the first federal NDP government. “There are 35 seats missing,” he said. “The Liberals need a hundred. Do the math.” Mulcair told the crowd that “Canadians are ready for change. We’re ready like never before,” while saying several times that his party’s plan was about “building the Canada of our

dreams.” In his remarks, Mulcair highlighted the differences between his party and Justin Trudeau’s Liberals. He compared his party’s opposition to C-51, the Harper government’s anti-terrorism legislation, to the brave positions taken by party icons such as the revered Tommy Douglas. The Liberals voted in favour of C-51, although they’ve promised to amend it, if elected to include more parliamentary oversight of the nation’s security services. ‘Informal or stable arrangements’ Mulcair also said that Liberals weren’t doing enough to stand up for dairy farmers and auto workers who are expected to be hurt by the newly signed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Conservatives’ full party platform includes 4 years of surpluses

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he Conservatives are promising to maintain budgetary surpluses over the next four years even as spending for their campaign promises ramps up.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper released his party’s platform in Surrey, B.C., today. The document projects a surplus of $1.6 billion next year.

That surplus drops to $1.4 billion in 2017/18, then falls further, to $947 million in 2018/19, as some promises from this campaign kick in in those two years.

Most notably, that’s when the Conservatives expect the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement will be ratified, and farmers will begin to use the $4.3-billion compensation fund, for example.

Most of the party’s campaign promises have been released by now. But there are a few surprises in today’s document.

A Conservative party strategist highlighted what he describes as a key difference between his party’s platform and the spending commitments from the NDP and the Liberals. In the fourth year of a Conservative mandate, new spending on promises from this campaign will total $6.8 billion. In that same year, the strategist says, the NDP will spend about $11 billion on campaign promises, while the Liberals are promising to spend just under $37 billion, according to the strategest.

By that fourth year, the Conservatives are expecting a budgetary surplus of $2.4 billion under their plan. Budget freeze continues The Conservatives are also promising contingency funds each year that are not included in the surplus projections. It starts at $1 billion next year and it grows to $3 billion in the fourth year.

UN General Assembly ex-president John Ashe charged in bribery scheme

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former president of the United Nations General Assembly turned the world body into a “platform for profit” by accepting over $1 million US in bribes from a billionaire Chinese real estate mogul and other businesspeople to pave the way for lucrative investments, a prosecutor alleged Tuesday.

John Ashe (pictured), a former UN ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda who served in the largely ceremonial

post as head of the 193-nation assembly from September 2013 to September 2014, faces tax fraud charges in what authorities call a conspiracy with five others, including Francis Lorenzo, a deputy UN ambassador from the Dominican Republic who lives in New York. U.S. attorney Preet Bharara repeatedly noted that it was early in the investigation and told reporters that as it proceeds: “We will be asking: Is bribery business as usual at the UN?”

POLITICS

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Conservatives match Liberal pledge to extend parental leave to 18 months

tephen Harper made an election pitch straight at young families Wednesday, proposing changes to the employment insurance system that would extend maternity and parental leave benefits to 18 months, up from the one-year program now offered. In addition to changing the federal Labour Code provisions that protect parents’ jobs while they’re away, Conservatives propose lengthening the amount of time new parents are eligible to receive benefits. For those who are self-employed or just need to return to work earlier, pilot programs could allow new parents to combine work and time off for child care without their benefits being reduced.

In August, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau unveiled a Liberal plan to reform parental leave that would allow new parents to access benefits in portions for a period of up to 18 months, making it possible to take time off, return to work and take more time off within that period. If elected, a Liberal government would also extend employment insurance benefits for up to 18 months, at a lower benefit level.

Introducing her husband Wednesday at the Conservative campaign event in Saskatoon, Laureen Harper spoke about her experience trying to keep working after giving birth. She called this platform pledge a “game-changer” for working families.

“We want to support new parents by giving them as much choice and flexibility as possible in achieving the balance and making the career and financial decisions that are right for your family,” the Conservative leader said.

“All of these commitments are designed to provide choice and flexibility for new parents,” Stephen Harper said, calling them fair and affordable for the government.

The Labour Code changes would affect an estimated 17,000 federal civil servants and workers in federally regulated sectors, who could now take an extra six months of leave.

The amount of job protection afforded to other workers varies by province.

Currently, new mothers can claim 15 weeks of maternity leave under employment insurance. Then either parent can claim up to an additional 35 weeks of parental leave, adding up to 50 weeks in total benefits.

The Conservative proposal would give parents the option of extending the parental benefits period up to a maximum of 61 weeks, stretching the benefits out at a lower rate of payment.

Earning while on leave A new two-year pilot program would allow self-employed parents to better combine their work and family demands. The current system penalizes self-employed parents who continue to earn income from their business while on leave. The proposal will let self-employed parents supplement their EI benefits with self-employment income. A worker receiving the maximum weekly EI parental benefit of $537 per week (55 per cent of the maximum allowable earnings for 2016) could earn another $439 per week in self-employment earnings before the EI was clawed back, up to a total of $50,800 annually. That’s 100 per cent of the annual earnings threshold eligible

Canadian journalist Fahmy says gov’t could have done more to secure his release

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reed Canadian journalist Mohamed Fahmy said on Wednesday that when he returns to Canada, he plans to talk to Ottawa about how the federal government can better protect its citizens in foreign countries when they face arrest. “I do believe that the Canadian government could Fahmy (right). have done more, they could have had a more aggressive approach,” he said during a talk he gave with his lawyer, Amal Clooney, at the Frontline Club in London. Fahmy spent more than 400 days in an Egyptian prison on widely denounced terrorism charges connected with his reporting work for Al-Jazeera’s English network. While incarcerated, Fahmy said he received excellent support from the Canadian consular team and ambassadors on the ground, but his family and other supporters were critical of the Canadian government for not taking sufficient action. “I didn’t want to believe it when I was in my cell that the government wasn’t doing their best,” Fahmy said. But when he was released from prison on bail while awaiting a retrial, he said he realized the criticism was valid. Fahmy, his family, Clooney and supporters from around the world called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the highest levels of the Canadian government to increase pressure on the Egyptian government to secure his release and have him deported to Canada.

The government “should be much faster in intervening immediately as it happens, and not wait for junior ministers or embassy consular staff to come in,” Fahmy said. “It’s very very important.”

His ordeal finally ended on Sept. 23, when he was pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and

released from prison.

Fahmy left Cairo Tuesday for the first time since his arrest in 2013 after his name was removed from a no-fly list. He is expected to travel to Toronto next, then to Vancouver, where he will teach journalism at the University of British Columbia.

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Saturday, October 10, 2015

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Syrian refugee crisis makes unexpected return as election campaign issue

t’s unlikely to be a so-called October surprise — an event that could have a drastic effect on the course of the election — but the re-emergence of the Syrian refugee crisis as an issue was unexpected, given how other issues had overtaken the campaign.

With the niqab, the recently signed Trans-Pacific Partnership and the results of daily polling making the headlines, the refugee crisis had mostly fallen off the radar, save for its appearance at the election debates. But a report in The Globe and Mail on Thursday changed the channel, at least for the day. The newspaper reported that the Prime Minister’s Office and Harper himself intervened to stop Canadian immigration officials from processing Syrian refugee cases in the spring. Not only had the Prime Minister’s Office halted the process, the paper said, but it had asked Citizenship and Immigration for the files of some Syrian refugees so they could be vetted by the PMO, a move that would have forced families already declared refugees by the United Nations to wait longer to come to Canada. Not surprisingly, the reaction poured in from all sides. NDP Leader Tom Mulcair offered the strongest

rebuke, saying Harper had already been holding up the refugee process before he “appeared before us to emote, talking about his own family after seeing the body of that little child on that beach in Turkey.”

“That is abject behaviour on the part of the Canadian prime minister. It is a shame on Canada.” It seemed to be a tougher stance than the one he took last month, when the picture of Alan Kurdi, the boy who was found dead on the beach, had pushed the Syrian refugee crisis, and Canada’s response to it, into the headlines. Back then, it seemed, Mulcair was reluctant to cast blame for that particular incident. Instead, it was Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau who was asking for Harper to apologize to the father of the boy. On Thursday, though, Trudeau seemed a little more muted in his comments. He said he wasn’t surprised the government intervened in the refugee file, but then went on to criticize it on a more general scale, saying it “has always behaved in an irresponsible manner and interferes.”

