The Asian Star June 4 2022

www.theasianstar.com Vol 22 - Issue 18

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Home sales in Metro Vancouver calmer in May as interest rates cool hot market The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver says home sales across the region have returned to “more typical seasonal levels” and there are modest signs continuous price increases might ease.

A statement from the board reports 2,918 sales across the area covered by the REBGV in May, nearly 32 per cent below those recorded in May 2021 and 9.7 per cent below the number of residential properties that changed hands last month.

Hard drug decriminalized in BC for three years

Board chair Daniel John says May 2022 sales were also 12.9 per cent below the 10-year sales average, while the number of properties listed for sale in May was up just over four per cent compared with the month earlier.

The board says the ratio of sales to active listings for townhomes and apartments topped 35 per cent last month, above the 20 per cent setting that can put upward pressure on prices, while the ratio for detached homes was 18.3 per cent.

Continued on page 7

positive cases are counted regardless of the reason the patient was admitted to hospital.

The BCCDC also reported 1,163 cases for the week ending May 28, though due to restrictions on PCR testing the true figure is likely significantly higher.

British Columbia’s weekly data reporting regime also provides information on hospital admissions and deaths, though both metrics are only current as of May 28, and are typically revised upward significantly in the following weeks.

Handgun sales explods across Metro Vancouver after Federal govt announce gun ban A B.C. gun and ammunition store owner says handgun sales in the Lower Mainland have sky-rocketed following the Liberal government announcement about a handgun sale freeze. Scott Carpenter, owner of International Shooting Supplies in Surrey, said he sold a month’s worth of sales in one day. “I just want to apologize to the 70-plus people who’ve left messages that

BC conspiracy alleged in Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s shooting Sidhu Moose Wala, the singer/ rapper who rocketed to fame in Brampton after moving from India as an international student, was shot dead on Sunday in the Mansa district of Punjab, according to reports.

According to the Hindustan Times and other Indian media

USA is now India’s biggest trading partner The US surpassed China to become India’s top trading partner in 2021-22, reflecting strengthening economic ties between the two countries. According to the data of the commerce ministry, in 2021-22, the bilateral trade between the US and India stood at $119.42 billion as against $80.51 billion in 2020-21.

Exports to the US increased to $76.11 billion in 2021-22 from $51.62 billion in previous fiscal year, while imports rose to $43.31 billion

Number of COVID-19-positive patients in BC hospitals continues to decline The B.C. government says the number of people in hospitals who have tested positive for COVID-19 continues to decline for the third week in a row.

According to the dashboard, there were 421 people in hospital as of June 1, which is a decrease of 52 from the previous week’s reporting.

However, there has only been a drop of one person in intensive care over the past week, with that number now totalling 42.

Under B.C.’s “census” reporting model, all

Canada’s drug regulator announced Tuesday it will temporarily decriminalize illegal drugs for personal use in British Columbia for three years starting Jan. 31, 2023.

Why it matters: The exemption is the first of its kind in Canadian history and is in response to an unprecedented and growing overdose crisis in the province.

The exemption will allow adults in the province to carry up to 2.5 grams of opioids — including heroin, morphine and fentanyl — crack and powder cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA, also known as Ecstasy.

Tel:604-591-5423

sources, Moose Wala was killed by “unidentified assailants” in Jawaharke village, just one day after the Punjab government withdrew his a portion of his personal security detail. Two other people were reportedly injured after

Continued on page 8

I can’t return right now,” Carpenter said. “(I want to) let (people) know, we’re at the top of the wave and don’t know what we’ll do next. We’re going to do our best.”

The federal government announced on Monday it has tabled legislation that seeks to freeze the buying, selling, importing, and trading of handguns nationwide.

as compared to about $29 billion in 2020-21.

During 2021-22, India’s two-way commerce with China aggregated at $115.42 billion as compared to $86.4 billion in 2020-21, the data showed.

Exports to China marginally increased to $21.25 billion last fiscal year from $21.18 billion in 2020-21, while imports jumped to $94.16 billion from about $65.21 billion in 2020-21.

Continued on page 7

Trial of cousins charged in Surrey teen’s 2017 death underway The trial of cousins charged in connection with the August 2017 killing of Surrey teen Bhavkiran Dhesi got underway this week in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver.

G u r v i n d e r Singh Deo and Talwinder Khun Khun are both charged with offering an indignity to human remains. Twenty-five days have been scheduled for the court proceedings.

Dhesi’s body was found early on Aug. 2, 2017, in a torched SUV in South Surrey. Police said the 19-year-old had been in a romantic relationship with Deo’s brother, Harjot, at the time of her death. Earlier this year, Harjot Singh Deo – initially charged with seconddegree murder – pleaded guilty to manslaughter with a firearm and offering indignity to a dead human body or human remains in connection with Dhesi’s death. Sentencing proceedings for him are scheduled to get underway in June.

Continued on page 7

Bangladeshi woman swims to India to marry her lover A 22-year-old Bangladeshi woman swam across the border and came to India.

Was she trying to break an existing record or make a new one? No, she wanted to marry her boyfriend living in India. To unite with her beloved, she braved the wild forests of the Sunderbans, swam for an hour and entered Indian territory.

Krishna Mandal, the Bangladesh woman,

met Abhik Mandal on Facebook and fell in love. She, however, did not have a password.

So, she chose to cross the border illegally.

After reaching India, Krishna got married to him at Kalighat Temple in Kolkata. However, she was arrested for illegally entering the country. According to sources, she may be handed over to the Bangladesh High Commission.

MANMOHAN SEKHON M.Sc., M.Phill Life and Health insurance Advisor

604-358-0590 Unit 252 - 8138, 128 St, Surrey, BC V3W 1R1 www.manmohansekhon.com

2

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Project Swoop cracking down on unsafe driving in Surrey, Langley and Delta Uniformed officers from multiple police agencies are cracking down on high-risk drivers in multiple locations across Metro Vancouver on Thursday.

The annual enforcement campaign, called Project Swoop, targets speeders in areas identified as having compliance issues. This year, officers from Surrey, Delta and Langley have selected Highway 10, the Ladner Trunk and Langley Bypass Corridor. “The goal of today is for us to be highly visible within the community and take enforcement action to target people that are conducting high-risk driving behaviour,” Cpl. Vanessa Munn told Global News. “Distracted driving is unsafe driving, passing people, not using proper

distance when changing lanes — all of those things increase the risk of serious collisions.” According to ICBC, a partner in Project Swoop, speeding is the leading cause of crash fatalities in the province.

About 27 people die due to speedrelated collisions in the Lower Mainland every year. “It’s a busy corridor, a lot of people travelling from community to community, so it’s a corridor where we do see a lot of crashes that occur,” said Joanne Bergman, road safety coordinator for ICBC. The numbers of accidents have gone up since folks started returning to in-person work, she added, and tend to increase during the summer as well.

Metro Vancouver resident sees stranger pouring gasoline on their porch On May 23, a New Westminster resident called police to say they were witnessing someone pouring gasoline on their front porch at around 7 pm.

New Westminster Police Department (NWPD) officers arrived on the scene and observed a small fire that had started in the grass near the home but was extinguished.

Officers were able to take the suspect into custody without incident. Police have revealed that the victim and suspect were not known to each other and have as of yet been unable to determine a potential motive.

NWPD has also released the name of

the suspect. Elsadig Bashir, 29, is being charged with arson and breaching his undertaking. “We’re thankful that the resident was home during the incident as the outcome could have been far worse,” said NWPD Sergeant Sanjay Kumar in a statement. “If you find yourself in a circumstance where you are fearing for your safety and the safety of your property, call 911 and our officers will be there.”

Following the incident, the resident was offered services from the NWPD Victim Assistance Unit. Meanwhile, the suspect will remain in custody until his next scheduled court date on June 6.

Biggest Selection, Unbeatable Prices.

Shop Paragon for all your Restaurant Equipment and Supplies at the Lowest Prices — Guaranteed!*

ON SALE THIS MONTH!

*See website for Price Match terms and conditions.

SLICER SALE

Prices in effect until July 1, 2022, while quantities last.

Visit us online for more great deals!

paragondirect.ca (604) 255-9991 760 East Hastings Street, Vancouver

Canadian MPs back bill requiring companies to crack down on forced labour Members of Parliament unanimously voted Wednesday to clamp down on modern slavery by backing a bill requiring Canadian companies to ensure they are not using forced labour or exploiting child workers overseas.

Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan ensured government backing for the private member’s bill that would make Canadian firms and government departments scrutinize supply chains with the aim of protecting workers.

O’Regan said the Liberals want the bill, introduced by a senator, to go to committee where it may be strengthened further with government amendments.

Most private member’s bills – introduced by individuals rather than the government – do not receive ministerial backing, parliamentary time or proceed through all the parliamentary stages needed to become law.

O’Regan said the vote was an “important first step” in tackling “forced labour in our supply chains.”

“We voted to send this bill to committee.

There we’ll look at amendments to strengthen it,” he said.

The bill, tabled in the Senate by Sen. Julie Miville-Dechene, would make Canadian firms check that none of their products or components are made in sweatshops employing children or adults forced to work excessive hours for free or for paltry pay.

The senator has warned that a number of products sold in Canada, including coffee, cocoa and sugarcane, may be linked to child or forced labour. She has also warned about imports of products made in factories in the Xinjiang region of China where members of the Uyghur community have been forced to work.

Surrey mayor to not attend police board meetings until after October election Amid heightened calls for him to step down, Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum says he plans to be “absent” for the Surrey Police Board meetings until after the October municipal election.

McCallum, board chair, told fellow board members he believes there’s a “conflict of interest” in being both mayor and the chair, particularly when it comes time to talk about municipal and policing budgets.

“I do honestly believe there is inherent conflict,” McCallum said Wednesday.

If a municipality is going to change a police force, he added, change spearheaded by a mayor “has to be driven” from within council chambers, rather than from within a police board.

Calls for McCallum to resign from the police board post and as mayor have heightened as his public mischief case unfolds in court.

That charge stems from his September 2021 claim that a woman ran over his foot with her car at a Save-On-Foods parking lot. Police documents related to the case, recently unsealed in court, have questioned the credibility of that claim.

According to their authors, McCallum’s statements about being “pinned up against” his vehicle and “limping” after his foot was run over, are at odds with what appears in surveillance videos.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, June 4, 2022

B.C. politicians leave legislature until fall British Columbia politicians head to their home ridings Thursday after a four-month spring legislature session where health, affordability and the NDP government’s plan to rebuild the provincial museum were dominant issues.

The session also saw the legislature return to its pre-COVID-19 operations of face-toface interactions after two years of virtual news conferences and hybrid sittings.

Premier John Horgan was a regular presence in the legislature after undergoing cancer treatment late last year, but he missed some time this spring after contracting COVID-19.

The session also saw Horgan use an expletive in a heated exchange with the Opposition

2 B.C. RCMP officers face criminal charges following separate on-duty incidents British Columbia’s prosecution service approved criminal charges against two RCMP officers Thursday, stemming from separate, unrelated incidents nearly a year ago.

The service announced a Langley RCMP officer is charged with breach of trust and uttering threats. Hours earlier, it said it also approved an assault charge against a Surrey RCMP officer in a separate incident, which allegedly occurred a month earlier.

The B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) could not be reached for an interview but said in a statement the charges “were approved by an experienced Crown Counsel with no prior or current connection” with either officer.

Kelowna RCMP officer charged with obstruction following sexting allegations Langley RCMP Const. Patrick Sean Malone’s uttering threats and breach of trust charges related to an alleged incident last July 6.

Patient’s information can be released with their consent: B.C. commissioner A patient’s personal health information can be released to the public with their consent, according to British Columbia’s information and privacy commissioner.

In Canada, “a patient’s information actually belongs to them,” Michael McEvoy said in an interview on Wednesday.

“Like all information that a public body holds about somebody, a person has the right to ask that public body for the information about them, subject to certain very limited exceptions,” he explained.

“But that is the general rule in British Columbia.”

The answers come days after the Fraser Health Authority declined to comment on the specifics of a patient’s case citing confidentiality concerns, even though Global News informed the authority that the patient’s family would consent — orally or in writing — to have the information released.

Fraser Health declined again on Wednesday to comment on the case, even though Global News provided written consent from the patient’s parents.

Liberals, although he later apologized for his use of the F-word Kevin Falcon, who won the Liberal party leadership in February, officially entered the legislature this month after defeating four other candidates in a byelection in Vancouver-Quilchena, a riding held by former leader Andrew Wilkinson.

Falcon immediately seized upon the government’s plan to replace the Royal B.C. Museum, with a $789-million development he called Horgan’s “vanity legacy project.”

The government passed almost two dozen new bills, including legislation that will lead to a cooling-off period for homebuyers navigating the province’s high-pressure real estate environment..

Naiya Gill Professional Law Corporation www.ngplc.ca

BARRISTER, SOLICITOR & PUBLIC NOTARY

FIRST 15 MINUTES CONSULTATION FREE

IMMIGRATION LAW Immigration Appeal Refugee Claim PR Card Application PRRA / H&C Application Student / Visitor Visa Spousal Visa Work Permit Family Sponsorship Citizenship Application REAL ESTATE Home & Business Sale Purchase Mortgage line of Credit & Discharge CORPORATE LAW OFFICES IN ABBOTSFORD & SURREY

We do Commission the Documents by going to the Care Homes

ESTATE PLANNING

LEGAL AID

604 771 3089

naiya.gill@outlook.com

FAX:

778 564 9226

3

4

Saturday, June 4, 2022

OPINION

By Franco Terrazzano and Kris Sims

Your standard of living has dropped under Trudeau

There was a clash between reality and the federal Liberal Twitter account last week.

The self-congratulatory tweet claimed Liberals have been “making life more affordable” since 2015.

When Canadians look at gas prices, grocery store receipts and mortgage payments, that claim might raise eyebrows.

Does life feel more affordable now than it did seven years ago?

Here’s what the numbers say.

The price of food jumped by nine per cent over the year, the cost of homes skyrocketed, and many people can’t afford to fill their cars to get to work.

In 2015, the price of gasoline in Vancouver was $1.02 per litre. Now it’s more

than doubled, costing $2.20 per litre.

That’s more than $240 to fill a pickup.

Taxes are a huge factor in gas prices. While global unrest increases the price of oil and a lack of pipelines chokes supply, taxes make it worse.

In Vancouver, 75 cents per litre of the pump price is taxes, including two carbon taxes.

In 2015, there was no federal carbon tax.

Now, it’s 11 cents per litre of gasoline. People pay the carbon tax on home heating and the carbon tax is also on diesel. That means we pay more for groceries and everything else delivered to us on a truck. The feds try to explain away that reality by pointing to rebates, but the Parliamentary Budget Officer has concluded the carbon tax is a “net loss” for most families.

That analysis doesn’t include a second federal carbon tax embedded in fuel standards that’ll be in place by Christmas this year. It’s estimated to add 11 cents to the price of a litre of gas by 2030.

Within the next eight years, the two carbon taxes will cost about 50 cents per litre of gasoline.

Taxes are making life less affordable now, but Canadians should be worried about future affordability because today’s deficits are tomorrow’s taxes.

In 2015, the federal debt was $616 billion. By the end of this year, the debt will have doubled to $1.2 trillion.

Every month, taxpayers are paying more than $2 billion in interest on the debt. By 2025, the PBO expects interest charges to exceed $40 billion per year, more than double the cost at the onset of COVID-19.

The cost to buy a home has jumped since 2015.

Back then, the cost of a detached home in London, Ont. was $282,229. Today, those same homes cost more than $793,000.

Deficit spending has made inflation worse, which in turn has prompted domestic investor groups to park their money in real estate to hedge against inflation, adding to the rising cost of homes. And the feds have been slow to demand good results in exchange for taxpayers’ money transferred to city halls that are strangling new home builds.

Simon Fraser University research shows a Vancouver home requires 18 inspections and five more for the garage.

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

Design: Avee J Waseer Contributing writers: Jag Dhatt, Akash Sablok, Kamila Singh, Jay Bains, Hardam S. Mann Publication Mail Agreement No 428336012 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept.

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

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Surrey homicide victim identified as 18-year-old reported missing by his parents The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has released the identity of the body found in Hazelnut Meadows Park on May 26.

The victim is 18-yearold Maanav Kinkar of Burnaby.

Kinkar had been reported missing by his parents around the same time, IHIT said.

This is believed to be a targeted incident but not connected to the ongoing Lower Mainland gang conflict, investigators confirmed.

Surrey RCMP officers were first called to the park near 140 Street between 68 Avenue and 70 Avenue and found Kinkar’s body.

IHIT is releasing the identity of the victim in the hopes of advancing the investigation and identifying witnesses.

A timeline of Kinkar’s activities is being constructed by investigators and they are also looking at his movements throughout

the day before he was found dead.

Ho m i c i d e detectives have so far determined that on the evening of May 26, Kinkar arrived at Surrey Central via Skytrain and may have boarded a bus. IHIT is looking to speak to anyone who may have seen Kinkar that evening.

IHIT is also seeking dashcam footage, CCTV or witnesses from the area around Hazelnut Meadows Park around 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on May 26.

“This is a quiet area with several residences surrounding the park along 140 Street, 68 Avenue, and 142 Street,” said Sgt. David Lee of IHIT. “These homes may have the video and witnesses we seek.”

Anyone with information is being asked to call IHIT on the Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email.

BC govt underprepared for extreme weather events: report The province’s lack of preparedness to handle the destructive flooding that impacted B.C. last November was a major factor in the destruction, a report by an independent think tank suggests.

Ben Parfitt is the author of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report that uses the landslide on Highway 99 as an example of the province’s policy shortfall. This weather event left five people dead but was an instance that could have been prevented, Parfitt says.

The CCPA suggests old logging roads that weren’t properly decommissioned exacerbated the flow of water and debris and increased the risk of landslides during the so-called atmospheric river.

“If those roads are deactivated, if the government does what it should do, and invests in ensuring that those roads are put properly back to bed, then we dramatically reduce the likelihood of heavy rains causing landslides,” Parfitt said.

In this report 11 policy recommendations are made by engineers and geoscientists on how the government can better prepare for extreme weather and how to react to such cases.

The recommendations are: Incorporating information on wildfires, logging and road-building into the provincial River Forecast Centre’s flood-forecasting models to increase their effectiveness.

Better incorporation of rain-on-snow data into River Forecast Centre models to enhance early warning of pending floods. (Rain on snow was a significant contributor to the

severity of flooding last November in Merritt).

Doubling River Forecast Centre staff as recommended to government 12 years ago.

Requiring government to conduct assessments of how logging and logging roads may alter hydrological regimes and elevate flood risks before such activities are permitted.

Limiting the amount of logging and road-building that may happen in watersheds, especially watersheds near vulnerable communities on floodplains.

Requiring BC’s Chief Forester to incorporate knowledge of the long-term impacts that logging, logging roads and wildfires have on the hydrology of watersheds into critical “allowable annual cut” decisions, which limit the amount companies may log each year.

Requiring the provincial government to consider all industrial activities in a watershed and their “cumulative impacts” before new industrial activities can proceed.

Requiring all proposed logging roads and logging cut blocks to be reviewed and approved by Ministry of Forests officials before developments occur.

Completing a rapid assessment of the most at-risk logging roads in the province.

Increasing inspections of aging and vulnerable infrastructure, in particular bridges and culverts that could fail.

Creating a stand-alone fund from increased levies collected from logging companies and use the funding to pay for watershed restoration activities, including decommissioning

5

Google warns every MP, senator not to fast track Canadian online news bill Google has taken the extraordinary step of writing to every MP and senator expressing fears that the online news bill is being rushed through Parliament without proper debate or consideration.

In its letter, Google warns that the bill needs more scrutiny because of its implications, including for the way the search engine ranks content and elevates information from “trusted sources” such as the government.

Bill C-18, as it is known in Parliament, is designed to support the Canadian news industry and would make online platforms such as Google and Meta compensate media organizations for reusing their journalism.