While the Globe’s story said the PMO did not directly respond to a request for comment, on Thursday, the Conservatives certainly reacted.

Hillary Clinton opposes TPP trade deal

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.S. Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton has come out against the recently signed Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying there are too many “unanswered questions” about the comprehensive trade deal. “What I know about it, as of today, I am not in favour” of TPP, Clinton said during an interview with PBS anchor Judy Woodruff set to air on Wednesday. “I don’t believe it’s going to meet the high bar I have set,” she said of the deal, the origins of which she helped work on as U.S. President Barrack Obama’s secretary of state a half-decade ago.

She joins Democratic rivals Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley who warn it could lead to lost American jobs. The free trade deal backed by the administration has been opposed by liberal Democrats and labour

unions. In her 2014 book, Hard Choices, Clinton championed the TPP, but said her final approval would depend on the final terms. “It’s safe to say the TPP won’t be perfect — no deal negotiated among a dozen countries ever will be — but its higher standards, if implemented and enforced, should benefit American businesses and workers,” she wrote, adding that her goal was higher labour and environmental standards and intellectual property protection in member countries. It has also emerged as a campaign issue in Canada, with New Democrats saying they oppose the deal Canada is a signatory to, and the Liberals saying they want to see more details of what’s been agreed on. Congressional challenge

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CLASSIFIEDS

Saturday, October 10, 2015

C Matrimonial Parents looking match for their Canadian 27 year old very handsome, jat sikh boy, 5’9”, graduate , well establisehd businessman.

Girl must be well cultured, educated, Canadian citizen or permanent resident .

Contact after 6pm 604-598-1987 - 778-387-1672

JOBS Western door manufacturing Ltd. located at #109-8250 124Street, Surrey BC V3W 3X9, has an immediate vacancy of Carpenter. We design and manufacture high end solid wood exterior doors, solid wood interior doors and custom doors.

Full time permanent job position with wages of $25per hour.

35 to 40 hours per week.

Job Duties includes Read & interpret drawings & sketches to determine specifications; Estimate height, width, length, & other proportions; Measure, cut, shape, & assemble materials using woodworking machines, power tools and hand tools; Build exterior doors, interior doors, custom doors with jams; Install hardware such as hinges, handles, catches using hand tools and power tools; Repair doors & replace panels of doors.

Job requirement: High school with 2-3 years of experience.

Trade certificate will be considered as an asset. If interested send resumes by email at westerndoormanufacturing@gmail. com ------------- September 5, 2015

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JOBS “Balwinder Singh Singhmaar, resident of 15095 92Ave, Surrey, BC V3R 5V8 has a vacancy for In-home Child caregiver for infant child and 9 years old son. $10.25/hrs, Full Time, 40 hrs/ week. Applicant must have high school with minimum of 1 year of related experience within last 3 years or 6 months of full time training in caregiving. Job Duties includes Supervise and care for children, prepare formulas and change diaper of infant, feeding, bathing, dressing, prepare children for rest period, escort child to school, prepare and serve nutritious meal and snacks, accompany to and from activities & appointments, light housekeeping, laundry, maintain safe environment at home, keep record of day-to-day activities, health and progress of children.

Optional accomodation is available at no charge but this is not a condition of employment” -------------- August 13 2015 Jun13_155 Long Haul Truck Drivers Reqd. Sal:$23.00/hr, 40hr/wk, +1yr exp. & Class A 0r 1 license reqd., FT/PT Duties: Operate, drive straight or articulated trucks to transport goods & materials on local routes or over long distances.Plan trip logistics & obtain required documentation to transport goods.Perform pre-trip & post-trip inspection of vehicle systems.Record cargo information, hours of service, distance travelled & fuel consumption.May perform emergency

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roadside repairs. Lang: English.

Work at various location in Canada & USA. Contact: Balwinder from Metro Transport ltd.12772 82nd Ave, Surrey, V3W 3G1 E-mail your resume at metro_transport@ yahoo.ca.

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1 Optical Frame Fitter Reqd.

Sal: $22.00/hr, 40hr/wk, +1yrs exp. or certification reqd., FT/ PT Duties: Obtain specifications for eyeglasses or contact lenses from a prescription. Assist clients in selecting eyeglasses. Grinding & polishing of lenses. Cut & edge lenses & fit lenses into frames. May supervise or manage activities of other opticians. Lang: English. Location: 12841 96 Avenue, Surrey, BC, V3V 6V9 Contact: Imran from Eye See 2020 Optical at opt_eyesee@yahoo.ca.

------------------------------Jun 06_15 Dosa Corner Restaurant Ltd in Vancouver Looking to hire an authentic south indian chef .

This is a full time permanent position. $18.50/hr. 40hrs/week. Must have at least 3-5yrs experience in south indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Dosas.

Duties include Prepare & cook meals.kitchen management. Plan menus & quality. Orders food supplies. Mail your resume to selvamm164@ gmail.com or apply by person at DosaCorner Vancouver. 110-8248 Fraser Street.

Vancouver. B.C.. V5X 3X6 Ph: 604-324-3672.

-----------------------------------Seamstress required Seamstress (Tailor) needed Foam & Décor is looking for Full Time or Part Time Seamstress ( tailor) for drapery in Surrey.

Salary will be provided @ 12 per hour. Please call 604-594-1882

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is $14.00 per hour plus vacation pay. You would be required to Mayuri Indian foods inc is looking oversee and supervise Static to hire an Ethnic Food Cook in Guards. You will need to ensure Surrey BC. F/T & Perm.$17/hr. the duties of the Static Guards Must have at least 2-3 yrs expeyou supervise are being completed and the client’s needs are berience in South Indian cuisine & specialized knowledge in Indian ing met. Field Manager pay rate is spicing. Duties: Prepare & Cook $18.00 per hour plus vacation pay. meals; Supervise Kitchen helpers; You would be required to report to the Director of Operations and Plan menus; Ensure quality & you are responsible for supportdetermine food proportions; ing, mentoring and supervising Monitor & order food supplies; the security officers in the field.

Set up & oversee buffets; Manage You will be required to manage kitchen operation. Mail resume the company’s field operations or apply by person Mayuri indian and resources after business cuisine , Unit 102A,12677 80th hours. Mobile Supervisor pay rate Ave., is $18.00 per hour. You would be Surrey BC V3W 3A6 required to provide ongoing leadFax: 604-572-3281 ership, direction and training. You ------------------------------------need to ensure all standing orders English Classes for Adults and scheduled daily activities are Register for classes carried out for each shift. You September 2-8 For more information,Visit: www. will be required to discipline staff when necessary victoryesl.com and ensure proper documentaCall: 604.755.7976 tion is passed onto head office.

E-mail: victoryesl1@gmail.com You will have to investigate alarm ---------------------------responses and respond in a timely Cook Require manner. You will need to commuCurry junction Restaurant in nicate any concerns/issues with White Rock need cook Site Supervisor/ immediately, This is a full time Coordinator. permanent position for a experiThe above opportunities suit enced person, candidates willing to travel all Depending on experience salary over the lower mainland and will be upto $21 per hr. with other benefits. Call:604-729-6741 or from Squamish to Hope. We also have opportunities in Edmonton, 604-385-1558 Alberta.

---------------------------Minimum qualification for these Transworld Security positions are completion of located at 2nd Floor, 5050, secondary school and BST Justice Kingsway, Burnaby BC V5H 4H2 Training of BC. is looking for a Static Guard, Past experience is preferred but Static Guard Supervisor, Mobile we are willing to train candidates Supervisor and Field Manager. who show eagerness to learn. For These are permanent full-time more information please visit our positions. Static Guard pay rate website at www.transworldsecuis $13.00 per hour plus vacation rity.ca. pay. You would be required to patrol industrial and commercial premises to prevent and detect To PLACE signs of intrusion and ensure YOUR security of doors, windows and AD IN THE gates. Answer alarms and inASIAN STAR vestigate disturbances. Monitor and authorize entrance and CLASSIFIEDS departure of employees, visitors Section and guests. Call police or fire departments in cases of emergency.

Circulate among visitors, patrons Please and employees to preserve order Call: and protect property.

Static Guard Supervisor pay rate 604-591-5423

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COMMUNITY Do You Have a Child with Autism? Free evening presentations in Punjabi Siblings, Parents, Grandparents and Neighbours — all are welcomed to these community events aimed at increasing awareness of the potential of children and adults with autism and the needs of their families for information and support.