In its letter, Google says it agrees with the bill’s aim to support Canadian journalism, including financially, but says there are

multiple flaws in the proposed legislation that could have far-reaching consequences.

It lists a series of “misconceptions” about how the bill will work in practice, warning parliamentarians that, as worded, it could force Google to subsidize foreign state-owned news outlets.

It said the bill has a very broad definition of “eligible news businesses” and could mean that “foreign state-owned outlets could be eligible even if they are known sources of misinformation and propaganda.”

The letter also warns that, as currently worded, the bill’s “undue preference” provision may “prohibit features that elevate information from trusted sources (including government information) or reduce low quality information (including from eligible foreign state media outlets).”

6

Saturday, June 4, 2022

we are

This is not an offering for sale, as an offering can only be made after the filing of a disclosure statement, and only in jurisdictions where qualified in accordance with applicable local laws. E.&O.E.

7

Saturday, June 4, 2022 From page 1

USA is now India’s biggest trading partner

Trade gap rose to $72.91 billion in 202122 from $44 billion in previous fiscal year.

Trade experts believe that the trend of increasing bilateral trade with the US will continue in the coming years also as New Delhi and Washington are engaged in further strengthening the economic ties.

Federation of Indian Export Organisations Vice President Khalid Khan said India is emerging as a trusted trading partner and global firms are reducing their dependence only on China for their supplies and are diversifying business into other countries like India.

“In the coming years, the bilateral trade between India and the US will continue to grow. India has joined a US-led initiative to set up an Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) and this move would help boost economic ties further,” Khan said.

Rakesh Mohan Joshi, Director of the Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM), Bangalore, too said that India is home to 1.39 billion people with the world’s third largest

consumer market and the fastest growing market economy with unparalleled demographic dividend provides enormous opportunities for the US and Indian firms for technology transfer, manufacturing, trade and investment.

“Major export items from India to the US include petroleum polished diamonds, pharmaceutical products, jewellery, light oils and petroleum, frozen shrimp, made ups etc. whereas major imports from the US include petroleum, rough diamonds, liquified natural gas, gold, coal, waste and scrap, almonds etc,” Joshi said.

America is one of the few countries with which India has a trade surplus. In 2021-22, India had a trade surplus of $32.8 billion with the US. The data showed that China was India’s top trading partner from 2013-14 till 201718 and also in 2020-21. Before China, the UAE was the country’s largest trading partner.

In 2021-22, the UAE with $72.9 billion, was the third largest trading partner of India.

It was followed by Saudi Arabia ($42,85 billion), Iraq ($34.33 billion) and Singapore ($30 billion).

Hard drug decriminalized in BC for three years They will not be subject to criminal charges for carrying up to that amount of those specific types of drugs and will not have their drugs confiscated. They will be provided with information on available local health and social services and assistance with those services if requested.

People will still be subject to criminal charges if they possess amounts above that limit or produce or traffic the drugs.

Using drugs near schools, child care facilities and airports will still be illegal.

What they’re saying: “We are granting this exemption because our government is committed to using all available tools that reduce stigma, substance use harms, and continuing to work with jurisdictions, to save lives and end this crisis,” Carolyn Bennett, Canada’s minister of mental health and addictions, said in a statement Tuesday.

“Throughout the exemption period, we will work with the province to analyze data and evidence, and assess impact to ensure it continues to be the right decision for people in BC. I assure you that realtime adjustments will be made based upon receipt and analysis of any concerning data.”

Trial of cousins charged in Surrey teen’s 2017 death underway Charges of ‘accessory after the fact to murder’ against the Deos’ mother Manjit Kaur Deo and sister Inderdeep Kaur Deo, were dropped in May 2021. Manjit Deo, who spent 29 days in custody following her arrest in May 2019, was instead given a conditional discharge, while the charge against Inderdeep Deo was stayed.

For more Updates, Visit our Website

www.theasianstar.com

T 604 449 7500 TF 1 888 449 7573

F 604 449 7501 E info@rmlawyers.ca

205 - 7134 - King George Boulevard, Surrey, BC V3W 5A3

8

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Biggest Selection, Unbeatable Prices.

Shop Paragon for all your Restaurant Equipment and Supplies at the Lowest Prices — Guaranteed!*

ON SALE THIS MONTH!

SLICER SALE

*See website for Price Match terms and conditions.

Prices in effect until July 1, 2022, while quantities last.

Visit us online for more great deals!

paragondirect.ca (604) 255-9991 760 East Hastings Street, Vancouver

Who was the murdered Punjabi rapper with a Canadian connection?

Punjabi rapper Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, better known by his stage name Sidhu Moose Wala, was a rising artist in the South Asian music scene before he was fatally shot in India.

The 28-year-old moved to Brampton, Ont., from India as an international student in 2016. A year later, he kick-started his music career when he released his first single on YouTube, with his music channel on the site now racking up a following of more than 11 million subscribers from around the world.

Sidhu was born and raised in a village in the Mansa district of Punjab and obtained a degree in electrical engineering from Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College in Ludhiana before making his way to Canada to study at Humber College in Toronto, according to India Today.

In his four-year music career as a full-time artist, the rapper became one of Punjab’s most popular and ubiquitous hip-hop artists, with his music often topping charts in India. “India has very few authentic modern artists. He was right on top of that list,” Indian singer Vishal Dadlani said on Twitter.

Local police in India said Sidhu was killed on Sunday in a gang rivalry which may have ties to Canada, the Hindustan Times reports. The assailants fired 30 rounds at Sidhu’s vehicle and he was declared dead on arrival at the hospital, according to Punjab’s chief of police, VK Bhawra.

In June 2020, Sidhu’s song “Bambiha Bole” entered the top 50 in Canada on the Apple Music chart and topped the 2020 U.K.’s Asian charts. It also entered the top five of the Global YouTube charts.

The Guardian listed Sidhu as one of its 50 new artists to watch for in

NON-REDEEMABLE

Join us June 18 12:00pm to 3:00pm Cool off summer with Vancouver’s famous Bubble Tea truck! Enjoy food, games, MOVE 103.5 and prizes galore!

6332 Fraser Street, Vancouver

604-419-8888 • gffg.com

SECURIT Y PLUS GROWTH

BRIGHT TERM RATE

*Limited time offer. Refer to http://www.gffg.com/springdeposits for details, and terms and conditions.G&F Financial Group is a trade name of Gulf and Fraser Fishermen’s Credit Union.

Fraser Street Branch Anniversary Party!

2020, noting that “South Asian music rarely crosses over into the U.K. charts.”

Sidhu would rap about destruction, selfpraise and rebellion in most of his songs, often citing his personal experiences as a Sikh from a low-income background when he was exposed to violence, drugs and guns in the state of Punjab.

“Ho Unlimited Challde Aa Vair Ni; Limited Count Ne Breath De; Main Duniya De Opposite Challda, Te Parallel Challda Aa Death De (With unlimited enemies and limited breath, I walk opposite the world and parallel to death),” read the lyrics of one of his 2019 songs, titled Legend.

NBA Raptors’ Punjabi-language host and commentator, Parminder Singh, said Sidhu’s success in Canada, and on a broader international scale, has resonated with and inspired younger immigrants, especially from the Punjabi community from India.

“He was all about uplifting, uprising, getting the community what they should truly be deserving of,” Singh told CTV’s News Channel on Sunday.

“He began his career in Canada, was doing amazing … for folks who come to Canada, this is like; we’ve made it and we’re going to get settled here.”

Sidhu’s music often acknowledged his identity as a Punjabi Sikh immigrant in Canada. His 2018 song B-Town, for example, is a tribute to the town of Brampton which has about 40 million views on YouTube.

His song The Last Ride, released earlier this month, was a tribute to one of his biggest influences, Tupac Shakur.

The music video, which has garnered millions of views on YouTube, featured a recreation of the scene when the American rapper was shot to death in his car in 1996.

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, June 4, 2022 Sexual assault charges laid against Surrey, BC lay leader in historical case Surrey RCMP have charged an Anglican lay leader in the diocese of New Westminster with sexual assault relating to a historical case alleged to have taken place between 1985 and 1988. The RCMP says the assaults are alleged to have been committed at Christ Church Surrey Centre (which became Christ the Redeemer Anglican Parish in late 1988), and involved someone attending the Sunday school program. The accused was a member of the church committee and a synod delegate at the time of the incidents.

Brian Robert Walks, 68, faces one count of sexual assault. He was released after his

arrest on court-imposed conditions that limit his access to people under 16 years of age.

Bishop John Stephens said in a pastoral message to the diocese of New Westminster that he was “deeply saddened by the disturbing information released by the Surrey RCMP” on May 19.

“No complaint alleging misconduct on the part of the accused has ever been received by either the diocese, the parish where he worshipped at the time or his current parish,” Stephens said. “However, if a criminal complaint is raised, the diocese defers to and respects the integrity of that process.”

‘Dark web’ drug-trafficking group arrested in Nanaimo says RCMP Police say three men from Vancouver Island have been arrested for allegedly running a “dark web” drug-trafficking ring in Nanaimo, B.C., following an undercover investigation that began in early 2019. An RCMP news release Tuesday says a vendor calling itself AlwaysOverweight used cryptocurrency and encrypted messaging applications to sell drugs that included methamphetamine, oxycodone, cocaine, MDMA, Xanax and

fentanyl that was advertised as heroin.

The RCMP’s organized crime division describes the dark web as the internet’s “third hidden layer,” below the open web and deep web, and says it is accessed through special browsers that hide the digital footprint of users.

Police say they were able to penetrate the criminal group’s “digital barriers” and identified a Nanaimo, B.C., address as the vendor’s physical location.

61-year-old man charged in machete incident at Vancouver gas station A 61-year-old man has been charged in relation to a random and unprovoked attack at a Vancouver gas station earlier this week.

Leslie Dale Chudek has been charged with aggravated assault, assault, uttering threats, and operating a conveyance in a manner dangerous to the public after the incident occurred on Wednesday morning at the Esso gas station

on Hastings Street near Skeena, police said.

Around 6:30 a.m., callers to 911 reported a man hitting a pedestrian with his car, then allegedly chasing several people while holding a knife and a machete, police said.