October 13, 2015 The Individualised Education Plan (IEP)—what the school is supposed to do and how the parent can support the IEP process Speaker: Raminder Kaur, Behaviour Consultant, posAbilities November 17, 2015 Advocacy Tools for Parents— how to help your child get the services they need Speaker: Deborah Pugh, Executive Director, ACT December 1, 2015 One Parent’s Journey in Autism— the important role that family plays in supporting their child with autism Speaker: Sunita Braich, Integration Support Teacher, Surrey School District Details: www.actcommunity. ca/events Organized by ACT’s South Asian Autism Awareness Committee ( ASAAP )

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Want To Be Self Employed?

Register with PICS SelfEmployment Program

PICS is calling all potential entrepreneurs in Delta, Surrey and Burnaby to join their next info session of Self Employment Program on October 14, 2015 at 2:30 PM at PICS Head office

in Surrey. Through this program you will learn to develop self-employment skills, business plans, marketing plans. You will also learn how to arrange start-up funding and the best possible ways to manage your cash.

What – PICS self-employment program info session When – Wednesday, October 14, 2015, 2:30 PM Where - PICS Head office - #20512725-80th Avenue, Surrey How - Pre-register at deshpal.grewal@pics.bc.ca or sunil.rawat@ pics.bc.ca . Or call Mr. Deshpal Grewal at 604-596-7722, Ext 126, or Mr. Sunil Rawat at 604-596-7722, Ext 128.

Eligibility –BC Job seekers who are unemployed/underemployed and who have received EI in the past 3 years or Maternity Benefits in the past 5 years. Selected clients may be eligible to receive up to $300 per week for 48 weeks.

Hurry seating is limited !

-------------------------------UBC celebrates its centennial anniversary Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson made the following statement in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the University of British Columbia.“This year marks the 100th anniversary of the University of British Columbia. Government established UBC with the passage of the University Act in 1908, and the university first opened its doors to students in 1915. UBC is the oldest post-secondary institution in British Columbia.“The university welcomed 379 students in its first year. A century later, approximately 60,000 students are enrolled at UBC at its campuses in Vancouver and the Okanagan, with more than 10,000 students graduating in 2014-15. The university is a significant

Saturday, October 10, 2015

contributor to the B.C. economy with an economic impact of $12.5 billion annually.

“UBC has developed a reputation for excellence over the years. It is consistently ranked among the top universities in Canada and the world. UBC is also a world leader in innovation and scientific discovery in diverse fields. UBC faculty are leaders in medicine and biology, sequencing the SARS virus in record time and implementing the world’s leading treatment and prevention regime for HIV/AIDS. UBC graduates lead major international business consultancies and IT firms. “UBC has more than 300,000 alumni in 120 countries, including two Canadian Prime Ministers, and seven Nobel Prize winners in physics, economics and molecular biology. UBC faculty, alumni and researchers have won 69 Rhodes Scholarships and 65 Olympic medals and UBC graduates are prominent in the private, government and non-profit sectors of our society. “Congratulations to UBC students, staff, faculty and alumni on 100 years of academic success.”

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Navratri Festival 2015

Join us for the biggest and best Garba of the year in Vancouver When: Tuesday October 13th to Wednesday October 21st Time: 6:30pm until late Where: **Riverside Signature Hall 201-13030 76th Ave, Surrey, BC Tickets: $3 - Monday - Thursday. $6 - Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

Email: info@navratri.ca / or info@navratri.ca

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2015 Surrey Innovation Award Winners Announced At the September 30th Surrey Board of Trade Leadership Surrey Dialogue Lunch on ‘Surrey’s Transportation Future’ at Eaglequest Golf Course with Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner, Former Premier Mike Harcourt, Gordon Price of SFU, and a crowd of over 150 businesses, the Surrey Board of Trade proudly presented the 2nd Surrey Innovation Awards.

“It is fitting that the Surrey Innovation Awards are being presented at the Surrey’s Transportation Future Lunch because our transportation prob-

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lems require innovative solutions, and each of today’s winners exemplifies innovation, that is new ways of doing business. It is Surrey’s innovative companies that will meet the challenges of the new economy, expanding opportunity in the great city that is Surrey, improving lives locally and globally by transforming ideas and technology into commercial reality,” said Anita Huberman, CEO, Surrey Board of Trade. The 2015 Surrey Board of Trade, Surrey Innovation Award Winners are: 1. Young Innovator Category Recognizes the entrepreneurial spirit of an individual less than 30 years of age who has demonstrated innovative thinking through the research and/or development of a technology-related product or service WINNER: Empower Operations Corporation – GEORGE CHENG With more than 20 years of university research Empower Operations Corporation is built on world-leading, simulation-based design optimization techniques. Empower provides a flagship product, OASIS (Optimization Assisted System Integration Software) that offers efficient design exploration and optimization, engineer-centered interactive design environment and advanced visualization capabilities. Empower also offers optimization procedures that can be integrated with existing engineering simulation software.

Empower Operations won the 2015 Coast Capital Savings Venture Prize and was featured in the Vancouver Sun and Business in Surrey. 2. Excellence in Innovation Awards Recognizes a company that has developed a new or improved technology, service, process or product by using creative methods and innovative thinking that has the potential to transform an industry sector or quality of life. WINNER: Vantek Innovations Since 2014, Vantek Innovations has developed the technology to create a safer environment for Emergency Response Vehicles.

Vantek Innovations’ algorithm is to shut off the car stereo system and provide an audio message instructing the driver to pull over, even before they are aware of an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV) approaching. With the successful implementation of their software into passenger vehicles it will lower the collision/fatality rate, along with decreasing the response times by providing the ERV a safe and clear path to the accident/crime scene. Vantek Innovations is currently in discussion with multiple car manufacturer’s who have expressed interest in their software.

3. Organization Innovation Award Recognizes an organization that has developed a new or improved technology, service, process or product by using creative methods and innovative thinking that has the potential to transform quality of life WINNER: Pacific Community Resources Society The Pacific Community Resources Society (PCRS) Green Courier program was established to substitute the use of commercial couriers for regular inter-office mail between PCRS sites.

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Business / Finance

IMF downgrades Canadian growth outlook to 1% for 2015

he IMF has downgraded its outlook for Canadian growth to one per cent this year because of the impact of lower oil and commodities prices. It also has revised its expectations for global growth downwards to 3.1 per cent, the lowest since 2009. In a report Tuesday in advance of the IMF-World Bank annual meetings this week in Lima, Peru, it highlights the downside risks to the world economy from the economic slowdown in China and low prices for commodities. The recovery it expected earlier in the year has become uneven, it said in its World Economic Outlook with marginal advances in developed economies and slowing in most emerging economies. “Six years after the world economy emerged from its broadest and deepest postwar recession, the

holy grail of robust and synchronized global expansion remains elusive,” said Maurice Obstfeld, IMF director of research. Growth slower in most nations “Despite considerable differences in country-specific outlooks, the new forecasts mark down expected nearterm growth marginally but nearly across the board.” It has revised its estimate for Canadian GDP growth downward by half a percentage point from its July forecast to one per cent this year, and to 1.7 per cent in 2016.

Last year, the IMF was forecasting 2.2 per cent growth for the Canadian economy.

A side report explores how the sharp decline in commodity prices over the last three years has hurt economies dependent on commodities, including Canada, Chile and Australia.

Canada and 11 other countries sign onto the new Trans-Pacific Partnership

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s Canada and 11 other countries signed onto the new Trans-Pacific Partnership on Monday after marathon negotiations that lasted days longer than scheduled. The historic agreement lowers tariffs nearly across the board for a trading bloc representing roughly 40 per cent of the world’s gross domestic product. Each country still needs to ratify the deal before it takes effect, and Canada’s Parliament will vote on it after the federal election The deal is “in the best interests of the Canadian economy,” Conservative Leader Stephen Harper said after it was announced.

But the agreement has been hotly contested by some Canadian industries, including dairy farmers and auto workers, who claim increased competition will cost them profits and jobs.

One of the benefits to Canadians, it was implied, was that savings would be passed down straight to consumers and their wallets. But, experts say, it’s unlikely the deal will make a big dent in Canadians’ grocery bills or car purchases.​ “Don’t expect to see huge changes or a huge drop in prices,” said Ambarish Chandra, a pricing expert who teaches at the University of Toronto’s management school. “Really, there’s very little evidence that’s going to happen.”