He punched another man, then went back to the pedestrian and stabbed

RCMP tried to breathalyze BC man after breaking his leg, court claim says A Surrey man claiming police tried to forcibly breathalyze him in an ambulance after breaking his leg and ribs is suing B.C.’s solicitor general and minister of public safety and three RCMP officers.

In a notice of civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court on May 30, plaintiff Naipaul Singh Mann called the actions “reckless, arrogant” and “high-handed.”

Mann claims he was driving Aug. 29, 2020 when police lights came on behind him.

15 people charged with criminal contempt over BC pipeline protest, 10 others await fate The British Columbia Prosecution Service says 15 people are being charged with criminal contempt of court following protests last fall over a natural gas pipeline being built near Houston in northern B.C. The prosecution service says it will take four more weeks to decide if there’s enough evidence to charge an additional 10 people, while two others who were arrested won’t be prosecuted.

Court documents say all 27 people were arrested over six days between September and

9

November along a forest service road leading to a work site for the Coastal GasLink pipeline.

Those charged are alleged to have breached a B.C. Supreme Court injunction granted to Coastal GasLink in 2019 that prohibited blockades or interference with the company’s construction activities.

The 670-kilometre pipeline is expected to carry natural gas across northern B.C. to the LNG Canada terminal in Kitimat.

3211 - 152 st., Unit 205, Surrey, BC, V3S 3M1

Given that he was a busy street, he turned into a driveway to pull over, the claim said.

Getting out of his car, he asserts, he saw the officers aggressively running toward him. He said he was tackled to the ground.

“As the plaintiff hit the ground, he sensed his right leg snapping,” court documents state. “He felt excruciating pain.

He was screaming and crying in agony.”

Mann claims the officers then cuffed him and tried to make him stand,

10

LOCAL / NATIONAL

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Suspect flees after random stabbing inside Surrey, Superstore Surrey RCMP are looking for a suspect A in what appears toA have been a random A stabbing inside a Superstore in Guildford.

Police said officers were called at 12:55 p.m. about a woman having been stabbed inside the store in the 14600-block of 104 Avenue.

Police arrived within minutes and found the victim seriously injured with what appeared to be a stab wound. She was given first aid at the scene and then rushed to the hospital.

Police said initial investigations reveal that the women was stabbed by another woman she did not know and that there was no apparent confrontation prior to the incident.

Police said the suspect fled the scene immediately and they are looking for her. She is described as being in her 30s with long dark hair, wearing a navy blue V-neck shirt, black pants, white shoes and carrying a blue satchel.

“We are releasing a photo of the suspect and asking for the public’s assistance with identifying her,” Surrey RCMP media relations officer, Cpl. Vanessa Munn said in a release. “If anyone has information about the identity of the female suspect we urge you to reach out to our investigators.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Surrey RCMP General Investigation Unit at 604599-0502, or Crime Stoppers, if they wish to remain anonymous, at 1

Alberta man fined $9K, loses hunting, guiding privileges in BC An Alberta man has lost his hunting and guiding privileges in B.C. following an investigation that included cross-border help from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service (COS) says Richard Todd Bunnage pled guilty in May to being involved in an illegal guiding operation by Tenaka River Guide Service in northern British Columbia.

According to the COS, in September 2018, a party of non-resident hunters were guided in several locations outside the designated guide territory. And during those hunts near Fort Nelson, a moose and a black bear were illegally harvested.

Sparking the investigation was a pilot who discovered a moose carcass along the Muskwa River.

“A ‘trophy photo’ circulating on social

media appeared to show a moose killed in the same area,” the COS said on its Facebook page.

“The pilot, suspecting the area was outside guiding territory, later flew back and retrieved what was left of the moose carcass — a leg.”

The COS said the pilot delivered the leg to conservation officers, who then identified the suspected hunter and tracked him to his home in the U.S. “With the assistance of officers from Utah Fish and Game and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a DNA sample was taken from the moose carcass in his possession,” said the COS. “It matched a sample from remains at the B.C. scene.”

The COS said officers later learned a black bear had also been illegally harvested during the same excursion.

Bank of Canada unveils another half-point hike and warns of more Wednesday’s decision, which brings the benchmark overnight rate to 1.5%, was delivered in a hawkish statement that aired worries about price pressures intensifying and becoming entrenched at elevated levels.

While the 50-basis-point hike was expected, the language will fuel speculation that policy makers led by Governor Tiff Macklem are considering a faster pace of tightening. Yields on Canadian government bonds jumped higher on the decision, with two-year notes trading at 2.8% -- near the highest since 2008.

The central bank “is prepared to act more forcefully if needed to meet its commitment to achieve the 2% inflation target,” the Bank of Canada said in the statement. “The risk

of elevated inflation becoming entrenched has risen,” officials said, adding they would use their tools to return inflation to target and keep expectations “well-anchored.”

Markets were already pricing in another half-point increase at the July 13 meeting, but bets shot up for a fourth consecutive 50 basis point increase in September and the terminal rate breaking past the 3% threshold.

What Bloomberg Economics Says...

“Though we think the BoC is still likely to stick with a 50-bp cadence at the July meeting, the statement raises the likelihood that our expectation for a downshift to 25bp hikes later this summer will be delayed.”

Teen arrested for uttering threats, attempting to stab police officer in Burnaby A teen has been arrested after uttering threats and attempting to stab a police officer in Burnaby, B.C. on Wednesday evening.

Mounties have recommended charges against the 15-year-old boyof assault with a weapon and uttering threats. He demonstrated “erratic behaviour,” police said in a Thursday news release. “This was a dynamic situation that escalated in just moments, and thankfully no injuries were sustained as a result of this incident,” said Supt.

Sunny Parmar in the release.

According to police, the teen approached an officer in his vehicle around 7 p.m. near Hastings Street and Duthie Avenue, and made repeated offensive gestures “in a blatant attempt to engage with the officer.”

When the officer stepped out of his

car, the teen “immediately threatened to kill the officer” and a struggle ensued as the officer attempted to arrested him.

“During this struggle the suspect produced a knife and attempted to stab the officer,” reads the release.

The teen then fled to a nearby residence, prompting a lockdown of the area.

Police said they attempted to negotiate with the teen and his family. After about an hour, the teen surrendered and went into custody safely.

Charges against the boy have not yet been laid by the BC Prosecution Service.

Saturday, June 4, 2022 BC govt upgrades Burnaby Hospital while others face closures British Columbia’s hospital system is “teetering” and in need of more federal funding, Premier John Horgan said, as he addressed recent temporary ward closures at hospitals in rural communities.

Such closures left residents “perplexed,” said Horgan at a sod-turning ceremony marking the start of the long-awaited upgrade of Burnaby Hospital in Metro Vancouver.

Horgan said the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has had an effect on hospital staffing across B.C. and efforts to increase federal health-care funding to the provinces and territories have so far been fruitless.

“What my message to British Columbians is (is that) the system is vibrant, but the system is teetering and we need the support,” he said, adding the premiers

and territorial leaders would lobby the federal government for increased funding at meetings in Victoria in July.

Opposition BC Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon said Horgan’s health-care comments missed the mark, as he highlighted the New Democrat government’s plan to spend $789 million to tear down and replace the Royal B.C. Museum.

“Can the premier not see the absurdity of plunging forward with his billion-dollar vanity museum project at a time when emergency rooms are shutting down and one out of five British Columbians cannot even access a family physician?” Falcon said.

Horgan said what is happening in the health sector is also occurring in other workplaces.

“I know British Columbians are perplexed and concerned when we have closures of emergency rooms for brief periods

Surrey Mayor outlines captial projects Mayor Doug McCallum delivering his 2022 State of the City Address on Wednesday. A besieged Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum delivered his 2022 State of the City Address before a full house on Wednesday morning at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel.

He shared his vision for Surrey’s future as well as discussing city policy and the approval of 21 capital projects during his term so far. New construction cranes, he said, are “continually popping up throughout the city.”

The Surrey-Langley Skytrain expansion, he said, when completed will be the first rapid transit project Surrey has seen in 28 years. In 2021, he said, Surrey “led the way” in Metro

Vancouver for housing starts.

“Housing starts totalled over 5,800 units last year, which is six per cent more than Vancouver.”

“With what this council has accomplished, Surrey has rightfully taken a seat among the major cities of Canada,” McCallum said. “But the work is not done. There are new heights to be reached and we are only just beginning.”

McCallum told the audience about his “favourite thing” in Surrey: “It’s the people.” He noted the city’s population grew by nearly 10 per cent between 2016 and 2021, “which is the fifth highest growth rate in all of Canada during this period.”

LOCAL / NATIONAL

11

BC man’s vaccine injury certified by federal government for compensation An Okanagan man is believed to be amongst the first in Canada to have his vaccine injury certified by the federal government.

Ross Wightman, 40, was temporarily paralyzed and diagnosed with Guillain Barre syndrome about a year ago after receiving his first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

The Lake Country resident did not hesitate to get the vaccine when it became available for him on April 1, 2021. Ten days

later, he woke up with extreme back pain. His symptoms would worsen in the days following and he was diagnosed by a neurologist with Guillain Barre — an autoimmune response that affects the nervous system.

Wightman is one of the extraordinarily unlucky people the federal government had in mind when it launched the Vaccine Injury Support Program last year, promising compensation to those with a “serious and permanent” injury from vaccination.

New SkyTrain, electric buses part of BC’s $2.4B for transit in Metro Vancouver The B.C. government says a Surrey-to-Langley SkyTrain line and electrified bus fleets are among the projects that will benefit from $2.4-billion spending on Metro Vancouver transit. George Heyman, B.C.’s minister responsible for TransLink, confirmed the funding Friday, saying people throughout Metro Vancouver will have more affordable and convenient travel options, while reducing climate pollution.

The government says in a news release the funds are part of its commitment to cover 40 per cent of the 10-year vision for transit outlined by the regional mayors’ council on regional transportation.

The plan for TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s transportation authority, includes expanding transit service, building more bus-priority infrastructure and transitioning bus fleets from diesel to zero-emission vehicles.