The definitive text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, has not been released, but is expected soon.

(Though it’s unclear if it will be public ahead of the Oct. 19 federal election.)

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So analysts must piece together details from information released thus far by the 12 signatories, including Canada.

Canadians outside of Quebec could find themselves paying a little less for milk, cheese, yogurt, butter and other dairy products. The Canadian government made a hotly contested concession to its supply-managed agricultural sector. Im-

ports representing roughly 3.25 per cent of Canada’s current annual dairy production will be allowed into the country.

If dairy processors decide to pass along savings from lower imported milk costs to consumers, retail prices could drop, Sylvain Charlebois, a professor who studies food distribution and policy at the University of Guelph, told The Canadian Press.

“There are no guarantees,” he said, but lower prices at the farm gate increase the possibility of consumer savings.

“For consumers, it looks like a pretty good deal,” said Keith Head, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s business school.

Trade deficit balloons to $2.5 billion in August

tatistics Canada says the country’s trade deficit with the world increased to $2.5 billion in August — much higher than economists expected.

The increase came as exports fell 3.6 per cent in August, while imports edged up 0.2 per cent.

Economists had expected a deficit of $1.2 billion for the month, according to Thomson Reuters.

A large part of the widening of the gap was due to energy exports that continued to weaken. Exports of energy products fell by 14.7 per cent, Scotiabank said after the numbers came out.

But the bank noted that much of that was

because of lower prices — not less energy products going out. In volume terms, energy exports actually increased by two per cent, month over month, the bank noted.

Statistics Canada also updated its reading for July to show a deficit of $817 million compared with its initial reading of a deficit of $593 million.

In August, exports to the United States fell 3.0 per cent to $33.7 billion while imports from the U.S. slipped 0.8 per cent to $30.8 billion.

Exports to countries other than the United States fell 5.5 per cent to $10.2 billion, while imports from countries other than the U.S. increased 2.2 per cent to $15.6 billion.

Business / Finance

U.S. companies stashed $2.1 trillion offshore to avoid taxes: report

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he 500 largest American companies hold more than $2.1 trillion in accumulated profits offshore to avoid U.S. taxes and would collectively owe an estimated $620 billion in U.S. taxes if they repatriated the funds, according to a study released on Tuesday. The study, by two non-profit groups, found that nearly three-quarters of the firms on the Fortune 500 list of biggest American companies by gross revenue operate tax haven subsidiaries in countries like Bermuda, Ireland, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Citizens for Tax Justice and the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund used the companies’ own financial filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission to reach their c on c lu s i on s .

Te c h n o l o gy firm Apple was holding $181.1 billion offshore, more than any other U.S. company, and would owe an estimated $59.2 billion in U.S. taxes if it tried to bring the money back to the United States from its three overseas tax havens, the study said. The conglomerate General Electric has booked $119 billion offshore in 18 tax havens, software firm Microsoft is holding $108.3 billion in five tax haven subsidiaries and drug company Pfizer is holding $74 billion in 151 subsidiaries, the study said “At least 358 companies, nearly 72 per cent of the Fortune 500, operate subsidiaries in tax haven jurisdictions as of the end of 2014,” the study said.

“All told these 358 companies maintain at least 7,622 tax haven subsidiaries.”

Fortune 500 companies hold more than $2.1 trillion in accumulated profits offshore to avoid taxes, with just 30 of the firms accounting for $1.4 trillion of that amount, or 65 per cent, the study found.

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Fifty-seven of the companies disclosed that they would expect to pay a combined $184.4 billion in additional U.S. taxes if their profits were not held offshore. Their filings indicated they were paying about 6 per cent in taxes overseas, compared to a 35 per cent U.S. corporate tax rate, it said.

“Congress can and should take strong action to prevent corporations from using offshore tax havens, which in turn would restore basic fairness to the tax system, reduce the deficit and improve the functioning of markets,” the study concluded. Canadians for Tax Fairness studied Canadian data on tax havens earlier this year and estimated Canadian companies have stashed $199 billion in profits offshore.

Richard Phillips of U.S. group Citizens for Tax Justice says shaming companies by naming them is not enough. Congress needs to step in a pass legislation to prevent use of tax haven shelters. He said allowing tax holidays for corporations to bring profits home just rewards the companies and encourages more such corporate tax evasion. “Immediately following the tax holiday [in 2004] we actually see the amount offshore go from $400 billion to now $2.1 trillion,” he said.

Phillips recommends a simple solution. “They should have to pay the same tax rate on their foreign income and their domestic income and have to pay it at the same time,” he said.

The study comes as the G20 finance ministers are set to meet Thursday to discuss an OECD plan to reform international tax rules to curb corporate tax avoidance.

Five tips for launching a business in the digital age

oday there are more opportunities than ever for people to start a business. While many entrepreneurs still open businesses in fixed locations, more people are launching businesses that operate entirely online. “While the traditional tips for starting a business still apply, entrepreneurs can’t ignore how important having an online presence is to the success of their business,” says Sarah Adams, vice-president of Small Business at RBC. Adams offers five tips for launching a business in a digitally connected world: 1. Research your market – While it may be tempting to ask family and friends for input on your product or service, to truly understand if your idea is viable, it is best to talk to your target audience. 2. Write a business plan – Studies have shown that owners who create a business plan have a better chance of success. By developing a business plan you ensure everyone involved is on the

same page to set priorities, establish goals and create a strategy for execution.

3.

Determine your financial needs – Assess your start-up costs, calculate your cash flow needs, and figure out how long it will take to break-even. Create scenarios to find out if you have the funds you need. 4. Build your web site – To continue to find new customers, grow your business and remain competitive your business needs to be online, and that means creating a web site.

5. Connect on social media – Social media is a great way to reach your target audience while saving money on advertising. Think about which social media channels your customers are most likely to use and connect with them.

More advice on starting a business is available at www.rbcroyalbank.com/business.

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PUNJAB

2/3rd of cotton crop destroyed by Whitefly, 15 farmers commit suicide

t was just like the Japanese air strike in the film, Pearl Harbour,” said Naresh Kumar Lehri, a seed and pesticide dealer at Singho village in Punjab’s Bathinda district. “They appeared out of nowhere and left a trail of destruction.” Lehri was referring to the devastating attack by whitefly, a common pest, on the cotton crop in Punjab’s Malwa region this year. It has affected about two-thirds of standing cotton crop in the state, causing an estimated loss of Rs 4,200 crore. There are reports of at least 15 cotton farmers committing suicide. The director of Punjab’s agriculture department is under arrest as are several pesticide dealers for selling spurious pesticides. The farmers are on the roads blocking traffic and demanding compensation while the state’s Akali Dal-led NDA government has announced a compensation package of Rs 640 crore, dismissed by angry farmers as peanuts. Punjab has nearly 12 lakh acres under cotton this year and al-

most all of it is Bt cotton, which is resistant to some major pests such as bollworm. But over the years, whiteflies have regularly attacked cotton plants only to be controlled by intensive spraying of chemical pesticides. But this year, despite a new pesticide being introduced and subsidized by the state government, the whitefly attack spun out of control.

The reasons for this virulence are yet unclear but the farmers have a story to tell. Several cotton farmers that TOI met in Bathinda and Faridkot districts of Punjab and adjoining Sirsa district of Haryana said that the whitefly appeared earlier than usual this year and deficient rains seem to have helped it survive longer. “Since July, we have sprayed pesticide 10-12 times. Each spray costs about Rs 3,300 per acre. But the whitefly was unaffected,” said a downcast Manjeet Singh in Singho village, standing on four acres of his withered cotton crop.

Punjab Police accsued of sending ‘wrong body’ to UK The daughter of a British businessman thought to have been murdered in India says the body Punjab police have sent to the UK is not her father’s.

Hotel owner Ranjit Singh Power, from Wolverhampton, 54, was last seen at an airport in Amritsar, Punjab, on 8 May. Taxi driver Sukhdev Singh was charged with his murder after police said he had confessed to killing Mr Power.

The hotelier’s daughter said that dental records and DNA of the body did not match the family’s samples.

Mr Power’s body was found in a lake and was in poor condition. A family friend who identified the body in June had said it was

the right height and wore “exactly the same bangle” as the businessman.

Senior Punjab police official Amrik Singh, who investigated the case, said they tested the DNA samples after recovering the body and sent it to London only after it was identified by Mr Power’s friend.