The release says the plan will help TransLink replace more than one third of its diesel

bus fleet, with about 500 buses that run on electric batteries or natural gas. n Wednesday, TransLink said its recovery of ridership that plummeted during the pandemic has been stronger than many North American transit networks, but still hasn’t returned to previous levels.

It says ridership across its system has rebounded to 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels after reaching 59 per cent last year.

TransLink CEO Kevin Quinn says in a statement Friday the province’s support for the investment plan will ensure the transportation authority is on solid ground while advancing priority projects.

“It has been a challenging few years, and we thank the provincial government for its commitment to ensure transit continues to serve residents throughout Metro Vancouver.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2022.

12

Star & Style

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Sunny Leone reveals no makeup brand in India wants her to endorse their product, says that ‘hurts’ Sunny Leone has slowly but gradually created a space for herself in Bollywood with her sheer hard work and dedication.

The actress also commands a huge fan following across the nation.

Despite being popular, Sunny revealed that makeup brands in India do not want her to endorse their products and that hurts. She also added that clothing brands do not give clothes to wear at an event because she is reportedly not big enough for them. Owing to all this, Sunny created her own makeup and clothing line, she told in an interview with a news portal.

NOW ORDER ONLINE:

Mon-Fri - 12:00 - 9:30 Sat-Sun - 12:00 - 10:00

13

Saturday, June 4, 2022

When Shah Rukh Khan took Gauri Khan, Sussanne Khan on a ‘date’ in London Shah Rukh Khan had lunch in a London restaurant with wife Gauri Khan, and their friends Sussanne Khan, Maheep Kapoor, Bhavana Panday, and Sandeep Khosla. Watch their video from 2009.

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan during their outing in 2009.

Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan during their outing in 2009.

An old video of actor Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri Khan with their friends,

including interior designer Sussanne Khan, and fashion designer Sandeep Khosla, will take you back in time. In the 2009 video shared by a fan page on Instagram, the couple is seen enjoying a ‘lunch with friends at the Scalini restaurant in London’. In the throwback video, Shah Rukh not only confessed his love for ‘any’ food, but also shared he was more comfortable being around women, than men. Read more: When Gauri Khan revealed which Shah Rukh movie she found ‘totally unbearable’

Singer KK dies at 53 after performing at Kolkata concert, PM Modi pays tribute Singer-composer KK, whose real name was Krishnakumar Kunnath, died in Kolkata on Tuesday at the age of 53. He was in the city for a two-day concert, and took ill during an event at Nazrul Mancha. “He was brought dead to the hospital around 10 pm,” said a CMRI hospital staff.

He died of a suspected heart attack.

According to sources, KK felt unwell during the concert. He complained of uneasiness during the interval but performed till the end of the event. Post that, he was taken to a five-star hotel in Esplanade, where his health deteriorated, and he died before he could reach the hospital.

The concert had been organised on behalf of

Gurudas College. The singer was in the city for a two-day event. KK also posted photos from the concert hours before his death. “Pulsating gig tonight at Nazrul Mancha. Vivekananda College !! Love you all,” he wrote.

KK death updates |India condoles singer’s death KK is survived by his wife and two children. West Bengal Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Arup Biswas, who rushed to the hospital immediately after KK’s death, told IANS that the body has been sent for post-mortem. “His family members have been informed. They are likely to reach Kolkata early on Wednesday morning,” he said.

Priyanka Chopra asks after hearing Bollywood-themed party from her backyard Priyanka Chopra on Tuesday asked why she wasn’t invited to a Bollywood-themed party that was happening next door to her in Los Angeles.

She took to Instagram and posted a short video from her LA home, pointing her camera in the direction of the party.

You can hear the song “Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai” playing in the distance, as Priyanka’s camera panned across the valley. “Memorial Day weekend in LA. Why wasn’t I invited?” she wrote in the caption of her Instagram Story. She said, “Memorial Day weekend. Where is this music coming from? Let’s go!” and sang a few notes of the song. Priyanka has been stationed in Los Angeles for the majority of the year. In

January, she and her husband, Nick Jonas, welcomed their first child through surrogacy.

It was later revealed that their daughter is named Malti Marie Chopra Jonas.

On Mother’s Day, Priyanka and Nick in a joint social media post wrote about the health issues their baby had to deal with. “After 100 plus days in the NICU, our little girl is finally home. Every family’s journey is unique and requires a certain level of faith, and while ours was a challenging few months, what becomes abundantly clear, in retrospect, is how precious and perfect every moment is. We are overjoyed that our little girl is finally home, and just want to thank every Doctor, nurse and specialist at Rady Children’s La Jolla and Cedar Sinai,

Salman Khan miffed at fan for not having a pen for autograph approach him but he chooses to Bollywood is gearing up for ignore and walk away. However, the much-awaited IIFA, which on second thoughts, he calls the is set to take place on June 2-4 fan back. Seeing that he has a in Abu Dhabi. The event will photo frame with the actor and celebrate the 20 years of Salman his mother, Salman gestures for a Khan, who will also play the pen to autograph it. The excited host. On Wednesday night, the fan, joyous about being so close Bollywood star flew off for the to his idol, is seen passing his event. From a video going viral, phone around asking people Salman had a rather unpleasant experience with a fan at the airport. In the to click a photo. Even though he looks quite video, Salman Khan is stepping out of the miffed, Salman asks him to hold up the car and posing for pictures. A fan tries to photo as he poses with the fan for pictures.

14

Saturday, June 4, 2022

David Tepper’s real estate company files for bankruptcy over Panthers practice facility The real estate company led by Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper has filed for bankruptcy, Channel 9 has confirmed. GT Real Estate Holdings said the bankruptcy was filed in connection with the failed practice facility project in Rock Hill.

The filing comes after the termination and rescission of the project’s agreement with the City of Rock Hill, which GTRE announced in April. Construction stopped on the practice facility earlier this year after Tepper Sports said the city failed to pay for public infrastructure.

GT Real Estate Holdings released the following statement on the bankruptcy filing: “In recent weeks, GTRE has been confronted with various claims, some valid and some not, from vendors, contractors and other third parties, including York County, SC. GTRE is taking this action to ensure legitimate claims are processed as fairly and expeditiously as possible under a court-supervised process, and to achieve the

project’s orderly and safe wind-down. GTRE intends to resolve its legitimate obligations.”

This filing does not affect Tepper Sports, the Panthers or Charlotte FC, the real estate company said. The bankruptcy filings list 17 claims ranging from the main construction company seeking $27 million to a Myers Park interior designer seeking $1,600. A bankruptcy attorney who is not associated with this case told Channel 9 the public should expect the now-defunct practice facility site to be resolved faster as a result of this filing.

“This is a process in which I think that will help expedite and whatever the project is going to be, property is going to be, you know, in the future,” John Woodman said. “This will help that process at least start a lot sooner rather than later.”

It’s unclear at this point what will happen to the half-built practice facility.

York County filed a claim for $21 million dollars from Tepper’s company.

Home prices drop in Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley amid rising interest rates Home prices have dropped in Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

This comes in the wake of rising interest rates, with further increases expected through 2022.

The Greater Vancouver and Fraser Valley realestate boards released their respective monthly reports a day after the Bank of Canada on Wednesday (June 1) hiked its interest-setting rate by 0.5 percent. This was the third increase in 2022, which brought the

central bank’s key rate to 1.5 percent.

The Greater Vancouver real-estate board reported on Thursday (June 2) that the composite benchmark price for all residential properties went down month-over-month in May. The typical price stood at $1,261,100, marking a 0.3 percent decrease compared to April 2022.

However, on an annual basis, the price represents a 14.7 percent increase over May 2021.

Metro Vancouver suburbs take hardest home sales hit Housing sales in the Fraser Valley will fall more than 30 per cent this year – most in the province - compared to 2021 and Valley price increases will flatline by 2023, according to the BC Real Estate Association (BCREA).

The average price forecast may prove optimistic. Recent listings show price reductions ranging from $10,000 to $300,000 on more than 300 Fraser Valley condos, townhomes and detached houses.

No area of British Columbia will be immune to the sales downturn and price corrections, according to the BCREA’s 2022 Second Quarter Housing Forecast, released May 31.

Multiple Listing Service residential sales in the province are forecast to decline 22 per cent from a record high 2021 to 97,240 units this year. In 2023, MLS residential sales are forecast to fall an additional 12.4 per cent to 85,150

units, the forecasts states.

“After a strong first quarter, B.C. markets are now adjusting to a much different interest rate environment,” said BCREA chief economist Brendon Ogmundson.

“With mortgage rates surpassing 4 per cent for the first time in over a decade, the housing market over the next two years may have very little resemblance to the housing market of the past year.”

BCREA anticipates “that prices may be somewhat volatile but will ultimately flatten out through 2023.”

The biggest sales declines this year are forecast in the Fraser Valley, down 30.3 per cent from a year earlier, and Chilliwack, with a 27.1 per cent decline. Greater Vancouver housing sales will drop 22 per cent in 2022 from a year earlier, which matches the sales forecast for the province, according to the BCREA.

Microsoft to open new 20-storey office hub in downtown Vancouver Another tech giant from the Seattle area has decided to make further inroads within its neighbour to the north.

Daily Hive Urbanized has learned Microsoft will open a new additional major office location in downtown Vancouver.

This will be an expanded presence for Microsoft, which already has four office locations in the city centre.

Sources tell Daily Hive Urbanized the office location will be by far Microsoft’s largest office location in Vancouver. The office will be located at the future B6 (Bentall 6) office tower at 1090 West Pender Street — the southeast corner of the intersection of Thurlow Street and West Pender Street, near SkyTrain Burrard Station.

Microsoft will occupy approximately 400,000 sq ft across about 20 floors of this 403-ft-tall, 33-storey office tower with 562,000 sq ft of premium AAA-class office space. There will be enough office space for potentially thousands of Microsoft employees.

Construction on B6 first began in 2019, and as of today, it has progressed to more than half of its concrete floor plate pour, with work on the tower now reaching the 18th storey. B6 is expected to reach completion sometime in the first half of 2023.

The tower was developed by BentallGreenOak, and designed by local architectural firm Musson Cattell Mackey Partnership. During the project’s design

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Canada housing boom to halt next year on higher mortgage rates - Reuters poll Canadian house price inflation will slow to 10% this year as the Bank of Canada raises interest rates aggressively, a Reuters poll of property market experts found.

Yet although prices will fall modestly in 2023, it won’t be enough to improve affordability due to the rising cost of mortgages, the poll found.

Ultra-low borrowing costs and pandemicrelated stimulus measures contributed to a more than 50% rise in average home prices over the last two years, forcing the Canadian government to lay out a budget geared at making housing more affordable.

But home prices fell more than 6% in

April, suggesting the market is already cooling, even as BoC Governor Tiff Macklem said more rate increases would be needed to curb runaway inflation, pledging to do so “forcefully” if needed. [CA/POLL] “In the past two months we have started to see downward pressure on home prices and this trend will likely continue as interest rates continue to trend up,” said John Pasalis, president of brokerage and research firm Realosophy Realty.

“Another 100 bps increase in the BoC policy rate and another 100 bps increase in 5-year posted (mortgage) rates will have a material impact on the housing market,” Pasalis added.

Average house prices were expected to rise 10.0% this year, up from a 9.2% rise predicted in a March poll.

While the increase was expected to weaken through the remainder of this year, strongerthan-expected gains so far have resulted in a higher annual average forecast median.

Real Estate

15

Vancouver Golden Mile property sold $13.5 million relists $17.8 million with “permits for world class home” After bouncing on and off the market, a property on Vancouver’s so-called Golden Mile finally sold about two years ago.

Per B.C. Assessment, 2711 Point Grey Road changed hands on June 30, 2020 for $13,500,008.

Less than a couple of years later, the property is again at play.

The Vancouver real estate returned to the market on May 24, 2022. This time, as the listing states, the offer includes “plans & permits for a world class home”.

“Evoke Architecture has designed an amazing 4400sf home, sitting on this waterfront 7,229sf lot, w/ sweeping 180 degree views of the North Shore Mountains & English Bay,” the Stilhavn Real Estate

Services listing reads.

The new home will replace the custombuilt residence that was constructed back in 1994.

The seller is asking $17.8 million for the same property, but with a permit on hand to start a new home.

Think of it as a favour, actually.

“This 2 year design and permitting process will save any prospective buyer not only time, but a considerable amount of money (Arch, Consultants, Demo, Cons Planning, Financing and City Fees),” the listing states.

Moreover, “Natural Balance Home Builders is ready start the process in a matter of weeks,

It could take you 40 years to save for a down payment in Vancouver The first step to owning a home is to save up for a down payment and for the average Vancouver home buyer, they’d have to save for nearly 40 years.

According to a new report from the National Bank of Canada (NBC) on housing affordability, for a detached home in Vancouver, a home buyer would have to

save for 452 months just to be able to put down 10%. That equals just over 37 years.

This is based on a market representative home price of $1,660,074, with an annual household income of $285,078.

For the Vancouver home buyer who’d settle for a condo, they’d have to save for 63 months for a down payment. This is based

on an average condo price of $709,092, with an annual household income of $142,357.

According to NBC, we’re currently in the “worst decline for housing affordability in a generation.”

The NBC report highlights the fact that affordability in Vancouver kicked off the same way in 2022 the way it had been for

#106 - 7565 132 St. Surrey, BC 604.572.3005

most of the previous year. Home prices continued to rise alongside already high interest rates which have been rising as well.

Compared to basically every other major market in Canada, the situation in Vancouver is dire for prospective home buyers.

16

Saturday, June 4, 2022

17

INDIA

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Manmohan Singh vs Narendra Modi on Indian economy As Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed eight years in office on May 26, there have been debates on the government’s economic record as well as comparisons with the Manmohan Singh-led Congress governments from 2004-’14.

Though some – like this author – argue that pursuing a politics of narrative control has improved the Modi government’s electoral prospects over the last eight years, India’s macroeconomic performance has continued to worsen. Can the economic performance of the Singh and Modi years be compared? In a television debate on May 27, economists Kaushik Basu and Arvind Panagriya took up this question.

Basu argued that post 2016, economic growth has continued to slide as have indicators such as investment-to-gross domestic product ratio, which has hurt small and medium enterprises and contributed to poor job creation and high youth unemployment.

At the same time, India’s social fabric is unravelling, making the economic future even more uncertain.

Panagriya countered, saying the government’s success over the past eight years is evident in ensuring sustained growth while passing

bold reforms such as the Insolvency Bankruptcy Code and Goods Services Tax. Against this backdrop it is important to see what the data on growth and other macroeconomic aggregates reflect about the economy between the two periods: 2004’14 under Singh vs 2014-’22 under Modi.

A few caveats here. The performance of the first United Progressive Alliance government between 2004-’09 was better than in its second term from 2009-’14. The second period witnessed a poorer growth outcome combined with ills of double digit inflation and a prolonged period of policy paralysis, making significant reforms difficult.

Further, a comparison of macroeconomic data for the 2004-’22 period must be kept separate from favouring any political party.

Cherry-picking statistics makes it easy to model preferences, depending on how one frames the design of comparison. The point here is to simply look at the numbers and understand trends.

India’s Annual Growth Rate for 2004-’21, from the World Bank database, is shared below.

The period between 2004-’14, barring 2007-’08 when the global Great Recession took place,

clocked an average growth rate of roughly 7.5%-8% per annum under Singh. Again, the government fared better in its first term than the second.

This trend of over 6% annual growth continued until 2016, after which growth began declining.

Figure 1: Annual growth rate from 2004’21. Credit: World Bank Database, CC-BY 4.0.

Two years after Narendra Modi took charge, the shock effect of demonetisation, when Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes were banned overnight in November 2016, hurt the growth cycle. It failed to recover to pre-2016 levels. Following

Uttar Pradesh man passes away after setting record of losing polls for 37 years and contesting against PM Modi Narendra Nath Dubey aka ‘Adig’ (unrelenting), whose claim to fame was that he had contested each and every election in the country since 1984, died on Wednesday.

A lawyer by profession, Adig was a habitual and determined candidate who had contested many elections, including that of MLA, MLC, MP and Vice-President since 1984.

Financing Option Available 1899

.99

$

CENTAURI FOLDING 36V 300W

www.armadascooters.com BUY NOW and PAY LATER FINANCING

AVENGER 60V ELECTRIC

BATTALION III 60V 1000W

PREDATOR ELECTRIC MOTO 72V

Larry Mah 604.765.3589

INVADER II ELECTRIC

Despite aged in his early 70s, he had also contested against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha election on the election symbol of a letter box. However, he lost all the elections, forfeiting his deposit every time.

He came into limelight when the signatures of 50 Members of Parliament, endorsing his nomination for the 2012 Presidential election, were found to be fake.

"No Gas, License or Registration Required" armadascooters@gmail.com

IAL SPEC N IO EDIT

MANTIS SUPREME 72V

the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, India’s growth rate contracted by 7.3% in 2020-’21.

Despite the arithmetical positive gain in growth of around 8.9% observed in 2021, it will still take years for the economy to grow at the optimum annual rate of 8% for distributive gains to be realised.

Panagriya had mentioned the significance of a high growth rate of more than 8% per annum in creating a “pull-up effect” that allows the incomes of lower classes to rise along with the realisation of upward mobility. That pullup effect appears to be a distant goal, for now.

COMBATANT II 72V 500W

ION 60V 500W ELECTRIC

RETALIATOR 72V 500W

Central Warehouse Showroom/Parts Depot

Technical Service Center

13890 104th Ave., Surrey, BC

14333 - 104th Ave., Surrey, BC

18

INDIA

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Congress, AAP say condition in Kashmir is alarming Opposition Congress and AAP party texpressed anguish over spate of “targeted” killings of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.

While Rahul Gandhi taunted the government saying the prevailing situation was “not a film but a reality”, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal demanded security for them and said their voices should not be “silenced”.

Rahul said, “In the last five months, 15 personnel of security forces martyred and

18 civilians have been killed. Kashmiri Pandits have been protesting for the past 18 days, but the BJP is busy celebrating eight years.

Prime Minister ji, this is not a film, today’s Kashmir reality.”

In a video message, Kejriwal said, “I demand Kashmiri Pandits be given adequate security and their voices should not be silenced.”

Bank employee shot dead in Kashmir Suspected rebels shot dead a bank manager Thursday in Indianadministered Kashmir, police said, the seventh in a spate of targeted killings in the disputed territory.

For more than three decades, rebel groups have fought half a million Indian soldiers deployed in the Muslim-majority territory, demanding independence for Kashmir or its merger with Pakistan.

An attacker shot the Hindu bank employee, who moved from the western state of Rajasthan a week earlier, in his office with a pistol in the Kulgam area, a police officer told AFP. “#Injured bank employee namely Vijay Kumar #succumbed to his injuries at hospital,” police said on Twitter.

On Tuesday a Hindu female schoolteacher was also shot dead by suspected antiIndia militants in the same area.

Last week suspected militants also shot dead three off-duty policemen and a television actress, all Muslims, in three separate assassination-style attacks.

Days before that, a Hindu government

employee was shot dead inside his office by gunmen who police said belonged to Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba.

The Resistance Front (TRF) rebel group claimed responsibility for Kumar’s death on its Telegram channel, though it later deleted the post. The claim could not be independently verified.

Last year TRF claimed responsibility for a string of other killings including of policemen, minority Hindus and a female Sikh teacher, accusing them of working for the security forces.

Police later said all militants responsible for the killings were “eliminated”.

The killings evoked widespread condemnation from both pro-India politicians and separatist groups.

The relatively new TRF surfaced after August 2019, when Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government dissolved the partial autonomy of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

India’s online education startups are struggling to survive in a post-pandemic world In March, Yashraj Singh Chauhan joined the Indian online test preparation platform Unacademy as an educator on a three-month contract. At the time of joining, the 26-yearold was told that if he met all performance metrics — garnering at least 1 million views and generating 30% of his base pay from his lessons — he would get an extended contract.