Police require the DNA sample of his mother to be able to match them, he said, adding that they had conveyed their request to the British embassy in Delhi and also to Mr Power’s family.

“The DNA of my grandmother has not been sent to India as requested, because we found out that the body was not my father’s so it was no longer necessary,” Ms Power told BBC Hindi.

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Farmers extend protests by two days

he “rail roko” agitation by Punjab farmers demanding higher compensation for their cotton and basmati crops paralysed train services in the state for the second day as the unions leading the protest extended it by another two days.

Forty-one trains, including the India-Pakistan Samjhauta Express, had to be cancelled after farmers protested on the tracks at seven locations: Muchhal (Amritsar), Moga, Mansa, Rampura, Shergarh (Bathinda), Pathrala and Lehragaga.

Three trains were diverted while 15 others were halted midway. A railway official said 75 trains had been cancelled over the past 48 hours while 24 were diverted and 48 stopped midway. The agitation is being spearheaded by eight farmer unions to pressure the SAD-

BJP government to accept their demands, including Rs40,000 per acre compensation for cotton crop lost in whitefly attack, a minimum Rs4,500 per quintal remuneration for basmati varieties and Rs20,000 each for the agrarian crisis-hit farm workers. Along with thousands of commuters, the Railways has been at the receiving end, suffering huge losses since the protest started.

Probe into pesticide scam not over but CM declare Agriculture Minister ‘innocent’

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he inquiry into the pesticide scam is yet to be complete, but the top state functionaries have already given a clean chit to Agriculture Minister Tota Singh. After party president Sukhbir Badal said that demanding the minister’s resignation was “unjustified”, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, too, has pronounced him “innocent”.

This has raised alarm bells in the state with the Opposition gunning for the ruling alliance for “shielding those involved in causing massive crop loss and farm distress”. The Opposition has also questioned how the duo could stand by the minister even when the SIT was still investigating the pesticide scam.

Badal, while talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of National Summit on Higher education for Skill Development and Employability today, said a high-level inquiry had been marked into the issue. When asked if the government would consider the demand seeking resignation of Tota Singh, Badal said neither any person held guilty of violations would be spared, nor would an innocent person be held accountable.

He criticised the farmer unions for their “rail roko andolan” and causing trouble to the common man. ‘We have always risen to the occasion in case of any agrarian crisis… but some farmer organisations are unnecessarily troubling the common man to get their demands met,” he said.

INDIA Minister of anti-corruption party charged with graft

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elhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal dismissed his cabinet colleague, Delhi’s Environment and Food and Supplies Minister Asim Ahmed Khan, on corruption charges and referred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Kejriwal, who announced the decision in a press conference, claimed an audio of a purported conversation between Khan and a builder in which the former demanded a bribe prompted the decision.

First time MLA from Ballimaran, Imran Hussain, will replace Khan.

Kejriwal claimed that the Delhi government received allegations of corruption against Khan on Thursday night. Khan had allegedly demanded money to allow construction of a building in his constituency of Matia Mahal to continue.

“We received a complaint last night that a building was being built in his constituency. Its construction was stopped and money was demanded from the builder,

who paid. There was a mediator between the MLA and the Minister,” the CM said, asking BJP to follow its example and dismiss Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for corruption. “We will not spare anyone, be it Minister, MLA or officer. Just give us evidence and we will remove the culprit the moment such charges are brought to our notice,” Kejriwal said. Sources in the party claimed Khan had denied any wrongdoing.

The Chief Minister said the action had been taken suo motu. “It was not a result of media expose. There will be no compromise with corruption. The decision has been taken with a heavy heart, as there was a lot of trust involved. He will be suspended until the CBI completes its investigation,” he said. “We did its preliminary assessment and prima facie, the case was found to be very serious. The complainant has requested in written not to reveal his name as there may be threat to his life,” Kejriwal said.

India death toll at Hajj stampede tops 100

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he number of Indians killed in the stampede near the Muslim holy city of Mecca last month has crossed 100, India’s foreign minister has said.

Sushma Swaraj tweeted that the number of Indians who had died now stood at 101.

Thirty two others are missing.

The Saudi authorities put the total death toll at 769 but foreign media reports and officials put the figure at well over 1,000.

It is the deadliest incident to occur during the pilgrimage in 25 years. Ms Swaraj had earlier tweeted that Indian authorities were “doing everything to locate our people”. occurred as pilgrims walked towards the Jamarat Bridge, where the pillars are located At least 76 Pakistani have also died in the stampede, reports say. The crush happened as two large groups of pilgrims converged as they were taking part in one of the Hajj’s major rites.

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Woman’s arm cut off by ‘Saudi employer’

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ndia’s foreign ministry has complained to the Saudi Arabian authorities following an alleged “brutal” attack on a 58-yearold Indian woman in Riyadh.

Kasturi Munirathinam’s right arm was chopped off, allegedly by her employer, when she tried to escape from their house last week, reports say. Munirathinam was working as a domestic help. She is recovering in hospital.

Her family has alleged that she was being tortured by her Saudi employers. Saudi authorities have not commented on the incident yet.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj wrote on Twitter: “This is unacceptable. We have tak-

en this up with Saudi authorities. Our embassy is in touch with the victim.” “Chopping of [arm] of Indian lady - we are very much disturbed over the brutal manner in which Indian lady has been treated in Saudi Arabia,” Ms Swaraj added. The family of Munirathinam in the southern Indian city of Chennai said that her employers had been “angered” after she complained about the “harassment” she was facing at her employer’s home, where she had begun working three months ago. They are asking the government to secure them com-

Raising the ‘Jungle Raj’ pitch, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today warned that Lalu Prasad will “remote control” the affairs in Bihar and “kidnapping” will be the only industry that will flourish if the Opposition grand alliance comes to power. Addressing election meetings in Sasaram and Aurangabad ahead of the Bihar poll starting on October 12, Modi also attacked Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad and Sonia Gandhi for not giving an account

of their performance of their 60 years rule in the state and said they have nothing else to speak except abuse him during campaigning. “He (Lalu) now wants to run Bihar with remote control since he himself cannot contest elections. He says that he is a ‘Big Boss’ and he can make anyone dance to his tunes,” Modi said in Sasaram.

pensation from the family, and also help pay Ms Munirathinam’s medical expenses.

Lalu wants to run Bihar with remote control: Modi

Over Rs 6,000 cr ‘black money’ sent out

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he Congress has alleged that over Rs 6,000 crore of “black money” was sent out of the country from a public sector bank here last year, two months after the NDA government assumed office, dismissing claims of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that there have been no scams in his regime. Demanding an independent probe into the matter, party spokesman RPN Singh told reporters that the money was sent from 59 accounts in the Ashok Vihar branch

of Bank of Baroda to Hong Kong. The Bank was not immediately available for comments.

It was strange that the money was sent to buy cashew, pulses and rice from Hong Kong, he said. “Rs 6,172 crore was deposited in 59 accounts of the Bank in cash as advance. The money was sent to some selected companies in Hong Kong. No effort was made to verify if the goods were received or not,” he alleged.

Three of the companies are not traceable on the addresses mentioned by them, the Congress spokesperson said.

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fOOD INDIA

6 i Saturday - April 4, 2015

A

Sena won’t let Ghulam Ali to sing in Maharashtra

fter Mumbai, Pakistan ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali’s Pune concert on October 9 too had to be cancelled today amid protests by Shiv Sena as the West Bengal and Delhi governments invited the singing legend to perform in their states.

While an exultant Shiv Sena said it would not allow Pakistani artistes to perform anywhere in the country as long as Indian soldiers were killed by the armed forces of the neighbouring country, the move invited sharp criticism from various quarters, including the Congress and some Bollywood stars.

Offering to host the concert in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is on a visit to Bhutan, tweeted, “Music has

no boundaries. Music is the rhythm of the heart. Ghulam Ali concert can be held in Kolkata. We will make all arrangements (for the concert).”

Delhi Culture Minister Kapil Mishra said the Pakistani singer was welcome to come to Delhi for a performance.

“Sad that #GhulamAli is not being allowed in Mumbai, I invite him to come to Delhi and do the concert. Music has no boundaries. #BanTheBan (sic),” he wrote on Twitter. Veteran Bollywood actress Shabana Azmi, music composers Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani also criticised the cancellation of the concert.

“Are we at war with Pakistan? Have we severed diplomatic relations?

Music director Ravindra Jain dies

M chicken (no butter) Masala

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7950 Granville St. Van-Granville: (604) 266-6080 him said. Jain was shifted from He was given a big break by (604) 303-0665 Richmond: 5333 No.3 Road Wockhardt Hospital in Nagpur Raj Kapoor, for whom he comRavindra Jain 4880 Victoria Dr. (604) 568-3890 Van-Victoria: Procedure: few days back to Mumbai by posed super hit songs in mov3516 Kingsway Van-Kingsway: (604) 558-3689 Marinate the chicken with the ginger garlic paste and the yoghurt for 20 min. soak the cashew in warm water for 15 minutes.chop the onions and tomatoes.

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4-5 poser was suffering from a urinary infection Kapoor. During the 1980s and 1990s, Mr (604) 497-0888 Surrey: 105-15155 101 Ave. minutes). remove from flame and run in a blender with the soaked cashews to make a smooth paste. return to the pan and add the tomato puree.

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Shital Patel is USA Funds’ chief information officer CHICAGO: An Indian-American IT professional has been appointed the senior vice president and chief information officer of a US-based nonprofit corporation that provides aid to needy college students. Shital Patel will be responsible for all aspects of USA Funds’ information technology and services and will lead the exploration of emerging information service opportunities, issues and solutions, the corporation said in a statement. The Indianapolis-based nonprofit corporation promotes student success in college and careers nationally. “Shital brings to USA Funds extensive leadership experience in both the private sector and government, as well as significant expertise in aligning information technology capabilities with emerging business strategies,” USA Funds CEO Bill Hansen said. “She will provide

key leadership as USA Funds continues its transition toward becoming a national leader in promoting better outcomes for students in postsecondary education and in the workforce,” Hansen said Patel most recently managed enterprise sales for Microsoft in Indiana. Her previous experience includes service as chief information officer for the City of Indianapolis and as a managing director for Unisys Corp. Patel is a graduate of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. She serves on the board of directors of the Indiana Youth Institute. USA Funds was founded in 1960 by a group of business leaders who were concerned about the rising cost of a college education. Throughout its more than 50year history, USA Funds has served more than 22 million students and parents with more than USD 250 billion in financial aid for higher education.

NRI

NRI from Maharashtra to set up forum to help drought-hit farmers MUMBAI: Maharashtra Development Forum (MDF), will be formed in New York by a group of NRIs, originally from the state, to assist government to initiate welfare measures for drought-hit farmers and kin of those who have committed suicide.

Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Ranjit Patil, who was in New York recently, said he interacted with about 30 prominent professionals from different sectors hailing from Maharashtra. The interaction took place at the residence of Consul General of India Dnyaneshwar Mulay. “They wanted to be part of the development process back home and help drought-hit farmers. But were not sure how to utilise their money.

I suggested that they set up a Maharashtra Development Forum and dedicate one day every week to discuss means to raise a corpus fund for welfare measures of farmers,” he said “I suggested they can adopt families or children of farmers who have committed suicide and fund their education,” Patil said. The minister said the General Administration Department (GAD) has a separate social development desk with a dedicated IAS officer.

“The corpus from NRIs can be routed for farmers welfare through the official machinery. This desk can be trustee of the corpus fund and co-ordinate with MDF,” he added.

MDF will comprise experts from various fields who are settled and very successful in the USA for many years.

American India Foundation expands reach WASHINGTON: The American India Foundation, dedicated to catalysing social and economic change in India, launched its eleventh chapter in the historic city of Philadelphia.

The foundation is one of the largest development organisations in the US dedicated to helping poor and marginalised people in India. AIF was founded by the initiative of former President Bill Clinton after the 2001 Gujarat earthquake following a suggestion from then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Nearly a hundred people from the Greater Philadelphia region attended the event held at the downtown Loews Philadelphia Hotel Oct 2, according to the American Bazaar. In the keynote address Al Jazeera America host Ali Velshi, whose great-grand parents moved to Africa from Gujarat a century ago, recalled the struggles his forefathers had to endure in their adopted land. He praised the work AIF is doing to provide opportunities the less privileged in the Indian society. Chief guest Raj Gupta, chairman of the board of directors of Delphi Automotive, stressed the importance of philanthropic work organizations such as AIF is doing in the US and India. “A dollar and 25 cents can make a difference,” he said, urging everyone to share their wealth. AIF CEO MA Ravi Kumar spoke about the mission of the organization. Other speakers included the chapter founding members Sanjay Gupta and Kavita Gupta, AIF Senior Director of Philanthropy and Development Venky Raghavendra, and Deepak Jolly, a vice president at Coca-Cola India. Philadelphia being the city of firsts and with the huge potential that it holds, it is important to have a strong presence and chapter here,” Sanjay Gupta told the American Bazaar.

Greater Philadelphia region, comprising of city of Philadelphia, South Jersey and Delaware, is home to leading universities, businesses and a population that has strong ties to India. AIF hopes to tap these resources. The ten other cities and regions AIF has chapters are Atlanta, the San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New England, New York Tristate Area, Orange County, Richmond VA and Washington DC.

FIJI

What happened to the missing girls of Naria?

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 31

bus at Naria about 3.30pm on September 9 after school to go home. Simran Singh’s father also suffered injuries when he went to rescue her from the attacker. Police have charged a man in connection with the student’s murder and the case is pending in court. In the meantime, the search for Vandhana is still continuing and her missing person’s file with police is still open. She is on the Interpol list as a missing person. She would be about 30

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years old now if still alive. A few months ago, a girl with similar features to Vandhana was spotted in a nightclub in Suva and she was interviewed by police. Vandhana’s family members also had the opportunity to see if there were any similarities between her and Vandhana when they last saw her.

Police also did DNA tests of the woman from Australia and of Vandhana’s parents and sent the samples to Australia.

have not been found so far. here is a story or two or many While the case of the sisters’ associated to some areas in the disappearance has been dealt country. While in some areas the stowith by the court, the disapries may be good, in others it is mostly pearance of Vandhana still reto do with bad or tragic things that mains a mystery. Chand was have happened there. also questioned in connection Some areas are so famous for tragic with Vandhana’s disappearincidents, in some cases every year or ance and he told police that he after a few months, that it is hard for had killed and buried her on people to forget their names. These Vandhana Pritika Jeet Malake Island. He took police incidents includemurder, murder-suiof Parliament as provided for under secofficers to the spot and after digging the area, cide, multiple suicides, picnic trips gone rime Minister Voreqe Bainimarations 83 and 84 of the Fijian Constitution some bones were found but they were later anwrong and even thedisappearance of people, ma has nominated the Minister before the sitting of Parliament on Monday. alysed to be that of an animal.

A few years after especially young girls. One such area which for Employment, Productivity and He said Mr Konrote was one of Fiji’s also a case the sisters’ disappearance, there was definitely is at the back of many people’s Industrial Relations, Jioji Konrote for the most outstanding and decorated milof some human remains being found in a sack mind is Naria in Rakiraki, which became a position of President. Mr Bainimarama itary officers, and he has been awardin the sea.

The remains were of a young girl household name a decade ago. It is a canesaid in a statement that he would nominate ed with numerous awards and decowho had been murdered.

And in the most farming settlement situated along the westMr Konrote’s name officially to the Speaker rations during his illustrious career. recent case that shocked the nation, a Year 10 ern coast of Viti Levu. There was not much student was hacked to death as she got off the being said about the area until late June 2005 when three sisters from Naria disappeared while on a picnic trip with a man whom they knew.

About three years before their disappearance, an 18-year-old student also went missing from the road in front of the sisters’ house. But for reasons not known, there was not much information available on the student’s disappearance in 2002 until the three sisters disappeared.

The three sisters left their home next to the Kings Rd in Naria for a picnic with a man whom they called “aaja” (grandfather) — Dip Chand, 22nd Nov - 29th Nov., 2015 who is serving a life sentence for their murders. They were — AshNankana Saheb ika Sherin Lata, 19, a supermarket cashier; Renuka Roshni Lata, 18, a computer student, and Radhika RoPanja Saheb Dera Saheb shni Lata, 17, a Form Six student.