Chauhan, who had been coaching students in his native town of Jhansi, in Uttar Pradesh, for four years, asked many of his existing students to sign up for Unacademy. But just two months later, he received an email from Unacademy telling him his services would no longer be required. When he inquired about the reason behind the sudden decision, he was told that he did meet his targets.

Although he was perturbed by the demand for views instead of a focus on students’

performance, Chauhan did what was asked of him. “I was told that my videos need to have at least 1 million views. So I asked my students to revise the subjects on the platform (by watching his videos again), and, within a few days, I had over a million views,” Chauhan told Rest of World. But that didn’t mean anything, as just days later, his students received emails from the company informing them that Chauhan would no longer be their teacher. The company told the students to follow replacement teachers for the remainder of their course.

Chauhan is among the over 1,400 teaching and nonteaching staff who have been laid off

by Indian edtech companies since the start of this year. In May, online tutoring platform Vedantu laid off around 425 employees, or 7% of its total workforce. Just weeks later, it had let go of 200 more employees.

Sultanpur Lodhi farmers go solar, install panels to run tubewell motors Having not been sanctioned new tubewell connections, a large number of farmers of the Talwandi Mand area of Sultanpur Lodhi are opting for solar panels to run their tubewell motors. The trend is catching up as the farmers, who have already installed solar panels, are spreading a word about its benefits.

Ranging from a capacity of 3-7.5 horsepower, these panels cost between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 2.5 lakh, say farmers. Even though the farmers are not getting any subsidy, they still feel that it is a good substitute for the traditional diesel-operated motor. “The cost of fuel has zoomed. If we have to run a diesel motor of the tubewell even for an hour in

the paddy season, it costs us around Rs 150.

For running the motor for eight hours, it will cost us Rs 1,200 per day. This is no longer a viable option,” said Mall Singh of Baja village, who has installed two panels in his fields.

“Till the last season only two or three farmers in our area had installed solar panels, now at least 45 farmers around my village have opted for these,” said Resham Singh, a retired agricultural officer.

Resham Singh said, “Our villages fall along the Beas and are flood-prone. The Mand area extends up to 8,000 hectares. Of this, 5,000 hectares fall in the ‘dark zone’ where no one can get a connection for tubewell.”

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits starts in Valley amid surge in targeted killings The migrant Kashmiri Pandit employees will leave Kashmir en masse on Friday morning amidst a surge in targeted attacks in the Valley.

The decision came minutes after suspected militants shot dead a non-local bank manager in south Kashmir on Thursday.

The employees living at various transit camps guarded by security personnel had called off the protest and decided to leave for Jammu, said Amit Raina, coordinator of the protesting employees.

“The protests across the Valley have been called off with immediate effect as the lives of the minorities are becoming unsafe by each passing day,” Raina said in a statement.

The decision had been taken as the minorities

were left with no option but to migrate, Raina said. A militant shot dead Vijay Kumar, a bank manager at Ellaquai Dehati Bank, on Thursday in Arreh area of Kulgam district.

All protesters were “requested to assemble beyond Navyug tunnel on Friday” to decide the future course of action, Raina said.

Militants on Tuesday had shot dead Rajni Bala, 36, at her school in Kulgam - the latest in a spate of targeted killings in the region.

Avtar Krishan Bhat, a leader of the Hindu Kashmiri Pandit colony in Baramulla, said, “We have kept trucks on standby as we might have to leave anytime. The targeted killings have shocked us and we want the government to relocate us immediately.”

434 Punjab politicians will get security again from June 7 The Punjab and Haryana High Court was on Thursday told that the security cover of 434 protectees temporarily withdrawn or pruned due to “Ghallughara” would be restored automatically from June 7.

As the security pruning case came up for resumed hearing before Justice Raj Mohan Singh, senior deputy advocate-general Gaurav Garg Dhuriwala brought to the Bench’s notice an order issued in the matter on May 26.

Dhuriwala submitted that the order itself made it clear the security cover withdrawal or pruning was transitory in would be restored on June 7. This, Dhuriwala, submitted was with regard to the 434 protectees and not others. He also placed before the Bench in sealed cover a report submitted by the State in the matter.

Justice Raj Mohan Singh was hearing a

petition filed by Punjab’s former deputy Chief Minister O P Soni through counsel Madhu Dayal. Soni was, among other things, seeking the quashing of order dated May 11 de-categorising his security from “Z” and the withdrawal of security personnel.

Dhuriwala, during the course of the hearing, submitted that 18 police personnel were already deployed in Soni’s security. He could pay for additional security in case he so desired. Dhuriwala added at stake was the tax-payers’ money. Dayal on the Soni’s behalf contended that the Punjab police withdrew security cover of 184 ex-ministers and former MLAs on ‘pick-and-choose basis rather than actual threat perception’ after the formation of the current AAP government.

19

20

INDIA

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Four women top the UPSC Civil Service 2021 exam The Union Public Service Commission has announced the final result for the UPSC Civil Exam 2021 on May 30. All the top three positions in the examination have been secured by women.

The UPSC exam, conducted throughout the country annually, selects India’s bureaucrats, police officers and diplomats, along with other civil servants. The examination is also not very easy to crack as the aspirants have to clear multiple rounds of examination before they make it. The 2021 UPSC CSE preliminary exam was held on October 10, 2021, and the results were announced on October 29.

The main examination was conducted from January 7 to 16 earlier this year and the results

were declared on March 17.

The Interview was the last round of the examination which began on April 5 and concluded on May 26. Candidate Shruti Sharma has secured All India Rank 1 in the final result declared on May 30. Following Sharma, Anikta Agarwal, Gamini Singla and Aishwarya Verma have topped the exam. While Agarwal secured AIR 2, Gamini secured AIR 3 and Verma ranked fourth. Shruti, an alumnus of St Stephens College and Jawaharlal Nehru University, reportedly had been preparing for the UPSC Civil Services exam at Jamia Millia Islamia Residential Coaching Academy, reports stated.

Indians in Russia send relief supplies for Russian soldiers Members of the Indian community in Russia are mobilising relief supplies to support Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

Earlier this in May, Abhay Singh, an Indian-origin Deputy of the Kursk City Assembly, handed over the first consignment of medicines to the local commander of the Russian forces in Kursk, near UkraineRussia border. So far, the Indian community has sent two consignments of medicines under the initiative of Disha: Russian-

Indian Friendship Society.

Rameshwar Singh, Indian-origin journalist and businessman in Moscow.

Photo: Special Arrangement Rameshwar Singh, Indian-origin journalist and businessman in Moscow. Photo: Special Arrangement Founded by Rameshwar Singh, a leading Indian-origin journalist and businessman in Moscow, the society procured the medicines from Panbio Pharma in Moscow.

ED arrests Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain in Rs 4.8-cr money laundering case The Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Delhi Power Minister Satyendar Jain in a money-laundering case.

The case is based on a CBI first information report lodged against the AAP leader in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act where he was accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.

Last month, the ED provisionally attached

immovable properties worth Rs 4.81 crore belonging to these companies and a fifth one— viz Akinchan Developers Pvt Ltd, Indo Metal Impex Pvt Ltd, Paryas Infosolutions Pvt Ltd, Manglayatan Projects Pvt Ltd, and JJ Ideal Estate Pvt Ltd. Apart from this, properties belonging to Swati Jain, Sushila Jain, Ajit Prasad Jain and Indu Jain have been attached in the case arising out of a case of disproportionate assets.

Modi claims poverty down in India Asserting that India’s global standing has improved over the past eight years since the NDA Government came to power, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday that international organisations have begun to accept that “poverty is reducing in India”.

Modi also underlined security and integrity as the key markers that differentiate his Government from the previous regime, and said that the country’s borders are more secure

than before and the “talk” now is about ease of doing business instead of corruption. He was speaking at a “Garib Kalyan Sammelan” at Shimla’s Ridge Maidan, where he interacted with a group of beneficiaries of Central schemes from across the country and released Rs 21,000 crore in bank accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme. “I remember when I used to come to you before 2014, I used to say that India would talk to the

Journalist Mohammed Zubair arrested for calling hate speech accused seers ‘hatemongers’ Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair has been booked by the Uttar Pradesh Police for calling three Hindutva supremacists “hatemongers” in a tweet, The Wire reported on Wednesday.

Incidentally, all three of them – Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati, Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop – have been booked in hate speech cases in the past few months

for making inflammatory statements about Muslims. On May 27, Zubair wrote Twitter that prime time debates on Indian news channels had become “a platform to encourage hate mongers to speak ill about other religions”.

He shared a clip of a debate on the Times Now channel, called “The Gyanvapi Files”, moderated by its anchor Navika Kumar.

ED summons Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi in money laundering case; Congress cries vendetta The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi for questioning in the National Herald money laundering case linked to a 2012 private complaint filed by BJP’s Subramanian Swamy in a Delhi court.

Terming the summons as “political vendetta meant to divert attention from pressing national

issues”, the Congress said Sonia would appear before the ED as summoned on June 8. Rahul, summoned for Thursday, has sought extension for any day after June 5, party general secretary Randeep Surjewala said, calling the development a “cowardly conspiracy”. He said the “entire party would stand by the Gandhis, fight and win this attack on the country’s democracy”.

21

Saturday, June 4, 2022

Punjab Opposition slams AAP after Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala killed Sidhu Moose Wala was shot dead a day after the Punjab government withdrew his security cover. The police said Moosewala has suffered bullet injuries. The Congress expressed shock over the murder of its leader and famous Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala in Mansa district on Sunday. Moose Wala was seriously injured after unidentified persons opened fire at him.

The incident took place a day after the Punjab government withdrew his security cover.

Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, known as Sidhu Moose Wala, was among 424 people whose security

was withdrawn by the Punjab Police on Saturday.

The 28-year-old singer had joined the Congress party in December last year. He had fought on the Congress ticket from Mansa assembly seat in the recent assembly election and was defeated by AAP’s Vijay Singla.

“Deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of promising Congress leader and talented artist, Sidhu Moosewala. My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones and fans from across the world,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted.

the institute in the past six years.

Since no meeting of the governing body was held in the past six years, the “misuse” went unnoticed.

Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences or PIMS is a big healthcare project in the PPP mode, which was handed over to a society

Mohali DFO, middleman arrested for seeking bribe The Punjab Vigilance has arrested Mohali Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Guramanpreet Singh and a middleman, ‘Hummy’, in connection with the video sting in which the two were seen seeking bribe to facilitate sale of illegal farmhouses in the periphery of Chandigarh.

The video sting, along with a complaint against the DFO and Forest Conservator Vishal Chauhan,

had been sent to the CM’s anti-corruption helpline by realtor Devinder Singh Sandhu.

World Wide Immigration Consultancy Services senior director Devinder Singh had recently been booked by the forest department for carving out farmhouses in the periphery of Chandigarh in violation of the forest laws.

Gangster Bhuppi Rana group announces Rs 5 lakh reward for information about Sidhu Moosewala’s murder Gangster Bhuppi Rana group has announced Rs 5 lakh reward for anyone giving information about Sidhu Moosewala’s murder.

Moosewala was shot dead on Sunday by armed men near his

house at Musa village in Mansa.

The group made the announcement on Facebook. The message reads: “Sat Sri Akal to all the brothers and sisters, mothers and elders. I want to share one thing with all of you.

Pakistan Why Afghanistan-brokered peace talks may not achieve much Ever since the Taliban occupied Kabul after a massive military campaign across the country last year, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has intensified its military offensive in Pakistan and is targeting high-value military assets. According to a study, more than 200 terrorist attacks took place in Pakistan last year, in which the TTP was the biggest contributor.

The numbers remain strikingly high in 2022, with the Islamic State Khorasan (ISKP) concentrating its war efforts in Pakistan. In

addition to that, Pakistan has also witnessed an increase in terror activities from Baloch insurgents, one of which claimed the lives of three Chinese nationals, putting Pakistan in an uncomfortable position before its staunch strategic partner.

Pakistan maintains a high-risk threat assessment from these ramped-up activities on its soil, prompting Rawalpindi GHQ to hold dialogues with its arch-foe, the TTP. This underlines a major shift in Pakistan’s muscle-flexing policy of targeting TTP hideouts and leadership in tribal areas. These developments

China, Saudi Arabia, UAE denied loans to Pakistan Pakistan’s all-weather ally China along with nations like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are cautious towards disbursing loans to the crisis-hit nation, news agency Bloomberg reported.

Pakistan finance minister Miftah Ismail last week said that China, Saudi and the UAE urged Pakistan to speak first with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “We went to Saudi

Arabia, Dubai and spoke to other countries — they are ready to give money, but all of them say we need to go to the IMF first,” Ismail was quoted as saying by news agency Bloomberg.

This is a new development with respect to the relations Pakistan has with each of the aforementioned nations. The Bloomberg report pointed out that in 2018, Pakistan secured loans from China, UAE and Saudi Arabia

Pakistan says it’s shut out of bond markets with IMF only resort Pakistan’s government is unable to secure funding from the global bond market and commercial banks, making it even more important to secure an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail said.

Pakistan’s dollar bonds, which reached a record low this month, gained on Friday after the government raised fuel prices, a key benchmark for the IMF to resume its loan program. Pakistan is seeking to secure a staff-level agreement with the fund in June.

“All roads lead to the IMF,” Ismail said Saturday to a virtual conference. “Saudi Arabia and other countries are all ready to give money, but all of them say we need to go to the IMF first.”

Pacific nations reject China security pact Wang Yi urges Pacific region not to be ‘too anxious’ about China’s aims after failing to agree on a sweeping security deal. Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi and counterparts in 10 Pacific Island nations failed to reach consensus at talks on a sweeping security and trade deal amid concerns the proposal could “threaten regional stability”.

Following Monday’s virtual talks, Wang,

who was in Fiji, sought to reassure the Pacific nations about China’s aims in the region, saying Beijing has also long championed developing nations in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.

“Don’t be too anxious and don’t be too nervous,” he said. “Because the common development and prosperity of China and all the other developing countries would only mean great harmony, greater justice and greater progress of the whole world.”

Mark Zuckerburg arrives in Fiji

Govt orders probe into ‘misuse of funds’ at Jalandhar’s PIMS Former Akali minister Surjit Singh Rakhra’s role has come under the scanner. He was heading the PIMS Charitable Society, which was allotted the institution on a 99-year lease by the then Akali government in 2009-10.

The state government has ordered a probe into the alleged misuse of funds at

FIJI

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan reduced and froze fuel prices, stalling the $6 billion bailout program. His successor Shehbaz Sharif, who took office in April, banned luxury imports and the central bank raised borrowing costs more than expected this month to deal with all-time high imports.

Pakistan needs about $36 billion to $37 billion in financing for the fiscal year starting June, said Ismail. An IMF deal would help secure funds from other sources such as the World Bank and friendly nations including China.

Ismail ruled out raising funds from the global bond market and foreign commercial banks that have given short-term loans in the past. The decision was made after the nation is said to have

The Chief Executive of Meta Platforms and founder of social media giant Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg is in the country.

The 38-year-old arrived on Monday in his private jet and is on

holiday at one of the island resorts.

Zuckerberg who has a net worth of $USD71.5 billion has been to Fiji a few times before.

It is unclear how long he will be in the country for.

Makoi murder suspect remanded The man who allegedly murdered a 17-year-old student in Makoi, Nasinu last week has been remanded in custody.

32-year-old Rakiraki man Samuel Naicker appeared in the Nasinu Magistrates Court this afternoon.

Naicker faces one count of murder and two counts of theft.

Article continues after advertisement

It’s alleged that on May 28th, Naicker murdered the student and stole assorted items and cash worth over $400.

It is alleged that the 32-year-old had slept in the victim’s bedroom on the night of the incident.

A family member later found the teenager motionless, while the suspect was nowhere to be found.

The rejection of China’s deal shows the Pacific will not be used as a geopolitical pawn Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi is nearing the end of a marathon tour of eight Pacific states. By Saturday, he will have visited Solomon Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.

While Wang will come away with multiple bilateral economic and development agreements, he will not return to China with the big prize – a comprehensive security treaty, which would

have seen a reconfiguration of the political landscape in the Pacific, which 10 Pacific states declined to sign at a virtual meeting on Monday.

Pacific leaders deliberated the Chinese proposal in the Pacific consensus decisionmaking way; carefully and sensitively weighing their decision, and – much to the relief of traditional partners – declined the proposal.

22

Saturday, June 4, 2022 Press release

MLA Sturdy calls for firmer action as Sea to Sky transit strike becomes longest in history In what is now the longest transit strike in British Columbia’s history and in light of the recent appointment of a mediator, West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Jordan Sturdy is calling on the NDP government to take more decisive action that will bring the strike to an end.

“Yesterday’s appointment of mediator Vince Ready is a good step, but one that should have been taken weeks ago. It’s time for the NDP to legislate binding arbitration as a backup plan should the non-binding mediation process fail to end this months-long strike,” said Sturdy. “If the NDP does not act and the mediation fails, there is no recourse apart from calling back the Legislature this summer or

waiting until the fall session, which is far too long for the people in my community.”

As the strike reaches 124 days, it continues to cause great concern and stress for Sea to Sky residents. With buses off the roads since January 29, 2022, it has forced people to rely on taxis or even hitchhiking, which is a serious safety concern. “The NDP has failed by letting this drag on for so many weeks, and time is running out,” added Sturdy. “We need action to end this strike and we have a very limited time frame for the government to step up and introduce legislation for binding arbitration. This strike has gone on far too long — enough is enough.”

The longest transit strike in history before the Sea to Sky dispute was ended by provincial legislation after 123 days.

Your one-stop location for gardening, home decor, Jacuzzi spas and much, much more 4391 King George Blvd.

Surrey, BC V3Z 1G6

Seeds and Bulbs

Bagged Soils & Fertilizers

Art Knapp Garden Centre prides itself on supplying the best for those who want to guarantee they are growing something natural and chemical free. If you are looking for non-GMO seeds, racks of organic seeds, salad mixes, seed tapes, wild flower containers sprinkle for covering large areas, Art Knapps is your one-stop shop.

Art Knapp's Garden Centre in Surrey carries a wide assortment of bulk materials and landscape products like soil, mulch, lava rock, gravel and manure.

The majority of items listed on this page are available by the tractor scoop or bag it yourself in our supplied bags.

Hot Sauce ‘Wall of Flame’ Art Knapps carries lines from Belize, Mexico, Louisiana, Jamaica, and other parts of the globe.

For the daring, we even carry the infamous Trinidad Scorpion, one of the hottest sauces in the world.

Brand names available off the shelf include: Marie Sharps, Dave’s Insanity line, Blair’s Death, Louisiana Gold, and House of Q.

OUR STAFF WILL BE HAPPY TO TAKE YOUR CALL

Art Knapp Surrey location only

Outdoor Garden and Nursery Ready to shop for your spring

selection and healthy plants at our outdoor garden centre and nursery. From inidividual plants to large flats, shade to sun, perennial or annual; we can provide all your plant needs.

While Quantities Last

604-596-9201

23

Saturday, June 4, 2022

NOW SELLING

LIFE HAPPENS HERE. District Northwest is Surrey’s new growth centre. It gives you the best of Central City and its lifestyle. Its distinctive collection of homes have protected views over the park, they are next door to a recreation centre and just steps to downtown and the SkyTrain.

Whatever you want, whenever you want District Northwest is where it starts.

STUDIO, 1, 2, & 3 BEDROOM HOMES

The developer reserves the right in its discretion to make changes to the floor plans, project designs, features reserves and dimension.

Renderings are artistic concepts only. footage apThe developer the right in its discretion to make changes toSquare the floor plans,isproject proximate and has been calculated from architectural plans.concepts Actual final dimensions following designs, features and dimension.

Renderings are artistic only.

Square footage is apcompletion construction may vary from set out herein.

E. & O.E. proximate of and has been calculated fromthose architectural plans. Actual final dimensions following

completion of construction may vary from those set out herein. E. & O.E.

Visit Us Today THIND.CA/DISTRICTNW