It was about 10.30am on June 26, 2005 (Sunday) when the girls left with Chand in his boat for a picnic on Malake Island, something which they had done before. When the girls did not return home that afternoon and until the next morning, their parents reported the matter to police and their father went to look for them at sea. The girls’ father saw Chand alone in the boat and when questioned, he told the • Tour Starts from 22nd Nov till 29th Nov., 2015 worried father that some native Fi• 5 Star Hotel with max. two guests in one room jian men came in a boat and took • Full board tour (Breakfast and Dinner included) the girls away. On June 30, 2005, it was reported that the disappearance • Veg & Non-Veg meals will be served separately. of the girl in 2002 — Vandhana Pri• 24 hours medical facility tika Jeet -— and that of the sisters • Mobile medical unit with a qualified doctor could be linked. It was reported Based on double occupancy.

• Guided tour to all the Gurudwaras Airfare & Visa fee are not included. then that Ashika was a crucial witness in Vandhana’s disappearance • Fully A/C Coaches for land travel in Pakistan LIMITED SEATS. AVAILABLE ON as she had given her statement to FIRST COME FIRST SERVE BASIS. • Bottled water will be provided all the time. police on what happened. Vandhana was reportedly last seen with 22nd November: Arrival from India to Lahore Lunch and shopping.

Ashika on the road near the sisters’ house in Naria, as she had gone to 23rd November: Day visit Kartar Pur, Rorri Sahib, Chaki Sahib and Lallo de khoi their place to spend the night after 24th November: Day visit to Dera Sahib and other Gurdwaras, shopping attending a school carnival. While 25th November: Move to Nankana Sahib for Celebration stays overnight police were still searching for the 26th November: Arrival Serena Hotel Faisalabad and rest. girls, they pinned Chand for raping three girls, one as young as 11 years 27th November: Day visit: Day trip to Panja Sahib old and charged him with 10 counts 28th November: Day visit to Sacha Soda of rape. Chand pleaded guilty and 29th November: Return to India via Wagha Border he was jailed for 20 years by the Rakiraki Magistrates Court on July 15, BOOK YOUR TRIP NOW WITH... TRAVEL KING 2005 for 10 counts of rape. His appeal against the rape conviction and sentence was upheld and the matter was referred back to the Rakiraki Magistrates Court for a retrial. now serving you from our New, Bigger & Better Location in Surrey He was also jailed for life by the High Court in Lautoka for the three sisters’ murders, which he confessed #101-9360, 120th St., Surrey (Corner of 93A Ave. & 120th St) g Serviunnity to, and his appeals against the conCommince viction and sentence were quashed S by the court. But one thing unique 1982 in his case was the fact that Chand was charged and jailed for the murVISIT FOR ALL PACKAGES: der of the sisters but their bodies

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PAKISTAN

32 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

Rights group warns of threat to democracy in Pakistan

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arning of a “serious” threat to democracy in Pakistan, a prominent human rights group in the country today said that there appears to be a “clear plan” to project the role of the powerful military leadership in state affairs beyond its mandate. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed alarm over growing threats to democracy and fundamental rights in the country. “A greater say and prominence for military and the security apparatus in all spheres, many of which are clearly beyond its mandate --- with civilian ownership and input lacking or quickly receding--represents serious peril to democracy and representative governance in Pakistan,” HRCP said in a statement after a meeting of its executive council.

Pakistan rejects accusations of involvement in Kunduz attack

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he military has rejected allegations by Afghanistan’s deputy army chief that Pakistani generals were involved in the Taliban’s brief capture of Kunduz and had escaped the city wearing burqas. Taliban fighters seized control of the northern Afghan provincial capital for three days last week, their most spectacular victory since being toppled from power by a US-led coalition in 2001. General Murad Ali Murad, Afghanistan’s deputy army chief, told Afghan media that Pakistan’s military had helped lead the attack. “We will identify and detain these Pakistani generals who are hiding now and escaped wearing women’s burqas,” he said, according to Tolo News. Pakistan was the Taliban’s main ally during their 1996 - 2001 rule and is frequently accused by Afghanistan of supporting the present insurgency.

3 Al-Qaeda members arrested in Punjab

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ahore: Three members of Al-Qaeda ‘finance team in Punjab province’ have been arrested from a house in Raiwind, located a few kilometres from Lahore residence of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A team of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Punjab government in collaboration with an intelligence agency on Monday raided a house in Raiwind and arrested three members of Al-Qaeda,

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says an official of CTD. The Al-Qaeda members have been identified as Tariq Aziz, Abdul Ghaffar and Mehar Hamid Ali. According to the CTD, cash, weapons and hate literature have been recovered from their custody. The CTD said the suspects were involved in collecting finances for Al-Qaeda besides facilitating terrorists to carry out their activities in the province. A case has been registered against them under Anti-Terrorism Act.

US in talks with Pakistan over capping its nuke range

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he Obama administration is exploring a possible civilian nuclear deal with Pakistan ahead of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s visit to Washington later this month, a Washington Post columnist has reported, citing a sole source “familiar with the talks” who said Islamabad has been asked to consider “brackets” relating to the deal. Brackets, in diplomatic parlance, are numerous alternative formulations that are negotiated towards an eventual agreement. According to the report, the deal centers around a civilian nuclear agreement similar to the one the United States arrived at with India, in exchange for a Pakistani commitment that would “restrict its nuclear program to weapons and delivery systems that are appropriate to its actual defense needs against India’s nuclear threat.” Pakistan might, for example, agree not to deploy missiles capable of reaching beyond a certain range, the report said, citing the source, who indicated that the US might support an eventual waiver for Pakistan by the 48-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the same way it has done for India. The Obama administration said it was in

Man hung by Taliban was a spy from Pakistan

akistan’s military denied that a man shown being hanged in videos released by the Taliban was one of its intelligence officers, as the insurgents had claimed. In footage released on Sunday, the militant Islamist group hanged a man who identified himself as belonging to a Pakistan army unit and said he had been recruited by the country’s military intelligence agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence.

“regular contact” with the Government of Pakistan on “a range of issues” as it prepared for the visit on October 22 of Prime Minister Sharif, but declined comment on the specifics of the discussions. “The United States urges all nuclear-capable states, including Pakistan, to exercise restraint regarding nuclear weapons and missile capabilities.

We encourage efforts to strengthen safety and security measures and continue to hold regular discussions with Pakistan on a range of global issues, including nuclear security, counterterrorism, and international norms,” an administration spokesperson said in a tacit acknowledgement that some sort of dialogue is taking place on the nuclear issue. Successive US administrations both under Presidents Bush and President Obama, have knocked down the idea of a deal for Pakistan like the one Washington arrived at with India, saying the background and circumstances surrounding the US-India civilian nuclear agreement was entirely different, and pointing to Pakistan’s record of nuclear proliferation.

China to build four submarines

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arachi: China will build four of the eight submarines that it is selling to Pakistan, a minister said. The deal for the submarines has been finalized and four of them would be built here, minister for defence production Rana Tanveer Hussain said on Tuesday.

Construction of the submarines would simultaneously begin in Pakistan and China, Dawn quoted him as saying. Hussain did not specify when the construction would begin, but said it would start soon.

Pakistan Navy has been pursuing different options for expanding its submarine fleet. Naval officials say more submarines were needed to address force imbalance with India, which too is increasing and modernising its fleet of submarines. “We can compete with the best in the world only through a national effort,” Hussain said, adding the government would extend all possible cooperation to the private sector in this regard.

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Toyota in race to develop self-driving cars

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oyota Motor Corp. announced it plans to produce cars that are fully capable of self-driving on highways by 2020, as it demonstrated its “automated driving” systems in Tokyo today.

The Japanese automaker says its automated driving systems have to be activated by a driver, but then can get the vehicle on to the highway, speed up and slow down to suit driving conditions and change lanes where necessary.

Eager to show it is ahead of competitors such as General Motors and upstarts such as Google and Apple in developing the technology, Toyota says its automated driving technology has been under development for a decade.

Toyota demonstrated its technology Tuesday in a modified Lexus GS sedan, but said the self-driving technology is not necessarily headed for the Lexus line.

Chief safety technology officer Moritaka Yoshida said automated driving technology is suitable for highway driving, but not yet ready to be used on roads with pedestrians and bicyclists. However, more ambitious plans are in the works

as it further develops the technology.

“Our goal is to offer the freedom of movement to everyone, including the elderly and the disabled,” Yoshida said.

Automated technology for 2016 cars Toyota also demonstrated another automated technology called Intelligent Transportation System, which it has been testing on roads in the Toyota city area and Tokyo.

The system communicates with equipment at street corners to detect oncoming cars, pedestrians and other hazards and warns the driver with a beep. There are currently about 20 such transmission centres in Tokyo neighbourhoods, most near Toyota headquarters.

The cars can also caution the driver when approaching a red light and the vehicle isn’t slowing. The system will be offered as an option in three models going on sale in Japan later this year, including the Crown luxury model. Toyota’s plans are part of a larger Japanese government initiative to pioneer automated driving in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Automakers would have been worse off without TPP, Harper says

Unifor, the union representing autoworkers, said the concessions on auto trade offered by the Harper government in the recent negotiations will cost 20,000 jobs in Canada. gether in negotiations over the weekend, onservative Leader Stephen Harpwas largely driven by the United States. er promised long-term funding The free-trade deal involving Japan and to help the auto industry adjust to other Asian countries marks a significant the newly signed Pacific Rim trade deal and shift in U.S. trade interests to Asia. The said automakers would have been worse off trade pact supersedes NAFTA, which was if Canada had not signed the 12-nation pact. the latest in a series of free-trade arrange“We believe that this deal offers enorments between Canada and the U.S., which mous benefits for the automobile sector,” for decades helped Canadian manufacturers, Harper said at a manufacturing facility that particularly automakers, prosper by ensurserves the auto industry in Whitby. “In fact, ing special access to the American market.

I would go to the other extreme, which is Unifor, the union representing autoworkers, if we were outside this deal, that would be said the concessions on auto trade offered devastating to the sector.” The Trans-Paby the Harper government in the recent necific Partnership (TPP), which came togotiations will cost 20,000 jobs in Canada.

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U.S. regulators probe whether Volkswagens have 2nd cheat device U.S. and California regulators are investigating whether a second device designed to foil emissions regulations has been installed in some Volkswagen models, according to the New York Times. A spokesman for the California Air Resources Board admitted to the newspaper that it is looking into Volkswagen’s certification documents and the impact of a second device. The Environmental Protection Agency is also investigating. The auxiliary emissions control device would be in addition to the engine software exposed last month that switched on emissions controls during testing conditions but turned them off during real-world driving. On Thursday, the CEO of VW’s U.S. operations Michael Horn testified before Congress that Volkswagen had withdrawn its 2016 diesel cars from environmental certification over a software device.

The International Council on Clean Transportation, the research group that first exposed Volkswagen’s emissions

cheating, has noted the presence of an auxiliary emissions control device Automakers are allowed to use such devices to allow higher emissions when a vehicle is going uphill or in very cold weather if they are approved by regulators.

But Horn testified Thursday before a House energy and commerce subcommittee that the company had neglected to disclose the software and seek approval from regulators. The German carmaker had admitted last month that 11 million diesel cars had been installed with a device that detects when the car is being tested for emissions. As a result of this device, the socalled “clean diesel” vehicles were found to produce up to 40 times more nitrogen oxide than is legal under U.S. emissions regulations. Horn was pressed by U.S. lawmakers Thursday to say who was responsible for making the decision about the device, which has been in cars since 2008.

About 100,000 Canadian cars are affected.

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 33

Volkswagen was flouting emissions rules for 7 years: report

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olkswagen diesel engines equipped with defeat devices meant to cheat on emissions tests have been in use since 2008, according to German media reports.

German newspaper Bild am Sonntag and other media outlets reported that the automaker devised the software cheat after realizing that a new diesel engine, developed at great expense, could not meet pollution standards. Volkswagen announced in September it had suspended 10 top managers, but their names were not released.

The company will be forced to refit 11 million diesel vehicles worldwide after it was revealed that engine software had been installed that turned on emissions scrubbers during testing, but turned it off during real-world driving.

VW Managers investigated As the U.S. Congress prepares to question Volkswagen officials about the manipulation of American emissions tests, German media are reporting the company itself is focusing on three development managers who have been suspended.

Bild newspaper reported Sunday that Heinz-Jakob Neusser, head of development at VW, and engineers Ulrich Hackenberg and Wolfgang Hatz had been put on forced vacation in the wake of the scandal. Other newspapers had similar reports.

Hatz declined comment through a spokesman and neither of the other two responded to emails seeking comment. VW spokesman Eric Felber on Monday refused to comment on “various public speculation.”

Bild reported that VW’s internal investigation had turned up contradictory in-

formation on Hackenberg’s possible involvement, while Hatz denied knowledge.

From 2002 to January 2007, Hackenberg was in charge of concept development, superstructure development and electronics at VW subsidiary Audi.

In 2007 he was appointed a member of the VW brand’s board for development, and has been a member of Audi’s management board since July 2013. He had responsibility for technical development of all of the VW group’s brands.

Hatz joined the VW group in 2001 and served as head of engines and transmissions development at Audi until 2009, while assuming the same function at VW in 2007. In February, 2011 he became a member of Porsche’s board of management in charge of research and development and is also head of engines and transmissions development for the Volkswagen group.

VW and Porsche merged in 2012 after years of wrangling.

Neusser was in charge of drivetrain development of Porsche from 2001 to 2011 before joining VW to head powertrain development there, taking over the job for the whole Volkswagen group in 2012.

The next year, he was named management board member for the Volkswagen brand in charge of development.

VW’s top manager in the US, Michael Horn, is to testify before Congress on Thursday. 7 years of smog and soot That means that nitrogen oxides from millions of cars were spewing into the air for at least seven years. The scandal has wiped 36 per cent off the value of Volkswagen stock in the past three weeks.

SOUTH ASIA

34 i Saturday, October 10, 2015

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Nepal protesters accuse govt of non-serious attitude

athmandu: The second day of talks today between Nepal government and Indian-origin Madhesis over the new Constitution’s federal structure again ended inconclusively as the agitating group accused the government of “non-serious” attitude towards their main demand. The two sides discussed the major demands put forth by the Joint Democratic Madhesi Front (JDMF), the main agitating group of the Terai region but no agreement was reached in

the matter. The government team was led by Forest Minister Mahesh Acharya. “The government team did not appear serious on our demand,” said Laxman Lal Karna, Vice-chairman of the Sadbhawana Party and one of the key members of the agitating group, told PTI. The JDMF insisted on immediate changes to the size of the states specified in the constitution, while government negotiators said changes could only be made through an appropriate legal process.

Desperate Nepal looks for Chinese comfort

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eeling from continuing blockade of entry points by Madhesi agitators, Nepal seems keen on reopening its trade routes to China across the Himalayas shut after the devastating earthquake of April last. This, despite the fact that trans-Himalayan passes cannot facilitate movement of goods and people the way roads between India and Nepal do. There are at least seven big or small routes that link Nepal with

China. Of them, Tatopani, linking Kathmandu with Tibet’s Khasa by the 110-km Araniko Rajmarg, is slated to be a “dry port” for trans-Himalayan trade. Currently, Nepal has one such “dry port” in Birgunj on the Nepal-Bihar border that is linked to Kolkata port, the Himalayan nation’s only access to third countries by sea. Work is on in full swing to reopen Tatopani. News reports

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Four Lankan soldiers get 25-years jail for raping two Tamil women

olumbo: Four Sri Lankan soldiers were today sentenced to 25 years in prison by a court in Jaffna for raping two Tamil women in the island’s former war zone in 2010, in a rare prosecution of military personnel for sex crimes. Jaffna High Court judge Manikkavasagar Ilancheliyan ordered the convicted soldiers to pay a compensation of Rs 500,000 to one victim and Rs 100,000 to the other woman raped in the northern Mullaitihivu district on June 6, 2010.

The women were raped a year after government forces claimed victory over separatist Tamil Tiger rebels and ended over three decade-long civil war, which killed at least 100,000 people. Three of the four soldiers were present in the court today, while the fourth one was tried in absentia as he had evaded arrest. The judge said that if the sol-

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diers failed to pay compensation to the victims, they would have to undergo five more years in prison. The judge lamented that the incident that happened after the end of the civil war in 2009 had shown that the military had failed the civilians. Sri Lankan army personnel have been accused by rights groups of using sexual violence on Tamil detainees even after the end of the separatist war. However, prosecutions of army personnel for sex crimes are rare. The court ruling came after UN Human Rights Council’s report last month which prescribed an international hybrid court to investigate alleged rights abuses during the final phase of the war.

The UNNHRC chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had said that Sri Lanka’s judiciary and investigative processes had failed to deliver justice to victims of war crimes.

Saturday, October 10, 2015 i 35

36 i Saturday, October 10, 2015